#just once let me work for somebody who doesn’t try to force me to be lesser

[mbrainspaz]

I’ve actively been trying to be worse at work lately. I don’t know what else to do for my sanity. I’ve got one coworker, technically the stable manager, who I’m pretty sure is making at least $2 more than me an hour and is salaried while I’m still hourly. Btw we’re the same age and both have ADHD, and I came here from managing and running a whole stable on my own and according to rumor he came here from getting fired off a craft beer assembly line for being late, so it just goes to show you that being a charismatic tall white boi will get you everywhere in life. He’s late all the time. Chronically late. 70 minutes on average. He lives on the property his parents’ money must have bought him that’s about 10 minutes away so there’s not much excuse. Believe me—I get the time blindness issues. He actually has medication for it sometimes. I have 3 devices that read me the time every hour and half a dozen alarms. The worst part is that I can’t blame him for not caring—for doing a shitty job. Even while he’s making more than me he’s not really making anything worthwhile. The boss couldn’t fire him because there’d be no one to get distracted and cut down dead trees all evening instead of doing other crucial chores that I’ll have to come in and do on top of all my other work the next day. I do value what he brings, really. Every barn needs a tinkerer who goes on side quests. That guy probably shouldn’t also be manager but WHATEVer. I do my best manage him without overstepping too much. All the time. It’s exhausting,

This morning I was trying to formulate a plan to ask the boss for a raise. I mean—we do the same job! (I do it better.) Next week the ‘manager’ is going on vacation and leaving me to deal with/train the new 17 year old worker who’s apparently never touched a horse, the only person the boss was able to find in 3 months who’s been willing to work for the laughable wage they’re offering. I can just see her guilt tripping me. Acting angry. People with money and power only act friendly until you stand up for yourself. If you’ve ever dared to ask for what you’re owed you know what I mean. The devil light that comes into their eyes. The instant transformation like Bilbo Baggins when he sees the ring. It’s terrifying. I can’t afford to be afraid of that vitriol. I tell myself I don’t care. I do though.

The barn is clean tonight. The horses are grazing. They’re safe and clean and well. I worked 11 hours today to make sure they would be. The manager didn’t even have AM feed prepped for me, after I came in for an extra half hour on my day off to help him with feed the day before. The boss texted me at 1 pm to ask if I needed help, after I’d already done 95% of the work alone. I said no because when she comes out to ‘help’ it’s sweet but ultimately she’s just another person to babysit and I don’t have the energy.

Ever more frequently I have to remind myself—they don’t care. Nobody else cares as much as you. You’re not being paid to care. They don’t care about you.

So instead of abiding by my strict code of honor maybe I do leave work a few minutes early. Maybe I do leave a few buckets uncleaned. Maybe I do bring my dogs to work with me when no one is around, even though it’s strictly forbidden. The manager does. Sometimes I do start work a few minutes late. I can’t be better than management or I’ll start to resent everything. So I actively try to be just as bad as they are.

I’m not very good at it though. I care too much and I know better.

#personal problems #sexism in the workplace #life of a texan peasant #corporate american hellscape #just once let me work for somebody who doesn’t try to force me to be lesser

[sylvies-chen]

I love the ballad of songbirds and snakes, don’t get me wrong. but the streets are comparing coriolanus snow to anakin skywalker and I just… somebody get me a gun! I need to buy a gun!

and listen, I totally get the idea behind it. they’re both young formerly promising men who spiralled downwards into violence and authoritarianism and, as a result, betrayed their best friends and the women they care for. on a basic level, they have some similarities. but again, it’s like… the most BASIC and SURFACE LEVEL comparison to make!

snow is not a fallen angel or tragic doomed hero. the entire point of the book + film was that he was always prone to thinking manipulatively, to being selfish, to being violent, to liking the system too much, to letting not just anger but genuine hatred inform his decisions. HE IS THE VILLAIN. and vader is a villain too— the most iconic villain of all time— but anakin is a whole other story, and coriolanus doesn’t hold a candle to anakin when you compare some deeper elements of their motivations.

first off, you only need to look at how they treat their ladies to understand what I’m saying. everyone loves the heartbreak of anakin and padme just as they love the heartbreak of lucy and snow, but that love for their tragic story seems to blind people to the absolute insanity that is snow’s thoughts about lucy. he lies to her, thinks she’s trying to kill him, her song doesn’t satisfy or please him, and in the books he even goes so far as to say she isn’t even that good looking??? anakin, on the other hand, delivers a minute-long monologue about how deeply in love he is with padme, how a single kiss from her haunts him, how he is willing to utterly devote himself to her and fulfil her every demand because there’s nothing else he can do. he expresses his love in a very immature way at times, but it is real and genuine. tbosas makes you question at times whether coriolanus really loves lucy, or whether just this idea of “taming” her seems appealing.

even their downward spirals are vastly different in nature. coriolanus snow becomes more paranoid in an attempt to maintain his image, in order to keep lucy under his spell. his ambitions are nuanced, not black and white by any means, but they are selfish. anakin’s spiral, though there’s no denying the horrific acts he commits, begins from a place of fear and love. he is so genuinely scared of losing his wife and his unborn children that he becomes susceptible to an outside force manipulating him towards the dark side. anakin also fulfils that element of the shakesperian tragic hero in that there’s this idea of potential that we see so present in him. he’s introduced as the one who would bring balance to the force, someone powerful beyond comprehension, a saviour of sorts. snow was never shown to have that level of promise. he was just a man who existed in a system and it is about him grappling with that system until eventually that disgusting fascist mindset takes over.

and lastly, of course, you can’t ever mention these two in tandem without remembering the fact that anakin did the right thing in the end! and coriolanus did not! luke fought to bring anakin back when vader had taken over for so many years, and in the end it paid off. anakin does the truly selfless thing in sacrificing himself to save luke. he lets love inform his decisions, as he once did before, only the fear is gone and so that love orients him towards good instead of darkness. anakin is a fallen angel, but he’s also a man who loved too much and didn’t know what to do with it. snow, comparatively, admits he isn’t above killing children and then laughs in the face of the masses he’s worked to oppress for over half a century right before his death.

anakin skywalker’s story is of the destruction and reconstruction of his good heart, of light, of balance, of love. it is cyclical, and it is tragic. coriolanus snow’s story is not. it is a story not of something sinister growing in an otherwise good heart, but a story of something sinister unravelling and revealing itself.

they are not the same.

#anakin skywalker #coriolanus snow #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #star wars #star wars prequels #lucy gray baird #anidala #anti coriolanus snow #anti snowbaird

[jordynbreeloa777]

“Let go” ENDGAME VOID CHALLENGE. (Part 2, for visual people.)

This is a part 2 for the people inboxing me saying they’re more of a visual person so here is a more IN DEPTH version. If you still don’t understand please let me know!

{ This NEW VOID CHALLENGE MADE BY ME , IS TO ENTER THE VOID STATE!⚠️‼️ }

Step 1 : DECISION

How this challenge works is FIRST you have to choose if you are going to enter wide awake, or wake up in!

Step 2: 🌹 Once you have choose, I want you to robotically affirm and get into the state every single day of someone who always enters/wakes up in the void aware with ease. For example I will be choosing to wake up in since I entered successfully that way before aware, but forgot to affirm for my desires!

Step 2: 🌹Robotically affirming, and get into the state. Whenever you get a chance, you don’t have to set a timer of do a counter app. Just let your thoughts run on a loop in your free time! Some affs I recommend (that I use for entering awake is) I always enter the void with ease under 3 seconds. I always enter the void on my command. I always am aware and remember my purpose for the void. (waking up in) I always wake up in the void state aware. It is so easy for me to wake up in the void aware, I do it all the time! Every time I fall asleep I instantly wake up in the void! How to get in the state is so simple, just embody the feeling of the person who knows they always enter the void state successfully on the first try. (Don’t get discouraged if you don’t failure doesn’t exist in your reality so don’t make that an option, it’s not hard AT ALL, unless you assume so)

{ If you are more a visual person, you can imagine yourself with all your desires that you manifested in the void (already done LOA speaking) or imagine you getting into the void and manifesting your desires, or your list, something of that nature whatever you may be manifesting! Or say you are shifting visualize what you want to see when you wake up, or in your DR! }

{As well as if robotically affirming isn’t your thing fullfil yourself in imagination, not saying by forcing yourself with your 5 senses} But know that your someone who has the mental mentality that it’s not difficult at all to enter! }

Pointers: If you are waking up in the void, you can do lullaby method/SATS or just command your subconscious before falling asleep!

Step 3: 🌹Vaunt at least twice a day, in your head or whenever you want. Vaunt to yourself or imagine you telling somebody how you entered the void and manifested your dream life months ago, or vaunt that the void state is soo easy to enter and that you don’t understand why people find it hard, and that its the easiest thing in the world to do ever! Really saturate your mind and it will feel more natural, I promise. The void is not something outside of you, it’s not some magical place where you manifest instantly, remember YOU ARE THE ONE WHO EVEN CREATED THE VOID. YOU MANIFEST YOURSELF NOT, “I RECEIVED THIS FROM THE VOID” NO. YOU MANIFESTED YOURSELF.

Step 4: 🌹 Enter/Wake up in. If you fail you clearly know that it’s all based off your assumptions, especially if you’re trying for the first time. Don’t make failure an option to exist for someone who controls everything. There is no “deadline” of when you need to get into the void, or set time or date, no. You manifest/enter whenever you want because you’re such a master manifestor it’s crazy..like insane!

I will be trying this challenge as well, have fun and Happy Manifesting!💝💝

#law of assumption #manifesting #loassumption #manifesation #neville goddard #loa tumblr #robotic affirming #affirm and persist #the void state #askfirmations #void vaunt #void method #void challenge #void success

[gaycrittercentral]

So have you thought about the max and Sam vices meeting yet?

Welp, I don’t think it’d be a good thing, that’s for sure! (hi I'm home now and I've been having a lot of fun thinking about this teehee)

I know one thing, if sinful Sam and blissed Max met it’d be really funny and also awful lmao. Like y’all know how bliss Max is, he’d be all maddeningly cheerful and pleasant and sinful Sam would fucking hate that and probably throw him into a wall within seconds of meeting him (*extremely calm, happy-sounding “whee!”*) honestly they make me hope that this is a situation where their normal, non-separated partners are there to prevent a fight and help them out in general, because if not, somebody’s definitely gonna get hurt. Actually it’s more interesting if Hugh Bliss yeeted all the vices out of Max and the virtues out of Sam at the same time just to make things hard for them (and it would also leave the world Blissified for waaaay longer because none of them are going to cooperate easily).

Now let’s see, who makes for interesting interactions…

Temperance and Gluttony would have a pretty short-lived little encounter lmao. Temperance gets about five seconds to approach and be like “Now, Max, you know having that much sugar and carbohydrates at once isn’t good for you—here, I found this healthy snack in aisle 2 that’s much more filling!” And Gluttony’s like “ohhhh you do look like a good snack! Thanks for the offer!” And instantly eats him lmao. Hopefully somebody holding the gastrokinesis talisman gets swallowed later and rescues him hfkdhsjh

Speaking of Temperance, he might be the only one to actually try to put himself and Max back together. Blissed Max and sin Sam both feel kind of free without the missing aspects of their personalities, even though they’d miss them if they had all their wits intact, and all the other virtues and vices are too caught up in doing the extreme of their own thing to worry about coming back together. But extremes are not Temperance’s thing, and it’s freaking him out to be split apart like this, so he’d be all for reuniting everyone. He’d probably try to recruit some of the others to help out, maybe by asking Patience for advice or getting bliss Max on board because he’s just willing to go with the flow no matter what. I’m sure some of the others would also help, like Kindness (to a degree, at least—he doesn’t want to get reunited with the others because he insists he’s got more good works to do) or Charity (who’s very useful if you want him to deliver items or people to various places, you just tell him it’s a gift for someone lmao) and maybe even some of Max’s vices, although most of them seem to just want to do their own thing. I feel like Lust and Greed could be persuaded into going along with the plan if they were promised kisses or riches.

I would feel extremely bad for Sloth if he had to interact with Diligence. That guy sucks. It might be sort of an unstoppable force versus immovable object situation though lmao, he’s like “get up right now we have work to do!! You cannot just lie around all day!!!!” “Sure, whatever. Just gimme five more minutes…” As for why Diligence even wants Sloth to get up and help him, it’s less that he values Sloth’s help and more that he can’t stand seeing people rest for any amount of time eugh. Extreme wet blanket (maybe he springs from the horrible ‘constant productivity’ mentality that capitalism has foisted upon us all, although luckily Sam doesn’t usually seem to struggle with that).

And LMAO I’d love to see Wrath and Patience interact, especially since I established Patience as being inexplicably indestructible. Definitely another unstoppable/immovable situation. Wrath might not care about him initially because he’s sitting still and not very interesting, but the second Patience decides to spout some infuriatingly calm, know-it-all wisdom, he’s made himself a target. Maybe Wrath spends like 20 minutes shooting at him and screaming with no reaction from Patience before he resorts to physical violence instead and just goes to town biting and beating the hell out of him. If he’s really unlucky and gets close enough, Patience might decide to subdue him with a hug, and then he’s just screaming his head off and gnawing on Patience’s arms until he can finally squirm back out. Not sure whether he would just keep trying to kill him because of the challenge or get frustrated and leave to assault somebody a little less bulletproof, but it’d be funny anyhow!

Another interesting one with Wrath would be Kindness, who would probably assume he was having a bad time and try to help him calm down at first, only to of course be shot at immediately. I don’t think the rest of the virtues are bulletproof—that’s just a weird Patience thing—so of course he has to back off, but he might instead try to bring Wrath things to shoot at other than civilians. You know, white collar criminals, unsavory politicians, neonazis, that kind of thing. It’s the same kind of help Kindness always provides; that is to say, it’s technically helpful and kind, at least to someone, but probably morally questionable at the same time. Except for the neonazis. He is objectively correct for that one.

As for the rest of them, obviously there’s no canon versions of Max’s other vices, but I’m sure y’all have seen pikaflute's and lizardtheartist’s excellent interpretations of them! I’m not about to recreate all the same concepts when there’s already such good versions of them out there, so here’s hoping it’s alright with them if I borrow from their ideas just a tad and theorize about what a crossover of all these colorful little guys would look like. (And obviously, @pikaflute and @lizardtheartist, if that’s not cool with y’all just say the word and it’s gone sjfkdlshjklsh. I'm mostly gonna talk abt my guys anyway bc I don't want to step on y'all's toes)

First off, I’m concerned for Envy. I love pikaflute’s idea of him clinging to Sam’s back, but what if this is a world where Hugh Bliss simultaneously ripped out Max’s vices and Sam’s virtues, leaving no whole version of either of them? Then Envy would either have to stick to sin Sam, which I do not recommend at all because his anger management is at an all time low, or he’d have to find a virtue to hang on to. If he gets his pick, I’d recommend Kindness because obviously he’s the most pleasant of them, but Patience also wouldn’t be a bad pick (until Wrath shows up and tries to Thunderdome his ass, of course). I would LOVE to see either of those interactions, tbh. Kindness would be going crazy trying to help him out however he could but not knowing how ;-; oop but I just revisited their concept and saw that Sam showing him kindness is what helps him out so actually that might be a really good match! Idk I’m just a big sucker for the mushy things and Envy’s concept makes me want to squish him like a plushie hfkdhsjhd. Brb I’m gonna go squish my face in my Max plushie instead

Greed and Charity would also be really funny because I feel like they could go in two totally different directions. Like for one thing, Charity could be trying and failing to get Greed to give up his hoard, which would very much sound like a little old grandmother fussing at a fucking dragon. Or on the other hand, since Charity really just wants to give people things and doesn’t seem to mind what they do with them, maybe he just keeps bringing Greed more stuff to throw on the pile lmaoooo. Like as you’re walking around more and more things keep going missing from around the neighborhood and the office is just FULL of all the shit Charity keeps dragging in because “wow he really likes my gifts! That’s awful nice :)” I’m partial to that version if I’m being honest lol

I’m gonna be so real though my favorites are Kindness and Lust and I’m having such a good time thinking of what their interactions with each other’s groups would look like hdjdhjdhd. Kindness is delighted to have multiple of his favorite little guy running around and tries to do something nice for all of them, although the stuff he does may not be nice for bystanders, like catching various criminals just so Wrath can have somebody to shoot at lmao. Maybe he makes Gluttony a nice meal, the effort of which is instantly put to waste when Gluttony swallows it whole and then tries to eat Kindness too. He might bring Greed a nice gift for his hoard or give Sloth a pillow and blanket hehee. But he also has a seventh of his usual brain cells so he keeps getting distracted and running off to help the next Max midway through all of them.

