#IN ANOTHER INCIDENT INVOLVING THAT SAME BILLY KID | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blusapphire · 1 year

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Play me a memory (Billy Russo x Reader)- Chapter 7

Summary: When you first met Billy Russo, you fell for him hard and fast. Being with him was like a dream, You were perfect for each other, or so you thought. You return home one night to find all traces of him gone. You’re left heartbroken… and with a life changing surprise. Years later, you find yourself in a predicament when you unexpectedly find your way back into each other’s lives.

Series Masterlist

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Thanks for all the likes, comments and reblogs! Each one is very appreciated!

Warnings: Trauma memories, Slight swearing, mentions of murder

…

When you’re a kid, you assume that your parents will always be in your life. Of course, it’s universal knowledge and common sense, that they won’t always be, and will eventually, die. No one ever likes to think about it. Sometimes you know it’s coming, and you plan for it; they die surrounded by those they love and cherish. And you get to say goodbye.

But sometimes, it’s sudden. You don’t know that it’s coming, at least that soon, and you don’t plan; And there are no goodbyes.

Your mother was an angel. She was the epitome of beauty and kindness rolled into one; the kind of the person you could go to, for anything. You thought you would grow up and get married, and she would get older, and you’d visit her every now and then. The future that you created in your head was cut too short.

That night was a horrific memory etched into your mind, that as much as you tried not to think about it, it was always lingering around, like a hovering cloud. It was tattooed to your mind, permanently. And after that day with Madani, you felt that same wound being open again, a wound that never had and never will heal.

You went the rest of your life after, trying to hide it. Betts made sure to change your last name as soon as possible after it happened, so you would have a chance in the world without it following you for the rest of your life. Externally anyway. And you’d only ever told two people in your life about the incident after that, those being Jaz and Billy. It was something you barely ever talked about, save for a few conversations here and there.

The letters from your father started coming soon after he went to prison. You were younger then, so any letter that was addressed to you from him, Betts made sure to get rid of. Then after a while, they’d just stopped, and you moved on with life. When you’d just gotten your current job, they started back up again. You never figured out how he got your address, since you hadn’t spoken to him since that day.

Everything was back to normal at work now, and the weeks came and went. Police had conducted their investigation for what happened , but still came up blank so far on the people who had broken in. After that day at the police station, Madani hadn’t contacted you again, which you we’re grateful for, after being bombarded with your father’s case. She was saying something about having a case against someone, but who the hell did you know that was involved with the police, besides the obvious?

Whoever and whatever it was, you knew that you wanted no part in it.

Regardless of Madani reminding you of your past, it wasn’t like it was the only reminder you had recently. Like the months before, news outlets were still relentless with the story of the upcoming trail, and had been reporting for weeks on end. It was like everywhere you turned now, you were reminded.

It was causing you so much stress, as much as you tried to tune it out.

You felt like, you could avoid your past somehow in the outside world. If your father sent another letter, you ignored it. You didn’t have the same surname, so there were no connections, and if it was on the news, you could simply just, turn it off. But In the current weeks, it was much easier said than done.

“Jeez, there’s literally nothing else on,” Jaz reiterated, flipping through the news channels. “And it seems like it’s only getting worse.”

You stood leaning on the counter while Ava finished her breakfast, mentally exhausted with the news and various tv channels that would not let up with the certain case. Your staring at the tv when your phone buzzes on the counter and you scoff.

“…And I just got another news alert,” you shared, rolling your eyes, “don’t they have anything else to report on? I mean, this is New York City, for God’s sake.”

Jaz flipped through a few mor channels, before initially giving up.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like they have much else to say.”

It was starting to get to you at this point, and it was driving you crazy. But you hadn’t voiced it much and just tried your best to get through the days.

“Hey,” Jaz calling to you makes you look in her direction, “are you sure your okay?” She asks, her voice filled with concern, “why don’t we just, take a day and relax? My job sucks at the moment anyway and you seem like you need it.”

“I can’t just-“

“She’s not wrong Y/N,” Betts pops into the kitchen and chimes in, just as you were about yo speak, and puts her hand on her arm, getting your attention. “It wouldn’t hurt. When it’s as hectic as this it can get a bit overwhelming. And… I know how difficult it is when it comes to your mother.”

You looked away after she said that, finding some truth in her words.

“You work too hard for that place anyway,” she commented. “When was the last time you did something for yourself?”

“What? What do you mean? I-“ you paused in your speaking, struggling to remember the last time you had actually did something for yourself, “Remember when I went to that-“ you stopped, coming up short.

“Can’t think of anything can you?” Your aunt commented, coming next to you and placing a hand on your shoulder, “because it doesn’t exist.”

She was correct, in both cases. You didn’t really have time for yourself between work and Ava, besides little moments here and there, and your dating life was going nowhere so that was out of the question.

And in the case of your mom, Betts was right. It was very difficult and disheartening whenever your mother came up, and lit was very hard for you to talk about, with anyone. It was a sensitive subject you didn’t like going into.

When it was your father on the news, it was simpler, because you were somewhat used to it, hearing and seeing him on the news, for his criminal background. But when some news outlets would somehow get ahold of a picture of your mother, it was always too much. Both Jaz and Betts knew that, and although you were thankful and as great as their offer sounded, work could be the only distraction you had at the moment.

When you didn’t say anything, Betts looked at you, solicitude on her face, before it seemed like she made up her mind about something.

“You know what ‘hon, I’ll just stay, and maybe we can do something together, give ourselves a little distraction from the news-“

“Betts no, it’s okay- I’m okay.” You said, waving her off. “That sounds amazing, but you guys don’t have to stay and take care of me, okay?,” You reassured them both, “I’m good. Jaz, you can go to work, and Betts, you can… do whatever it was that you planned on doing.”

Jaz and Betts both debated before finally backing down, and believing your assurances, when you felt your phone buzz again. You thought that it was another news alert so you ignored it, but with a few more buzzes, you realized it was ringing.

When you looked at your phone, it was a call from a number you didn’t recognize, and curiously, you answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Good morning. Uh..It’s me, Billy-“

Your suddenly visibly startled by the voice on the phone and scramble to move away from Ava, who was too focused on her waffles to be paying any attention anyway, which causes Betts and Jaz to quickly look up at you funnily, and you played it off with a smile and quickly usher off to the hallway to speak.

“Hello? -are you there?” You hear as you return the phone back to your ear.

“Yes, I’m here, and how did you even get-“

you stopped, with a sigh, before you could ask him how he got your number, when you realized that your number hadn’t changed over the years, his did.

“Why are you calling me? I see you at work, like, everyday.” You continued, slightly annoyed.

“Uhh, I have something for you….”

“You have something for me? What are you talking about?”

“Well,” you could hear his smile through the phone, “you’ll have to get here find out.”

“What are you talking about? Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”

“Nah, I think you’ll want this one. For sure.”

“Billy-“

“See you soon.” He hangs up, before you have a chance to say anything, leaving you staring at your phone, confused.

You walk back into the kitchen, just as Ava finishes with her breakfast, and she lets you know, her words hard to decipher with her mouth full of the remaining food from her plate. You assure Jaz and Betts a final time, before getting your coat and heading out to drop your daughter off at school and head to work.

…

Sitting on the packed train on your way to work, you couldn’t help but notice the faces that were glued to their phones and computer screens. It was obvious that everyone was watching the same thing, some even sharing screens to tune in. Someone next to you even offered to let you watch on their device, which you annoyingly declined, earning you a bizarre look.

Your father’s upcoming trial was still all over the news for weeks, and caught the eye of most in the city and you heard it everywhere you went. It was likely that if you had any kind of screen, you knew about the case. And to no surprise, it was driving you insane. As unpleasant as it was getting to work due to everything surrounding, you thought that you would surely be free of it all from work.

In which case, you were wrong.

Even security at the front desk were tuning in when you got there, and the scattered staff joining them, which made your breathing start to hitch. Work wasn’t even free of the memory. It was everywhere. The elevator ride up made you feel tense and on edge, your chest slightly heaving, as you stared ahead, trying to keep your composure and not breakdown. Closing your eyes, you lightly touched the wall of the elevator, and took a breath, calming down a little. You were fine. It was those words that you repeated to yourself in your mind, wanting so desperately for them to be true.

You were sure that you were fine.

When finally reached your intended floor, and the place looked to be bear of any people, and you payed no mind to wanting to just lock yourself in your office for the rest of the day. A few minutes in, You soon found it bizarre, leaving your office to investigate why everything looked so vacant, and you realized the reason why was because everyone was huddled in the same location, watching, no doubt what had been on all morning. The building Tv was on, and your colleagues stood around it watching, and voicing their opinions in whispers here and there, on the matter.

You knew better than to stand and watch along with them, but you couldn’t help it. The scene of your father being taken out of a courtroom in handcuffs wasn’t what broke you, or the replayed footage of the night they apprehended him, but the picture and words that came after, are what did you in.

The picture shown was a family picture, one that you remembered vividly. It was just the three of you, your father, your mother, and you in her arms. You all looked so happy in the picture, like… such a normal family, a happy one. You couldn’t have figured out the tragic outcome that had happened, by just looking at such a picture. And one of your colleagues agreed.

“-it’s so crazy what he did to his family, right?” Your startled by the comment from a female colleague, and slightly jump, taking you out of your fixed sight on the tv, and you nervously lick your lips, before returning an answer.

“Y-yeah no, it’s-“

“And their poor daughter, too,” she put her hand over her heart as a show of sympathy, “I heard she moved away and changed her name.” She said, shaking her head in a form of sadness.

She was still looking at the tv and so were you, well more of a trance. Your breath started to pick up again, as much as you tried to calm it down and your eyes began to burn, before she crosses her arms over her chest continued to share her insight.

“I don’t blame her at all. I mean, imagine your dad is him of all people,” she turned to you and gestured to the tv, “and then your poor mother is just-“

“Excuse me,” you muttered, giving her a fake tight knit smile, when she shows concern on her face.

“Oh, are you okay?-“

“No, yeah I’m okay, I just remembered I have to do something.” You lied with another smile, before turning around and disappearing into the hallway.

Walking further and faster now, your quickly opened the door of the nearest room you could find, locking it behind you, before pressing your back to the door. You felt worse now, and instead of your breathing picking up, you now felt like it was harder to breathe. It was like you were being suffocated by everything going on. It was everywhere. Your eyes were closed now, as you tried to improve the quality of your breathing, when you felt a knock on the door you were leaning on.

“Y/N?,” Nick’s questioning voice presents itself to you through the door, making you turn towards it, “I-I thought I saw you come in here. Are you okay?”

At that moment, you wouldn’t have minded talking to someone. Anyone, really. But… Nick didn’t understand, he wouldn’t understand why you were so upset. Unless you told him, which absolutely was not an option. It wasn’t anything personal towards him, you just… couldn’t tell just anybody. So you sent him away.

“Y-yeah, I’m in here, but I’m okay,” you spoke through the door, stammering a bit, “I think I just left something in here,” You lied.

“Are you, sure?” He sounded like he wasn’t sure himself, but you quickly assured him, hoping that he would go.

“Yeah! You can go, I’ll be right out,” you answered, swallowing and trying to sound like nothing was wrong.

He gave up after, with a simple ‘see you later’, which you we’re grateful for and you returned to trying to focus on your breathing, that was becoming very difficult to control. Your eyes were burning more now, something that you were tired of, that was happening more and more often recently.

But ultimately, the tears spilled over, and you slid to the floor with your back still against the door as you silently cried in the dark room. Not long after Nick left, a light knocking startled you from your place, causing you to reply to the person on the other side of the door.

“Occupied!” You yelled from the other side of the door, hoping the person would leave you be.

“Uh… it’s the janitor’s closet?”

Billy’s familiar voice on the other side made you try to wipe away the tears that were all over your face, and his words cause you to look around the room you were in, noticing the various cleaning items and supplies, making you realize that it was, in fact, not a bathroom, but a janitor’s closet.

“…are you crying?” He asked softly, not long after, probably hearing it in your voice when you spoke.

“No,” you lied sniffing and trying to wipe away the evidence as if he could see you. “Okay, a little,” You confessed. “But I’m okay.”

“You don’t sound okay, Y/N.”

His voice sounded concerned and you could hear the turning on the handle before he realized it was locked.

“Can I come in?”

You didn’t say anything, just sitting on the floor and folding your hands under your knees, when he spoke again.

“Look, I know I’m not your favorite person in the world right now, but I just wanna make sure you’re okay,” He sighed. “Can you let me in, please?”

Nick didn’t understand. But…Billy would. He was one of the only people you ever told and he’d listened to you rant about it the few times that you did in the past, so he knew. He would understand. So, you hesitated, but eventually stood up and unlocked the door, moving to lean against the wall near it.

When he came in, he had his coat in his hand, like he was preparing to go somewhere, and you were still wiping your eyes, carefully trying not to ruin further the light makeup you placed on this morning, when Billy came up next you placing his arm on the wall near you, and you could feel his concerned gaze on you. You didn’t look back, feeling like you were about to start crying again, and when you didn’t say anything for a while, he spoke.

“What’s wrong?” He asked softly in a low voice, to which you didn’t answer, and he went on. “We don’t have talk. We can just…stand here,” he sighed, “until you’re ready to talk. If you want to.”

“I’m just…having a terrible morning.” You shared, closing your eyes and letting out a heavy breath, feeling your breathing start to become harder again.

“Y/N…”

When you didn’t acknowledge him, Billy called your name again.

“Y/N,” when he called you again, you opened your eyes and looked at him this time, his dark eyes gently staring back at your glossy ones, “you can tell me whatever’s bothering you.”

Looking back at him, you believed him, and it was then that you gave trying not to talk about what was upsetting you.

“It’s just that um.. my dad’s been in the news a lot recently, which is nothing new,” you said, sniffing and trying to keep the tears from coming out, “and I thought that I could handle it, and I was, but it’s just everywhere now.”

You could tell that he was listening by the expression on his face, and he let you keep talking.

“And I just saw a picture of my-“ your voice cracked as you struggled to get the remainder of your words out, “of my mom and I lost it, because it’s not fucking fair, because, he’s trying to get out prison after he already-“ you weren’t able to finish the rest of your words, before you broke down.

“Hey, hey,” Billy softly called, a fixed expression of worry, as he held your tear stained face, brushing your hair out of the way.

The tears quickly spilled out and the quiet sounds of crying quickly turned into a light sobbing, as you tried to catch your breath in between and just as you bowed your head to cry into your hands, Billy caught your head and directed you to cry on his shoulder, which you did. Through your sobbing, you could hear a light hushing coming from Billy.

“It’s okay, I know. Just breathe,” his voice low, as he smoothed over your hair soothingly, and you shifted away from his shoulder, burying your face in his chest and wept, pulling your arms around him into a hug, while he placed his free hand on your back.

In that moment, you didn’t care about what Billy did, or what happened years ago. You didn’t want to admit it, but being in his arms was… familiar and comforting. You and Billy stayed in that stance for what felt like long time, but was really just a few minutes.

When you eventually felt like you were out of tears to cry, you pulled out of the hug you were in, and Billy did the same, and when you closed your eyes, he made sure to wipe away the stray tear that fell after with his thumb, and you let him, choking out a small laugh. When you opened your eyes, you noticed a stain on his shirt that you hadn’t seen before, and you guessed that you had put it there.

“Ugh,” you partially your face with your hand, feeling bad, as you touched the stain on his chest, prompting Billy to look down, “I’m sorry. I ruined your suit-“

“Nah, it’s fine,” he quickly brushed you off, “I’ve got plenty of these.”

You held your hand on his chest for longer than you intended, just standing there, in a trance like stance, before snapping out it and moving to lean against the wall again, and sighed deeply, looking down at the ground in front of you.

“I thought I could avoid it at work. Now I just want to get out here.”

You could see Billy from the corner of your eye, shove his hands in pockets and shrug.

“So, let’s do it.”

You shot your gaze in his direction confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he walked over to stand next to you now, “let’s get out of here. And turn your terrible morning around.”

“Billy, this is work, we can’t just leave-“

“Nobody’s working anyway,” he pointed out, “and plus, you work too hard for this place. A day won’t hurt.”

You thought about his offer, and how tempting it was. In the past, you always had the most fun with Billy. He was always good at making sure you had a great time and he somehow never missed, in that category. Right now, you felt horrible and it had been a rocky few weeks, but if you had the chance to turn your crappy day around, you were going to take it. Even if it was with Billy.

You were willing to put a lid on whatever happened between you two for a day. So you accepted his offer.

“What the hell,” You shrugged, standing up straight from the wall, “ let’s do it. Where are going?”

Your answer earned a slight smile from him, and his eyes lit up a little, before he responded.

“I don’t know yet, but believe me, we’re gonna have fun,” he pointed at you as his smile grew bigger, and he lifted his wrist to glance at his watch, You noticed the coat hanging off his arm again.

“I actually have to meet someone at Anvil, right now, but I’ll send one of my guys to pick you up.” Your eyebrows furrowed at that, but you eventually shrugged, going along with his offer.

“Also, do you have a change of clothes?” Billy asked, pointing to you.

“Uh, yeah I keep some in my-“

“Great. I’ll see you in half an hour.” He added, and with that he left the room, leaving you a bit puzzled, but you didn’t really care much, just wanting to improve the horrible morning you were having.

…

In the course of half an hour, you had changed, as just as Billy had said, he sent a pair of his guys to take you to Anvil. The men in the ‘ANVIL’ jackets seemed very professional, calling you ‘ma’am’ every chance they got, and referred to Billy as ‘Mr.Russo’. When you got there, you were escorted inside by his men.

“Ma’am, Mr. Russo wanted me to inform you that he’ll be just a few minutes. You can wait by his office.” One of the men informed, which you muttered a small ‘Thank you’ in return.

As you walked in, you were scrolling through your phone, paying no attention to what, or who was in front of you, when you suddenly bumped into somebody, dropping your phone on the ground. You guessed that she must’ve been doing the same, both your phones dropping on opposite sides of each other. She was a blonde woman, her green eyes grew big, sulfides at the sudden collision.

