#also - mike did you even shave that day?

[exsqueezememacaroni]

Mike Patton micro-movements that drive me batty: the eyebrow raise and smile and "ok?" (and the sweaty baby hairs on the back of his neck)

X

#mike patton #faith no more #ok so it was 1 gig for two 2 second gifs #things i think about daily #also - mike did you even shave that day? #no no you keep that patchy stubble - you're 41 - you've earned it

[janitorhutcherson]

Marked Only for Me (Olderbf!Mike Schmidt NSFW)

hii!! okay, i have never written smut before, so i am begging you all to plz be patient with me! this is very long, so my apologies.this is a part of my olderbf!mike series, so hope u guys likeee. also, for this let's make the assumption mike went to college and all of that before his security jobs. he just had burn out and was there, hence why he's working for a major company with what would be little experience. anyways, lmk what u think!

summary: mike comes home and needs to blow off some steam

warnings: nudity, sex, name calling, hair pulling, choking, marking, possessiveness, an implied free use situation, fluff at the end!!

word count: 2,925

nsfw after the cut!!

You were sitting at the kitchen table doing homework in the home you shared with your boyfriend, Mike. You're 20, a couple of years into college, drudging through math problems that make your head feel like it's sitting inside a frying pan. You had to admit this wasn't your ideal way to relax after a 10-hour shift at the bookstore you helped run. Things had been hectic with Black Friday, your store doing a special sale where everything was 50% off, and bookworms were coming out of random corners to fill their already overflowing shelves for cheap. Of course, being younger, you were the one who had to do the grunt work, carrying piles of books to and from inventory, dealing with the more demanding customers as your older coworkers would tell you that they "just couldn't handle kids these days" and that it'd certainly be better for the younger one to do it. Luckily, though, Abby was at a friend's house, meaning you didn't have distractions. You were as focused as could be with a cup of coffee beside you, the sunlight that was once beaming through the cracks of the blinds now completely gone. You were focused, your brain functioning as much as it would with the problems. Things were quiet.

...That is until Mike stormed in. He was frustrated, angry, an invisible red-hot aura beaming off him. His hair was messier than it typically was. The softness in his eyes was instead replaced with a cold look. His eyebrows were furrowed together on his forehead, his jaw sharp and defined as he gritted his teeth. Although this wasn't common, it wasn't necessarily rare either. Mike worked for a publishing company as a marketing manager. He'd gotten the job after a few months of hard work to make up for the slack on his resume after working at the mall and the pizzeria. He moved up the ladder quickly, his company admiring his friendly attitude and his somewhat shy but personable behavior. He loved his job much more than his past ones. He felt happier, got more time off, was less stressed, and was definitely safer. Even with that being said, sometimes shit just pissed him off.

Today's big issue was a meeting with his marketing team, which also involved the big guy over his head. He felt like he was criticized, demeaned, dragged through the mud, and all in front of the team he was supposed to be respected by, listened to. On a typical day, this might not have pissed him off so much. He might've mentally plotted the demise of his boss, but he wouldn't have caused the outburst he did at work, and today had been particularly awful. He'd been late, burned his breakfast, knicked himself while shaving, and even gotten into what he considered to be a little fight with you the night before. Even though you'd both settled the argument, made up, and kissed before bed, he had been thinking about it all day. He'd then spilled coffee on his brand new tie, leaving a stain, and then... that happened. Mike snapped. He yelled at his boss, showing his ass in front of everyone, causing a meeting in his boss's office to end with an inevitable write-up. 

Now, he was home, trudging in all his bad energy, disrupting your study time. You couldn't even be frustrated with him, his demeanor proving he'd obviously had a bad day. You went to stand up to greet him with a hug, a kiss or two, but before you could, Mike stormed over to you, grabbing your arm harshly. You gasped, slightly thrown off by his sudden actions. He pulled you closer to him, his eyes locked on yours and his breath heavy against your neck.

"What the fuck, Mike?" you said, your eyebrows furrowed as you stared into his cold brown-green orbs.

"Listen to me," he grunted, his voice low and gravely. "I have had a very, very bad day, and I need you to be a good girl for me, okay? I don't want no shit, no back talk, you'll listen to what I say.. do you understand?" 

His hand still gripped your arm, his fingernails digging into your skin. You could feel yourself starting to drip, your panties feeling damp against your skin as your body buzzed with excitement. All you could do was nod your head, your eyes locked on his as they clouded over with lust. Mike snapped his fingers in your face, looking at you from underneath his eyebrows. 

"Use your words," he demanded. 

"Yes sir, I understand," you stuttered out, your cheeks flushing red. Mike's face was now pleased, his entire demeanor softening a little. His hand stayed wrapped around your arm as he tugged you into the living room, pushing you roughly onto the couch. You huffed from the impact, your eyes widening as Mike dropped to his knees before you. He slid your sweatpants off, prying your knees open to reveal your see-through pink panties soaked beyond belief. His eyes were hungry, his mouth open, almost drooling as he looked directly into your eyes. 

"All for me, babydoll?" he teased, his hand sliding in between your legs as he drew small circles around your clothed clit. You nodded your head as a whimper escaped your lips, the aching in between your legs only growing worse.

"What did I tell you?" he said, his words sharp as he smacked the inside of your thigh.

"Yes sir," you corrected, your words wavering after the impact from his hand. Mike nodded, satisfied with your answer, as he slowly slid your panties down your thighs, wasting no time. You gasped once again as the cold air hit your wet cunt. Mike exhaled sharply, taking a moment to admire you in front of him. His eyes trailed up to your pathetic look, your already-glazed-over eyes, down to your barely clothed chest, only a sports bra covering your breasts he loved so much, then down to in between your legs, where you were so wet, and all just for him. His lips trailed up to your tummy, sucking on the skin in different areas, from above your abdomen all the way up to right below where your sports bra stayed, purple marks forming.

He then dove in without hesitation, his large hands gripping your sides as he leaned in, moving one hand to take his index and middle finger to spread your pussy lips. His mouth instantly attached to your clit. You yelped as you bucked your hips forward, his lips meeting the sensitive area. Mike pinched your thigh, a sign to quiet down until he said to do otherwise, two of his fingers reaching out to be shoved into your mouth.

“Suck,” he demanded, his fingers going as far back down your throat as they could. You did what you were told, sucking on his fingers and drawing your own circles with your tongue. His tongue drew tiny and slow circles against the set of nerves, your hands reaching down to tangle in his hair from desperation. God, he loved eating you out. The way you yelped, quivered, shook underneath him, your hands tangled in his hair to keep yourself from going over the edge. He fucking loved it, you were the perfect cure to his anger, calming, something he could take it out on in a productive way that made everyone feel good. Your whines were suppressed as you bit your lip, your teeth digging into the softer skin. Mike pulled away for a moment, his eyes locking with yours once again as he admired your face, your now swollen lips.

“You know what, baby? Be as loud as you want for me now, princess,” he mumbled, going back to attacking your wet cunt. Slurping sounds filled the living room mixed with your moans and whimpers as his tongue slid up and down your slit, his lips wrapping around your clit to suck as hard as possible when his tongue wasn’t fucking inside of you. He moaned against you, the vibrations sending shivers down your spine. His cock was rock hard inside of his work pants, his own face flustered as he rocked back and forth against himself. His tongue continued to lap at your clit as he slid two of his large fingers in and out of you, your walls clenching around them. You could feel yourself drawing close and Mike could tell. Your thighs attempted to clench around his head, but before they could his calloused hands pried them open, holding them apart. Just as your eyes began to clamp shut, your thighs shaking as the knot in your stomach started to untie, Mike pulled away. You gasped as he slipped his fingers out, furrowing your eyebrows as you stared at him with an angry glare. He chuckled as he stood up, raising his eyebrows up and down as he leaned down, his hand lifting your chin up.

“Poor baby, was all ready to finish for me, hm? You were gonna be ‘Mikey’s little slut,’ weren’t you? That’s what you tell me you are, right? My little slut?” he teased, no remorse behind his eyes. You huffed, punching his arm before crossing your arm, too out of it to say anything from the knot that remained in your stomach but too angry to take initiative.

“Awh, don’t be mad, princess,” he snickered, shaking his head as he leaned further down to press a gentle kiss to your lips. “You really think I’m done with you?”

With that being said, Mike pushing you back on the couch. His right hand held you down as his lift struggled to unbutton his pants. He pulled his pants down, letting them fall around his ankles as he yanked his boxers off, his cock springing out. He stepped out of them, letting you go for a moment to unbutton his shirt before tossing it off as well. Mike then looked over to you, leaning forward, ripping your thin sports bra off of your chest, your breasts now exposed to him. He licked his lips, excitement overflowing his body. He crawled on top of you, attempting to make the two of you fit on the couch. His mouth attacked your nipples, biting and gnawing at your skin. His mouth moved up to your neck, sucking and prodding and biting until purple marks were left all around, ones you were all too aware would be impossible to hide later on. He moved down to your chest once again, marks all across your collarbone, your tits. Mike’s hands gripped onto your neck as he sat up, looking into your glossed over eyes. He pressed his lips to your ear, a soft kiss against your earlobe.

“’M about to fuck you so hard you see stars,” he said, his voice causing prickles to cover your skin. Then, without hesitation Mike slammed into you, his pace staggered. Your moans were as loud as could be, the sound of skin hitting against each other and the echoes of both of your voices filling the living room. His thrusts were sloppy as he felt himself starting to get close to the edge, his hands pushing your hips down and into the couch. Your entire body sunk into the cushions as he used everything in him, his cock abusing your poor cunt. You swore you saw stars until you felt his hand gently smack against your cheek, your eyes averting back to his gaze.

“You’re gonna look at me when I fuck you, princess,” he growled, his hand sliding up to your hair as he tugged. You grew close, clenching around his length, your thighs starting to shake. Your core was threatening to come undone.

“Fuck, Mikey, baby, I’m gonna fucking cum,” you whimpered out, closing your eyes as your head leaned back against the side of the couch.

“Cum for me, baby,” Mike stated. You did as he demanded, finishing around his cock as your liquids gushed against him. His thrusts grew sloppier before he pulled out, pressing a kiss to your lips.

“You’re such a good girl, you know that baby? You did so good for me, listening to what I said, letting me use your pretty cunt,” he stated, his thumb caressing your cheek. He then resituated, pulling you off the couch, pushing you onto the ground. You were now in the same position he was in earlier, completely fucked out. Your lips were dull from exhaustion, your cheeks red and your hair knotted in certain areas. Mike’s cock was directly in front of you, his hand guiding for you to suck on him. Your lips wrapped around his tip, the tip of your tongue licking his slit. You worked your mouth down his length, licking the sides. Mike’s moans became frantic, desperate as your mouth worked its magic. His hand tangled in your hair as he pushed your head up and down, thrusting up into your mouth.

“That’s it, baby, feels so good,” he grunted. With no warning, Mike pulled out, spilling his load all over your face. He twitched, his moans loud and low, your tongue stuck out to catch his cum. His body laid against the couch, feeling heavy as his head leaned against the back of his couch. A tired grin was on his lips as you also smiled up at him, licking yourself clean. Mike looked down at you, a chuckle releasing his lips. It was obvious all of the tension and anger was gone, as his once cold eyes were once again the soft loving brown they used to be. He looked at you with adoration, always amused by how gorgeous you were even after rigorous activity and getting your face painted.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said, picking you up bridal style as he leaned down to kiss you, not caring about his own load that was now on his face. He sat you down on the bathroom counter, grabbing a washcloth out of the cabinet, running it under warm water. He started to wipe away all of the liquids covering your face, pressing kisses to your skin here and there, looking your body up and down as he admired all of the marks he left.

“You always know how to make me feel good and how to take care of me after,” you croaked out, your voice laced with exhaustion as you smiled. Mike smiled back at you, his hand tenderly touching your cheek before pushing your hair behind your ear.

“I love you, of course I want to make sure ‘m taking care of you,” he said softly. His lips once again pressed against yours. “Thank you for letting me… you know.. blow off some steam,” he said, wiggling his brows.

“Of course, honey. I was worried, though. Is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?” you asked, leaning forward as you slid off of the counter, grabbing a new washcloth and beginning to wipe his face with it as well. Mike sighed, shaking his head as he looked at her with sad eyes.

“I just- I got into it pretty badly with my boss at work and got criticized, I felt like a wounded animal, like I had to fight. I’m so used to having to fight that I don’t know how to shut up and listen,” he mumbled. “It was so bad, Y/N, and I got written up after that awful day I had this morning… I just.. I don’t know. I do know I feel better now, and would feel even better if we cuddled for a bit and then went out for food?” he suggested, spilling his thoughts to you. You giggled, nodding your head as you reached up to press a kiss to him. You dragged him into your shared bedroom, the two of you cuddling up together under the blankets. You turned to your side, your eyes locked with his.

“I love you, Mike, so much. And I’m so, so unbelievably proud of you. Thank you, for always making me feel good too, for taking care of me, for being such a good brother to Abby, just… thank you,” you said softly. Mike looked back at you lovingly, his appreciation for you apparent.

“I love you, princess, you don’t even know how much,” he mumbled. His eyes were heavy. He leaned over and set an alarm for an hour from now, the two of you planning on a night of dinner out and grocery shopping. He curled his arm around you lazily, your body limp and exhausted against his as you yawned.

“Oh, and baby?” he asked. You hummed, lifting your head to meet his eyes. “Wear a crop top when we go out, I want everyone to see you all marked up.” You giggled as you laid your head down, drifting off to sleep.

When you two went out, you did just that, wearing a cropped scoop neck shirt with a low-rise flowy skirt. He showed off any marks you’d left, too, your possessive boyfriend holding you close anytime someone’s eyes linger too long. Mike was strange, possessive, and sometimes a little of what most would say was unsettling, but to you, he was the love of your life, the man who made you feel good, the one who fucked you until you couldn’t think. You loved him, and you always would, blessing you with a lifelong supply of angry sex and aftercare cuddles.

#josh hutcherson x reader #mike schmidt #mike schmidt fluff #mike schmidt x reader #mike schmidt imagine #josh hutcherson #josh hutcherson fanfic #josh hutcherson fluff #josh hutcherson imagine #mike schmidt smut #olderbf!mike

[octuscle]

I’d like to look like my hunky coworker! But I need some help doing that! He has hairy pits, big biceps, big beefy pecs, a nice bottom and he’s hung! Able to help me?

Phew! You're a long way from a hunk. Your colleague is really in a completely different league… But of course I can help you. Let me have a look… Listen carefully and do exactly what I tell you!

Thursday morning. The alarm goes off. It's 04:30. There is no complaining. You get up now. Got it? The large bowl of low-fat quark, protein powder and oatmeal mix is already prepared in your fridge. You eat it! Too much? I don't want to hear any whining, nothing comes from nothing. And I don't just want to change your appearance. A true alpha is characterized by discipline. Not laziness. And that's why you go to the gym at 05:00. The owner is your best friend. That's why you have the key. They don't actually open until 06:30. But then you wouldn't be able to do your morning routine before work. And your morning routine at the gym takes two and a half hours. You're still struggling at first. But slowly everything comes back to you. I mean, you're at home in the gym. How old are you now? 26 and a few months. You lifted iron for the first time when you were 16. And you never stopped. During high school and college, you focused on your career as a quarterback. But after you started working… No more time for football. Focus on your career. Focus on your body.

