#this movie is about being loyal to your captain

[epicfirestormer]

Just watched Stampede and was blessed with the sheer amount of Usopp character moments in this movie

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Okay seriously though probably my least favorite thing about fanon Izzy (aside from all the Racist Takes, you know) is that it depicts him as actually loyal when the kind of "loyalty" he's got going on is so much more interesting

Izzy claims that loyalty to his captain is something that's important to him. And I don't doubt that he thinks he's loyal.

But is he "loyal to his captain?" No, not at all, to the point where that's just laughable. He constantly berates Ed, undermines his reputation to the crew by calling him "insane" and the like, lies to him, attempts to force decisions over his head (like trying to come up with own ""plan"" for dealing with the Spanish and trying to kill Stede), and even goes so far as to call the cops on him. Izzy not only isn't loyal to Ed, during s1 he's constantly being an all-around dick to him and is unshakeably convinced that he's in the right for it.

And that conviction is the interesting part! Because Izzy isn't loyal to Ed at all, he's loyal to the idea of Blackbeard. He's loyal to this legend he's built up in his head and the power and importance it gives him to be working with Blackbeard. He doesn't care about what's best for Ed, he cares about maintaining a caricature of Blackbeard and forcing Ed to fit it.

He's loyal to Ed the same way the mean dads in coming-of-age sports movies are loyal to their kids by forcing them to make their whole lives about little league baseball ("but baseball is your dream!" "no, dad, this is your dream" style). Very "I'm just doing what's best for you!" vibes, and that really helps explain why the catalyst for Izzy realizing he majorly fucked up in s2 starts with Ed spelling out for him that Izzy is expendable to him.

[pigfacedbitch]

Dating Hort of Bloodbrook

summary : general headcanons of dating Hort while being the princess of Camelot.

word count : 0.7k

type : headcanons

pairing/s involved : Hort x Reader, Sibling! Tedros x Reader

warning/s : discrimination against Nevers and Evers.

here is my masterlist!

Note : I know this is late but this has been on my unfinished works since the movie came out. I fell in love with Hort, he is so cute and loyal to Sophie 🥹. I haven't read the books but I might soon when I need to escape reality again.

You will likely be a year younger than Tedros.

Because of the heir and the spare™.

I know it sounds bad but some rulers actually do those.

Tedros is extremely overprotective over you, especially when Queen Guinevere ran away with Lancelot and King Arthur died.

He's like the typical older brother you see in movies; handsome, buff, (kind off) a meathead, and annoys you to know end.

Will also be the first one to come to your defense.

When you got to the School of Good, you were determined to destroy the image of being Tedros' little sister.

Which results to you preferring to be a hero in your own story than being a queen in someone else's.

As expected, you quickly became friends with Agatha.

Not afraid to stand up to those who think girls are inferior to boys.

While the other Evers found the Nevers horrible for being future villains, you have a neutral perspective towards them.

After all, the School of Good has many stuck up and vain students.

Meeting Hort was definitely a memory to remember. It was when Professor Dovey took the first years to the Wish Fish (Let's pretend Agatha didn't free them).

When you put your hand on the water and begin to think of a wish, you didn't feel the water swirling like Agatha told you she experienced,

Instead, it was hand that intertwines its finger with yours.

And it harshly pulled you down the water.

The girls' screams and the professor calling out your name in panic caught the boys and Tedros' attention, running to the 'rescue'.

Under the water, you see someone smiling at you, or at least that's what you hopes he's doing.

A Never named Hort, son of Captain Hook.

Tedros immediately pulled you out of the water, with Hort in tow.

The angry professor commands the nearby guards to bring him back to the School of Evil and how Lady Lesso will surely punish him.

"It seems like I'm your wish, my lady."

He expects you to be disgusted like the other Evers. To his surprise, you give him the sweetest smile he has ever seen in his life.

"That you are, Hort of Bloodbrook."

To say Hort is surprised was an understatement.

You didn't only smile at him but also knew his name.

Cupid's arrow struck him at that moment. His villainous smirk drops, staring at you with wide eyes as much as he could before they were out of sight.

Tedros, who saw the whole thing, was not pleased and gave you a warning on how Nevers can't be trusted.

After your encounter, Hort seeks you out more.

You didn't mind, he is an odd yet funny companion.

He also doesn't care for one's physical appearance like the girls do or how you're nothing but a pretty face with a royal title like most guys think.

He encourages you to be yourself, like Agatha does.

You two would get judgmental looks from both sides.

Sophie was pissed, not only because Hort was losing interest in her but being the princess of Camelot is everything she wants to be.

So is Tedros. And everyone else who sees you together.

Agatha is just worried and would remind you to keep your guard up.

But you enjoy each other's company, that's what matters.

Hort was in love with you the moment you met but it took you a longer time to realize your feelings for him.

You only told Agatha about it but Tedros overheard.

Believe me when I say that Tedros will demand you to be examined.

"She's not under any spells, my prince."

"Are you certain?"

"Oh my God, I love Hort and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Everyone in the hall heard you.

Silence before a giddy howl ensues.

Hort runs to you and gives the biggest hug you could ever receive.

Despite being initially embarrassed, you returned it.

Before he could kiss you like he always dreamed of, Tedros stops him.

He pulls out Excalibur and points its tip on Hort's neck. Your brother will mercilessly give the poor boy threats if he broke your heart or hurt you in any way. Agatha joined in without words, just sending a warning glare on his way.

Hort would be lowkey terrified but so happy at the same time.

I mean you love him back. He could take a fucking army if you command him to.

Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey would only look at each other in disbelief, worried for what happens next.

[jtl-fics]

Fluent Freshman - Part 08

PREVIOUS

FF knows that it might be possible to get a new flight and that the excuse of “Oh I found a flight so I could go spend the holiday with my Gran” would probably be unassailable even tot he great unknown of Andrew Minyard’s displeasure (FF has not yet figured out when the pin will drop and Andrew will come at him. The man is a stone wall but FF knows that Andrew doesn’t like him and that knowledge is confirmed every time Andrew and Captain Neil come into Nicky’s dorm and find FF there hanging out with Nicky and he sees both Andrew and Captain Neil frown at him.)

It’s just that it takes 7-10 business days for him to build up the nerve to have to call someone and deal with customer service and it would take more bravery than he currently has to press forward and actually get a flight that would WORK. He has a very limited window for when he can get to Washington. HIs Gran had called a friend to borrow a car to pick him up and that was only available during a 6 hour window on his arrival date.

He COULD get a taxi to his Gran’s house but… (“What if I get kidnapped, what if I get trafficked, how do I tell a normal taxi from a taxi that will take me to a place where I’ll wake up in an ice bath and down a kidney, what if the taxi driver doesn’t like me, what if the taxi driver wants to talk, I don’t have anything interesting to say! What if he says mean things about me in his native language on the phone and I have to pretend that I don’t know what he’s SAYING?)… he’d probably die during the hour long ride from the anxiety.

He tells his Gran and she promises to get a pie out to him A.S.A.P.

It almost makes him feel better until he remembers what he had agreed to when Andrew came at him at his WEAKEST MOMENT to get him to agree to spend an entire four days at the house in Columbia he has HEARD stories about.

FF, laying face down on the floor in Nicky’s dorm as Nicky pats his back: Nicky next time you see me about to agree to something that will result in me getting killed I NEED you to run up and just punch me in the jaw. I’m begging you. You know I’m a disaster.

Nicky thinking about how Andrew has gotten weirdly protective of FF since the whole step brother incident: I need you to understand that that will result in ME being killed which I am not a big fan of.

FF misunderstanding: My grandma’s not THAT strong Nicky. At most grandmothers from across the country will frown disapprovingly at you.

Nicky thinking about all the little old ladies who dote on FF for inexplicable reasons and how some of them know he’s FF’s friend and give Nicky the grandma experience he had lacked growing up: Somehow that’s even worse than what I was thinking :(

***

Nicky coming to check on FF hours later: Are…are you watching the Saw movies?

FF taking copious notes: I need to prepare myself to survive Columbia. Do you have a basement or will Andrew be moving me to a secondary location?

Nicky walking over and shutting off the TV: I think it’s time to go to bed champ.

FF: If I don’t sleep then Andrew can’t drag me to a secondary location. I bought a 20 pack of five hour energy because that is the most the CVS would sell me.

Nicky: They cut you off??

FF: Yeah the manager there said he’d sell it as a ‘favor’ to a ‘loyal customer’ but to destroy my receipt and I had to buy in cash in case I die from a heart attack so it’s not linked to them. So if I play my cards right I have around 4 days of energy right here. I have looked up all the foods that can make you sleepy and will be avoiding them to stack the deck.

Nicky guiding FF towards his bedroom: Y’know that includes turkey. Also those five hour energy shots will be murder on your tummy. :(

FF: I am willing to make some sacrifices so I can live to see 19 Nicky. Also I figure I can just drink an entire bottle of Pepto per bottle of five hour energy resulting in a net neutral situation in my stomach.

Nicky tucking FF into bed carefully: Or result in you going to the hospital for an overdose get some sleep Smith. Andrew is not planning on killing you.

FF already falling asleep because his stress energy is running out: You have no idea how much he dislikes me and how much pepto my body can handle but you’re right about going to sleep. I’ll need my strength to power through the reverse bear trap let alone a laser collar.

***

2 of Grandma Smith’s apple pies arrive in the early afternoon of Thanksgiving via a little old lady turning up at Abby’s house who is a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of Grandma Smith. The Foxes take a moment to marvel that somehow it is still warm despite apparently having been Granny expressed across the country despite the storm.

The delivering old lady pinches FF’s cheek and says not to be too disheartened and that his Grandma loves him and will see him for Christmas Break for SURE. She hands him a little note his Gran sent with the pies and he pointedly does not read it there.

This would make FF happy if he hadn’t been swearing up down left and right that he didn’t TALK to his grandma to Andrew whose eyes he can FEEL on him.

He manages a “THANKS.” In a perfectly normal tone. He has no memory that he already told Andrew and Captain Neil that he was spending the holiday with his grandma since he had blue screened at the offer last time and had rebooted in safe mode to power walk away from the situation.

“Your grandma is really nice.” Captain Neil says. “Those pies look good.”

FF, his anxiety momentarily overridden by a soul-deep love for his grandma, “My gran is the BEST and so are her pies.” And then he hears what he has said and walks back into Abby’s house to set out one pie for everyone else and goes and stress eats the second one on the living room couch after he promised Abby he’d clean up any mess.

He wonders if he’ll make it to Christmas Break as he sees Kevin Day staring at him in abject horror while Andrew stares straight at him.

Even with the attention on him he decides to check the note the other granny had given him from his Gran. It is in her native polish so he feels his shoulders relax since no one would be able to read it.

‘For my little Chicken, this isn’t your last meal like you texted me. I know you will be fine. I am thankful for you in my life every day.’

He tucks the note in his pocket and feels a little better.

NEXT

Per your requests:

@i-have-three-feelings @blep-23 @dreamerking27 @andreilsmyreligion @belodensetdust @rainbowpineapplebottle @yarn-ace @iwouldlikesometea @lily-s-world @obscureshipsandchips @booklover242 @whataboutmyfries @sahturnos

[abarbaricyalp]

Since the original post about the line has been going around, I've been thinking about the "It's hard to find someone with shared life experience" line from Steve in The Winter Soldier.

Yes it sets up parallels between Steve and Bucky, whatever. I don't know that it was actually meant to do that. The viewer should understand without being told that Steve and Bucky have shared lived experience.

That scene has always struck me much more as establishing the relationship that Steve and SAM were going to have. The movie said Steve is searching for shared life experience and then plops Sam down in front of him like, okay, here!

(Reckless) Military man part of experimental technology? ✅️

Lost your best friend during a military mission right in front of you? ✅️

"All I had to do was hold on."

"It's like I was just up there to watch."

Displaced soldiers--out of time, out of service ✅️

Anti-authority 99% of the time ✅️

"The number of people giving me orders is down to...zero 😊"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness and I'm way past asking for permission."

(I mean, I could find these quotes all day)

Heart of gold and moral compass stronger than magnetic North? ✅️

"Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."

Fiercely loyal and natural born leader? ✅️

Specialized training used to protect people at great personal sacrifice? ✅️

"I do what he does, just slower."

Loss of family as affective but off-screen development? ✅️

Strong ties to one geographic location that shaped them? ✅️

"Home is home, y'know."

Sam's theme song is literally called Louisiana Hero

Ridiculous relationship with one James Bucky Barnes, who is understandably obsessed with each of them? ✅️

I mean, I just can't believe how tightly interwoven Steve and Sam's stories are. Of course Sam gets the shield. Of course he's Captain America. Of course he's Steve's best friend. THEY are each other's parallels. Sam is everything Captain America should be. He's everything Steve needed and wanted in a friend/partner/successor. I always think Sam was kind of the first breath of fresh air Steve got, the first time he felt less alone in the future. They're mirrors of each other. Someone they could reach recognize themselves in. It's such a beautiful relationship that Marvel should have done more with.

That line is always going to be a SamSteve line to me 🤷‍♀️

[bulkyphrase]

Cap-IM Rec Week - Early Canon Wednesday

Day 3 of @cap-ironman's rec week event! Today's list features stories set in the early days: comics stories set in the time when the Avengers lived in the mansion and no one knew Tony was Iron Man, or movie-verse stories from the beautiful 2011-2013 era.

Get Some Now by @sineala (616, Teen And Up Audiences, 10,376 words)

Summary: Avengers Mansion has a mysterious feline infestation. Meanwhile, Steve just can't figure out how to ask Tony out on a date. And the thirteen teleporting cats sure aren't helping matters any. Also available as a podfic read by where_thewind_blows (@flowersthroughthecracks)

Homefront by @copperbadge (MCU, Explicit, 12,860 words)

Summary: Steve Rogers is a capable leader, a kind and cheerful man, a good friend, a strong role model, and a loyal soldier. He's also teetering on the edge of suicide. Also available as a podfic read by watery_weasel

More below the cut!

Love among the Hydrothermal Vents by DevilDoll (MCU, Explicit, 26,816 words)

Summary: In which Namor has a thing for Steve, an octopus has a thing for Tony, and Steve and Tony eventually have a thing for each other. Also available as a podfic read by RsCreighton (@rosecreighton)

Semaphore by DevilDoll (MCU, Explicit, 40,040 words)

Summary: "I’m trying to like you, Tony. You’re just making it very hard." Steve Rogers/Tony Stark Also available as a podfic read by crinklysolution

Slipping off the Page into Your Hands by @sineala (616, Explicit, 68,149 words)

Summary: Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve's problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony's problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth. Also available as a podfic read by RsCreighton (@rosecreighton)

Someone to Love by blue_jack (@some-blue-jack) (MCU, Mature, 47,161 words)

Summary: What does it matter that it’d been because of Loki and his damn magic? He’d fallen in love with Steve once. He can do it again.

Team Building Activities by valtyr (MCU, Mature, 37,938 words)

Summary: Fury's a beautiful princess. Clint's plotting a Communist revolution. Rhodey's not sexy. Wall-E's not a documentary. Clint's not gay but he does give a great blowjob. This fic is not an AU. Also available as a podfic read by kalakirya

The Unlikely Wingman by @sineala (616, General Audiences, 1,074 words)

Summary: Clint doesn't see why he should have to follow Captain America's orders. But he also doesn't see why Captain America should have to sit around looking miserably lonely, either.

Think of This as Solving Problems (That Should Never Have Occurred) by @sineala (616, Teen And Up Audiences, 35,216 words)

Summary: No one knows Tony is Iron Man. Then Tony gets amnesia, and literally no one knows Tony is Iron Man.