“-Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going-“

“No, it’s totally fine! I shouldn’t walk and text. I do it too much,” the blonde woman said, as she scrabbled to pick up your phone, while you did the rushed to pick up hers. When you picked it up, your eyes got a glance of her screen, and you saw that she seemed to be texting someone saved under the name ‘Jess’, before you handed it back to her.

“Thanks, I really have to stop doing that, It’s bad habit of mine,” she shared, handing you back your device. It was then that you got a better look at her and thought she looked and sounded familiar. Not personally familiar, but somewhere.

“Thanks,” you said, before you gave into your curiosity. “Uh, do I know you from somewhere? You just look so familiar.”

She gave you a single expectant nod before she answered. “Maybe… on Tv or through the radio? I’m Patricia- well, Trish Walker,” she confirmed, and stuck her hand out to shake yours.

“Right! You were on that show,” you announced, shaking her hand in return. It was a brief exchange, and you thought it was cool to meet a tv star, or a former tv star anyway, and after you bid her a ‘it was nice to meet’ and she left, you were left wondering.

Why was she at Anvil?

Just as you reached the outside of Billy’s office, you heard voices coming from the inside, and it sounded like Billy and two other people were conversing, but things seemed tense.

“-They knew his name and everything. And they said that he was going to pay. That we all were.” The man that was speaking sounded worried, and startled, and you heard a light chuckle, that sounded like Billy’s, when the man spoke again.

“Is this amusing to you, Russo? I just told you they tried to kill me! And they knew who he was. They knew who we were!”

“Well,” Billy was speaking this time, and he sounded somewhat carefree, “not all of us, Morty. Really just the three of you.”

You were certain that there was only two people in the room, so who was the thorp person Billy was referring to?

“Fuck you, Russo.” The first man spoke again, “you’re just as tangled up in this shit as we are. You walk around as if you’re so squeaky clean. Need I remind you again, how and why there is an Anvil in the first place?”

You didn’t hear Billy say anything after that, when a different man spoke this time.

“Russo,” the second man called, “this is an urgent matter. Is finding these men going to be a problem? It’s taking you an awfully long time to-“

“It’s being taken care of,” Billy interrupted, “but I’m gonna need more recourses and they will not be cheap. Like you said, these guys are advanced, they’re really good-“

“So you be better, lieutenant. Or have you forgotten what’s at stake for yourself?”

You didn’t hear Billy speak after that, but it sounded like somebody stood up, and the second man spoke again.

“If we go down, collateral will tumble down right after, we’ll make sure of it. No matter what or who it is. It’d be unfortunate.

Nobody said anything for a few seconds when you heard Billy’s voice again.

“And who would that collateral be, Rawlins?”

Billy’s voice sounded dark then, like he was daring the man to say what he wanted to say. You’ve never heard him sound like that before, and It scared you nonetheless.

“Just keep in mind Russo, that you should be grateful, considering. Not many have done what you did and are alive to tell the tale.”

Alive to tell the tale? What the hell did that mean?”

“Just know, Rawlins, that if it ever came down to it, there is no one on this green earth that I’m worried about going against. We clear on that?”

There was that dark voice again coming from Billy, that scared you.

“You were given a second chance, Russo. He gave you a second chance. That means he saw potential. Keep up your end of the deal. We’ll be in touch.”

It sounded like the end of the conversation, because you could hear footsteps coming towards the door. A man with a milky eye stepped out, and behind him, a man who looked like he was badly beaten, with cuts and bruises on his face. As soon as they left, Billy finally came out of his office, but instead of wearing a suit, he wore casual clothes, and his face looked emotionless, as he kissed his teeth, but as soon as he saw you, it was like a switch turned on, and his face changed completely, and a smile painted his face.

“Everything, okay?” You asked, referring to the men who had just left Billy’s office, and he nodded, signaling that he understood your question.

“Yeah, just some, pain in my ass clients,” he answered, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

Was he lying? Maybe it was just some clients who had a problem with how he did security. You didn’t linger on it much, and brushed it off with a hum and a nod.

“You ditched the suit,” you commented, pointing out what he was wearing, which he responded with a nod and a smile, and you continued. “So, where are we going?”

Billy had a set smile on his face, when he answered.

“We’ll make it up as we go. But It’s gonna be great, we’ll even get shitty food,” He turned to look at you when he spoke again, “prepare to have the time of your life.”

That made you choke out a light laugh, shaking your head, as you followed Billy outside.

…

“You’re a show off,” you said to Billy, as you stood back and watched him easily take down all the painted targets, with his water gun.

“It’s really not as hard as you’re making to be,” Billy answered with his back towards you, focused on the game.

“That’s easy for you to say, Russo! Mr. ex Special Forces!”

After you left Anvil, you really did make it up as you went. You and Billy walked around the city for a bit, well, more like hours just coming across random things to do. After hours of doing that, you both eventually ended up at a carnival that was going on in the city. The hours that you spent walking around the city, proved Billy right. You were able to slip away and call your aunt, asking her to pick up Ava from school, since you lost track of time. You really were having the time of your life, and the carnival that you ended up at made things even better.

It had been after your third try at the game, that Billy decided to try, after you failed to hit more than one target at each game. He was obviously, a pro at it, and you couldn’t help but scoff, as he hit the last target, without a hint of struggle.

“This is your thing, you know I suck at these kinds of stuff.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, you’ll get it. Or...I could just get it for you, you know,” Billy suggested, as he walked back toward where you were standing.

“Nope, I’m gonna go again. And I’m gonna hit ‘em all,” you said, with over-confidence, “cause I want that bunny.

You were referring to one of the many stuffed animals that were hung up for display as prizes. Billy offered a million times to just get it for you, but you insisted that you could do it yourself.

He threw one of his hands up in defense, and held out his other arm directing you to the game area. You picked up the water gun, and when the game started, you missed all but two targets, again, and you groaned.

You could see Billy from the corner of your eye, as he grimaced.

“Okay, never mind that was pretty bad.”

“Shut up!” You laughed, turning the water gun in his direction and sprayed him once with water, which he tried to block it with his hands. “But hey! That’s one more than last time,” you pointed out.

“Look, just lemme help?” He offered.

You pondered on it for a few seconds, debating, and you finally nodded.

“Okay, I’m gonna stand here,” he moved to stand behind you, and carefully lifted your arms up with the water gun still in hand, pointing it at the targets. You could hear his calm voice at your ear, and you swallowed a little.

“Alright, it helps if close one of your eyes.”

You took his suggestion, closing one of your eyes, when he put his hands over yours, carefully guiding them to hold the gun correctly.

You could feel his chest at your back now, his hands felt soft over your own, and they slightly interlocked as you struggled to aim at a target. Your hands somehow for some reason, suddenly, began to shake.

“Then you keep it steady.”

He helped you steady your hands, by fully interlocking your fingers, and you blew out a quiet breath that you had been holding. You could feel your heartbeat swiftly racing, and you felt the sudden need for air, even though it was freezing.

“Then you aim. And I’ll tell you when.”

You stayed in that stance for a few seconds, the sound of just the air in the wind was around. You felt this feeling that you couldn’t put your finger on. It was something you felt before, yet you couldn’t decipher it.

Was it…nervousness?

No. No way.

You brushed the thought off quickly, before pulling yourself away.

“I got it. Just tell me when,” you let out a nervous laugh. Billy nodded, holding his hands out.

“Alright, let’s see what you got.”

…

You and Billy walked by the river, with your newly earned stuffed bunny in hand, the lights of the high story buildings reflecting off the water in the in the cold air. You didn’t mind that it was freezing, and that you couldn’t really feel your face; it was peaceful. You spent the whole having a great time, that before you knew it, it was dark outside, and you and Billy ended up by water, after of course, getting the shitty food he talked about.

“…This is the best burger I’ve ever had.”

“I told you it would be,” Billy replied with a smug smile on his face.

It was quiet, and neither of you had said anything for a while. You walked some of the time in silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence, but a comfortable one, one that you felt you hadn’t had with Billy in ages, or at least since he popped up in your life again. You found yourself thinking, about how he hadn’t changed at all over the years, and was very much the same. In the past, Billy always talked about wanting to start a company along the lines of Anvil. And it seemed like he had gotten what he wanted, and you were curious, so you asked.

“So,” your started, causing Billy to turn his head to you, “what’s it like being your own boss? Or to have your own company? I mean, I’m doing well, but that’s pretty good.”

“Uh,” he let out a heavy breath, “it’s alright,” He shrugged.

“It’s just, alright?” You repeated his answer, confused, “isn’t it everything you wanted? You’re literally in charge of yourself.”

“Nah, not really. I’m missing a few things.” His eyes stayed on you for a few seconds, before he looked ahead again, taking a sip of his drink. “And anyways, everybody works for somebody,” he sighed.

You guess you understood what he meant by that, because he had clients that hired him, so technically he did work for them, in a way. But you weren’t sure that’s what he fully meant, but you let it go.

You then remembered the phone call between you and Billy that completely slipped your mind for obvious reasons.

“Hey, you called me this morning? I completely forgot, you said you had something-?”

“Ahh,” Billy seemed to forget too, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a familiar set of keys, dangling them in front of you, and a large smile pulled at your face.

“Where did you find them!?” You snatch the keys from him, joy overtaking you.

“I was doing a sweep of the building with my team, and I came across them. I know how much that car means to you. Even if it is a disaster on wheels.”

“Thank you. And I’d insult you and your hair products, but I’m too happy right now, so I’ll let that car joke slide.”

Billy gave you a light laugh in return, and you spoke again.

“…Today was, nice, um -nice of you,” you corrected, “thanks for, making sure I had a great time. It really do turn my day around.”

“Anytime,” he said lowly, and nodded.

He sipped on his drink as he walked next to you. You took a few bites of your food, and you held your cup to your lips, scarfing down your milkshake, and after a while, you heard a silent laugh from Billy, making you turn your head towards him.

“What is it?”

“You just, uh, you have some of your milkshake around your mouth.”

“Oh,” you used the back of your hand to try and wipe it off, failing.

“Did I get it?”

“Not even close, no.” You could see a smile pulling at his lips, which eventually turned into a chuckle, as you viscously wiped away at your mouth.

“You still have a little right above-“. He didn’t finish what he was saying, a deep laugh taking over him.

“Well, don’t just laugh, Tell me where!” A choked laugh escaped you, as Billy moved closer, in an effort to help you.

“Just let me get it,” He said, and he stopped walking moving closer you.

You stood in front of him now, looking at Billy. He looked down at your lips, one of his hands held your chin up, while he used his thumb to gently wipe over your top lip.

You found that his eyes, seemed to sparkle a bit, the night lights reflecting off the darkness of them.

Or…were you imagining that?

His thumb trailed away from you top lip, dragging it down to your lower lip now, but it didn’t seem that he was wiping away at anything. Instead, he just slowly trailed back and forth, almost like he was in a trance.

After a few seconds, Billy looked into your eyes, and when he did, it was like he you joined him in that trance he was in. You heard him let out a silent breath, as you stared into dark eyes, that you swore, were sparkling, and you swallowed.

There was that feeling again.

This time you were sure, it was nervousness. But you weren’t supposed to be feeling that.

Not with Billy.

So, you finally spoke.

“Did you, um- did you get it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I got it.”

It didn’t seem like he was fully out of that trance he was in, but it looked like he forced himself out it, at your words.

“I’ll uh, take you home?”

It sounded like he was asking, to see if it was okay with you, and you accepted, with a nod.

“Yeah, sure. It’s late anyways.”

…

Taglist:

@celestialams

@snowkestrel

@promnightbinbaby

@intothesoul

@weallhaveadestiny

@ramadiiiisme

@patniera

@wolfmoonmusic

@polireader

@mysweetlittledesire

@rainbowgoblinfan

@justyoursimpleflower

#billy russo #billy russo x you #billy russo imagine #billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfic #billy russo x female reader #the punisher

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karlyhiggins · 1 year

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Racial Stereotypes in "All American"

In October of 2018, the media industry was blasted by a show, All American. It had millions of watchers within its first couple of weeks being released on Netflix. The show was predominately based around the game of football, however many gentrifications were brought to life in the show. The one I would like to focus on is racism. The show takes place in California, resulting in a wide variety of races being displayed in the show. The main character, Spencer James grew up in the tough city of Crenshaw, California. He was an absolute star on the football field, however Crenshaw was not the best place for a high school kid to be academically and athletically. The city of Crenshaw was dominated by African Americans, some pf which were involved in gang activity.

Fortunately enough, Spencer James was recruited by Billy Baker, the head coach at Beverly Hills, to play football and attend Beverly Hills high school. Not only would he be attending the school and playing football, he also would be moving into Billy's home.

Billy Baker, an African American football coach living in Beverly Hills, hadn't always had it easy for himself either. He is married to a white woman and they have to kids, Jordan and Olivia.

Spencer James going this very wealthy and comfortable family as a black kid coming from a lower income household was extremely hard for him. This may be the opposite stereotype in which we usually see in the media, a black man being wealthy, however it plays a huge roll in the racism aspect within the show.

As the show goes on, Spencer James find himself adjusting his new way of life with the Baker's. However, not everything is as great as it seems in terms of the racial aspect. An example of racial profiling in the show is when Asher (white male), Jordan Baker, Olivia Baker, Spencer James and Spencer's little brother go to get frozen yogurt in Beverly Hills. Spencer makes his way up tp the cashier to play for his brothers frozen yogurt when the white female at the cash register tells him she does not want his business, his money and to make a scene. She therefore asks him to leave. To make matters worse, Spencer doesn't follow her "instructions" and insists on asking her what the issue is. This resulted in the police being called to the same and being asked to leave the premise.

Obviously there is absolutely nothing wrong with an African American male trying to purchase frozen yogurt, but this is where racism plays a role in the show.

Another example where racism is seen in this show is when Jordan Baker and Spencer James are driving home in Jordan's convertible mustang in Beverly Hills. While Jordan is driving, he notices he is getting pulled over. The police officers informs Jordan that he ran a red light on a turn a couple miles back, however Jordan didn't make a turn. He was proposed with the question of "License and registration" and followed with the question "what are you boys doing in this neighborhood" implying blacks don' belong here. Spencer is forcefully pulled out of the passenger seat being asked if he is armed.. he is not. They both are taken out of the vehicle and handcuffed while they were face down on the ground. This is absolutely not acceptable since it is considered racial profiling. Again, just like the frozen yogurt incident there shouldn't be any speculation as to way and African American male is driving an upscale car.

The show also used this platform to promote the Black Lives Matter movement that took place in 2020. In the Season 3 premiere it had a scene where there was a mural that read Black Lives Matter. It was painted on the High School's floor and brought light to the situation.

The way this racial profiling can stop in real life and in movies or television shows is to stop entertaining it. Even though it is a fiction show, there are ways to eliminate this kind of attention in shows.

citations:

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therealvinelle · 3 years

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I know this is like taking a bat to the beehive but... I really wanna hear your opinions on the whole... Imprinting thing

(Note before we go any further: this meta is written purely about the shapeshifting aspect of the Quileute characters, I don’t at all get into the racism in Twilight or any kind of social commentary. This is a purely watsonian meta. Others in this fandom have already addressed the racial dynamics at play, far more eloquently and knowledgeably than me. If I say something in here that’s in any way offensive, that’s not my intention and I’m open to criticism.)

Ooh imprinting.

I touch upon it here, basically I hate it.

The imprinting is part of this theme where the shapeshifters lose their free will and autonomy, and I find it tragic, cruel, and unnecessary.

First of, the fact that they have to phase at all.

They’re made warriors to protect their tribe. There’s no choice involved, only genetics and magic irrevocably changing their lives, and at a ridiculously young age, too. Sam is the oldest of them, and he is 19.

Violence is an inherent part of what they become. Their purpose is to protect the tribe, by fighting vampires. Not only is this insanely dangerous (we see Jake get so injured by a single vampire that he’s bedridden for weeks), but if they succeed, they will have killed. In the singularly brutal manner of tearing apart and burning someone who looks a lot like a human, who talks and might beg for their life, at that. And I remind you, most of these shapeshifters are literal children. They might not see vampires as people, but all the same, killing one can’t be good for their mental wellbeing. (Thought: Perhaps an argument can be made for Laurent’s death having a part in the turn Jake’s personality took? Some, though not many, of the symptoms for PTSD do fit. I don’t know enough about PTSD to pursue this train of thought, but it occurred to me just now, in particular he becomes quite aggressive and prone to outbursts after that incident, so into a parenthesis it goes)

Not to mention how inhumane that responsibility is. Vampires in the Twilight-verse are terrifying, and the shapeshifters might have the power to fight them. But (and this is where I plug one of my all-time favorite animes, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, as it asks the question “Is it okay to sacrifice yourself for others?” because that’s... well there’s a parallel to be made to the shapeshifters. It’s on Netflix!) does that mean they should? Is it really their responsibility? Again- they’re kids!

Then there’s the time Sam lost control, and accidentally mauled the girl he loved. And it’s so cruel to both him and Emily. Sam never chose to have to control himself in the first place, he never chose shapeshifting. He didn’t choose to imprint on Emily either, and he didn’t choose to lose control that day. At no point in the series of events that led to Emily being mauled did Sam have any real choice, and yet he will shoulder the guilt for what happened for the rest of his life.

These kids get superpowers, and several of them seem to enjoy being shapeshifters, but the fact remains that they now carry this huge responsibility to protect their families and homes, doing so is incredibly dangerous, they lose out on their regular lives, and they can’t opt out of it.

This all sucks, but then we get to the fact that they are deprived of their free will, as their alpha can issue an order they physically can’t break. The alpha becomes alpha because of bloodlines, not because of a democratic election. Jake got a mockery of a choice in that he could choose to become alpha himself, or let Sam continue, which was really just choosing between a rock and a hard place. There is no limitation to what this order can be, from “don’t say X to person Y” to “let’s kill someone you love”. Jake has to struggle to break that last one, and he’s only successful because of the bloodline thing letting him become his own alpha.

Oh, and there’s the massive invasion of privacy when they have a hive mind. Cool concept, less cool to have it be reality. Leah is the poster child for how a hive mind can backfire, and they can’t opt out of this.

I’m not good at gifs, but the shapeshifters just make me think of that gif of someone flicking a lightswitch on and off, “WELCOME TO HELL!”. Of course, Twilight in general is a pit of despair for everybody, so I suppose that gif really is... well it sums up all of canon.