At 06:15, Mike comes over. He's working the early shift at reception today. His luck, your luck. Whoever has the early shift gets to relieve your first pressure of the day. You don't jerk off. Wanking is for losers. An alpha doesn't put his hand on his own cock. And Mike blows like a devil. And he knows exactly which protein shake you can use to make up for the loss of protein from your ejaculation.

The fact that the gym fills up quickly at 06:30 is also down to you. You're a legend here. Everyone wants to be like you. Everyone would love to have the honor of being the second person in the shower to relieve your pressure in an hour. A blowjob like that is okay, but before you go to the office, you have to have fucked an ass. But you're picky. The ass has to be tight. That's probably why it's always so crowded at the leg press in the morning.

Today, a college boy was lucky enough to have an ass that makes your huge powerful cock go off. And because he did his job well, he even gets to shave his cock and balls. He'll be able to tell his kids about that. If he ever fucks himself again. You won't remember his name. He's the tight ass who knows how to use a wet razor. That's all you need to remember. It's enough if he remembers that he has to address you as "Sir". Everyone has to do that. You're not like the others here. You are better. Much better. And therefore an arrogant asshole.

It's 08:15 when you get to the office. To the minute. You're always in the office at 08:15. That's when your coffee and muesli are on your desk. And your signature folder is exactly aligned next to it. You're not tidy, you're a control freak. At work. And in your private life. Not a hair on your perfectly coiffed head is not the way you want it. No colleague around you doesn't follow your lead.

You are only the second youngest department head in the company. Your hunky colleague did it a bit earlier. But you have the bigger biceps. And you're better hung than him. He knows that. And he really appreciates it. Usually around 10:30 a.m. during the breakfast break.

#alpha tf #male tf #muscle tf #reality change #ai image

[theauditionsareinhereright101]

Outer banks season 3 opinions no one asked for! Feel free to read, or not read. Im a waffler, so be prepared. Also, if anyone disagrees with what I’m saying, that’s completely okay! Im just here to share what I thought. Plus no one I know watches it, so this is my only platform 💛💛💛

Overall, very much enjoyed the season!! Well worth the waking up at 1 in the afternoon the next day because I was watching it well into the early hours of the morning!

JIARA:

It comes to no surprise that I was most excited for Jiara, and while I am very much satisfied with how it turned out, I have a few things that I would change. (But I want to clarify that I am very happy with what we got. Considering Jiara is pretty much all fan service, it’s mad that we actually got them. So thank you writers)

I remember thinking to myself when I finished season two, that I wouldn’t be able to deal with the slow burn being any slower, but now I’ve watched this season, I kinda think it should’ve been dragged out a bit more. I used to think I wanted a kiss this season, but after watching I wouldn’t be mad if they didn’t. Which goes against entirely with what I once thought.

Now this is probably a me issue, but now I’ve read pretty much every Jiara fanfiction out there, my expectations were very very high, and some parts of the ship this season didn’t reach it. In hindsight, the idea of it not feeling right is because I’m addicted to fanfiction is hilarious, and a me issue I need to sort out. It’s small things, like when JJ goes to Kiara’s house to get her so they can go rescue big John, only for Mike to be like nah. That scene would’ve been so great if JJ had that moment of being like “I love your daughter sir” instead he leaves really quickly without saying much.

The kiss (while beautiful and emotional), I wish it wasn’t in front of all those girls, cause stuff like public displays like that make me uncomfortable, and I wish it wasn’t brushed off as easily as it was. I get that they are in a rush, but come on now. 3 seasons we’ve been waiting. And there’s barely anything after that that even shows that they are a couple. Yeah they sit next to each other and walk next to each other, but they’ve been doing that back in season 1. Maybe it’s like, they’re JJ and Kiara, they don’t need to do all this coupley shit to show they are a couple. But I’m a slut for fluff! Which we did get a lot of from them this season, which was an aspect I really enjoyed!!!

Overall, I really loved Jiara this season, and I am excited to see what they do with them next season. Don’t fuck then up. Please for the love of God!

RAFE (and a little Ward):

I am never not entertained when Rafe is on my screen. He is hands down in my top 3 favourite characters. (Behind JJ, but in front of Sarah)

He’s got that complexity that has me crawling back for more every single time. I like the subtly of shaving his head to show how insane he’s become. They had me fooled at the beginning of the season. I was sat there like damn, they gonna make Rafe a good guy? No. No they are not. And I am very happy with that conclusion.

I’ll shoehorn Ward into this section while I’m here. While he’s been a prick, and I mean ABSOLUTE prick, I love his journey and how it ends. I believed him when he said he regretted doing that to Sarah, and his sacrifice made me cry goddamit!

Back to Rafe! Yeah he’s great once again this season. In other news, water is wet.

JOHN B AND BIG JOHN:

Honestly? I got kinda bored watching them 🫣

It just felt like the same thing every time. They go somewhere, something happens, they run away. I love me some John B tho, and I love what they did with Big John’s character. His character wasn’t what I expected, but I think that’s why I enjoyed him so much.

I think this season was a great reintroduction to Big John, as well as a great goodbye.

Not much else to say about these two 🙃

SARAH:

Okay, so don’t hate me for this.

I kinda liked what they did with Sarah and Topper. I didn’t hate their interactions. While I think it was fucked what Sarah did to John B, me personally? I’ve never been incredibly attached to John B and Sarah. I like them together, their chemistry is great, but they aren’t my ride or die couple.

But I like how lost she it this season. I mean she’s at a serious low point this season, and it’s so interesting to watch! She’s a chaotic messy mess and I love every minute. To see someone so highly regarded become so reckless is so satisfying to watch in a weird way.

Overall, love Sarah, Will always be in my top 3.

Pope

I loved pope this season!!

He was so manic this season, and it was so interesting to see! I think I’ve said that like 50 times. But to see him so angry and shit, it was such a cool contrast to him in the two first seasons. Him and Cleo are adorable, and I wish nothing but the best for them. I haven’t got much else to say about pope, other than that I love him and want to marry him. K bye.

KIARA (on her own)

I am so thrilled to say, that after 2 season of eh and ugh, I finally am of the opinion that Kiara is a queen!!!

I don’t know what it is, cause she’s not incredibly different to who she was in the past seasons, but something about her this season just made me fall in love!

I think maybe this whole JJ thing has grounded her. Finally someone who she is interested in, is showing hesitancy, which is a really humbling thing, which has made her character so much more relatable to me.

I’ve also never realised how funny she is. The girl makes me giggle man, and I’m not afraid to admit it. So yeah, big love for Kiara, keep it up!

JJ

Aaaaaaaaaaaa, JJ.

You never fail to make me smile.

You went through a lot this season, and I wish you the best! And I hope Kiara is treating you right! If not, I definitely will.

The scene where they all come home, and JJ has no one to greet, kills me everytime!!! Someone give this man a damn hug!!!

Kiara’s dad??? I’m sorry sir, I’ll happily go to prison if it means you’ll be off my screen and 6 feet under. I say this with love.

But yeah, JJ is at his most angsty, and I love seeing characters getting to show and feel their emotions. And he does that a lot this season. The scene where his insecurities about being with Kiara were so important for his character, and makes him so much more endearing, even tho he’s been that since season 1!

Still my favourite character, will always be 🤭

Random thoughts!

Wasn’t a massive fan of the 18 months later time skip. I read somewhere on Instagram that it might be a vision or a dream? I’m open to that idea, but who knows.

I didn’t like who little time we spent on the island. Would’ve loved to have spent the whole first episode there.

Would’ve liked a scene between Kiara and Pope talking things over. Would’ve layed to rest whatever was between them.

Carlos Singh was very meh to me. The amount of times he said ya know? My teeth were gritting and my eyes were rolling.

Wheezie? Never heard of her. Considering she’s BARLEY USED!!!

I love Anna Carrera this season. Sending her kid away is not great, but other than that? Loves her. Didn’t think I would after the past 2 seasons. You surprised me outer banks.

I’m very happy with how much I warmed to Cleo. I thought I’d find it hard, but I think she’s a great addition to the group, and I welcome her with arms wide open.

#outer banks #john booker routledge #kiara carrera #jj maybank #sarah cameron #pope hayward #cleo obx #outer banks season 3 #jiara #jarah obx #rafe x reader #ward cameron #rafe cameron #outer banks season two #obx netflix #jj obx #obx

[0nemorestranger]

really emotional over el's hair journey

i'm already a sucker for the "girl chops her own hair off = freedom" trope. imo it was best used in IT and mulan ofc. but i love how the duffers flipped it so that el's freedom was in growing her hair. the prior examples were done when stakes and emotions were high and these girls were scared. scared and ALONE. sure they got their validation at the end of their stories but before that there was a lot of fear and the "need" to prove themselves to an extent

el never had to deal with that as far as her friends were concerned. yeah they saw her as weird and off-putting at the beginning, but what 12 year old boy wouldn't? but then they became friends and el started letting her hair grow -- AFTER the friendship and AFTER hopper took her in. she still had a lot of shit to go through, but her feeling comfortable in her skin was done on HER terms. and she had friends and family to back her up along the way

and the gender politics?? al marsh to bev: "why'd you do this to your hair? it makes you look like a boy. / are you still my little girl? / are you doing womanly things in the woods with those boys?" and the fact that mulan had to bury her womanhood in an attempt to save her father (only to end up saving china in the process). And what did el do once max took her shopping? well, she didn't run to the makeup and dresses like how mike tried to make her look in s1. but she also didn't go straight to the frumpy flannels and baggy jeans hopper had her in in s2-3. yeah maybe her taste leans more toward fem, but at the end of the day i think it's safe to say she's comfortable with androgyny -- even with longer hair. and i think that's really neat and a take we don't see enough of

not to mention: el in s4, back with papa and hawkins lab. head shaved against her will, flashbacks showing us that even among other kids with similar abilities, she was the freak. and once again, she was scared. scared and ALONE

anyway long story short if the duffers kill her off like I think they might i'll be heartbroken. el was the reason i first fell in love with the show. BUT if they kill her without giving her her hair back, i'll be DEVASTATED

#stranger things #eleven hopper #jane hopper #eleven stranger things #i hope this makes sense it was a lot more articulate in my head

[thranduel]

i’m convinced that mike and el are somewhat like a "red herring" in this story. after all, one of the main genres of stranger things is mystery and the show has always been known for having so many unanswered questions and plot twists because the duffer brothers don’t like doing what’s “boring” and expected. in season 1 they also made a point of hopper getting mixed up with will and el during his investigation and he realised he was probably chasing the “wrong kid”. what if mike has also been with the wrong person this entire time and hasn’t realised yet?

what if the intention was to make mike and el a self-insert superhero x nerd couple just for the first season, because they didn’t think the show would continue and el apparently wasn't supposed to return anyway, and the writers are trying to trick viewers by making them think they’re stuck together because they technically became canon in season 1 and some people view them as “the main ship”, BUT instead they’ve actually secretly been planning the most incredible slowburn childhood best friends to lovers storyline THIS ENTIRE TIME that many people don’t expect unless they pay close attention to subtext and details (which is what they want fans to do) and they’re going to reveal it in season 5?

everyone will be on the edge of their seats and it won’t be boring or expected because so many people already think it’s unrequited when it ISN'T so they’ll be so surprised and it won't be forced or rushed because it was being built up the entire time (also leaving it for the last season is smart because 1. the relationship develops slowly and properly as the characters are figuring themselves out which makes it even more beautiful and worth it in the end and 2. if people are mad about byler being canon they can't do anything about it because it's the last season so it's not like it matters if they lose viewers lol). shawn levy also said “our show is an anthem for the marginalised and imperfect, precisely because the duffer brothers know from experience that the popular and easy road is rarely the most interesting one” and that immediately screams byler!!!!!!!!!!

some people say mike and el have been built up for 4 seasons (they have not, unless you consider “building up” to be a forced, rushed and unhealthy relationship where two kids don’t understand each other or feel like equals), BUT little do people realise that this entire time, byler was being built up alongside mike and el because will has been intertwined in mike and el’s relationship since DAY ONE. mike and el only met after will went missing and mike only found her in the woods when he was searching for him. she basically filled the empty hole that will left behind when he was missing and will did the same when el disappeared. in the season 1 trailer, there’s a voiceover from mike where he says “that’s not will” to show that was his first thought when he saw her. everyone in town said el looked like a boy because of her shaved head and some people actually thought she was will. el and will are two sides of the same coin. they both have traumatic childhoods, so many parallels (i made a video with all their parallels right after season 2 came out) and a special connection. they ended up becoming siblings and some people call them the twins. mike has never been able to balance his relationships with will and el at the same time and one of them always has to be far away or pushed to the side when he pays attention to the other.

mike only said his monologue to el because of will. will’s painting gave mike strength and made him feel loved and appreciated (no one else has made mike feel this way. he’s been insecure and felt inferior for so long until will made him feel better). mike’s monologue was basically a response to will’s monologue. will was in the frame when mike said “i love you” for the first time. mike fell in love with will’s feelings for him even if he doesn’t realise it yet. that’s why the painting has to be brought up again in season 5 because it’ll be the thing that finally makes mike realise his true feelings. mike only confessed to el because of will and that is a very big thing that people can’t just ignore. he thought will was talking about el when he was actually talking about himself he entire time. this painting was so heavily focused on and the duffer brothers said it took so long to make it perfect. the van scene also took hours to film so they could get every angle right. i highly doubt they put this much effort into will’s love for mike just to use him as a plot device to force another ship back together while will suffers all alone. that would be the most cruel and unnecessary thing they could do to a kid who has suffered enough. will's art and the d&d party is also a very personal thing between mike and will only. no one else. making it about another ship isn’t okay at all. they have to address it again because it’s important to both of them and it's the only thing that’ll make sense from a narrative standpoint. it would also be so beautiful to finally see two childhood best friends realise their feelings for each other after all the slowburn and build up and it would make rewatching the show so much more worth it because then you’ll notice all the little details.

anyways, mike and el don’t understand each other at all or have anything in common, but mike and will do. el said to mike “you think i’m a monster too” and she also said she feels like she doesn’t belong anywhere. will said to mike “you make [me] feel like [i’m] not a mistake at all. like [i’m] better for being different. and that gives [me] the courage to fight on”. mike makes will feel like he does belong.

mike and el become worse versions of themselves when they’re together because they constantly lie, pretend to be people they’re not and exclude their friends. mike and will bring out the best in each other and can be themselves with each other. el was the happiest she had ever been when she was without mike and spent time with max. will was the most devastated he had ever been when he was without mike and all alone. el looked at photos of boys in magazines after her break up with mike and she was smiling and laughing. will looked at a photo with mike in it after their fight and ended up crying and having a breakdown because he was so heartbroken. mike and will need each other the way they want to be needed and we’ve seen how much they struggle when they’re apart:

“maybe i feel like i lost you or something” AND “it’s hawkins. it’s not the same without you” - mike to will

“if [i] was mean to you or it seemed like [i] was pushing you away, that’s just because [i’m] scared of losing you, just like you’re scared of losing [me].” - will to mike

mike said meeting el was “simple dumb luck”, but when he told will about the day they first met, he said “i asked. i asked if you wanted to be my friend. and you said yes. you said yes. it was the best thing i’ve ever done”.

he stumbled on el by chance but walked up to will by choice.

mike and will immediately found safety in each other and saw a part of themselves in each other when they met because they were so similar and they were both lonely with no friends. they share the same interests and hobbies and use fiction to distract themselves and escape the real world. they've always understood each other better than anyone else. they confide in each other. they comfort each other. they help each other. they give each other strength. mike has been insecure in his own relationship for years and hasn't even been able to let his own feelings and struggles out because el has her own struggles too (and that’s understandable, i’m not blaming el at all. but the point is, they don’t understand each other and that’s why they shouldn’t be in a forced romantic relationship because it’s unfair to BOTH of them) and even when they try to communicate, nothing gets resolved because they’re never on the same page. mike and will on the other hand are always there for each other and take turns comforting each other and letting their struggles out which helps them both and it’s so important for their mental well-being. people seem to forget how much unresolved trauma these characters are struggling with and they’re still just kids. they shouldn’t be in romantic relationships if there’s no trust, honesty, communication and understanding.

mike and el lie to each other, spy on each other, invalidate each other’s feelings (even if it’s not intentional), don’t understand each other, barely communicate, have nothing in common and have no heart-to-heart conversations. they literally started dating due to emotional attachment because they saved each other during a traumatic time and because of societal pressure. their relationship was platonic and they were building a friendship but mike probably suddenly felt this pressure to get a girlfriend when lucas and nancy started teasing him about having a crush and because it’s just expected in society (the show has been calling out societal expectations and forced conforming since the first season). since mike has always been a nerd and no girls have ever interacted with him, he probably thought this was his chance. and what made him even more fascinated with el as the fact she has powers because mike has an obsession with superheroes. he had absolutely no romantic interest in el when he first met her and he was just being a kind and decent person by giving her a place to stay. he was planning to send her away at first because his priority was finding will, not focusing on a stranger. this is literally canon and it’s in the show. even after she stays, his attitude towards her constantly changes depending on his mood and how the search for will is going. his priority was always his best friend.

mike and will on the other hand are always honest to each other, they respect each other’s personal space, they confide in each other, they support and comfort each other, they understand each other better than anyone else, they communicate properly, they have so much in common, they have experienced similar struggles so they understand each other and feel like equals and they have so many beautiful heart-to-heart conversations. there is such a big difference here.

it’s like they’re literally trying to tell us who is actually supposed to be together and it’s been in front of us the entire time.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #byler analysis

[cocopowderrr]

SHIRLEY ROCKBOTTOM | HENRY CREEL FANFICTION

“ i’ll be your superhero !!! “

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

CHAPTER 3

The Hunt

The next day at school was pretty normal until it came to Henry's class. Dustin, Lucas, Will and Mike forgot to do their reading. Luna had done it, but she kept falling asleep in class.

“Boys…” Henry sighed as he looked at the 4 boys with disappointment.

“We were busy… then we discovered something, and then we couldn’t.. focus.” Mike spoke for himself and Will. Henry just raised a brow at them, and shook his head for their one dumb of an excuse.

“We were busy with Luna…. She got hurt, and we had to be there for her…” Lucas spoke as he looked at Luna who was sleeping, but woke up once she heard her name.

“I swear, I'm not hiding anyth-“ She looked around and realized that she was in her class. Dustin and Lucas raised their brow at what she said.

“Oh…” She looked at Henry and nervously chuckled.

“All four of you, detention after school. You'll do the reading three times, and I won’t let you go until you get the questions right. And Luna, you’ll be in my office at the same time.” Henry walked away from the bunch and started his class.

“Again, really? You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Luna slammed her hands on the table.

“Well, you shouldn’t have stayed up past your bedtime, young lady. Also, manners!” He frowned at her, and she apologized immediately.

“But we have stuff to do!” Mike protested.

“It’ll have to wait Michael.”

After school was done, Mike and the others stayed behind to do their homework and Luna was in Henry's office, again. She couldn’t believe it. She sat there waiting for him to come until he did. He entered with that sweet smile on his face, and took a seat.

“How’s your wound, Luna?” He sweetly asked.

“It’s almost like it never happened, how is that even possible?” Luna wondered as she woke up the next morning with most of her scratches gone like they were never there in the first place. Henry chuckled and changed the topic.

“Do you know why you’re here?” He raised a brow.

“No?” She looked away from him, avoiding eye contact.

“Luna!” He frowned.

“Alright, I'm sorry, I couldn’t sleep last night. I had too much on my mind…” The little girl sighed. “I mean, some girl came to my house yesterday asking if I had seen some girl with a shaved head, I was worried about her.” Luna said that on purpose to get something out of Henry, as she knew he was involved in Eleven's case.

“What girl came to your house???” Henry became serious, making her gulp.

“Her name was Kali. She said she was looking for that girl. Apparently, she went missing.” Luna replied, acting normal like she doesn’t know anything that her friends told her.

“Brenner….” Henry mumbled. He got worried for Luna's safety. But he had nothing to worry about, Luna is a normal kid who doesn’t knkw anything.

“I appreciate your concerns, little one. I'll let you go… just this once.” He sighed like he didn’t have a choice. Luna jumped off of her seat and gave a big smile.

“Thank you, Mr. Creel. I promise I won’t disappoint!” Henry chuckled in response.

“I know you won’t.”

Later that day, Luna's doorbell rang and she ran from her kitchen and went to open the door. She saw both of her best friends tired and angry. She welcomed them inside. Dustin and Lucas could smell that something was being cooked. They both looked at each other and ran to the kitchen with Luna running behind them while giggling.

“Hold on! It’s almost done!” Luna ran to the stove and went back to cooking food.

“It actually smells delicious, wow!” Lucas spoke in a surprised tone, Luna smiled in response.

After the food was done cooking, Luna told the boys to wait on the table while she plated the food. After that was done, she presented her dish to them and ran to get coke from the fridge.

“Tada! Chef Luna's cheesy egg with sausages!” She giggled. All three of them dug in, and it tasted pretty amazing. They enjoyed their meal and also shared their hate for Henry who doesn’t seem to give them a break. Luna told them that she mentioned Kali to Henry and she saw how tensed he looked after she explained that Kali came looking for Eleven.

“How does he even know about the Hawkins Lab, it seemed like he was way too familiar with Eleven's powers.” Dustin raised the question.

“Maybe he worked there.” Luna shrugged.

“Or…” Lucas caught the attention of both kids. “He's a number like Eleven, like maybe he has powers too…”

“No way, right….?” Dustin gave a concerned look.

“Hey, Luna…” Lucas called. Luna asked what was wrong.

“Do you know anything about your dad?” He asked.

“Nope. All I know that after my parents broke up, my mom had me.” Luna shrugged.

“You didn’t randomly get those powers, what if your dad had them too?” Luna nervously chuckled, not knowing what to say.

“What if your dad is a number like Eleven?” Dustin spoke.

“Dustin! Do you copy???” All of them were caught off guard when they heard Mike's voice from Dustin's walkie talkie.

“Mike?” Dustin spoke back.

“Code red! Eleven isn’t at the cabin.”

“Again???” Lucas sighed.

“We're on our way!” Both of them started gulping their meal down as fast as they could and ran away without saying a word.

“Is it possible… That I can see where Eleven is…?“ Luna wondered.

“Let’s see…” She closed her eyes and focused on her memory of yesterday where she saw Eleven. She was suddenly in a black void. There was nothing there. In front of her, she saw Eleven for the first time, she seemed afraid, like she was hiding from something.

“Search around… I know what I saw…” Luna heard a different voice, it was familiar, but the voice was angry.

“Kali….” Luna thought. She opened her eyes and ran upstairs to her room.

She cleaned her blood and took her shorts off and wore black jeans. She didn’t change her shirt but wore an oversized black hoodie that she had laying around and finally wore that Jason mask. She looked at herself in the mirror and rushed outside.

While Luna was rushing to where Eleven was, Lucas and Dustin arrived at Hopper's Cabin. The door was opened and the place was trashed. Mike and Will wanted to see Eleven even though they only promised for weekends but when they arrived, Eleven was nowhere to be found.

“Do you think the bad government people got her?” Lucas asked.

“Let’s hope not.” Mike replied. They all decided to split up and look for her.

Henry had also found out through his powers and was rushing to Eleven as well. Hopper was with him as well.

Eleven was hiding in the woods, what even happened? Well, Eleven was spending her time in the cabin when she heard noises of a car. She looked outside to see if it was Henry or Hopper, but it was none. It was Kali and an old man alongside her.

Kali saw her from the window and rushed to open the door. Eleven started throwing things at her with her mind and one of the windows was big enough so Eleven escaped and ran away.

Now, Eleven was shivering from the cold weather while she hid for the sake of her life. Thinking about that lab made her cry. She heard footsteps towards her and she covered her mouth and closed her eyes tight.

Suddenly, someone put a hand on her shoulder making her flinch and scream. But it wasn’t someone she expected. Fear and confusion came on hee face once she saw a masked figure in front of her. The figure lend their hand to her, like they wanted to help, but Eleven had a bad feeling, she didn’t know if she could trust this person. All she knew it wasn’t Kali because this person was slightly shorter than her.

“There she is!” Kali spoke from a distance. Eleven started freaking out while the masked figure stood unbothered. As soon as Kali came close, they raised their hand and Kali was in the air.

“What the- PUT ME DOWN!” Kali screamed. The little person shrugged and threw her away. Kali was thrown at a tree where she got injured. More men along with the old man started running towards Eleven and the masked person. Since the mysterious person had no choice. They grabbed Eleven's wrist and ran away as they got chased. Eleven felt really relieved, but she also got freaked out because this person can do the same things as her.

On the way, both of them bumped directly onto Henry and fell. Henry raised a brow and gave a confused look because of the masked figure. He saw men approached them and Henry raised their hand and everyone was pushed away except the old man. Eleven and her new friend got up and stood behind Henry.

“Ah, Henry… How long has it been…?” The old man spoke.

“Stay away from her, Brenner.” Henry threatened. He had a thirst for blood in his eyes.

Brenner slowly walked back as he knew what exactly Henry was capable of.

“I'll make sure that this little experiment of yours ends once and for all.” Henry threatened as Brenner slowly walked away. Henry would’ve chased him but he had two kids with him. He turned around and saw how scared Eleven was.

“You need to be shifted away from here, Eleven.” Henry sighed.

“And you are…?” Henry raised a brow as he looked at the little Jason beside Eleven. He only got a shrug in response.

“What’s your name?” Henry slightly frowned. The person shrugged in response once more. Henry was already pissed at Brenner and this little person was pissing him off more.

“There she is!” Mike spoke from a distance. There was Hopper and the other boys with him too. Dustin and Lucas stopped on their tracks once they saw who was standing beside Eleven.

“Who is this?” Hopper asked. Henry explained that they don’t speak which was getting on his nerves.

“Th-they saved my life…” Eleven spoke.

“They did?” Hopper asked. Eleven nodded in response. The masked person kept looking at Eleven and then looked down on the ground and picked up a smallpp rock, and then made a fist so no one would see it. Everyone stood confused. They opened their palm and the rock wasn’t a rock anymore, it was a beautiful green gem. They handed it to Eleven and ran away waving goodbye while everyone stood there shocked.

The kids rushed to Eleven to take a closer look at the rock and it looked like a real emerald.

“Wow, they totally changed it!” Mike smiled at Eleven. Henry told Hopper to move Eleven away to his house in the city. He also wanted to scold the kids for breaking their promise but they helped look for Eleven, so he let them go.

But, anger was boiling inside him. He wanted to put an end to Brenner's little experiment which started from him, and also find out who this little person was. Well, he got one of his answers when a page came flying and perfectly landed in his hand. He opened it and showed it to Hopper. It said,

I AM SHIRLEY ROCKBOTTOM, IT'S FOR THE BEST IF THAT IS ALL YOU KNOW! (:

“Shirley Rockbottom, huh…?“

TO BE CONTINUED

#001 #001 x oc #henry creel #henry creel x reader #peter ballard #st vecna #stranger things 4 #vecna #vecna x reader #001 stranger things #001 x y/n #001 fluff #001 x you #001 fanfic #001 imagine #001 x reader #peter ballard x reader #vecna x y/n #vecna x you #vecna imagine #vecna/henry/one #vecna stranger things #stranger things

[thebrideofmunson]

My live reactions to season 4 episode 8

But they're slightly out of context and a complete unfiltered adhd mess

Also ofc spoilers

-Eddie defending his taste in music<3

-I’m so over stancy it’s not even funny

-I forgot just how much I missed Joyce and Hopper

-season 5 is def gonna be them fighting all of the dif monsters at once

-WILL GAY OMFG and Jonathan being a caring brother and catching onto him being upset

-fuck dr.brenner, I could care less about how they’re “redeeming” him

-it took me so long to trust Dr. Owens in season 2, but now I love him so much

-I think Nancy saw what’s gonna happen next season

-angry vengeful Nancy is so hot

-I neeeeeed max to survive so lumax gets back together

-hopper is a dilf

-so is Enzo

-seeing max’s Halloween mask made me really happy for some reason

-also Eddie having his genius moment is unbelievably hot

-also Eddie’s family?

-steddie moment

-Eddie did those people so dirty

-still the loml

-barfing at the stancy

-but the thought borderline hippie dilf Steve !!!!!

-run to the light? You mean run up that hill(sorry that wasn’t funny)

-LUMAX LUMAX LUMAX

-yuri is an ass guy

-I was about to freak over gay Robin, ig not

-also adore how much Vicky looks like Molly Ringwald

-why is Jason an actual fucking sociopath

-mom Jonathan

-yuh argyle saves the day

-I feel so bad that when El had her hair looking really good she had to shave it

-NOOOOOO DR OWENS

-I wanna cry because dr brenner is so frustrating

-it’s so nice seeing El finally have a voice and stick up for herself

-Eddie and Dustin are such nerds <3

-nah I don’t like what Eddie just said to Dustin, it’s like he’s getting ready to die

-Erica showing up to every game<3

-Robin don’t say that

-El looks like ashtray

-shit I wanted brenner to die, but him getting shot at in the desert is scaring me

-in argyle we trust

-yesss El is getting so powerful

-that shot of el watching the helicopter blow up is so cool

-the cinematography this season especially this episode is so good

-god the way they’re subtly saying Will is gay is peak television

-him standing in the bg between El and Mike when they reunite!!!!