I’d also love to see Kindness interact with lizardtheartist’s version of Pride bc like he’s planning to conquer the world, right? Kindness would be insanely easy to manipulate into helping him with that. He’s just like “oh sure! Anything for my little buddy ^^” and zips off to do whatever fucked up thing Pride asked because sure, he wants to do good deeds and help people but mostly he wants to be kind to every version of his best friend, and that means every single Max vice has total power over him fjdkslgjkslfh. The only thing that would stop him from diligently (lol wrong one) carrying out Pride’s every order is getting distracted by other good deeds to do, especially for the other vices or bliss Max.

Obviously Lust is gonna be thrilled to have more than one Sam around even if some of them aren’t down to do the horizontal tango with him. He’s just like “oh my GOD a million Sams! This is my greatest fantasy!!” A couple of them just turn down his affections immediately, like Diligence bc he’s a dumb workaholic stick in the mud. Or Patience because “there’ll be time later, little buddy.” Humility hides from him because he doesn’t feel worthy of any version of Max. But luckily Lust isn’t completely out of luck—Charity, for example, is happy to give just about anything away, definitely including kisses. Temperance is the embodiment of that DK meme that’s like “you may hit it…ONCE” fjkzjshdjszg. And Kindness is happy to do whatever Lust asks because he LOVES being able to do something nice for someone who actually wants what he’s giving them, but also he’s not great in bed bc he only knows how to give and doesn’t want anything for himself ghhdgsjsg.

And lastly, of course it’d be hysterical to see Lust and Chastity interact. I feel like chastity itself is the act of repressing oneself, but not truly ridding oneself of sexual desire, so you know Chastity still wants some. He absolutely starts sweating buckets the second Lust shows up lmaooo, like he wants Max so bad it makes him not only look stupid, but also feel stupid and ashamed. He is trying so hard to deny it but it’s really fuckin difficult when Lust won’t stop flirting with him. And I feel like Lust can smell that on him the way animals (and probably Max) smell fear, so he’s just poking and prodding and flirting and inching closer until Chastity is genuinely tomato-colored instead of pastel pink. And then I feel like they get found making out in a closet or some shit later and Chastity gets so embarrassed he just squeaks and pops out of existence hdjhdkdhdhsvsn

(also here’s a thing I just thought of now: “Hey chaste me, wanna rub my unicorn?” *Chastity makes a sound outside of the range of human hearing and passes out on the spot*)

And that’s all I got for now! Also to @ar-bi-trary and @gizmo-dgery and @planetlessmoon and pikaflute themself SCREECH thank y'all so much for your sweet tags and thanks again to skeletor for the prompts!!! I have been internally screeching and externally rolling around and kicking my feet in glee at the sight of each and every one of them, god it's so fun to share ideas about these idiotic gay animals heheheheheeee. Also I happen to have another day off tomorrow so maybe I’ll finally get around to drawing these guys then :D ok that's it byeeeee

#also pikaflute if you see this YES ABSOLUTELY YOU MAY HUG ALL OF THEM #not that some of them would like. want to be hugged. but I am their creator and arbiter and I say so #too bad for them lmao #sam and max #sam and max freelance police #freelance husbands #my art #asks #seven heavenly virtues au

[roseinthewindow]

Epilogue: Chapter 2.

Imani’s POV- Maddy’s Apartment.

“Do you ever think about leaving Elliot, like seriously?” Maddy asked, as I shrugged. “You didn’t leave Nate for a really long time, even though people were telling you to.” I answered, almost completely dodging her question. She’s quiet for a minute, as I fiddled with my phone. “Imani, that’s nowhere near the same thing. You’re allowing someone to drain you when you can easily leave.” She explained, and I shook my head.

“Maddy, I didn’t come here for a lecture. I just came here to relax.” I sighed, as she nodded. “I get that, I’m sorry.” She agreed, sitting next to me on her couch. “I just worry about you sometimes girl, that’s all.” She noted, hugging me from the side.

The next few hours of hanging out went smoothly, mostly us just talking and taking shots. I ended up stumbling back into my own apartment, giggling like a schoolgirl. Once I walked into my room, I saw Elliot fast asleep in my bed. Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed, feeling him shift as he woke up.

“Y’know, breaking and entering is a crime.” I joked, noticing that his signature smile was missing. “Not a crime if you gave me a key.” He replied, his tone cold. He’s curled on the right side of the bed, quiet as a mouse now. I walked over, kneeling to his level.

“What’s the matter, El?” I asked, as he shook his head. “I don’t wanna blow my high.” He muttered, and I exhaled. “Do you need anything from me?” I inquired, seeing him reach out for me. I got into the bed, and he immediately laid on me. “You’re more comfortable than your bed.” He teased, as I giggled softly. “I’ll be sure to tell my manufacturer your feedback.” I said, rubbing his back.

“How was Maddy’s place?” He asked, as I went silent for a few moments. “It was alright, we took shots.” I answered, and he looked up at me. “Mhm, you hesitated mani.” He pointed out, as I kissed his head. “I don’t wanna blow your high.” I said, using his words to get out of it. “Mkay.” He replied, laying his head back on my chest.

“Do you like me?” He asked, his voice quiet. “You wouldn’t be on my chest if I didn’t.” I answered, feeling his body shift. “No I mean, do you like me as a person? Like who I am?” He questioned, as I looked at him. “If who you are is smart, and funny, but occasionally a pain in my ass, then I love who you are.” I said, and he looked up at me.

He’s quiet, and I could practically hear the gears in his head turning as I kissed his forehead. “If somebody doesn’t like you, fuck em.” I mumbled, trying to comfort him. He laid back on my chest, silently falling asleep.

I stayed awake for two hours, not being able to shake the feeling that something happened at home, that it was the reason he’d asked that question. The temptation to wake it up and drag it out of him was strong, but I resisted. Sighing, I forced myself to go to sleep.

Elliot’s POV- Morning

I woke up, seeing Imani fiddling with her phone before looking at me. “Good morning sleepyhead.” She said, smiling at me. “Morning.” I mumbled, as she rubbed my cheek. “Do you gotta work today?” She asked, getting a head shake from me.

“Probably gonna chill and hit up that party later with Rue. You coming?” I inquired, as she shrugged. “If Maddy goes, I’ll probably end up going. I got a paper due in a couple days.” She explained, and I nodded. I leaned into her more, being quiet for a minute.

“What happened last night?” She probed, rubbing my back. “Just shit with my dad. It’s not a big deal.” I sighed, feeling her shift. “It’s a big deal if it made you upset enough to just come and be in my bed, Elliot.” She said, her voice raising slightly. I’m quiet for a few minutes, letting the silence set in.

“That guy fucking hates me. I feel like no matter what I do, that’s never gonna change.” I stated, feeling my eyes water. Admitting that makes me feel like my chest is going to cave in, and I hate that. It gives him more power than I want him to have.

Imani’s silent, but I didn’t feel like I was done talking. “If the person who’s half responsible for me being on this earth doesn’t like me, then why should anybody else? It just doesn’t make fucking sense.” I rambled, getting off her bed. I felt angry, the emotion heightened by the fact that I’m sober.

“You probably don’t like me either, I know you don’t!” I exclaimed, and she stood up. “Elliot.” She called, slowly making her way to my side of the room. “I pay the fucking bills, I make sure that both of them can eat and all they fucking care about are the drugs! That’s it!” I yelled, shoving a vase off her desk.

It hit the ground as I curled into a ball next to the shards. I’m sobbing, my chest tight. Imani’s trying to approach me, and my grip on myself tightens. I feel like I’m not thinking, as if everything’s simply blending in and mushing together. Imani’s arms are wrapped around me, bringing me back down to earth.

“I got you, you’re okay.” She whispered, holding me tightly. It’s quiet for a bit, the sound of my labored breathing breaking it. “I’m just tired.” I mumbled, curling up against her. She’s quiet, just rubbing my back.

I have no idea how I went from that, to sitting at a party with a blunt hanging from my mouth. The music is blaring around me, filling my thoughts just like the smoke filled my lungs. Suddenly, a blonde girl appeared next to me, her eyes studying me.

“I’m not sharing.” I muttered, taking another puff and blowing smoke through my nose. “Good thing that I wasn’t asking.” She replied, pulling out a pill and swallowing it. I didn’t say anything, focusing on myself.

“You’re Elliot. Imani’s boyfriend, right?” She asked, and I looked at her again. I’ve never even seen her before, especially not with Imani. “You know, you’re really invested in my business.” I snarked, taking my blunt out of my mouth. “I can’t be well versed in the good looking guys in our community?” She responded, a small smirk on her verse.

“Take me off your list, blondie.” I said, turning my attention away. Imani walked over, her demeanor shifting when she saw the girl. “Julianna…didn’t think you were still in San Francisco.” She noted, sitting next to me.

“Just Jules now, I don’t go by my full name.” She said, taking a sip from her cup. Imani did the same, smiling a bit. “Ah, but those breaking and entering charges still follow you.” She retorted, her head resting on my shoulder. Jules was silent, using my arm to pull herself off the couch. “It was nice meeting you, Elliot.” She said, walking away. Imani kissed my cheek, and I put my blunt back into my mouth, lighting it.

End Of Chapter 2

#dominic fike imagine #elliot euphoria #original story #orignal character #euphoria #dominic fike #original post #SoundCloud

[webbywatcheshorror]

The Bye Bye Man (2017)

The Bye Bye Man. This movie has been meme’d to death, and I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you’ve at least heard of it. I first watched it for my 100 Horror Movies in 92 Days challenge in 2022, expecting it to be the kind that doesn’t take itself seriously. But it does.

The Bye Bye Man tells the story of three college students that move into a fixer-upper of a house and unleash an unstoppable force of evil that comes for you once you know his name. Now on paper, that sounds like a solid premise. In practice.... well, we’ll get to that.

Review under the cut, and as always, SPOILERS AHEAD!

The Bye Bye Man is a tragedy. It contains so many good bits and pieces, but they aren’t quite assembled right- like a puzzle missing some pieces, and somebody painted over some of the others.

It has a decently strong opening- Leigh Whannell murders his way through a quiet suburban neighborhood, gunning down friends and neighbors while shouting about a name that shouldn’t be said, and sometimes muttering the tagline- don’t think it, don’t say it. Nice and intriguing, good First Kill.

Even going into the next sequence isn’t bad- meeting our core protagonists, setting up the scenery, establishing backstories, etc. A bit slow, but it works fine. The slow ramp-up of the upcoming horrors is pretty decent, too- the scene with the kid opening one door while the Hound creeps silently out of the one behind her was nice and eerie! Not to mention one of my favorite tropes in horror movies- Spot the Thing. I managed to find him in mirrors and shadows at least four times before his big reveal, but there’s likely even more I didn’t catch.

The concept itself is promising! An entity that stalks you but only after you know it exists, and the more you think about it, the closer you are to death! That fucking RULES! I’d be so fucking dead! Trying not to think about something, especially when that thing is toying with your mind constantly? An impossible task for me, and a story genre I will always love.

The breaking of the protagonists is also fairly decent. Elliot, the main protag, is adorably in love with his girlfriend, and is so close to the other character John, they consider each other brothers; by the end, they’ve turned on one another, driven mad by hallucinations and suspicion. Heartbreaking stuff, honestly.

There’s a post that’s been going around on Tumblr lately about phones and horror movies, and how instead of simply not working, they could be utilized to invoke more horror as working devices. The Bye Bye Man actually has a good example of this! There’s a scene where one of our protags, trying to ease his mind, is looking through pictures on his phone, when he is treated a series of pictures of the titular entity, who taunts him.

So if it has all these elements, why does it not deliver?

Firstly, the name. Now, I know the original tale (both folk tale and published book edition) also has him named the Bye Bye Man, but reading it and hearing it just have very different vibes. Reading a story about a malevolent spirit with a goofy name? Sure, I can let my imagination run with that. Hearing people say it out loud with their mouth? It just doesn’t land for me, no matter how hard I tried.

It’s possible that it COULD have landed, with some tweaks to the movie: more instances of characters unintentionally saying it, or hearing it as an auditory hallucination; even the way it’s said might have heightened its fear factor. Here, try this- say The Bye Bye Man as though you are reading the title of the movie out loud. Now, say it slow, hesitant, breath shaky and as though you’re forcing yourself to stop saying it. There’s a noticeable difference, yeah? Well, mostly, we only get the first example. Even just a slight pause between each word gives it a different feel, or at least it does to me.

There’s few tropes in movies that annoy the piss out of me more than miscommunication/straight up lack of communication that drives the plot/drama. I know our protags are college kids, and as such are prone to reactions rather than sense, but it’s incredibly irritating to me. Had they stopped to think for like, ten seconds, they might have even survived.

The fact that they’re still kids might explain why they kept making the same mistakes over and over- constantly forgetting they can’t trust what they hear or see, automatically assuming the worst of people they’re supposed to love and trust, continuing to say the name OUT LOUD even after they know it’s dangerous. Ok so most of these sins are committed by the main character, but they’re all guilty of them at some point or another.

It’s possible, too, that much of their nonsensical behavior can be chalked up to supernatural influence. And it’s also possible that I’m far more paranoid than your average person. But talking and acting INCREDIBLY SUSPICIOUSLY in front of cops at a crime scene wherein you are a prime suspect? And then, when confronted by Carrie-Anne Moss’s character, Elliot continues to be suspicious as all hell. Don’t imply you have something dangerous to hide in front of a cop! Why would you do that!?

I also feel like they could have established a few more details that would have given more impact to the eventual character breakdowns. Elliot’s jealousy fueled hallucinations could have been even better, had he stated outright earlier that he trusted his best friend and girlfriend, instead of unconvincingly denying being jealous when his older brother points out the other two dancing during the party scene. Subsequently, his struggle to maintain that implicit trust would have been more impressive, as he is bombarded with hallucinations that imply they’re having an affair, including a full on vision of them having sex in front of him.

That being said, I do like that they set up Elliot’s fatal flaw early on- his cocky overconfidence. During the séance scene, he keeps smugly dismissing any mention of the supernatural as being illogical and beneath his consideration. When he later realizes how to keep the Bye Bye Man at bay, he lets this small victory feed into his ego and he seems to think he’s no longer in danger; he is quickly relieved of this notion.

His solution, when you really break it down, would never have worked long-term, at least not for him. Simply do not fear the entity! He thrives off of fear, much like Pennywise. With a name that silly, this should be easy, to be honest. (In my initial livetweet thread, I toyed with the idea of calling him The Baby Man.) However, unlike the dancing clown, denying him the fear that powers him only makes him get more creative. Upon returning home, Elliot immediately falls for another one of Bye Bye’s tricks. Shouldn’t have challenged him. You fool.

The Man himself is a decent looking monster, played by the wonderful, incredible Doug Jones; but despite the sounds and signs that precede his arrival, we never learn anything about him. Why the coins? Why the train sounds? What’s up with the Hound? Was he once a living person? The original tale has a few answers, but they are nowhere to be found in the film, which is a shame, because it could definitely have benefitted from the knowledge that Bye Bye created his canine companion out of the body parts of his initial victims, and it’s true name is the Gloomslinger. That’s fucking rad!

This movie feels like it drew inspiration from Candyman and Final Destination, in that there is power in a name, and once you’ve drawn its attention, there’s no way to escape it. The world itself will twist until you’ve fallen victim, no matter how clever you think you are. It also reminds me of an OLD, OOOOOOOOLD creepypasta that featured something similar- some sort of entity that hunts you down once you’re made aware it exists. I can’t remember much about it, other than the final line was something like “I’m so sorry. Now that you know it exists, it’s coming for you.” (If anyone knows what I’m talking about, please let me know, but be aware that I read it well over 10 years ago and cannot remember anything else about it.)