So, we have these kids aged 19 or younger, as of Breaking Dawn they skew as young as thirteen, their lives are turned upside down by something they can’t opt out of, they must shoulder this huge responsibility to protect their homes and families from the terrifying threat of vampires, and on top of all of that, they must obey orders that are so irresistible, they can compel them to harm someone they care for.

With all of that in mind, you’d think that the shapeshifters had enough on their plate. That through all of this they would at least retain their selves, and be able to look forward to a future where they could stop phasing, and go on to live normal, human, lives.

Yeah, NOT IF THEY IMPRINT.

I’ll just quote Jake’s description:

Everything inside me came undone as I stared at the tiny porcelain face of the halfvampire, half-human baby. All the lines that held me to my life were sliced apart in swift cuts, like clipping the strings to a bunch of balloons. Everything that made me who I was—my love for the dead girl upstairs, my love for my father, my loyalty to my new pack, the love for my other brothers, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my self—disconnected from me in that second—snip, snip, snip—and floated up into space.

I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was.

Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing—to the very center of the universe.

I could see that now—how the universe swirled around this one point. I’d never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain.

The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. (Breaking Dawn, page 237)

Everything that made me who I was disconnected from me.

Jake’s love for his father, his home, his very own self, it’s all gone now. And while I have thoughts on the authenticity of this imprint, whether it was organic, the description above is apparently how imprinting feels. It’s along the lines of what Sam, Jared, and Paul all describe.

I don’t think I can put into words just how devastating I find imprinting, I think the above quotation speaks for itself. And as with all other shapeshifter things, there is no choice involved.

We see its devastating effects in the Emily, Sam, and Leah debacle. Sam and Leah were serious together, so much so that they were engaged. Sam had fallen for and chosen to be with Leah. Perhaps they would have broken up eventually, but Leah was still the choice he made. Then he imprints on Emily, and all that is for naught. He had to break up with Leah, who if she hadn’t phased never would have learned why, Emily and Leah’s relationship is ruined, and Emily must forever live with the knowledge that if Sam had his free will intact he would be with another woman.

Then there’s Jared and Kim. Kim crushed on Jared, but Jared never noticed her. The fact that they were in the same class is damning: if a boy is attracted to a girl, he's gonna notice her. Jared never did.

Quil imprints on Claire, who is a toddler. That’s just a recipe for misery and disaster all around.

And I’ve only touched the shapeshifter side of things. They lose their autonomy and freedom, but the imprintées draw the short straw too. They’re now responsible for this other person’s happiness. Sure, having someone who’ll be whatever you need them to be sounds nice (well, it sounds horrifying, but I’m playing ball) on paper, but you can’t opt out of them being like that. The imprintée can’t say “Sorry, not interested,” and she certainly can’t shut the imprinter out of her life, not without irrevocably ruining the imprinter’s life. The imprinter needs her. She’s the center of his earth now, but she didn’t choose to be.

Imprinting is a liferuiner for everyone involved.

Then we have the question of what imprinting is even for. I’m afraid I agree with Billy, that it’s for procreation. We see Sam, who was dating a woman about to phase (even if Leah isn’t infertile, she’s a warrior now. She can’t run in the woods and fight vampires, and gestate and nurse a child at the same time) conveniently imprint on her cousin, who as cousin to Leah is from a shifter bloodline. Claire, as Emily’s cousin, has those same genetics. Paul imprints on a woman from the Black family line. Jake is the outlier, but either Renesmée’s gift helped that imprinting along, or he imprinted because of the offspring they could potentially have (I firmly believe it’s the former because the latter... NOPE. Also, I can’t imagine whatever magic drives imprinting would want vampiric progeny for the future generations. Regardless of Renesmée’s person, her biology is wired to desire human blood. That’s exactly what Jake is supposed to protect people from. Bad match.).

I just.... ughhh. God, I hate imprinting so much, and on every level.

To me, everything about the shapeshifters is about free will, autonomy, and the loss thereof. And it would have been beautiful if their story was about reclaiming that, but it isn’t. None of this, with the exception of the alpha orders, is even acknowledged.

So, in summation, yes I hate imprinting, but it’s only the horror cherry on top of a very sad and problematic cake.

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delightfully-deranged-dagur · 3 years

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Okay, I'm just gonna write out my main ideas for my Reimagined Monster High. Here we go.

-it takes place in a world where monsters are outnumbered and shunned by humans, so monsters are forced to basically live in secret. Away from humans, in their own secret communities.

-The school itself was founded by Nora Bloodgood. Monster High was the first school of its kind to accept all kinds of monsters and has been running for hundreds of years. Also, it's a boarding school.

-The story will be mostly character driven with the main players being,

-Toralei Stripe. A werecat.

An orphan adopted by Headmistress Bloodgood. Toralei made friends with twin sisters Meowlody and Purrsephone Moon. Unfortunately, the 3 of them became the biggest bullies in the school. Though the twins were much more worse then Toralei. The twins were send to juvy after "the freezer incident".

"The freezer incident", Without Toralei's knowledge, the twins played their most dangerous prank of all. They locked Deuce Gorgon, a cold blooded monster into the school freezer, resulting in him almost freezing to death.

After that, Toralei took a long, hard look in the mirror and decided to change. Trying to redeem herself. So far most students are still untrusting of her. But 2 of them have forgiven her and became her friends, those 2 being...

-Clawdeen Wolf and Draculaura. A werewolf and vampire couple.

Clawdeen is a fashion designer with quite a following. Monsters love her designs and she's gotten quite a lot of commissions.

She always speaks her mind and has an extreme dislike for lies and liars. She's also fiercely loyal and protective of her friends and family, especially her younger siblings, Clawd and Howleen.

Draculaura is vegetarian vampire, no meat or blood for her. Unfortunately, due to her diet she's also extremely vulnerable to direct sunlight and always carries a parasol or umbrella with her.

Draculaura is one of, if not the most kind person in the school. And yet, there's some hints she's got a dark past. She's 1599 years old, so of course she has some secrets she doesn't want anyone to know about.

-Frankie Stein. One of the 3 new students at the beginning of the story.

Frankie is only a month old and still doesn't quite understand how the world works. She only knows stuff from outdated teen girl magazines. So, yeah. She knows nothing.

Frankie is assigned as Toralei's new roommate. Which means Toralei is half the time busy with making sure Frankie doesn't piss off the entire student body with her antics. Luckily she's helped by Clawdeen and Draculaura.

The 3 of them become Frankie's guides to life. With varying degrees of success.

-Gil Webber. The 2nd of 3 new students at school.

Gil was raised by highly abusive and bigoted parents. Constantly talking about how dangerous and despicable other monsters are. They sheltered Gil never letting him outside or go to the surface. Gil grew up terrified of the world.

Eventually, word got out about Gil's situation and the authorities got involved. Gil's parents were arrested and Gil was taken to Monster High and put in the care of Nora Bloodgood.

Gil is assigned as the new roommate of...

-Deuce Gorgon. Half gorgon, half human.

Deuce has lived for thousands of years since ancient Greece. Son of medusa and inherited her stone gaze. If he looks someone in the eye, they turn to stone. Luckily, since Deuce is half human the gaze is only temporary. And it doesn't work on monsters made out of stone or the undead. Like ghosts, zombies and mummies.

Deuce is a nervous wreck. Freezer trauma notwithstanding, he's constantly worried about dropping his sunglasses and turning someone to stone. He's also insecure about his skills as a chef and artist. He tries to look cool and laid back but he's not fooling anyone.

The snakes on his head are named, Jefferson, Addison, Carson, Maddison and Ed. He treats them as younger siblings even though they're all the same age.

Deuce has some trouble helping Gil not being afraid of everything. So he finds help from other water monsters. Sirena Von Boo? Too ditzy. Finnegan Wake? Comes on too strong. So his only choice is...

-Lagoona Blue. Half Sea monster, Half Water nymph.

Lagoona is bubbly, kind, carefree and very much a Himbo. She's genderfluid so they go by any pronouns he feels like at the moment.

They have 2 passions. Sports. And helping people out. And Gil is just the person that desperately needs Lagoona's help.

-Cleo De Nile. A mummy.

A princess who disowned her family because of how horrible they were. Cleo's lived long enough to know that being bad doesn't get you anywhere.

She's kind, understanding, and extremely generous. She's a natural born leader who takes charge when needed.

-Billy Where. An invisible man.

Billy, or "Invisi-Billy" as some call him is a theater kid at heart. Aside from that Billy also loves discovering the unknown and mysterious.

While his father is invisible all the time, Billy can control his visibility at will. He can even make other objects or people he's touching invisible.

Billy was assigned a new dorm room by Headmistress Bloodgood. A room down in the catacombs. He was put there cuz Bloodgood believes he can help the student living down there with his problems. That student being...

-Johnny Spirit. An unchained ghost.

Johnny died during the late 50s and he's got the greaser look down pat.

Johnny refuses to leave the catacombs and interact with other students, he does not wanna get involved or get attached to anyone. So he does not like having a roommate forced upon him.

And yet, as time goes on Johnny starts caring for Billy and thinking of him as a friend. Eventually trusting him enough to tell him the reason why he shut himself off. The story of how he died.

But that's a story for another time. ;P

Other important characters include,

Abbey Bominable. 3rd new student. She's blunt and likes photography. She has no roommate but gets taken in by,

Clawd Wolf and Heath Burns. Boyfriends that guide Abbey through the school and drag her into their shenanigans and schemes.

Ghoulia Yelps. Cleo's best friend and assistant. Genius.

Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde. Mad scientist and laid back DJ sharing a body.

Neightan Rot. Gay zombicorn. Can go from dishevelled hobo to fabulous drag queen in 10 seconds.

Spectra Vondergeist. Ghost "reporter" that runs the ghostly gossip.

And many more students.

So that's my basic idea. What do you think?

Feel free to leave questions about other students and their roles and what kind of plans I have for this au.

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pla-teau · 3 years

Text

WANDAVISION EPISODE 6 THOUGHTS

SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED!

GOOD GOD I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS

GIF NOT MINE

pietro maximoff as ‘himself’ | in the opening credits, pietro is introduced as playing himself? this just made me more suspicious about him and who he really is. it’s like wanda (since she’s the one broadcasting her show) trying to convince us, and herself, that this is her dead brother.

billy talking to us | i know tommy talks to the camera at the beginning for a brief minute but it’s mainly billy talking. i think this was a hint at his incoming powers. plus, in promo trailers for the ‘modern family’ episode, wanda’s the one talking to the camera. i bet we’ll see the kids talk to the camera in that episode but i just find it interesting that billy’s the one leading us through the beginning of the episode. plus, in rewatching the episode, pietro seems to be aware of billy talking to us and reacts to when billy talks about vision and wanda’s relationship going through a rough patch.

haydick hayward’s an ass | there’s no denying that hayward has something up his suspicious ass. first with showing the footage of wanda stealing vision’s body. then, putting in a missile and planning on killing wanda. yea, the five years were hard for everyone - no one’s denying it but there’s just something that isn’t right. we clearly see that he’s hiding something when darcy finds a file of sorts that only hayward can see and that he’s been able to track vision without telling the team. either he’s got a personal vendetta or he’s covering for something more sinister. personally, i think he’s just pissed that wanda, one of the most powerful beings in the universe, took away vision’s body when he needed it to create more weapons and whatever else he was planning. i wanted monica to punch him in the throat when he told her it was better that she wasn’t around when her mom died. bless monica for keeping her cool.

wanda’s interaction with herb | their brief interaction makes me believe that herb is just as aware as agnes (if she happens to be a victim in all this and not agatha harkness) about what’s happening. we got a hint about it in episode 3 when he tried to tell vision what geraldine’s purpose in westview was. we see him mimic agnes from the previous episode when he asks wanda if there’s anything she wants changed. he looks to her the same way agnes did when she was thrown off script. both these times involve vision throwing everything off. vision’s the one that’s been off script from the beginning of the episode this time around instead of after a weird event.

residents being in a loop or immobile | as vision gets farther from wanda and explores westview, it’s evident that there’s something off about the people. we get that shot of the woman and presumably her husband stuck in a time loop of hanging decorations and putting a pumpkin on the front steps. the woman not only sheds a tear but her hands look purplish presumably because of the cold or being stuck doing the same task for god knows how long. clearly, the woman’s in pain and is aware that she can’t break free. as vision gets closer to the loop, residents are completely immobile and stuck wherever they stand. it’s eerie and further proves that this may be wanda’s doing and wherever she is, it’s easy for the residents to be active or for her to control those near her. it could also mean that the closer you are to the hex’s border, that you become immobile as you’re farther removed from the fantasy life wanda has created.

yo-magic commercial | by far the creepiest and most disturbing commercial in the series. i’ve seen people theorize that this commercial is referring to wanda’s detainment on the raft in civil war. it would make sense since the yogurt could represent wanda’s powers and opening the lid should be simple and easy, just like using your powers. on the raft, wanda was detained with a straitjacket and a collar on her neck so she couldn’t use her magic. the island could represent the raft since it was in the ocean. ‘yo-magic, the snack for survivors’ could represent wanda being a survivor in many instances: strücker’s experiments, the battle of sokovia and the lagos incident.

pietro’s ‘part’ | when wanda questions pietro, he gets defensive about how he’s just trying to do his part: come unexpectedly, create tension with vision, stir up trouble with the twins, and ultimately give wanda grief. grief holding a double meaning. obviously, pietro did bring wanda grief when he died in 2015 but it also means to cause trouble which he has done since his arrival to westview. whenever wanda questions him about their childhood or tries to trip him up, pietro retorts with a question or makes rather meta remarks about westview.

the details are fuzzy | the comment pietro makes after a moment of silence between them. he claims he got shot in the middle of the street and next thing he knew wanda was calling her. i think when ‘pietro’ was brought into the westview reality, his memories mixed with those of wanda’s pietro or skewed them at least - it’s probably why things seem hazy to him and can see that wanda doesn’t believe him to be the pietro she remembers. pietro knows he looks different to wanda and it’s like a comment to us because even though pietro only appeared in one movie with wanda - we the audience know he’s not the same actor. this could also be mephisto really mind tripping wanda because she would remember what her brother looked like but the memories are remembered differently. enough to keep her on edge with him and make her suspect but not want to because he also says “i knew you needed me” no stranger would say that right? of course, siblings and family can tell when another member needs them. this episode really makes you laugh at pietro’s antics but go down a rabbit hole with every line he says.

the hex’s effects on people | when darcy explains to monica that her cells have been greatly affected by her entrance and departure from the hex, it doesn’t seem like monica is surprised. maybe this is hinting that monica already has her powers or simply mean that she’s putting on a poker face to hide her fear (or astonishment) at wanda’s level of power. it’s interesting to see if wanda’s gonna be responsible for birthing some mutants or at least awakening the x gene if it hasn’t already. does it mean that anyone can simply leave or that if you leave, you’ll come out with serious side effects that are possibly life threatening? monica states at the end that she’s seen cells in remission which makes me believe that this is hinting at the x gene. we’ve seen what the hex does once you go in, but what happens if an ordinary westview resident leaves?

agnes and vision | we see agnes in her car supposedly leaving town or as she claims, she got ‘lost’. when vision takes her out of her trance, agnes seems shaken and even questions if she’s dead. she also seems to confirm that wanda is the one controlling everyone because she doesn’t even let them think about leaving westview. we see more of where vision’s memory stands because he doesn’t remember (or know) that he was an avenger and that he died (twice). when she says that all is lost, she quickly starts laughing maniacally like a witch. this again makes me think that agnes knows more than anyone what’s going on. assessing what she got from vision, she’s probably laughing because it’s amazing to her that wanda’s gotten so powerful and maybe everything is going according to plan - she just possibly couldn’t overcome wanda’s control and only has a heightened awareness of the situation. there’s no mention of ralph this episode and you would think she’d bring along her husband to leave and go to her desired destination in town. i don’t know, i still think she’s got an ulterior motive and plays a bigger part in all of this.

the twins’ conversation | after sharing a sweet moment, pietro quickly calls out the obvious - the kids. only in episode 3 did children finally come into the show through billy and tommy. now, for halloween, all the kids are out and enjoying halloween. pietro, like rapid fire, remarks that wanda probably kept them peacefully asleep in their beds and didn’t wake them until now for the “occasional holiday episode cameo” so as not to traumatize them even more since she’s always been the “empathetic twin”. he seems to know that this is all in a television reality which gives him even more awareness than any other supporting character we’ve met so far. he even goes into assessing (and somewhat praising?) wanda’s handling of this whole westview reality as ethically possible. he knows that wanda wouldn’t rewrite everything: couples and families stay together and personalities aren’t far off from what they are. with this, it heavily hints that this isn’t the pietro we’ve known in the mcu or the peter from the x-men universe. to me, this furthers the point that this ‘pietro’ is just a puppet for whoever is behind all this (or just a multiverse version of piet) since he seems more impressed than anything by wanda’s powers. also, he’s been the only one to ask what we’ve all been thinking since the first episode: how the hell did wanda do this? once again, wanda doesn’t remember how all of it started which still makes me thinks she was probably taken advantage of by someone and earlier in the episode when recounting a childhood memory, pietro comments that she’s probably suppressed the trauma hence why she doesn’t remember it the same way. at the end, this could all be wanda’s doing due to her feeling so alone and grieving that she may have suppressed that memory of how this all started.

pietro’s corpse | again, us the audience and wanda are reminded that this universe’s pietro is dead. it’s another person closest to wanda that isn’t alive - harking back to her comment about feeling so alone and endless nothingness. this may just be that when wanda lets her guard down and is possibly at peace with a situation, this one being of her accepting that this is the pietro that’s going to be her brother that sticks with her moving forward, she’s reminded of the truth - none of it is real and she can’t bring them back.

vision’s breakout from the hex | as we’ve seen in promos, vision is able to break through the hex. what we were hit with was vision nearly getting killed...again. it seems that he can’t live beyond the hex either due to him just being parts when wanda recovered him or because wanda won’t let him go. either way, vision can’t live outside of westview. it physically seems like wanda can’t let him go because as he steps out of the hex and is being torn apart, the hex looks like it’s trying to pull him back into it. i know the hex was wanda’s doing but this physically makes it seem as if wanda can’t let him go and is holding him back. it’s kind of true because since vision became more aware, he’s been breaking away from wanda and she’s been trying to keep him in place and on script so that they can be happy together. in their fight in the previous episode, she says that all of this is for them as to say that everything she’s doing is for their happiness. it’s a twisted way of showing how vision can’t live without wanda since it seems that she’s the one keeping him alive.

wanda expanding the hex | wanda’s clearly gotten more powerful over the years and this episode really shows us how fucking powerful she is on her own. it’s hysterical that the base and the most of the agents are turned into circus acts such as clowns. i’ll admit i’m upset darcy got sucked in and not hayward. i’m very interested to see who monica’s guy on the outside is. with wanda expanding the hex, it’s becoming more evident that wanda may be the ‘villain’ of the show or if there is someone else behind all of this, we may not see them until multiverse of madness. still, i believe wanda is victim in some capacity - even if it means she’s fallen victim to her trauma and grief.