-it’s still fuck Dr. Brenner btw

-that’s right El, don’t forgive him

-Did argyles work not realize the van has been missing? Like I feel like he should get in trouble for taking it to multiple states

-Robin looks so good in that outfit

-Eddie’s hands Asdfghjkl

-finally they’re using separate ways

-this season’s soundtrack is definitely the best

#stranger things #st4 #st4 volume 2 #eddie munson

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S1:E2; Chapter Two, The Weirdo On Maple Street - [Pt. 1]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘠/𝘯, 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴, 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

The booming clap of thunder and the steady drumming of rain hitting the windows can be heard. The poor girl sat before us, shaking, her breath heavy and ragged. She was now wearing Mike's jacket; he had given it to her when we found her shivering in the rain. The four of us stood in front of her, gazing at her in awe and bewilderment. Lucas and Mike were to my right, Dustin on my left. Mike finally broke the silence.

"Is there a number we can call for your parents?"

"Where's your hair? Do you have cancer?"

"Dustin," I warn. Although, I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind.

Before I can stop them, the boys continue to ask her all sorts of questions without even giving her a chance to answer.

"Did you run away?"

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Is that blood?" Lucas slowly extends his arm towards the girl's face; before I can stop him, Mike beats me to it and smacks his arm away.

"Stop it! You're freaking her out!"

"She's freaking me out!"

"I bet she's deaf." Dustin then turns to look at the girl and quickly claps his hands in her face and she flinches back, clearly even more frightened, if that is at all possible.

"Not deaf." He says weakly, shrugging his shoulders.

I draw the line there. "Dustin, seriously? Do you not hear yourself? How would you feel in her position, huh?"

"Y/n's right, okay? Enough, both of you." Mike defended me and looked to Dustin and Lucas as he spoke. "She's just scared and cold." He pointed in the girl's direction as he said this.

Hearing him say that made me realize she was still in nothing but a soaking wet t-shirt and Mike's jacket. I turn to Mike. "We should probably get her some fresh clothes. Do you have any down here?" I ask.

Mike nods and heads towards a laundry basket across the room. I look back at the girl and I see her close her eyes and flinch, shrinking into herself a little as another clap of thunder boomed from outside. I cautiously took a step around to the side of the coffee table and took a seat on the edge so I was near her eye level but not so close I was invading her space.

"Hey, it's okay," I try, my voice gentle. "It's just thunder. You're gonna be okay. You're safe now."

I send her a warm, reassuring smile. She says nothing, but I swear I see gratitude in her eyes.

Mike returns with some fresh clothes.

"Here, these are clean. Okay?" She cautiously takes the clothes from him and looks at them. After a moment she brings them to her face and softly rubs them on her cheek. My sympathy for her grows stronger, who knows how long it has been since she's had a proper set of clothes. She sets them aside and shrugs Mike's jacket off of her shoulders. She rises to her feet, reaching for the bottom of the t-shirt she was wearing, clearly about to undress in front of us.

"No, no, no!" We all yell.

I jump to my feet in surprise, ripping my gaze away in panic while also attempting to reach for her hands to keep them in place. Mike tries to do the same, but he's a bit more shaken up. Meanwhile, Dustin and Lucas began freaking out, their heads turned so as to not see anything. Dustin could not stop saying, "Oh, my God!"

"See over there?" Mike points to the bathroom just across the room. "That's the bathroom. Privacy. Get it?" He asks. The girl looks ashamed and confused. She looks to the bathroom and then to me, her eyes pleading. I can tell she's afraid to be alone. I take a quick, deep breath and look at her. "You... want me in there with you?" I ask gently.

She nods and we are all surprised to hear her speak. "Yes."

"Really? Umm," I look to the guys in shock who all wear the same expression as the scene unfolds. Panicking, but also realizing by now she doesn't understand why I would be, I look back to her only to find fear in her eyes and I feel a wave of guilt. A sigh escapes and I nod. "Yeah, uh, okay. I can do that, but, you're still gonna need some privacy, okay?" I grab her clothes off the couch and I lead her to the bathroom and she looks around in curiosity.

I gesture around the bathroom awkwardly, not really knowing what to do.

"Here, I'm not gonna look, but we should close this so they don't accidentally see anything. Okay?" I gesture to the door.

Panic flooded her features, and for the first time since we found her she wore an expression of absolute certainty, speaking for the second time tonight. "No."

"Hey, its okay, it's just so that you can change in privacy. You know, so they don't accidentally see you changing? How about we close it most of the way? That way you have privacy, but you know you can still get out. Does that sound good?" She hesitates then nods her head slightly. I push the door in so it's cracked open.

I handed her Mike's spare set of clothes, doing my best to offer a small smile. "Alright, here you go,"

For a moment I think, just maybe it's okay to slip out and let her change. But then I see the look in here eyes, and it hits truly me why it's so important to her someone stays.

My smile feels a little more genuine now and it almost seems to put her at ease, just a little. "Don't worry, I'll stay."

I cross over to the other side of the bathroom, taking a seat on the closed lid of the toilet with my back turned to her. For extra measure, I even clamped my hand over my eyes, still trying to figure out my day took such a weird turn. I can her start to move around and figure she's started changing, and briefly I think of how scared she looked when the thunder rumbled.

It reminded me of how bad thunder used to scare me as kid; like really bad, and how Mom helped me through it. Even kept me company until I fell asleep, and it all made a little more sense why she asked me. It was the same reason I recognized the look in her eyes almost at once; Anxiety and genuine fear. Like I did when I was a kid, I needed that company around just to know I wasn't alone.

It only makes my mind race with a million different questions but, they're all silenced when I hear voices coming from the other room.

"This is mental." It was Dustin.

"At least she can talk." Mike defended.

"She said 'no' and 'yes.' Your three-year-old sister says more." Lucas counters. I bite my lip, trying not to yell at Lucas. If he heard her say 'no' to me from the bathroom, that obviously means that we can hear him. As much as I love those guys, they can be really insensitive.

"She tried to get naked." Dustin argued."She brought Y/n in there with her!"

I can feel my face heat up and I wish I could melt into a puddle where I sit. At least that way they could just flush me and be done with it.

"It's not like that! She's just scared," Mike defended.

"There's something seriously wrong with her. Like, wrong in the head." Said Lucas.

"She, just went like..." and then I could barely make out the muffled sound of something falling.

"I bet she escaped from Pennhurst."

"From where?" Mike sounded just as exasperated as I was feeling.

"The nuthouse in Kerley County."

"You got a lot of family there?"

"Bite me."

"Seriously though, think about it. That would explain her shaved hair and why she's so crazy."

"Why she went like..."

"She's an escapee is the point. She's probably a psycho."

"Like Michael Myers."

"Exactly! We should've never brought her here."

"So you just wanted to leave her out in that storm?"

"Yes! We went out to find Will, not another problem."

"I think we should tell your mom." Dustin offers.

"I second that."

"Who's crazy now?"

"How is that crazy?"

"'Cause, we weren't supposed to be out tonight, remember?"

"So?"

"So if I tell my mom and she tells your mom and your mom..."

"Oh, man."

"Our houses become Alcatraz."

"Exactly. We'll never find Will."

There's a brief silence, and I think about everything I just heard. Mike had a pretty good point. And I don't blame Lucas for being skeptical, I just wish he wouldn't be so harsh sometimes. If I can hear their conversation, that means she can. I can't imagine what she must be going through right now.

"All right, here's the plan. She sleeps here tonight."

"You're letting a girl --"

"Just listen! In the morning, she sneaks around my house, goes to the front door and rings my doorbell. My mom will answer and know exactly what to do. She'll send her back to Pennhurst or wherever she comes from. We'll be totally in the clear. And tomorrow night, we go back out. And this time, we find Will."

I feel a light tap on my shoulder and I turn around to see the girl had changed. She had sad look on her face and I don't blame her at all.

"Feeling better?" I ask. She meets my eyes for a brief moment and nods, looking back down at her feet.

I sigh and lower my voice into a whisper, trying to undo all the damage the boys just unknowingly caused. "Hey, I'm sorry they said all those things. You'll be in good hands here with that boy Mike; the guy who gave you the clothes, he's really nice, and it sounds like you'll be staying with him."

I stood up, eyeing the door and my friends who I could barely see through the slat we left open and I turned back to her.

"By the way... You don't have to answer any of those questions if you're not ready. That was unfair of them to do that. If you ever need anything... or someone to talk to, even after we get everything sorted out, well, I'm here." I shrug, giving her a reassuring smile before opening the door, leading her out of the bathroom.

Lucas and Dustin were standing at the bottom of the stairs, ready to head out. I follow their gaze to find Mike had made a small fort for the girl.

Mike was helping the girl get settled inside. "Here you go. This is my sleeping bag."

"You really think she's psycho?" Dustin whispered.

"Wouldn't want her in my house." Before Lucas could head up the stairs I spoke up.

"We heard everything."

Lucas and Dustin stopped and looked at me, worried.

"What?"

"All those nasty things you were saying back there, we heard every word. She heard every word... Just go. Dustin, I'll catch up in a few minutes. Bye." I threw them a flat, angry look as I shook my head and walked away. As I made my way over to the fort I took note of the silence behind me, followed by reluctant footsteps up the stairs.

"Hey, um, I never asked your name." Mike said trying to make conversation. I kneeled down next to Mike.

The girl looks at us both, then without saying anything, she pulls up her left sleeve to reveal a tattoo on the inside of her wrist. It read '011'. My eyes widen in shock.

"Woah," I can't help but gasp.

"Is that real?" Mike asks excitedly as he reaches over to touch the tattoo. She quickly retracts her arm and looks at Mike. There's an awkward silence apart from the booming thunder outside.

"Sorry, I've just... never seen a kid with a tattoo before." He apologized sheepishly.

"Can I ask what it means?" I say.

She looks at me and then points a finger towards herself.

"So, that's your name? Eleven?" I confirm.

She nods her head and then looks down at her lap.

"Eleven. Okay." Mike says, perking up. "Um, well, my name's Mike. Short for Michael, and this is my friend Y/n. He's Dustin's brother." Eleven looks over at me and I smile politely, giving her a small wave.

"Maybe we can call you 'El.' Short for Eleven." Mike offers. She nods her head in agreement. There's a silence and I can tell Mike likes her already.

"Um, well, okay," I say, trying to break the silence. "El, it was nice meeting you. And, like I said, if you need anything at all, I'm here. And so is Mikey here, of course," I say, looking over at Mike, giving him a knowing look, a smirk on my face. "Unfortunately, I have to head home so, I'll see you guys later."

I smile and grab my jacket. As i head for the stairs, I turn to both of them and send them a little wave. "Bye!"

Mide nods at me, the girl, El watching curiously as I go. That's the last I see of them as I dissapear up the steps.

I could hear Mike stuttering a 'goodnight' to El as I make it to the top. Clearly, I caught him off guard. I smile to myself, thinking.

'Ohh, he has so got it bad.'

I parked my bike in its usual spot and made it through the front door quiet enough so my mom won't hear.

Most of the lights were turned off, my mom must have gone to bed already just as I suspected. I heard an obnoxious meowing near my feet and look down to see Mews. I kneel down and pet this attention starved cat knowing that's the only way she will ever quiet down. I don't know how she can be attention starved when Mom doted on her as much as she does.

Mews lets out a deep purr and leans into my hand as I give her head a few scratches. I take off my shoes and set them by the front door before sneaking back into my room.

I flip on the light switch and stare at my slightly messy room and sigh at the events of today. I close my door so I can change into my pj's and tidy up a bit. Once I'm done I open my door so it's ajar, knowing that Mews likes to come and go throughout the house as she pleases. I sit down on the side of my bed and sigh heavily.

My eyes are fixed on the floor, particularly the different shadows that were being cast from my lamp on my bedside table as my thoughts wandered back to the fruitless efforts of tonight.

The stress and constant worrying have taken its toll on me. It breaks my heart to know that my best friend is somewhere out there lost and probably hurt. I guess a big part of me was sure that we were going to find Will in those woods out by Mirkwood tonight. I should have known better.

I feel something on my leg and I look down to see tear stains on my pajama bottoms. I hadn't even realized I had started crying. I sniffle, wiping my nose and grab the stuffed duck that was sitting on my bed. Will had won it for me. I give it a tight hug, a small smile creeps its way onto my face at the memory.

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔��𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

It was the first Saturday of summer vacation and the five of us had gone to the arcade for a much-deserved celebration. We all filed into the arcade, I followed Mike, Dustin, and Lucas as we made our way to Dustin's favorite game Dig Dug, Will and I side by side, buzzing with the excitement of the new summer ahead of us.

There was a brief moment of comfortable silence as we looked around the arcade. We passed by all the familiar games including the infamous claw game. I spare a glance at its contents and notice an adorable bright yellow duck perched in the front of the glass.

I smile and point at the stuffed duck. "Oh! That duck is so cute!" I admired it for a brief moment and catch up with Dustin, assuming Will is still next to me.

( hats off to the folk who understand this reference!! 😎 )

About twenty minutes later I had just beaten Mike's high score on Pac Man. All the boys watched over my shoulder and I couldn't help but cheer out. "Ha! Say, Mike, how does my dust taste?"

"Oh, whatever. You only beat me by," he leans over my shoulder to look at my score. "Holy crap! 1300 points?! Alright, well done." He sighs.

"Hey Will, you owe me 5 bucks!" I turn to my friend only to not see him there. I look around in confusion.

"Wait, guys, where is Will?"

They all shrug.

"I don't know, the last time I saw him he was with you. When we got here." Lucas shrugged.

I look around until I spot the familiar bowl cut by the claw machine. He must have won something since he was leaning down to grab some prize from the machine. I quickly grab my tickets and abandon the machine and meet him by the claw, he made eye contact with me and quickly put his hands behind his back.

"Hey, man. Where have you been? You just missed it. I just annihilated Mike in Pac Man. It was awesome!"

"I, um... Well, I, uh," he scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he stammered.

I breathed out a soft laugh. "Will, it's fine, you're not on trial or anything."

"Well I noticed you seemed to really like that duck and it seemed easy enough, and um, and so yeah, I played a couple rounds and, well here." His words sort of spilled out of his mouth and he quickly pulled out his hand from behind his back and handed me the cute little stuffed duck from earlier. A huge, beaming smile finds it's way onto my face as I take the duck from him.

"Oh, wow!" I gasped as I took the duck from him. "That's awesome, thank you! I love it! Aww, it's so cute!" I gave the duck a big squeeze and held it under my arm.

"Yeah, uh no problem. So you said you beat Mike's score? That's great! By how much?" He seems more relaxed now that he's changed the subject.

"You'll never believe it, 1300 points!" I said smugly.

"No way! Y/n, that's awesome!" He gave me a big smile.

"I know right? Anyways, come on, let's hit up Space Invaders. We've got more records to beat." I motioned towards the machine, but Will doesn't move. His smile only falters. "What's wrong Byers? Come on, we better hurry before someone else gets to it." I give him a smile, silently urging him to come along.

