#who drives more than 10 miles from their house? extra people that’s who

[storiesforallfandoms]

one of the guys ~ jimmy smith jr;8 mile

word count: 3481

request?: no

description: she’s always been viewed as just “one of the guys” despite having feelings for one of her friends, and now it’s looking likely that she’s going to lose him to the wannabe model

pairing: jimmy smith jr. x female!reader

warnings: swearing, pining

masterlist (one, two, three)

I had known Jimmy and Future since we were a bunch of snot nosed kids causing trouble on the playground in elementary school. Cheddar Bob was next, having followed us around like a lost puppy until we finally adopted him. Iz and Sol joined our little group in high school, and then we were complete.

For as long as I had known the guys, they considered me to be...well, one of the guys. Even after I went through puberty and actually started looking like a girl, I was still just one of the guys. It didn’t bother me for the most part. When you’re a kid, it doesn’t really matter if you’re a boy or a girl. We all played the same, caused trouble the same. But when we hit puberty, I found myself not liking being considered “one of the guys” anymore.

Especially when I realized I had feelings for Jimmy.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved being a part of the friend group and I couldn’t ask for a better set of friends. What I definitely could ask for, though, was for those friends to recognize I was a woman and treat me as such. Namely, I wished Jimmy would realize that.

One Friday evening, just like every Friday evening, I had just pulled into my driveway and was walking up to my front door when I heard another car pulling up behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know it was Future.

“Get your ass changed, we’re going out!” he called.

“Future, I just got home,” I said.

“So?”

“So maybe I don’t want to go out with you chuckle fucks after I just worked an eight hour shift.”

“We both know that’s not the truth.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the smile on my face. He was right, I did want to go out. We went out every Friday night. It was a group tradition at this point. If I was seriously turning it down, there’d have to be something wrong with me.

“Give me 10 minutes,” I told Future before slipping into my house to change.

I was in and out in less time than I told him. I just changed out of my work clothes and into jeans and a t-shirt, and was ready to go again. I got into the passenger seat of Future’s car and he didn’t even wait for me to buckle myself in before he was backing out of my driveway and driving off to get the others.

“I fear for my life every time I get in the car with you,” I joked as I managed to buckle my seatbelt.

“Well, lucky for you, Jimmy agreed to drive tonight. His car can hold more people anyways.”

“Who else is going with us?”

“Just the usual.”

I looked over at Future in confusion. His tone definitely made me think there was someone else coming along for the night, but it seemed he wasn’t going to tell me. I couldn’t figure out who could possibly be joining us that Future wouldn’t want to tell me about beforehand.

We pulled into the trailer park and parked next to Jimmy’s car. Jimmy was exiting his trailer before we were even out of the car, as usual. Jimmy was usually waiting for us to show up and would be itching to leave his mom’s place as soon as he could. Jimmy gave Future one of their high five hugs, and patted me on the shoulder. It was just a step up from me also getting a high five hug, but not by much.

We got into Jimmy’s car, all three of us in the front. We started for Iz and Sol first, then Cheddar Bob. Once the car was full it was nothing but noise as each of the guys was talking over one another with Jimmy’s radio blaring as extra noise.

“How was work, by the way?” Jimmy asked me over the current argument between Future and Sol.

“Same bullshit as always,” I responded.

“I guess we should be lucky you even agreed to come out with us after working all day, meanwhile all we do is sit on our asses like a bunch of bums.”

I playfully nudged his shoulder. “Hey, you work, too.”

“I wouldn’t consider the Stamping work.”

I chuckled. I noticed then that we weren’t headed for the club. “Where are we going?”

“To pick up Alex.”

I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I looked over at Future. I couldn’t tell if he was actually deep in conversation with Iz or if he was just ignoring me. So this was who was joining us that he didn’t want to tell me about.

Alex.

She was a girl Jimmy had met at his work. She was a model apparently, or was trying to be one. Jimmy didn’t talk about her much, but the other guys didn’t waste a single moment in teasing him about her. It didn’t take a genius to realize he liked her.

Alex was waiting as Jimmy pulled up. She was wearing her usual mini skirt so short that you could basically see everything whenever she moved. It made me feel very self conscious about my choice in jeans.

Future opened the door and got out.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I asked. I already knew the answer and hoped he’d see the look of begging on my face.

“I’ll get in the back with the idiots,” he said. “I’d assume Alex will be more comfortable pressed up against you instead of Sol.”

“Yo, fuck you!” Sol snapped.

I hoped my clenched jaw would go unnoticed as Alex slid into the seat next to me. Her eyes immediately went to Jimmy and they shared a smile that made me wish I could throw myself from the moving car.

We got to the club and piled into our usual table while Future got the first round of shots. Cheddar Bob and Iz were sat on one end, I was in the middle, Jimmy and Alex were sat next to me, and Sol had pulled up a chair. When Future returned, he slid in next to Cheddar Bob. The table chorused with cheers as we held up our shots then shot them back.

I tried to play it cool, but having to sit next to Alex and Jimmy while they were flirting up a storm was making me more tense by the minute. When Sol offered to get the next round of drinks, I jumped to give him the money to buy me two of the strongest drinks he could for me. I downed the first one quickly, but took my time with the second. It didn’t take long for the shot and the first drink to kick in. My head was spinning and I felt care free and light as air.

At some point, when the drinks had hit me hard enough, I shoved against Iz’s shoulder and said (or rather slurred), “Hey, can you guys move? I gotta pee.”

“Yo, go the other way,” Future said. “There’s three of us here and only two on your other side.”

“You’re gonna break the dam this early in the night?” Sol asked. “You may as well sit on the end when you come out. You’ll be back and forth for the next few hours.”

“Look, I don’t care who moves and I don’t care where I sit when I come back, I just have to pee now.”

“Here, we’ll move,” Jimmy said.

He and Alex moved out of the booth and allowed me to get out. When I stood, I realized just how drunk I already was as I almost immediately lost my balance. I felt someone grab hold of me as the rest of the table chorused in laughter at my drunkenness. When I looked up, it was Jimmy that had taken hold of me. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

“I’m getting you water when you come back,” he said. “And you gotta pace yourself.”

“You’re always looking out for me,” I said. “You’re such a good friend.”

I put emphasis on the friend for my own benefit, but there was also some level of petty in the word. A reminder for both of us that that was the only way he saw me: as a friend. One of the guys that he went out drinking with every weekend, that he smoked with in the basement of someone’s house, that he ran around Detroit with causing mayhem since we were tykes.

I saw a look flash across his face that I couldn’t quite decipher, but I assumed I was just seeing things in my drunken haze.

I managed to make it to the bathroom on my own without incident. Once I was safely inside of a stall, I was able to sit down again. I almost didn’t want to get up and go back out to the table. Sitting was safe. The world didn’t spin when I was sat down. But I also couldn’t be sat on the toilet in a club bathroom all night either. I knew Sol was right about me going back and forth to the bathroom now that I had broken the dam, but if I put enough time between this bathroom visit and the next, maybe the spinning wouldn’t be as bad by then.

When I stepped out of the stall to wash my hands, I jumped to see that someone was waiting there.

Alex.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said.

I waved away her apology. “It’s fine. I just didn’t hear anyone else come in.”

I stepped around her to wash my hands. She turned to face me as I did. “Listen, I need to talk to you about something.”

I looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. “Okay?”

“Is there anything going on between you and Jimmy?”

The question took me by surprise. Why would she think there was anything between us? In all the time that Jimmy had known Alex, I had only met her once before after the lot of us had run into her at a house party. I remembered Jimmy only having eyes for her that night, too. There was no reason I could even fathom that she would believe Jimmy and I had a thing going on when he was so clearly into her.