Lastly, I want to mention that I enjoyed the way it ended. Our protags are dead, as well as everyone they told his name to. With no way to spread his evil, Bye Bye should be defeated- then we’re treated to Elliot’s young niece saying she found the nightstand with the name carved into it. The wheel keeps on turning, and what a shame- but no, she couldn’t read it in the dark. THEN, we find out that John, the best friend, has survived the house exploding (how tho), and the movie ends as he whispers the name to Carrie-Anne Moss, thus ensuring the cycle continues. 

I give this one five ghosts outta ten. The framework for a great movie is there, but ultimately, it failed to achieve what it set out to do. I do believe, however, that had this movie come out in the 80s, it would now be a cult classic, and considered genuinely terrifying. Then again, if it had, we’d have been denied another instance of Leigh Whannell’s character dying horrifically, and that’d be a shame.

#the bye bye man #horror movies #movie review #webbywatcheshorror #webbyreviewshorror #carrie anne moss #doug jones #leigh whannell

[onceuponastory]

starting small - steve harrington x reader

She said, "Ooh-ooh-ooh" Kiss me like your ex is in the room - x by the jonas brothers featuring karol g

Plot: Each dealing with the aftermath of a break up, Y/N and Steve Harrington decide that the best way to deal with their heartbreak is for them to fake date, in the hopes it makes their exes jealous.  Pairing: Steve Harrington x Female!Reader Warnings: Mentions of heartbreak if that sort of stuff upsets you. As always, if I miss any triggers, please let me know. Notes: I’ve had this idea for ages, and it’s taken me so long to write, but here we are. Once again, not beta’d, so any mistakes are my own.

Sitting on the bench outside, Y/N watches as the party goes on inside. The muffled sound of music and of people having fun fills the warm night air. At least somebody is having fun. She takes a drink from the red cup in her hand, wincing as the bitter taste flows down her throat. Once this drink is done, she’s going home. In all honesty, she wishes she never came to this stupid party in the first place. 

“You know the party is inside, right?” A cheeky voice asks, pulling her out of her thoughts. She recognises the voice immediately. King Steve himself, Steve Harrington, sits beside her, his trademark quiff falling in his face.

“Mhm. I could say the same thing to you.” She replies. Despite her attempt to match the cheek of his comment, Steve picks up on the defeated tone in her voice. 

“Why do you sound so sad? Are you not having fun?” Y/N scoffs. Typical King Steve, acting like the life of the party is all that matters. Still, at least he’s trying to help, albeit in his own way. And besides, he seems to be the only one who’s actually been kind to her tonight. She might as well tell him the truth. If all else fails, at least she gets to vent to him. “I thought your boyfriend was here.” And there it is.

“He is.” She nods. “Right now, he’s making out with the girl he told me not to worry about. And I’m out here feeling sorry for myself at the party he practically forced me to come to. So that’s why I’m not having fun Steve.” She explains.

“Oh. Shit. Um, sorry.” Steve’s face goes red, and she shakes her head. 

“It’s okay.” Even though it’s not. She thought she and Chris would be together for the rest of their lives. And what hurts even more is to her, everything was fine. Not sunshine and rainbows by any means, but they were okay. Chris didn’t even come to her to work things out before sticking his tongue down someone else’s throat. And now it’s all over, just like that. She can see in Steve’s eyes that he doesn’t believe her, and that he knows she’s been crying. Thankfully, though, he doesn’t press her any further. “So. Now we know why I’m out here feeling sorry for myself. How about you?”

“Well. I’m kinda in the same boat. Nancy and I just decided it wasn’t working between us, so…we’re taking a break.” He tries to force a smile, but Y/N can tell it’s fake. 

“Oh fuck. Sorry. Well, cheers to being miserable together.” She hands Steve her bottle, which he declines, still swearing that he’s fine. “Sorry, was that bad timing?” To her surprise, though, Steve chuckles. 

“No, it’s okay. Maybe you’re right, anyway.” He sighs. Yet, she doesn’t press him either, which she can tell Steve appreciates. From this point on, both know that they’re the only ones who understand what the other is going through. They’re there for each other, and that’s all that matters.

However, it still feels slightly strange to Y/N. She’s not unpopular by any means, but she and Steve Harrington rarely cross paths. And yet, here she is, laughing and chatting with him like they’ve been friends for years, with no sense of awkwardness. In fact, Y/N feels incredibly comfortable around him, and soon realises they have more in common than she expected. Maybe in another life, she and Steve would’ve been friends from the beginning, instead of bonding over their heartbreak and growing closer in their last few months of high school. Deep down, she’s disappointed that’s not the case. It would’ve been nice to know him before all this.

“Well, I better go.” Steve sighs, getting up. “Do you need a ride?” For a split second, Y/N almost shakes her head, her good time with Steve causing her to forget the truth for a little while. But then she remembers, and her heart breaks all over again. It’s strange the things you miss when you lose someone you love. There are the big things, like kissing and touching. But there are the little ones too. There’ll be no more nights spent trying to talk to each other on the phone without their parents noticing, or of doing nothing together, and simply finding comfort in each other. And that also means no rides home from parties that you only came to for your boyfriend.

“Yeah, that’ll be great. Thanks.” Steve nods and starts leading her out to his car. 

“Don’t worry. We won’t see them this way.” He says, and she smiles gratefully. On the way back to her house, she and Steve continue to chat as if they’re old friends, which still surprises her. To Y/N, the old Steve always seemed like an asshole. Or maybe it was just the company he kept. Because it turns out Steve Harrington isn’t so bad after all. In fact, being with him is making her forget about her heartbreak. Soon, Steve pulls up outside her house. 

“Thanks for the ride, Steve.” 

“No problem. I’ll uh. I’ll see you at school, alright?” She nods. They know that a night like this cannot last forever. The second she opens that door, Y/N knows she’ll be back to feeling alone and upset. She and Steve will be back to just being classmates, and tonight will be just a distant memory. Because even though the events of tonight bond them…their lives just don’t fit together. At least tonight was fun, though. With one last wave, Steve drives off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The following Monday at school, whilst Y/N and her best friend Ashley collect their books from their locker, Y/N fills her in on the events of the weekend. Obviously, she only tells her about the parts with Steve, and leaves out the part where she spent most of it sobbing in her bed, hoping Chris would take her back. Suddenly, the pair notice Steve making a beeline down the hallway towards her. 

“I need to talk to you. Meet me in the library at lunch.” Steve whispers as he passes by her. Before she can even ask any further questions, he’s walking away.

“What the hell do you think that was about?” Ashley asks, and Y/N shrugs in response. “Maybe it’s about what happened at the party. You have to go!”

“No, I don't.” Even though Y/N would be lying if she said she wasn’t even a little curious about what Steve wants to talk to her about, and that she didn’t want to go see him. So as soon as she finishes her lunch, Y/N heads straight to the library to find Steve. It’s pretty empty, so she easily finds him sitting at a table in the corner of the room. As she sits opposite him, he grins. 

“You actually came!” Y/N never realised how nice Steve’s smile was until now. However, her thoughts of it are gone as soon as explains his reasoning for bringing her here. “I had an idea.” Steve announces. “It came to me late last night, and I thought about it instead of sleeping, so hopefully it makes sense, and it works.”

“...That’s really not filling me with hope, Steve.” She admits, yet he ignores her and continues his explanation.

“I was thinking, what if we hung out and tried to make Nancy and Chris jealous?”

“As in…fake dating?” She asks, her eyebrows furrowing together.

“Maaaaaybe?” Steve trails off. He can see she’s not fully with his plan yet, so he sighs. “I mean, it shouldn’t be that unbelievable. Most of the school probably saw us hanging out!”

“So they can see me as a rebound? Yeah, you’re still not selling it Steve.” Steve sighs.

“Look. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I was just thinking about it. It doesn’t even have to be for that long. Maybe a week or two? We could just hang out, no kissing or any other couple stuff. All that matters is people believe it. We can call it quits whenever you want, and just say it was a mutual decision. So, are you in?” Y/N takes a moment to think things through. The idea still sounds pretty strange, but she has spent the entire weekend crying her eyes out over her ex and wishing he would take her back. Maybe this is the way. And besides, she said she wanted to hang out with Steve more. It’s not ideal, but either way, she gets what she wants.

“Okay, I’ll do it.” She nods, and Steve smiles. 

“Great. I’ll pick you up tonight at 7 and we can go on our first ‘date’. Maybe we’ll grab some dinner. If we start small, it won’t be so bad. Sound good?” She nods, still a little too amazed to speak. 

Hopefully, this crazy idea of Steve’s actually works.

True to his word, that night Steve shows up outside her house right on time. He even knocks on her door, just like any good boyfriend would. Even though it’s fake, Y/N still appreciates the gesture. Chris used to just stand outside blaring his horn and expecting her to come down and meet him. Evidently, Y/N’s mom appreciates the gesture too, given the look on her face as Y/N goes to answer the door.

“Is he one of your school friends? He’s cute. What’s his name?” She pesters.

“Mom, stop! We’re just going to grab some food and talk about our homework. Nothing major.” Y/N hisses, hoping Steve doesn’t hear her mother’s incessant questioning. When she opens the door, Steve looks over at her, smiling. She still can’t get over how nice his smile is. It’s slightly lopsided, yet wide and welcoming.

“Hey. You ready to go?” He asks.

“Yeah-” But before she can even leave, her mother interrupts them. 

“Hang on there, kids! Hello. I’m Y/N’s mother. And you are…?” She asks, holding out a hand. Steve’s eyes widen, and he takes her hand, shaking it. 

“Oh! Um, hello ma’am. I’m Steve. Steve Harrington. I’m her….”

“He’s my….”

“B-Friend!” the pair exclaims, and her mother gives them a knowing smile.

“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you anyway, Steve. You two have fun now.” And with that, Steve and Y/N say goodbye to her mom and leave. Even though this entire situation is making her want to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment, the fact that King Steve, who everyone thought was so cool, is actually more awkward than they think is pretty hilarious. 

“You know, you could’ve warned me I was about to meet your mom! This is only our first ‘date’!” Steve tells her when they get into his car and drive.

“Well, sorry Steve, but I tried to stop her!” Y/N explains. “And besides, it had to happen sometime. At least now I can meet yours too, right?” She jokes. When Steve’s face falls a little, she regrets it immediately, her face heating up with shame. “Oh shit, did I put my foot in it? Sorry, I didn’t-”

“No! No, it’s fine.” Steve insists. “I just. My parents aren’t around a lot, and when they are, they don’t exactly notice me too much. That’s all. And besides, I already said something dumb about you and Chris, so it’s only fair you got to do the same, right?” Even though she can tell he’s trying to put on a brave face, Y/N still senses a profound sadness behind his eyes. Her heart sinks, and she feels even more guilty for not trying to stop her mom sooner. But more than that, she feels pity for Steve. He deserves to have parents who care for him, especially when he’s going through something like this. 

“Steve-” she begins, but he cuts her off.

“Anyway.” Steve clears his throat. “Tonight we’re going to the diner. Most of the school goes there, so if there’s anywhere in town that’s the best place to start our fake dating, it’s there.” He explains. Deep down, though, she doesn’t care about their plan. At least, not right now. She just wants Steve to know she’s there for him, fake dating or not.

Once inside, she and Steve take a seat in a booth. One in full view of a group of Hawkins High students. Immediately, they can hear whispering, and out of the corner of their eye, people staring at them. And so it begins. As the whispers continue, an anxious feeling settles in the pit of Y/N’s stomach. It’s not even been a full day of her and Steve’s ‘relationship’, and already she’s underestimated what having everyone commenting and staring at her would feel like. Maybe she should have never said yes. “Hey, it’s okay. Just ignore them. We’re in this together, remember?” Steve whispers.

“Easier said than done. At least you’re used to this sort of thing.” She fires back. She expects Steve to be annoyed at her comment, but to her surprise, he says,

“If you want to leave, it’s okay. We can go somewhere else.” Y/N waits for him to say something about how if they leave now, it’ll ruin everything. To her surprise, though, it never comes, and Steve seems to only care that she’s okay and comfortable, rather than their plan. She’s never really had that before.

“Can I get you guys some drinks to start with?” The waitress asks, stopping by their table, notepad in hand. Steve gives her a look, signalling it’s now or never. Just as Y/N is about to ask to go…she stops. It may take a little more getting used to, but this is what she wants. She has to push through it. And besides, there’s worse people that she could be here with. 

“Yeah, I’ll take a Coke, please.” She smiles.

“Um, same.” Steve frowns. Once the waitress leaves, Steve continues to look at her, checking she’s alright.

“I’m okay.” She promises. “Like you said, we’re in this together, and starting small.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Steve meets Y/N outside school. Of course, he decided that to sell them being a couple, they should walk in together, no doubt fuelling the rumours already spreading through the school. The second they start walking down the hallway together, everyone’s gaze turns to look at them. And the whispering starts all over again. Yet, she and Steve continue on, their heads held high. Until she sees Chris staring at her too, his arm wrapped around the girl he cheated on her with. Y/N’s heart sinks once more. But before she can even say anything, she feels something brushing against her hand, and Steve takes her hand with his. Even though she knows it’s part of their plan, and she appreciates it, it still feels a little strange. Obviously, there’s still a long way to go.

And then, Nancy comes out of the bathroom and notices them both. Her eyes widen a little, and her mouth drops open. Y/N can see the embarrassment on Steve’s face. Quickly, she presses a kiss to his cheek, her lips brushing against his skin. Nancy gasps, as does Steve. As the pair walks past her, Steve’s still in shock. Y/N pulls him down a quieter part of the hallway. “Sorry. I um, I just thought it’d work, and would really sell it, you know?” 

“No! No. It was nice. It was good.” Steve gasps. “Thanks.” Steve leads her all the way to her locker, where Ashley is standing, her eyes looking like they’re about to pop out of her skull. “Hi Ashley. I’ll see you later, Y/N, okay?” Steve smiles, giving her hand another squeeze as he lets go and disappears down the hallway. Y/N watches him go, before being confronted by Ashley.

“What was that?!”

“Nothing!”

“Nothing? You just walked down the halls with Steve Harrington holding hands the entire time, and now you’re standing there with a big ass grin on your face! That’s not nothing, that’s everything!” She argues. “I need details!” 

“He took me out for dinner last night. We had a lot of fun.” Y/N explains, and Ashley’s eyes get even wider. But then, the bell rings, and Y/N sighs. “Sorry, gotta go.” Ignoring her protests, Y/N walks down the hall towards her class. “I’ll tell you later!”

As the days go on and turn into weeks, Y/N and Steve’s fake relationship continues to develop, despite their original awkwardness. And as they grow closer and closer day by day, their real relationship grows too. Steve now takes her out at least twice a week, and whilst she used to be apprehensive about everyone seeing her with Steve, after a while, Y/N stopped caring about how others feel about them. All that matters is her and Steve. Oh, and making sure the plan works, and that they seem believable. That too. 

One night, she and Steve are in Hawkins Palace Arcade, trying to beat each other at the games. To Steve’s chagrin, Y/N is winning. “You know, on dates boyfriends usually try to win their girlfriends a toy. If you think you can, that is.” She smirks, gesturing towards the claw machine filled with Care Bears plushies.

“Oh, I see how it is. Are you judging my skills now?” Steve asks, yet he’s laughing all the same. 

“I mean, I beat you at both Pac-Man and Miss Pac-Man, so if you need a hand, I’ll be happy to help.” She teases.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Steve orders, walking towards the machine, Y/N following behind. Only a few months ago, Y/N would never have seen herself here, laughing, having a good time and actually being happy. Especially not with Steve Harrington. Yet deep down, Y/N doesn’t mind if her time with Steve goes on a little longer. In fact, sometimes she wouldn’t mind if it went on forever. But then, she’d remember why she’s here, and how she and Steve are just supposed to be friends, nothing more. Despite how much she’s growing to hate the idea of leaving him. “Which one do you want?” He asks. Y/N looks through the glass, staring at the array of multicoloured plushies.