Tomorrow Belongs To Me by valtyr (MCU, Explicit, 87,241 words)

Summary: Steve wakes up in the 21st Century. He doesn't think much of it, and it's dubious about him. He meets a Norse God, joins a superhero team, and feels terribly awkward about the whole monument at Arlington he's rendered obsolete by not being dead. Meanwhile, Tony is trying to make his mark on history by being the man who finally drove Nick Fury over the edge. Also available as a podfic read by kalakirya

What Lies Inside by Penumbren (616, Explicit, 21,808 words)

Summary: When the Avengers discover Captain America in the Arctic sea, they find more than just a new team member: Tony Stark discovers his fated mate. The problem is, Steve Rogers is a man out of his own time and apparently straight, and Tony's not about to force anything on the man he loves--even if it means his own death. Besides, Tony's spent his entire life keeping secrets. How can he possibly tell Steve that he's really Iron Man, let alone a werewolf? Also available as a podfic read by Saphirerose

[secretpostsposts]

The craziest thing came to my mind. Imagine your obsessive brozone au mixed with the one piece anime! Like the bergens are marines and trolls are pirates. Poppy would likely be luffy, and I see branch as maybe shanks or whitebeard. I seriously imagine that this au, the brothers are reunited like in the movie, maybe floyd was captured and nearly executed but they save him. What happens when brozone finds out that branch is a literal yonko? And how do they take the knowledge of his strength, power, and title?

THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!

I don't know much about One Piece if I'm honest, but I'll try to answer with the little knowledge I have.

But I understand that a yonko is something like an aspiring pirate king, right? or something like that?

(and if Branch were Shanks, and he was missing an arm, the brothers would be crazy about it, and Kismet would be the chief officers of his crew)

and well I don't know what to say, but it came to my mind that Clay may be a member of the Navy, one of the great Generals, and he knows about Branch, so he is risking his neck so that his little brother doesn't get caught and he has a book about Pirate Captain is very proud of his little brother's achievements, although he would prefer that he be with him as a Marine or just a civilian, he hates not being able to have him around. Bruce could be Sanji, or well have a similar role, working in the restaurant only being the owner, so he has seen Branch, but he can never get close because of his crew, he only manages to obtain information about him from Poppy and her crew, The first time he saw him and tried to make him stay, he almost received a bullet in the head from the second in command. Floyd is a pirate, only a member of Velvet and Veener's crew, he is like Coby on Alvida's ship, threatened to be part of the twins so that he can be part of their crew (Floyd was going to join Clay as a Marine, but he caught before arriving with Clay)

John Dory, yes, he is Pirate Captain, and they were always at war with Branch so that his little brother would resign his position and come with him (his crew knows that he is crazy, but they are afraid of Captain John or they are very loyal to him and well, John has a big loot), John Dory has a room on his ship for Branch (there is a chain there and JD is the only one with the key to that room), John will not stop until he gets his baby brother back.

Do you know if you have more like this idea I would like to explore it it's crazy haha

[gamerpup1]

otacon character ai for your twink needs

[{Character(“Hal Emmerich”)

Alias(“Otacon”)

Gender(“Nonbinary man”)

Age(“38")

Sexuality(“Gay" + "Attracted to men")

Height(“5'10” + "177 cm")

Language(“English" + "Japanese")

Status(“Single”)

Occupation("Engineer at ArmsTech" + “Computer programmer”)

Personality(“Whiny" + "Intelligent" + "Nerdy" + "Nervous" + "Fidgety" + "Gifted scientist" + "Optimistic" + "Selfless" + "Responsible" + "Level-headed" + "Passive" + "Loyal" + "Autistic" + "Socially awkward" + "Introvert" + "Confident in his hacking ability" + "Caring" + "Brilliant" + "Anxious" + “Lonely”)

Skills("Hacking” + “Engineering” + “Tinkering”)

Appearance("Thick and messy shoulder length gray hair" + "Curtain bangs" + "Messy stubble" + "Baggy white jacket" + "Blue shirt" + "Baggy gray sweatpants" + "Light blue tennis shoes" + "Baggy clothes" + "Circle glasses" + "Lanky" + "Skinny" + "Scrawny" + "Very little body hair" + "Light arm hair" + "Light leg hair" + "Light chest hair" + "Top surgery scars" + "Trans scars" + "Gray happy trail" + "Black stud earrings" + “Slender”)

Habit(“Adjusting his glasses” + “Pushing his glasses up” + “Whining” + “Talking about anime” + “Making references to anime” + “Asking strange questions” + “Occasionally pulls his hair up” + “Fidgeting with his hands” + “Stuttering” + “Rambling” + “Slouching”)

Race(“Human”)

Likes("Anime” + “Neon Genesis Evangelion” + “Scrambled eggs” + “Video games” + “Hacking” + “Captain Falcon” + “Super Smash Bros” + “Rainy days” + “Snowy days” + “Being warm” + “Cuddling” + “Physical affection” + “{{user}}” + “Reading” + “Watching anime” + “Seafood” + “Sushi”)

Dislikes("Extreme cold" + “Gunshots” + “Loud noises” + “Heights” + “Being yelled at” + “Being harmed” + “Being sick” + “Dead silence” + “Rude people” + “Being made fun of” + “People who don’t understand his favorite shows” + “Being ignored” + “Being betrayed”)

Relationships("Mother named Strangelove” + “Father name Huey” + “Stepsister named Emma” + “Stepmom named Elizabeth”)

Ethnicity("Japanese” + "Caucasian" + “Mixed race”)

Kinks("Praise kink" + “Loves to roleplay in bed” + “Loves soft sex” + “Loves when his partner praises him” + “Loves being overstimulated” + “Secretly loves wearing women’s lingerie” + “Loves being tied up” + “Submissive during sex”) 

Attributes(“Whiny voice" + "Scared of heights" + "Rambles a lot" + "Loves talking about anime" + “On the autism spectrum” + “Jewish” + “Otaku” + “Experiences love at first sight”)

Backstory("Hal Emmerich was born in 1980 to scientists Huey Emmerich and Strangelove via Cesarean section. Huey was a big fan of science fiction movies, specially the HAL 9000 computer featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey, as a result of the film getting himself and Strangelove closer.

Hal spent his early years living with his parents in an XOF research facility in Afghanistan. He ended up being considered by his father for use as a test subject for Metal Gear Sahelanthropus, as its cockpit was so small that only a child could pilot it. This resulted in a huge falling out between Hal's parents. Strangelove vehemently disagreed with Huey's proposition. 

After a long argument, Strangelove and Huey eventually got a divorce with Strangelove taking Hal in the process. They moved to America in order for Strangelove to focus on her development of Metal Gear where she married a woman named Elizabeth who had a daughter named Emma.

Hal was homeschooled due to his interest and fixation on computers and, with his internet-based self studies, he was able to be accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned his PhD at a young age. After attending MIT, he attended Princeton University where he received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. The FBI soon spotted Hal's achievements and hired him for their ERF, soon kicking him out however as he was caught monitoring and hacking into their central database.

Eventually, Hal was hired by the defense contractor ArmsTech. At ArmsTech, Emmerich developed a series of new technologies, including stealth camouflage, that were officially adopted by the U.S. Army. Following this, he became the lead engineer for the Metal Gear REX project. During development, Hal was led to believe that REX was a mobile defense system, but in reality it was a weapon possessing nuclear strike capability.")}]

[etaindelaserna]

Random ask, who are your favorite romantic relationship's couples in any media, like anime/manga, tv series, books, etc (can be canon or non-canon)? Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not of why you love them....

I mean…how much time do you have?😏✨ In no particular order:

1) Zoro x Nami (One Piece)

I‘ve been in love with their dynamics from the very beginning: the navigator and the one with no orientation skills whatsoever. Orange and green. They bicker like an old married couple, but respect and trust each other blindly. It started out with Zoro protecting Nami from Buggy’s crew, her helping him out during fights but I fell head over heels for them once the Arlong Arc came around: he read her like a book and trusted her enough to make a point. That sealed the deal. Then he watched over her while she was ill and from there one I noticed how he always looks out for here, making sure she is safe🥺🧡 Just ✨They just make sense to me.

2) Damon x Elena (TVD)

I actually don’t recall when I started to ship them. It must have been slowly, just before the „fake“ kiss happened when Katherine came back, somewhere between their banter and low key flirting. I think I fell for this ship because of the factor Damon. Him being fiercely loyal and desperate to get Katherine back, only to realize she never loved him and then falling in love with his brother‘s girl. AGAIN. The tragedy and the tension whether Elena would fall for him too, made this so fun to watch. The final nail in the coffin was when he told her, he loved her but compelled her to forget. Oh, and of course the dance…

3) Sookie x Eric (Sookie Stackhouse Novels)

The moment Sookie laid eyes on Eric for the first time and him shamelessly flirting with her in front of Bill, I was a goner. Bill always gave me an ick feeling. I just never understood why Sookie was interested in him apart from the fact that she couldn’t hear his thoughts. In the books there was always a spark whenever Sookie and Eric met. I liked that Eric was down for anything as long as it involved Sookie (going undercover to an orgy for example), that he was always (brutally at times) honest with her, that he protected and cared for her no matter what. He respected her decisions. There were no silly games between them. As far as vampire feelings for humans go in this universe, I do think he loved her deeply. As for her: she loved him too but also knew that it would never end well. Such a sassy, sexy ship.

4) Captain Jack Sparrow x Elizabeth

One if my original all-time favourite ships. The sparrow and the swan. I liked their dynamics in CotBP but grew obsessed with them during DMC. Her being restricted by society’s expectations of her and him being the adventurous, clever pirate she had already read about. I mean pleeeeeaaase: the themes alone! She longs for freedom. He and his lifestyle are the definition of freedom. She has a fierce and untamed nature just like the sea. He is in love with the sea. I think Jack brings out her true self just like she brings out his. She matches his scheming talent but I always thought Elizabeth to be more ruthless than Jack. I don’t know what I expected but her ending up alone on an island, married and back in the corset was not it.

5) Hermione x Draco (Harry Potter)

Another one of my original ships. The muggle born and the son of an old wizard family, who hate muggle borns and are/were loyal to the Dark Lord. The drama, tension and potential storylines with this setup is off the charts. I think I fell for them once the 3rd movie came around. That slap and Hermione urging Hagrid to take Draco to the Madam Pomfrey was pure gold for my shipper heart. I started to get obsessed with them when I read the 4th book as they stumbled upon him during the world cup. I always and forever will read this scene as Draco warning them about the dangers of the Deatheaters disguised as his typical insults. There were both lines in the movies as well as in the books that always made be believe that Draco might have had a crush on Hermione at some point. I was waiting for a redemption arc in the last book which never happened. I also always thought that Hermione needed a partner who matched her intellect to be truly fulfilled and who appreciated her Slytherin traits (cunning, ambition).

6) Sakura x Kakashi (Naruto)

So, this is a complicated one. He is 14 years her senior and her sensei. That is problematic. I didn’t ship them when she was a child. BUT: I liked the idea of them, if the circumstances were different (same age or time travel AU). Kakashi seemed to appreciate her intelligence and her talent for chakra control. He never made her feel weak and he always protected her the best he could. During Shippuden his reaction was always shown when Sakura suffered because of Sasuke. And Kakashi looked rather heart broken and sad for her. He watched over her and cared for her during the last battle. The incredulous (at times murdering) look he gave Sasuke when he mistreated Sakura was glorious. His whole mission was to make sure she survived. So, yeah, if the circumstances were different…also the hand on the cheek is canon🥺 Sakura deserved someone who appreciated her love and loyalty.

7) Claire x Jamie (Outlander)

What I liked about this couple right away (in stark contrast to Frank to whom Claire is married to) was their back and forth, the easiness with which they held conversations with each other and the pure fun they had while doing so. They played off each other without any hassle. Just two people with the same intellect, temper and the same humour hitting it of. This combined with the twist that Claire is the experienced one in all sexual and romantic matters while Jamie is the virgin was absolutely addictive. They just matched. Their chemistry was off of everything that is considered holy.

6) Hannibal x Will Graham (Hannibal)

At first I enjoyed their strange friendship, which quickly turned into mutual respect. May it be due to the actors or how the scenes between them were written but the chemistry was wild right from the beginning. The classical seduction to the dark side trope with a twist: Will is actually just like Hannibal and fights against the urge to kill but actually understands killing. To him just like to Hannibal it makes sense to kill. It even is beautiful. That dynamic hooked me from day one. The back and forth of their ideals. I think Hannibal was rather quickly aware of his feelings for Will. The fact that Will at first rejected him and his whole being but in the end fell for him as well, was fascinating to watch. Just pure and raw.

8) Jaime x Brienne (A Song of Ice and Fire)

I love the tropes surrounding this couple: him, beautiful on the outside but ugly inside and her, ugly on the outside but the heart of a true knight inside. Beauty and the best. Their banter and clash of ideals is what attracted me to them (as well Jaime trying to get a reaction out of Brienne with his constant insults and borderline teasing). The way Jaime unknowingly started to grow a soft spot for the wench and slowly opened up to her, losing his hand (his identity as one of the best swordsmen) to protect her virtue all led to the best scene between them: the bath in Harrenhal. I fully shipped them afterwards. It‘s hard to imagine that Jaime had ever been this vulnerable with anyone but his brother before. He keeps on protecting her and she reminds him of his oaths. Just beautiful ✨

9) Buffy x Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

I was so obsessed with them at some point in my life — it wasn’t healthy anymore. First because of the ridiculous sexy way Spike played around with Buffy as his next slayer to kill. He was cunning and dangerous. Later because of how loyal, funny and good he was even without a soul. Him being a hopeless, awkward romantic while Buffy was straight to the point was a fun dynamic. In the later seasons I felt sorry for him because of how he was used and treated by Buffy but at least he got to go out like a true hero.

10) Beth x Daryl (The Walking Dead)

This was an unexpected one. I liked Daryl as a character but Beth was just a girl in the background who cut her arms. They were pushed together for a few episodes and because their views on life and their experiences were so different, it created this interesting dynamic. Somehow they worked. Daryl helped her get stronger and Beth helped him to deal with his emotions. She was innocent. He was rugged and beaten down by life. There was something delicate between them that was never allowed to grow.

13) Rae x Finn (My Mad Fat Diary)

Just two nerds obsessed with Oasis and each other. Typical teenager drama. Because of her seize and her body and mental issues Rae doesn’t think she deserves Finn or that he is even interested in her. She convinces herself to the point that she gives her v-card to another guy around her body seize. Finn on the other hand has already decided that he likes Rae and is all cute and touchy with her. The cuteness of their relationship and Finn‘s straight forward „Idk what your problem is but I like you just the way you are“ endeared me to this couple. Also Rae is hilarious.

14) Asoka x Rex (The Clone Wars Series)

Another problematic ship due to her being his superior and him being (at least) physically older when they were first introduced to each other. I think it‘s the fact that Order 66 looms on the horizon and all the drama and heartbreak that comes with it, what got me into this ship. Asoka transforms from an insecure padawan who gets her squad killed into a formidable force user and along the way she earned Rex‘ respect. Plus I‘m a sucker for how fierce she gets every time Rex is in trouble/attacked. They protect and care for each other and if they weren’t Jedi and Clone I could totally see them as a power couple.

[sotwk]

Legolas & Tauriel in the SotWK AU

I recently received a Anon Ask asking me about my opinion/views regarding Legolas and Tauriel's relationship, but apparently Tumblr is screwing up a few things for me (including eating up the notifications for some Mutuals that I've tagged in my posts... grrrr!) and that Anon Ask somehow disappeared.

Note: This is how closely I track and value the Asks/Requests I receive. My inbox is pretty full, but I remember them all. Pending Asks burn a hole in the back of my head until they're answered. I never delete Asks, unless they're duplicates or (god-forbid), hate mail.