"Yeah, umm about that... I don't have any money left. I um, I kinda spent it all on the claw." He said sheepishly.

"What?" I stare in disbelief. I can't believe he would do that.

"I'm sorry, I just thought that—" he stammered.

"No, Will, hey! I'm not mad!" I soothe as I reach out and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

"And please, don't be sorry. If anything, I'm sorry. You spent all your money just to get this duck. I know you guys are tight on money right now, and well, I—" I stopped, completely appalled at his actions. "Thank you. That means so much to me. You're amazing." I smile and pull him in for a hug.

The hug lingers for a few moments longer than necessary but not enough to make it too awkward. He was hesitant to let go it seemed. I finally broke the hug and gave him another big grin.

"Come on, I am playing Space Invaders with my favorite person, whether he likes it or not. I've still got a buttload of coins."

"But, you don't have to do that."

"You didn't have to spend all your money getting the duck but you did anyway." I point out. He smiles at this.

"Besides," I continued. "You know me, I'd feel way too guilty if I didn't repay you in some way for the duck. This way, we'll be even. What do you say?" I playfully elbow him.

A big grin breaks out on his face. "Yeah okay, cool. Thanks."

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

I smile fondly as I give the ever so slightly worn duck a squeeze. It quickly became one of my favorite things. A quiet sob escapes my lips as I hug the duck.

"Y/n?" My head shot up to my door to see Dustin poking his head in my room, concern etched on his face.

I sniffle and quickly wipe my nose with the back of my hand as I attempt to stop my sobs.

"Sorry," I mumble, figuring I'd annoyed him.

"Y/n, what's wrong?" Dustin asks worriedly, he takes a seat next to me, not before closing the door behind him.

"I'm sorry, I just," I am unable to hold back another sob, I lean into my brother's shoulder. He wraps an arm around my shoulder as he tries to comfort me.

"Seriously, are you okay? What's the matter?"

"I miss him," I wail. I can feel Dustin's body stiffen for a brief moment at the mention of Will. He sighs and runs his hand up and down my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

"I know," his voice sounds hoarse, like he's trying not to cry. "I miss him too."

"What if, he doesn't come back?" I choke on my sobs.

"You shouldn't talk like that. We'll find him. You know him, he's good at hiding. If something did get him, you just know he's hiding. That's why the clever bastard never bites it in our campaigns, even when we do."

I breathe out a soft chuckle at this. Dustin has a point. It seems no matter what kind of trouble he gets into during our campaigns, he always seems to find a way out. It's become a running joke in our party.

My smile falters. "But what if..."

"Y/n, you can't keep doing this to yourself. No more 'what ifs' it's not healthy, and—"

"Well, I can't help it, Dustin!" I snap, cutting him off. "I just... I just can't. You don't understand. You think I like it when my brain won't stop plaguing me with these god awful scenarios that gnaw at me every second? I can't help it, it's so draining! Why do you think it takes so long to come down from my anxiety attacks?"

My eyes are welling up again and my vision has become blurry. All I can do is look down back at the ground.

Dustin only sighs. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

I sniffle and sigh. "I'm sorry too. It just gets so frustrating not being able to communicate my feelings with people who don't deal with anxiety like I do."

"I just... I just hope he's okay." Hot tears slide down my face as I stare at the wall. I heard a sniffle come from Dustin. We stayed like that for quite some time, longing for our friend.

______________

A//N: I put this in because I think it's important that I share this with you all. I don't ever see any fics with a reader with an anxiety disorder and I thought it was important that I do because as someone who struggles with anxiety and someone who has anxiety attacks all the time, I often feel disconnected from the story, anyway I thought that I should shed some light on the subject as well as let readers with anxiety disorders feel included and represented as well as let you know YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND YOUR DISORDER DOES NOT DEFINE YOU. PLEASE DM ME (A LIVING BREATHING PERSON WITH AN ANXIETY DISORDER) IF ANY OF YOU WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE WHO STRUGGLES WITH THIS AND/OR YOU WANT TO ASK QUESTIONS TO LEARN MORE.

#you'll float queue #stranger things #will byers x reader #reader insert #will byers #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #cosmic #cosmic 1 #m!cosmic #el hopper #eleven #y/n henderson #stranger things x reader #stranger things x male reader #will byers x male reader #x male reader #x m!reader #the weirdo on maple street

[kaypeace21]

"Rebel robin" easterggs

- Robin's friend is a horror movie fan whos fav movie is evil dead (jonathan has a poster of it in his room)

- Robin's parent's car is the " dodge dart" a ref to Dustin's demodog-dart

-robin and her friends make analogies to zombies (like Will- the zombie boy).

- robin faints. And her friend milton says "blink once for yes twice for no". A ref to what Joyce said to Will in s1.

- robin's other friend has a little sister named el-ie who pretends to be a squirrel. A ref to el killing a squirrel in s2. This is also reminiscent of a scene from the st prequel novel ' suspicious minds' where young-kali pretended to be a tiger (the Hawkins school mascot) & a rabbit (Jonathan's hunting story).

- robin reminds me alot of the byers: she is into photography and rock like jonathan and even worked at the movie theatre like jonathan did in the og pilot. They both like David bowie and cook for their families. She also is poor and wears hand-me down clothes from relatives (like Will). She also is into existential philosophers. Which is also similar to jonathan who had a poster of the poet rimbaud in his room.

- robin is almost run over by a car by a bully while riding her bike: similar to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas in s2

- robin says the best accessory for a girl is her middle finger. Cue max giving the middle finger to billy in s2 XD

- robin (before Will dissapears) sees the quarry and gets uncomfortable and thinks of metaphorical monsters

- similar to how billy had baseball references (along with Will). Robin wears a baseball shirt

- her fav flavor of pie is cherry (like alexi and cherry slurpies). She also gets pissed at a guy sipping a cherry flavored drink- similar to hopper in s3 with alexi

- she cuts her hair and she describes it as looking like a lion. El and Will owned lion plushies in s1.

- robin refs Chicago (kali lives there) and NYC (hopper used to live there), and California (where max and billy used to live).

-tammy's fav song is total eclipse of the heart: the song Robin and Steve sang in s3. Tammy would often sing the song in robin and Steve's class.

- they make references to the hellfire club: she describes a time where she dresses like a cross between a nerd and a rebel. And a mom yells at her appearance saying she looks "goddless' . And another of Robin's friend (kate) is told ' what demon is possessing you, kate?" (hinting at the satanic panic). Meanwhile someone describes Mike and his friends as "hellions' as another hint to this. We also see how alot of parents got paranoid and a bit crazy when Will and barb dissappeared- prob foreshadowing the chaos that will happen if more kids dissappear in s4. Along with the satanic panic

-Robin is visiting her friend Kate at her house. Kate wanted to listen to Madonna together. Max and el listened to Madonna at el's.

- Robin's friend (kate) says "I dumped his ass" in reference to her cheating bf. A little nod to the m*leven breakup

- robin (like Will) felt excluded during the summer cause her friends kate and dash (Kate's now ex bf) were always making out . Sound familiar- cough m*leven

- robin annoyed says " makeouts, breakups and declarations of love all in the span of a week". Wow if that ain't a diss to certain pairing we know in s3 XD

- kate (like mike) says to Robin dating the opposite sex is a part of growing up . Which scares Robin (and Will in s3).

- robin has a nightmare of running down the school hallway with short hair (like el in s2 via the upsidedown)

- robin contemplates shaving her head (like el)

- robin says she likes to sometimes dress androgynous . And found a cool suit. Which we saw in s4 bts pics I assume.

- robin watches a music video where there are duplicate indianna joneses (could be a ref to all the billy duplicates in s3?)

- robin says " I stare at the ceiling. The ceiling stares back. I'm stuck and don't know what to do" a ref to the s3 song with robin called "the ceiling is beautiful"

- a character named Sheena reminds me a bit of Will or el . She is very quiet, queercoded, and is often bullied. And she finds mean notes and other things in her locker- placed there by bullies. A bit like how Will found the zombieboy note in his locker. But sheena can be another name for Jane so ...maybe foreshadowing of el/jane being bullied in highscool?

- when robin hears a hom*phobic comment on tv- she describes the anxiety like a ' thundercloud in a big open sky' and a "chill". Which reminds me of the mf being associated with clouds, thunder, and lightning. And the mf liking it cold.

- robin constantly describes the monster or shadow in her life- whether it be her talking about conformity or the problems of consumerism while she is poor (themes of s3).

- robin before realizing she was gay/crushing on tammy just says " I don't get crushes' which reminds me a bit of Will saying " I'm not going to fall in love" (as the lyrics are " love thats new to you, you open up the door')

-robin on her bike hears something (demogorgan) and runs back to her house , locks the door, and calls her friend- and the phone gets electrocuted. The next day Will is said to be missing. (Another Will paralllel).

- i was right about robin being in theatre. So we most likely will see robin in theatre in s4 (she also auditioned with a friend in the book). So for s4 my guess is she may be in the drama club with dustin- cause in s1 he had a drama shirt

- one of her friends is named milton. Since the documentary 'paradise lost' was on the s4 movie list. Its prob a ref to John milton who wrote the fictional 'paradise lost'. The character Sheena may be a ref to the 80s film/movies *where sheena (jane) was psychic

-Robin's gal pal (kate) and Robin eat m&ms and candies together. Kate jokes m&ms and candy bars are 'foods of the gods'. El ate m&ms in s3. They joke how talking about plural gods (instead of 1) would get them in trouble. In case you are unaware- kali (is the name of a Hindu goddess) and el (is the name of a cannanite god) .

-Robin also mentions hopper's car smells like eggos.

- robin tries running away (like el in s2, max in her novel, and jonathan also wrongfully assumed Will ranaway in s1 too).

-robin tries to get a job at Joyce's, than Bob's, and later gets a job where jonathan used to work

-bob newby describes the byers family as his "home" . Similar to how El describes the Hawkins gang as "home".

- robin says she was friends with barb before nancy. Suspiciously right after she says this- barb grabs Robin's hallpass that says ' glitch in the time space continuim. " the teacher who wrote this called robin a "glitch". Which makes me wonder if my did theory is right- but ...that certain powers at be may also alter memories or things so people assume said people have always been around.Mentioning it cause it seemed suspicious.

-not an eastegg but robin can't believe how nice Bob is. And Bob says the byers filled a hole in his life 😭 . She also felt an instant connection with Will and saw alot of herself in him.And asked if Joyce ever thought of moving like everyone suggested . One of the reasons Robin didn't like steve was because Steve never mentioned how Jonathan took innapropriate photos of Nancy. So everyone at school just knew jonathan as the quiet kid who takes pictures. So to everyone it just seemed like- wow you're bullying the quiet kid who's brother is missing and take away the one thing still left in his life that makes him happy. Which is why everyone assumes jonathan beat up steve later. Interesting to know how general Hawkins (not in the loop) viewed things

- the book referenced alot of previously mentioned movies on the s4 list or from prior duffer interviews...along with a few NEW movies ,books, plays, singers, and songs that I have to analyze for another day ...

#robin buckley #rebel robin #jonathan byers #steve harrington #will byers #el hopper #mike wheeler #dustin henderson #barbara holland #max mayfield #jim hopper

[fuckyeahfightlock]

Hey! How are you? :D

Well hey! Thanks for asking!

I am pretty well overall but I had a fall last week and sprained my ankle like what. This interferes with my current fitness goal (30 day challenge; I can manage all the body sculpting workouts but anything with jumping or squats is requiring a lot of modification), as well as making me concerned it might not heal in time for a metric ass-load of walking during my UK trip. So I'm trying to balance out staying on track with exercise (plus just doing everyday life stuff), vs needing to Rest Ice Compress and Elevate my ankle.

The bruise is amazing. Also the ankle is very swollen. Some pain in my heel and up the outside of my calf, too, so that's been A Thing.

My creativity is still buried somewhere below ground. I wrote 500ish words a couple weeks ago and that's all I've done since February. Can't think about it too much or I get sad and angry and self-hatey. It's just a fallow period, I guess.

I watched The Lodge last week, a horror movie streaming on Hulu. It ticked every one of my boxes for a horror movie (twisted family dynamics, trapped in a house, unknowable baddie, unreliable narrator everybody). Snowed in! In my home region of New England! Also, Richard Armitage. 10/10 do recommend.

I've been casually bingeing an ID series about stalkers called Obsessed: Dark Desires. Yesterday the episode turns out to be a case I know too well--Michael Cartier, a/k/a Castleneck Mike (for a tattoo he had). When I was in college, a young woman named Kristin Lardner, a student at the Massachusetts College of Art, was murdered in my neighborhood, shot to death by her violent ex boyfriend outside the liquor store where she worked. I saw her blood on the sidewalk during the next few days, and I never forgot her story even though I did not know her or Cartier personally (he was in the local hardcore scene, and some of my outer circle of punks were in his outer circle. People were afraid of him.). Kristin's father went on to write a book about her, The Stalking of Kristin, and was a lifelong champion of anti-stalking laws (of which there were none at the time Kristin was stalked and ultimately killed). The episode of Dark Desires is actually about another girlfriend Cartier abused, Rose Ryan, and the adult Rose tells the story. I had to shut if off halfway through, when Mike picked her up and put her in a trash can, then punched her in the back of the head as she tried to walk away from him. He also shaved her kitten with a disposable razor because it left fur on his leather jacket. I know Rose survived, but knowing Kristin did not makes this all the more difficult to watch. (Cartier went back to his apartment and shot himself to death after murdering Kristin. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.)

So anyway, this turned into Poppy's media recs but there you have it.

[beepboop358]

heey! this is a bit of a random rant but i was thinking about how i've met some people that really hated lucas' behaviour about eleven in s1 until like the 7th ep i think

but i feel like it's a bit understandable? im not saying it's okay, he was kinda harsh but, if you think of it, his best friend went missing and this girl they've known for like barely a week is (from his perspective) saying what he thinks are lies about will being alive or will hiding in his house, even if she was telling the truth, and she was right, he didn't know

like when they parted in episode 6, i think he just, understandably, cares much more about finding his best friend will than looking for a girl that he thinks kept lying to them about will

know what i mean? like i don't think it's okay to be like that, but i think it's understandable, and don't get me wrong, i love eleven and i completely understand her being scared of going to the let but i just mean i think i can get his perspective i mean

i know i wouldn't feel so good about a girl i've known for about a week that's somewhat having me running around in circles giving me the vibe that she's straight up lying to us instead of helping me find my best friend

that's it! omg sorry if that was long, i just wanted to know what you thought about lucas' behaviour

also i love your blog and you seem really nice :) hope you're having a good day

Hi anon! aw thank you! I hope you're having (or had) a good day too! <33

I totally agree with everything that you said!

I think people judge Lucas's behavior in s1 towards El because of how much people loved Eleven, and her and Mike together.