“I don’t mind. You choose.” As Steve plays, manoeuvring the claw around, trying (and failing) to grab a bear, Y/N watches him intently. Their bodies are side by side, so close they’re brushing against each other. And so close that Y/N has to ignore this weird feeling in her stomach when she and Steve’s bodies touch. Still though, everything feels just right in this moment. This is the moment where she could stay forever.

“Steve!” a voice sounds suddenly, and the pair turn to see a bunch of kids looking back at them. “We’ve been looking for you forever and you’re in the fucking arcade?!” One of them demands. Suddenly, Y/N realises Mike Wheeler, Nancy’s brother is there too. And she's here, hanging out with Nancy’s ex. Her heart sinks. Oh fuck. This is awkward. To her surprise though, no comment comes.

“What? I’m busy.” Steve murmurs, gesturing to Y/N. “And for your information Henderson, I’m trying to win Y/N a bear.”

“Ah yes, you’re on another one of your famously crap dating exploits.” He then sighs. “I’m sorry, no offence. So. Is he winning?” He asks her.

“Nope. I’ve beaten him at practically everything. I’ll probably beat him at winning this bear, too.” She replies. The kids laugh, and Steve rolls his eyes.

“I like her.” The redhead muses, and Y/N smiles whilst Steve huffs.

“Dustin. What is it you want?”

“It’s a meeting night, remember? And it’s important.” Dustin answers. “Bring your girlfriend too.”

“She’s not my-”

“Come on!” Dustin beckons, and reluctantly, the pair follow. 

And that’s how Y/N finally meets Steve’s honorary children…and how she finds out about all the secret goings on in Hawkins. She even accompanies them on a few trips to the library, researching anything and everything about Hawkins’ past. Unfortunately, it also means she has to deal with the kids’ curious questions about her and Steve’s relationship. She knows that as Steve’s their friend, they probably just want to make sure he’s okay, but she won’t deny that it’s a little weird. Especially when she doesn’t know what their relationship is by this point, either. It may have started as a way to make their exes jealous, but after a while…it seems like they stopped trying to make people jealous, and only focused on their own relationship.

And that last point seems to be evidenced by Steve’s current refusal to take her anywhere populated by their classmates and friends, even though she knows they’ve all noticed their pairing by now. Even Nancy. Instead, Steve’s been taking her to his favourite places, or places he thinks she’ll like. To Y/N at least, it seems like he cares only about them both, and her feelings, rather than their plan. In fact, the more time they spend together, the less they talk about their exes, or how certain acts will make them look more like a couple. She and Steve seem to gravitate towards each other naturally now as their connection deepens. In a way, it’s as if they stop pretending.

The more time she spends with Steve, the more Y/N forgets about Chris. And the more she forgets about him, the more Y/N’s feelings towards Steve change. After a while, Y/N realises she doesn’t want to let him go. Yet despite how painful it feels, and how much she wants to stay with him forever, she knows it has to be done, and that he’s with her just for Nancy. 

All she can do is hope that this goes on for a little longer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I cannot believe you dragged me to this.” Y/N mutters, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as the theatre lights dim.

“Oh, come on, it'll be fun! Besides, it’s just a movie.” Steve reassures, grabbing a handful of popcorn. Steve had decided that a great ‘date’ idea would be going to see the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. Because nothing says true love like getting the shit scared out of you. Y/N tried to argue against it, but Steve really wanted to see it, so it’s only fair she goes after all the stuff she dragged him to. Even if she is a huge fucking scaredy cat. But at least she’s with Steve, and not on her own. Although she’s sure that she’s still just as terrified as she would be alone.

As the movie plays, Y/N continues to jump and yelp in fear as Freddy Krueger stalks the screen, attacking people in their dreams. When she isn’t doing that, she spends the rest of the movie hiding behind her hands. Suddenly, something brushes against her hand, causing her to jump about five feet in the air, and she has to bite down hard on her tongue to stop a scream coming out. However, she realises it’s Steve’s hand. And immediately, she feels better. “It’s okay. I’m here.” He whispers, brushing his hand against hers once more. And then he interlinks his fingers with hers. And this time, Steve holding her hand doesn’t feel weird. It feels nice and comforting. In its own strange little way…it feels like home.

After a few more jumpscares, Steve notices how uncomfortable and frightened Y/N is getting, so he wraps an arm around her. He pulls her into his side, letting her shield her eyes in his jacket. He keeps a tight grasp on her as her body shivers. Y/N snuggles into Steve’s clothes, burying her nose in the fabric and inhaling his scent. He smells like expensive cologne (no doubt ‘borrowed’ from his father), but she likes the scent. It’s perfectly Steve.

Once the movie is done, Y/N and Steve walk back out to his car. “That was amazing.” Steve gasps, grinning. “What did you think?”

“I’m thinking that if I have a nightmare and get killed by Freddy Krueger, I’m going to tell him to get you next.” She teases, and Steve laughs.

“Yeah, that’s fair. Come on. I’ve got somewhere I wanna show you.” He tells her, opening the door for her. As Steve drives, Y/N notices they’re going closer towards the outskirts of Hawkins, and she watches as the houses disappear, and as they go deeper into the forest. Yet, she says nothing, expecting Steve to take her to a bar in the next town over or something. So, when Steve stops the car on the outskirts of the woods, Y/N’s even more confused.

“I thought you wanted to go to places with lots of people so they could see us?” Y/N frowns. Steve chuckles, shaking his head.

“No. I enjoy spending time with you and only you, regardless of if it’s in public or not. And besides, this is one of my favourite places ever. I come here when things get too much and I need some time to myself. Which is why I knew I had to bring you here too.” Y/N feels that strange feeling in her chest again, this time multiplied by thousands, and she smiles. He really cares about her, so much so he’s giving her advice for when she’s upset, and he clearly feels comfortable enough around her to be so vulnerable.

“Thank you, Steve.” For a second, his hands brush hers once more, and she feels the same spark up her body again. But this time, she’s realising what it might mean.

“Oh! That reminds me. I have a present for you.” He announces. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.” 

“You bring me to a secluded part of the woods after seeing a horror movie, and then you want me to close my eyes and hold out my hands? If this is something creepy, Steve, I promise you I will haunt you.” She jokingly threatens, yet does as he asks. Steve places something soft in her hands, and she frowns.

“Okay, open your eyes.” When she does, she gasps, her eyes widening. In her hands sits a pink Care Bears plushie.

“Steve….” she whispers, too overcome by emotion to say much else.

“I finally won you one.” He grins, the same lopsided grin she still loves. Only this time, it’s sending her heart into a spiral. “And it’s the Love-a-Lot plushie too. I thought it was kinda fitting.” He chuckles. 

“I love it. Thank you!” She squeals, jumping over and wrapping her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. When she realises Steve hasn’t responded, or even wrapped his arms back around her, she gasps. “Shit, sorry. I was just really excited, and-”

“Y/N. It’s okay.” Steve smiles. And yet, as Y/N and Steve sit in each other’s arms for a few moments more, the air around them is different. Though, things have been different between them for a long time. It just took them a while to notice. “Y/N? Can I kiss you?” He asks, and her mouth drops slightly. Her heart rate rises even more, so much that she’s worried it’s about to stop. Yet, she nods. She and Steve lean in closer, so close they can feel each other’s breath on their cheeks. Finally, their lips brush against one another’s in a soft kiss. As they come closer, she and Steve’s hands tangle in each other’s hair. 

In that moment, everything seems right, and all Y/N’s confusing feelings about Steve finally make sense. She’s actually fallen in love with him. And given the way he’s kissing her, he definitely feels the same way about her, too. “That was….” Steve trails off, and she feels herself blushing. 

“I know.” 

“Come on. I better get you home.” Steve sighs, driving off. On the way home, they both sit in silence, too shocked to say anything. “I’ll see you at school on Monday, alright?” Steve asks when they pull up outside her house.

“Okay.” She smiles. But as Steve drives off, another anxious pit forms in her stomach. They’ve just kissed, and Steve hasn’t said anything about that, or how things will change between them. Y/N takes a deep breath, trying not to let it worry her. He probably just needs time to figure things out. Everything will be fine.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The following Monday, Y/N is actually excited to go to school for the first time ever. She and Steve kissed for real this time, which, to her at least, signifies that they’re not pretending anymore, and that what they have is real. Even though he hasn't contacted her ever since the kiss, meaning she hasn’t seen him all weekend.

Y/N tried her best to keep thinking of a rational explanation for Steve’s sudden disappearance. At first he was job hunting, then he was babysitting. After that, he was saving Hawkins again. At one point, she even wondered if aliens abducted him. Of course, she knows she’s being stupid, and that deep down, all her rational explanations are just masking one fear. The one thing she hopes never comes true. 

That Steve doesn’t want her.

As she enters the school, almost immediately, Y/N notices that almost every eye is on her. Embarrassed, she ducks her head, staring intently at her textbook. Her mind races as she tries to think of why they’re staring at her and what they’re saying. But her mind turns up blank. And as she walks towards her first class of the day, the whispering only intensifies. When she reaches her class, Y/N slides into her seat, continuing not to make eye contact. 

“Hey!” Ashley’s voice sounds as she gets into the seat beside her. “Are you okay? I heard everyone talking. I tried to get them to shut up, but you know what it’s like here. One piece of ‘gossip’ and it’s all over the school.” Those words are enough to set Y/N off.

“Oh, my god! What the hell is going on? Everyone is talking about me, or walking on eggshells around me, and I have no idea what is happening!” She exclaims, as the pressure of everyone looking at her finally gets to her. Ashley’s face falls.

“Shit. You don’t know, do you?” She murmurs.

“Obviously not!” Y/N says, immediately regretting her tone. “Fuck, sorry. What’s happening?” Ashley continues to stare at her, not saying anything. Y/N’s heart sinks. Is what she has to say really that bad? “Ash? Come on. You can tell me.” She urges. When there’s still nothing, Y/N raises a brow, chuckling awkwardly. “So it is that bad, huh? Come on Ash, please tell me.” Ashley sighs.

“Apparently, Steve and Nancy are back together.” And with those words, everything comes crashing down.

“Oh. Oh.” Y/N murmurs. “Well, that’s what he…what we wanted, so. Good for him.” She tries to smile, but it falls flat. Ashley immediately becomes concerned. 

“Y/N? You’re okay with this? We could skip. Say you’re sick or something.” She offers. But before Y/N can agree, their teacher enters the room. Throughout the whole day, Y/N pushes through as best she can, even though she finds it difficult to focus on anything. Well, anything that isn’t Steve Harrington. In all honesty, she knows she has no right to be sad. After all, the whole reason why she and Steve pretended to date was so they’d get back with their exes, and Steve managed to do it. He and Nancy have been a couple for as long as Y/N can remember. How could she ever compete with that? So really, there’s no reason for her to keep thinking about Steve. Even though they kissed, and Y/N thought they had something. Something real, and just their own. 

But if Steve hasn’t chosen her, she has to accept that.

At that moment, the sound of laughter fills the hall, and Y/N looks up to see Steve and Nancy walking down it, talking and laughing together, hand in hand. Memories fill Y/N’s mind then, ones of her and Steve, holding hands like that. Ones she’ll never experience again. “Y/N?” She vaguely registers Ashley’s voice telling her that maybe they should go, but she doesn’t even move. As Steve and Nancy approach, her entire body is willing her to move, but she can’t. She’s rooted to her position, forced to watch this situation play out and for it to confirm the truth. That she’ll never be with Steve. Then, Steve and Nancy walk past. And Steve doesn’t even look at her, too engrossed by Nancy. It’s as if things are back to the way they once were, and she’s a nobody to Steve Harrington once more. All the time they spent together, and their kiss, are nothing more than memories. Ones that mean nothing to him.

Only then, the entire weight of the pain hits Y/N. It feels like someone sucked all the happiness out of her body, and that her heart has been ripped out. She registers Ashley asking if she’s okay, but she doesn’t even know what to say in reply. She can tell that Ashley knows it’s a stupid question, and that she already knows the answer, but what else are you supposed to say when your best friend has her heart ripped to shreds?

“Can we just go? Please?” Y/N asks, and Ashley nods. The entire walk home, she tries to take Y/N’s mind off of things, talking about anyone and anything other than Steve or Nancy. Even though Y/N appreciates her attempt to make her feel better, it doesn’t work. And it still doesn’t work the other days Ashley walks home with her. Soon, Y/N realises that despite everyone’s attempts to cheer her up, she’s just so intertwined with Steve Harrington by this point that she’ll be forced to think about him every waking moment. And this time, she can’t be with him anymore.

One day, Ashley has a doctor's appointment after school, meaning Y/N has to walk home alone. Thankfully, things aren’t so bad at first, until: “Hey! Hey Y/N, wait up!” Steve’s voice sounds. Immediately, Y/N panics. 

“Oh god. Not him. Not here. Not now.” But before she can get away in time, Steve appears beside her. 

“Hey! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while. Have you been avoiding me?”

“I was busy.” The curt nature of her reply throws Steve off a little, so much so he even mumbles something about why she’s so upset. But soon enough, he’s back to the regular Steve Harrington Y/N fell in love with. And still completely oblivious to how she feels about him.

“Oh, by the way. I don’t know if you saw me and Nance, but-”

“Yeah, I did. Congrats, you’re welcome, or whatever you wanna hear.” Y/N snaps, hoping he just leaves her alone before she bursts into tears.

“Are you alright? Did something happen with you and Chris? Has he not taken you back yet?” Steve asks, and she scoffs. Her lack of response makes Steve furrow his brows. “Okay Y/N, I’m trying to help you here, but if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, then I can’t help.” Y/N feels tears stinging at her eyes. “I just don’t know why you’re so upset. I mean, it worked for me, so-”

“I don’t want Chris anymore, Steve!” Y/N exclaims suddenly as everything reaches a breaking point. “Has it ever crossed your mind, even for one SECOND, that the reason I might be so upset or have been avoiding you is because our fake dating was real to me? That I fell in love with you instead?” Steve frowns, furrowing his brows in confusion. Y/N scoffs. “No. Of course it didn’t. Well, it was real to me, Steve. I don’t know how or when it started being real, but it did. After a while, I just stopped pretending. I loved being with you…a-and holding your hand. Kissing you….” She trails off, wiping her eyes as more tears begin to form and as her voice wavers. “Even though I knew you were only in it for Nancy, I thought things might change. Especially when we kissed.” She sniffles, and Steve’s face falls. “Guess I was wrong.”

“Y/N….” Steve begins, but she shakes her head, telling him not to go any further.

“When we kissed, I thought I saw something there, and that you loved me back. But then you stopped talking to me for the rest of the weekend. I had to find out at school that you and Nancy were back together! And then you walked right past me like I didn’t even exist.” She cuts herself off, sniffling as tears run down her face. Steve’s face softens, and he sighs sadly. He reaches out, trying to comfort her, but Y/N steps back. “No. Please don’t.” Reluctantly, Steve does as she asks. “And yet, what hurts the most is I can’t even be upset at you, or Nancy! I was the one who stupidly thought I meant something to you, and that maybe one day you’d see me the way I saw you. So, I’m sorry I didn’t want to see you or be confronted by the one I fell in love with being with someone else.”

“Can we talk?” Steve asks, and she shakes her head.

“No. I just. I can’t be friends with you anymore, Steve, and pretend like things are okay when they’re not, and when I’m so in love with you. I’m sorry.” She steps back, away from Steve. This time, though, it’s for the last time. For a split second, Y/N swears she can see tears in his eyes too. However, they’re gone when she looks again and she realises they didn’t really exist. Much like their relationship. “Have a nice life, Steve.” She tells him, before turning away and speed walking as far away as she can, not even caring if she’s going towards her house. She can hear Steve calling after her, and she would love nothing more than to go back to him and for everything to be okay once more, like the perfect little fairytale she and Steve had. But life doesn’t work like that, and dreams don’t come true. At least, not for her, they don’t.