“No,” I said. “He’s my best friend. Has been since we were kids.”

“And that’s it? Just friendship?”

“Yeah. What’s this about?”

She sighed. “I really like Jimmy, and I thought he liked me, too. But he’s never really asked me out or anything yet. I didn’t know if maybe you two had a thing going on and I read the whole situation wrong. I’ve known far too many guys who claim to be just friends with a girl and turns out they’re actually fucking around.”

Trust me, I wish that’s what was going on here.

Against my better judgement, I put my hands on Alex’s shoulders and said, “If you really like Jimmy and you want things to be more serious, maybe you should make the first move.”

She looked as though she had never even considered that option. “You think so? That won’t seem too...direct?”

“Who gives a shit? Why do men always have to be the ones to make the first move? Most of them are fucking idiots anyways and wouldn’t know if a girl liked them even if she was telling him to his face.” Alex chuckled. “If you want him, go get him.”

She nodded. I was taken by surprise when she suddenly pulled me into a hug. I reluctantly patted her on the back and tried to put the best smile I could muster on my face.

“You’re the best,” she said. “I think we’re going to be great friends.”

I bit my tongue as she hurried out the bathroom door.

That interaction was enough to sober me up more than I wanted. I could feel myself tearing up, but tried to fight it back. I turned to lean against the sink and looked up at myself in the mirror. I couldn’t help but notice everything that Alex had that I didn’t: gorgeous face, sexy voice, body of a model. I couldn’t even dream of leaving the house in a skirt as short as hers without feeling completely embarrassed and exposed. Of course Jimmy would like her, and of course he was going to say yes when she asked him to go out with her.

I hung my head as the tears slipped from my eyes and ran down my face into the sink. I prayed no one would come into the bathroom and find me here crying, and luckily someone was looking out for me because no one did. Once I felt like I had cried myself dry, I quickly splashed my face with cold water and tried to pretend everything was alright. I figured everyone was going to question where I had been for so long, but I didn’t feel like coming up with a fake answer to tell them. If I told them to fuck off, they wouldn’t pry.

My steps faltered a little when I exited the bathroom and saw that Alex and Jimmy were missing from the table. I was tempted to go right to the bar and get another drink, but I pushed through and went back to my group of friends.

“Hey, you good?” Future asked as I sat down in the booth.

“Yeah, just sobered up a little,” I responded. “Where did Jimmy and Alex go?”

“Alex asked to talk to him in private,” Cheddar Bob responded. “But that was a while ago, so who knows where they are now.”

I noticed both Future and Iz elbow him, causing him to spill some of his drink on himself. I didn’t care to imagine where Jimmy had taken Alex after she asked him out. I didn’t need to have that image burned in my mind for the rest of the night.

Everyone went back to their conversations, but I found myself not paying any attention to them. I kept glancing around the club, expecting to see Jimmy and Alex tucked away in a private corner, sucking face as if they were trying to blend into one person. Or maybe they’d be on the dance floor, practically dry humping in front of everyone. I didn’t think Jimmy was one to dance, but Alex had enough allure that she could’ve probably convinced him. But I didn’t see them, and that almost made it all worse.

Eventually I stood from the table suddenly, bringing everyone’s attention to me. “I need some air.”

“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Cheddar Bob asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” I said. I turned and quickly made for the exit.

Once I was outside, I breathed in the cool night air. It filled my lungs, but it didn’t seem to help soothe me at all.

“You alright?”

“Jesus!” I hissed as I turned towards the voice. It was Jimmy, leaning up against the club. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

“Free country,” he said with a shrug. “Are you good?”

“Just needed air. It felt very stuffy inside.”

I walked over to stand next to him. The rough brick wall dug into my back through my t-shirt. It was cool out, but not enough to make me feel like I needed a jacket or anything. I was standing so close to Jimmy that I could feel the heat coming from his body anyways.

“Where’s Alex?” I asked. “The guys said you two went off to talk in private.”

“She left,” he responded.

I looked at him in shock. “What? And went where?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Home, I guess?”

“Don’t you think you should’ve driven her? It’s not exactly the safest for her to be walking alone at night.”

“I offered, but she turned it down. Said she didn’t wanna see me ever again.”

I’ve definitely missed a lot of things here. “What happened?”

Jimmy sighed. “Well, she got up and went to the bathroom after you, said something about wanting to make sure you were okay where you were so drunk. Then when she came back she asked me if we could talk in private. She brought me outside and told me how she had been waiting for me to ask her out properly since we first met and she was tired of waiting, so she made the first move to ask me if I wanted to go on an official date with her.”

“And you said...”

He looked at me for a second before responding, “No. Obviously.”

Well, yeah, it was obvious that he said no. But what wasn’t obvious was why he had said no.

“I thought you were into her,” I said.

He laughed. “Who told you that?”

I shrugged. “The guys seemed convinced you were.”

“The guys don’t know shit about shit. They just like talking a big game and making fun of each other.” I just looked at him, waiting to see if there was any more he had to say. He looked at me then away again. “No, I’m not into her. She’s beautiful, yes, but I don’t see her that way.”

“Wait, so if you don’t see her like that, then why did you invite her tonight?”

“I didn’t. She was at the Stamping today and asked if she could come along. I guess this was her plan.”

Well, it wasn’t her plan until I told her to go after Jimmy, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.

I felt like everything had just been flipped upside down. I was so sure that Jimmy had been reciprocating Alex’s feelings. It seemed like that anyways. Or maybe it seemed like that because I was making it seem that way. I was projecting something onto the two of them that wasn’t really there, I guess because of my jealousy?

“Sucks that she didn’t handle the rejection well,” I said.

“It wasn’t the rejection, it was the reason I rejected her.”

My brows furrowed together. “The reason being...you didn’t like her like that?”

“No. Well...yes. Kind of.”

“You know, for a man who can freestyle, you’re god awful with your words right now.”

He laughed and lightly nudged me with his shoulder. “It was the reason I said I don’t have feelings for her. I told her that I don’t like her because I like someone else and she didn’t handle that very well.”

I could feel my stomach turning to knots again. “Oh? Didn’t like the competition?”

“No, she said something along the lines of she should’ve trusted her gut, and that all guys who hang out with girls end up fucking them in the end.”

It took a second for what he said to register in my brain. When it did, I thought back to Alex talking to me in the bathroom and asking me if there was anything going on between Jimmy and I because she knew of too many guys who were friends with girls who they were actually fucking. Then, I put the pieces together in my head.

When I turned to look at Jimmy again, he was already watching me, waiting for me to come to the conclusion. “Me?!”

“Jesus, that took you long enough.”

“What do you mean that took me long enough?! Why the fuck haven’t you told me?!”

“Because you’re my best friend! We’ve known each other since kindergarten. If I told you I liked you and you didn’t like me back, that would fuck everything up between us and within the friend group. I would rather feel this way in silence than risk losing you as a friend.”

“If you had told me I would’ve told your dumbass that I like you, too, and I have since high school.”

“Wait...for real?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, for real!”

We both stood in silence. We shared a look, and then a smile broke out on Jimmy’s face. I couldn’t help but mirror it, and soon we were both laughing. With the absurdity of the situation, we couldn’t not laugh.

“We’re both dumbasses,” I said between fits of laughter.

“I guess so,” Jimmy agreed. “That brings up the question, though, of where do we go from here?”

“Well, I think we try a date, just the two of us and not those other idiots in there, and we see how things progress from there.”

He smiled. “Okay, I like that idea.”

“And we promise that if things don’t work out, we stay friends.”

“And we don’t tell the guys about any of this.”

I laughed. “Okay deal.”