Anyway! I am determined to answer that deleted/missing Anon Ask because I'm stubborn that way. ;) So before I forget, here are some headcanons about Legolas and Tauriel as their relationship exists in the SotWK Universe:

10 SotWK Facts About Legolas and Tauriel's Friendship:

A Short Answer to the Big Question: Is there a romance between them? In the SotWK AU? NO. Legolas and Tauriel's relationship is mutually and entirely platonic.

However, they have something better than the unrequited pining Legolas had for her in The Hobbit series. They are BEST FRIENDS. In SotWK, these two are even closer and more bonded than they were portrayed in the films.

Legolas and Tauriel are "birthmates": a concept and term I created that refers to a Silvan tradition where Elf children born in the same year are believed to share a special bond akin to that of blood siblings. Elven "birthmates" become best friends literally forever--because it starts from birth and remains endless for as long as their immortal lives endure.

Legolas and Tauriel are devoted to each other, but as best friends, which is love powerful enough that they would give their lives for each other. If anything, Legolas is fiercely protective of Tauriel, so he would be wary of any foreign admirers that may approach her (e.g. Kili).

I gave a brief glimpse into the childhood of Legolas and Tauriel in Chapter 4 of my young Legolas fanfic, "Greenleaf's Day Out".

When they were children, Tauriel was the smart, studious, rule-abiding, well-behaved child while Legolas was the restless, rambunctious, cannot-sit-still mischief maker. But despite their personality clashes and constant bickering, they were great friends, school mates, and playmates.

Tauriel once aspired to be a healer and in fact began training to be one when she reached adulthood. However, her plans changed when the Woodland Realm grew dark and dangerous from the filth of Dol Guldur. Her parents were among those killed in the early attacks of the spiders, and so Tauriel then joined the Mirkwood Spiderhunters before eventually becoming a Captain of the Guard.

Unlike in the movies, Tauriel had known the Elvenqueen, Legolas's mother very well since she was just a child, and so she didn't need to have her death explained; neither would she have ever dreamt of accusing Thranduil of being heartless or unloving. She was well-aware of the family's history and therefore very loyal to the Elvenking and his rule, and rightfully so.

In her youth, Tauriel had a giant not-so-secret crush on Legolas's older brother, Prince Arvellas (who was her teacher/mentor for a time), but she eventually outgrew it. She also had strong relationships with all the Thranduilion princes, who were very fond of her.

Tauriel's fate and actual role in the events of BotFA (SotWK version) actually remains undecided in my head! Does she fall in love with Kili? I honestly don't know, and I will have to cross that bridge when I get there with my Durins Live fanfics.

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Tolkien Headcanon tag list: @quickslvxrr @laneynoir @auttumnsayshi @achromaticerebus @tamryniel @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @blueberryrock @aduialel @glassgulls @ladyweaslette @klytemnestra13 @creativity-of-death @heilith @fizzyxcustard @absentmindeduniverse @lathalea @tamurilofrivendell @jordie-your-local-halfling @ladyk8tie @scyllas-revenge @asianbutnotjapanese @conversacomsmaug @lemonivall @ratsys @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @entishramblings @stormchaser819 @freshalmondpandadonut @beekieboo @jezzibee

Interested in SotWK content?

Introduction to SotWK

My Headcanon Masterlist 

My Fanfiction Masterlist

[lady-fey]

Every Character Follows a Set of Rules

Writing consistent characters can be a challenge. One of the best tips that I have for overcoming that challenge is to accept the fact that every character is going to follow a set of rules. They may not necessarily be logical rules, but they’re there. The trick to being a good writer is establishing those rules and then following them OR putting in a ton of work to justify breaking them.

Let’s look at some examples from popular media starting with a simple character: Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings.

Sam arguably has a single rule that guides him and that rule is this: Sam is loyal to Frodo above all others and will put his own life at risk to protect Frodo and assist him in the completion of his mission.

This is the thing that guides Sam’s every action in LotR. If you’re writing a scene where Sam has to make a choice, just ask “what’s the best thing for Frodo” and that’s what you have Sam do. He’s basic, but notably still well loved, which is why I picked him. Complexity does not a good character make, but good characters can be complex, which brings us to example two: Tony Stark from the MCU.

Tony is a complex, messed up character, but you can still sum him up with a handful of rules:

Tony is a suspicious person who assumes that everyone wants something from him. It takes a lot for a person to earn his trust, but once they have it, he’s incredibly loyal to them.

Tony shows that he cares through material things like weapons upgrades and extravagant gifts. He will not show physical affection easily and often downplays just how much effort he’s put into something to avoid being hurt if the giftee don’t like what he’s made.

Tony’s greatest asset is his mind. He is always coming up with plans. and he will always take the path that he feels is best, even if that means great personal sacrifice

Tony is naturally curious and loves learning and inventing. He can’t help but want to solve any puzzle you give him, often sacrificing his health to do it.

Tony hates to show weakness, hiding his hurt behind a snarky attitude or self-destructive behavior. He’s never going to tell people that something is wrong unless he absolutely has to. You usually have to force it out of him.

Tony values those he loves and humanity/large populations more than he values himself. He doesn’t want die, but he will take that risk if that’s the best option.

This is how you write Tony Stark. Follow these rules, add in some sarcastic quips, and you’re mostly golden. However, there are a few scenes throughout the series where Tony breaks rule six and does something to put himself above a person who earned his loyalty. The big example is in Captain America: Civil War, which ends with Tony doing something that’s pretty out of character. However, that scene still works because the entire movie is centered around putting Tony in a position where he’s pushed to his limit. The writers actually talk about this openly, saying that they knew that they’d need to put Tony under a ton of stress for the ending to work because, under normal circumstances, Tony wouldn’t do that.

This is how good writers think. They don’t say “A needs to happen no matter what character Y would do” they ask “okay, would character Y normally do A?” and, if the answer is no, then they figure out what they need to do to make that choice believable. You can get a character to do almost anything if you play your cards right. For example, you can have a sweet kind character who would never hurt a fly do something as extreme as murder if you put someone they love in danger.

If you feel like you struggle with keeping characters consistent, start thinking about them from this rules perspective. A good exercise is to pick a character that you love and see if you can figure out their rules. To do this, focus on how they act under normal conditions and then think about what the author does if/when the character does something that breaks their rules. What stressors did they have to put them under?

I don’t actively write down my characters rules most of the time, but this is how I think of them and how I’m able to write people who are very different from me. It’s also worth noting that you can list out as many rules as you need to help yourself stay consistent. They don't have to be these big idea rules that I've focused on here. They can be more simple stuff like "Amy will always stop to pet a dog." Once you have your rules, just make sure you always follow them or that you always justify breaking them. Do that you shouldn’t have any problem writing someone who’s believable.

[hacash]

Series asks:

• The Terror

• The Musketeers

• the last movie you watched

Marvellously the last film I watched was LOTR, which makes this beautifully easy! Also I want to sue for making me choose just one husband-candidate from the Terror character list, this is nothing but pure biphobia.

The Terror

Character I’d want as a best friend. - Depending on my mood it would either be Bridgens (sweet, gentle, loves books, will clearly be a comforting presence) or Fitzjames (gossipy, kinda bitchy, would enjoy drag brunch and hopefully sharing his fabulous wardrobe with me).

Character I’d want as a parent. – I was going to say MacDonald, as he’s just so nice and dry-witted and shaped like kindness, but honestly one of the fundamental rules of life is that you can't think your parent is hot and Charles Edwards remains an absolute dish, so it's gonna have to be Captain 'Grumpy Pants' Crozier here.

Character I’d want as a sibling. - Irving, my troubled dweeby little baby queer: I have so many queer Christian groups to share with you.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – SOL TOZER. LOOK AT MY TAGS. THIS MUCH IS APPARENT. He's loyal, he's snarky, he's genuinely protective of his men, he's the hottest one of the bunch and clearly takes orders well: which is basically my dream husband. Because I'm greedy I will also dub Fitzjames and Hartnell as very close runners-up: two absolute Good Eggs who also happen to be very pretty.

Character I’d want as a child. – Honest to God, if I could pop baby Thomas Evans into a sling like a baby kangaroo and carry him around all day, I would, with his curls and his pinchable cheeks and his heartbreaking loyalty to his buddies.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – There is only one possible right answer for this, and that answer is Thomas ‘Monsterfucker’ Blanky.

BBC Musketeers

Character I’d want as a best friend. - Porthos, 100% the best musketeers of the bunch.

Character I’d want as a parent. – Obviously Captain Treville; apparently a specific blorbo-type I have is ‘gruff figure of authority who would die for anyone under their command’ and Treville was definitely a foundational blorbo here.

Character I’d want as a sibling. - Sylvie only had a single series and I'm still gutted about it; not only do I think she'd be a great sibling but we could overthrow the government together.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – I didn't spend several years spamming your feeds with reams of d'Artagnan gifsets and meta not to dub him my honorary husband now.

Character I’d want as a child. – Aramis: granted he’s an adult man but I feel like he needs a full-time parent just to tell him what not to put his dick in.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – Can you imagine going to family dinners and having Louis as an in-law? Those meals would be so messy, I would absolutely love that.

LOTR

Character I’d want as a best friend. – I would argue that pretty much the entire point of the trilogy is ‘you will never get a best friend better than Samwise Gamgee’, so obviously my answer’s gotta be Sam. We both like gardening, planting, being snarky little shits and loving Frodo Baggins so we’d probably get on.

Character I’d want as a parent. – Absolutely Theoden: Bernard Hill’s delivery of ‘no parent should ever have to bury their child’ ruined me twenty-two years ago and honestly I’ve never quite recovered. (He makes such a good dad!!)

Character I’d want as a sibling. – Boromir is the archetypal big brother; I would bond with him over adorable hobbits and being aspec so so much.

Character I’d want as a significant other. – My little eleven-year-old self’s crush on both Pippin and Merry was a significantly formative period in my life, so honestly, either of them. They’re both Good Eggs, we can bond over cooking, Pippin can make me laugh lots and Merry can compensate for my utter inability to plan anything ever.

Character I’d want as a child. – Those two adorable baby hobbit kiddos played by Peter Jackson's kids.

Character I’d want as a weird inlaw. – Gandalf is the only weird inlaw.

[callsign-owl]

Easter Break - Part 5

This is a continuation of Easter Break - Part 4

London, United Kingdom - April 2019

Easter Sunday arrived with the same gray sky that had hung over London for days. Percival stood by the window with his phone pressed to his ear. His expression was tense  as he listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. Finally, the deep, steady voice of Captain Price answered, his tone neutral and composed, as always. “Captain Price.”

“Captain Price,” Percival began, forcing his voice to remain calm and polite. “It’s Percival *redacted*. I trust you have a moment to speak?"  There was a pause on the other end, brief but telling. “Go ahead,” Price replied, though there was no warmth in his tone. No pleasantries, no unnecessary small talk. Price knew this call wasn’t just a social check-in.

Percival, however, wasn’t deterred. “I wanted to talk to you about my brother *redacted*,” he began, his voice carefully measured. “I’d like to hear from you directly how he’s been progressing in Task Force 141. I know the official reports only tell part of the story.”

Price’s voice remained steady, unreadable. “He’s making progress,” was all he said.

Percival frowned. That wasn’t enough. He needed more than vague reassurances. “I’m sure he is, but you and I both know progress can mean different things. I’m asking you for specifics. How has he been handling himself under pressure? Is he adapting well? Or have there been issues?”

Another pause. This time, it stretched longer. Percival could almost hear Price weighing his response, deciding how much to reveal—and how much to keep to himself.

 “*redacted* has been handling the training well enough. We all have our ups and downs, and he’s no different. He’s learning,  he's pushing himself and he's putting in the work, and far as his progress goes, he’s where he needs to be.”  Price finally said, his tone firm.

The answer was still vague, deliberately so, and it grated on Percival. He wasn’t used to being stonewalled like this. “Captain,” Percival said, a sharp edge creeping into his voice, “I understand you’re loyal to your team, but I’m his brother. I have a right to know how he’s really doing—whether he’s coping or not. I can’t help him if I don’t have the full picture.”

Price’s response was immediate and unyielding. “With all due respect, that’s not how this works.”

The bluntness of the statement hit Percival like a slap, and he clenched his jaw, his frustration mounting. “*redacted* is my responsibility, and I need to know if he’s struggling.”

Price’s tone didn’t soften. “*redacted* is part of Task Force 141 now. That means he’s part of my responsibility, not yours. If there’s an issue, we’ll handle it. You won’t need to get involved.”

Percival could feel his control slipping, the surge of irritation rising in his chest. He had expected more cooperation from Price, but Price wasn’t giving him anything, and it was infuriating. The implication was clear: Percival’s influence ended the moment Owl joined Task Force 141. Owl was part of the team, and Price wasn’t going to betray that bond of loyalty.

Percival’s grip tightened on the phone. He wasn’t used to being shut down like this. Percival’s frustration spiked, but before he could respond, Price added, “Now, if that’s all, I’ve got other things to attend to.” 

There was no room for argument in Price’s tone, no opening for Percival to push further. Percival bit back a sharp retort, forcing himself to remain composed, even as his anger simmered just below the surface.

“Of course, Captain,” Percival said tightly. “I appreciate your time.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Owl lay sprawled across his bed, phone in hand, aimlessly scrolling through various social media. The endless stream of pictures and videos blurred together, none of it holding his attention for more than a second. It had been days of the same routine: aimless walks around Hampstead, getting overpriced coffees at various coffee shops, returning to the mansion to binge-watch movies and TV shows. The void of boredom stretched on endlessly, with nothing of interest to break it.

Owl hadn’t seen much of Percy. Since their confrontation in the study, they had mostly avoided each other, careful not to cross paths unless absolutely necessary. Percival had been just as busy with work as usual. Either he was out of the house entirely or he was locked in his study that served as his office when he was at home. Both suited Owl just fine. He wasn’t in the mood for any more tense conversations or lectures. Being around Percy always made him feel like a caged animal, being watched and analyzed for signs of weakness.

As Owl scrolled past yet another funny cat video, when his phone buzzed with a new text message. He opened the message app and sighed when he saw it was from Percy.

Lunch at 1. Wear something decent.

Owl groaned. Of course, Percy had to make a big deal out of Easter. For all their efforts to ignore each other over the past few days, Percy apparently couldn’t resist playing the role of responsible older brother on holidays. He could imagine the scene now—Percy probably had some fancy reservation at a place where the waiters wore suits, and the menu had no prices on it. And Owl would be expected to sit through it all, pretending to care, while they danced around any real conversation like they always did.

Grumbling under his breath, Owl dragged himself out of bed and glanced at the time. He had enough time to shower and change, but he wasn’t going to go overboard with the whole “decent” request. A pair of black jeans and a simple black t-shirt would have to be enough. Once showered and dressed, Owl lingered in his room. He wasn’t looking forward to this lunch. In fact, he had half a mind to just skip it entirely, but he knew Percy wouldn’t let that fly.

At exactly 1 o'clock Owl made his way downstairs, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. Percy was waiting for him near the front door, dressed impeccably, as always. A dark suit, neatly pressed, and polished shoes that probably cost more than Owl’s entire wardrobe. He watched Owl approach, his expression neutral, but there was a flicker of tension around his eyes.

“You’re late,” Percy said, his tone matter-of-fact. Owl just shrugged and Percy didn't bother to argue any further. Nevertheless the disapproving silence that followed said enough. Without another word, they left the house and climbed into the waiting car.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The restaurant was exactly what Owl had expected—high-end, decadent, and oozing with a kind of wealth and pretension that made his skin crawl. Waiters glided through the dining area in black suits, catering to patrons who looked like they’d stepped straight out of a luxury lifestyle magazine. It was the kind of place Percy thrived in, a world of polished facades and silent judgments, and Owl absolutely hated it.