When she gets home, Y/N immediately runs upstairs to her bedroom. She throws herself onto her bed, crying into her pillows and trying desperately to think of anything but Steve Harrington. Like she said when she broke up with Chris, it’s strange the little things you miss when you lose someone you love. And with Steve, she misses a lot, more so than she ever did with Chris. She misses the way their hands fit into each other, and the sparks through her entire body when they kissed. She misses his smile, and the little beauty marks dotted around his skin. It definitely doesn’t help that she has mementos from all of their ‘dates’ strewn around her room. Especially the plush Steve won her, its eyes staring down at her, a constant reminder of what once was, and what will never happen again. Maybe Steve buying her the Love-a-Lot bear plush was fitting after all.

Yet, like she said, Y/N knows she doesn’t really have any right to be upset or mad at either of them. After all, Steve got what he wanted, so she did what she was supposed to. It was a perfect plan. Except for one thing. She fell in love with Steve. And after a while, deep down, she stupidly hoped they would start dating instead. If only she hadn’t said anything to him at that fucking party. Then none of this wouldn’t have happened, and she wouldn’t be here, heartbroken all over again. And this time, it hurts so much more. This time, she’s actually madly, deeply in love.

“Honey?” her mother’s voice sounds through the door. “There’s someone at the door for you.” For a moment, hope feels Y/N’s body. Maybe it’s Steve, showing up outside her house with a grand gesture to get her back. “He said his name is Dustin Henderson.” Oh. No doubt he wants her to come to a meeting to talk about the newest danger in Hawkins. “I know you’ve been feeling upset recently, but maybe getting out with your friends will do you good? Maybe Steve will be there.” And there it is. Any other day, Y/N would have gone. She enjoys seeing the kids, and she feels awful that they’re going to be put in the middle of this. But the very thought of being in the same room as Steve and possibly Nancy too is breaking her heart all over again. 

“No, thanks. Tell him I’m busy.” She calls back, snuggling deeper under her blanket as another wave of tears flows.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Right.” Dustin announces, staring at Steve with his hands on his hips. “What’s happened with you and Y/N?” Steve frowns. “I went to go see her mom and ask if she was coming tonight, and she said she’s been holed up in her room every day, and crying.” Steve’s face falls even more, and his heart sinks.

“She’s been crying every day?” He mumbles. Dustin nods.

“Well? Do you know why that is Steve? Come on, we haven’t got all day.”

“I know we don’t! And I really don’t want to talk about it, okay?!” He exclaims as his body slumps, and he looks down, refusing to meet the gaze of the kids. In all honesty, Steve doesn’t know why he even came here tonight. He’s too preoccupied by his guilt to even think straight. All he can picture is Y/N’s heartbroken face, tears streaming down her cheeks. He fucked up. Big time. And now, Y/N is upset again. And this time, it’s all his fault. He can hear the kids mumbling, no doubt asking what could be wrong, and what the hell they’re supposed to do with him. Steve doesn’t know what to do either.

“Wait, is this about you going on a date with my sister?” Mike asks. Immediately, the kids realise what is going on, and gasps ripple through the group. 

“A date with Nancy? After everything with Y/N?” Max repeats, and Steve can do nothing else but nod. “Oh my god. You’re an idiot.” 

“I know.” He mumbles. “Y/N and I were just fake dating in the hopes it’d make our exes jealous and want to get back with us. And well…it worked for Nancy and I.” He admits.

“That was fake? It didn’t look fake to us. Come on Steve, you can’t tell me you didn’t notice the way she looks at you, or the way you look at her. She’s smitten with you, and you threw it all away for another chance with Nancy?! Sorry Mike, no offence.”

“None taken.”

“I know it’s stupid, and that I messed up! I feel bad enough as it is without you all telling me what a horrible person I am.” Steve replies, his voice strained and close to breaking. “And the worst part is I know I feel the same way about Y/N. I just didn’t realise it until now, even with all the fake dating and the kissing. We had something great together. And now I’ve ruined everything because I got too scared when things got serious. I want her. I love her…but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” He sighs, his body slumping once more. He places his head in his hands. Soon, the sound of soft crying can be heard.

“Oh come on Steve, don't be such a baby.” Max snaps. “Yes, it hurts, and yes, you messed up, but you can still fix it. You just have to talk to her.” When the boys all look over at her, she shrugs. “What? You won’t solve anything by sitting here and crying to us.” Steve almost fires a comment back, but then he realises she’s right. He has to fix this, and he has to talk to Y/N. Hopefully it works.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sitting outside in the cool Hawkins evening air, Y/N watches as the world goes by. This is her first time being out of her room since everything happened with Steve. Since she had her heart broken beyond repair. Her parents encouraged her to go outside, promising that the fresh air and the sun on her skin would do her the world of good. They’ve both been incredibly reassuring throughout this entire thing (even if she still hasn’t told them the full truth about why she’s upset), but Y/N knows that they’re probably tired of her constant crying by this point. So, here she is, watching the sunset and still feeling as broken as she did before.

Suddenly, she hears a car pulling up. When Y/N sees who it is, her heart sinks. It’s Steve. Yet, there’s still a pang of excitement and love in her heart that she can’t ignore when she sees Steve. After all, she never stopped loving him, even after all this, and their argument. As he walks up her drive, she can see Steve speaking to himself, as if he’s trying to plan the best way to talk to her. And then, he sees her sitting outside.

“Um. Hey.” Steve gives her a small wave. Y/N doesn’t reply. Even though he’s trying to avoid making eye contact with her, she can see a look of shame all over his face. “How are you? I know I’m not your favourite person right now, but I wanted to talk to you and explain myself, so….” He runs a hand through his hair. Ignoring how the sight of that still makes her heart feel, Y/N sighs.

“What is it Steve?” She snaps slightly, cutting him off. 

“Nancy and I broke up.” The revelation stuns her for a moment. In all honesty, that’s not what she expected him to say. Even though deep down, she wanted Nancy and Steve to be broken up so she could get back with him…now she actually has a chance of that. And she has no idea what to say.

“Oh.” Is all that she can say for a while, until: “W-Why?” follows.

“It was a mutual thing. Well. I said it first, but she said she was thinking the same. Shit, sorry. I’m not helping with my rambling.” He stops himself to take a breath, and Y/N can’t help a small laugh from escaping her lips. The sound of her laughter even makes Steve smile a little. And for a moment, things are back to normal, and the heartbreak of the past few weeks doesn’t exist. Things are how they should be. But then, Y/N remembers everything. Her laughter stops, and with it, Steve’s smile drops, too. “We both decided it wasn’t working out, and the love we had wasn’t there anymore. Actually, there were other people we were in love with. Like you.” Y/N feels her cheeks heating up.

“Well. I’m glad to hear it, Steve, but that doesn’t change everything that’s happened these past weeks, and all the pain I felt. You kissed me and then ditched me for Nancy! And I had to find out from gossip, rather than from you! Some kind of love that is.” Steve’s face falls even more, and his body slumps as guilt overtakes him once more.

“I know! I know! I messed up, and I’m so sorry. When we kissed, like properly kissed, I freaked out. I know it’s not an excuse, but I realised I was falling in love with you, when I still thought I wanted Nancy back. I didn’t know what to do! So I went back to Nancy, just to see if there was anything else there. And well. You know how that turned out.” When he sees Y/N is still conflicted about his apology, he kneels in front of her, looking over at her with the same pair of brown eyes she’s missed for the past week. “You don’t have to accept my apology, and if you don’t want to see me again, I’d totally understand. But I just wanted to tell you I still love you, and I’m sorry.” With a sad sigh, Steve gets back up, heading towards his car.

Meanwhile, Y/N is still left reeling by his admission. Steve telling her he’s still in love with her is all she wanted. And well, she never stopped loving him, either. Of course, she won’t forgive him right away, or take him back immediately. There’s still plenty of time for that. But now, Y/N and Steve have a chance again. And this time, they can take things at their own pace, and grow and develop their relationship on their own terms. “Steve!” She calls after him, stopping the brunette in his tracks. “Wait!” And besides, maybe Steve’s right.

Maybe starting small isn’t so bad after all.

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington one shot #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things fanfic #stranger things oneshot

[hyunlixsbbygirl]

❥Drama Talk

Only Friends episode 8 (Ray, I’m begging you…)

“Save Me” is correct! As in - if Sand gets hurt again ima need someone to save me from jail, I am tired of my baby getting hurt like spare him please 🙏🏻

Someone pointed out that Mew is starting to dress like Ray used to before Sand starting healing him and that Ray is dressing more in the style that Sand told looked good on him - I swear this is for telling something and my theory is that Ray ends up realizing that dating Mew was not what he had in mind and that being with Sand was actually what he wanted this whole time, but let me actually start the episode now 😅

Cheum being worried about Mew is justified BUT I think she’s worried for the wrong reasons; she thinks Ray is encouraging his bad behavior while I think Mew is just forcing himself to be the same as Ray in order to get the love he desperately wants and that he believes Ray will give him - we all know this is going to be a hot mess, you can’t force a square block into a round hole after all.

🥺Sand baby… you can hear the hurt in his voice. Ray hasn’t even officially stated that he’s dating Mew now but he’s already trying to convince himself that there was never anything between him and Ray and that he was always just a friend with benefits. He’s basically tearing himself down - I’ve been there with the whole; “Of course there was nothing between you two, you’re the dummy fell in love.” Ugh! My heart breaks for him.

Ray isn’t stupid (thankfully) he can hear it too, he can sense it. Sand is not okay no matter what he says and Ray knows that his “Don’t give a fuck” demeanor is just an act. Ray can see how hurt Sand is and he knows that he’ll probably lose him now that Mew let him cross that line. Ray doesn’t want to lose Sand though - Sand is his happiness and he’s scared of losing that even though Mew is letting him in.

Now I see why Yo and Sand are so close - misery loves company after all. It just sucks that they both have been hurt so many times by people they loved and trusted 😞

I feel bad for Top, he really did fall in love with Mew and seeing him destroy his life to be with Ray is killing him. I feel like Top has the same idea as me - that Mew is only doing this because he 1. Sees no fault in Ray and 2. Needs to feel loved by somebody because he’s hurting and can’t distinguish true love from emptiness.

Ray is trying so hard to keep Sand in his life but for once Sand is putting his foot down - he’ll probably still give in because the boy is down hard but you can see that Ray knows he’s hesitating. He knows Sand is avoiding him and he doesn’t like it.

Awe Nick sweetie… diving into time consuming work is not going to help heal your broken heart. Oh and now Boston is contemplating and missing what he had with Nick only to talk to his friend as if relationships are the worst thing in the world 🙄 Boston annoys me.

Bold move Mew. Inviting the ex to a party where you’ll be so wasted that you’ll do things you know will piss him off. You’re also trying to convince yourself that what you’re feeling with Ray is actually love when you damn well that you just miss the attention you were getting and now you feel lonely. That’s why he stops Ray from kissing him - he likes the idea of him and nothing more.

Hmm 🤔 so he won’t kiss Ray alone but he will kiss him in front of Top. It literally screams that he’s just using Ray for the attention! Honestly, I don’t like him - even the beginning I felt like something was off with him but didn’t know what until now. He’s also pulling Ray down again after Sand was helping him heal like bro…

Ray.. you have no right to stop Sand from getting action with someone else. You chose Mew. Even though you know Sand is the one you really want to be with deep down inside. Until you can admit that though, Sand isn’t yours to gatekeep - he’s free to do what he wants with who he wants.

Oh. My. God.

RAY I SWEAR TO GOD - You just kissed Mew in front of everyone and now you’re kissing Sand out of jealousy when you caught him with someone else! Pick a team dude or you’re really going to be alone! Don’t get me wrong, I feel for Ray. I really do. But telling Sand that he belongs to him KNOWING how Sand feels about him is just fucked up beyond. Like if the idea of losing Sand hurts - then stop fooling yourself into believing that you’re in love with Mew when you’re not!

I take back anything bad I ever said about Top! Even after Mew publicly humiliated him - Top still ran after him to make sure he was okay and stayed with him after he got sick! No one who didn’t care would do that and I hope Mews knows this! Ray too with Sand! Like Ray just fucked up Sand’s chances of being with someone else - Sand still tried to save him from the police!

I’m glad that Cheum spoke up and said what needed to be said. Everyone has been acting stupid and hiding their true feelings from the world which is only tearing them apart. The only person who I can kind of say didn’t cause a lot of problems is (ironically) Top and Sand. They aren’t fully innocent but like, they didn’t cause this downward spiral alone like the others did.

Dear Lord was that a rollercoaster episode 😮‍💨

Judging by the previews for next week though! This may be the last one - granted I’m not holding my breath for everything to magically get better 😅

#Only friends the series #drama talk #Ray I love you but you’re still an idiot #Top I’m sorry for hating you #Sand baby I still love you even though you’re also kind of an idiot

[piqued-curiosity]

I have seen so many lesbians online and in real life do the “transwomen are women! Transwomen are real lesbians!” Shit and defend letting them into female only spaces etc. None of them would ever touch one sexually with a barge pole but they do the “well SOME lesbians like dick but not me” thing. They are just as bad as bi women for this asslicking of transwomen. It’s women in general pushing this shit, (aside from the transwomen themselves of course). It’s certainly not just bi women doing it.

I unfortunately used to be one of those lesbians and I feel awful about it. I would say “trans women who’ve transitioned enough to look female can be attractive to lesbians! And some lesbians can look past genitals but most can’t” despite deep down knowing it wasn’t true. I then switched to “lesbians can find trans women visually attractive, but lesbians are never attracted to dick so unless the TW has had bottom surgery it won’t work”. And I still knew that didn’t work because I was desperately trying to come up with excuses for why I wouldn’t ever want to be near a surgically made “vagina”. The excuse I’d made in my head ended up being “I’m repulsed by surgical procedures, so I can’t be attracted to trans women because of all the surgery. The same would go for a cis woman who’s had a bunch of plastic surgery”. And while it’s true that it’s hard for me to look at somebody who’s obviously gotten tons of plastic surgery, I wasn’t letting myself admit that the reason I wasn’t attracted to trans women was because of my homosexuality. Once I admitted that, it was a fast track into peaking.

So no, it’s not only bi women who are sucking up to TIMs and welcoming them into female spaces. But are the lesbians just as bad? I would argue no.

The lesbians are doing this out of fear of homophobia. They know that if they were to dare to express their lack of attraction to males, they’d be hounded for being transphobic and exclusionary. They know that the only way for them to survive in this climate is to pretend that TWAW and they’re attracted to them. This isn’t the case for bi women, who at most are doing it out of fear of misogyny. Sexuality wise, they are attracted to men, but will refuse to acknowledge that not everyone is. They’ll start going on about how everyone should be bi (but they won’t say it explicitly, they’ll say “genital preference is wrong! If you’re attracted to only one type of genitals you’re a pervert fetishist!”), and will shame homosexuals for being unable to experience attraction to both sexes. They’ll call themselves lesbians, and set themselves as examples for a Good Openminded Lesbian, saying things like “I love dick, I love transwomen, and I’m a lesbian. Lesbians, it’s possible to love dick and be a lesbian” or “I got over my genital preference, so you should too”. They’ll actually go and date a TIM and sell it as a “lesbian relationship”, and talk about how they “as lesbians” love interacting with their TIM partner sexually, dick and all.

Ultimately, bi women (and men too, but they’d be mostly impacting gay men and I’m focusing on lesbians) are the head of this aside from trans people themselves. Lesbians are doing damage too by doing lip service, but it usually doesn’t go further with that. They’re not going to be doubling down on why “genital preference” is morally wrong, because deep down they know they can’t be attracted to dick. Bi women can be, so they absolutely will double down on that stance because it doesn’t actually hurt them. They’re attracted to both sexes, so they aren’t the ones being shamed for their sexuality and being forced to lie about it and they aren’t being sold conversion therapy rhetoric. They’re the ones who are sending those messages to lesbians with things like “look at how amazing I am, I’m attracted to both sexes. You should be too, and if you’re not I think you’re disgusting and transphobic and a vagina fetishist”.