#wandavision #wandavision spoilers #scar’s theories #scar tries to piece together what she can each week #wanda maximoff #pietro maximoff #peter maximoff #vision #mcu #marvel #monica rambeau #jimmy woo #darcy lewis #billy kaplan #tommy shepard #speed #wiccan

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hawkinsindiana · 4 years

Text

i want to talk about it

ALMOST PARADISE: PART THREE - CHAPTER TWO OF ELEVEN (?)

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!reader

word count: 2.8k

a/n: you asked for it! guess what - the anGST IS BACK!!!! i have also decided not to include gifs until we get to s3 content okay? okay. enjoy!

masterlist

You think about that night often, even though there have been plenty of others like it since. It was the breath of fresh air you so desperately needed. And while your relationship with Steve has made certain aspects of your life better, not all of them are so positively affected.

The lump that forms in your throat every time you lie to your baby brother is especially difficult to swallow. You wonder if it will get any easier. Hopefully you won’t have to keep up the charade in front of the kids for much longer.

Especially now that Mike knows, that little shit.

It had only been four days since Steve had suggested the idea of keeping the status of your relationship a secret. Four days. You still can’t believe it.

The group was in the middle of a rather rousing round of Monopoly; Will had just sworn never to speak with Lucas again after a painful double mortgage incident. Steve, bankrupt from Max’s hotels and exhausted by their shenanigans, decided to leave a bit early. In traditional fashion, you made sure to see him out.

Moments after the pair of you disappeared from the room, Dustin sent the Wheeler boy to grab extra sodas from the fridge in the garage. You’re lucky Mike closed the door when he entered; no one else heard him shout in surprise when he witnessed Steve give you a quick kiss goodbye.

Your face flushed beet red in record time. Steve could’ve sworn his heart sank to the pit of his stomach. Mike has a habit of catching him in the act.

Thankfully it didn’t take much to convince Mike not to tell the others. He could tell how much it would mean to you to keep this quiet - a part of him understands why. It also helps that the boy would never want to disappoint you. Like all of the kids, they would hate to be the cause of grief in you.

But keeping this from your brother is the toughest part. Mike knows first hand just how much Dustin wishes you two were together. It’s unfortunate he hasn’t figured it out himself yet; Mike thinks he probably never will.

But of course, now that’s the least of your worries.

Billy Hargrove gets bored easily; it explains much of his behavior. When something, or someone, becomes a bit too dull for his taste, he feels the need to stir the pot. You are no exception.

You’ve learned to ignore his posse’s comments in your direction when they walk by; Tommy’s sting a bit more than the rest. Normally, you’d love to fight back and embarrass him - it’s one of Steve’s favorite things about you. But now, Billy’s involvement makes you think twice before saying anything. After what happened at the Byers’, you never know what it could be that sets him off.

Considering what happened last week, you’re certain something similar could occur again.

Billy cornered you at your locker, spewing his usual comments. You were unnerved by his presence but able to keep your emotions in check as he leaned in closer; it was impossible not to catch the stench of cigarette smoke off his breath as he spoke. The hand he had broken months prior twinged in pain.

In a moment of rage fueled by your silence, Billy fisted the collar of your sweater in his fingers. The fabric tightened against your neck as he said the damning line, “I could do it again, you know.”

The delicate knit of the yarn was stretched when he finally let you go. You threw that top into the dumpster as soon as you got home. You couldn’t bear to look at it anymore.

Steve wishes that you’d let him do something about Billy; you’re too frightened about what could happen if Steve confronted him. You would never risk letting your dream become a reality.

All that kept Billy from killing Steve that night was Max, had she not intervened. You’d thank her everyday if you could.

Even though the little moments you do get to spend with Steve help calm your mind, your experiences from November still hang over both of your consciences. Steve just tries his hardest to make sure your conversations are Upside-Down free. He wishes you both could be normal teenagers again without these traumatic experiences haunting your every move. He misses not having to worry about that.

Looking for a way to blow off some steam and relax, you suggested a horror movie marathon to the kids. Since the final semester of your senior year began, you haven’t been able to spend as much time with them as you would like.

Max’s face lit up when you mentioned the idea; Dustin scowled. He hates scary movies. It seems ironic to you considering everything the group has been through.

After sitting through Alien, the red-headed girl’s favorite, everyone decides to take a quick break before continuing. You and Steve are goofing off with Lucas and Max in the kitchen as the microwave’s working on the popcorn. Max just smiles as she watches you two interact.

The pair of you are approaching almost three months of your relationship. In that time, your comfort with each other has grown exponentially. While you don’t express your feelings for each other in front of the kids, it becomes very apparent to Max how drastically different your dynamic is compared to when she first met you both.

“I’m really glad you guys were able to sort things out,” She says before grabbing another bowl from the cabinet.

“What are you talking about?” You ask, the smile on your face drooping slightly at her words, exchanging a quick glance with Steve before speaking again, “Sort out what?”

Lucas continues before she can, leaning back against the counter, “Just... back when you guys were fighting. It must have been for something dumb if you got over it quick.”

That has Steve’s mind spinning for the rest of the night.

In your giddy excitement with one another, you both had completely forgotten about what happened between you two that week. It all seems like background noise compared to what followed.

But whatever it was that had you angry with him, it must not have been something dumb, he thinks. Not with the way you reacted.

The kids decide to move the activities over to the Wheelers’ after finishing The Shining - and you’re thankful they do. You and Steve don’t know how much more of Dustin’s unnecessary screams you could take.

“It’s not even that scary!” Will says as he opens the front door, turning back to your brother as the rest of the kids file outside. You throw Max’s coat to her before she forgets it.

“Did we watch the same movie?” Dustin answers as he pulls his backpack over his shoulder, his face stunned as he looks between you and Steve, “And he’s the one who looks like Danny Torrance!”

“Alright, alright,” Steve grabs the door from Will and he ushers them out, “Go on, get out of here.”

Mike runs back before it’s shut, looking over his shoulder to the others to make sure he wasn’t followed. His eyes peer through the crack as he steps onto the porch, a smug grin over his features as he lowers his voice, “If you two do anything weird in there-”

“Oho, that’s enough out of you,” Steve slams the door before Mike can continue, making an effort to lock it immediately after.

Your muffled laughter reaches his ears, turning to see where you’ve disappeared behind the couch to grab a pillow you’d thrown to try and silence your brother.

“You think his antics are funny, huh?” Steve asks, placing his hands on his hips as you pop back up, your eyes sparkling, “Clearly I enjoy them much more than you do.”

“He’s lucky we haven’t killed him yet.”

“Steven!”

“What?”

You scoff lightly at him, tossing the pillow onto the couch before plopping yourself down, “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

Steve’s expression flattens as you look away from him, gaze not focused on anything in particular. The thoughts he’s been having about the rough patch you two experienced begin to overwhelm him. The unanswered questions regarding your aggression towards him make him anxious - Steve can’t stand it when you’re unhappy with him.

It comes out before he can stop himself.

“You know, uh, what Max and Lucas mentioned earlier? About us?” Steve’s words make your brow furrow, confused as to why he’d bring it up. That seems like something he’d want to keep in the past, “Yeah, why?”

“I mean-” Steve exhales before sitting down next to you, his knee grazing yours, “I was mad ‘cause I thought that you’d been the reason Nancy...”

He stops for a moment, shaking the memory from his mind. He has no desire to bring his previous relationship into this one, “I don’t know, I guess you never mentioned why you were angry.”

He just shrugs after trailing off, eyes focused on the carpet; Steve’s not able to look directly at you while he admits it, “It just doesn’t make any sense to me, that’s all.”

Your jaw clenches as you remember the cause of your anger and how it transformed you. It seems so stupid now, that his behavior towards you meant that he’d rejected your feelings. Turns out, it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

You push those thoughts away; you’re not interested in furthering the conversation any more.

“It’s not important,” You state plainly, also not able to meet his gaze, “Lucas was right, it was dumb.”

Tucking a piece of hair behind your ear, you re-adjust on the cushion, “Let’s forget about it, yeah?”

Steve shakes his head - he’s quickly growing tired of you dodging his questions, “No, I want to talk about it. I want to know.”

“Why do you care so much? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Because I was an asshole to you and you just…” He trails off as he leans away, arm draping over the couch, “You just took it! You accepted it like nothing had ever changed, like nothing ever happened between us.”

You huff, back pressed against the arm rest, voice quiet, “Damn right nothing ever happened.”

You freeze, surprised at your own comment. You didn’t know that you were still holding onto aggression directed at his obliviousness to your true feelings. But Steve doesn’t catch on, he only grows more concerned at your response, “What the hell are you talking about?”

You take a deep breath, thankful that he didn’t seem to understand, effectively saving your ass from whatever this revelation could’ve caused. The room is silent as you move to the edge of the seat, “Like I said. We should forget about it.”

Steve scoffs, his fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose as you stand up, “I can’t believe you’re not going to tell me.”

You don’t turn to look at him as you take a few steps, instead opting to push both hands through your hair as you answer, “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

“Maybe I do! What - is it so horrible that I want to know what made you mad at me?” He raises his voice and you turn towards him, desperately trying to calm your temper, “Steve-”

“So we’re keeping secrets now too, huh?” Steve says as he gets up too, arms crossed over his chest, “This whole thing’s under wraps anyways, why not bring that into the relationship? What a great idea. You’ve really outdone yourself this time, truly-”

“Oh my God, Steve-” You interrupt him, growing so impatient of him that you don’t even register what happens until it does, “Fine, you want to know?”

“Yes!”

“I thought that Nancy told you everything! Everything about how I felt.”

Your lip gets caught between your teeth as you cast your focus to the ceiling, hating how you can never seem to keep your emotions bottled up anymore - you used to be good at that.

“I must have been more obvious than I wanted because she had figured it out. That night at Tina’s party was when she finally felt confident enough to confront me about it. And I just…” You swallow the lump in your throat as you feel the tears start to burn behind your eyes. There was a reason you wanted to keep this away from him.

“I couldn’t take it anymore. I screamed at her, Steve. I just screamed at her,” Your tone softens as you remember the words that you spit at her, guilt flooding you all over again, “I was so sick and tired of watching her pull away from you when you deserved someone who actually cared about you and I was right there! The whole fucking time!”

“I thought that she told you about how I felt,” You mutter, shoulders slumping with embarrassment and shame, “I thought she told you and you had decided to reject me.”

Steve used to think that seeing you bloodied and beaten by Billy was the saddest he’d ever seen you. But seeing the look on your face as you realize what you’ve said - he’s not sure which one is worse. And it’s all because of him.

He should have listened to your protests; you were right.

Steve doesn’t know what to say.

Even though it’s only been official for a short amount of time, getting to be with you has been an absolute joy. It’s been perfect knowing that the sparks are mutual. He doesn’t think he’d be able to handle it again if they weren’t. Steve can tell there’s something different about why being with you feels so amazing and terrifying at the same time.

But the idea that you’ve kept your feelings locked away and hidden from him longer than he thought? That brings about a pain in his chest that’s greater than he’s ever had before.

“How - um, how long had it been since…” He doesn’t know how to finish - he’s not entirely sure if he wants to. He’s not sure he wants to know.

One tear hits your cheek, then another, “A year.”

Even though it’s whispered, it’s enough to make him dizzy. He sinks back onto the couch, his head in his hands as the information overwhelms him. The entire time that Nancy was lying to him, you were right by his side.

You heard everything.

He can’t believe that you just swallowed it - all the times that he gushed about her to your patient soul, telling you the plans on how he was going to ask her to the junior prom, mentioning how he thought she was the one for him. He can’t take it.

You still can’t look at him, it would be too much. Instead, you opt to pick at the sleeves of your hoodie, waiting for Steve to finally address what you admitted.

You grow impatient yet again, emotion scratching your throat, “Please just… say something.”

It seems like hours pass although it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

“I can’t do this,” The sound of Steve’s keys being pulled from his pocket catches your attention. Your eyes finally snap up and he’s already moving quickly to the exit, and you brush hair from your face before following him, “Where are you going?”

“I don’t-” He pauses as he pulls on the handle, briefly looking over his shoulder in your direction - still not able to directly catch sight of you, “I don’t know. I just need to think.”

The photos on the wall shake as he slams the door; you force your face into your palms.

It’s ruined, you’re sure of it. He can’t even be in the same room as you anymore. Maybe you’re not as good at keeping secrets as you thought.

Steve’s filled with regret as soon as his fingers leave the doorknob. What the hell is he thinking?

His mind quickly flashes back to the argument you two shared that night on the train tracks; he had forgotten all about it until now.

“You’re the one who caused this mess in the first place.”

His jaw clenches.

“This whole time, I knew you never liked her.”

His exhale stops short.

“You feel so threatened by her that you had to do something about it!”

His stomach churns.

The thought of you interpreting those words as further evidence of his rejection completely fills him with regret.

And then Steve remembers how willing you were to separate from him - it hits him that you didn’t believe he’d ever see you as anything other than a friend. The very notion of him being aware of your feelings had you shutting yourself away from him completely.

He has to go back in. He can’t leave you to believe those things. And although he doesn’t think apologizing would be enough this time, he at least has to give it a shot. For your sake

Steve’s about to shove the door back open when it locks from the other side. You’ve accepted that he’s not coming back in. Why would he want to?

A shallow breath gets pushed through your lungs; it doesn’t help to calm you. At he sound of the engine of his car running, a whimper passes your lips. You’re certain you’ve lost him again.

—

taglist: @stevebabey / @mrsukai / @hannarudick / @crazycookiecrumbles / @hellisateenageheather / @alewifex / @l0ve-0f-my-life / @naomiiiiiiiiiii04 / @daddystevee / @thecaptainsgingersnap / @let-the-imaginationflow / @asianravenpuff / @im-a-stranger-thing / @mikariell95 / @pilunb / @harringtherin / @royalestrellas / @ultrunning / @buggs177 / @poutfull / @yoheyyosup / @duchessdaisybat / @janieavalos / @sassisaluxury / @beththebubbly / @i-bitch-you-bitch / @captainstilinskis / @juliebean247 / @im-nada / @whatabeautifulsurrender / @rexorangecouny / @pass-me-jeez-it / @ahoy-scoops-troop / @halefirewarrior / @jointhehunt67 / @peanutem / @ketchuplukehemmo / @m-a-r-i-n-t-p / @fangirl485 / @emmegirl827 / @lookalivesunshine-x / @elite4cekalyma / @marjoherbo / @just-my-fandom / @idumpyourgrass / @alafolieee / @mochminnie / @phantomalchemist / @dustyblueboo / @alonewolfsblog / @ggclarissa / @hufflepuffing-all-day-long / @bippityboppitybabe / @readinthegarden12 / @bakugouishusbando / @stxtch72 / @random-girl-army / @wisdaemon

wow there are so many of you

if you wanna be added to the taglist (of if you’ve changed your url), just lemme know!

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x henderson!reader #st fic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #st imagine #my writing #almost paradise

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medusinestories · 3 years

Text

Black Sails, IV (S1, ep 04)

- Silver's horrified face when he finds out he's going to have to roast pigs is a Journey, starting with shock, then fake smiling, and then this horrified shuddery expression. It's just as interesting when they drop the dead pig at his feet and he clearly doesn't know what to do with it and also finds it disgusting. I can absolutely see where all the Jewish John Silver headcanons come from, especially since it's unlikely that a London urchin has never seen a dead pig and raw meat in general before.

- Here we have the first performance of Cassandra DeGroot: he knows that the bay they'd chosen to do the careening was too dangerous, and warns the crew. He's immediately countered by Flint, who has much more persuasive arguments to get the careening done fast but in a risky manner. (this whole thing reminds me of our current COVID/climate situation, where scientists get talked over by politicians, and people prefer listening to the latter because they seem to offer much better prospects than the “catastrophist” former)

- In this episode Billy is now quartermaster and he shows himself to actually be really good at disciplining the crew, something Gates, DeGroot and even Flint recognise. However, he also agreed to do the careening only because he's afraid to say no to Flint and allowed the men to have a fuck tent, which he feared would distract them - and it did, the two men who placed the rope on the wrong tree decided not to follow his orders and go fuck instead. This all weighs on him enormously after the disaster with Randall and Morley, who accuses him minutes before his death of already being in Flint's pocket. It's pretty clear that more responsibility doesn't do Billy's mental state any good.

- Morley's story about the Maria Aleyne gives some idea of a timeline, albeit a faint one. The incident took place "a number of years back", before Billy joined. This means that Billy is a somewhat new addition to the crew. We know that Randall was bosun when Billy joined. This also establishes that Lord Hamilton has been dead for several years, which now begs the question: who is the Lord Proprietor that Richard Guthrie is now in touch with? Did Thomas have a younger brother who inherited the Bahamas? Was someone new appointed? Was there a gap between Proprietors that allowed the pirates to establish themselves even more after Lord Alfred's death?