#jimmy smith jr #jimmy smith jr imagine #jimmy smith jr x reader #eminem #eminem imagine #eminem x reader #marshall mathers #marshall mathers imagine #marshall mathers x reader #8 mile #one shot #imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

[loveinhawkins]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 ao3

Eddie finds Wayne outside, round the back of the hotel. He’s sat on a little bench next to a trellis doing another damn crossword, the newspaper folded across his knees; and it’s almost funny, how he so easily seems to find peace and solitude during the impossible. But then Eddie remembers unplanned nights at the trailer from years ago, seeking refuge from raised voices and smashed bottles—and figures that Wayne’s always been good at carving out quiet moments amongst chaos.

Wayne looks up when Eddie sits down on the bench, too, appraises him thoughtfully.

“You’re looking better.”

“Well, damn, Wayne,” Eddie says, “was I ugly before or something?”

Wayne raises his eyes to the heavens, but he can’t hide the tiny smile tugging at his lips—and, God, Eddie thinks, he’s never taking this for granted again. Lately they’d gotten too used to passing like ships in the night—they had a vague plan to order takeout, watch T.V on one of Wayne’s rare days off, but then Chrissy…

“Steve doing good?” Wayne asks shrewdly, and Eddie nods, says that he’s heading to his house to pick up some of his stuff.

Wayne reaches into his back pocket, brings out his car keys and tosses them to Eddie. He jerks his thumb to the hotel parking lot.

“I’m parked near the front, just bring it back whenever you’re done.” He eyes Eddie, a little grave. “You just take care, all right? Don’t stop for no-one.”

Eddie nods again. Pushes back a tight knot of anxiety. “I won’t. Hey, uh… how long do we, you know,” he glances at the hotel building, “have here?”

Wayne follows his gaze. “Well, they’ve not asked me for my credit card yet,” he says, entirely straight-faced, and when Eddie just huffs a small laugh, he adds, “Government’s stepping in to re-house folks. Heard some of the trailers aren’t too damaged, so…”

Eddie puts two and two together. “People are moving back?”

“Some of ‘em,” Wayne confirms mildly. “The park still needs more work, reckon it’ll be months, at least, before it starts looking like—”

“I don’t think I can do it,” Eddie blurts out. “Go—go back, I mean.”

It’s painful to admit, that he wants to run from the one place that used to make him feel safe. But he can’t hide from it, how the horror is pervasive: how he thinks of Chrissy in the living room, and Steve’s missing tape in his bedroom, and him sinking to the ground in the trailer park, despairing, a lifeless Steve in his arms.

“All right,” Wayne says, like it’s simple.

Eddie bites his lip. “But. Wayne. It’s… it’s your home, too.”

Wayne sighs but not unkindly. He ruffles Eddie’s hair. “We’ll figure it out, Eddie,” and it sounds like he’s saying, You know full well that’s not really where ‘home’ is.

Eddie smiles. Blinks and looks away to wipe his nose with the back of his hand. When he stands up, he takes a peek at the crossword, tuts and says, “Come on, old man, you’re getting slow.”

“You’re a damn menace, that’s what you are.”

“Six across, four letters,” Eddie continues, sing-song, “All you need, to the Beatles.”

“I hadn’t got round to—”

Eddie twirls the car keys round his finger, does a stupid little spin as he leaves, just because he can. “Love!” he exclaims, hand on his heart, and Wayne chuckles.

-

He goes the extra mile in being cautious, takes backroads that he knows will be quiet, makes himself as small as possible in the driver’s seat. The town still feels ghostly, and the very occasional people he does drive by on the sidewalk don’t appear to really notice him, and he doesn’t quite know how to feel about it.

When he pulls up into Steve’s driveway, he glances in the rear-view mirror and sees another car crawling past—like it’s surveying rather than stopping. Then he realises that it’s Nancy who’s driving.

He sounds his horn as quietly as he can, and she starts, waves at him with a significant delay. She gets out, meets him at the front door.

“It’s empty, Jonathan took them all on a grocery store run,” Nancy says. Her voice is too level, like she’s putting all her effort into keeping it like that. “The spare key’s here.” She lifts up the door mat and bends down to pick up the key.

There’s mud all over her boots. Eddie only needs one look to know that it’s from the trailer park.

He kind of wants to hug her, honestly, but he doesn’t know yet what she really needs.

He lifts up the bag he’d brought. “Thought I’d do some laundry,” he says lightly, just to break the silence.

Nancy regards the bag with something like relief, and she takes it from him. “I can start a load,” she says, and then she opens the door and stops, right there in the hallway.

Eddie doesn’t blame her. With the house empty, their footsteps seem overly loud. There’s nothing to distract him from remembering the last time he was here, watching Steve’s forced normality. The clinking of bottles, back to the kids. His voice echoing eerily off the ceiling. You guys trust me, right?

Eddie gives himself a shake, heads for the stairs. “I’m just gonna—Steve wanted some clothes picked up, so…”

He trails off in invitation, looking over his shoulder.

But Nancy stays right where she is. She looks up to the top of the stairs then rapidly pales, a hand reaching out to steady herself against the wall. There’s a faint thump as she drops the bag onto the floor.

“Woah, woah.” Eddie hurries back, grabs her by the elbow. “You okay? You wanna sit down?”

Nancy shakes her head, screws her eyes shut for a moment. “No, I’m—I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Eddie says, uncertain.

She grips Eddie’s arm, breathes. Lets go and raises her head. “Yeah, I’m… I just need.” She picks up the bag again, straightens. “Just need to not—not think for a bit.”

Eddie releases his hold on her slowly, steps back when she doesn’t sway again.

“Yeah, I get that,” he says softly.

She reaches for a door to the left, before the kitchen. “Laundry room’s in here,” she says. Then, matter-of-fact, adds, “See you once you’ve got his things?”

Eddie nods but stays put. “Shout if you need me?”

Nancy softens. “Sure.”

-

In the end, Eddie’s almost glad that he heads to Steve’s bedroom alone, because he ends up freezing in the doorway for almost a full minute.

There’s more ghost-like memories in here. One of Steve’s drawers has been pulled fully out, left on the floor, and it’s like Eddie can hear Erica and Lucas scrabbling, throwing things out in their search for the tape.

Then he thinks of Dustin, his voice cracking; hearing him in the midst of asking, incredulous, “—not even going to look at me?”

Dustin’s furious, watery eyes flash through his mind, as does I hate you, and Steve turning his back, hiding as one tear falls down his cheek—

Enough.

Eddie takes a deep breath. Once he finally crosses the threshold, it’s easier—he does his best not to stop. He focuses on finding clothes that are loose and soft, easier for Steve to put on over a cast. It’s endearing, to see wrinkled t-shirts in the closet, placed close to hand, clearly worn and familiar and comforting.

He has to reach for the drawer on the floor anyway, picks a couple of sweaters in case Steve gets cold. And maybe it’s silly, but his hand lingers on the wooden surface as he does so, touching the impression of where Steve’s hand had been; as if he can somehow reach into the past and keep him safe.

He skims the bookshelf with interest, prompted by Steve’s suggestion. The majority of it is made up of old children’s books—twee collections of Winnie The Pooh and Beatrix Potter which make him smile. Then there’s a volume of poetry that catches his eye, simply because it’s been left crooked on the shelf, like Steve had recently been reading it, before distractedly putting it back.

Eddie picks it up, puts it on top of his little bundle of clothes and takes it with him.

- Nancy’s sitting on a beanbag in the laundry room, watching the washing machine whir, eyes unfocused. The beanbag is a garish red, at odds with the rest of the furniture in the house, marking it as a ‘Steve purchase.’

The washing machine beeps when it’s done; Eddie puts his clothes in the dryer, remembering Steve’s words and slamming the door shut. Nancy jumps in her seat.

“Sorry,” Eddie says.