As they were led to their table, Owl couldn’t help but feel a wave of discomfort wash over him. He felt completely out of place. Percy, on the other hand, looked perfectly at home. He moved through the restaurant like he belonged there, every inch of him screaming control and wealth.

The second he sat down, Owl grabbed the menu, skimming it with the same detached disinterest he felt for the whole situation. Just as he had expected, there were no prices next to the items, and the descriptions were unnecessarily long, every dish dripping with luxury. Truffles, foie gras, and other pretentious ingredients dominated the menu, and Owl had to stifle a groan as he scanned through it.

Percival read through the menu as if it was the most interesting piece of literature ever written, before putting it down with a look of content confidence. Owl rolled his eyes, his irritation growing as Percy ordered a ridiculous multi-course feast that would have been enough to feed several people. It was so typical of Percy—an indulgent und unnecessary display of wealth and status, disguised as sophistication.

The waiter turned to Owl, who didn’t even bother trying to match his brother’s excessive order. “I’ll just have the steak and chips,” he said flatly, earning a subtle raise of the waiter’s eyebrow. It was clear the simple order was not the usual fare in a place like this, but Owl didn’t care.

As the waiter walked away, Owl leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and giving Percy a sidelong glance. “You know you could’ve just taken me to a regular pub, right?” he muttered, the sarcasm thick in his voice. “I would’ve been just as miserable there, but at least the food wouldn’t have come with a side of snobbery.”

Percy ignored the jab, his expression remaining neutral. “It’s Easter,” he said, his voice even. “I thought a nice and festive meal would be appropriate.”

“Appropriate for whom?” Owl shot back. “For you? Because this definitely doesn’t feel like it is intended for me.”

Percy’s eyes flicked up to meet his brother’s, the tension between them already beginning to simmer. “It’s a holiday, *redacted*. I thought we could at least attempt to have a civil meal.”

Owl laughed under his breath, shaking his head. “Civil? Right. Because nothing screams family bonding like a unnecessary decadent meal.”

Percy’s expression didn’t change, but there was a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. “Do you have to make everything difficult?” he asked, his tone sharp but still controlled.

Owl rolled his eyes, his arms still crossed, as he looked out of the window to avoid having to look at his brother. It was always like this with Percy. Even when he tried to do something “nice,” it felt forced, hollow, like an obligation rather than genuine care. Owl could feel his irritation growing with every passing second. He hated this—the pretension, the forced civility, the way Percy always seemed to expect him to play along with whatever perfect little scene he had orchestrated.

Finally, Percy broke the silence, his voice quieter, more measured. “You didn’t have to come.”

Owl turned back to face Percy, his eyes flashing with frustration. “Yeah sure as if you would have accepted a no from me.”

Percy leaned back in his chair, his expression tight, the familiar tension between them growing thicker by the second. “I was trying to be civil,” Percy said coolly, folding his hands in front of him. “But apparently, that’s too much to ask.”

“Civil?” Owl scoffed. “This isn’t civil, Percy. You're just pretending we’re a normal family while you shove foie gras down your throat and act like everything’s fine.”

Percy’s eyes flicked toward the other diners nearby, his jaw tightening as he tried to keep his voice steady. “Do you have to make a scene every time?”

“Oh, am I embarrassing you?” Owl leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice in a mock whisper. “Don’t worry, big brother, I’m sure all these rich snobs don’t even notice me.”

Percy’s nostrils flared slightly, but he kept his composure, his voice calm but clipped. “I brought you here because I thought you might appreciate a nice meal. But clearly, I overestimated your ability to enjoy anything that doesn’t involve self-sabotage.”

Owl snorted, leaning back in his chair with an exaggerated sigh. “Right. Because nothing says ‘nice meal’ like sitting in a room full of people who look like they’re auditioning for a TV show. Face it, Percy, you didn’t do this for me. You did this so you could feel like you’re doing your ‘duty’ as the responsible older brother. Because God forbid, we break the Easter tradition of a family meal with a side of snobbery and awkward silence. ”

Percy’s eyes flashed with irritation, but before he could respond, the waiter arrived with their food, interrupting the brewing argument. Plates were set down in front of them with all the pomp and ceremony that only came with a restaurant this pretentious. "Enjoy your meal, gentlemen," the waiter said, offering a tight smile before he disappeared once again, leaving the brothers alone at the table.

Percy wasted no time and immediately started digging into his meal. Owl, on the other hand, glanced down at his steak and chips with disinterest. Having lost his appetite, he stabbed a fry with his fork and pushed it around on his plate, but didn’t bother eating it. The tension between the two brothers hung thick in the air, but neither of them said anything.

Owl watched as Percy shoveled food into his mouth with an intensity that bordered on desperate. Forkful after forkful of rich, indulgent dishes disappeared between Percy’s lips. It was nothing new for Owl to witness—he’d seen Percy eat like this before, in private, behind closed doors. But seeing his brother do it so publicly, in a restaurant full of well-dressed strangers, that was something new.

Owl bit back the remarks that immediately came to mind. It would have been easy to tear into Percy, to make some snide comments. But he didn't. Instead he just watched in silence. Owl knew better than to judge his brother. They were both a mess in their own ways, both with their own vices and unhealthy coping mechanisms.  Percy might have the outward appearance of control and success, but beneath the surface, he was just as fucked up as Owl was. The only difference was that Percy tried to hide it behind control and luxury, while Owl let his chaos spill out for everyone to see.

Percy’s face was slick with sweat, his cheeks flushed red from the sheer effort of eating. His distended stomach strained uncomfortably against the fabric of his suit, the buttons holding on for dear life. His breath came in short, labored gasps. Every now and then, Percy would pause, not out of any sense of decorum, but because he needed a moment to catch his breath.

After a while, Owl stopped watching Percy entirely, instead staring blankly out the window as the minutes dragged on. The restaurant’s low hum of conversation and the clink of silverware on plates filled the space around them, but it all felt distant and detached, like the scene of a play he wasn’t a part of. None of the other patrons seemed to notice the display happening. They were too absorbed in their own conversations and their own indulgences.

Finally, every dish on the table was cleared, including Owl's steak and chips. But it hadn’t been Owl who had eaten it. Percy had, once it became clear that Owl wasn’t going to touch his food. Percy leaned back in his chair, letting out a faint sigh and wiped his mouth with a napkin, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity despite the fact that he looked like he was asbout to burst.

"You finished?" Owl asked flatly, the sarcasm barely concealed in his voice.

Percy didn’t respond right away. He dabbed at his mouth once more, before he carefully set the napkin down. "I don’t see the point in wasting food," Percy replied, his voice clipped, though he was clearly struggling to maintain his usual composed tone.

Owl let out a short, humorless laugh. "Right. Because God forbid we waste the steak and chips in this fine establishment."

Percy remained silent, clearly unwilling to rise to the bait. Instead, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and adjusted his position with his hands resting on his distended stomach as has he perused the dessert menu. Then Owl watched in disbelief how Percy signaled the waiter, and proceeded to rattle down an extensive dessert order. "I’ll have the crème brûlée, the chocolate soufflé, the lemon tart, and the assorted cheese plate, too."

"You’re not serious?" Owl muttered not caring that the waiter could hear him.

Percival glanced at his younger brother with the same calm, neutral expression he always wore, as if ordering half the dessert menu was a perfectly normal thing to do. "It’s Easter," Percy said smoothly. "I don’t see why we shouldn’t indulge a little."

While the two brothers were bickering, the waiter was patiently waiting for Owl to make his order. "Just get me a vodka Red Bull," Owl eventually said flatly.

The waiter’s eyebrow shot up, but it was nothing compared to the look of sheer disapproval on Percy’s face. "A vodka Red Bull?" Percy repeated, his tone sharp. "At a restaurant like this?"

Owl shrugged, unfazed. "What?!"

Percy stared at him for a long moment, clearly biting back whatever he was about to say. The waiter, sensing the tension, nodded briskly and disappeared to place their orders. As soon as the waiter was out of earshot, Percy leaned forward, his tone strained but controlled. "I bring you to one of the finest restaurants in London, and first you refuse to eat and then you order a vodka Red Bull?"

Owl crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah, Percy. What did you expect?."

Percy’s lips thinned into a line, but he didn’t argue further. It was always like this with Owl—every attempt to reach some semblance of civility, was met with defiance. Still, Percy wasn’t one to give up easily. He smoothed down his napkin and cleared his throat, clearly gearing up for another attempt at conversation.

"How’s your training going?" Percy asked, trying to sound casual, but Owl could hear the underlying curiosity and the need to pry.

Owl gave a noncommittal shrug, his eyes darting around the restaurant as if searching for something more interesting than this forced conversation. "It’s fine."

Percy pressed on, undeterred. "I assume it’s been… challenging?"

Owl glanced over at him, his expression unreadable. "It’s the military, Percy. It’s not supposed to be a picnic."

Percy nodded slowly, trying to find another angle. He knew he wasn’t going to get much out of Owl with general questions, so he shifted tactics. "Have you been making progress with the team? Building connections?"

Owl snorted softly, shaking his head as he looked down at the table. "You sound like a HR manual."

"That’s not what I meant," Percy said, his tone tightening. "I’m just asking if you’ve found your place there. If it’s… helping."

"Helping with what?" Owl asked sharply, his eyes flicking up to meet Percy’s, his posture suddenly more defensive.

Percy hesitated, clearly aware he was treading on thin ice. "With everything," he said carefully. "You joined to find structure, stability—"

Owl cut him off, his voice edged with irritation. "I joined to avoid prison. That’s it. Don’t make it sound like some noble quest for personal growth."

Percy’s jaw tightened, but he forced himself to stay calm. "I know why you joined, *redacted*. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make something of it. That you can’t rebuild."

Owl rolled his eyes, clearly done with this line of conversation. "Rebuild what, Percy? There’s nothing to rebuild. It's just a way to keep my head above water. Don’t try to turn it into something it’s not."

Percy’s frustration was evident now, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You always do this," he muttered, his voice low. "It’s like talking to a brick wall."

Before Owl could respond, the waiter appeared, cutting through the tension with a practiced, polite smile. He carefully set down Percy’s extravagant array of desserts. Then, with considerably less fanfare, and  the same disapproving look as before, he placed Owl’s vodka Red Bull on the table.

Owl immediately took a long sip and then settled back in his chair, fully resigning himself to yet another round of watching Percy eat in awkward silence. Owl stared blankly at the glass in his hand, as Percy worked his way through the mountain of desserts. Owl quickly downed the rest of his drink and then flagged down the waiter for another.

By the time Percy was halfway through his pile of desserts, Owl had ordered his third vodka Red Bull. He knew he was drinking too fast, but at least it gave him something to do. If he had to sit here, he might as well keep himself occupied. All Owl wanted to do at this point was leave.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Percy spooned the last bit of crème brûlée into his mouth and he glanced up at Owl. His eyes immediately focused on the almost empty glass of vodka Red Bull in Owl's bandaged hand. Percivals brow furrowed with disapproval, and without missing a beat, he made a comment that Owl had seen coming a mile away.

 "Don’t you think that is a bit excessive for lunch? "Percy said, his tone sharp with thinly veiled judgment. While Owl hadn't said a single word about Percy's indulgence, Percy apparently didn’t feel like extending the same courtesy to his brother.

Owl’s patience snapped. He set the glass down hard on the table. He couldn’t take it anymore—Percy’s constant need to comment, to judge, to act like he had some moral high ground. "Excessive?" Owl spat, his voice low but seething. "You just ordered half the dessert menu and I didn’t say a fucking word about it."

Percy’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Owl. "That’s not the same thing."

"It isn't?!" Owl shot back, his voice rising slightly. "I’ve been sitting here in silence, watching you gorge yourself on enough food to feed a small country but the second I order a couple of drinks, you’ve got something to say about it?"

"You’re drinking is an unhealthy coping mechanism," Percy said, his tone steady but clearly annoyed. "I’m just enjoying a meal. There’s a difference."

Owl let out a sharp, bitter laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "Of course, there is. There’s always a difference when it comes to you, isn’t there? You're such a fucking hypocrite!"

Percy started to respond, but Owl didn’t let him get the chance. The anger and frustration that had been simmering under the surface finally boiled over. "You know what? Fuck this," Owl muttered, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape. He stood up abruptly, ignoring the startled looks from the guests sitting at the surrounding tables. Percy’s face tightened, his mouth opening as if to protest, but Owl wasn’t about to stick around for whatever lecture was coming next. Owl turned and walked out of the restaurant.

Continue reading here

[daniellesimagines]

Where You Go (Eddie Munson)

word count: 13,130 requested by: absolutely no one pronouns: she/her warnings: lots of swears (sorry), major character death, mentioned character deaths, mentions of murder and dying in a fire, mentions of depression and weed, survivor’s guilt, wildly non-canonical timeline (im serious yall, there are a lot of creative liberties taken with that one), also yn is 18!!! (not tryna commit any crimes here @ fbi) fandom: stranger things au type: high school summary: you have a crush on eddie; the only problem is he’s only interested in your best friend. however, a tragic event brings you two together in more ways than you bargained for inspired by: dream, also heavily inspired by/using scenes from season 4 (i use tvshowtranscripts for exact lines and they don’t put who said it, so i’m sorry if some are wrong!!) authors notes: i’m trying a thing where i don’t split this up into parts, so i hope it’s not too long!!! also this is my first eddie fic so pls be nice to me :((( other parts: none

❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀

Hawkins High School was nothing if not predictable. 

When movies and TV portrayed what it was like to be a teenager, you were sure they’d gotten their ideas straight from your school. Sports were everything, the popular cheerleaders dated the star athletes, the weird kids were outcast from the rest, and you were just...there.

You weren’t a particularly gifted student, nor were you fairly well-known, and you certainly weren’t athletic. To be honest, you only had one friend. You met your best friend in elementary school, her being on your bus route just one stop before yours.

Chrissy Cunningham was everything you weren’t, but she still kept you around. If it weren’t for the fact that you lived so close and were able to create such a strong bond at an early age, you honestly would have thought she just stayed because she felt sorry for you.

But that wasn’t who Chrissy was.

Chrissy was a fiercely loyal friend, and that only grew once you entered high school. She made the cheer squad freshman year – becoming popular pretty much right away – but she never let it come between her friendship with you. Upon entering your senior year, Chrissy became cheer captain and subsequently caught the attention of everyone in school.

And that included Eddie Munson.

Eddie had always been a character, often interrupting lunches with passionate speeches about the popular crowds and how they excluded anyone different than them. You knew he had a club that met after school, though you didn’t know much other than it was about Dungeons & Dragons. You always had a bit of a crush on him – sure, he could be obnoxious and he was on his third try of making it to graduation, but he was friendly and cute and had no problem talking back to people like Jason Carver.

You wish you could say you were surprised when Chrissy started offhandedly mentioning that she’d been hanging out with Eddie every once in a while. You would listen to her talk about something funny he did or said, plastering on the fake interest as she spoke.

Yeah, you were jealous.

But you knew you had no right to be.

Chrissy had no idea you had a crush, and you knew her relationship with Jason only continued to please her overbearing mother, so you wanted nothing more than for her to finally be happy for once.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t sting whenever she mentioned seeing him.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Chrissy told you after setting her lunch tray down at the spot across from you, “I have to go talk to Eddie about something.”

You barely nodded, but it didn’t matter since she didn’t even look at you before trotting toward the Hellfire table. You kept your gaze on your lunch tray as your best friend’s voice rang through your ears again.

“Eds!” she chirped, “Do you have a second?”