- I just adore the fact that Miranda actually went to stinking, violent Nassau because she was just too impatient to wait at home and wanted to be there when the Walrus came in and immediately hear the news of Lord Alfred's death. She is that vengeful and angry and I love her <3

- Speaking of which, this episode gives us the Passive-Agressive Sex Scene which makes so many people doubt of Flint's attraction to Miranda. Just look at Flint’s face: this man isn't uncomfortable or sad he is PISSED. He plays starfish and glares at Miranda all through it (while maintaining an erection all the same!). Miranda must be hella frustrated (or determined) because she manages to get off in spite of all of this (also, how uncommon is it for a sex scene to end when the woman climaxes rather than the man?) It's only when it ends that both Flint and Miranda are both shown as vulnerable and sad and reflective, with Flint reaching up to touch her but not quite getting there - imo because he's still angry but knows that she (and he) needs comfort.

- This leads into the argument over Meditations, and Miranda explicitly talking about Thomas and not wanting to forget him. The book hasn't been touched in a long time, confirming the idea that Miranda shared it with Richard Guthrie because Flint refuses to touch it. Her grief, her loneliness, are incredibly poignant in this scene, and we see Flint shift from bristling and stonily glaring at her, to absolutely melting (Toby's facial expression shifts here are just *chef's kiss*) and finally being gentle and tender with her. However, even though he promises to make things better, Miranda clearly doesn't believe him anymore.

- This brings in a big theme in the episode: betrayal from people you care for/trust. Mr Scott asks Eleanor not to do anything rash in order to get the Andromache’s guns, only to discover her Plan B: to kill Bryson if he didn't comply. In the meantime, Richard Guthrie tells (a very sceptical) Miranda that he can only support Eleanor and Flint, because he pretty much has no choice in the matter. He then proceeds to betray his daughter by making a deal with Bryson and with Mr Scott, who’s still smarting from Eleanor’s betrayal and who Guthrie tries to convince by saying that Eleanor's endeavour will lead to her death and Nassau’s destruction (considering what we later find out about Mr Scott, Eleanor’s safety is probably not be the argument that actually compels Mr Scott - but he certainly doesn't want the Navy searching the area and finding Maroon Island, and needs a stable Nassau to continue supplying his island).

- The Undercooked Pig scene and Silver's attempts at communicating with Flint will never not be funny. Silver looks so small when Flint glares him down, but that doesn't last all that long: once Flint has taught him how to cook the pork, Silver seems much more bold, asking Flint how he learned to glaze the pig, insisting that Flint should trust him and not Billy. This is also a moment where Silver shows that, unlike Flint, he is incredibly perceptive: he noticed that Billy is "straining at the seams" because of the lie he told. And while Flint spits a "there is no we" and calls Silver a rodent, it's obvious that Silver's words still have an impact on him. Their collaboration is sealed when Silver hands him the cleaver so that he can save Randall (and himself). When Flint returns the cleaver to Silver, he's ready to accept that Silver is actually on his side (albeit for selfish reasons) and listens to him for the first time.

- Max believed that she could charm Vane's remaining crew into being kind to her - and overall it seems to have worked. While again I hate this plot, it does give an interesting insight into how even the worst pirate crew is portrayed: most of the men are happy to comply with Max and get sexual rewards "for gentle obedience". Most of them, basically, aren't violent monsters deep down. However there's always one, in this case That Big Bastard (I'm sure he has a name, I just can't be bothered to google it), who clearly gets a kick out of torturing/raping people and hates the idea of a woman taking the lead.

- Fuck You Jack is another theme of this episode. Vane is high on opium and booze and has basically lost the will to do anything. Anne has been courted by several other crews, but Jack hasn't received any offers (note there's no loyalty to Vane here, Jack’s ready to leave, but nobody will have him) and nobody is willing to help him after the pearl cock-up. Then Noonan wants Max back, which Jack refuses because she's the only thing keeping the few members of his crew loyal - and Anne isn't on board with that, leading to her telling him to fuck himself. This, btw, might have crossed Jack’s mind considering the position she was in when he found her. I think it’s easy to forget that Jack is portrayed as pretty callous and happily willing to treat people like pawns too.

- When Richard Guthrie talks about Nassau, he describes it as a place "a place where she [Eleanor] matters, a place where you [Mr Scott] matter", and adds that a place like this isn't meant to last. Nassau, then, is currently an utopia where women and black people can have some semblance of power - and he doesn't believe that this will ever be allowed to exist because this kind of story never has a happy ending in their current society. But when Flint talks to Eleanor about their project, he's of the opposite view: people don't believe that it's possible, but when they succeed, they'll say it was inevitable. It seems Flint is firmly in the camp of "winners get to tell the story", and that the story will influence how the rest of the world sees them.

- When the Walrus tilts and squashes Randall, Flint stops Billy from intervening and rushes to rescue Randall himself - even though he knows the ship will be cut loose at any moment. He puts himself into incredible danger in this moment. Why? Theoretically, it could be for a manipulative purpose: to look good to the crew, or to get rid of Morley. But Flint seems genuinely involved in the struggle to save Randall, and he barely had time to think before he ran off. I feel that this is a rare spontaneous moment for Flint, where instead of thinking about his plans or his position as Captain, he just thinks like a person in an emergency who wants to rescue someone else. He absolutely could have died out there. And while Billy seems to suspect him of having killed Morley, I don't find that reading compatible with what we're shown of Flint trying to save Randall. True, he may have kicked/pushed Morley at the very last second, but we’ll never know that for sure.

- Back to the theme of people betraying their loved ones, we have Richard Guthrie getting back to Miranda, telling her he knows who she is and revealing the "Thomas went mad because Miranda and Flint cheated" story which he heard from Lord Alfred himself. So now Miranda knows that her identity has been revealed and that Richard could spread the story to, say, Pastor Lambrick (let's not pretend this didn't cross her mind, she keeps her identity secret for a reason). And then Guthrie offers her a way back to civilisation. This, right after a kid threw a stone at her, calling her a witch. This, after Flint has promised to make things better, even as he goes deeper into reckless/utopian plans of fortifying Nassau. Backed into a corner, was Miranda ever going to refuse, if she could be safe and have him be safe? And obviously, Richard Guthrie isn't doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He apparently figured out that Miranda was a way to get in touch with Pastor Lambrick and that ridding New Providence of Flint and winning over the “good”, normal inhabitants would be a perfect beginning to buying back his influence on the Island - the end goal being named Governor, of course.

- If there was any doubt that Vane’s tough guy thing is part of an act, his opium hallucination of Eleanor makes it crystal clear: "you're alone, you don't have to pretend with me". That is, pretend that he's not afraid and that he's not vulnerable. The hallucination also offers Vane an explanation for why Eleanor is how she is: like him she's afraid of appearing weak. He's actually spot on, a big problem in their relationship is that they're too alike and are struggling for dominance. Which is probably why Vane wants to overcome his fear and weakness, and regain power by confronting his old slave master (btw, nice parallel with Flint haunted by Miranda in S3). The scene where Vane kills Noonan also shows him in a very animalistic light - at first he's cornered and somewhat pathetic, beaten, throwing up, only saved by the fact that a gun misfires. Then he turns violent: quick, instinctive and relentless, deaf to Noonan's plea to leave him alive, even if theoretically it could have been profitable for him.

- I have to say, I snickered quite a bit when Pastor Lambrick sees Richard Guthrie and tells him "God teaches us not to cheer when someone stumbles, in your case I may ask his forgiveness". I mean, I really see his point. He leads a group of Puritans who are trying to make a life for themselves on this island. Historically, people who lived and farmed in New Providence were constant targets for errant pirates, who robbed, raped and killed a lot of them. This is what the Pastor is trying to protect his congregation from (and Miranda, since he doesn't understand why she's with Flint and is likely terrified that a pirate lives so close to his congregation, hence the spies he sends out). There's a bit of a parallel with Billy, where both Lambrick and Billy are presented as being very preoccupied with the well-being of the group they're responsible for, and both are presented as, well, Goody-Two-Shoes - (self-)righteous, loyal, honest, caring. Except they're both human, and sooner or later they falter.

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kaypeace21 · 4 years

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Do you think that the hellfire club is a D&D group or some sport team or what do you think it is? (BTW big fan of your theories)

I think it’s a d&d club. I talked about it in past posts.I think being about d&d makes sense since the game would foreshadow future plot points- like it did in prior seasons . And the “hellfire club” is even an X-men group relating to the dark Phoenix which was referenced in s1 by Will . And I think they’ll take inspiration from that comic book arc for future seasons too . (So it’s an eastergg) . But, also , being called “the hellfire club” is probably an inside joke with the club members- since in the 80s, adults claimed d&d was about devil worship.)

In Bts photos- one of the members has a ‘Wasp’ pin which is a heavy metal band formed in 1982 -so the club is not so shockingly confirmed to be into rock.Along with d&d (if the leaks are legit) . Makes sense since both things are part of counter culture that was demonized by the “satanic panic” in the 80s. In the 80s. D&d (similar to rock music) was believed to be satanic - so the club name (for the club members)is a joke making fun of these people who think that’s true . But also (as a show is) another dark Phoenix ref . One of the s4 movies ‘paradise lost’ (was about a real life case) of small town teens who were into punk music, horror movies, stephen king, wore black, into wicca, and accused of being gay. They were unfairly blamed for ‘ satanic child m**ders (in the woods & near a river). They weren’t guilty . But, because ‘satanic panic’ was still alive and well ...the town’s people used their hobbies/ punk look/ and perceived sexualities as ‘proof” they were guilty. The case was later described as a ‘witch hunt’. Meanwhile the other (more likely suspect) at the time was John “Mark” Byers- who was a hunter, had a thing for hunting knives, religious, admitted to hitting his kids, and was accused of s**ually abusing his son, shot pumpkins (s2 ref), and sang a song about creating a portal to another world without light , that you could enter via a tree (s1 ref). Years later-after the doc- it’s implied he wasn’t guilty either. But, one of the other victims’ fathers - Terry was assumed to be guilty - he was also was accused of m***esting his son and daughter (by his own family members). Admitted to hitting his wife and kids. And had a police report filed on him - describing breaking into a women’s house , while she was in a tub and trying to attack her. He was also formerly charged for m*rdering one of his wife’s family members- but got away with it claiming self defense). Heck if the names John byers/Terry being in the film/st wasn’t crazy enough- the victims were named Steve, Michael, and Chris byers (luckily ours don’t have that same horrible fate/back stories).

I kind of assume - the d&d club will be looked at suspiciously as teens go missing/ kidnapped/ or maybe found k*lled in the woods/quarry. And the cops/others think they’re “satanic k*llings” and rumors about the d&d club insue. And maybe our teens suspect it’s the demogorgan again. But as a subversion- it isn’t and it’s a human . A human that by ab*sing Will- caused Will to unconsciously create many things including the demogorgan (which in d&d is called the “deep father”) . Also, in s3 they called Will “the devil’s baby” (Aka lonnie is the real “devil” ).And such incidents in the woods/ near the quarry would connect back to s1 demogorgan & Will being found in the quarry. And if paying attention you already noticed s1 demogorgan paralleled Lonnie a lot! So s4 would start bringing things to the surface- in regards to how evil Lonnie really is.Not to mention more hints (I previously posted) that hinted they’ll go with this “ch*ld serial ki##er plot line...

But then again I think it may not be literally Lonnie. My guess: Brenner (who I think was created/based on lonnie) is possibly doing failed experiments of teens to open portals (in the basement of pethurst -like in hellraiser 2) . And dumping failed experiments in the woods/water. A few movies had the d*ad victims have numbers carved in them. And then El/kali team up and maybe sneak into the facility (like in ace Ventura people posing as siblings investigate a m*rder and one fakes being ‘crazy’ to sneak in and find a murderer) . In ‘peanut butter solution’ 2 kids - 1 of them is goth/not american teams up with a girl to find a man named ‘senior ‘who is kidnapping kids. 1 of them also sneaks in and is captured on purpose to investigate. Kali already busted Dottie out of a psych hospital and lucas referenced El being there in s1. Alexi (like el-another alter of Will) watches roadrunner- in that papa bear throws him in a psych facility. And assasains creed/dream warriors - the psychiatric facility was similar to the lab with sensory deprivation tanks, cameras, solitary confinement in dark rooms. We already know 1 new character is against the mistreatment of people at the facility. Also the real pethurst (in Pennsylvania) -known for human rights a*use issues- wasn’t a psych facility (but a place for people with intellectual disabilities). So El being at the psych hospital version in Indianna (and maybe having id herself like I mentioned before -would be a nice ref). And in assasains creed- when the character starts sneaking around investigating - the dr reveals how the character is actual the reincarnation of their ancestor ( brenner tells el she’s an alter of Will’s ). And before that the dr was making that person relive the traumatic past of their past life/other person -which they couldn’t change (sort of like el seeing Billy’s past in s3). Also kali said her and El should team up to face their father- which I think they’ll do. And I’m excited about it!

I still think brenner was created by Will and based on Lonnie so he could be responsible and connected to Will/Jon’s backstory with Lonnie/the Woods. In an abstract way. Like how brenner/Lonnie forced their kids to k*ll animals. Brenner threw El in a dark room/ Lonnie threw Will in a trunk. Brenner’s name being associated with the woods and Lonnie being a hunter , etc.

Also we know s4 involves this dark-storyline involving c**ld m*rders cause of foreshadowing

* Also, mentioned here how in s4 rolling a 11 isn’t actually a good thing and that it’s a callback to Will rolling a 7- in s1. Before things go array.In “paradise lost” when blaming the innocent goth boys someone asks the chief “on a scale 1 to 10 how confident are you? You have the right men?” And he laughs and says “11.”

*And , just for historical context of how ‘metal ‘ and ‘scary ‘ d&d was to nonplayers (in the 80s).

“In 1985, 60 Minutes dedicated a full hour to the supposed connection between D&D, Satanic rites, murders and su*cides . 2 years earlier, Patricia Pulling formed Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD) . She described D&D as ‘a fantasy role-playing game which leads to demonology, witchcraft, voodoo, murder, r*pe, blasphemy, suicide, assassination, insanity, sex perversion, homosexuality, pr*stitution, satanic type rituals, gambling, barbarism, cannibalism, sadism, desecration, demon summoning, necromantics, divination and other teachings.’ In 1987, Peter Leithart and George Grant published The Catechism of the New Age, a pamphlet where they introduced the idea that D&D was immoral because roleplaying allowed too much freedom for critical thinking, which might lead to heretical ideas. That same year, Chris Pritchard and two friends conspired to murder Pritchard’s stepfather in his sleep, the media ignored the obvious financial motivation and instead focused on the men being in the same D&D group.”

( I think quite a few of those themes will come up in s4/5 - although d&d isn’t the actual cause). It’ll just be a subversion.

#stranger things #el hopper #kali prasad #will byers #stranger things theory #s4 theory #d&d #st s4 #s4 bts #DID theory

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kingofno-whereville · 4 years

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You potray billy and Steve well, I was wondering if you could write about the whole party getting involved to try and get billy and Steve together because billy and Steve just don't belivie that other is gay/bi or whatever

I tried something new with this prompt but I hope you like it!! it got pretty long ahah

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Max was glad Billy was feeling better. She wasn’t sure he’d live to see another day after the mall incident. But even though he was feeling better and being nice, he was closed off. She’d never seen him wear a sweatshirt before but now he practically lived in his grey sweatshirt with “San Diego” printed in bold across the front. He’d sit on the couch in the living room(he roamed the house a lot more freely since her mom kicked Neil out. Good riddance.) and watch tv or just...stare at the wall. Like he’d go to his own little reality on that couch.

She tried to pull him out of his slump. As happy as she was to see him doing better in terms of physical health, she couldn’t stand to see him the way he was. She was starting to miss his loud and proud personality. So she’d get him to drive her to the party’s meetings. Ms. Byers pretty much always hosted the little group in the house her and Hopper had bought(it warmed her heart to see how happy El looked to have such a big family.) It took almost a month of asking to get Billy to come inside. The party was expecting him since Max explained her plan to them. They were willing to give him another chance.

She could tell he felt out of place but before she even spoke to him, El was pulling him by the wrist to sit by her on the couch. Max didn’t quite understand the dynamic between her brother and El. El would visit him in the hospital and continued to visit when Billy came home. Sometimes she’d hear Billy reading to El in the living room. She was a little jealous because- yeah that’s her brother and she’d never admit it but she wanted attention from him. But she understood Billy needed his space. She’d wait.

The second time she got him to come, Steve was there. Everyone noticed them staring at the each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. The third time, about half way through the session she noticed Billy and Steve had disappeared. She excused herself for a moment to look for them. She checked the porch and saw the two of them sharing a cigarette on the porch and laughing quietly. She left them alone. Maybe Billy would benefit from having a friend his age. But then they kept disappearing to sit on the porch and talk. After a month of them disappearing every Saturday afternoon, she confronted Billy in the car.

“What’s up with you and Steve?”

She knew Billy was gay. Found out before they moved to Hawkins. She walked in on him and another guy getting a little closer than she wanted to see. Not that she’s against being gay. She just didn’t want to see her step-brother half naked, getting hot and heavy on his bed with anyone.

“We’re just friends.”

“But do you like him.” He was quiet, quieter than usual at least, his knuckles getting white on the wheel and then barely flushing red before turning white again.

“He’s not into guys.” She left it at that. With Billy at least. But she’d get to the bottom of this.

Tuesday was Steve’s day to drive some of the kids to school so Max stayed after everyone got out at school.

“What’re you doing Max? You gotta get to school.” Steve’s such a mother hen.

“What’s the deal with you and my brother?”

“Huh? Nothing.” Steve’s a lot easier to read than Billy. She barely said anything and his cheeks were already pink.

“Do you want to kiss him or something? You’re always sneaking off together.”

“I- no we’re just friends.”

“That’s the same thing he said. I almost think you rehearsed it.” Steve let out a laugh.

“We’re just close Max. Now go to school, okay?” She got out but leaned in the window.

“If you like Billy you can tell me.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind now go to school.”

Steve was a dead give away. The pink cheeks, the hesitation in his answers. So either they were already together or they needed an extra push. She’d ask her brother again when he drove her home from school.

But Steve was in Billy’s car when he picked her up. She had to listen to them flirt the entire drive home. Billy stopped in the drive way but didn’t turn the car off.

“Max can you tell Susan I’m hanging out at Steve’s tonight?”