I mean they find some random girl in the woods the exact same spot Will went missing, they have no idea who she is, why her head is shaved, why she doesn't understand any social cues, and who says bad people are after her, and because Mike has a giant heart, he immediately wants to take care of her and help her and doesn't question her. But Lucas does and I don't think it was wrong of Lucas to be skeptical of her. He's very different than Mike is, so it makes sense they would differ on this issue too. Mike blindly trusted her, and Lucas was more skeptical, but not unjustly.

Especially after the whole "she's changing the compass, she doesn't want us to find Will" fiasco and the "you said he was alive" thing, because looking at all of that from Lucas's POV, El really does seem like a suspicious character.

But then once he realizes he was wrong he apologizes just like you said. He never hated El, he was skeptical of her. And honestly the way Lucas reacted was low-key a bit more sane than the way Mike did. I mean Mike had practically NO reservations about Eleven - he let her live in his house after meeting her just a few minutes beforehand LOL.

thanks for sharing anon! :)

#mike wheeler #stranger things #lucas sinclair #eleven

[whiskery-louis]

Game Night

** Hi everyone here is my first imagine in a while and it is pretty long and there will be a part 2!

Synopsis: Luke and you broke up 6 months ago. Ashton invites you over for game night.

Luke Hemmings x reader

Warnings: None

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!!

*not my photo*

“Come on Y/N you have to come see us! We’re traveling across the country just to see you!” Ashton whined through the phone.

“Well I didn’t ask you too Ash. I can’t risk seeing him-”

“He’s not coming, he’s staying here with her. Hell I don’t even think he knows we left.”

You sighed, “Who exactly is ‘we’?”

“Me and Mikey,” you could hear the smile in his voice. You had always been the closest to him and Michael. Not that you and Calum weren’t close, it was just different.

“What about Cal?” you asked.

“He’s staying back so you know who doesn’t get suspicious about the three of us all leaving for a weekend.”

“I don’t know Ash,” you sighed again. “I have work and stuff. Plus I was supposed to see the twins this weekend, and I wanted to go to Target…” you trailed off as you rattled on with excuses.

“Oh please, you know you miss us just as much as we miss you. It’s been six months Y/N, just come hangout for the night. I promise it’s not gonna be anything big. Just you, me, Mike and Crystal. We’ll just do pizza and play some games. Please Y/N, we’re already at the airport and if you don’t come willingly we got your new address from Lacey.”

You mentally cursed your best friend, she knew you specifically didn’t give any of them your new address for this very reason. You were out of excuses and you could hear Ashton’s smirk through the phone. He had you cornered and he knew it.

“Fine. Text me your Airbnb info and I’ll come over tomorrow when I’m done work. But you better be getting the good pizza, and there better be drinks.”

“Yes she’s in!” you heard Mikey yell in the background. You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the smile that spread over your face.

“Bye boys, safe flight.”

You hung up the phone and put your head in your hands. While part of you was very excited to see Ashton and Michael again there was still a part of you that was worried. There was too much history between you and him so of course they all knew about it. They tried not to take sides during the break up but everyone knew he had Calum and you had the other two. It was part of the reason that you had moved back home instead of trying to find a place to stay in L.A.. You could feel the tension that was building between the four of them and the last thing you wanted to do was ruin their friendships or their band. It was all way more important than you. 

You hadn’t really spoken to any of them much other than the casual ‘how are you’ texts here and there. But from him it had been radio silence for six months. Now here you were, five minute after speaking with Ashton and you were already more stressed than you’d be in week. What did you get yourself into?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was nearing 6:15 and you couldn’t bring yourself to pull up to the house, you had been circling the block for almost 20 minutes and every time you were about to stop you told yourself one more lap. You weren’t sure what was wrong with you, you knew it was only Ash, Mike and Crystal and yet just the thought of being around his friends was enough to make you sick. 

“Fuck it,” you muttered, finally pulling into the drive. You grabbed your bag, and although you hated to admit it, you were excited to see your old friends.

You walked up to the door and hesitantly knocked on it. As soon as your knuckles hit the wood you could hear yelling and footsteps running up to the door.

“Y/N!!!” Ashton yelled engulfing you in a massive hug.

“Can’t breathe…”

“Oi sorry, I’ve just missed you lots.” 

“I missed you too.” you grinned at him, wondering what you had been worried about all day. It felt like no time had passed.

“Well let her in the door man,” Michael spoke up from behind.

You smiled as you entered the house and walked over to Mikey hugging him hard.

“It’s been too long,” he muttered as he let you back.

“Well yeah, that kinda happens when there’s a global pandemic and I move across the county.”

You could tell Michael was going to tell you off for moving but Crystal came in the room then and thankfully saved you from talking about him.

She wrapped her arms around you giving you a quick hug, “It’s so good to see you, I’m glad you made it!”

“Me too, though if I didn’t come willingly I knew you’d show up on my doorstep.”

“You got that right,” she laughed, “It took all my energy to keep them in the house all day.”

“Well I appreciate it, I had a lot of work to get through today figuring I’ll still be hungover on Monday from this weekend.”

It was fitting that as soon as I mentioned being hungover we walked into the kitchen to a full stocked bar.

“Man I forgot you guys really go all out for game nights,” you couldn’t help but laugh at some of the fond memories.

“Okay so what game are we playing first?” Ashton asked as he handed you a drink.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two hours later and you really didn’t understand why you were so nervous to come. It was one of the best feelings catching up with your old friends and thankfully they didn’t bring him up once. You were in the middle of an intense game of charades, Crystal and you were kicking the boys asses.

“Alright do you guys want to give up yet? You’re never going to beat us so why not save yourselves the embarrassment.”

They both looked annoyed at how the game was progressing, “Well maybe if Mike could draw anything other than stick figures we would’ve stood a chance.” Ashton grumbled.

“And now you see why I always make sure someone else gets stuck with him,” Crystal laughed as she dodged the pen Michael threw at her.

You all laughed as you cleaned up and you went over to the stack of games, contemplating what you wanted to play next. You guys had made your way through a few different games and a few rounds of drinks and honestly you were exhausted. Since moving back home you didn’t hang out with many people other than Lacey and you forgot how much energy it took to be around people. You were tired but it was the best kind of tired. 

“Can we just watch a movie now? I’m tired of losing,” MIchael whined from the couch.

“That’s exactly what a sore loser would say,” you shot back.

Michael just smiled and shrugged his shoulders looking at you, “At least I know it, but I so call picking the movie.” He picked up the remote and started searching through Netflix looking for a good comedy that everyone would watch.

“Anyone up for another round?” Ashton asked and you nodded following him into the kitchen to help. It was silent as he rummaged through the alcohol looking for something new to drink. You hopped up on the counter waiting to see what he would make.

“So how have you really been?” he asked, breaking the silence.

You looked up at him, startly by his question and you could see him looking at you intently and knew exactly what he was talking about, or more so who he was talking about.

You chewed on your bottom lip as you contemplated what to tell him. “I’ve been fine.” you answered shortly.

He scoffed at your answer, “Come on Y/N, I know you better than that and as relaxed as you seem, there is still a part of you that is on edge. You ghosted us all when you left and it was like we lost a member of our family. So tell me the truth, how are you really?”

His answer startled you, and you blinked to keep the tears at bay. “Ash I really don’t wanna ruin the night and talk about him. Can we just table it for now and go back in there with Mike and Crystal. I really don't wanna bring the mood down.” You stared back at him and there must’ve been something in your eyes because he dropped it. He handed you a drink and the two of you went back into the other room. 

“Hey what were you two talking about?” Crystal asked as you sat next to her on the couch, a knowing look in her eye.

You elbowed her subtly, “Debating if Mikey was gonna pick a shitty movie or not,” you laughed.

“Don’t hate until you see it, it’s a good one you all like.” He pointed to the TV and you saw Shrek was on. “Also you could say thank you I ordered a pizza and it should be here in about 30 minutes.”

“Didn’t you just eat a plate of buffalo chicken dip and mac’n’cheese?”

He shrugged, “If it’s a problem Y/N then you can’t have any.” He stuck his tongue out at you.

You held your hands up in defense “No, no. Just asking, I’m for sure eating that pizza.”

“That’s what I thought,” Michael replied smugly.

You just rolled your eyes at him and sat back to begin the movie. Not even 10 minutes later and there was a knock on the door.

“Y/N since you were so judgy you can go answer the door.”

“Fine, fine. Though you suck at telling time Mikey, this was way less than 30 minutes.”

You got up from the couch and made your way to the door excited that the pizza was here much earlier than anticipated. There was another knock on the door as you were opening it. You froze when you saw who was there. 

Luke.

He must not have been expecting you either because he had a dumbfounded look on his face, and his fist was frozen in mid knock.

“Y/N?” he breathed, his eyes boring into yours.

It was silent and you both just stood there and stared at each other. It had been six months since you had seen him and although there were some noticeable changes he was still the same Luke who broke your heart all those months ago. His arms were larger and his shoulders slightly broader. His hair was longer, his roots growing out which somehow suited him more. He had shaved his quarantine beard but the stubble was growing back. His eyes were the same blue that you fell in love with, but they were missing the usual mischievous glint.

“Luke why are you just-” Calum was caught off walking up behind Luke, his face lighting up when he saw you. “Y/N?! What are you doing here? It’s so good to see you!” He squeezed past Luke and pulled you into a tight embrace.

You had no words as you hugged Cal back, you were still in shock at them being here and you couldn’t take your eyes off Luke,

“What the hell is taking so long?” Ashton came around the corner and froze when he saw the new additions to the party. “Oh you guys are early…” he trailed off.

At his statement you felt the rage building in your veins, you pushed Calum off of you turning to Ashton the anger seeping out of you. “I’m sorry what? They’re what Ashton?”

He looked sheepishly at you, “Surprise?” he shrugged his shoulders, with a slight smile on his face.

You couldn’t believe this. It was all a setup. The whole night was a trick for you to see him again when Ashton knew more than anything that it was the last thing you wanted. You were at a loss for words, as much as you wanted to yell, you didn’t have the energy anymore.

“Look we can explain…”

You held your hand up cutting him off, “Don’t Ashton, just don’t. I don’t want to hear it. I’m leaving.”

You stormed into the other room, to get you things. MIchael was trying to look busy but the guilt was written all over his face. Crystal was sitting next to him with her arms crossed glaring at her fiance, she looked up when you walked in.

“I am so sorry Y/N, I had no idea or I would’ve never let them pull this stunt.”

You gave her a weak smile, “I’m just going to get my things and go.”

Michael turned and looked like he was going to say something, but one look from Crystal silenced him.

“Thanks for the fun while it lasted, but please don’t reach out again,” you heard footsteps behind you and knew the others had followed you into the room. “I thought maybe I could be friends with some of you,” you pointedly looked at Luke, “But if this is the shit you are going to pull them I am out. I’m sorry but I cannot go through this again. I just can’t.”

With that you grabbed your bag and all but ran out of the house. As you sat in your car you were thankful that you didn’t have too much to drink and were able to drive yourself home. The thirty minute drive seemed to take forever. All you wanted was your bed and to be distracted by Netflix. After what felt like an eternity you pulled into your driveway and walked into your house. You threw your bag on the table and couldn't believe the night you had. You knew Ashton and Michael had wanted you to talk to Luke when you first broke up, but that was six months ago. You never thought that they would pull this shit tonight. It was almost more painful this time as you realized you had to cut all of them out of your life and not just Luke. 

You hadn’t expected to see him tonight and it really messed you up. You had spent the last six month erasing him from your life, as much as you could. You put everything he gave you into a box that was hidden in your basement. You tried to throw it away but it felt wrong somehow. He was too big a part of your life to completely get rid of. Lacey once asked you why you didn’t get rid of it all and you knew she thought it meant you still loved him but that wasn’t it. You just couldn’t bear to part with everything that had once brought you so much happiness. You hadn’t opened the box since you moved back home, as you went downstairs to bring it to the kitchen, you knew it was going to hurt more after seeing him tonight, but you couldn’t stop yourself.

You spent over an hour looking through all the memories the two of you had made during your time together and you were a mess sitting on the floor with tears rolling down your face. Maybe it was from the exhaustion that raked your body or the alcohol that was still in your system but you left the contents of the box sprawled over the island and slipped on his old Nirvana shirt before going to your bed and finally falling asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next thing you knew you were being jolted awake by a banging on your door. You looked at the clock and groaned when you saw it was only 8:00am. Who the hell would be here so early. Hoping it was just a package you rolled back over and tried to fall back asleep, when the person knocked again.

You signed as you rolled out of bed and trudged downstairs in nothing but the old shirt you fell asleep in. Rubbing your eyes as they adjusted to the brightness, you opened the door and had to squint to see who was there.

“Y/N, you uh forgot your phone and I wanted to make sure it got back to you safely.”

You hated that your heart skipped a beat as your name rolled off his lips, your eyes focused on him and the events of last night came back to you instantly.

“Luke.”

#luke imagine #luke hemmings #luke hemmings imagine #ashton irwin #michael clifford #calum hood #5sos #5sos imagine #ashton imagine #michael imagine #mikey #cal #calum imagine #luke hemmings preference

[rukia-writes]

Snk daddies react to a bath with their s/o? (sfw) like wholesome relax time after a loooong day 😚

I have done bath time with their s/o for

Levi Ackerman 🧼

Eren Kruger 🧼

I also went with a modern au 🙇🏼‍♀️

Stress talk, wine glass, mud mask, oil

“And the next thing I knew I broke his camera. But in my defense he was asking a lot of questions-“

“So you just tossed it?”

“Yeah, I did. So that will be in the news tomorrow.”

Reiner currently was a professional football player and was stressed from football practice and the awful side of the paparazzi, (Name) knew what had to be done when the stressed out football player came home.

A bath.

A (Name)’s day special.

Reiner had on a green mud mask, that was hydrating his skin, (Name) had massaged scented oil on his back and legs while Reiner steadied talked about his day while drinking a glass of red wine.

The whole nine yards.

(Name) felt it was worth it as the more Reiner talked and received his amazing bath the more relaxed he became, of which Reiner was grateful for. Another reason why he likes bathing (Name).

“Can I give you a massage now? It’ll help with my stress.”

“Sure, I don’t mind Reiner.”

Reiner watched (Name) turned around as Reiner wiggled his fingers with a smile on his face ready to help (Name) now.

“Your leg smells delicious.”

Kruger was currently taking a bath while (Name) was steady shaving one of Kruger’s legs and then massaging it with a cake batter body scrub. The remark made Kruger roll his eyes yet he continued to watch (Name) massage his leg. Kruger had come home from a long days work and wanted to simply take a nice relaxing bath, (Name) helped in this regard. (Name) was very careful not to prick him with razor, Kruger was tall so he had long legs. Now (Name) thought he had nice smelling long legs.

“Why don’t you try the mud mask too?”

“No, this is more than enough.”

“..Can I rub your toes?”

“My toes?”

“Mhmm..”

(Name) didn’t even wait for Kruger’s answer and simply rubbed his slender toes making quickly withdraw his foot as a quick laugh escaped him, brightening up (Name)’s day as it was the sexiest laugh to grace (Name)’s ears.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were ticklish. I’m sorry.”