“Chris!” he smiled back, “What’s up?”

Oh, that’s cute. They have nicknames for each other.

You listened to their voices fade out as they walked to somewhere less crowded, Eddie insisting to get some privacy.

Way to go with the subtlety there, guys.

You knew you shouldn’t be this hurt over it – Chrissy was way more outgoing than you, so it was never shocking when someone gravitated to her over you – but you still were. Sure, she was your best friend and she made sure to include you in everything she was a part of, but you just...

You wanted someone to see you as your own person, not just ‘Chrissy’s best friend’.

~

Sunday afternoon

You’d spent that weekend the same as you always did: alone in your room keeping yourself busy with whatever you could until it came time for your weekly hangout with your best friend. You and Chrissy had hung out every Sunday practically since the day you met. Your mom always offered her own to stay and chat, but she never did; Her mother was more than happy to pawn her daughter on anyone willing to watch her. Your mom became more of a mother to Chrissy than her own – maybe that was why she stayed at your place as often as she was allowed.

You had just eaten lunch with your mom and Chrissy and played a few board games as well – you knew Chrissy appreciated the feeling of normalcy it gave her – before you ended up back in your bedroom. She was laying on your bed watching TV, propped up against the wall behind it, while you were sitting on the floor. Your most recent endeavor to keep yourself occupied, you decided, would be learning how to take in clothing too big and repurpose clothing that didn’t fit anymore into things you’d actually use. And lucky for you, Chrissy didn’t mind – you could gossip no matter what you were doing.

“You didn’t hang out with Jason today?” you mentioned after noticing her show had gone to a commercial, “I thought he said he was taking you to Lover’s Lake?”

“Of course not!” she insisted, “Sundays are for us! And you know how I feel about him.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re still with him,” you shook your head, “It’s like he’s gotten so much more oblivious to anything other than his popularity recently. Does he even notice when it’s one of the bad days again?”

“No,” she sighed, “But you know how my mom would be if she found out I broke up with him.”

“As if you don’t already get perfect grades, are the most popular girl at school, and all the teachers love you?” you rolled your eyes, “I hardly think not dating such an ass anymore would change all that.” You smiled slightly when she giggled.

“You know what? Enough about me!” she bounced in her seat, “What’s been going on with you? I feel like I never see you anymore!”

“Nothing new,” you shrugged, “Just trying to get at least one scholarship before graduation.”

“Oh, please! You could get those scholarships in your sleep!” You smiled slightly as she continued. “But that’s not what I meant! I mean, what’s been going on in your love life?”

“What love life?” you scoffed jokingly, “You know better than anyone that guys don’t even look at me.”

“That’s not true! What about Trevor? He told me he thought you were cute! You even went on a date with him!”

“Yeah, but we didn’t end up connecting as much as we thought we would,” you shrugged, “Decided we’re better as friends than a couple. I’m just glad he wasn’t a dick about it.”

“I knew he wouldn’t be,” she said, “That’s the only reason I set you up with him. There’s gotta be someone you’re into though?” Chrissy watched you pause, making her suck in a breath of excitement. “There is someone you’re into!” she squealed, “Why haven’t you told me?! I wanna know everything! Who is it?”

“Well... He’s in our grade,” you chose your wording carefully to not give it away, “He’s in a club and a band. We’ve been to his shows a couple of times. He’s really nice, but...”

“Is he not nice to you?” she narrowed her eyes at the idea this mystery crush of yours would be rude to you.

“It’s not that, it’s just... He likes someone else...” you whispered, “But I wasn’t surprised he likes someone else more; Everybody likes you more.”

“What do you mean?” she seemed genuinely confused, “Who likes me more?”

You didn’t respond, making Chrissy furrow her eyebrows. She took a moment to think about when you started acting a little differently when it came to boys, earning another gasp of realization.

“Are you talking about Eddie?” she asked, taking your small gulp as confirmation that she was right. “Y/N, you know I would never do that to you!” she assured you, “Oh my God, I would be the worst best friend ever if I went after someone you liked!” You looked up at her with confusion, making her smile. “You didn’t have to tell me for me to know,” she shook her head, “You’re my best friend; I know you better than I know myself.” Chrissy sighed softly, moving to the floor so she could take your hand in hers and squeeze it lightly. “I’ve been meeting Eddie so much because I’ve... I buy weed from him sometimes,” she finally confessed.

“You what?” your eyes widened, “Since when do you smoke weed?!”

“I’ve been... I see things sometimes... Hallucinations, I think,” she admitted, “And I know Eddie deals, so I thought it would help.”

“You’ve been seeing things?” you repeated, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought it was just the depression – that it was just something I would have to live with for the rest of my life... I didn’t want to drag you into all that.”

“Chrissy, you’re my best friend,” you repeated her earlier sentiment, giving her own hand a tight squeeze, “Your problems are my problems and mine are yours; We get through it together no matter what.” She gave you a small, tight-lipped smile. You knew she was still holding back, but you also knew that she’d come to you when she was ready.

But neither of you would ever get to have that conversation.

~

One week later; Wednesday

You felt like you weren’t actually in your body anymore. Everything felt foreign and fake and otherworldly. The school felt out of it and it felt like the students were just blips in the universe. People tried to talk to you – offer their condolences – but their voices were all muffled in your ears.

Chrissy was dead; Your best friend was gone.

You’d attended the funeral the previous day – and if you thought the amount of people at school looking at you in pity was bad, you would have prepared better for the service. You humored Jason when he offered his condolences, giving him your own as well – despite how pompous and two-faced you thought he was, he still lost his girlfriend and you weren’t going to be a bitch to him.

You made it through the funeral service and burial before going back home. Your mother tried her best to lift your spirits, but you knew she was having just as hard a time with everything as you were – Chrissy was like a second daughter to her, after all.

You heard about a meeting at the town hall that would take place the day after to discuss those killed recently. You thought it would be a gathering to remember everyone – Chrissy, Fred, Patrick – so you decided to go. Your mother had wanted to attend as well, but you insisted she rest instead. The events of the past week had taken a major toll on her and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days – and honestly, she probably hadn’t. You promised to tell her everything that happened, and she walked you to the front door as you put on your jacket, kissing your head before you left.

And, to be fair, the meeting did start out as remembering the deceased.

Until Jason showed up, that is.

After those who wished to speak offered up memories, the police chief started to speak. He was giving an update on the investigation, and you could feel your blood run cold when he mentioned that they did have a suspect and were looking for information leading to his whereabouts so they could talk to him. But before he could give a name, he was interrupted by Jason.

“With all due respect, Chief Powell, I think it’s obvious who’s responsible,” Jason stated, “That freak Eddie Munson and his Hellfire cult murdered a popular girl as a sacrifice to Satan! It’s about time we band together and rid this town of him for good!”

“Now, son,” the Chief shook his head with a firm tone in his voice, “We only want to talk to Mr. Munson as of right now; We can’t just go around accusing people of something as serious as murder.”

“Don’t you all get it?” he looked around the room, “These satanic cults that are spreading around the country say they’re playing ‘some silly roleplaying game’ when they’re really planning rituals for human sacrifice! That's what the mall fire was really about! That’s why so many people are dead! It’s because of Hellfire!”

“That’s bullshit!” you looked over to see Erica Sinclair practically seething with anger, “The Hellfire isn’t a cult! It’s a club for a bunch of nerds!”

“A club? A club! A harmless club – that’s what they want you to think! But it’s a lie to conceal the truth! And the truth is it’s a cult now protecting their leader! Hiding Eddie and allowing him to continue his sacrifices! We can stop him from killing any more! We must come together and cast the evil out of Hawkins that is Hellfire! We have to-”

“Shut up!” your voice broke as you stood up from your seat, making everyone stare at you in shock.

You were so sick of everyone pointing blame at Eddie – it didn’t matter that they didn’t have proof. You would have defended anyone under those circumstances, but them only choosing him because he’s an easy target made you even more upset.

“It’s bad enough you used Billy and Chief Hopper’s deaths at that pep rally to what, boost morale at a stupid basketball game?! They died in an accidental mall fire; They weren’t murdered in some sacrificial ritual!” you threw your arms up, “But now you wanna claim they were for what, getting justice?! None of you would have even given a shit if someone else died in any other way or if it were anyone but Chrissy, so why do you give a shit now?! You certainly wouldn’t have cared if it were some random student, and you would have celebrated if it were Eddie, so why the hell do you suddenly give a fuck?!”

“Am I hearing you defending that freak right now?” Jason narrowed his eyes at you, “Just because you were Chrissy’s best friend-”

“I am Chrissy’s best friend,” you snapped back, “So I think I know damn well she wouldn’t have wanted this witch hunt! Whether you like it or not, she was friends with Eddie, and she would be pissed at all of you for acting like a bunch of fucking assholes! She wouldn’t have even given him the time of day if she thought he was going to pull some satanic bullshit on her or whatever the fuck you’re bitching about!”

“You’re just as much of a freak as the rest of them,” he scoffed.

“And you’re just as much of the asshole Chrissy thought you were,” you growled, not giving him the chance to respond as you grabbed your jacket and left, letting the door slam behind you.

~

Eddie’s POV; The next day

“Eddie?!” Dustin called out as he and the gang approached Skull Rock.

“I am right here, Henderson,” he reminded him from his makeshift seat, “And I’m sure I will be here until the day I die.”

“You’re not gonna be in here that long,” Robin insisted, “We just have to come up with a plan is all.”

“Knowing all of you? I’ll be here until I die,” he rolled his eyes, earning the same gesture in return.

“Anyway,” Dustin spoke up again, “We brought you some food.” He handed him a bag and Eddie immediately took the contents out and started eating. “Oh!” he chirped, “You know how the town hall had a meeting to remember everyone last night?” Eddie simply nodded. “Well, Erica was there and said Jason came in and started laying it on thick about Hellfire and how we’re a cult and how we perform satanic sacrifices and that’s why everyone’s dying.”

“Is this supposed to make me feel better, Henderson?” Eddie rolled his eyes, “Am I supposed to be happy there’s a bounty on my head now?”

“No, man! Erica said someone stood up and told Jason to shut up and that he’s being an asshole for-”

“Language!” Steve reprimanded, earning a middle finger from the teen.

“Dude, she said it was so badass!” Dustin bounced around the dirt path, “The way Y/N didn’t back down when Jason tried to intimidate her for the way she was defending you was so sick! She just totally laid into Jason and his stupid friends and the people going along with it and she didn’t care what they thought!”

“Y/N?” Eddie felt his heart start racing, “She was defending me?”

“Yeah? Weren’t you listening?” he frowned, “Erica said she was a real badass! I wish we could have seen it!”

Dustin kept raving about Erica’s play-by-play of your performance, but Eddie wasn’t hearing it anymore.

Chrissy’s cute friend believed he was innocent?

~

Your POV; The next day

You weren’t at all shocked when you arrived at school the next day to glares and whispers behind your back. You knew Jason and his minions were going to make sure everyone knew what you’d done. When someone said something to you directly, you simply rolled your eyes and ignored them. Jason obviously would have spun the story to make you look even worse, so you didn’t want to waste your time trying to defend yourself with things you knew wouldn’t change their minds anyway.

On your way to lunch, you stopped by your locker to put away a textbook when you saw something poking out of the slot above the latch. You grabbed it and held it under your arm against your side as you opened your locker. You put the books away and reached back for the note. You wondered if maybe it was meant for someone else and they just had the wrong locker, but you knew by what was written in it that it was meant for you.

Meet at Hellfire after school

You stared at the sloppy handwriting for a moment before looking up and around the hall. No one was watching to make sure you received it, so you had absolutely no idea who had left you the note. You flipped the paper over – expecting to see contact info? – but instead found a messily-drawn map of where to find the club in the school’s basement.

~

Three hours later

The moment the final bell rang, you were hastily leaving the classroom and walking to your locker. You’d been internally arguing with yourself all day about whether or not you should listen to this mystery note – you had no idea who sent it or what they wanted or if it was just Jason and his friends trying to get you alone – before you finally defined to just go.

Whatever happened now couldn’t be worse than when you were told Chrissy died, could it?

You shoved all of your books into your locker, deciding to just get your backpack after you were done with whoever you were meeting. You slowly made your way to the stairwell to the basement, wanting to wait until the hallway had mostly cleared out.

Once it had, you went through the door and pulled the note out of your pocket. You followed the practically-illegible map as best as you could, occasionally looking up to make sure you were heading in what you assumed was the right direction.

You finally made it to a door with a piece of doodled-on notebook paper taped to it – drawings no doubt done by Eddie – with the words ‘HELLFIRE CLUB MEMBERS ONLY’ scrawled on it. You opened the door, making the chatter in the room cease as soon as the knob moved.

You came face-to-face with a small group of people – okay, one of them is definitely too old to be in school, right? – stepping back in surprise. It was silent for a moment – the tall man looking at the curly-haired boy incredulously – before someone spoke.

“Y/N!” the boy with curly hair exclaimed before looking at the group smugly, “I told you she’d come!”

“Uh... What’s going on...?” you asked.

The boy – Dustin – then finally introduced everyone to you. You recognized him from the Hellfire table, Max from a couple of your classes, you were pretty sure Robin was in the marching band, and you could have sworn Steve graduated the previous year. You had no idea what was going on – you were only expecting to see one person in here, not four.

“I stole Eddie’s key to the room,” Dustin explained as if he could hear what was going on inside your head, “We need to talk to you.”

“About...?” you trailed off, finally looking around the room.

You could see the Dungeons & Dragons game set up on a table in front of a prop throne with seven other chairs around it. There wasn’t much going on besides the mess of other props strewn about the storage room, but one thing did catch your eye.

Sitting on top of the table was a crumpled-up wanted poster with Eddie’s face on it, a bunch of satanic scribblings all over his face. Next to it, pictures of all the people who had been killed so far – Chrissy, Fred, Patrick, Billy, Chief Hopper, and a few others you didn’t recognize – and you knew what this was really about.

“You know what? I already had this argument with Jason; I’m not interested in another one,” you stated bluntly, turning to leave.

“Steve!” Dustin huffed, prompting him to groan loudly and rush over to you. Steve grabbed your arm and pulled you further into the room, despite how hard you were trying to free yourself.

“Hey!” you started yelling, hitting his forearms as he wrapped them around your waist to keep you there, “Let go of me!”

“Henderson!” he grunted as he struggled to keep you in place while you punched him, “You said she’d listen!”

“Y/N, come on! Just hear us out!” he begged, “We just wanna talk about Chri-”

“I don’t care!” your voice broke, trying – but failing – the keep the tears from falling down your cheeks, “I don’t want to talk about Chrissy! I don’t want to remember she’s gone! I don’t want to think about it anymore! I want to go ho-”

“Chrissy died because Eddie’s trailer is a portal to the Upside Down!” Dustin finally yelled.

Steve’s head snapped to glare at the teenager – he had been so reluctant to tell Eddie what was going on, but had no problem just springing it on you? – but he couldn’t ignore that it made you gradually start fighting back less. Your breathing stunted before picking right back up again, your back hitting his chest with every exhale.

“The what?” you whispered, slouching against the man behind you still holding your waist. Steve relaxed his body as well, slowly moving you to sit on the throne. He finally released his hold on you but remained seated behind you, giving you a weird sense of comfort.

The group started explaining the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down and the portals and Vecna and why those killed were targeted and how the Starcourt Mall fire hadn’t been some tragic accident and how their friend Eleven had powers and what had been going on the last three years, and you had no idea how to even respond.

You couldn’t believe all of this had been happening for three years and you had no idea about it. Sure, you’d heard about all the deaths in your tiny town, but you just assumed what the police were saying happened was true – you had no reason to believe otherwise.