“Yeah? See you tomorrow Billy.” He waved to her when she got out before driving off. She ran to her room and grabbed her walkie talkie. “Guys! Guys are you there?”

“What’s up?” Lucas was first to answer.

“I think Steve and my brother are like...in love or something.”

“Ok?” Mike didn’t sound very interested in Max’s revelation.

“I think we should set them up.”

“I’m down. I can’t stand the way Steve’s been staring at him since they started hanging out. He’s all..lovestruck or whatever.” Dustin.

“I’m thinking if we all give them little pushes in the right direction they can do it on their own.” She’d thought this through since she started picking up on the way they looked at each other.

“What do you need us do?” Lucas is like a dog in some ways. He’s loyal and if you throw him something he’ll get it for you. Too bad he lies.

“I think we should start by making it clear to both of them that they both like men. We can bring it up before they go sit on the porch.”

“How? Do they even know that we know they like..guys?” It’s always nice to hear Will’s voice. He usually doesn’t talk much during after school. He likes to do his homework as soon as he got home.

“Steve kinda...told me he likes guys? Not dramatically he just mentioned it in a conversation.” It didn’t really surprise her that Dustin knew about Steve.

“Ok well then maybe if you ask Steve if he’s got a guy he’s rushing off to when he gets up to leave then that’ll set them up for an opportunity.”

“How do you know Billy will make a move?”

“Come on. It’s Billy. Of course he’ll make a move.”

Saturday came and sure enough, Max was the first to see Steve moving towards the door. She kicked Dustin under the table, Dustin looking up to see Steve leaving now too.

“Where are running off to Steve? Got some boy waiting on you?”

“What? No! I’m just going outside.” Max looked behind her to see Billy looking a little shaken in his seat. Good.

“Alright have fun!” Steve shook his head before going out, Billy going outside not long after.

But nothing seemed to change. The weekend passed and everything stayed the same. But Steve was in Billy’s car Monday morning on the drive to school.

“Where are you two off to today?”

“We’re going to hang out why do you care?”

“None of your business.” The rest of the car ride was quiet but she kept an eye on the two of them. Even if they weren’t together, they definitely had feelings for each other. They would look at each other and then look away sometimes. At some point she saw them reach for the radio and bump hands, the two of them laughing quietly. She could see how red Steve’s ears were and could only imagine what the rest of his face looked like. She didn’t understand love much. She didn’t even think she’d ever loved someone like that. Not even Lucas in the time they were together. Not to say she never wanted to love someone. She wanted someone to look at her the way Steve looked at Billy, even after everything Billy had done. She was pretty sure Steve had brought Billy back out of the shell he’d been hiding in for months after the incident. Maybe they didn’t know it yet but they were meant for each other.

The party was waiting for her outside of the school.

“Hey guys.”

“Well? Did it work?” Dustin was always business.

“No. I don’t think it did.” Sure they were all lovey or whatever but she just had a strong feeling that they needed another push. “I think we need to set them up on a date. Clearly they can’t do it themselves.”

“We could drag them to the movies on Friday after school?”

“That’s actually a great idea. Thanks Will! Some of us can ride with Billy and Dustin you can get Steve to drive the rest of you.”

“Alright.”

She asked Billy on the way home if he could drive her, El, and Lucas to the movies on Friday. Of course he said yes. Dustin gave an all clear on Steve driving the rest of them to the movies over their walkie talkies. Friday came. Max got Billy to come inside with them, said the movie was supposed to be really good. It helped that it was scary. He got them a big bowl of popcorn to share and sodas. Steve, Dustin, Mike, and Will walked in while they were getting their sodas.

“Hey guys!”

“Hi Max!” Will waved to her from the door. They all met up in front of the the theater but Billy and Steve stayed behind.

Steve had been there for Billy during a really tough time after the incident. He made him feel like himself again. Maybe that’s why he stopped him outside the theater. He did love him. After everything, how could he not love him?

“Do you want to sit with me during the movie? Away from the kids?”

“If I was smart I’d think you were asking me out Billy.”

“I am.”

“Alright. I’m saying yes then.” Steve’s smile always made his heart skip a beat. There’d been so many times where he’d smile and Billy’s thought about kissing him. He’s kind of glad he waited though.

Max spent the entire movie trying not to look behind her. She knew that Billy and Steve had picked a seat in the way back of the empty theater but she wanted to let them be. Near the end of the movie she couldn’t help herself though and she was glad because she just barely caught them kissing and laughing quietly about god even knows what. She’s glad they had each other.

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #max mayfield #stranger things #will being soft #max is very smart #i had to rush the end because it's 1am and I feel like i dragged this on for a while #it took way too long to respond to this request

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unidentifiedflyingfks · 3 years

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Methy topic today, it’s Spun! I have a couple personal reasons for liking this movie so much, for one I love Brittany Murphy (8 Mile, King of the Hill) and also a fascination with drug dealer stories.

The viewer is first introduced to Ross, played by Jason Schwartzman, ‘he has a car’ and also an addiction to methanphetamine. Which he makes clear is the only reason he’s there, pulled up in front of a rundown house. Inside he is met by his dealer and head of then household Spider Mike. Spider is a shirtless, paranoid man that prefers to inject his meth and is idolized by neighborhood kids that steal petty items to trade to Spider for meth. Well, maybe just one kid, played by Josh Peck—yeah, he’s very young in this and literally named Fatboy.

Spider’s girlfriend Cookie, played by Mena Suvari, with rotten teeth and constipation, also lives in the house. She is temperamental and apt to boil over at any moment, as evidenced in the first scene when she lockers herself in their room and spray paints ‘loser’ on the wall after a fight. Teenage methhead Frisbee sits on the floor fixated on a repetitive video game. Seemingly the most levelheaded person in the house is Nikki played by my girl Brittany Murphy. She starts small talk with Ross and finds that his girlfriend, no, not girlfriend, sex buddy April also works at the strip club with Nikki. Ross makes sure to clear up that his actual girlfriend is working in the city.

As it turns out, Spider Mike can’t find his stash so Nikki offers Ross a hookup through her boyfriend, an older glam-cowboy cooking meth out of a motel room known only as ‘The Cook’ and played by Mickey Rourke (Rourke and Murphy would work together again three years later on Sin City). The couple takes note of Ross’s car, an apparent commodity, and indebts Ross to him for later use.

The first time he calls Ross is when Nikki’s dog gets sick because of the fumes in the motel room and she needs transportation to the vet. Ross and Nikki bond over this experience, despite The Cook’s on and off aggression towards Ross. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins makes a cameo as the doctor.

Oh yeah, and the whole time he’s gone he’s left April handcuffed to his bed after a night of kinky sex. In his delirium he tapes her mouth and eyes shut with duct tape, blasts the radio, and leaves her. He returns briefly after the trip to the vet at which time she begs him to untie her and he refuses, retapes her, and tells her he will be back. He doesn’t think about her for days. Luckily she is saved by a suspicious neighbor who hears muffled noises. The leather garbed lesbian neighbor, played by Debbie Harry front woman of Blondie, bursts through the door and frees her, possibly blossoming into a new relationship for April.

Ross is called back to the hotel by The Cook after a fight with Nikki over a prostitute he ordered for them to share. On his orders, Ross takes her to ‘wherever she wants to go.’ While Ross and Nikki cruise around town together, it goes down at Spider Mike’s house. The also meth-fueled police assisted by Frisbee who is wearing a wire raid his home and arrest everyone. Frisbee is shot no lethally in the balls by Spider Mike. At the same time the lab in the motel explodes, with The Cook barely making it out in time. Police are hot on his trail while he attempts to hide in a porn shop. Another rock star, Rob Halford of Judas Priest, makes a cameo as porn store clerk.

When Ross or other characters get their fix throughout the movie frame time speeds up or becomes choppy and sequenced. The characters lose touch with reality and the audience is brought in on their deteachment, but with the reality of the horror that the characters are either unable or unwilling to see. Also ALL the characters in this movie are on meth, except for Ross’s ex girlfriend Amy and a couple minor very characters. That includes the convenience store attendants, one of which is pregnant, Fatboy, and the police officers that interrogate Frisbee—who do lines in their squad car before the raid. This makes Ross’s ex effectively the only voice of reason.

Ross and Nikki get very high, taking multiple hits while driving down the interstate then pour their feeling and delusions out to each other. It’s revealed that Nikki has a son, shocking and ironic since she’s paid so much attention to her little dog, but never mentioned a child. He was taken from her because of her addiction. It’s indicated that Nikki’s mother also has some kind of issue, hinting at a rough life for Nikki with problems either inherited or brought on by trama that has spanned generations. Ross has ruined the relationship with the girl he loves and, as far as he knows, left another girl captive in his room.

They both conclude that they aren’t hooked and could quit at any time.

Ross eventually drops her off at the bus station where she plans to make her way to Vegas. They share a kiss and it seems that in a different life, or place, they could have been together. But, probably never to meet again Ross waves her off then returns to run an errand with The Cook who is already planning to rebuild his lab.

Together the men drive to the city. The Cook doesn’t offer him much of a choice, but Ross does reluctantly agrees to go because it will give him a chance to see Amy, who he still calls his girlfriend. This is when he has the encounter with her, the only sober person in this whole movie, and if there is a heart to this film I imagine this is where it’s meant to lie. Twitchy and greasy haired, Ross meets Amy who walks up like this mythical being in a sleeveless dress. She knows instantly that he’s high, dismisses him as ‘spun’ and leaves. He does not see her again.

Meanwhile The Cook has been with high-falootin’ gay meth dealers who set him up with ingredients to start a new lab. With the new supplies, Ross and The Cook travel again this time into the country. On the way we’re treated to a grim monologue about The Cooks mom killing puppies she couldn’t care for. I realize it’s supposed to be some sad insight into his past and make him more sympathetic or whatever, but I didn’t feel it.

The movie ends as Ross sleeps in the car while The Cook works in a camper. The camper is ignited as he explodes another meth lab, this time reaching his heavily foreshadowed demise.

Pretty dark on paper. Pretty dark on screen too, but it keeps a comical feel through most of the screen time. Cookie struggling to take a poop while Spider jacks off in the other room to a sex phone line, the dog turns green, and an incident involving the tv show Cops to name a few. Crude humor, but it suits the gritty ultrasharp world of the film. In the end, it doesn’t look good for Ross or Nikki or any of the others, but it’s not over like it is for The Cook. It serves as a reminder that at least they didn’t get blown up. Thus leaving hope for these deeply flawed, but sympathetic characters.

Well there it is. Take from it what you want.

Remember that Josh Peck once played a kid named Fatboy who steals VCRs and does meth.

I give it 3.5/5 FFs

#cinema #film #movies #summary #movie analysis #character analysis #brittany murphy #josh peck #jason schwartzman #mickey rourke #mena suvari #patrick fugit #rob halford #judas priest #debbie harry #billy corgan #movie review #tubi #best scene

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thegeekyzoologist · 4 years

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My opinion on Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (SPOILERS)

Like many people interested in the Jurassic franchise, I binge-watched that show back in september and here are my thoughts. First of all, I precise that I had no expectations for the series as the combo Jurassic World + kid show didn’t attracted me at all, and the trailers have done nothing but confirm my fears.

Let’s start by the positive: - Amidst the cringefest that the first episodes were, the scenes with Darius back home stand out from the rest by their quality as they are centred more on drama and character development and not on clumsy comedy like the scenes on Nublar. The idea of getting an access to Jurassic World and Camp Cretaceous as a reward for beating that virtual reality game reminded me the recruitment of Eli Wallace by the SGC at the very beginning of Stargate Universe. - Starting from the beginning of the season’s second half, the series gets better and a little more mature in its unfolding and writing, up to the point where it doesn’t seem targeted for young children but rather young teens. Some dumb scenes remain however (like the one of the geneticist Eddie, abandoned in the lab with the sole company of his birthday cake). - There is a few action and suspenseful scenes that aren’t bad in the second half with, among other things, a hide-and-seek game with the Indominus amidst the containers, a part in the tunnels that can remind some people of Telltale’s game, a monorail attack by the pteranodons which should have deserved a live-action treatment, and a climax in a storage area where the protagonists have to use their wits in order to defeat the carnotaur and escape from the underground network. On the matter of the carnotaur, one can note a nice paleontological reference with its difficulty to turn when it is chasing prey. - Of all of the characters, Roxie is the most realistic, responsible and reasonable one (and the only tolerable one in the first episodes). And let’s bring now the negative aspects: - On the matter of the original soundtrack, I don’t remember any of the original themes sadly. As I had the same problem when I viewed The Witcher though (I didn’t liked its first season but I rather well appreciated its soundtrack following a separated listening), I will wait for the release of the soundtrack before criticizing it further. - The first episodes are a total farce with a succession of all kinds of nonsenses with the bunch of stereotypical buffoons that the kids are that are involved in stupid acts by the night of their first day, acts that fall under Reversed Darwinism (the survival of the most idiotic like Grant would say in Jurassic Park 3) and that gave me the desire to give some slaps and send those Kennys to a firing squad (for the crimes of property destruction and, above all, endangering dinosaurs and employees); the infringements during the activities of hygiene and security rules that are applied in many theme parks and laboratories around the world (with the kids wandering around in the lab and touching to everything in a total dissidence; running down a zipline and brushing past brachiosaurs...); the counsellor Dave which talks to Wu like if he was an old pal of his while Wu is one of the highest corporate executive around and someone famous and respected in-universe; Wu being depicted with the subtlety of a fat beer-drunk sea lion (with his mannerisms and attitude worthy of a James Bond villain, we know right away that he is bad); cartoony action scenes (I mean bloody hell. Look at that Parasaurolophus that jumps off the jeep’s roof like he was a fookin’ kangaroo while the jeep itself wasn’t miraculously crushed under the hadrosaur’s weight); the employees and the park’s security being shitty (one enter so easily in the underground network that Biosyn could organise rave parties there right under InGen’s nose; Darius and Kenji being left with no supervision in the middle of the jungle while they are supposed to shovel shit as a punishment); the dinosaurs that passes too as incompetent for failing to kill the kids while such situations in real-life or in the first films would have unforgiving or barely forgiving but only at a certain cost. - Despite the ordeals they are going through, the kids seems to be never traumatised or at least shaken like the Murphys, Kelly Malcolm or Maisie were respectively in JP, TLW and FK since here, they seems to be in shock for a moment or two before starting again to squabble or quipping once they are away from danger. - At the end of the monorail attack scene, I thought that the writers had the balls to kill off Ben and I would have tipped my hat to this narrative decision and give more credit to this kid show if we didn’t had the reveal at the end that he was still alive. At the end, we just got another Billy Brennan situation. - Bumby is useless in this season, aside from encouraging toy sales and being the show’s cute caution and still, it’s relative as her closeups along with Brooklynn’s rapy face in episode 2 have scared me more than the predators’ attacks in the season’s second half. And her growth rate is so fucked up as she hatch in episode 2 before reappearing in episode 5 I think which is supposed to be set two days later, where she is already the size of a bulldog. And the scene where she cries while the kids are being kicked off the lab (for understandable reasons) is so ridiculous... - Aside from in the action and suspenseful scenes mentioned above in the positive aspects, the use and depicting of dinosaurs is either anecdotal, either WTF with the Sinoceratops being almost as gentle as a lamb (try to do with a hippo or a rhino what the Kennys did with the sino, I wouldn’t mind some funny antics...). I’m not a fan of the bioluminescent Parasaurolophus and their scene either. It seems like they wanted to copy the Na’vi River Journey’s attraction from Animal Kingdom in Orlando, with semi-aquatic parasaurs worthy of some outdated depictions from the last century. - Visually speaking, the universe and the artistic direction are poor. The jungle has the same look everywhere on the island (with trees of average height being relatively spaced from one another while the ground is covered with grass) and its scenery never seem foreboding or ominous while Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna were, in some way, entire characters in the films that sometimes aroused an eerie sense of mystery and danger, at east in the original trilogy and Fallen Kingdom. The park itself is quite empty too, even before the evacuation. There is only scene with a large amount of people and the latter seems to all share the same model and the same animation in addition of being blurred (probably as a camouflage for the lack of budget) and we don’t believe in this world as nothing grand comes out of the visited locations (aside from maybe the eponymous Camp Cretaceous) and that everything seems so bland, with even the employees being of the same corpulence, age group and behaviour except for a few exceptions. - Finally, let’s discuss about the coherence with the Jurassic World film, of which this show is supposed be a canon interquel. Even though if there is several nods to some of the latter’s events (Masrani’s helicopter is seen a couple of times; the Kennys take the ACU’s van; they walk past Zach and Gray’s destroyed gyrosphere and the killed ankylosaur’s body...) as well as other materials of the franchise, including JP3 and Masrani Global website, like if the show wanted to tell us “Hey look! I did my homework!” in order to please the fans. It’s one thing to make references to the rest of the saga and it’s easy actually, but it’s another to use them for something else than just fan-service. Despite all this, Camp Cretaceous has its share of inconsistencies with Jurassic World. I won’t list them all since it wouldn’t be that interesting but among other things, we have the mention of fences falling apart across the entire island while nothing like this happened in JW (it seems they mixed up the JP and JW incidents) or at least not on this scale; the kids visit a lab somewhere north of the park whose existence seems a bit off as the Innovation Center’s lab can do everything that lab does, in addition of housing Wu’s secret lab; the surroundings of the mosasaur lagoon which seems empty by the end of the afternoon while chronologically speaking, the scene is supposed to happen just after the pterosaurs attack (and thus the area should be crawling with employees that are looking for eventual late visitors, or the still running security cameras could have spotted the kids) and why did those foolish Kennys didn’t thought of going to the nearby hotels right after the ordeal with the mosasaur instead of hanging around in the bleachers up until sunset, hotels where a large number of visitors are supposed to be found up until quite late in the night according to the Jurassic World film? Anyway, Camp Cretaceous might have got a kick up the backside halfway through and the quality of the episodes did increased little by little but the whole season stays nevertheless mediocre and the viewing of the series is honestly quite dispensable, especially if you were disappointed by the Jurassic World films. Some will probably tell me that I’m being too hard with a kids show but actually, the fact that it is targeted for kids is no excuse for some flaws like a lack of ambition in the artistic direction, the shitty humour or the wtf scenes. Whether a work is for adults, for all audiences, or for kids, the creative investment and the work quality should stay the same.