She exhales. “It’s fine.”

It’s then that Eddie notices she’s taken her boots off; there’s dried blood on her socks. He recalls Wayne saying she looked like she’d been at the trailer park for hours; and he wonders just how far she has walked.

But before he can even tentatively ask, Nancy speaks first.

“I’m—it wasn’t you, I just. I can’t go in his room.” Her voice is thick. “You know, Barb… Barb’s parents, they kept her room ex-exactly like it…” She laughs sadly. “I couldn’t stop thinking that she’d just walk through the door.”

Eddie got an inkling that the disappearance of Barbara Holland was Upside Down related when Nancy came out of her Vecna trance, trembling in Steve’s arms. Before they’d scaled the rope, he’d overheard her whisper, tearful, “He showed me Barb.” Caught when Steve made a soft noise like he’d been punched: “Oh, Nance.”

Now Eddie watches Nancy glance upwards, blinking rapidly, and knows that Barb can never come home.

“I just couldn’t…” Nancy sucks in a sharp breath. “Couldn’t go in there, not when—when he’s not here, this place feels like a fucking museum.”

“He’s coming home,” Eddie says. “He’s gonna be okay.”

Nancy nods slowly. She curls further into the beanbag, wincing as she moves her feet.

They don’t speak for a short while, the dryer churning in the background. Eddie finds a handheld brush in a cupboard, picks up Nancy’s boots.

“Scooch,” he says gently, and they share the beanbag.

Little by little, Eddie scrubs the mud off Nancy’s boots. It’s dried and caked on in places, obviously fresh in others.

His uncle’s voice in his head again: I think she was waiting for something to happen, too.

“Hey, Wheeler?” Eddie says, almost a whisper. “You don’t need to, uh… keep checking, you know?”

Nancy doesn’t look at him.

He thinks of her freezing at the trailer park, clutching a coffee Wayne brought her, stuck waiting, and it breaks his heart.

“Don’t go back there,” he says.

She sighs like she can’t promise that.

Eddie gathers himself. “Fine, here’s the deal.” He waits until she turns to him, expectant. “If—if you need to… don’t go back there alone, okay?”

She blinks those eyes that have seen far too much. “How?”

“I’ll go with you,” Eddie vows.

She doesn’t say anything. But she leans into him, their shoulders pressed together, and that’s all the answer he needs.

-

“Why’d you bring so much?” Steve says with amusement when Eddie shows him the bundle of clothes.

“So you’ve got options! I don’t know how you style yourself, Harrington.”

“Whatever brings out my eyes,” Steve says, deadpan.

“I thought you said your hair was your ‘best feature.’”

“Thanks for the air quotes, man, appreciate it.” Steve actually bats his eyelids. Idiot, Eddie thinks fondly. “Why’re you limiting me to only one best feature?”

“Wow. Think all that hair just hides your big head.”

Steve flips him off—correctly this time. “Pot, meet kettle,” he echoes, and laughs when Eddie throws a sweater in his face.

-

Steve catches him reading the poetry book over dinner. “You can, like, doodle in it or whatever, if you want.” He shrugs. “I’m not precious with it.”

Eddie reaches for a pen, but only to add a tongue-in-cheek note for Steve to find on the title page, signs and dates it: When it was discovered by Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson that Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington had hidden depths.

It’s an anthology, so Eddie flips through it out of order, settling on random pages on a whim. Then several markings in pencil catch his eye.

He pauses. He vaguely recognises this poem from English. Steve has underlined the very end.

I was much too far out all my life  And not waving but drowning.

Eddie stays on that page for a long time—thinks of Chrissy, how he’d only ever remembered her as smiling before she sat in front of him in the woods, picking the skin around her fingers.

Pictures Steve, his inexplicably tender smile in the RV. This bit really isn’t so bad, Eddie.

Steve clicks his fingers, burnt lasagne mid-way to his mouth. “Hey, where’d you go?”

Eddie starts, turns the page. “Oh, nowhere.”

He shuts the book.

#steddie fic #steddie #the self sacrificial steve agenda #steve x eddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #eddie and nancy #wayne munson #eddie and wayne munson

[friendlyfaded]

miles!!!!

consider: sam/guy

Coming right for my heart with two of my all-time favorite boys, aren't we? Bet.

While Sam does work extremely well with reckless messes, he would also pair nicely with a comfort character. Guy might be chaotic and extra, but he stays out of trouble and offers tons of love and affection. He would bring the perfect amount of excitement and chaos to Sam's life without tipping over into dangerous habits. He would make sure Sam always knows exactly how valid and genuinely good he is. There would never be a day when Guy doesn't come home after work, flop onto Sam, and tell him how much he missed him. It would be such a direct contrast to the relationship Sam had with Alexis, and I think that would be good for him.

We don't have a huge amount of information on Guy just yet, but we do know some general truths. He's an entity of chaos and mischief, always ready with memes and teasing. He works hard at his job, which tends to be thankless. He's extremely loyal and loving. He has major golden retriever energy. He loves to cuddle and be close to his partner.

Going down the line, Sam vibes so well with chaotic partners. For fifteen years, his life has been confined to patrolling WonderWorld and going to clan meetings. He didn't get out much, as far as we know. He needs some excitement in his life. He's also forty, so Guy would have so much fun memeing on him when he doesn't get the references. Sam still doesn't know what a skrinkly little skrungle is, but he knows that's his name in Guy's phone.

Sam is an endless source of validation and care. He's always there to be Guy's mother hen when he works too hard or takes on too much. He would be more than happy to massage away the backaches from having to drive all day, or play with his hair to relieve the headaches that food service work always seems to come along with. He would also be ready to use magic to ease the aches and pains of the day.

Sam is similarly loyal. He tends to be extremely honest and kind. He told Alexis as soon as she started catching feelings that he wanted to end things between them, which must have been difficult, but it was an important step for him to take. He doesn't get involved with people unless he knows it's what he wants, and he doesn't let go of what he wants easily. He would make sure Guy is always taken care of and loved, no matter what.

I don't care what anyone says, Sam deserves a puppy partner. Whether that be Darlin', with their German Shepherd vibes, or Guy, who is the poster child for golden retriever boyfriends everywhere, he deserves that kind of love. Every time Sam comes home from a clan meeting or patrol, I can see Guy jumping up off the couch and running over, helping him take his shoes off and asking about his day. He'd be happy to follow Sam around the house and talk about anything and everything, not letting the large house go quiet. He would make sure Sam never feels alone.

Sam and Guy are both huge on cuddling. This is a canon fact. It is also a fact that Guy is usually the one being held. I can't think of many things Guy would like more in this scenario than being held, safe and secure, in the strong arms of his vampire boyfriend. And on the same token, Sam would be so content napping with Guy laying on top of him, his head on his chest, feeling the warmth and weight of the one he loves most on him. It would be incredibly grounding and comforting.

Finally, Guy would find Sam being a vampire so insanely hot and you cannot tell me otherwise. Of course, the Twilight jokes would be insufferable, but Sam loves his idiot too much to actually be mad. Besides, kissing him is a great way to shut him up when he starts going on about dating "irl jasper hale" or whatever. It would take Sam a hot minute to realize that Guy is serious when he says he loves the idea of Sam feeding on him. It's just such a different perspective than what he's encountered in the empowered world, but it's refreshing.

All in all, 10/10. I love them together.