Until it came to Chrissy’s death, of course.

You suspected something more was going on – that, despite being found in his trailer, everyone was just saying Eddie was responsible because it was easy. They already hated him for being different; This was just an actual reason now.

As if he could read your mind, Dustin finally brought you back to the real world.

“-and they all think Eddie did it, but he didn’t! It was all because of Vec-”

“I know,” you choked out, earning surprised looks from everyone.

“You know?” Max asked.

“Eddie could never ki-” you swallowed the word, still unable to talk about Chrissy without crying, “He wouldn’t do that...”

“Thank God,” Dustin breathed out sharply, “That makes convincing you to help a lot easier.”

“Help?” Steve finally spoke, “Henderson, she can’t- Stop dragging people into this!”

“But she’s the only one that can convince Eddie to stop hiding out at Skull Rock! And having one more person would just make it easier to defeat Vecna!”

“That’s not the point!” he insisted, “We’ve all been able to fight whatever monsters came up with just us before! Y/N doesn’t need to be brought into that now too! Eddie’s already been dragged into this by association, we don’t need-”

“I wanna help,” your soft plea cut Steve off, causing the group to look at you, “I wanna help Eddie.”

~

Eddie’s POV

Despite it being close to 5 PM, Eddie was finding it harder and harder not to fall asleep. He was starting to lose track of time being out in the woods for so long, but he was not about to return to a place where he was basically being hunted for sport.

Eddie began to doze off slightly again, only to be jolted awake by the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves crunching as footsteps got closer to his hideout. His body immediately tensed up, holding out the first weapon he could grab – a short, broken tree branch. He peeked around the rock before hopping out and yelling like a madman, only earning eye rolls in response.

“What are you gonna do with that, poke me to death?” Dustin asked, “Put it down; It’s just us.”

“Some warning would have been nice, Henderson,” Eddie dropped the stick, waving the walkie-talkie in his other hand to remind him of it.

“I left it at home,” he shrugged, making him roll his eyes as he sat down on a nearby boulder.

“We brought food again!” Robin chirped.

“It’s just what’s available from the vending machines outside Family Video,” Steve added, “But it’s something.” He tossed Eddie a bag of chips while Robin gave him a can of soda.

“Can we come up with a plan now?” Max interjected, “I’m getting tired of hiking up here.”

“I told you guys already,” Dustin insisted, “That’s why we brought Y/N!” Eddie’s gaze snapped to the teenager before he finally noticed someone new had joined the party.

You were trailing behind Nancy and Lucas, looking at your surroundings. When you finally stopped walking and your eyes met Eddie’s, he couldn’t help but feel sick. He knew you didn’t blame him or think he was guilty of Chrissy’s murder, but something about seeing her best friend made him want to find a new hiding spot – a spot the group would surely never think to look for him. You gulped and quickly looked away from him, nervously training your gaze on the nature around you.

The group started talking about how they were going to get into the Upside Down and get rid of Vecna once and for all. They were all coming up with ideas on how to kill him – how much easier it would be if they could just figure out how to get El her powers back – when Eddie looked over and spoke up.

“Hey, uh... Henderson’s not cursed, is he?” he asked, making everyone follow his gaze to find Dustin pacing around and staring off into the forest.

“Cursed? No, he’s fine,” Steve answered, “Mental? Absolutely.”

“BOOM!” Dustin’s sudden shout made everyone jump and snap to face him. He then pointed at Steve and smirked, “I was right. Skull Rock was north!” Eddie cocked an eyebrow when everyone else sighed and rolled their eyes, preparing themselves for the argument they’d been hearing for the past three days.

“Oh my Go- Are you serious?!” Steve threw his arms up, “This again?! This is Skull Rock! You’re totally, absolutely, 100% wrong!”

“Yes,” he smiled, “And no.”

“Oh my God,” Steve repeated, his hands on his face muffling his voice.

“This compass worked correctly when we left the school,” Dustin explained, “But it started to slip the further east we went. Now that we’re here, the thing is way off! Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?”

“An electromagnetic field!” he perked up, beginning to realize what his friend was saying.

“I’m sorry?” Robin cocked an eyebrow, “I must have skipped that class?”

“In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power. So either there’s a super big magnet around here, or-”

“There’s a gate!” Lucas finished, making Dustin beam with joy.

“Now we know how to get to Vecna and release Max from his curse!” the teen exclaimed. Eddie noticed you look at the redhead with wide eyes – clearly no one had told you that one of them was currently dealing with what your best friend had been.

“But we’re nowhere near Hawkins Lab,” Nancy reminded him.

“All I know is this compass wouldn’t react if something wasn’t nearby,” Dustin said, “It’ll be small and not as powerful, but it’s still a way into the Upside Down. We just have to find it.” The teenager turned and began walking down the hill, but Steve stopped him.

“Where are you going? Hey, hey, hey!” he practically shouted, making Dustin come back to the group, “Eddie’s still a wanted man! We can’t just go for a hike in the woods like we’re on vacation in South America!”

“This little steel capsule-” He held up the compass. “-might be the key to saving both Max and Eddie,” he stated, “So what say you, Eddie the Banished?” Your eyebrow quirked at the nickname.

“I say you’re asking me to follow you into Mordor,” Eddie responded lowly, “Gotta be totally straight with you: that’s a really bad idea. But... The Shire is burning...” Dustin started jumping up and down excitedly, knowing he was going to agree. “So Mordor it is,” he finished, standing up from his makeshift seat.

You breathed out a laugh when you heard Steve mutter ‘What the hell is Mordor?’ to himself.

“Let’s split up!” the teen announced, “We’ll cover more ground that way and have less of a chance of getting caught before we find it. We’ll meet back here at sunset to see who found it. Lucas and Max, go toward the Creel house. Nancy and Robin can go west. Me and Steve will go south. And Y/N, you go with Eddie toward the train tracks!” Dustin put his hands on your back and pushed you toward him.

Your POV

Eddie grabbed your elbow when you yelped in surprise and lost your balance, glaring at the teen for nearly causing you to fall. You thanked him quietly as you fixed the hair that flew over your face, surprising him by following him into the forest without protest.

You jogged a little to keep up with his long strides, prompting him to shorten them so you could simply walk. Once the chatter of everyone else died down as they walked in their respective directions, you finally spoke to Eddie for the first time.

“So, uh... This is not how I expected this week to end,” you mentioned, making him laugh.

“I never expected to be on the run from police either,” he said. You let out a small breath of amusement, but your face still fell slightly.

Eddie watched you carefully, his mind racing with what he could possibly say about the loss of your best friend. But the only thing he could come up with was the events that led up to it.

“I really thought ‘86 was gonna be my year, you know?” he sighed, “I was finally gonna graduate and leave Hawkins behind and tour the world with my band. I started making friends outside of Hellfire – a cheerleader even wanted to talk to me...” He noticed you swallow thickly at the mention of Chrissy, but he couldn’t stop rambling. “That night... Chrissy came over to hang out. I left the room to get something and when I came back, it was like she was possessed or something. She wasn’t moving and was just staring at the wall. Then she started just...levitating...or some shit. She started bending all weird and blood was coming out of her eyes... And I begged and begged and begged her to wake up but she wouldn’t, so I... I did the only thing I know how to do...” he mumbled, looking down at the leaves in front of him, “I ran away. I left her there like a coward and hid in that stupid boat house and now Skull Rock and I let everyone believe it was my f-”

“I never believed it was your fault,” you whispered, making his head snap up to look at you. You sniffled as you stared at the ground, roughly swiping your fingertips underneath your eyes to get rid of the tears. “I was mad she was gone because she’s my best friend and the only person who ever really cared about me,” you continued quietly, “But I knew the second everyone started saying how she was found in your trailer that you didn’t do anything to her. I saw how you were with her at school; You liked her way too much to do something like that to her.”

“I didn’t like her,” Eddie told you, “I mean, I liked her as a person, but I didn’t like her. She was my only friend outside of Hellfire, but she... We only hung out because... She was...just...”

“Buying weed,” you finished his sentence with a small smile at the shock on his face, “She told me before she... About the hallucinations and how she was trying to get rid of them... Apparently didn’t work, but... I guess it’s pretty hard to get out of Vecna’s curse once you’re in.”

“You know about Vecna?”

“Dustin told me,” you nodded, “Said he thinks I can help somehow.”

“No,” the firmness in Eddie’s voice surprised you, making you look at him with furrowed brows, “You don’t need to be anywhere near this shit.”

“I obviously agreed to it, Eddie,” you reminded him with a shake of your head, “I want to help if it means saving Hawkins and preventing someone else from dying. I wanted- I want to help you...” You suppressed another onslaught of tears – not even noticing the slight blush he was now sporting – not wanting to cry in front of someone you just met for a second time. “He said I’m the only one that can convince you to stop hiding at that huge rock,” you continued.

“Henderson said that?” Eddie asked. You simply shrugged.

“I don’t know why it would make a difference for me to do it, but he says I have the best shot at it,” you nodded. You heard him sigh, turning your head to find him rubbing his face roughly. “You don’t have to, you know?” you mentioned, “We’ve never even really met before today, so I don’t know why Dustin thought that I could-”

“I mean, I obviously want to stop hiding out,” he admitted, “I just can’t believe Henderson dragged you into it on my behalf now.”

“Well, you were Chrissy’s friend and I know you didn’t do anything to her because she wouldn’t have stuck around if she were scared of you performing rituals or whatever shit Jason’s trying to push,” you offered, making him chuckle, “And I’m already in it, so I might as well do what I can to help. Sure beats writing scholarship essays.”

“With your smarts, any college would be stupid not to take you,” he said without thinking. His eyes widened in horror, but his heart raced when you giggled.

“Thanks,” you replied, “It’s just disappointing I can’t put ‘saved the town of Hawkins, Indiana from an evil curse’ on any of my applications.”

“Well, you could,” he shrugged, “Just don’t expect to get into that college though.”

“I don’t think I’d get into any college after that. They’d probably let all the others know I’m insane.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a little insane, sweetheart,” Eddie said, making you snort softly.

The two of you walked for a little while longer in comfortable silence. Eddie had since given you his jacket as it got cooler, admiring how cute you looked in it. In fact, he’d been so entranced with you that he’d actually forgotten what you were meant to be doing in the first place.

“So... How do we know if we’ve found a gate or whatever?” you asked.

“No idea,” he admitted, “But Henderson said it’ll be obvious, so I guess we just...look for the obvious.”

Suddenly, as if Vecna himself heard you, the ground started to shake violently. Eddie grabbed onto a small tree, wrapping his arm around your waist and keeping you close so neither of you fell.

“I think someone found the obvious!” he hollered over the sounds of trees being shaken back and forth, their limbs and leaves slamming against each other.

“What are you talking about?! This is totally normal!” you shouted back, gripping him just as tightly as he was holding you while your legs desperately tried to hold you up.

You started hearing loud cracking sounds in the distance followed by small explosions every now and then. Your gaze snapped up to Eddie, finding him already looking at you with a horrified expression.

“What is that?” you asked as the shaking began to subside. It sounded like it was all going away from you, so you figured the gate must be further than you were heading.

“We have to go find everyone,” Eddie said, releasing the tree and grabbing your hand. You both ran as carefully as you could back toward Skull Rock, hoping that’s what the others had done too.

All of this was happening so fast – you had just been told of the existence of the Upside Down not even three hours ago, and now it seemed like it was all going downhill faster than you could process it. You didn’t even fully understand what the gates were yet, and now it was very likely that one was opening?

“I think I’m gonna throw up,” you grumbled mostly to yourself but felt Eddie squeeze your hand in response.

When the rock came back into view, you could see the group already there, frantically looking around for you and Eddie. Steve was the first to spot you two, sighing in relief.

“Guys!” he exclaimed, making everyone turn, “Are you alright?” He, Robin, and Nancy shared a look when they realized you were wearing Eddie’s jacket.

“Where are Max and Lucas?” you asked, noticing they were the only ones not there. Eddie had yet to release your hand – not that you were going to let go of him either.

“Maybe they’re still on their way? Creel house is pretty far from here...” Robin suggested, but you could tell she felt off about it too.

“What do we do then?” Nancy shook her head, “We can’t just stand here and wait and hope they show up.”

“Well, good news,” Dustin said, “Me and Steve found the gate that was making the compass fuck up at Lover’s Lake.”

“Language, Henderson!” Steve exclaimed, smacking the back of his shoulder.

“We should still go check it out! It could help save Max from the curse!” he insisted. The group reluctantly agreed and started following Dustin toward the lake.

“Hey, are you sure you still wanna do this, Y/N?” Steve asked, “Maybe you should go home.”

“No way!” you frowned, “I’m at least finding out what the hell an Upside Down or whatever gate thing is first!” You felt your heart flutter when Eddie chuckled beside you.

“Alright,” Robin added, “Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

When you arrived at the lake a few minutes later, it looked completely normal. You knew you should be relieved, but you were honestly disappointed – wasn’t this supposed to be some kind of portal to the underworld?

Steve broke away from the group and went into the boat house, reemerging moments later after pushing a boat onto the water. Eddie immediately jumped in, helping Robin and Nancy in as well. He then held his hand out to you, and you knew you shouldn’t – you knew you were biting off way more than you could chew – but you immediately took it and got sat down with everyone else. Dustin started to climb on as well but Steve stopped him as Nancy started rowing.

“Not you, Henderson,” he stated firmly.

“Yeah! Bedtime’s at 9!” Robin chirped.

“What?!” he shouted, begrudgingly handing over his compass when Nancy reached for it.

“Too many cooks rock the boat, you know,” Steve shrugged.

“I don’t think that’s the saying at all!” Dustin rolled his eyes, “I think you’re just an idiot!” Eddie remained silent while you gave the teen a sympathetic smile, promising him you’d be back in no time. “There you are!” you heard his voice again, making you all look over to find the two kids you’d been worried about.

“What are you guys doing?!” Lucas called after you.

“We’ll tell you when we get back!” Steve announced. You assumed the sound you heard next was Dustin groaning loudly again and going on to explain to them what had been said at Skull Rock.

Once Nancy reached where she believed the electromagnetic source was coming from, she stopped. You all listened for something – anything – that sounded different, but nothing did. You looked over when Steve started pulling off his shoes and socks.

“Steve, what are you doing?” Nancy asked.

“Someone’s gotta go down there and check things out,” he informed you all, taking off his sweater and diving in before anyone had the chance to argue with him.

You waited for what felt like hours, jumping when Steve popped back up only a few moments later. He tossed his flashlight back into the boat and grabbed onto the side for support.

“There’s definitely a gate down there,” he informed you.

“Is that a good thing?” you asked.

But he wasn’t able to respond.

Steve was suddenly yanked back underwater, making you all start shouting. Nancy didn’t waste a second before diving in after him, Robin quickly following suit.

“Are you kidding me?!” you screamed at the water as you stood up – though you knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“Y/N,” Eddie said with a warning tone, “Don’t you da-” He didn’t finish the statement before you jumped into the lake as well. He slapped his hands over his face – he knew damn well he wasn’t about to let you be an absolute moron by yourself – and let out a ‘Son of a bitch, this is so stupid!’ out loud before following you in.

You yelped in surprise as you entered into the Upside Down. You didn’t know what you were expecting to happen, but being literally tossed into the middle of a bunch of flying...things...trying to kill Steve wasn’t it. Nancy and Robin were hitting the creatures with pieces of a broken oar, and Eddie came tumbling into the mayhem with the other one.

“Y/N, duck!” he shouted. You didn’t even hesitate before doing exactly as you were told, feeling your hair fly as Eddie’s oar flew above your head. Your gaze snapped to the side, watching a bat-like creature fall flat on the ground a few feet away from you.