#jurassic #jurassicworld #jurassic park #jurassic world camp cretaceous #camp cretaceous

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fortysevenswrites · 4 years

Note

For the character head canon ask, Karen (& Frank if you want to do him too) numbers 5, 12, 14, 20. :)

Karen

5. Guilty pleasures

10000% Karen’s top indulgence is her wardrobe. The uniform she adopts when she moves to New York of dresses/skirts and blouses comes from her childhood idea of the urban professional, which is like...the furthest thing from what she grew up wearing in northern Vermont.

Let’s be real--the white shirt she wears to see Frank in TPS2? Like...that is an INVESTMENT piece.

And of course, everything she wears is impeccably tailored, whether it’s what she wore as the receptionist for N&M, as a reporter (which, I know reporters, girl is DELIGHTFULLY over-dressed), and what she wears in DDS3 (other than what she wore on the run, which, she’s blending in for a reason).

12. Grudges and vendettas

There is nothing Karen Page would love more than to rip Wilson Fisk limb from limb for everything he’s done to Hell’s Kitchen, herself, and Matt and co. She dreams of the day she can plug him full of bullets and rid the city of his...Fisk-ness once and for all.

14. Ingrained habits/forces of habit

The first thing she does before she leaves her apartment is checks her gun--that it’s where it’s supposed to be in her purse, and easily accessible, just in case.

There’s also not a day that goes by that she doesn’t think about Kevin--wants to tell him a joke, share a meme that Foggy mentioned, joke about the subpar skills of the diner around the corner from NM&P that she sometimes eats lunch at.

20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

In another world, she stays clean and gets out of Vermont without being followed by her brother’s ghost. She feels guilty for leaving because Kevin does forego college to stay and help their dad with the diner. As with canon, she does accidentally become a reporter, and ends up getting head-hunted by Pepper Potts into becoming her communications director.

I also like the idea that, in another universe, she ends up taking a desk job at SHIELD in PR, and with the help of a certain hacker, ends up uncovering a certain plot involving heroin smuggling from the Middle East, where she meets a certain scout sniper.

Frank

5. Guilty pleasures

Dogs. When he’s not busy murdering bad guys or hanging cartel members on meet hooks, Frank volunteers at local animal shelters around NYC, because there is nothing that lowers his blood pressure more than hanging out with an excited puppy or two or six.

12. Grudges and vendettas

Ohhhhhh man, SO many. The man picks up grudges like normal people pick out apples at the market.

Billy. Agent Orange. Schoonover. The U.S. Military-Industrial Complex as a whole. Madani when they’re not on the same page. Lieberman for not making him a sandwich when they took that impromptu road trip down to Kentucky. Sand. Fisk for being trash AND for trying to kill Karen.

14. Ingrained habits/forces of habit

Many. They’re from his time in the military and the whole...Blacksmith incident, and are ALL trauma responses. Itchy trigger finger, inability to sleep deeply at night (or at all), always being armed in SOME way (usually a gun, but when he can’t get away with it, at least his KA-bar.

When he’s with Karen, he always sleeps with his back to the door, and always checks that the door and windows are secure before he goes to sleep, even if Karen’s already checked it.

His blood is 95% coffee, and he starts his day with two cups when he can get away with it.

20. What-ifs/Alternate Timelines

In a world where his family didn’t die traumatically, I do see him being the hot divorcee with partial custody of the kids. He works with vets with Curtis, and its through a story about the VA and its failures where he meets a very attractive reporter.

Or, it’s when he’s being honored by the Maria Stark Foundation for his work in service of veterans that he meets Pepper Potts’ communications chief.

Also, there’s definitely a timeline where Frank is an Avenger. Reluctantly. Like...the B-Team if the A-Team is unavailable or under siege and Rogers HAS to call him in as a last resort.

Send me a character + a number and I’ll tell you my headcanons

#asked and answered #character headcanons

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spicybisous · 4 years

Text

Gemini Murderers: The Tyneside Strangler, Mary Bell

Trigger Warning: This post contains themes of child sexual abuse, murder, sexual solicitation, and child abduction. Caution is advised.

The Tyneside Strangler

Mary (nicknamed “May”) was born Mary Flora Bell on May 26th 1957 to Betty Bell (nee Elizabeth McCrickett)). Betty was just seventeen years old when she gave birth to Mary. It was unknown who Mary’s true biological father was, though she spent most of her life believing that her mother’s boyfriend (and later husband) Billy Bell. Billy was a habitual criminal who was eventually apprehended by police and charged with armed robbery.

Mary’s Home Life

Mary’s mother, Betty, was born in Gateshead in 1939, and was often described as very depressive and erratic. She became a prostitute in her early teens, and would frequently spend days or weeks away from home in Glasgow working. She was just seventeen years old when she gave birth to Mary, and due in part to Betty’s young age and her occupation, Betty made it excruciatingly clear that she did not want her baby. Just moments after Mary’s birth, Betty ordered doctors and orderlies to “take that thing away from me.”

Though Betty would be gone for weeks at a time at work, she would often attempt to give Mary away to friends and family, who all urged her to keep her baby and take responsibility for her. In fact, during the first few years of Mary’s life, it is said that Betty made multiple attempts to kill her daughter, making it look accidental,of course. Family members grew suspicious after Mary fell from a second-story window, and again when she mistakenly consumed sleeping pills; on one notable occasion, one witness could recall Betty giving her daughter sleeping pills “like candy.” After the fall, Mary’s medical evaluation showed that she had suffered brain damage in her prefrontal cortex, the area associated with decision-making and voluntary movements. Mary later reported that she fell victim to repeated sexual abuse. She stated that from the age of four, Betty would force her to engage in sexual acts with men, presumably, for money.

Mary was said to have displayed a number of dysfunctional behavior from a very early age, as observed by her teachers and peers. They would go on to recall how she would become extremely aggressive when upset by another child; her head would begin shaking violently, and she would frequently grab her peers by their throats. There were also complaints of Mary burning another student with a lit cigarette. Her aggressive behavior caused her to become isolated at school, as the other students grew fearful of her. On the rare occasion that someone confronted Mary regarding her actions, she spoke candidly and with little emotion.

Norma Jean Bell (1955-1989)

Norma Jean Bell (not related to Mary) was Mary’s nextdoor neighbor. All though Norma was two years older than Mary, intellectually, she was years behind her peers; because of this, she was said to have been very agreeable and easily influenced by others.

The slums of Scotswood were slowly being demolished in attempts to regenerate the area. Mary and Norma spent much of their time playing on a partially demolished street scattered with various derelict homes known as “Rat Alley.”

ATTACKED: Pauline

On May 12th, 1968, a local woman filed a complaint with the police, raising allegations that Mary had attempted to strangle her daughter, Pauline. Pauline described the incident, stating that Norma had pinned her to the ground while Mary grabbed her by the throat. Mary then began shoving sand into Pauline’s mouth. Eventually, Norma loosened her grip in Pauline, allowing her to get free and run back home. Unfortunately, the police failed to investigate the incident further.

MURDERED: Martin Brown (1964-1968)

On May 25th, four year old Martin was seen playing in the same neighborhood that Pauline was attacked in with his friends. Martin’s mother was alerted around 5:00pm that evening, claiming that Martin had seemingly been in an accident. When Martin’s mother arrived at Rat Alley, a group of neighbors stood outside as a man carried Martin’s lifeless body from one of the abandoned homes. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Newcastle hospital that night.

Though police were called to investigate Martin’s death, they were unable to draw a clear conclusion as to what had actually happened.

Nursery Break-In May 27th, 1968

On May 27th, just two days after Martin’s sudden and mysterious death, the Scotswood police were called to investigate a break-in at a local nursery. The police recovered three pieces of paper with the phrases “We murder. Watch out.” “I murder so that I may come back,” “We did murder Martin Brown” scibbled on them. Once again, the police dismissed the incident as a sick joke. The same day, Mary attended school and wrote the following excerpt in her daily journal:

“There were a crowd of people at an old house. I asked what was the matter. There has been a boy who just lay down and died.”

Near the bottom of her writing, she drew a picture of Martin with a bottle next to him, labelled with the word “tablet.” She also drew an emergency responder discovering the body. Again, this was brushed off.

MURDERED: Brian Howe (1965-1968)

A few months later, on July 31st, three year old Brian Howe accompanied some of the neighborhood kids in watching a few homes be demolished in Rat Alley. It is suggested that during this time, Mary and Norma had abducted Brian and took him to a nearby patch of uninhabited wasteland. Mary and Norma were the last two individuals to see Brian alive.

The Scotswood police received a call that night; they were asked to respond to a patch of wasteland, where they discovered the deceased body of Brian Howe. This time, it was very obvious to the police that the boy had been murdered.

Brian’s arms and legs were sprawled out from his half naked body. Pieces of his hair had been cut, and there were many unusual puncture wounds on his legs. It was later confirmed that these wounds were inflicted after Brian’s death, and Brian’s murderer had also mutilated his penis. The police immediately came to the conclusion that Brian’s murderer was young and a postmortem exam concluded that Brian’s cause of death was strangulation, and that the wounds on his legs were a poor attempt to leave initials on his body.

During the investigation, police were able to link Martin Brown’s death to Brian Howe, after realizing the striking similarities, and it was at this point that the police released an official statement that they were actively searching for a child-aged killer. They began interviewing people within the Rat Alley community, noticing that Mary would almost always appear and show great interest in the investigation. Additionally, she went around her school playground bragging about how she had strangled a boy. Many of Mary’s peers felt that she had some connection to the two boys’ murders, and finally, school administrators began noticing how strage Norma and Mary had been acting. Running with the neighborhood’s tips, the police requested to speak with Mary about her possible involvement in the murders, but were threatened by Billy Bell, her assumed father, instead.

At this point, the police were at a loss as to how to proceed with their investigation. Unable to interview Mary, they were unsure what other avenues they could take to bring justice for Brian and Martin. Mary was going to get away with it. It wasn’t until an alleged witness came forward, stating that they had seen the entirety of Brian’s murder. A nine year old boy from the nieghborhood claims he saw Mary and Norma murder and abuse three year old Brian Howe. Though the witness was nine, he suffered from a cognitive disability, which resulted in his mental maturity and functionality being somewhere closer to about four years of age. The boy explained to police how Mary had offered to massage Brian’s neck, convincing him that he had a sore throat which she was going to make better. Eventually, her grip grew tighter and tighter until Brian was dead.

Dr. Monica Rowbotham Child Psychologist

Both Mary and Norma were then questioned by police. Due to their young age, the police interviewed the girls alongside a child psychologist; Dr. Monica Rowbotham. Dr. Rowbotham explained that Mary seemed to be very high-strung and anxiety ridden, but also very tough and self assured.

David Bryson Mary Bell’s Lawyer

Mary’s lawyer, David Bryson, expressed that his client maintained her innocence in the incidents. It was said that Mary was distracted, asking for her mother and where her dog was. Both Mary and Norma were taken into legal custody that night. Because of Mary’s impeccable manners and inability to clearly understand the severity of the situation, police pitied her. Though she repeatedly denied any involvement in the murders, the evidence began stacking up against her.

Police had previously recovered a pair of scissors from the scene of Brian’s murder, and the notes from the scene of the break-in, as wellas Mary’s daily journals from school were all re-evaluated following her and Norma’s apprehension. Police immediately took notice of the drawing of Martin next to a bottle of pills, noting that that information was never made public, and only someone who was involved in his death would know.

On August 8th 1968 Mary and Norma Bell were formally charged with the murder of Brian Howe.

“Tears in court as girls are accused go boys’ murder.”

Mary and Norma’s trial kicked off on December 5th in Newcastle. Since the girls were so young, the BBC and ITV banned reporting on their news bulletins. The girls’ lawyers were also asked to sit beside them throughout the trial in order to ease their stress. During the trial, Mary and Norma both maintained their innocence, blaming one another for the murder. It was noted that Mary showed very little emotion (if any) until she underwent cross-examination. Only when she was asked if she attempted to strangle a pigeon, did she begin to cry. Throughout the trial, which lasted only nine days, Mary held her composure, and answered questions swiftly. Norma, on the other hand, seemed very unsure of herself and appeared coerced. After careful consideration of the girls’ testimonies and psychiatric evaluations, the jury determined that Mary had showed no remorse or anxiety throughout the trial process; they concluded thatMary demonstrated psychopathic tendencies and was a danger to society. Taking into consideration her mental evaluation, Mary Bell was found guilty of manslaughter on the ground of a diminished sense of responsibility. She was initially sentenced to life imprisonment. Norma Bell was acquitted of all charges on the grounds of being coerced and “simple-minded,” and she was able to return to her home in Scotswood.

Mary’s age was also greatly considered during her sentencing process, and the court determined that they needed to not only incarcerate Mary, but to rehabilitate her. Unfortunately, because of the uniqueness of her crimes, the court was unsure where to end her. It was reported that she was originally sent to an adult prison, but was later moved to Red Bank secure boarding school in Newton-Le-Willows, Lancashire. Oddly enough, she seemed to fit right in during her six years there. It is worth noting that Mary was the only female student among twenty-two male students. However, due to the struggle to properly accommodate Mary and provide her a secure place to live within the facility, she was later moved to Brentwood, Essex, and enrolled in a facility for maladjusted children.

“Two Nights of Freedom with Mary Bell.”

During her stay, Mary’s mother Betty did her best to visit, but their relationship was strained. Mary repeatedly wrote her mother, begging her to take responsibility for the way she raised Mary so that she could be acquitted of the murders.

In 1972, Betty, who at this point was dependent on both alcohol and drugs, gave an interview wherein she blamed arguments between Billy and herself as the cause of Mary’s behavior. She claimed that Mary was unable to form meaningful connections with others. Following this interview, the general public agreed that Betty’s public breakdown was just one contributing factor of Mary’s problems. It was reported later that Mary was selling interviews and stories to news outlets, and selling pieces of Mary’s handwriting. In total, Mary spent just twelve years of her life in incarceration. Throughout her time served, she never once owned up to her crimes, nor did she display any sense of grief or guilt for the victims.

In 1972, the BBC show Midweek reported that Mary appeared in photographs, nearly naked and posed, as a child. The show also stated that Mary had been included in, as well as witnessed, sexual incidents while in holding. She was also apparently provided with pornographic books and photos. It is alleged that the photographs were taken by Mary’s mother, Betty. The photos ranged from Mary posed in her underwear, to Mary wearing some of her mother’s more suggestive clothing pieces. It was not clear at the time whether any staff members had been present when Betty took the photographs or not. In addition to the photos, the show made claims that Mary did not receive adequate mental assistance, and that the Department of Health and Social Security refused to investigate the issues accordingly. In 1977, newsbroke yet again after Mary and another inmate had successfully escaped from Moor Court, the prison facility in Staffordshire. The two women were picked up by a motorist and spent two days and two nights exploring pubs and taking the local train. It was reported that Mary escaped the prison in order to lose her virginity. After being apprehended by police once more, Mary was sent to Risley Remand Center for the next three years leading up to her official release.

“Mary Bell turns down offer of new identity.”

By the age of twenty-three, the court deemed her no longer a threat to children, and agreed to release her. She was even offered a new identity, which she turned down. Mary did go on to give birth to a daughter following her release from prison. She made the decision not to discuss the nature of her crimes with her child until she felt she was old enough to handle it, however, after media reporters discovered her daughter (and their home), they were sent literally running from reporters with sheets through over their heads. At this time, Mary’s daughter was fourteen years old, and both were granted life-long anonymity and new identities. The court and many media outlets reported the intent of Mary’s incarceration to be supportive and extremely successful. They claimed that she was a spectacular case of criminal rehabilitation, however, newspaper reports clearly seemed to paint a much more candid picture of her experiences.

Sources:

Sereny, Gitta. Cries Unheard - Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell. New York: Metropolitan Books, 1999.

Sereny Gitta. The Case of Mary Bell. London: Arrow Books, 1972.

#writing #true crime #murder #murderer #spicybisouswriting #writer #investigator #investigate #investigative journalism #mary bell #mary bell UK #mary bell murderer #gemini #gemini murderers #tynside strangler #the tyneside strangler

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tibby · 5 years

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Can you speak more on Steve Harrington's trauma? I've never seen anyone address it, seemingly dismissing his character as just a "dumb mom friend" or whatever...

sure! i’ll stick to the show with this, because even though i have a lot of thoughts wrt steve and his life and why he acts the way he does, it’s all personal interpretation and not actual canon (though would happily discuss those more anytime.)

before i get into any specifics with regards to what steve has been through during the show, i do want to discuss a little about what we can assume of his relationships pre-nancy, and pre-everything:

canon doesn’t give us a lot to work with in regards to steve’s parents, but based on what we do know, it doesn’t seem good. we can assume that they’re somewhat neglectful and have an unhappy marriage, presumably featuring adultery. he only refers to his father as an asshole or a douchebag and seems reluctant to follow in his footsteps. it seems like he has a slightly better relationship with his mother, but we also don’t know much about her outside of her following his father on business trips because she doesn’t trust him. regardless of how people personally interpret how bad it is, at the very least, he seems lonely and uncomfortable with his family.

up until the final two episodes of season one, we know that steve is king of the school and uses this power to his advantage. but despite his clout, he doesn’t seem to have any actual friends outside of tommy h and carol (and nicole, i guess, but she appears in like three scenes and we don’t really know much about her.) and tommy and carol aren’t good people. it’s not just that they’re horrendous bullies to jonathan and nancy, but they’re not great to steve either, given how quickly tommy turns on him. how quickly he threatens him, and how scared steve is in that moment. and given that tommy participates in mocking steve with billy a year later, it clearly was never that healthy of a friendship. your only friendships being with toxic people who don’t care about you as a person is always going to be damaging, regardless of how “popular” you are.