Nothing lesbians say in support of TIMs will come close to doing as much damage as the things bi women do in support of TIMs.

#so basically I agree #there’s lesbians causing some damage too #and there’s straight women causing damage #women in general are rushing to support these men because they know the consequences if they don’t #but when it comes to the attraction argument…bi people are the ones running the show #asks #anon

[galisaweo]

no but gimme a plot where the girl’s a m.ob boss’s daughter, and the boy is a cop fresh outta the academy and he doesn’t realize that the girl he’s been flirting with is the daughter of the guy he’s trying to get behind bars.

hi somebody pls give me a summer camp plot where they’re both camp counselors !!  it’d be hella cute tbh, like imagine giving each other these lil yarn bracelets they made during arts + crafts ?  also lil dates at the lake after everyone’s asleep + they’re just there getting h.igh + skin.ny dipping ??*

during a bank rob.bery you’re surprised when the criminals seem to recognize you and retreat in fear. only later do you learn that your high school sweet-heart now runs a global crim.e syndicate and has you placed on a “no harm” list. you decide to pay them a visit after all these years.*

can i please have a precious lil broke girl who’s working herself to the bone as a waitress or something to put herself through college, meeting a wealthy older man who becomes totally smitten with her and wants to take care of her but she’s not used to not doing everything herself and he does stuff like renting out her entire restaurant on days she’s supposed to work bc he wants to see her, and taking her shopping so she has stuff to wear to his super fancy business galas, and constantly buying her fancy sparkly gifts, and there’s angst bc all the rich ladies are like ‘oh shes just his s.ugar baby/midlife crisis’ and she’s all ‘i don’t belong in your world’ and just please give me this xoxo *

okay so um i need a plot where this like young precious innocent lil cinnamon roll of a girl somehow stumbles upon some kinda se.xy chatroom thing (that may or may not be p.rison/inm.ate related) and starts chatting with this older guy who’s in prison (bc he was in a ga.ng or dr.ug ring or something, nothing too crazy ok) and they spend like months chatting pretty soon he convinces her to send him pictures and he gives her like d.irty little ‘missions’ (like wear vib,rating panti.es to college and take nud.es in public places and stuff like that) and then he eventually gets out of pri.son and they meet but she’s still a vi.rgin and he’s spent months not getting any and like can i please just have this  debauchery

a f.ucked up modern day marriage plot where a rival m.ob boss marries his daughter, muse a, off to muse b to calm the tension between the families. at first they hate each other, but once forced to live together, they start warming up to each other, too stubborn to let it show. then one night he comes back from an important deal gone wrong, his face is f.ucked up and he’s feverish and she takes care of him all night and etc etc etc…i need it?

i need a famous ship where they’re both insanely busy with album recordings & red carpets & tours & they’re trying to make this whole long distance relationship work but with the time differences & going months without seeing each other it’s difficult, not to mention all the rumors & shit. but then there’s all the cute things like showing up on tour to surprise each other & going to award shows together & just finally seeing each other again after going so long with only facetime dates, missed calls, & late night texts to get them by. honestly idek where i’m going with this i just know that i really want it ??? but like this or message me & we can figure everything out k cool

#✦ .plots

[thelandscapingemployeetrap]

Becoming Aligned with Your Higher Calling & Evolving Consciously

Do you feel like you’re unworthy and things won’t work the way you want them to be just because you’re now in your 40s with clear physical signs of aging? I recently turned 39, just a year away from turning 40, and it’s no doubt noticed that my gray hairs keep on popping out these days. And as we age, we tend to think that we’re not really successful just because we’re getting old. Well, let me tell you this – yes, we’re getting old, but that in and of itself is a gift!

  Join me today as I tell you why and encourage you to live your golden years in peace, overcoming your past, and helping people do good things!

    “You are so much more; you are so infinite. Therefore, a couple of gray hairs on your head shouldn’t have you stumped for too long, because if you’re too stumped and upset about it, then that just means that you’re just resisting evolution. Evolution is evolution. Embrace it. It’s awesome. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

  – Keith Kalfas

    Why do you have to listen to today's episode.

02:54 – “You can go into depression, but sometimes, unless you have a real serious problem, you don’t have to stay there.”

 When bad things happen, we unconsciously stay there, clinging to these old identities, allowing us to not face the next chapter of our life.

  05:12 – “Maybe I'm a late bloomer, but it's not easy for a guy in his 20s to perceive himself as a mature, masculine man.”

 Gray hairs can also be a wonderful thing, letting people recognize you as an adult and not just some kid. I once had a client who referred to me as a kid, and I almost got mad at him, but then I realized maybe he did because I perceived and carried myself like a kid.

  10:08 – “When you become an old man, those are supposed to be your golden years, where you have projects that are passion projects, or maybe you're retired, but you are doing and living life on your terms, and you're healthy, and you're vibrant.”

 Your old man years should be your golden years. Live your life in bliss. You wouldn’t want to grow up as a bitter old man. Consciousness is not bound by space and time.

  15:57 – “You’re so trapped in the past and why things might not work that you can’t even let go of that bullshit for a second to just wake the fuck up and realize that you are crushing it right now.”

 Feeling unworthy is like bad programming; you start thinking, and it flows, and you feel it. Don’t sell out on your life, on your dreams. Come from a space of conscious choice and know that you’re worthy.

  19:40 – “When you’re at peace, and you transmit peace, others around you will feel calmer, and their day will be calmer.”

 People can’t move towards real wealth because they don’t have themselves figured out. Success in the industry starts from your success from within. Be at peace.

  26:53 – “Somebody else’s negative behavior doesn’t have to affect you.”

 Just because it feels comfortable doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Sometimes, a season of discomfort might be what’s necessary for you to evolve and move on. You can and you will.

    Key Takeaways 

“Anything that has to be forced, if you’re trying to force yourself to be perfect, it’s a really, really long, hard, painful road, that it comes with a lot of self-inflicted punishment and unnecessary suffering that you don’t deserve.”

  “If you let go and let God, and realize you’re in your late 30s, everything’s gonna be okay, because this is going to be the best chapter of your life now, and it’s gonna get even better. Why would you want to not go into that?”

  “The highest level of worthiness you can be is what you give and what you contribute.”

  “You have to accept that if you have fingers and toes and breath in your lungs, and you have health, and you can get up, and you can shower and bathe yourself, and have friendships and a marriage and a relationship with yourself, and you can just do all the things without being totally inhibited, you have a form of amazing wealth.”

  Connect with Keith  

Facebook

Instagram 

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LinkedIn

Resources/People Mentioned:

  My Website: Official Site Keith Kalfas

My Podcast Page: The UNTRAPPED Podcast

 Jocko Willink: YouTube podcast

Tony Robbins: Website

James Clear’s book: Atomic Habits

Eckhart Tolle: Website

Dr. David R. Hawkin’s book: Power vs Force 

Get a Free Trial of JOBBER Software & save 20% off your first 6 months. Grow Your Business With Jobber (getjobber.com) 

Want to go to the GIE+EXPO 2022? Go to keithkalfas.com/events and click on the Equip Expo link. Use the promo code “Keith50” to save 50% off your tickets.

{lease leave us a well-written, positive 5-star review if you liked the show. You may click here

  Check out this episode!

#Landscaping #windowcleaning

[sulcrafatejackets]

Ha

One time my phone text input lets go Krogering!

It makes me very upset that these medical doctors would feel unsafe when I am generally a tree hugging hippie type of person. Generally I don’t really get upset but I think when people are pushed and pushed and pushed and medical doctors don’t understand their boundaries… People can get killed.

I don’t feel like warning any doctors about the impending mess that they have created.

We are seeing children killing people children are freaking out while politician old men laugh they are laughing because they are so sick in the head.

Mhm

King Solomon’s mines exit 75…

I’m still alive … I’m

On 65 now. Ha jokes

Ha timing

Ha

I don’t think that these doctors are being forced to take accountability for their actions as terroristic threatening Americans. They expect that 10 other children will take the blame for them. since we know this about too many medical doctors in the United States of America I’m gonna let you guys know again that unless you have better solutions we are going to go with the corporate gangster theory OK? It’s not really up for negotiation because I’ve given you guys a lot of chances to negotiate I won’t be involved in any corporate gangster stuff because I’m a female and I’m trying to do my therapy stuff it’s very important that I clean my chakras and that I remain calm and that I let gangsters do what they do.

So since we have that figured out and we know that probably some corporate gangsters are probably going to have some medical doctors sucking their dicks probably of course, naturally. But now that we know this can you guys lay off please I would really appreciate it because all of this harassment and gaslighting with

All of these white person sly manipulative comments if that shit didn’t work out for me ever even once then why in the fuck does it work out for you it doesn’t you guys thought that you were really really really smart and since everybody is a racist you can get away with that right?

Dr. Zellers, I’m telling you right now that some of the psychiatrists either love me or wish I were dead. I got underestimated and then people like Mark looked like week nobody’s they did their fathers knew it

Just because somebody is a good psychologist doesn’t mean that that’s what they wanna do all day. People are supposed to naturally be psychologists in my opinion. Not everybody is some people are people who draw flowers and people who solve mathematical equations so everybody does work differently but it’s very insulting when I understand these men better than they understand anything in this world and they know that and so they’ll say hey Mark is she crazy

Mark can’t answer that for you Mark is too white in America to have much perspective

#Erik and Ashley #TJ Health Pavilion #racists are dangerous people #racism IS a mental illness #yes even that Arabic scum #terrorism prevention

[nasa]

NASA Spotlight: Astronaut Mike Hopkins

Michael S. Hopkins was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. The Missouri native is currently the Crew-1 mission commander for NASA’s next SpaceX launch to the International Space Station on Nov. 14, 2020. Hopkin’s Crew-1 mission will mark the first-ever crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts on board, and it secures the U.S.’s ability to launch humans into space from American soil once again.  Previously, Hopkins was member of the Expedition 37/38 crew and has logged 166 days in space. During his stay aboard the station, he conducted two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes to change out a degraded pump module. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering. 

He took some time from being a NASA astronaut to answer questions about his life and career! Enjoy:

What do you hope people think about when you launch?

I hope people are thinking about the fact that we’re starting a new era in human spaceflight. We’re re-opening human launch capability to U.S. soil again, but it’s not just that. We’re opening low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station with commercial companies. It’s a lot different than what we’ve done in the past. I hope people realize this isn’t just another launch – this is something a lot bigger. Hopefully it’s setting the stage, one of those first steps to getting us to the Moon and on to Mars.

You served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight test engineer. What does that entail?

First off, just like being an astronaut, it involves a lot of training when you first get started. I went to the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and spent a year in training and just learning how to be a flight test engineer. It was one of the most challenging years I’ve ever had, but also one of the more rewarding years. What it means afterwards is, you are basically testing new vehicles or new systems that are going on aircraft. You are testing them before they get handed over to the operational fleet and squadrons. You want to make sure that these capabilities are safe, and that they meet requirements. As a flight test engineer, I would help design the test. I would then get the opportunity to go and fly and execute the test and collect the data, then do the analysis, then write the final reports and give those conclusions on whether this particular vehicle or system was ready to go.

What is one piece of life advice you wish somebody had told you when you were younger? 

A common theme for me is to just have patience. Enjoy the ride along the way. I think I tend to be pretty high intensity on things and looking back, I think things happen when they’re supposed to happen, and sometimes that doesn’t necessarily agree with when you think it should happen. So for me, someone saying, “Just be patient Mike, it’s all going to happen when it’s supposed to,” would be really good advice.

Is there a particular science experiment you enjoyed working on the most while aboard the space station?

There’s a lot of experiments I had the opportunity to participate in, but the ones in particular I liked were ones where I got to interact directly with the folks that designed the experiment. One thing I enjoyed was a fluid experiment called Capillary Flow Experiment, or CFE. I got to work directly with the principal investigators on the ground as I executed that experiment. What made it nice was getting to hear their excitement as you were letting them know what was happening in real time and getting to hear their voices as they got excited about the results. It’s just a lot of fun.

Space is a risky business. Why do it?

I think most of us when we think about whatever it is we do, we don’t think of it in those terms. Space is risky, yes, but there’s a lot of other risky jobs out there. Whether it’s in the military, farming, jobs that involve heavy machinery or dangerous equipment… there’s all kinds of jobs that entail risk. Why do it? You do it because it appeals to you. You do it because it’s what gets you excited. It just feels right. We all have to go through a point in our lives where we figure out what we want to do and what we want to be. Sometimes we have to make decisions based on factors that maybe wouldn’t lead you down that choice if you had everything that you wanted, but in this particular case for me, it’s exactly where I want to be. From a risk standpoint, I don’t think of it in those terms.

Can you describe your crew mate Soichi Noguchi in one sentence?

There are many facets to Soichi Noguchi. I’m thinking about the movie Shrek. He has many layers! He’s very talented. He’s very well-thought. He’s very funny. He’s very caring. He’s very sensitive to other people’s needs and desires. He’s a dedicated family man. I could go on and on and on… so maybe like an onion – full of layers!

Star Trek or Star Wars?

I love them both. But can I say Firefly? There’s a TV series out there called Firefly. It lasted one season – kind of a space cowboy-type show. They did have a movie, Serenity, that was made as well. But anyway, I love both Star Wars and Star Trek. We’ve really enjoyed The Mandalorian. I mean who doesn’t love Baby Yoda right? It’s all fun.

How many times did you apply to be an astronaut? Did you learn anything on your last attempt? 

I tried four times over the course of 13 years. My first three attempts, I didn’t even have references checked or interviews or anything. Remember what we talked about earlier, about patience? For my fourth attempt, the fact is, it happened when it was supposed to happen. I didn’t realize it at the time. I would have loved to have been picked on my first attempt like anybody would think, but at the same time, because I didn’t get picked right away, my family had some amazing experiences throughout my Air Force career. That includes living in Canada, living overseas in Italy, and having an opportunity to work at the Pentagon. All of those helped shape me and grow my experience in ways that I think helped me be a better astronaut.

Can you share your favorite photo or video that you took in space?

One of my favorite pictures was a picture inside the station at night when all of the lights were out. You can see the glow of all of the little LEDs and computers and things that stay on even when you turn off the overhead lights. You see this glow on station. It’s really one of my favorite times because the picture doesn’t capture it all. I wish you could hear it as well. I like to think of the station in some sense as being alive. It’s at that time of night when everybody else is in their crew quarters in bed and the lights are out that you feel it. You feel the rhythm, you feel the heartbeat of the station, you see it in the glow of those lights – that heartbeat is what’s keeping you alive while you’re up there. That picture goes a small way of trying to capture that, but I think it’s a special time from up there.

What personal items did you decide to pack for launch and why? 

My wedding bands. I’m also taking up pilot wings for my son. He wants to be a pilot so if he succeeds with that, I’ll be able to give him his pilot wings. Last time, I took one of the Purple Hearts of a very close friend. He was a Marine in World War II who earned it after his service in the Pacific.

Thank you for your time, Mike, and good luck on your historic mission! Get to know a bit more about Mike and his Crew-1 crew mates Victor Glover, Soichi Noguchi, and Shannon Walker in the video above.

Watch LIVE launch coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 14 HERE. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com 

#launchamerica #nasa #spacex #crew1 #astronaut #rocket launch #space #science #STEM #Air Force #us military #hope #resilience #Spotlight

[c-is-for-circinate]

The story creates the story tells itself. That's it, that's what this is, it's the thing I always end up saying when Critical Role hits me right in the solar plexus, because stories are how we make sense of events after they've already happened. The story is not a thing in the moment it is created, it is a thing you can only know the shape of once it's over with, and then you look at it and you say, yes, of COURSE, it only ever could have been this from the first, couldn't it?

Seven miserable loners and outcasts and reckless illegitimate rebels meet in a tavern with no desire whatsoever for heroism. Their morals are quickfire and slapdash, casual and arbitrary, we'll help out these people, those people aren't our problem, we dislike those fucks over there. There is a war brewing and they want nothing to do with it. Fuck fame, fuck fortune, we'll keep to ourselves and play fast and loose with crime and take care of our own and maybe some lucky randoms we meet along the way. We'll fight and scrap and tussle amongst ourselves because none of us even entirely understand our own morals, let alone how to reconcile them with any of these other half-assed motherfuckers we apparently have to care about now.