#redacted rarepairs #redacted asmr #rarepairs with prof

[trauma-insence]

Some advice for winter weather

weather is wonky and bad winter weather is hitting some places where people may not be prepared for it or may not know how to handle it or what to expect. as someone who has lived in areas with bad winters their entire life, I've asked some people what advice or tips they have for people new to snow icy conditions

From a few mechanics

have good brakes and tires. they all seemed to agree that a lot of the accidents they see cars from happened because someone involved didn't have good brakes or tires

from a guy that runs a tire shop- if you can't afford good snow tires, call and ask if they have any sort of community fund or program to help pay for them. explain your situation and a lot of times people want to help

if you have a front wheel drive car, put sand bags in the back. adding the extra weight helps with traction in the rear tires (as someone with a front wheel drive car this does help a ton)

double check that all your lights are working, headlights, tail lights, blinkers, and interior lights

let your engine heat up before you go anywhere and if you can, drive more than about 10 miles at a time (helps your engine in the long run)

if you're waiting for a tow truck, be nice to the driver. you may be waiting a while if other cars are possibly a higher priority situation or it might not be safe for the tow truck to get to you in the moment

From a teacher

a lot of high schools have gone to virtual days instead of snow days, teachers know that in these cases students may have to watch younger siblings. communicate your situations.

seasonal depression gets worse when people are stuck in their houses, if you're struggling, say something

"Consider it my unofficial assignment to anyone who reads this to spend at least half an hour outside or doing something they enjoy"- Mr. K

From a sheriff

if the roads are bad, don't drive unless absolutely necessary

if roads are bad and you need to drive, go slow with your flashers on. if people behind you start getting impatient pull over and let them pass

Don't text and drive. don't do it ever, but especially if there's snow or ice. just don't do it (this is the summed up version from the ten minute talk he gave me)

if for whatever reason you find yourself stranded, broken down, or waiting on a tow truck, call the police if you don't feel safe or if you have a small child in the car at risk of getting too cold

General advice from some people who have seen their fair share of bad winters

keep an emergency kit in your car, it should include a flashlight, extra batteries, a wool or thermal blanket, and a coffee tin or aluminum can with tea lights and a lighter or matches. lighting the tea lights in the can should give you at least fifteen minutes of warmth

dress in layers

you can get thermal under wear from Walmart for about $10 (note: this price is from a boomer who has not bought thermal under wear in at least ten years and i didn't bother to price check)

if you get frostbite, run the area under cool water and slowly bring it to room temperature as you thaw. seek medical attention if you can

with the right gear, winter walks are beautiful and nature should be enjoyed. make sure you do something fun and spend some time in it, it's especially fun to spend time with friends and family in snow

if you have pets, make sure you buy pet safe anti-freeze and salt

if you have children in carseats, don't strap them in with a puffy jacket on them

if you get out of your car after starting it, keep a window open just in case the doors are locked or a child (insert my mothers look over to me as she said this) or pet might lock you out of the car

keep an eye on walkways for ice, if you start to fall brace yourself and try to fall on your butt, don't try to catch yourself with your hands out

Add more if you have them!!

#mutualsreblog #my mother did not need to call me out #my brother in law also said to make sure your cars muffler is attached and no mats are blocking your brake pedal #which are both reasons he's had to fix my car #winter #snow #winter weather #snowstorm #advice #life advice #with love from the midwest

[hikeofthemonth]

December 2023 Mangum Dental Hike-of-the-Month Wave Cave, Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction, AZ by Jami Ogden

Distance: 3.0 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Gain: 869 feet (2,200' to 3180') Parking: There is minimal parking, which tends to fill up quickly on the weekends. We went on Wednesday and saw about three people. You will need a permit to park at this particular trailhead as it is not public land but Arizona State Trust Land. You can get an individual permit for $15. Permits are per person and not per vehicle. Permits can be paid for online at https://azland.my.salesforce-sites.com/recreationalpermit/ Directions: Type "Carney Springs Trailhead" into your navigation app or take Highway 60, Superstition Fwy, 6 miles East of Apache Junction, and turn left on Peralta Road. Drive Northeast on Peralta Road; the road turns to dirt after the houses of Gold Canyon. The road is suitable for cars. After 5.6 miles, stay on Peralta Road by staying left, and in a half mile, the small parking lot will be on the west side of the road.

Summary The Wave Cave can be found near the Superstition Mountains just outside of Apache Junction. It's a popular 3-mile out-and-back trail that is considered a challenging hike, but we have graded it moderate. The hike begins flat, and the terrain becomes increasingly rocky and steep. Begin at Canary Springs trailhead just off Peralta Rd. You’ll find a lost gold mine along the trail and stunning views of the Superstition Mountains along the way to the cave. There are some intersecting trails, so follow the white arrows. When you reach the cave, you’ll enjoy the coolness of the cave with a breathtaking view of the Superstitions! There is often an abundance of bees in the cave. From the trailhead, you can see the cave opening and the slight shadow of the rock formation inside the cave that resembles a giant wave. The hike starts at a steady incline and becomes steeper, with boulders to climb as you get closer to the cave. We started our hike around 10:00 a.m., and it got warm fast. The trail is exposed, so I highly recommend packing extra water. We also knew it would take us a bit longer to hike, and we wanted to take our time inside the cave, so we opted to pack a picnic lunch. We were grateful for the food and rest once we reached the trail's end and inside the cave. The cave was cool and breezy, with many calming sounds and echoes. One of the most incredible things we discovered while exploring the cave was a tiny hidden treasure box! My sister and I went outside the cave to the right, and it had another little smaller cave that was perfect for throwing out our blanket for a picnic. When I turned around inside the mini cave, there was a low overhang; a small glimmer caught my eye, and I realized something was in the nook of the rocky overhang. My sister (who is much taller than I) reached up and pulled out a tiny metal treasure chest! Inside was a note to take a treasure and leave a treasure. I took out a lucky penny, and she chose a tiny little stitched doll. We replaced the items with our Star Wars key chains, Yoda and R2D2 found a new home inside the box, and we re-hid the treasure chest for the next lucky people to find! So, if you decide to take this hike, make sure you keep an eye out for hidden treasure!

Jami is the lead dental assistant at Mangum Dental. She enjoys the outdoors and riding horses. She has many years of dental and surgical experience. You can find out more about Mangum Dental at www.mangumdental.com.

[alphaannapurnabasecamp]

Trekking In Nepal For Beginners

Traveling will not be easy unless you do it with your heart and enjoy the journey. As long as you can connect to the path and environment, everything else will fall into place. So, when choosing a destination, go for the best one that makes you feel more comfortable than the top one. Distance, of course, is the key to any trip, so be careful what you choose. Fortunately for Nepal, there are so many easy hiking trails to offer travelers. Most of them are well-marked and pass through the countryside, making it easy for travelers to get around. Those who have just started traveling will be able to enjoy panoramic views from these tours without any pain or extra effort. In addition, the trekking routes are easy to navigate and can be done in a short time. Trekking in Nepal for beginners is less difficult but it is fun and exciting. Each hiking destination offers breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains, beautiful forest trails, and friendly people. Below are the top trekkings in Nepal for beginners.

1. Ghandruk Trek

Ghandruk is an amazing village of Gurung in Annapurna with historic wooden houses, diverse culture, and surrounding mountains. It is only a few hour's drives from Pokhara. The journey starts from Pokhara and goes through Pothana to Ghandruk.  This is one of the best trips for any non-traveler can encounter while visiting Nepal. Towards the wonderful village that showcases Nepalese art and culture. Visiting this remote village is so relaxing that you will forget the fatigue and stress of the journey. Also, it offers a beautiful mesmerizing view of Mount Machhapuchhre and Hiunchuli.

2. Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek

The Ghorepani Poon Hill trek is probably the shortest trek in the Himalayas. Those who don't like long treks can approach Ghorepani Poon Hill Treks. It has the easiest and perfect hiking trails to attract other tourists who don't like walking too much. A 22 miles trek through the rushing river and grassy hills in front of Pokhara offers breathtaking views. The trip also includes sightseeing in beautiful villages and rhododendron forests, with the backdrop of the present Annapurna. Even for experienced travelers, it is a great introduction to the Himalayas, especially if the time is less. As a gateway to Poon Hill, Ghorepani also offers beautiful snow-clad trekking. As the hill station lies at an altitude of 3210 meters, you can clearly see Annapurna Massif, Nilgiri Himal, and Dhampus.

3. Lower Manaslu Trek

Trekking to the lower Manaslu is one of the best destinations to explore historical, religious, cultural, ecological, and archaeological places. This tour is a well-supported homestay to better understand the local people and significant information about the people. The trip includes everything from ancient Nepalese culture to archaeological sites and sacred pilgrimages. Tourists can observe different cultures and learn about the religious practices of different ethnic groups while visiting the villages. The Gateway of the Himalayas, the Lower Manaslu Trek is watched with great interest. It offers a beautiful view of snow-capped mountains including Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, and Ganesh Himal. The 80 miles trek in Lower Manaslu starts from Ghairung before passing the historical monument, Gorkha Durbar. Its beautiful path reminds the new painting of landscape as it passes through Sirandanda and Laprak.

4. Langtang Valley Trek

No matter how many places you have traveled and explored, there is no place where you can find a gem like the Langtang Valley Trek. It provides easy access to trekking for beginners. Anyone who can walk for at least 6-7 hours will do the trip without any problems. Travelers reserve 10 to 12 days to cross the Langtang Valley starting from Syabru Besi. The place is so attractive that you can't stop but stay in the area as long as possible. Make the most of your holiday and visit the beautiful Kyanjin Gompa and taste the local cheese at nearby factories. The town of Langtang was completely destroyed in the April 2015 earthquake. The local people rebuilt the teahouse and lodge and reopened it. The best way to help people in this area is to visit this place. Langtang Valley Trek is an interesting and beautiful trek in the Langtang region. It is famous for offering beautiful views of mountains, hidden culture, and the Himalayan range of Langtang. It’s just 137 km far from the capital city of Katmandu. This trek will give you ample opportunities to create an unforgettable experience while trekking in the Himalayas.

5. Everest Panorama Trek

Everest Panorama Trek is a short and beautiful trek in the Everest region, also known as the Khumbu region. The fantastic Everest Panorama Trek in the Khumbu region allows you to enjoy the most beautiful, spectacular, and mesmerizing Himalayan views in the world. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, you will take an exciting flight to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu region. Walking through the beautiful forest of rhododendrons, fir, pine, etc, you will reach the tourist center of Everest region, Namche Bazar. A refined small town surrounded by many green hills and snow-capped mountains. Here, you will find many services from ATMs to WiFi, various types of food varieties, etc.

6. Dhorpatan Trek

Located west of Pokhara, Dhorpatan can be walked in a short time without any difficulty. As the only hunting reserve in Nepal, the sanctuary allows visitors to hunt certain animals in certain areas, but we recommend that you do not do so. Instead, you should enjoy the moment and discover as many wild animals as possible the starting point of the Dhorpatan Trek is Beni, a beautiful and picturesque town in the Myagdi region. Dhorpatan Trek is one of the authorized hunting areas of Nepal and was established in 1987 with an area of ​​1,325 km 512sq in Dhaulagiri Himal in western Nepal in the Rukum, Myagdi, and Baglung districts. It stretches at an altitude of 2,850m to 5,500m, 9,350m to 18,000ft with large wildlife reserves, national parks, and magnificent views of the Himalayan range that add spectacular beauty to the human race. The most remarkable combination of game reserves that only forces the world to know the true beauty of Nepal. Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve is divided into six zones for hunting organization purposes. The altitude of the reserve ranges from 2,850m to 7,000m, which gives us a great view of the mountains of Dhaulagiri Circuit Trek and Annapurna Trek. Dhorpatan is the main place for blue sheep and the main target for hunters.

7. Helambu Trek

With easy and short routes, Helambu is the best trek in Nepal for beginners. It is a great choice for beginners because the city itself is only 80 kilometers far from Kathmandu. So, when you stay here, you will get to know more about their history and native culture. High in the Himalayas, Helambu offers spectacular views of the Jugal Himal and Rolwaling ranges. The route passes through the Shivapuri National Park so visitors can see more wildlife. They can also enjoy seeing the waterfalls, and a bamboo forest filled with rhododendron.

8. Annapurna Panorama Trek

The Annapurna Panorama Trek is a short trek and one of the easiest treks in the Annapurna region. It is suitable for beginners, and people of all ages and includes trips to beautiful places like Ghorepani, Chhomrong, and Tadapani. The tour ends at Tadapani where you will find yourself walking along a road filled with many abundant rhododendron species blessed and descend to Kimche before returning to Pokhara as we return back to Kathmandu for our final departure. Overall, this trip is for anyone who wants to enjoy the magic of northwest Nepal in a short time. So, if you want to go on a beautiful trip that includes village life, mountains, and dazzling views, then trekking in the Annapurnas can be your next thing to do.

#Short treks in Nepal #Best trek in Nepal #Trekking for beginners in Nepal

[princessprettyprivilege]

Stand Up For Yourself In Beauty Spaces (Hair Salon Edition!)

I struggled with standing up for myself at hair salons because my hair looked bad when I’d go and I believed the stylist knew more than I did. (5 years ago), the stylist went against the hair restoration [which was cutting off dead ends in stages diagonally so I wouldn’t lose inches] journey I had listed and cut my hair from the bottom of my neck to my ears. I was so traumatized for years. Ladies, no more.

Outline your wants and needs.

If you’re going in for a trim, you’re leaving with a trim. Tell the stylist you aren’t interested in losing inches just because she needs hours in hair cutting to build her portfolio to graduate. You aren’t a mannequin head.

Don’t forget who you are: You are a luxurious, feminine woman who expects respect from people who are there to assist you. You know you more than they know you. You are firm in what your needs are. You aren’t afraid to get up and request a supervisor or manager to find a stylist that will listen to your needs. This applies to every aspect of your life.

Absolutely do not allow a stylist to bully you into something you don’t want or belittle you. You sit down and the stylist touches your hair and says, “You have so many dead ends and tangles. Don’t you know how to take care of your hair? Look at her.” Other stylists start to gawk at you and you feel humiliated. It doesn’t matter how amazing her end results are, she should be mature and have compassion for why your hair looks the way it does. It could be for any reason. Tell her you are no longer interested in her services and demand for a manager to find a more suitable stylist or leave. Snarky comments aren’t cute or funny.

Upgrade the salon you visit.

If you need to save money to visit the salon by washing at home and having it styled there, do that. Driving an extra 10 to 15 miles to a upper class salon can make a world of difference for the health of your hair, the stylist’s attitudes and your mood.

I’m scheduling consultations at affluent salons where their dialogue would be:

Lydia (Luxurious, Youthful Diamond, ‘That’s YOU!!’): “I’m visiting different salons to find out which one best suits my needs for maintenance. I’m looking for treatments that will strengthen my hair and help build length. Also, I’m interested in how your trims and haircuts look. Do you offer a treatment like Olaplex or something similar?”

Affluent salon that is up to date on hair trends: “Yes Ms. Lydia! We offer Olaplex AND a bespoke 6-9 week plan with our best in house products that you can sample yourself, we can provide you a brochure with our client’s before and after they used our bespoke plan. Please take your time when deciding. I can take you on a tour around our salon if you’d like!”

Lydia: “Okay, thank you! I’ll consider your treatments. My next question is how you do trims and haircuts. I had a troubling experience at my last salon where they botched my hair.”