“Toes are off limits.”

“Toes and armpits. Got it.”

(Name) gave Kruger a wink knowing another body part he was ticklish at, Kruger was a bit bashful that (Name) had found at that information as he was blushing a bit. None the less he let (Name) massage his foot without touching his toes, which was well worth it as the long days stress had melted away.

“Is the one Mike?”

“..No. that scent is too heavy.”

(Name) sighed while putting another scented oil back on the shelf as Mike started to sniff around trying to find a certain oil that (Name) wore that he really liked. Mike had return from work stressed from a long day work and (Name) offered to take a bath with him which he agreed to. Mike loved all the scents that (Name) wore but there was certain scent that he calmed him and he just really liked.

“What about this one, Mike?”

Mike leaned forward and sniffed the plastic bottle a few times and smiled while nodding his head signaling that this was the scent. (Name) was going to apply it but Mike intervened because he wanted to massage his favorite scented oil on his beloved..

and he did.

so while the (Name) received a massage that relieved all the stress (Name) went thru that, so did Mike as well.

“Be still (Name), or I’ll mess up.”

“You can’t mess up a mud mask, Erwin.”

(Name) chuckled in response as Erwin was heavily concentrating applying a mud mask on (Name)’s face while the two were taking a nice hot bath together. Erwin had a rough and long day at work, but the bath he was currently taking with lover was doing wonders. Erwin had on a green mud mask himself and he had shampoo in his hair. Smiling Erwin lightly tapped on (Name)’s nose and stating that he was done.

“So we are matching now?”

“We are matching. Now I’ll apply the oil-“

“No, Erwin I’ll rub the oil on you. The bath is to relax you.”

“But I want to rub it on you first.”

Seemingly, Erwin found it just as enjoyable to massage (Name) as he did receiving a massage himself. Sure enough, Erwin gave (Name) a pouty look with his beautiful blue eyes and pouty lip.

Which was super effective.

Erwin got his way and enjoyed massaging his lover’s back, melting away all the days stress he had been thru that day.

“(Name), did you order pizza?”

“I did.”

(Name) happily responded to Erwin while he gave a massage, Erwin secretly wanted put a ring on (Name)’s finger.

Zeke currently had the famous and stylish bubble hair and beard, with his hair sticking straight up. Resembling a Santa Claus.

“You’re the most handsome Santa ever. Let me take take a picture-“

“Don’t send it to Eren.”

Zeke simply responded as he looked at himself in the mirror examining his bubble beard and hair, saying “Not Bad.” Then before he knew it he saw a blinding light and looking to his right side he saw (Name) taking pictures of him.

“You only need one.”

“Something could happen and I need a back up.”

“Oh? Well in that case.”

Zeke then did one pose after another as (Name) then became a photographer. Saying “Lift your chin more.” Or “Handsome. Do another.”

Zeke had long forgotten about his long and awful day he had before hand as he steadied posed for his sexy photographer.

“Give me your foot.”

“No, you’re going to tickle me.”

“No, I’m just trying to make sure you’re clean. You washed my feet.”

The bath was a bit on the hot side as Levi managed to finally get a hold of (Name)’s foot so he could return the favor. Levi didn’t mind taking a bath with (Name) at all, in fact he rather enjoyed since it was a moment to really bond with his beloved. Levi’s muscles also thanked him for the needed bath after a long days work. The heat from the bath and the little massage (Name) gave Levi helped him a lot. As well as, mud mask that calmed him down. Supposedly, it was green tea.

“Anyways, help me to find out this song is (Name). The students keep singing it.”

“How does it go Levi.”

“..I don’t really know all I know is it involves a bucket and a mop. So, I’m assuming it’s for cleaning.”

(Name) tried to recall the song Levi was talking about but came up empty handed, so it felt like 21 questions as he steadied washed (Name)’s legs. Levi was so occupied with trying to figure out what song it was that he forgot about his stressful day that he had with his wild students, while enjoying the all the attention (Name) was giving him from the questions to asking what all he did that day, etc., even though Levi couldn't recall what song it was he still enjoyed the attention from (Name) while relaxing in the bath and that was all needed to make him happy.

“And thats when the brat hit him in the face with his foot."

"Levi never misses, does he?"

"Nope, not even as damn runt."

Kenny had finished one story about how a toddler Levi kicked him the face one day while he and (Name) were simply enjoying a hot bath together. Kenny had few beers before hand and was in a talkative mood. Kenny was resting his neck on a rather comfortable quilted neck pillow that helped with his stress from earlier that day and his neck pain.

(Name) was steady washing his chest and stomach off while listening to him constantly talk about his day, that is until the talking was replaced with snoring.

“Kenny? Kenny Ackerman?”

(Name) tried to wake Kenny up by calling out to him and shaking him but the man was sound asleep. Taking a deep breath (Name) knew what to do wake Kenny up.

“Oh no, we’ve been robbed and they took all the beer.”

“I’ll kill them.”

Kenny arose from his deep sleep half asleep still ready to fight as he looked around ready to fight whoever supposedly took his beer. It was only until he heard a chuckle from (Name). Sighing he rubbed his forehead knowing exactly what happened.

“Fell asleep again?”

“Yes, you did. But I awoke you sleeping beauty.”

The music was a little on the loud side as Jean and (Name) were singing to a song Jean picked out by a music artist he loved as much as Eren loved Beyoncé and that was Mariah Carey. Jean had to spend time with (Name) after an long and exhausting day in his college courses. Both were simply vibing to the music while applying mud masks on each other’s face, washing each other’s bodies with soap, just having a good time in the hot bath. This wasn’t the first time (Name) and Jean had taken a bath together, so (Name) simply picked up Jean’s foot as he continued to vibe to the music. The song that was playing “Emotions” by Mariah Carey and the high note part was coming up and as soon it came on (Name) gave a gentle scrub to Jean’s foot resulting in him giving a high pitch yell just like Mariah Carey.

The scenario was too funny to (Name) even though (Name) tried to stop the laughter, the laughs kept coming while Jean was blushing with an not so happy look, even though he wanted to laugh too.

“It’s not funny (Name). I swear if you tell anyone-“

“I won’t Jean, I promise.”

Jean wasn’t convinced as (Name) kept laughing resulting in him giving a little blush and a little pout of his lip, which then made Jean get a smug smirk on his face as he wiggled his fingers.

“Okay then, let me give me your foot.”

The laughing quickly stopped as (Name) simply replied with a “No” but that didn’t stop Jean from trying while more songs played in the background.

✨Rukia-Writes✨

#SNK Daddies x reader

[felassan]

Insights into DAI’s development from Blood, Sweat, and Pixels

The book is by game industry journalist Jason Schreier (it’s an interesting read and well-written, I recommend it). This is the cliff notes version of the DAI chapter. This info isn’t new as the book is from 2017 (I finally got around to buying it). Some insight into DAO, DA2 and cancelled DA projects is also given. Cut for length.

BW hoped that DA would become the LotR of video games. DAO’s development was “a hellish seven-year slog”

The DAI team are compared to a chaotic “pirate ship”, which is what they called themselves internally. “It’ll get where it needs to go, but it’s going to go all over the place. Sail over here. Drink some rum. Go over here. Do something else. That’s how Mark Darrah likes to run his team.” An alternative take from someone else who worked on the game: “It was compared to a pirate ship because it was chaotic and the loudest voice in the room usually set the direction. I think they smartly adopted the name and morphed it into something better.”

A game about the Inquisition and the large-scale political conflicts it solves across Thedas, where the PC was the Inquisitor, was originally the vision for ‘DA2′. Plans had to change when SW:TOR’s development kept stalling and slipping. Frustrated EA execs wanted a new product from BW to bolster quarterly sales targets, and decided that DA would have to fill the gap. BW agreed to deliver DA2 within 16 months. “Basically, DA2 exists to fill that hole. That was the inception. It was always intended to be a game made to fit in that”

BW wanted to call it DA: Exodus, but EA’s marketing execs insisted on DA2, no matter what that name implied

DAO’s scope (Origin stories, that amount of big areas, variables, reactivity) was just not doable in a year, even if everyone worked overtime. To solve this problem, BW shelved the Inquisition idea and made a risky call: DA2 would be set in one city over time, allowing locations to be recycled and months to be shaved off dev time. They also axed DAO features like customizing party members’ equipment. These were the best calls they were able to make on a tight line

Many at BW are still proud of DA2. Those that worked on it grew closer from all being in it together

In certain dark accounting corners of EA, despite fan response to DA2 and its lower sales compared to DAO, DA2 is considered a wild success

By summer 2011 BW decided to cancel DA2′s expansion Exalted March in favor of a totally new game. They needed to get away from the stigma of DA2, reboot the franchise and show they could make triple-A quality good games. 

DAI was going to be the most ambitious game BW had ever made and had a lot to prove (that BW could return to form, that EA wasn’t crippling the studio, that BW could make an ‘open-world’ RPG with big environments). There was a bit of a tone around the industry that there were essentially 2 tiers of BW, the ME team and then everyone else, and the DA team had a scrappy desire to fight back against that

DAI was behind schedule early on due to unfamiliar new technology; the new engine Frostbite was very technically challenging and required more work than anyone had expected. Even before finishing DA2 BW were looking for a new engine for the next game. Eclipse was creaky, obsolete, not fully-featured, graphically lacking. The ME team used Unreal, which made inter-team collab difficult. “Our tech strategy was just a mess. Every time we’d start a new game, people would say, ‘Oh, we should just pick a new engine’.”

After meeting with an EA exec BW decided on Frostbite. Nobody had ever used it to make an RPG, but EA owned FB dev studio DICE, and the engine was powerful and had good graphic capabilities & visual effects. If BW started making all its games on FB, it could share tech with sister studios and borrow tools when they learned cool new tricks. 

For a while they worked on a prototype called Blackfoot, to get a feel for FB and to make a free-to-play DA MP game. It fizzled as the team was too small, which doesn’t lend itself well to working with FB, and was cancelled

BW resurfaced the old Inquisition idea. What might a DA3 look like on FB? Their plan by 2012 was to make an open-world RPG heavily inspired by Skyrim that hit all the beats DA2 couldn’t. “My secret mission was to shock and awe the players with the massive amounts of content.” People complained there wasn’t enough in DA2. “At the end of DAI, I actually want people to go, ‘Oh god, not [another] level’.”

It was originally called Dragon Age 3: Inquisition

BW wanted to launch on next-gen consoles only but EA’s profit forecasters were caught up in the rise of iPad and iPhone gaming and were worried the next-gen consoles wouldn’t sell well. As a safeguard EA insist it also ship on current-gen. Most games at that time followed this strategy. Shipping on 5 platforms at once would be a first for BW

Ambitions were piling up. This was to be BW’s first 3D open-world game, and their first game on Frostbite, an engine that had never been used to make RPGs. It needed to be made in roughly two years, it needed to ship on 5 platforms, and, oh yeah, it needed to restore the reputation of a studio that had been beaten up pretty badly. “Basically we had to do new consoles, a new engine, new gameplay, build the hugest game that we’ve ever made, and build it to a higher standard than we ever did. With tools that don’t exist.”

FB didn’t have RPG stats, a visible PC, spells, save systems, a party of 4 people, the same kind of cutscenes etc and couldn’t create any of those things. BW had to create these on top of it. BW initially underestimated how much work this would be. BW were the FB guinea pigs. Early on in DAI’s development, even the most basic tasks were excruciating, and this impacted even fundamental aspects of game design and dev. When FB’s tools did function they were finicky and difficult. DICE’s team supported them but had limited resources and were 8 hours ahead. Since creating new content in FB was so difficult, trying to evaluate its quality became impossible. FB engine updates made things even more challenging. After every one, BW had to manually merge and test it; this was debilitating, and there were times when the build didn’t work for a month or was really unstable.

Meanwhile the art department were having a blast. FB was great for big beautiful environments. For months they made as much as possible, taking educated guesses when they didn’t know yet what the designers needed. “For a long time there was a joke on the project that we’d made a fantastic-looking screenshot generator, because you could walk around these levels with nothing to do. You could take great pictures.”

The concept of DAI as open-world was stymying the story/writers and gameplay/designers teams. What were players going to do in these big landscapes? How could BW ensure exploring remained fun after many hours? Their teams didn’t have time for system designers to envision, iterate and test a good “core gameplay loop” (quests, encounters, activities etc). FB wouldn’t allow it. Designers couldn’t test new ideas or answer questions because basic features were missing or didn’t exist yet. 

EA’s CEO told BW they should have the ability to ride dragons and that this would make DAI sell 10 million copies. BW didn’t take this idea very seriously

BW had an abstract idea that the player would roam the world solving problems and building up power or influence they could use. But how would that look/work like in-game? This could have used refinement and testing but instead they decided to build some levels and hope they could figure it out as they went.

One day in late 2012, after a year of strained development on DAI, Mark Darrah asked Mike Laidlaw to go to lunch. “We’re walking out to his car,” Laidlaw said, “and I think he might have had a bit of a script in his head. [Darrah] said, ‘All right, I don’t actually know how to approach this, so I’m just going to say it. On a scale of one to apocalyptic... how upset would you be if I said [the player] could be, I dunno, a Qunari Inquisitor?’” 

Laidlaw was baffled. They’d decided that the player could be only a human in DAI. Adding other playable races like Darrah was asking for would mean they’d need to quadruple their budget for animation, voice acting, and scripting.

“I went, ‘I think we could make that work’,” Laidlaw said, asking Darrah if he could have more budget for dialogue. 

Darrah answered that if Laidlaw could make playable races happen, he couldn’t just have more dialogue. He could have an entire year of production.

Laidlaw was thrilled. “Fuck yeah, OK,” he recalled saying.

MD had actually already realized at this point it’d be impossible to finish DAI in 2013. They needed at least a year’s delay and adding the other playable races was part of a plan/planned pitch to secure this. He was in the process of putting together a pitch to EA: let BW delay the game, and in exchange it’d be bigger and better that anyone at EA had envisioned. These new marketing points included playable races, mounts and a new tactical camera. If EA wouldn’t let them delay, they would have had to cut things. Going into that BW were confident but nervous, especially in the wake of EA’s recent turmoil where they’d just parted ways with their CEO and had recruited a new board member while they hunted for a new one. They didn’t know how the new board member would react, and the delay would affect EA’s projections for that fiscal year. Maybe it was the convincing pitch, or the exec turmoil, or the specter of DA2, or maybe EA didn’t like being called “The Worst Company in America”. Winning that award 2 years in a row had had a tangible impact on the execs and led to feisty internal meetings on how to repair EA’s image. Whatever the reasons, EA greenlit the delay.

The PAX Crestwood demo was beautiful but almost entirely fake. By fall 2013, BW had implemented many of FB’s ‘parts’, but still didn’t know what kind of ‘car’ they were making. ML and team scripted the PAX demo by hand, entirely based on what BW thought would be in the game. The level & art assets were real but the gameplay wasn’t. “Part of what we had to do is go out early and try to be transparent because of DA2. And just say, ‘Look, here, it’s the game, it’s running live, it’s at PAX.’ Because we wanted to make that statement that we’re here for fans.”