They fuck up. One of their own dies.

They drown in rage and fury for just long enough, until they can stop gasping and growling for vengeance to take a breath. Then they run.

They run, because they do not care to stand and fight: not against evil or dragons or tyrant kings, not against their own grief. They flee the country. Nobody is chasing them, but they flee anyway, to avoid shackles, to avoid control, to avoid being set to anyone else's purpose, to avoid their own loss and their own sins. They run to the sea. (They find danger, and shackles, and control, and somebody else's purpose there again. The world is full of shackles and those who would wield them.)

They grieve. They avoid their grief. They sanctify their fallen comrade. They do not aim to be anything, this ragtag group of miserable loners and outcasts. The only thing they know themselves to be is each other's. They do not know themselves at all, but this grief, this loss--they know it, at least, know it together, an iron band binding them all heart to heart. It is the first truth they have to hold on to, the thing that lets them see each other as the only thing that matters, the only thing that's really real.

They face down a cult and win, because the other option is shackles or death. They face a demigod and flee, again, again, again. Always they flee.

They flee towards home and home is burned. They have seen loss and they have seen death and it finds them no matter how they run away, so maybe it's time to change direction. Maybe it's time to run towards. It's still running, still half-mindless directionality, it's still familiar. They are not heroes, they are not somebodies, they have never wanted to be somebody. This group has never wanted to be anybody, not as a group, not when they're whole. They're nobodies, trying to take care of themselves, take care of their own, to grow past their grief that they pretend they're gone from now, mostly, most days, when they can. (Pretend it's not the grief that made them each other's in the first place, like none of the fighting and scrapping and scrabbling along beside one another ever had in the first place.)

They bulldoze and trip and stumble and run towards instead of away, for once, just this once, the very first time they've run towards a thing since that last time, the only time, when they temporarily lost three of their own and then broke themselves trying to chase them (trying to chase vengeance). Towards is so much more dangerous than away. Run towards something hard enough, you might actually find it. You might have to become somebody when you get there, instead of just not-being somebody else.

They're somebody now. This rag-tag, broken, mismatched knot of nobodies, not even mercenaries because they're too skittish to even really look for paid work, they're somebodies now, or so Someone Important says. It fits like an ill-tailored coat that they've been forced into without ever making a choice. Without ever realizing, entirely, how much they never made a choice. The world said congrats, you're heroes now, and these killers and thieves went, well, fuck.

And then they tried to be heroes anyway. Not because it fit, not because they knew what to do, but because the mess of them, the seven of them, barely knew who they were to begin with. If the world was shouting HEROES! YOU'RE HEROES! BE HEROES! at them this very loudly--then don't they have to wear the coat that's being given to them? Don't they have to be, have to find some way to become, the heroes they've tripped and stumbled into appearing?

They don't know themselves. All they've done so far is run from themselves--from parents and children and their own crimes, from chains and challenges, limits and labels. They only barely know who they're not. They couldn't know who they are. How do they know they aren't heroes? The one thing they know, the only thing they have, the only thing they've ever run towards, is each other. The one thing they know for absolute sure and certain that defines and binds them is that steel band of grief, that first loss, the thing that broke and forged them to begin with.

So they look for answers in their grief, in what they've lost, because if it's the first true thing about them as a group, them as a whole, then it must be able to tell them who they have to be now. They sanctify their fallen, twist meaning and moral out of conversational confrontational casualness, make a mission statement out of leave every place better than you found it. They forget who he was, petty and venal and mortal and flawed. (They try to convince themselves that they don't have to be petty and venal and mortal and flawed.) They cling to what he meant.

And they fail. God, looking back on it all, with the shape of the story and the shape it's become, is it any wonder they failed? Petty and venal and moral and flawed, these rough-edged rabble-rousers, not even mercenaries because they don't even know how to take orders besides their own. Trying to be heroes. Trying to stop a war, because that's their job, right? It has to be. That's the shape of the coat they're trying to wear, that's the shape of leave every place better than you found it, that's the thing they crashed straight into while they were running, running, running the way they've always run, run, run. So they look for answers everywhere, because they have to have the answers to everything, and they scry and they spy and they play sides. They meet with queens. They turn to each other on the streets on the way out of the palace and ask in horror, "What did we just do?"

They run and they run and they trip and they fall and they unleash more evil than there was to start with. They lose one of their own, again. They sit in shattered shards, and what just happened? How could we have seen this coming? What did we just do?

They don't know themselves. They've been running from themselves, trying to run towards misty shapes they can't define in a too-big coat and too-small shoes, without any real practice in running towards to begin with. They don't know themselves, but they need to move forwards. They need to be whole again, the six, the seven (the eight, the nein). How can they do that if they don't know themselves?

And--finally, finally, they learn.

They learn. They throw a sword in a volcano and forge a sword anew. They rediscover their own mind, their own heart, covered in blood with each other's blood on their hands. They walk into their abusers' homes and then walk back out again alive and un-alone and unchained. They recover bodies. They recover families. They find themselves.

(And the selves they find are mortal and flawed, because they have always been mortal and flawed, because they are built to be mortal and flawed, because they are still the same misbegotten messes they have ever been. But they are stronger for having sought themselves out, for what they have found. They are the stronger for those threads of heroism they tried to, managed to keep.)

They stop a war, incidentally. In the end it's not even all that much due to them. They sit, nobodies on a ship in the middle of the ocean, and watch in silence. It chafes a little, not to be in the center of things, to be able to be the heroes it felt like the world told them they had to be. (It feels a little like relief.)

They find themselves. They find themselves, and they find another lost and broken man, miserable outcast loner, petty and venal and mortal and flawed. They only start to realize how they know themselves now when they see how much he doesn't.

(The peace treaty happens, happened, is/was/will be happening, because they tripped and trembled and tried their way into it, but in the end a thousand chess pieces moved to make it so, and it is signed on a boat where we do not even set foot. The culmination, the crowning glory, the true victory of that whole middle story, is a perfectly-dressed man in chains in the hold of a boat, admitting to his own sins. It is secret and it is individual, and it is the concrete proof above all proofs that our nobody unknowns are finally their own very-known selves. Because they were Essek, once--but know they know their own mirrors well enough to look at him and recognize that.)

They know so much, now, about who they are and who they are to become. They have looked at their pasts and, yes, flinched away, but they've seen, and they know, now, as much as they can handle. In the end, the one thing they don't know the true shape of, the one thing left to seek that must be sought, is of course (of course, of course) that very first thing they thought they knew to begin with. The one thing left to face is their grief. The one thing left to discover is what shaped it from the very start.

So they run, like they have always run. In amongst the snow it is the very distillation of running, towards and away, away and towards, chasing and fleeing and fleeing and chasing, are we in front or are they? It's every mistake they ever made all over again. It's every new lesson they've ever learned.

They don't ask any more, what's the right thing to do. They don't need to ask. They know, already, swift and sure and confident as they once stumbled and dodged. This is a thing that must be stopped. It is ours to stop it. Yes, it is a heavy, clumsy coat to wear, but it fits us out here in the snows where we're not trying to prove our heroism to anybody any more, for good or for evil. Yes, it weighs on our backs and tangles our legs, but it fits as well as any role we've ever tried to wear. It fits us more than it could ever fit anybody else. It's our role. It's our coat. It was forged of our choices, our pieces, our fights. It was forged of our grief.

Nobody else is here with us, to watch, to know. Just like when we were seven shiftless, aimless, worthless nobodies wandering through a circus tent on the way to nowhere (everywhere) else. There's us and the demon born from our grief, the demon who sprang up and died and is the only reason we any of us ever met. Just us, just the nine of us, three and three and three. The three who were dragged off in chains and gave us something to run towards, that very first time. The three who chased, and watched their companion fall, and faced their grief head on, and ran. And Lucien, and Caduceus, and Essek, beginning and middle and end: The man whose demise allowed us to come together, reborn from the loss that bound us. The man who found us and told us that grief is inevitable and passing, that we must continue with it, that we still had such a long way to go. The man who we found like a reflection in an aging mirror, reflecting our own progress back at us, showing us how far we've come and what we've learned how to be.

Of course it had to end this way. (There were so very many other ways it could have ended, once. Of course there were none at all.) Of course it would be nine and nine in the end. Of course it would be this final perfect marriage of heroism and anonymity, for this group that's finally figured out their selves, past and future and right-the-fuck-now, saviors and heroes and petty nobody fucks. Of course it would be this.

And of course, of course, of course it had to go like this. Of course, after everything, the first six of them would try to reverse that grief that forged and tied them. Of course they couldn't. Of course they couldn't, of course, of course--(and was it fate, that 1-in-20 chance, that 5% chance, that 1 on a die? was it fate like the dice are always fate in every game, rolling out poetry with every throw, because all the rolls that aren't quite poetic enough get forgotten?) Of course it was a 1, not some other number, not some sheepish failure of a 4. Of course the universe itself would speak to say no.

No, says the universe, that is not how this story goes--because the road is full of shattered shards, and our heroes only learned to be heroes by discovering how bloodily bad at it they were, by nearly causing the apocalypse before wrestling it back again. Of course the universe itself says that after all this time, after changing so far and discovering so much, this the inciting thing from the very beginning that bound this group in steel must not be changed. Of course, with all their pleas, the six people who knew him cannot bring him back.

Of course that's how the story would go. And of course there's Essek, the man who met this party so long after their throes of mourning that it had sunk into their bones and grown quiet before they ever knew him, who cannot accept this outcome. Of course it's Essek, who never met and has barely heard of this man, this grief--Essek who has not yet grown into the quiet acceptance of his own grief, who does not yet know his own mirror, who has only just barely begun to understand running to instead of from and still doesn't know the shape of what he might eventually choose to chase--who seethes in rage. Who cries about not fair.

Of course it's Caduceus who takes the inspiration of that anger, that grief, and changes it all. Of course it's Caduceus, who the group only even found out of their grief. (They tracked him down to beg to know if he could raise the dead in the first place. Do you remember? One, two, three, Caleb and Beau and Nott, finding him in his graveyard to beg him to help.) Of course it's Caduceus, created to serve and to heal and to make so, so very sure that everyone understood that death could be necessary and final. Of course it's Caduceus, who stood over Mollymauk's grave by the roadside and put a hand in the dirt and cast decompose, because what is dead should be allowed to stay that way until it grows into something else. Of course it is. Because Caduceus has learned his own shape by now, too--and it is still full of devotion, of dedication to the dead remaining dead, but it is steadfast and selfish sometimes too, forged in friendship, full enough of love to try, just this once.

Of course Caduceus gave the diamond but didn't try to perform the ritual, at first, at first. Of course he's spent so very long so very gently urging his friends to reconcile themselves to their loss, to letting their loved one sleep. Of course, in the end, in the very end, he weighed all his faith that once held so firm and final and without exceptions, with this grief before him, and found just this once, maybe, within it.

Of course when he tried, the man who lives to put things in the ground (to put Molly in the ground), even after the fates and the gods and the universe had spoken--when, just this once, against the will of the natural order and the universe and the power of destiny, he asked, just once, for the path of things to reverse--of course. Of course he was the voice that needed to speak for the story to listen.

Of course Molly would end the campaign. Of course this had to be the finale of it all. Of course this ritual--not this fight, not this mission, not even this apocalypse, but this ritual, this resurrection--must be the end of things. Of course it's the end of the story. You can't go any farther than this.

There can never be nine of us. It won't be ironic any more. But irony, after all, is just a way of running from sincerity, sometimes running away from sincerity so hard and fast you crash back into it from the other side. Like running from being a person, from being that person, from letting things matter, from mattering. Like running so far and fast from being found that eventually you have no choice but to find yourself. Irony's a shield against having to know the truth.

There's nine of them. It's not ironic. It's perfect, but it's not ironic. It's just the truth. They know who they are, now. Not who they were running away from being. Not who they tried to be for the sake of anyone else. Who they always are. Always were.

This story could have been a hundred thousand different things, when it started. Of course it was always fated to end with nine.

#whoops #definitely wrote this at 4 AM #apparently it still holds up in the light of day #CR spoilers #critical role #episode 140 #ok maybe I had a few feels #prose poet at 3 am

[plush-rabbit]

The Dateable's Making You Flustered

Request: Flustered scenarios with the dateables

A/N: Sorry for the bit of delay!! I really need to work faster with these (1k each)

-

Barbatos:

It’s been such a long time ever since the butler has felt some sort of attraction towards somebody. It surprises even himself and he’s able to see into the future. Yet, when he was given- or rather forced- into a day off, the first place where his mind had wandered had been to you. It was you that he thought of first. He didn’t have a clue on what he wanted to do, but when he was told that he had the day off- no exceptions- his mind had automatically gone to spending time with you. Barbatos wonders what changed that made you so important to him- he wonders when it happened, how it snuck past him and caught him by surprise.

He invited you on his day off, had sent you a quick message asking you’d like to accompany him around Devildom to pick up a few things for himself rather than the usual outing to the market. You had graciously agreed and now he stands beside you, his hand on a book and you peering to see what’s written on it.

“What’s the book about?” You ask, haven given up on trying to figure out what it was that had gotten his attention.

A few demons reach around and pull a book away from the shelf, talking excitedly to one another and he moves to stand closer to you. He smiles at you and holds the book close to him, already deciding to purchase it. “It’s an old tale from Devildom, similar to your Hansel and Gretal but this one is a bit more heavy.” You give out a hum, pleased at his answer and nod your head. “If you’d like, I could lend it to you once I’m done.”

“Oh!” You gasp, grabbing at the same book and holding towards you. “I’ll just take one with me,” you offer and he can’t help but feel a little disappointed that you didn’t want to take his. “This way, we can read at the same time and then discuss. If it’s supposed to be similar to Hansel and Gretal, I’m sure that I’ll enjoy it. Plus-” you look up at him, your smile kittenish the book pulled to your chest- “it can be like our secret book club. I’ve been needing an excuse to go to the castle and visit, so this will be perfect,” you say excitedly, see-sawing between the tips of your shoes and back to your soles.

“You don’t need an excuse to visit the castle.” He hooks his arm with yours, slowly pushing you away from where a growing crowd of demons appear. “You know you’re always welcomed. The Young Lord would never dare to shut the door in your face.” He stops near the corner end of the store, his eyes attracted to a few trinkets where he reaches for.

The book is lowered and you shift your stare to where you both once stood. “And you?” His attention is grabbed immediately and he looks at you with a confused stare. You meet his eyes for a moment before you pull away. “Would you mind if I came over?” You clear your throat and look down, your bottom lip pinched between your teeth. “I wouldn’t want to…” you trail off, clearly unable to find the proper words. “I wouldn't want to distract you or make your work any more difficult than it already is.”

He can feel the back of his neck grow hot. He can’t be mistaken by what your words mean. You want to know what he thinks of you, if you’re welcomed in his eyes. His shoulders lower and he smiles at you, his hand reaching out to take your book from your hands. When you look up at him, he has his gaze kept on the title of the book, following the rise and fall of each letters.

“You’re always welcomed.” He takes in a small breath and fixes his gaze back to you. “You could never be a distraction for me. If you wish to have a secret book club with me, then I am more than honored to be your guest.” He clears his throat and looks away from you, his smile slowly growing but wavering as he lets out a shaky breath. “You make work easier. I enjoy my job, but I must say that when you’re around, the only thing I can think of is finishing in order to spend more time with you. Being around you is… nice.” He returns his stare back to you. “I’ve been around for a very long time, but when you’re around me, well, I don’t think I’ve ever felt so young. I’m not sure what it is about you-” he raises a hand and holds your cheek- “but I find myself happy whenever I’m with you. So please, never think that you are a bother towards me. You’re always free to visit- whether it be for our secret book club-” he returns the book to you, smiling when your fingertips brush against his- “or just because, I’ll always make time for you.”