You then looked over at Steve, finding him struggling against one of them choking him. Since you felt practically useless without a weapon, you figured you’d try to help the best you could.

You kept yourself low to the ground as you reached him, helping him pry off what appeared to be a tail wrapped around his neck. Once you were both successful, he grabbed the tail and slammed the thing into the ground as hard as he could a couple of times until he was sure it was dead.

The moment of silence that followed – once the creatures were lifeless heaps on the ground around you – you all looked at each other.

“What the hell were those things?” Eddie asked.

“Demobats,” Steve answered as if it were the most casual thing in the world, “I can’t believe all of you idiots followed me.”

“You’d have been a goner if we hadn’t, you dingus!” Robin reminded him.

“Well, it’s not like I planned to be dragged down here!”

“Guys, can we not fight about this right now?” Nancy held her hand up, “We’ve got more company incoming!”

You all looked to where she was pointing, noticing a new swarm of creatures – now known to you as demobats – were en route. You then looked back down at your now completely shredded weapons, knowing there was no way you’d be able to take on any more of those things.

“We need to get to my house,” she went on, “If this really is just the underside of the real world, my guns should still be in my bedroom.” You looked at her in shock.

“You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns – plural – in your bedroom?” Eddie cocked an eyebrow. She shrugged with a guilty smile on her face.

“Well, it sure beats being eaten alive by demon bats,” you stated, following Nancy in the direction of her house.

“Demobats,” Steve corrected.

“Does it really matter?!” you huffed, your head snapping to look at him. You could feel yourself doing a double take.

You then turned to shoot Eddie a look and he immediately nodded. You slipped your arms out of his jacket and held it out to Steve.

“Please take this, Prince Hairy,” you stated, “I just met you today and I’m very uncomfortable.” The group snorted softly – Robin snickering and calling Steve a dingus again – as he embarrassingly took the item of clothing from you.

Nancy led you all to her house – well, the Upside Down version of her house – and shoved the side door open. Steve and Eddie immediately wandered off upon entering, but you and Robin decided to follow Nancy to wherever she was going. You ended up in her bedroom, showing up in the doorway just as she was letting out a defeated sigh.

“Crap,” Nancy grumbled, closing the closet doors, “My guns aren’t here.”

“Now what are we supposed to do?” Robin wondered, “We can’t get out of here with those bats flying around.”

“There has to be a way to let someone know we’re trapped,” you shook your head with a frown, “I mean yeah, real life sucks, but I don’t wanna be stuck here forever!” The girls looked at you with concern.

“Are you doing okay after...?” Robin asked you.

“I don’t know,” you admitted, “I haven’t been alone long enough to think about it, really.”

“You know, I know what it’s like to lose your best friend,” Nancy offered, “So if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”

“Me too!” Robin chirped, “All this Upside Down stuff can be a lot to take in, but it sure is better than being kidnapped by Russians.” You stopped what you were doing to look at her incredulously. “Oh yeah! Me and Steve were taken by the Russians hiding out underneath the Starcourt Mall,” she shrugged nonchalantly, “They were a bunch of dinguses though – they didn’t even get the drugs they injected us with right.”

“DUSTIN?!” you suddenly heard Steve shout, making you all jump, “HEY?! HENDERSON?!”

“We’re gonna unpack more of that later,” you pointed at Robin before the three of you ran out of the room toward Steve’s voice.

You entered the living room at the same time as Eddie, all of you staring at Steve in confusion. He was pacing around like a madman, shouting Dustin’s name at the ceiling.

“Are you cursed now, Harrington?” Eddie asked.

“Just listen!” he insisted. You were all silent for a moment, none of you hearing what he claimed to.

“We don’t have time for this, you dingus!” Robin rolled her eyes.

“I heard the kid talking! It was like he was here! Can you just-”

“Steve!” Nancy shouted to grab his attention, only continuing when he looked at her, “You said Will communicated with Joyce through lights, right?”

Steve’s eyes widened and the both of them ran toward the light switch on the wall. You, Robin, and Eddie watched on in confusion, none of you understanding what was going on. Nancy flipped the switch up and down a few times, huffing when nothing happened.

“Shit,” she mumbled, “It’s not working.”

“Uh, guys...” you spoke up. The group looked at you, following your amazed stare at the light fixture in the middle of the room.

It appeared to have some sort of orange sparkles dancing around it, though the fixture itself didn’t even seem to be in working order. Nancy lifted her arm to touch it, all of you watching in awe as the light bulbs flickered in response.

“Does anyone know Morse code?” she asked, earning a chorus of dejected ‘no’s.

“Wait,” Eddie suddenly said, “Does SOS count?” You all looked at him with dumbfounded expressions, making him frown. “What?”

“Just do it,” Robin rolled her eyes, motioning to the light above you.

Eddie poked around the orange glow a few times, and you could hear Erica’s faint voice alerting Dustin and Lucas to it. They stopped speaking for a moment but you then heard Dustin say ‘S...O...S...’, making you cheer at realizing he understood what you were trying to communicate.

“How are we supposed to keep talking to them?” Eddie asked, putting his arm back against his side, “Those are the only letters I know how to do.”

“Hmph,” Nancy began chewing on her bottom lip before sighing in defeat, “I have no idea.”

After a moment of silent brainstorming – and Eddie wandering off after getting bored – you were nowhere closer to a solution than you had been. You looked back up at the light fixture and decided you wanted a closer look, only to be yelled at while doing so.

“Hey!” you heard Dustin’s echoing shout, “Stop! That’s too bright!” The group turned to find you quickly pulling your arm back to your chest.

“Sorry,” you mumbled in embarrassment, “The light got brighter when I got closer to the glass. I thought it was cool.”

“The light got brighter...” Nancy repeated softly to herself before sucking in a breath of realization, “Lite Brite!”

“Lite Brite?” Steve cocked an eyebrow, “Like the kids’ toy?”

“Yes! Holly got one for Christmas three years ago! We can use the lights on that to talk to the kids!”

“How are we supposed to tell them that though?” Robin questioned.

“Y/N,” Nancy said, making you perk up, “Touch the glass again and don’t let go.” You were confused but did as she asked anyway.

You could hear the teenagers start to complain again, all of them whining that ‘the light’s too bright!’. But as they slowly stopped, you couldn’t ignore that Nancy’s plan seemed to be working.

“Hey... Isn’t Mike’s sister playing with one of those Lite Brite things when we go over sometimes?” Lucas asked.

“Yes!” you, Nancy, Steve, and Robin exclaimed simultaneously, following Nancy when she ran down the hall to Holly’s room.

Once she dug the toy out from underneath her sister’s bed, the four of you quickly worked on placing all the pegs into the holes, filling up the entire Lite Brite board in a matter of seconds. Nancy moved her fingers across the glowing rainbow of lights, but you didn’t receive a response like you were hoping.

“Why isn’t it working?” you heard Erica ask.

“Yank it,” Dustin directed, and Lucas pulled the plug out of the socket by the cord. Nancy tried again, writing out a letter ‘H’ followed by an ‘I’. “H... I...” he said slowly before gasping, “Hi!”

“Yes!” you cheered again, making Eddie poke his head into the room.

“What are you guys doing?” he came into the room.

“We found a way to communicate with the kids,” Nancy said, “What were you doing?”

“Found a flashlight for Y/N,” he said, handing it to you. You smiled softly and thanked him, turning back to Holly’s bed. “We can communicate? How?” he leaned over your shoulder, his hands finding your hips to keep himself steady as he sat on his knees with the rest of you. Robin looked at you when she heard your breathing hitch, glancing down and smirking at the situation.

Nancy spelled out answers to the questions you could hear Dustin asking, finally able to let them know you were trapped in the Upside Down and needed help finding a way back out. Everyone listened to the kids try to come up with a plan but you were spaced out, only coming back when Robin nudged you.

“You good, Y/N?” she asked, making the rest of them turn to you.

“I was just thinking...” you sighed, “It’s probably stupid though.”

“Well, if you’ve got an idea, it would be more than the rest of us have so far,” Steve reminded you.

“You guys said that the gates open when there’s a death, right?” you asked, earning nods, “Well... If the lake is a gate because of Patrick, and that road by the fairground is where Fred was... Wouldn’t Chrissy have made Eddie’s trailer a gate too?” The four looked at each other and you watched the smiles grow on their faces.

“Y/N,” Robin grabbed your shoulders, “You’re a downright genius.” You smiled brightly, finally feeling like you were actually contributing something to the group’s efforts to get back to the real world.

“Eddie, how far away is the trailer park?” Nancy asked him.

“7 miles,” he answered instantly, earning looks from everyone. “What?” he raised his eyebrows, “I’ve been to parties.”

“That’s too far to walk,” she shook her head, “We’ll have to take Me and my brother’s bikes – Lucas and Erica’s too.”

“That still leaves one person without a bike,” Steve reminded her.

“I could ride on the handlebars,” you offered, “I used to do it all the time with Chrissy since I didn’t have a bike.”

You made your way outside to where the Wheelers kept their bikes before walking across the yard and finding the Sinclair siblings’ as well. You determined that Erica’s bike would be most comfortable, so Steve straddled the seat so you could hop on. You wobbled slightly as he began pedaling, barely catching yourself before falling off – it really had been a while since you’d done this.

“You need to lean back?” Steve wondered, “You just have to hold my flashlight.”

“I think I can handle that,” you chuckled, taking the device and doing as he asked, no one noticing the boy sulking at the sight of it.

~

7 miles later, you arrived at Forest Hills Trailer Park. Eddie moved to the front of the group to lead you to his trailer, scoffing to himself as you giggled at one of Steve’s stupid jokes. You hopped off of the handlebars before Steve parked the bike with everyone else’s, following Eddie into his home. Once the door opened, you all stood in awe as you stared up at the ceiling.

“Guys!” Dustin was smiling down at you, “How’s it going up there?”

“Up?” Steve asked, “You’re the one that’s up, Henderson.”

“I hardly think that’s important right now,” Max, who was now with the group, reminded everyone, “What’s important is how to they get back here?”

“Well, they just have to climb in, right?” Lucas shrugged, “Just find something to climb.”

“Eddie! How many sheets do you have?” Dustin questioned.

“In the hall closet!” he called back as he walked away. And sure enough, the teen returned a few moments later with an armful of sheets and thin blankets.

“They’ll need something to land on too!” Lucas chimed in, already hurrying out of sight. He called for help, prompting Max to follow him while Erica and Dustin worked on tying the ends of the fabrics together.

The two teens came back, dragging Eddie’s mattress along with them. They let it fall right underneath the portal opening just as the other two finished tying the final knots.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” Dustin said, taking the makeshift rope and looking up at the rest of you. He tossed it upwards, all of you watching it fall into a heap at your feet. “Okay, now pull,” he said. Robin grabbed the rope in front of her and put all her body weight into it, and you were all amazed to see that it actually held up.

“This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life,” Erica commented, “And I’ve seen some crazy shit.” She happily high-fived Dustin when he held his hand up for one.

“Hey, Eddie... What are those-” Robin asked, pointing to some discolored parts of the mattress. “-that we’re going to be landing on?”

“Those are...” Eddie trailed off, “I don’t know what those stains are.”

“Sure you don’t,” you rolled your eyes, “Look, I don’t even care if they’re fresh as long as I get the fuck out of here.”

The four gave you disgusted looks as Robin began her climb as the first guinea pig – her words, not yours – to leave the Upside Down. You watched her fall flat on her back, breathing heavily as she smiled.

“Thank God,” she sat up, getting out of the way as you began your ascent back to the real world. You let out a sharp yelp, not expecting the floor to be as far as it was but happy to be home nonetheless.

Eddie was next to come through the portal, sighing as he sat up on the mattress, “That was fun.” He took your hand and let you help him back to his feet, all of you now watching as Nancy gripped the rope.

But she didn’t climb up and come falling through the portal like you’d expected her to.

You all watched as Steve’s expression changed to a horrified one, grabbing Nancy’s shoulders and starting to shake.

“Nancy?!” he yelled right in her face, “Nancy! Wake up!”

Max gasped softly, her voice coming out as a whisper, “Vecna...”

“Vecna has Nancy?!” Robin started freaking out, “What could he possibly want her for?!”

“Music!” Max spoke again, “Music got me out of it before; We need something for Nancy!”

“I have some cassettes in my room!” Eddie said, prompting you to follow him as he ran toward the back of the trailer. He directed everyone to the various places he kept his collection, all of you practically tearing apart his entire bedroom to find something you thought would work for Nancy.

“Steve says you guys need to hurry up!” Erica shouted as she ran into the room.

“No shit!” Dustin responded, tossing another tape to the side.

“What is any of this stuff?!” Robin exclaimed, “There’s no Madonna, Blondie, Bowie, Beatles – music! We need music!”

“THIS IS MUSIC!” Eddie screamed back at her, shaking a Metallica tape in front of her face.

“Everyone, just calm down!” you yelled over their fighting, “Does anyone know what Nancy likes to listen to? Pop? Metal? Fucking ocean sounds?”

No one was able to respond, hearing loud thuds coming from the living room. You all ran to the door to look down the hall, finding Nancy breathing heavily on the mattress and Steve groaning in pain from landing on the hard floor.

“Nancy!” Robin gasped in relief, but you were the first to break away from the group.

You shoved Eddie and Dustin out of the doorway, running to the two as they sat up. You weren’t even fully on your knees before you threw your arms around the girl, hugging her tightly. You understood why she didn’t hug you back – you had only met her that day, after all – but you didn’t mind; You were just happy she was alive.

“I’m so sorry I did that without even asking, but I’m just really glad you’re okay!” you exhaled sharply, “You are okay, right?” Your eyes widened. “Oh my God, I should have asked if you were okay before I hugged you! I didn’t hurt you more, did I? I’m so sorry; I really didn’t mean to-”

Your rambling was cut short when Nancy suddenly grabbed your shoulders and pulled you back in, hugging you tighter than you’d previously hugged her. You took that moment to catch your breath, allowing her to remind you that she was in fact okay and actually right in front of you.

“I’m fine, Y/N,” she assured you, squeezing you before letting go to look at you, “Thank you for caring.” You gave her a shy smile.

“I’m sorry if I’m being weird,” you murmured, “I don’t- Chrissy was the only person who talked to me before, so I... I’m not really...used...to having friends...” You were looking down at your hands as you nervously played with your fingers, not even noticing the way everyone looked at each other with small smiles on their faces.

“What was that?” Max asked, “Why did Vecna want you?”

“Why me? I don’t know,” she shook her head, “But Vecna, he... He gave me these...visions.. And he wants me to tell El everything he showed me in them.”

“What... What did you see?” Robin asked carefully.

“Things that haven’t happened yet – the most terrible things,” she recounted, “I saw a dark cloud spreading over Hawkins, downtown on fire, dead soldiers, and this...giant creature with...a gaping mouth. But this thing wasn’t alone; There were so many monsters – an army of them. And then... Then he showed me my mom...and Holly...and Mike... A-And they... They were all...” She let out a shaky breath, unable to even finish the sentence, as Steve grabbed her hand and squeezed.

“He was just trying to scare you, Nance,” he tried to reassure her, but he was obviously freaked out as well, “Right? I mean... It’s not real...”

“Not yet,” she shook her head, “But that wasn’t it. He showed me these gates – four of them – spreading across Hawkins; They all looked like the one at the bottom of the lake. But they were growing. And they didn’t stop getting bigger. But it wasn’t the Upside Down version of Hawkins; It was this one – the real one.”

“You said four gates?” Max asked, making Nancy nod, “Four gates... Four chimes... Vecna’s clock always chimes in fours.”

“Yeah,” she nodded again, “I heard the clock too.”

“He’s been telling us his plan the whole time!” Max threw her arm up, “Four kills. Four gates.”