Affluent salon, who feels genuinely sorry for you & you can feel it: “I am so sorry! Having an unwanted hair cut would be my worse nightmare. I promise you, you won’t have such an experience here. Here are the tools we use. Also, here’s our client pictures who are closest to your hair type. Actually, would you like to experience a trim on the house so you can see how we trim hair?” The pictures show the clients who had their hair cut with diagonal cuts, blunt cuts, all types of cuts and they look out of this world.

They trim your hair exactly where the split ends are and dust you off. What a warm experience, right?

#black femininity #black women in femininity #high value woman #luxury black women #black women in luxury #femininity #high maintenance #expensive taste #pretty privilege #high standards #level up #femininity tips #elegance #spoiled black women #luxury #luxeliving #elegant

[astonmartinii]

lemonade and star-crossed lovers, p1 (JJ Maybank)

Warnings: none yet, swearing? all core characters are aged up to 18, Rafe is 21. 

JJ Maybank x kook!reader (super super slow burn) (this will hopefully be a series) 

WC: 4.0k 

Growing up, Y/N always heard jokes about how the eldest daughter was just the mum in a different font. She never used to believe it, but that was when she had present and dedicated parents. Now, it just seemed that with every addition to the Miller family, the less interested Kevin and Julie Miller became. 

So here Y/N was, practically a mother to her three younger siblings. 

Dylan is only a year younger than Y/N but is no less of a hassle, especially when his useless friends decide to crash at their place. But considering they had the most hectic house of Dylan’s friendship group, the Miller household was usually the last option. 

Then there’s Anderson, he’s in his rebellious phase currently, getting to that point where he’s figured out that acting out could maybe get the attention of his parents. Though Y/N wasn’t sure how well his plans were working out. 

Peach is the youngest and practically attached to Y/N’s hip. To an untrained eye, Y/N often looked like a teen mum as she took Peach with her to the grocery shopping. In fact, Y/N was sure that if the kooks in Figure Eight didn’t know her family, they’d sneer at her with the same ignorance that clouded their entire lives. 

Y/N woke up glad - it’s the last day of school. Summer break looms. The idea of boneyard keggers and hot (but equally clueless) tourons, excited the girl. But she knew her summer reality would be looking after Peach, bailing Anderson out of jail and swatting away the affections of Dylan’s stupid friends. 

—————————————

Dylan is already awake when Y/N comes knocking, taking extra close care to his hair. 

“Oh, you’re up,” Y/N said, moving to ruffle his hair and grab the empty plate on his bedside cabinet. 

“Jesus, fuck Y/N, was that really necessary?” 

“Hey maybe if you spent more time on assignments than your hair you wouldn’t have to take so many summer classes - oh yeah, mum might not remember, but I do, and you will be going.” 

“But it’s summer, surely it’s a violation to my human rights to go to school.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive, and maybe when you finally pass this year, you’ll thank me. Breakfast in 10.” 

Dylan just flips his sister off, going back to admiring himself in the mirror. 

Y/N next goes to Peach’s room to find her awake and rummaging through her draws. 

“Hey, princess, what are you thinking for the last day? Third grade finished already, you’ll be my age soon, wheeling me into the retirement home.” 

Peach erupts into giggles, pulling out a little pink summer dress and grabbing her pink sandals to complete the ensemble. 

“All pink, we love. Breakfast in 10, alright, don’t want you to be late for the last day.” 

Anderson’s room is last, Y/N doesn’t bother knocking on her parent’s door. Kevin is probably already down on Judy - his beloved boat. The room is typical of a 14 year old boy, it stunk, his weed paraphernalia was badly hidden and there was a lump of pillows under the cover instead of a boy. 

Shrugging, Y/N picked up the dirty mugs in his room and moved downstairs. She’d been awake nearly an hour now but was still unsure of what to make for breakfast. Opening the fridge gave her the only possible answer, leftover pizza from the previous night and maybe a porridge pot, though considering there were only two siblings to account for, it would do. 

Dylan and Peach joined her in the kitchen shortly after, each taking a slice or two of pizza. 

“No Anderson and pizza for breakfast? Watch out, we'll be calling CPS as soon as we’re outside.“ 

“You don’t know where the bug is? Why does that boy insist on giving me early onset cardiac issues?” 

“Don’t take it too to heart, I’m sure he’ll turn up by the second period.” 

“Okay, go to school now. Dylan, are you okay to drop Peach off, I’ll pick her up.” 

Dylan nods and ushers the youngest out of the door and to his car. Y/N lets out a sigh when she sees them leave the driveway and makes her way to the back door. Through the sliding door she can see her dad, Kevin on Judy instructing John B, the kid who worked on the boat, what to do. Y/N puts two slices of pizza on a plate and grabs an apple and ventures out to the dock. 

“Morning Y/N.” 

“Morning, John B, can I interest you in an apple? It’s all we have I’m afraid.” 

“No worries, any breakfast is breakfast when you’re a pogue.”

“Oh John B, you know I don’t believe in all that sub-par class warfare bullshit.” 

“Of course you don’t, but that’s very easy to say when you’re on the other side.” 

“Touche.” 

Y/N doesn’t say anymore, but moves to give her dad his breakfast. She liked John B and hoped he didn’t see her like the other kooks. Sure Rafe Cameron frequented her house, but she’s nothing like him. 

“Thanks, squirt.” 

Despite the nickname, Kevin was absent as ever, not moving to look at her. 

“You’re children are off to school, don’t worry.” 

Silence. 

“Oh thank you Y/N, I really don’t know what we’d do without you! You’re such a gem, you’re really unappreciated and we don’t deserve you! Thanks dad, I really needed to hear that. Are you coming later?”

“Where?” Kevin grunted, with pizza in his mouth. 

“My graduation? Did you forget that was today?” 

The awkward silence was enough of an answer for Y/N. 

“Sorry squirt, I promised to go to the mainland to pick something up for your mother.” 

With that, Y/N stormed off Judy, towards the house and into her room. When she sat down on her bed she could think about what just happened. She knew her parents didn’t care about her, but missing their first child’s graduation for a small errand to the mainland? 

Now that the house was quiet again, she could get ready - she was graduating today and as valedictorian she wants to look her best. Julie, her mum, is in Washington on some mysterious job venture, Y/N wasn’t told until she came down in the morning a few days ago and saw Julie with her suitcases. She guessed that one positive of her parents’ absenteeism is her ability to steal Julie’s expensive jewelry to wear. 

Y/N looked in the mirror, she did clean up nice when she wanted to. Her lengthy hair is in a half-up, half-down style, with minimal makeup and a red knee-length dress. The dress hugged her figure and complemented her graduation gown perfectly. Too bad none of her family would be there to see it. She knew deep down that Peach and Dylan would’ve attended if possible, and Anderson would maybe even make an appearance, especially if there was food involved. 

Y/N put her matching red heels on and grabbed her cap from her closet. After one final look in the mirror and putting her printed speech into her bag, the young girl made her way down the stairs. 

To her surprise, none other than John B sat in her kitchen drinking a glass of water. 

“You clean up nice kook,” said John B, a smug smirk on his face. 

“Thank you, John. Don’t you have graduation today?” 

 “Eh, yeah. I’m just going for the food though, school isn’t really my thing…” John B looked closer at her cap. “I’m practically the opposite to you Miss Valedictorian”. 

“Hmm, well at least someone in this house noticed, thank you John B. I’m going now, I didn’t notice your van out front, you need a lift to yours?” 

“Is that really on your way, wouldn’t want Miss Valedictorian to be late to her own event, you got a speech ready?” 

“I do as a matter of fact, but I want to be just on time, minimise the time people have to ask about the whereabouts of my parents. So, do you want a lift or not?” 

“Sure thing, Miss Valedictorian.” 