It might be cruel of him, but he can’t help but smile and let out a quiet chuckle when you press your face against the book. “Barbatos,” you say in a hushed whisper. He only hums in response, glad that his words had such an effect on you. You look up at him with a faux pout and furrow of your brows while he stands there with a wide grin. Your eyes turn away from him and you finally let a smile appear. “Thanks for the reassurance,” you mutter.

“Of course. Nothing that I said was a lie, so it was quite easy to let the words out, you know,” he teases, grabbing the book from you before you have another chance to hide yourself. “Now, is there anything else you’d like to see in the store, or do you wish to go somewhere else?”

“I uh-” still flustered, you rub your cheek where his hand once was- “can we check out the manga section?”

He hooks his arm through yours, his body close enough to where he can smell the sweet scent of your perfume. “Lead the way,” he says, following your footsteps through the store. He isn’t sure when his feelings towards you had changed, he doesn’t even recall the giddiness of when it all started, but he doesn’t mind it. It’s a nice change of pace. You’re something unpredictable and reckless, and something soft and fragile, and he welcomes having you so close to him, to where he could lean over and press his lips against the crown of your head and keep you protected under his touch. Barbatos welcomes the change that you brought and while the change wasn’t originally for him, he enjoys that it is for him now, that you’re the one that gets to be close to him and that gets to have the pleasure of having you wanting to visit him.

Simeon:

Who could have ever thought that he, an angel, would fall in love with a human? The very thing that an angel had created a war for, the very thing that caused him to lose those close to him, and the very thing that had shown just how different he was from someone he had considered a brother, he now commits the same unholy act. He must be a hypocrite. He is a hypocrite. The very thing he turned a blind eye to and here he is, so undoubtedly in love with a human that he fears his wings will be ripped from him, his blood staining his clothes and his halo broken beyond repair. Terror makes his blood run cold and yet, he cannot look away from you. Simeon keeps his gaze upon you with a mixture of hesitation and melancholy and you just smile back at him, the phone in your hand shared between the two of you as you watch a parody of a teen romance on an application.

“It’s amazing how much people have grown to like this er, show?” He asks, still unsure of what to call it. “It’s considered a show, right?”

Your shoulders raise in a shrug and you give him a small, tight lipped smile. “I guess. I think most people refer to it as a series.” The phone is lowered and it returns to your lap. “It isn’t wrong to call it a show, but since they’re short little bursts of episodes, I think people find it easier to call it a series, but it can go any way.” You move away from him, scooting until your thigh is at an angle and your knee is pushed against his. “Anyways, to answer your question, yes people do like it. I think since it’s like a parody but also suspenseful with the cliffhangers, it keeps people entertained.” He nods his head slowly, and he tries to ignore the rush of cold that is now at his empty side. “Did you like it?”

His eyes slightly widen, and his lips pull into a thin smile. “I- Well, considering the fact that it’s written and done by one person- I- It certainly is different than the things I usually consume, but-” He struggles to find a way to finish his thought without offending you in any sort of way and ends with a stiff nod of his head.

It’s a tense moment that doesn’t last long enough to linger on when you suddenly laugh. Your laugh is loud as it effectively gets him to snap his mouth shut. Your hands are waved in front of you and your knee leaves his as you curl onto the couch. “You don’t have to force yourself to like it, Simeon, I only wanted to show it to you, because you asked what I was watching.”

He appreciates you giving him an easy out, and he releases a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. It’s a slow release and suddenly he can breathe again. “Well thank you for sharing it with me. I appreciate that from you.” Silence lingers and it isn’t like before where it’s tense, it’s lighter now, but it still feeds him an odd sense of air where he’s stuck between a breath, his eyes stuck on you.

Once more, your laughter fills the room and it’s short and sweet, a gift given to him for just the moment. “Of course, Simeon. I like spending time with you, and I especially like sharing my interests so I guess, thank you for allowing me to do that.” Your hand reaches towards his and he sees the slightest pause from you, the way your fingers twitch until you allow yourself to hold his hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

Warmth returns to him, something akin to a summer’s day in the Celestial Realm, and even though all air has left him once again, he is breathless in a way that matters, weightless and joy illuminating him. When he meets your eyes, he cannot look away and he cannot help but return your smile. The clock ticks onwards and he’s left with a heavy heart. He’s read about the perfect moment, thought about writing something so trivial and false, and yet, the perfect moment sits before him with their hand in his.

“I have to be honest with you,” he murmurs and his eyes feel hot, a lump forms in his throat that makes his words sound tighter. “I- I don’t-” How could he ever phrase what he wants to tell you? How could he drop that sort of confession on you? You know the story, would you ever want him to actually confess to you, to repeat the past mistakes and know the horrid outcome? He frowns. His eyes are stuck on the floor, running along the edge of the carpet and he can feel your gaze on him, your eyes that are heavy with concern and ever the angel, Simeon spares you and gives you the easier answer. “I’m thankful to have met you,” your name is a sweet whisper on his lips, a taste of sweet peach that makes his heart full and heavy. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as wonderful as you. I see you and I think that I’ve found something even more pure than an angel.” With every word, his hand turns to slip into yours, his gloves thin enough to feel the small crevices and calluses on your hand. “Even if you are human and you’ve committed sin, I still think that you are the most pure of them all with your kindness and generosity.”

He isn’t sure what he had expected, but he hadn’t expected to have you plant your face against the soft back cushion of the couch, your face held there for moments. Your hand slips away from his and he’s left holding empty air. His hands fret over your body and when you pull away, your face is flushed, your hands covering the lower part of your face as you look at anywhere but him.

“Simeon,” you whine, closing your eyes tightly. “That’s really sweet.” Your voice is high-pitched and your eyes open once more, as your hands finally lower. “I think I might actually die, that was really nice and something that I don’t hear often.” You finally look at him and your smile is ever growing. “Especially from an angel,” you say with a half-hearted chuckle.

His smile is soft and to him, it dulls compared to your brilliance. As if you were a puzzle, he fits into your hand with ease and grace. “Well if you were to die, I would return you in any way that I could.

Solomon:

He’s human, ageless and immortal, but human. He’s lived and loved, lost and grieved, and he’s gone numb and distant to emotions. He didn’t mind it, he welcomed it. He hated losing and hated the people that he lost and the empty space that they left. He promised that he wouldn’t ever want to feel that sense of sadness ever again. Then you came into the picture. He’s been called shady and worse words than that, but you don’t call him that. You hold his hand and you welcome him into your arms. You go on and on about the human in him and how you love that he’s there with you. Solomon isn’t sure when it was that he broke his own promise, but when he looks at you, he’s willing to love again and again.

The kitchen is a mess and powder covers the counters. His hands knead the dough and the smell of garlic and onion sizzled with oil is heaven in the air. You measure the ingredients and whisk at the eggs. It’s domestic and it’s something that leaves a storm of butterflies in his stomach. He could watch you forever, in the kitchen, with an apron tied around your waist, flour in your hands and the tip of your tongue peaking past your lips as you concentrate on rereading the cookbook. It’s domestic and it’s something he had long forgotten that he wanted.

“I have the ingredients memorized, I could simply tell you what to add,” he muses, returning to forming the bread into its shape.

“Knowing you, you’ll add something in there,” you quip, your smile now directed at him, with your tongue still pinched out. “Plus, it’s just reading. I can read,” you say with a defensive tone. “Just start dressing the bread with garlic and then we can get on with breading the chicken.” You jerk your head to where the chicken rests on the cutting board, the flour beside it.

“Okay,” he sings under his breath, returning his attention to the dough before him. The room is filled with a song from the Human Realm, a classic that has him feeling warmth in a kitchen that is not his, but with a person that is. It makes him long for another time, but when he catches you in the corner of his eye, he’s glad where he is. “I like your song choice,” he says, instantly biting the inside of his cheek once the words had left his mouth. It’s been so long since he’s ever tried to have an actual connection with someone, and he’s sure he wasn’t ever this awful at it.

“Yeah?” You step close to him, holding your hand out. “Care for a dance then?” Your smile is crooked and eyes gleaming with excitement as the song is replayed with a touch of your hand.

He’s frozen for a second, stuck in time, and rooted into place, his hand moving through thick amber as he lets his hand rest in your palm. The room is spun, colors mixing with each other and slowly blurring until he stands still, pushing you away and pulling you close, laughing and letting his hand rest against your side, his hand feeling the soft curve against your ribs. Your hands are powdered and his smell like bread, and your laugh is young and youthful. He can’t help but follow, letting his smile break out and hand slipping out of yours, to encase you in a hug where he traps you into a swaying motion.

The song fades and he’s forced to pull away, to step away from you and there’s hesitation is his steps and movements. His hands linger for a second too long, his eyes still stuck on you and his smile much softer than it was before. It’s a few seconds of silence where you take in deep, heavy breaths, and sway lightly to the song that approaches.

Your name is said and it’s sweet like honeysuckle and addicting like a drug. It’s a night where he invited you over, and now you two are busy making dinner in the kitchen and you’ve given him instructions and kept a close eye on what he does. Your perk your head and nod, allowing for him to continue. “Thank you for coming over,” he says with a tight smile on his lips.

“Anytime, Sol,” you respond, coming beside him once more. You bump your arm into his, leaning to look at the garlic mixture in a bowl. “You know I like spending time with you, so anytime you need a cooking partner, you can always call.”

He doesn’t say anything, only nodding and trying to keep the butterflies in his stomach at bay while his heart beats frantically against his chest. You move away from him, returning to where the powder rests in a bowl and he’s left without, and while the distance is short, it’s something that is unwelcomed. He’s left with dough in his hands and you’re away from him, and loneliness settles.

“Can I call you whenever?” He asks, an easy smile on his lips, but there’s a plea in his words. He’s never been the needy type, but he needs you.

“Of course, you can,” you respond and you’re as kind as ever. You turn away and close the bag of flour, pushing it aside to clear the space at the table.

Like a drug that leaves his mouth dry and heart racing, feeling as if he’s about to die, he calls your name. You’re so close to him and yet, you aren’t close enough. He needs you. He needs you beside him. And he takes the first step, standing in front of you with a red kissed face as stares at the cabinets against the wall. You call his name and your hand is tender against his neck, leaving a white stain that snows onto his shirt.

“I just wanted to thank you. I know how busy you can get and I just-” he can feel the telltale sign of tears and he wonders when he’s gotten so emotional- “I like spending time with you. I like your music choices and I like it when you cook with me- even if it’s just you giving me instructions- but I like it.” His tongue touches against his lips and he looks at you, fiddling with the end of his shirt. “I think you’re great and I just need you to know that if you ever need anything, I’ll be more than happy to help. I would do whatever it would take to make you happy because you have a really nice smile and I don’t think you should lose that.” His heart echoes and his smile is gentle and nervous. “Thank you for being with me.”

You stare at him and he wonders if he had overstepped only to gasp when you bury yourself against his chest, patting at his shoulder and pulling away with a hand covering the lower half of your face. “Solomon,” his name leaving your lips sends a jolt of electricity through him, “I’m glad. Thank you,” you whisper. Your hand reaches to pull his away from his shirt and you hold it in yours. “I like being with you too. Us humans have to stick together, right?” You say softly, letting your fingers run over his scarred knuckles.

He nods silently and leans over, his lips pressed against your forehead. “Yeah, us humans have to stick together,” he whispers against you, smiling when he feels your own lips against his knuckles. He’s with you, at this very moment, he stands in a kitchen with music playing, holding you close to him, and for a moment, he can pretend that this won’t ever end, that he won’t ever have to move away from you and risk losing you.

#obey me #obey me swd #om swd #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #barbatos x reader #obey me barbatos x reader #obey me simeon x reader #obey me solomon x reader #i hope you like it! #and that it was in charcater #i feel like i always sturggle for barbs

[hufflepuffwritingstuff2]

For Your Own Good- Part 10

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9

Whumpee willed their body to move, but it was no use. Every time it felt like the paralytics may be starting to wear off, Villain would quickly administer another dose. Even if Whumpee could move, there was still the matter of the cuffs around their legs. They wouldn’t be going anywhere with those on. Villain had taken every precaution. On the bright side, Whumpee’s illness seemed to be dying down. The medicine their team had given them coupled with the pills Villain had forced them to take seemed to finally be working. Whumpee was roused out of their thoughts by the sound of the door opening.

“Let’s see how you’re feeling, little Whumpee,” Villain said, striding into the room.

“I’m fine,” Whumpee answered, “I’d feel a lot better if you’d just let me go.”

“Ah, I can’t do that, Whumpee, how else am I supposed to get revenge on your friends?”

Whumpee tried to think of a snarky remark, but before they could, a crash sounded from somewhere in the base.

“What was that?” Whumpee asked.

“Stay here,” Villain said, turning to leave.

“No problem,” Whumpee said dryly, trying and failing to move again.

…

“So much for the element of surprise,” Teammate 1 said, gesturing to the broken window.

“It doesn’t matter,” Leader replied, “Villain’s bound to know we wouldn’t just leave Whumpee. Spread out and search the area.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

Whumpee’s team whipped around at the sound of the voice.

“Villain,” Teammate 2 growled.

“Where’s your Caretaker?” Villain asked, “I do hope I didn’t kill them.”

Leader lunged, tackling Villain to the ground. They clamped a hand around Villain’s neck and started to squeeze.

“My my, this is cozy,” Villain choked out.

“Whumpee. Where is Whumpee?” Leader demanded.

“What makes you think I’d tell you?”

“I think you value your windpipe more than my teammate, so I’ll ask again.” Leader squeezed harder, “where is Whumpee?”

Villain’s eyes darted to a room at the end of the corridor. Leader followed their gaze, then nodded to Teammate 1 and Teammate 2. Teammate 1 and Teammate 2 bolted down the hall, and Leader finally loosened their grip. Leader hoisted Villain upright and grabbed the cuffs on their belt. Once Villain’s hands were secured behind their back, Leader dragged them down the hall to catch up with Teammate 1 and Teammate 2.

…

When the door opened a second time, it was Whumpee’s team who walked through, dragging a hand-cuffed Villain with them.

“You guys came!” Whumpee yelled.

“Course we did,” Leader replied, “we weren’t gonna leave you with this monster.”

Whumpee scanned the room. Everyone was here, except…

“Where’s Caretaker?” Whumpee asked.

“The hospital,” Leader said, “don’t worry, they’re fine, they just have a small concussion. Can you stand?”

“I’d love to, really, but somebody has me incapacitated.” Whumpee glared at Villain, who shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Teammate 1 asked, approaching the bed.

Teammate 1 pulled off the covers and gasped at the cuffs around Whumpee’s legs.

“If you think that’s exciting, you should try the paralytics they’ve been giving me,” Whumpee said.

“You can’t move at all?” Teammate 2 asked.

“I would shake my head no, but, uh, I can’t even do that.”

“We’re gonna get you out of here, Whumpee, just hold on.” Leader said.

Teammate 1 pulled at the cuffs to no avail.

“It only opens with a key,” Whumpee remarked.

Leader slammed Villain against the wall.

“Where’s the key to open those?” Leader growled.

“Yeesh, you are in a really bad mood,” Villain drawled, causing leader to twist their arm, “Gah! Alright, alright! Check my belt’s right pocket.”

Leader opened the little pocket and sure enough, there was a small, silver key inside. Leader tossed the key to Teammate 1, who then began to unlock Whumpee’s cuffs.

“Grab Whumpee and let’s get out of here,” Leader ordered.

Teammate 1 slipped an arm under Whumpee’s legs and another behind their back.

“Ready?” Teammate 1 asked.

“Yeah. Get me out of here.”

Teammate 1 lifted Whumpee in a bridal carry. Whumpee was limp in their hold. Teammate 1 shifted so that Whumpee’s head was resting against their chest. The team left through the window they had come in through. All that was left to do was hand Villain over to the authorities, again, and then wait for the drugs to get out of Whumpee’s system.

part 11

Tags:

@selene-stories @uvanuva @swift-perseides @kingshitonly @scrumptiousbreadalpaca-blog @greenfrog001

#whump #rescue whump #rescue #whumpee x caretaker #hurt/comfort #for their own good #noncon drugging #drugging #writing #writeblr #creative writing