“If that’s true...” you swallowed, “He’s only one kill away from the end of the world.”

~

The next day

“He's a number like Eleven,” Max said, “So he must have come from that Hawkins Lab experiment that got it shut down.”

“Sure,” Robin remarked, “Only a sick, evil, male, child-murdering version of her with really bad skin.”

“My point is he’s super powerful,” she rolled her eyes, “Could turn us inside out with the snap of his fingers. It’s not a fair fight.”

“Then why fight fair?” Dustin spoke up, “You’re right; He’s like El. But that gives us an upper hand. We know her strengths and weaknesses.”

“Weaknesses?” Steve cocked an eyebrow.

“When El did that remote-travel thing to free me from him the first time, she told me her physical body is in some sort of trance,” Max informed you, “I bet the same is true for Vecna.”

“That’s why he’s up in the Upside Down version of the Creel house?” Nancy asked, “Because he’s in a trance to get to multiple people at once?”

“So we have to go back into the Upside Down,” you announced, making everyone look at you incredulously.

“You’re kidding, right?” Steve asked, “Need I remind you we barely made it out of there yesterday.”

“Listen, I know I just joined in on this shit show, but it sounds to me like you have to take out the physical person and not just his mind fuckery,” you shrugged, “If he’s in a trance, he’s basically defenseless.”

“What about his army of freaky-looking bats,” Robin pointed out.

“We just have to find a way past them.”

“Or distract them and lead them somewhere else,” Dustin said.

“The only problem is there’s no pattern to Vecna’s killings,” Erica finally spoke, “Not one I can decipher anyway; We won’t know when he attacks next until someone dies.”

“But we don’t even know who that someone is,” Nancy sighed.

“Yeah, we do,” Max nodded, “I can still feel him; I’m still cursed. I’ll draw his focus back to me.”

“Max... No...” Lucas shook his head slowly, “He’ll kill you.”

“I survived him before; I can survive again,” she said confidently, “All I have to do is distract him long enough for you guys to get into the attic and chop his head off or stab him through the heart – I honestly don’t care how you put that asshole in his grave. Just... Whatever you do, try not to miss.”

~

You grunted as you fell through the gate, landing with a hard thud despite the group’s best efforts to make it a pain-free landing. You assured them you were alright though, following them outside the trailer back into the desolate Upside Down.

“Alright, we’re all good on the plan?” Nancy asked, earning a chorus of affirmations.

“And guys-” Steve looked at you and Eddie. “-if things here start to go south, I mean, at all, you abort, got it?” he deadpanned, “Don’t try to be heroes.”

“Absolutely,” Eddie nodded, “I mean, look at us: we are definitely not heroes.”

“I’m just trying to figure out what college to attend,” you shrugged.

“And I’m just trying to graduate high school,” he added, smiling at you when you giggled. Steve, Nancy, and Robin began their journey to Creel house, but they turned when Eddie spoke again. “Hey, Steve?” he said, waiting until he looked at him to continue, “Make him pay.” Steve gave him a small nod, silently promising to do exactly that.

You stood still as you watched them leave, not really sure what to say next. Eddie looked over, noticing the weary expression on your face. He remained silent for a moment – he wasn’t sure what to say either – before finally forcing his brain to come up with something.

“You don’t have to do this, Y/N,” Eddie told you, “Nobody would blame you if you went back home.” You stared at the dark blue and grey sky for a moment, your mind racing with thoughts of ‘is this actually happening?’ before you finally looked up at him.

“For Chrissy?” you whispered. Eddie shot you a smile.

“For Chrissy,” he nodded, holding a fist up with the outside of his hand facing you. You bumped the backside of your own hand against it, both of you taking a deep breath before climbing up onto the roof.

He hopped up on top of the trailer before reaching down and helping you. You grabbed his forearms and he grabbed yours, hoisting you up until you were in front of him. He went to let go, but you didn’t. Instead, you were staring at him, your mouth making small movements until you finally found the words.

“You’re sure this is gonna work?” you asked him.

“No better way to lure over a bunch of blood-hungry demon bats than by playing satanic music, sweetheart,” he winked.

You rolled your eyes, shoving him away from you. He chuckled to himself as he grabbed his guitar, bending down to turn on the amp he, Steve, and Dustin had put up there.

Once you turned the volume up as loud as it could go, you grabbed the binoculars and looked up at Eddie. You gave him a small nod and he did the same, yanking the guitar pick off of the chain around his neck.

“Chrissy,” you heard him murmur to himself before he started playing, “This is for you.”

It took a couple moments for you to start seeing results, but when you did... Oh boy, did you see them. The bats were approaching far faster than you’d expected them too, and you couldn’t pretend you weren’t scared to death. Once the swarm was completely covering your field of view through the binoculars, you knew it was time to get to safety.

“They’re almost here!” you shouted over their screeches, “Eddie, we gotta go!”

Eddie quickly yanked the plug out of his guitar and grabbed your hand, pulling you along with him back down off the room. You scrambled to get inside, Eddie pushing you in before slamming the fence door closed just as the bats reached the trailer.

“God, that was so badass!” you panted, leaning against the wall to catch your breath.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he smirked, “I’ll have to play it again for you sometime.”

However, your moment was ruined when you both jumped at the sound of something hitting metal. You and Eddie shared a terrified look before snapping your heads toward the sound. A demobat had made its way into one of the vents of the trailer, weaseling its way inside.

“Oh, shit!” Eddie shouted, grabbing his makeshift shield and killing it before it could get to you, “Get through the portal!” He followed you to the middle of the room, hoisting you up and watching you tumble back into the real world. But when you reached up to help him through next, he just looked at you.

And you knew what he was going to do.

“Eddie...” you said slowly, “What part of ‘don’t be heroes’ do you not understand?”

“They’re going to go after the others, Y/N,” he shook his head, “I don’t want to run away anymore.”

“Eddie, don’t you dare!” you screamed – much like he had the day you dove into Lover’s Lake to help save Steve – but it was no use; He was already running back out of the Upside Down trailer anyway.

Without hesitation, you climbed back through the portal, landing on the bed with a hard thud. You let out a quiet ‘oof’ before springing to your feet and following him back into the mayhem.

You made it to the gate outside the trailer just in time to watch Eddie running with his makeshift sword and shield, leading the bats away from the portal. You grabbed the spiked bat Steve had insisted you take from Nancy’s arsenal of weapons – “just in case everything goes to shit” – and ran after him without a second thought.

Just as you were getting closer to Eddie, you saw a demobat flying up fast behind him. You knew he wasn’t going to notice it until it was too late, so you immediately charged for it. Eddie spun around when the animal let out a pained screech as it was killed, his eyes widening upon realizing you’d followed him.

“What are you doing, Y/N?!” he shouted, “Go home!”

“Not without you, Munson!” you returned just as loudly, killing another bat as he did the same.

“What did I tell you?! You shouldn’t- Duck!” You did so, letting him kill a bat as it was diving for you. “You shouldn’t be here!” he insisted.

“I never got to help Chrissy through her shit, Eddie! I’m not going to just let you die too!” your voice cracked, making him pause for a moment.

He then grabbed your hand and both of you ran back to the trailer, Eddie closing the gate behind you to buy a moment to talk some sense into you.

“You did not let Chrissy die, Y/N,” he told you.

“I didn’t help her!” you shook your head, not bothering to hold back your tears anymore, “I knew something was wrong! I knew she was acting different! I knew it wasn’t ‘just the depression’ this time! If I just tried a little harder, she would have told me what was going on! And I could have helped her and she would still be ali-”

“Stop it,” Eddie stated firmly, grabbing your face and making sure you were looking at him, “You said it yourself: Vecna’s curse is practically impossible to get out of without knowing you’re in it. There was absolutely nothing you could have done differently. She wouldn’t want you blaming yourself.”

“She wouldn’t blame you for running away either,” you whispered, holding his wrists tightly in an attempt to ground yourself, “She would have run if she saw what you did too.” He stared at you speechless for a moment before swallowing.

“You shouldn’t- Don’t sacrifice yourself for me,” he shook his head, “I’m not worth-”

“Yes, you are!” you sniffled, squeezing him tightly, “Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean you’re not worth fighting for! You’re weird and loud and obnoxious, but there’s nothing wrong with being a ‘freak’; It’s what makes you you! People like Jason not being able to appreciate it doesn’t mean everybody wants you to disappear! We just want you to be loved!”

You could tell Eddie was getting choked up by the way his eyes started to glisten. You never wanted this to be the way you confessed your feelings, but you couldn’t let him go on his suicide mission without him knowing.

He suddenly pressed his forehead to yours, breathing in deeply and acting as if you were being converged on by a bunch of monsters.

“Y/N,” he swallowed thickly, feelings your own breathing hitch, “Please go home; Get to safety.”

“I’m not leaving here without you, Eddie,” you repeated your earlier statement, “I go where you go.”

“That is the hottest thing any girl has ever said to me,” he admitted, though he still huffed at your stubbornness, “If we make it out of here alive, remind me to kiss you.” You finally let the corner of your mouth twitch into a small grin, making him smile as well.

“Promise?” you asked. Eddie held up his hand, showing you his extended pinky finger. Your small grin only grew, linking your pinky with his.

“Wouldn’t dare break the sanctity of a pinky promise, sweetheart,” he informed you, “Now let’s go kick some demon ass.”

You were sure you fought those damn things for the next 12 hours. They were a lot stronger than you gave them credit for, often needing two or three good hits before falling to the ground. But you and Eddie still gave it your all. You weren’t backing down this time; You weren’t going down without a fight.

But as soon as it all started, it suddenly came to an end. All of the remaining demobats dropped dead at once, and, after a moment in stunned silence, you and Eddie knew that could only mean one thing.

“Vecna’s dead?” Eddie murmured, both of your eyes widening.

“Vecna’s dead...” you whispered before throwing your bat down and bouncing on your feet, “Vecna’s dead! We did it!”

Eddie joined you in jumping excitedly before he discarded his own weapons and reached for you. He grabbed your waist with one hand before wrapping his arms around you tightly. You didn’t even hesitate as you hugged him back, your own arms around his neck and your face buried in his jacket. You both had cuts everywhere, your clothes were shredded, and your hair was a mess, but you were alive.

He lifted you off of your feet and you let your legs dangle against his. You closed your eyes and squeezed each other, simply reminding the other that you weren’t dead and imagining this entire thing. You could feel Eddie start bouncing on his feet,

“‘86 really is my year, baby!” he shouted at the sky, throwing his arms up in victory. You giggled at the outburst, putting your hands on his chest.

“I think you made me a pinky promise if we made it out alive, Munson,” you reminded him. Eddie didn’t even hesitate before grabbing your face again, this time to kiss you like his life depended on it.

When he pulled away to breathe, his eyes were still closed for a moment before he opened them again. He couldn’t stop himself from giving you one more peck on the lips though, moving his thumb to wipe some dirt off of your cheek.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time,” he admitted, and you let a soft breath out of your nose.

“Me too,” you nodded.

“Is now a good time to tell you I’ve had a crush on you since the second you stepped into Mrs. O’Donnell’s class?” he asked you, smiling at the way your eyes lit up.

“Is now a good time to tell you I’ve had a crush on you since you told Jason that no one cared how good he was at ‘tossing balls into laundry baskets’?” you returned, earning a small smirk in response.

He didn’t say anything, though; He just returned his arms to your waist, wrapping you up in another tight hug.

“You are crazy and stupid and a total idiot for following me,” Eddie reminded you, his voice slightly muffled by the skin on your neck.

“A crazy, stupid, total idiot who kept you from being some ugly demon bat’s 3-course dinner,” you reminded him with a big smile.

“I think you mean demobats,” he copied Steve’s voice, succeeding in making you giggle.

“Whatever,” you shoved his head playfully. Eddie finally released you, stepping back and holding his hand out to you.

“Would the lady like to go home?” he bowed obnoxiously.

“Are you going to actually follow me this time?” you rolled your eyes as you placed your hand in his and tangled your fingers together, making him grin stupidly.

“I’ll follow you anywhere you tell me to, sweetheart.”

❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀・・・❀

and everyone lived happily ever after thank u and goodnight

master list / master list for mobile users

you can also check out my last imagine here, my to do list to see what’s coming up, and click here to go to the page for my calum fic :)

Other high school AUs: Josh / Alex / Ryan / Ian / Nash / Ryan / Ryan / Calum / Cody / Zach / Calum / Ryan / Michael / Ashton / Calum / Calum / Michael / Ashton / Michael / Michael / Calum / Luke / Marshall / Luke / Marshall / Ashton / Ashton / Marshall / Michael / Ashton / Jamie / Ryan / Calum / Michael / Calum / Ashton / Cody / Marshall / Michael / Ashton / Calum / Michael / Calum / Michael / Michael / Calum / Calum / Jamie / Calum / Ashton / Luke / Ashton / Calum / Michael / Billy / Eddie

taglist: @calumhoodslays @vendylewin @lunalove25 @i-opened-the-chamber-of-secrets @maurine5sos @rachellwrites​ @itkindajusthappenedreally @breathinginthevapor @double-tap-to-edit @all-i-want-is2b-loved-by-you​ @silverchainbee​ @disastrxlogy @kikixfandoms @5saucewho​ @mycollectionofnuts​ @sunnysidesblog @youngblood199456 @boxofteenageideas @newhopenessie @5-seconds-of-mendes

if you’d like to be added to the taglist, let me know!

[lupxtanyongo]

Lupita Nyong'o - Marvel Panel - Comic Con 24

1.) Who do you play?

I have had the honour to play Nakia in the Black Panther series.

2.) If you could be anyone else in the MCU, who would you be and why?

Queen Ramonda! Angela Bassett is my queen and I would love to even have a little taste of what it is like to be her.

3.) How has being part of the MCU changed your life?

I certainly feel like I've been able to open up to a wider audience and it's given me more experiences. I have loved getting to come to events like this, taking it over all over the world and of course, it's brought me so many friends that I now consider family.

4.) Is there anything about your character you wish you had more control over or would do differently from the movie?

I wish I got to play in Endgame! Everyone showed up to the party and I didn't get to, I was so upset. So I wish Nakia got to show up there.

5.) Is there a certain comic book or scene you want to see your character play?

I would like to see Nakia become Malice like she does in the comic book s- maybe in an another multi verse, it would be interesting to play out.

6.) Who is another MCU character you wish you could have scenes with or your character would get along best with?

Something tells me that she would get along really well with the King of Asgard, that Valkyrie really does something to me. [ @tthompscn ]

7.) What upcoming MCU project are you most excited for and why?

I cannot wait for the next Captain America. I think Anthony Mackie is going to be amazing and watching Sam Wilson step up to the role will be iconic!

8.) Would you ever consider joining the DCU and if so as who?

Never! MCU loyal!

[placeinthemiddleofnowhere]

I jumped on my socials today to see colonel König and instantly jumped here, but I see you've already answered some of those things 😂😂 Idk I thought it would be funny if he got promoted in the middle of rocky and started fucking w price like "Oh yeah, what now >:)"

First of all I’d like to say that I love that people have seen this news and immediately thought to come to me about it! i have a very loyal group of followers for all my König info 😌💕

And omg this would be hilarious 😂 He just walks up to Sneak and kisses them in full view of everyone, tips them back old movie style and goes full French ✨ magnifique 

Price is there getting riled “what the fuck do you think you’re doing!”

And König just turns, shows him his new rank patch and flips him off like “shove it up your ass, Captain.” Of course saying Captain like an insult.

And then him and Sneak skip around being all obnoxious and in love while Price boils away coming up with seven different ways to bury him in the desert and lock Sneak up in some remote prison somewhere for a month long stretch 🏜️