DA2 hung on the team like a shadow. There was insecurity, uncertainty, they had trouble sticking to one vision. Which DA2 things were due to the short dev time and which were bad calls? What stuff should they reinvent? There were debates over combat (DAO-style vs DA2-style) and arguments over how to populate the wilderness.

In the months after that demo, BW cut much of what they’d shown in it. Even small features went through many permutations. DAI had no proper preproduction phase (important for testing and discarding things), so leads were stretched thin and had to make impulsive decisions.

By the end of 2013, DAI had 200+ people working on it, and dozens of additional outsourced artists in Russia and China. Coordinating all the work across various departments was challenging and a full-time job for several people. At this sheer scale of game dev, there are many complexities and inter-dependencies. Work finally became significantly less tedious and more doable when BW and DICE added more features to FB. Time was running out though, and another delay was a no.

The team spent many hours in November and December piecing together a “narrative playable” version of the game to be the holiday period’s game build for BW staff to test that year. Feedback on the demo was bad. There were big complaints on story, that it didn’t make sense and was illogical. Originally the PC became Inquisitor and sealed the breach in the prologue, which removed a sense of urgency. In response the writers embarked on Operation Sledgehammer (breaking a bone to set it right), radically revising the entire first act.

The other big piece of negative feedback was that battles weren’t fun. Daniel Kading, who had recently joined BW and brought with him a rigorous new method for testing combat in games, went to BW leadership with a proposal: give him authority to open his own little lab with the other designers and call up the entire team for mandatory play sessions for test purposes. They agreed and he used this experiment to get test feedback and specifically pinpoint where problems were. Morale took a turn for the better that week, DK’s team made several tweaks, and through these sessions feedback ratings went from 1.2 to 8.8 four weeks later.

Many on the team wished they didn’t have to ship for old consoles (clunky, less powerful). BW leadership decided not to add features to the next-gen versions that wouldn’t be possible on the older ones, so that both versions of the game played the same. This limited things and meant the team had to find creative solutions. “I probably should’ve tried harder to kill [the last-gen] version of the game”, said Aaryn Flynn. In the end the next-gen consoles sold very well and only 10% of DAI sales were on last-gen.

“A lot of what we do is well-intentioned fakery,” said Patrick Weekes, pointing to a late quest called “Here Lies The Abyss”. “When you assault the fortress, you have a big cut scene that has a lot of Inquisition soldiers and a lot of Grey Wardens on the walls. And then anyone paying attention or looking for it as you’re fighting through the fortress will go, ‘Wow, I’m only actually fighting three to four guys at a time.’ Because in order for that to work [on old gen], you couldn’t have too many different character types on screen.”

Parts of DAI were still way behind schedule because it was so big and complex, and because some tools hadn’t started functioning until late on. Some basic features weren’t able to be implemented til the last minute (they were 8 months from ship before they could get all party members in the squad. At one point PW was playtesting to check if Iron Bull’s banter was firing, and realized there was no way to even recruit IB) and some flaws couldn’t be identified til the last few months. Trying to determine flow and pacing was rough.

They couldn’t disappoint fans again. They needed to take the time to revise and polish every aspect of DAI. “I think DAI is a direct response to DA2,” said Cameron Lee. “DAI was bigger than it needed to be. It had everything but the kitchen sink in it, to the point that we went too far... I think that having to deal with DA2 and the negative feedback we got on some parts of that was driving the team to want to put everything in and try to address every little problem or perceived problem.”

At this point they had 2 options: settle for an incomplete game, which would disappoint fans especially post-DA2, or crunch. They opted to crunch. It was the worst period of extended overtime in DAI’s development yet and was really rough: late nights, weekends, lost family time, 12-14 hour days, stress, mental health impacts.

During 2014′s crunch, they finally finished off features they wished they’d nailed down in year 1. They completed the Power (influence) system and added side quests, hidden treasures and puzzles. Things that weren’t working like destructible environments were promptly removed. The writers rewrote the prologue at least 6 times, but didn’t have enough time to pay such attention to the ending. Just a few months before launch pivotal features like jumping were added.

By summer BW had bumped back release by another 6 weeks for polish. DAI had about 99,000 bugs in it (qualitative and quantitative; things like “I was bored here” are a bug). “The number of bugs on an open-world game, I’ve never seen anything like it. But they’re all so easy to fix, so keep filing these bugs and we’ll keep fixing them.” For BW it was harder to discover them, and the QA team had to do creative experimentation and spend endless late nights testing things. PW would take builds home to let their 9 year old son play around. Their son was obsessed with mounting and dismounting the horse and accidentally discovered a bug where if you dismounted in the wrong place, all your companions’ gear would vanish. “It was because my son liked the horse so much more than anyone else ever had or will ever like the horse.”

MD had a knack for prioritizing which bugs should be fixed, like the one where you could get to inaccessible areas by jumping on Varric’s head. “Muscle memory is incredibly influential at this point. Through the hellfire which is game development, we’re forged into a unit, in that we know what everyone’s thinking and we understand everyone’s expectations.”

At launch they still didn’t have all their tools working, they only had their tools working enough.

DAI became the best-selling DA game, beating EA’s sales expectations in just a few weeks. If you look closely you can see the lingering remnants of its chaotic development, like the “garbage quests” in the Hinterlands. Some players didn’t realize they could leave the area and others got caught in a “weird, compulsive gratification loop”. Internet commentators rushed to blame “those damn lazy devs” but really, these were the natural consequences of DAI’s struggles. Maybe things would have been different if they’d miraculously received another year of dev time, or if they’d had years before starting development to build FB’s tools first.

“The challenge of the Hinterlands and what it represented to the opening 10 hours of DAI is exactly the struggle of learning to build open-world gameplay and mechanisms when you are a linear narrative story studio,” said Aaryn Flynn.

“DA2 was the product of a remarkable time-line challenge,” said Mike Laidlaw, “DAI was the product of a remarkable technical challenge. But it had enough time to cook, and as a result it was a much better game.”

Read the chapter for full details of course!

#dragon age #bioware #video games #SW:TOR #mass effect #I've seen plenty of this info discussed in articles/thinkpieces and on online communities over the years #but it's nice to read it first hand #some very insightful stuff here #these behind the scenes looks are very valuble #a lot of DAI's elements make sense given the context and what was going on in the background and the tech challenges they faced etc #be kind and respectful to devs folks they're human beings #also in general this book is really interesting and easy to read #funny in places too #it has lots of other chapters on lots of other games including Stardew Valley #I def recc buying it #anyway hope this post is useful/interesting to someone! #oh and as always support good treatment of game devs #crunch culture in the industry is harmful and exploitative

[simpingandprocrastinating]

𝙀𝙌𝙐𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙈𝙄𝙏𝙔 - 𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘞𝘖

𝟮| 𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡 𝗜𝗧 𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦, 𝗜𝗧 𝗣𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗦

· · ───────────── ·𐂃· ───────────── · ·

"Lieutenant Hirsch." A sharp knock on the door had awoken the Lieutenant from slumber. Oh, how she hated formal titles. Maria yawned as she made her way to the door. When she opened it, she came eye to eye with one of the tallest Squad leaders in the Corps.

"Mike?" She tiredly dragged out, still trying to get used to the light. "What's wrong?"

"Word came early this morning, Section Commander Hanji's test subjects were killed." Maria frowned. "Wait," She combed her fingers through her hair while processing what Mike just said. "They're dead?"

"Yes, the Commander and the Corporal are on it with the Special Operations Squad." "Do they want me there?"

"No, Erwin requested for you to stay and report back to him when the soldiers are questioned."

"Thank you, Mike." The man gave her a short nod before she closed the door to her chambers and sighed. 'So, they suspect someone within the Corps huh.'

Not only was it weird for something like this to happen after Hanji and she just left the night before; it was also very concerning. Sawney and Bean had been valuable specimens to Hanji and her research team. It was almost as if someone wanted to protect them from someone finding out their secrets.

Maria slipped into her uniform and tied up her hair. This was going to be a long day.

· · ─── · ·

While all the cadets were being questioned by the Military Police, Maria joined the sight. When she entered the room, she took a moment to look around but was interrupted by one of the soldiers; "Oh, Lieutenant Hirsch. I'm glad you could join us in our investigation."

"Ah yes, of course" She smiled halfheartedly, crossing eyes with a young male. "So, they really think this was a soldier's work?" "Sadly yes, but we haven't found the one responsible yet." Maria hummed while letting her eyes wander over the cadets who were being questioned.

"When did you last change shafts?" "Six days ago. After the clean-up operation." "Just as the records say." "Okay, next. You..." - All this work to find the culprit?

Maria frowned, the words now being tuned out by her own thoughts. 'But how do they expect to find the culprit like this. Didn't they just finish cleaning-up the battlefield...'

Her brown eyes fell on a certain spiky-haired teen. 'Wait... Jean?'

She hadn't seen him in years. His light-brown hair was still shaved in an undercut, like how she remembered him. Only now he had grown older and much taller. Maria remembered how the blunt boy would boast about how he was going to join the Military Police when he'd be old enough.

He hadn't noticed her, and she was glad he didn't. She didn't exactly give him an explanation the day she left. Maria didn't even get to say goodbye. It was one of the things she regretted the most.

She knew the time would eventually come when she had to face him again. But she didn't think today would be that day. Maria had to leave the room. "I will be back in an hour or so, be sure to report to me immediately when you find a suspect."

But that did not happen.

· · ─── · ·

Maria stood in front of Erwin's office. She knocked softly on the wooden surface and stated her name. "Lieutenant Hirsch, here to report about the questioning."

"Come in, Lieutenant." She heard in response.

She stepped into his office and smiled weakly at the blond man in front of her. Erwin was situated behind his desk, looking through some paperwork.

"I know you hoped there would be someone responsible for all this, but they didn't find anyone. All gear was inspected, none were showing signs of usage."

Erwin frowned, rubbing his eyebrows. "Thank you, Maria, for reporting back to me." He began, "I'm afraid this would happen." Maria seemed lost. "You expected this?"

"Yes, they must have had their plan all sorted out." "Wait, are you speaking in plural? You think it was more than one person?" "There must have been someone on the lookout. There were guards on the perimeter."

"That... Sounds quite logical." The Commander seemed to be thinking. "What are you planning, Erwin." Maria broke the silence. His blue eyes now crossed her brown ones. "When the time comes, you'll know," He stated with a smile. But for some reason, Maria's mind didn't feel at ease. It wasn't what Erwin said, but her thoughts drifted to a certain brown-haired boy.

"Something's on your mind. You seem worried." Maria closed her eyes for a moment. "I've seen someone I care for deeply, during the questioning." "A cadet." "Yes, a part of me knew it was just a matter of time before I would see him again, but I never actually thought he would keep to his words... I- I think he's going to choose to join the Military Police, but I'm not completely sure..."

Erwin nodded as if he understood, but Maria felt sick at the thought of the boy joining the Corps. "I know I can't think like this, but I don't want him to join the Survey Corps."

"It's not a crime to care about people you love Maria, but you shouldn't let it affect your rational thinking. If the boy is going to join the Survey Corps, he will be aware of the risks. The same risk you took when I asked you to join."

"I suppose you're right." She whispered. The blond male smiled at her, but she did not return the gesture. It was a first for him to see her like this, her normal bubbly face now laced with worry, maybe even fear.

"I should get going," Maria muttered.

"Alright, I will see you at the induction ceremony then, Maria." She gave him a curt nod and left his office. It wouldn't be long now before the ceremony would start.

· · ─── · ·

As she made her way to her fellow comrades, the trainees were called to line up.

"Oh, Hanji, Petra?" "Mimi!" Petra smiled, while Hanji placed her hand on Maria's shoulder. "How are you Hanij? Are you alright?" She softly whispered, Hanji smiled. "I'm alright!" Slowly, the other Squad leaders began to join their small group, Erwin following closely behind Mike.

Maria anxiously shifted in her place when Erwin entered the stage. Then, a short silence fell upon them all.

"I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps. Today, you will choose a military branch. Put bluntly, I'm here to persuade you to join the Survey Corps."

"During the Titan attack, you learned how terrifying they can be. And how limited your own power is. However... This battle brought humanity closer to victory than it's ever been."

"Through Eren Jaeger's existence. By risking his own life, he's proven himself, without doubt, a friend to humanity. With his help, not only did we stop the Titans' advance, but we have a way to discover their true nature."

The cadets gasped. 'Erwin what are you playing at.' The young woman thought.

Erwin started explaining about the basement in Eren's Shiganshina home and how it would require them to retake Wall Maria, to get to it.

'Why is he publicizing this information in the first place?' Erwin was a cunning man, but what was his reason behind spilling this kind of information. Petra gripped the map in her hands as Maria frowned at Hanji and Mike who stood next to her. Did they know? Why didn't anyone inform her? Or were they as clueless as she was?

"In other words, our objective hasn't changed." Mike and Petra came forth to show them the map, while Erwin continued. "But with the Trost gate sealed, we'll have to take the long way around, from Karanes to the east."

"The four years we spent laying a route for a large army have gone to waste. In those four years, more than sixty percent of the Survey Corps lost their lives."

"Sixty percent in four years... An insane figure. Any trainees who join will participate in our excursion beyond the walls, in a month. We expect thirty percent won't return. In four years, most will be dead. But those who survive will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate."

"Knowing these discouraging facts, any still willing to risk their lives, remain here. Ask yourself... Are you willing to offer your beating heart for humanity?"

"That is all. Anyone who wishes to join another branch is dismissed."

Maria knew things would go south after the Commander stopped speaking. "Commander... Don't you think you scared them a little much?"

"All of them will leave!" As trainees started to leave, Maria frantically searched for Jean, her eyes scanning the leaving crowd. Hoping he would follow them, but there she spotted him. Just standing there, clenching his fists. Eyes wide and debating on if he should still leave or not.

She cursed herself for not doing anything. But then again, she couldn't. It was a choice he needed to make on his own. And it wasn't like she could walk up to him now after she left him without an explanation.

"Goddamnit... No..." Hanji turned her head to the honey-blonde, surprised. "I never heard you curse before?" Maria hissed slightly, her face showing conflict.

Erwin waited, scanning the remaining trainees on the field. "Can you die if you're ordered to?" "I don't want to die!" someone shouted in return. "I see."

"I like the looks on your faces." Fear. Determination. Sadness. "Then I welcome everyone here to the Survey Corps! This is a true salute! Offer up your hearts!" As they placed their right fists on their hearts and saluted back, Erwin spoke again; "You have done well to endure your fear. You are brave soldiers. You have my heartfelt respect."

But Maria seemed to be out of it. She only had eyes for one boy in particular. "Jean..." She softly whispered. And that was the moment they finally crossed eyes after all these years.

· · ────────────── · ────────────── · ·

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#levi x oc #levi ackerman #aot #snk #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #equanimity