(steve’s unpleasant family/friendships pre-nancy seem backed up by a quote from the duffers that i can’t read because it’s behind a paywall but is referenced in the wiki: “what kind of family life [Steve] comes from and maybe this girl Nancy is quiet and listens in a way that other people haven’t listened to him at this point.”)

which brings us to the show. steve finds someone, maybe the first person who’s ever really cared about him, the girl he really likes. and he’s protective of her and wants to be with her and ends up fucking up in the process (i maintain that steve had every reason to go after jonathan for the photos, but he was absolutely in the wrong for the slutshaming and the alleyway fight.)

but the fight shifts something in him, makes him want to right his wrongs, so he finally dumps his toxic friends (one of whom physically threatens him in the process) and goes to apologise. and walks right into a monster trap.

steve gets no context as to what’s happening when the demogorgon shows up, doesn’t get any explanation from jonathan and nancy (not that they’re at fault for that, given the circumstances,) and is basically just confronted with the sudden knowledge that monsters are real. and he ends up saving nancy and jonathan from it.

in an ideal world, the trio would have helped each over with their trauma together and would’ve been friends and would’ve had more natural progressions of their relationships. i don’t like reducing nancy and jonathan’s traumas to Just the monster thing, but it’s how the show tends to handle it, and i really feel like steve’s own trauma with what happened that night should have been addressed even slightly, particularly in relation to the two of them.

(quick sidenote: my issue with the way the show handles jonathan/nancy and their “shared trauma” is a whole other thing, but i really don’t understand how the show can basically reduce it to the fact they fought a monster together, and then leave steve out of the equation entirely. i wouldn’t have an issue if the show actually looked into the trauma both jonathan and nancy have outside of the monster stuff, but since it refuses to develop that, it…bothers me that steve’s role in what happened and resulting trauma is shoved aside, and they both now just ignore his existence entirely.)

but the show didn’t do that, so let’s get into season two, and steve harrington’s very rough week:

gets dumped! it should be noted that i don’t blame nancy for the breakup, nor do i think she was a bad person who set out to harm him. she’s a confused seventeen year old girl dealing with the loss of her best friend, and i don’t think she deliberately led steve on for a year or knowingly lied to him about her feelings. but it’s still going to be hurtful when your significant other reveals that they didn’t love you, they only thought they did. and steve loved nancy, cared about her, took comfort in her - she was the first person to listen to him, to care about him, to like him for who he really was, not for the mask he put on. i wish they’d gotten a proper conversation about their relationship in either season two or three, particularly as the destruction of the high school fairytale (the relationship between the coolest guy in school and the girl next door) is an important element to both their characters. i know steve says that he’s over her in season three, but i still know that that’s an incredibly heartbreaking thing to go through, even if it wasn’t a relationship based on an illusion - the kids that they were before.

gets involved with more monster hunting stuff, this time with a bunch of bratty middle schoolers! overall, i think stranger things handles the collective trauma the entire gang have like…terribly. i find it weird that it’s been three seasons and the only time the party/the teens/jopper are ALL together is in the final two episodes when it’s Boss Battle time. and i know i shouldn’t expect much from a show which barely lets separate people handle their trauma, but i feel like…maybe they should all like, sit and talk and comfort each other? keep an eye on each other? i don’t know. i think the trauma steve has is trauma he would share with all the others, especially since season two properly involves him with all the monster stuff (plus fighting them is hard enough without also having to deal with his past experiences, a big head injury, and the lives of a bunch of thirteen year olds in his hands.)

gets beat up! again! this time it’s not deserved! i really don’t understand why the fandom acts like steve’s repeated injuries each season are a joke and not like…a genuine cause for medical concern within the universe. i get that it’s basically played for laughs in the show and this incident in particular is used to once again highlight how violent billy is. i don’t have much to elaborate on here but i feel like someone needs to check in on steve and all the head related trauma he’s suffered through in the past eighteen months.

and after all of that, steve is just…left on his own to deal with it. he gave up his friends for nancy, and they weren’t particularly good friends in the first place. nancy left him. he and jonathan don’t ever talk. all he has are the kids and it’s not as if he can really talk about his trauma with a bunch of fourteen year olds. out of all the main cast, he’s the one that has the least support when it comes to this. nancy and jonathan have each other. joyce and hopper have each other. the party has each other. the byers family has each other. el and hopper have each other. but steve doesn’t have the same support system, and there’s nothing to suggest in canon that he actually interacts with the other teens/adults.

steve’s left alone in general, really. he maintained somewhat of his social status following the events of st1/st2, since he mentions being prom king to robin, but does he really…have any friends his age? he lost tommy and carol when he chose nancy, and those two latched onto billy (who, again, is someone who hurt steve and who steve does not like.) he and nancy broke up, and considering he shared about ten words with her and jonathan in st3, it’s safe to assume he’s not really friendly with them. and we don’t ever see any acknowledgment that steve has friends his age, even if it’s just…normal people who don’t know about the monster stuff.

it’s not until he meets robin that he really finds someone he can talk about any of this with, and even then it just comes with more trauma. i feel like steve’s experiences tend to get played for laughs and i really got that vibe in season 3. steve was tortured and drugged. he took another beating, arguably his roughest one yet. he and robin both thought they were going to die down there. it’s not really handled at all within the show, but it’s a lot for someone to go through, especially when combined with the past year and a half of steve’s life.

anyway. i don’t think the show will ever actually address steve’s trauma (or anyone’s, really) which is sad because like the others, he’s been through a lot and i think some acknowledgement/discussion of it would further help his character development. but i guess that just isn’t as funny as writing him off as an idiot and a loser.

#under a cut because this got long lmao #ask #Anonymous #meta

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 4 years

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Running Scared: The Story

So Running Scared is a buddy-cop movie, right?

Well, heck, you might say. If it’s a buddy-cop movie, I may as well not read the plot description. A by-the-book cop is forced to work with a wild-card cop to catch the criminal and save the day, while learning to respect each other. The boss gets mad at them, the car gets destroyed, they’re pulled off the case, and solve it anyway, breaking procedure in the process.

Okay, so you’re not wrong about that second half. Got me there. Buddy-cop films tend to not have a whole lot of variety when it comes to cliches, but then again, the same could be said of most genres. And hey, cliches aren’t necessarily bad.

Before you write off Running Scared as just another attempt to cash in on Beverly Hills Cop, though, there are a couple of things to consider: for one thing, there’s no ‘by the book’ cop. And these two certainly aren’t being forced to work together. These guys? They’re good friends.

Let’s take a look at the setup. (Spoilers below!)

Two undercover Chicago cops, Danny Constanza (Billy Crystal) and Ray Hughes (Gregory Hines), spot two criminals they recognize: drug dealer Julio Gonzales, and one of his associates, ‘Snake’. Gonzales, recognizing the pair, drives off before the two can investigate further, but before he does so, he gives Snake a briefcase, which Snake runs off with, and I’m sure is totally legitimate.

Danny and Ray pursue Snake to his third-floor apartment, where they threaten him with a search warrant. And physical harm.

“Listen, Snake, here’s the situation: I have this gun here. Now I am going to take the gun out and I am going to shoot a lot of holes in the door. If you are standing in front of the door, what can I tell ya? Some of the holes are gonna be in you. Ya catching my drift, Snake?”

Snake lets them in.

The pair open his case, and discover what was so important in there: $50,000.

Unfortunately, possessing $50,000 isn’t evidence of wrongdoing in and of itself, and Danny and Ray can’t make an arrest. Danny, having an idea, steps outside the apartment, onto the balcony, and makes an announcement to anyone in the neighborhood:

“This block is being designated a Neighborhood Watch Area. There’s a guy up here named Snake. He’s wearing garage-sale clothes and the top of his head looks like a parakeet. He also has FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS in small bills in a briefcase. As his neighbors, it is your responsibility to make sure there are no suspicious characters or evil perpetrators lurking in the area who would seek to do him harm. Again, FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS in small bills, tax free, in a briefcase right in this apartment. Which has a really cheeseball lock! You can bust your way in there, bop him on the head, take the money, nobody would know! So it’s UP TO YOU. Thanks a lot, have a good day.”

Snake, realizing the tough spot he has just been put in, punches Ray in the face so they have an excuse to book him.

While the pair take Snake to the station, they discover that the money in the briefcase belonged to Julio Gonzales. After a few stops, one at a funeral for Danny’s aunt and the other at the scene of an apparent rooftop jump, the pair take the criminal in.

While at the station, Danny’s ex-wife, Anna, comes in to give him some news: she’s getting remarried to a dentist. During this discussion, a lawyer comes in with a check for $40,000 for Danny, left to him by his deceased aunt. Danny is left, presumably, with a severe case of mood whiplash, as he still clearly has feelings for Anna, and is now saddled with quite a bit of cash.

At this point, the plot decides to get going.

See, as it turns out, the ‘suicide’ from earlier wasn’t quite what it seemed. For starters, the victim was a cop, and he didn’t die as a result of the jump. He was drowned first. And seeing as it’s pretty hard to die from jumping off a building after you’ve already died from drowning, the captain of the precinct puts Danny and Ray on the case to figure out who did the police officer in.

The pair decide to use Snake to get to the bottom of it, and convince him (via withholding all but $5,000 of his $50,000) to lead them to Gonzales, planning to get enough evidence to arrest him. Snake agrees, (again, reluctantly) and leads them to the meeting place, a cargo ship. While there, they discover that Gonzales is in possession of a box of Uzi machine guns. During the meeting, Snake pretends that he is in danger, and Danny and Ray rush in, only to be surrounded by Gonzales’s men. Gonzales announces that he plans to be the next godfather of Chicago, and has one of his lackeys shoot Snake. As the guns turn on Danny and Ray, two detectives, who have been serving undercover in Gonzales’s gang, announce their identities, and after an ensuing gunfight, arrest most of the gang except Gonzales himself. After another brief chase, Danny and Ray corner and arrest Gonzales and take him in, clearly expecting to be praised.

Back at the precinct, Captain Logan chews the pair of them out for busting the undercover operation and then needing to be rescued like rookies. He also orders them to go on vacation.

So, they do.

To Key West, Florida, to be exact.

While they’re there, during their Good Times Montage, Danny decides to quit the force, and convinces Ray to retire as well, so they can open a bar in Key West with the money left to him by his aunt. Ray agrees, and after their vacation, the pair return to Chicago to deliver their 30 day notice.

They also find out that Julio Gonzales is out of prison on bail.

Enraged, the two vow to not leave the force until after they put Gonzales away for good, and set off to find him, intending to be a little more careful this time. On top of that, however, Captain Logan has given them a new assignment: training their replacements before they go, the same two undercover officers from the previous bust.

After an incident involving Gonzales getting away again (This time with Danny and Ray’s pants), the duo are left empty handed (aside from Gonzales’s impounded car, which is towed after Ray spray-paints a no-parking zone around it).

This is probably what the captain is talking about when he tells the two cops they’re ‘training’ that he better not catch them doing anything like what Ray and Danny do.

Armed with a new and improved version of the beat-up car they’ve been driving, (including updates like bulletproof windows, which unfortunately do not roll down) Ray and Danny follow a tip from a criminal to where Gonzales is expecting a shipment of cocaine. When they get there, however, there are already police officers on the scene, who discover a packet of cocaine estimated to be worth $3 million. The credit for this find goes to the two undercover cops Ray and Danny are training, and the two are further irritated by the fact that Captain Logan is already treating them like they’re retired. As the pair head off, they are stopped by a drug agent, who has examined the cocaine and determined that it’s an inferior grade, and, in all likelihood, a decoy for the real shipment.

At this news, Danny and Ray immediately head off to try to find the real shipment, and when they see Gonzales meeting with a priest and nun at customs, they assume that the drugs must be in the area. Gonzales spots them and drives off, leaving the priest and nun at the platform. Ray and Danny, driving their police car disguised as a taxi, pick the two up and take off after Gonzales, leading to a chase scene on railroad tracks. In the chase, Gonzales’s vehicle is destroyed by an oncoming train, but he manages to get away. Danny and Ray are left with the priest and nun, who they suspect of smuggling drugs inside the ceramic containers within the suitcases they carry.

At first, they appear to be wrong. At the station, when no drugs are found within the containers, Danny and Ray apologize for being mistaken and the priest and nun are released. However, the two discover that while there are no drugs within the containers, the ceramic containers themselves are made of pressed cocaine. The partners get a new lead on Gonzales’s location, and head out for a stakeout.

Par the course for this film, this doesn’t go especially well either. Gonzales has arranged a trash compactor truck to meet them there and destroy their car (with them in it) if they refuse to return his drugs for a bribe, which, of course, they do.

The pair escape through the back window in the nick of time, but they’re too late. Gonzales is gone. The next day, Ray and Danny take Gonzales’s impounded car out in search for him, and later that day, Anna comes to Danny’s apartment to give him an insurance policy she found, and the two have an argument about Danny’s immaturity.

“You can’t be a kid your whole life, you’re gonna have to grow up!”

“Why? I don’t like grown ups.”

After their heated discussion, Anna leaves the building only to be kidnapped by Gonzales’s men, used as a hostage, offering a trade: Anna for the drugs. If Danny doesn’t comply, Anna will be killed.

Lucky guy that he is, Gonzales has just hit Danny’s Berserk Button.

“If you hurt that lady, you’ll never be dead enough.”

Danny agrees to the trade, and with Ray’s help, takes the drugs from the evidence room as they prepare to take Gonzales down. The plan shakes down like this:

Danny is going to enter the meeting place, the Illinois State Building, with the drugs while Ray sneaks in through the basement. The two plan to arrest Gonzales after the trade, rescuing Anna in the process.

Considering the way their plans have been going so far, it’s not far off to bet that things go wrong, and sure enough, it doesn’t quite go according to plan.

The only way up from the basement turns out to be the window washing rig, which compounds Ray’s job quite a bit. Meanwhile, during the trade, Gonzales orders one of his underlings to open fire on Danny and Anna, both in transparent elevators right next to one another. Danny orders Anna to drop to the floor and shoots the underling as Ray enters the building, hanging from the window washing rig. At the same time, the undercover cops the pair are training enter as well, and a shootout ensues, all set against the lovely backdrop of Christmas decorations.

Danny rescues Anna, taking her to safety before returning to the action. He and Ray take out Gonzales, even though there’s some contention over who fired the fatal shot, Anna and Danny lovingly reunite, and the two cops decide that Chicago still needs them, and not to retire after all.

Thus ends Running Scared, competently wrapping up loose ends with a happy finale for all on the right side of the law (except for maybe the dentist Anna was going to marry). If I were asking if this was a ‘competent’ ending, I would have nothing more to talk about.

But I’m not.

I’m asking if it’s a good ending.

Or indeed, a good movie in general.

Let’s start with that second one, actually.

Running Scared is chock full of cliches and tropes. From the angry police chief to the car getting destroyed, it merrily tromps through its plot, checking off traditional buddy-cop story devices one by one, except for the biggie: there is no conflict between the cops themselves. They are in total agreement in everything from procedure to their personal lives. There is no ‘real’ arguing, there is no distrust or rivalry. They are very close friends.

Does one subversion make for a good movie? No, not by itself. But the way this film emphasizes that subversion really does elevate it, in my opinion, to something special.

The story? Not that original. The setting? Eh, if you wanted a good look at Chicago, you could just as easily pop in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or The Blues Brothers. The action? It’s the ‘80s. It was everywhere, and there were plenty of movies with more action than is found here.

In the case of Running Scared, the uniqueness of this film really comes from how the characters interact with the story, rather than the story itself. Specifically Danny, who the film seems to be a little more centered on, especially during that final act. Which seems kind of odd, considering the fact that on first glance, there really doesn’t seem to be that much character development for him, or anyone at all for that matter. But on a closer look, it’s a little different than that.

See, the interesting thing about Danny is that his life drives the plot. It’s his inheritance, his bar, his ex-wife that’s been kidnapped, and his immaturity that caused the split in the first place. Ray, as central and important as he is, mostly tags along and helps Danny out. When it comes to the actual story, it is Danny’s relationship with both Anna and Ray that brings everything together. It is his believable warm, easy chemistry with both characters that, in my opinion, puts this on a level comparable to, but different than, other buddy-cop films of the day.

Once again, at first it can seem like there’s no development in the movie, and after all, isn’t character development what can make or break a film?

Absolutely.

It’s not overt, but there is a subtle shift in Danny’s behavior throughout the film as he takes more and more responsibility for his actions, acting, as it were, a little more mature. While ending the film still largely a Deadpan Snarker Cowboy Cop (much like his partner), the kidnapping of Anna and her words to him before it happened change his attitude for the final act of the film. He takes the situation completely seriously, arguably for the first time in the movie, and demonstrates to Anna that he can be a grown-up, especially when it concerns people he cares about. Danny’s mildly Man-Child ways are brought up a few times in the film, about as consistently as the subplot involving his ex-wife who he clearly still cares for, his development is less about him becoming less of a wild-card cop than it is him taking responsibility and taking his job, and his life, a little more seriously. Is it pointed out? No, not really. In fact, you kinda have to squint to see it. The change is pretty subtle, and it’s a little rushed, as it takes place during the equally rushed last act of the film. For all of its good points, the movie does have a tad of a pacing problem towards the end.

However, it does make a difference. At the end of the story, the characters decide not to retire, to continue protecting the city. That wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying an ending as it is had it not been for the slight changes in the protagonist, notably Danny (whose idea it was in the first place) and his increase in maturity. Also more satisfying as a result is his reconciliation with Anna, again, not as effective if it wasn’t for the actual display of responsibility.

Back to our questions.

Is Running Scared a good movie, and does it have a good, satisfactory ending?

Very simply: Yes, to both.

Is it great? No. It’s by no means a work of art, but it’s not really supposed to be. It’s supposed to be a funny buddy-cop movie, and at that, it very much succeeds. It gives us some likable characters, a competent story, and enough chemistry and laughs to more than make up for the heap of (not inherently bad) cliches that fill the script. In some ways, it’s very much a standard buddy-cop film. In others, it’s just a little different, making for a combination that sets this film a little apart from the rest.

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, stay tuned for more articles on some of the other facets that make up Running Scared, and don’t forget that my ask box is always open for discussion, suggestion, question, or conversation. I hope to see you in the next article.

#Running Scared #Running Scared 1986 #1986 #80s #Film #Movies #Action #Comedy #Crime #Thriller #Buddy Cop #R #Billy Crystal #Gregory Hines #Jimmy Smits #Darlanne Fluegel #Peter Hyams

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