Y/N doesn’t acknowledge the nickname, but secretly loved it, it was a joke, but at least someone was appreciating her achievements. Peach would, she knows, but she’s not really at the point of understanding what it means and the others really are wildcards.

She led John B out to her small car, a baby blue Beetle. The boy smiled at her choice in car, 

“I’m sure that a kook like you could afford better than this.”

“Don’t insult Shelby in her presence, weren’t you ever taught manners? Now get it and give me directions.” 

The drive was fun, not that John B would tell Y/N that. He enjoyed her music choice, Mac Miller blasting from her speakers and the windows were fully rolled down, damned be her hair. 

Y/N neared the chateau and came to a stop. There were a few people sitting on the porch, looking over in confusion. 

“Yo, what’s with the kook-mobile, John B?” The blonde yelled from his seat on the beaten-up couch. 

When John B only turned to Y/N to say thank you, the interest peaked on the porch. The little gang of pogues moved towards the car. 

“John B, I didn’t realise your job came with a taxi service, why did I have to drop you off this morning?” The blonde, once again. 

“Lay off JJ, this is Y/N Miller, she’s the daughter of Kevin, the guy whose boat I work on. She’s on her way to her graduation and offered me a lift.” 

“Since when are kook graduations on the Cut?” The other boy interjected. 

Y/N decided to speak up, “if I knew an act of kindness would cause so much strife, I’ll just let you walk home next time. Now, I do have somewhere to be, so it was nice to see you, John B. I'm sure I’ll see you again this week.” 

“Bye Miss Valedictorian, good luck with your speech,” John B said, getting out of Shelby. 

“You’re the valedictorian?” Kiara finally spoke, face shocked. 

“Yeah, surprising what happens when you show up for school right?” Y/N snapped, angrier than she intended. 

“Oh yeah, sorry. I guess I thought that maybe Sarah would get it, especially if Ward has anything to do with it.” Kiara grimaced, she didn’t mean to offend the Miller girl. 

“You can’t buy the valedictorian title, well I’m sure you could, but not to flex, but my grades were miles better. If we’re being really ironic though, Ward technically does pay for the valedictorian,” Y/N said with a smile, not meaning to brandish her academic success in their faces. 

A chorus of “huhs?” from the pogues surrounding her car told Y/N that they weren’t catching her drift. 

“I’m Ward Cameron’s assistant. Sorry, I didn’t make that very clear.” 

“You have a job, but you’re a kook?” the blonde, JJ, said. 

“Yes, blondie, some of us do have to look out for ourselves, didn’t your parents tell you not to judge a book by its cover. I’ll see you around. Bye John B.” 

Y/N backed out of the road, heading back to Figure Eight, with her graduation starting in 10 minutes, she had massively overstayed her welcome at John B’s. If she weren’t so busy, Y/N always thought she’d like to be friends with John B and his crew, they had an unmistakable family bond that Y/N craved. She loves her siblings but they are still grappling with the idea of give and take, mainly fixating on the taking aspect. 

Y/N pulled up to school, and took out her phone, dropping a text to Anderson pleading with him to at least make it to two classes today. Even with her phone safely away in her bag, Y/N couldn’t quite bring herself to get out of the car. Happy families surrounded her everywhere she looked, she couldn’t handle the stares when she walks in alone. Well, it’s now or never she says to herself. 

Walking isn’t as bad as she suspects, Mr Morgan, her English teacher, meets her at the door and takes her to her seat, explaining the mechanisms of the ceremony and when she’ll make her speech.  

The hall, however, is the reminder that Y/N was dreading. The two seats she had booked for her parents sat empty, standing out like a sore thumb in the packed hall. She made her way to the student section with her head down. However, before Y/N could sit she was apprehended by an excitable Sarah Cameron. 

“Y/N! Hi! I heard you’re valedictorian, well done! I don’t know how you managed, with all the work and your siblings, you really are amazing.” 

“Thanks, Sarah.” 

The words sting, despite their pure intentions. She’s a kook, she shouldn’t have to work, and she should have parents who care for her and her siblings, but some things just aren’t meant to be, clearly. Y/N sat in her assigned seat and willed the ceremony to go fast, though she wasn’t looking too forward to her speech. The diversion to the chateau meant that Y/N had no time to look over it again. 

The ceremony started and the hall quietened down. Principal Stoney started her opening speech, basking in the spotlight when the hall door bursts open and interrupts. In the doorway stands Anderson. His hair is disheveled and the clothes are torn, probably from the nightly activities with the skateboard he held in his hand. The boy scanned the hall, eyes falling on the empty seats with the name Miller and then Y/N herself. He gives her a small wave and pushes past the Figure Eights families to the seats. 

Principal Stoney just restarts, a slight bewildered look on her face. 

When it was time for her speech, Y/N didn’t even feel real, like she floated to the stage and was possessed. Her speech went well from what she could gather, Mr Morgan gave her a thumbs up and Anderson hollered, much to the dismay of the families around him. But he was even worse when she received her diploma. 

As families spilled onto the field for fancy food and photo opportunities, Y/N wrangled Anderson to the side before he could raid the food stalls. 

“Anderson, what the fuck? First you didn't come home last night and then crash my graduation?” 

“Hey, I’m sorry about last night, me and the boys got carried away skating and I crashed on Oscar’s couch. I’m sorry, I should’ve called. And as for now, you think I’m going to let my smart-ass VALEDICTORIAN sister graduate without anyone being here to holler? You’re dead wrong.” 

The sentiment fills Y/N’s heart with joy and tears threaten to spill. Anderson’s never been good with feelings, it was nice to know that he did care. 

“Mum and dad can go fuck themselves, if they don’t see how great you are then they’re blind.” 

“Thanks, bug. It means a lot. Now don’t eat too much, people are probably already annoyed that you’re here.” 

Anderson shrugs, he couldn’t care less what they thought, he was here to eat and show off his sister. 

“Congratulations Y/N!” 

The voice of Y/N’s boss, Ward Cameron, was easily identifiable. Y/N puts on her confident face and turns to see the whole Cameron brigade, minus Wheezie. 

“Thank you, Mr Cameron.”

“You know, I just don’t know how you get it done, working for us and dealing with your siblings…” Rose says, the last part fading out as she watches Anderson walk back to his sister with his arms piled high with fancy horderves. 

“It’s tough, yeah, but what wouldn’t you do for your family?” 

“Of course, of course, sorry for any implications, where is the old man, I know Julie is off on business, but Kevin has to be proud, I didn’t see him in the hall?” Ward’s voice feigned sincerity, but the Miller siblings saw right through it. Before Anderson could respond, Y/N replied. 

“Dad is also doing business on the mainland, at the last minute. He’s devastated, really,” it's not convincing, even to her. Y/N can tell she hasn’t convinced the Camerons either. Sarah gives her a sad look, Rose attempts to mirror her step-daughter but fails, Ward looks slightly smug, like he’s trying to hide it but Rafe doesn’t even try to hide it like his dad, a massive smirk on his face. 

“What are your plans for the summer Miller?” Y/N is surprised when it’s Rafe who asks the question. 

“Well, I’ll be working for your dad, if he’ll have me, I still have my volleyball coaching in the tourist season and there’s never a dull moment with these around,” Y/N puts her arm around Anderson. 

Looking for a quick exit, she looks at her watch. 

“Oh, if we go now, you can still catch your last two periods. Kids, am I right?” She gestures at Rose and Ward, “we’ll be off now, I’ll see you next week?” 

The Camerons nod as Y/N pulls Anderson away and towards the car park. But before they can fully escape, they’re stopped by Mr Morgan. 

“You think you can leave without a photo and a proper goodbye, I didn’t think you were that kind of girl, Miller.” 

“Of course not, Mr Morgan, here,” she hands Anderson her phone, “take a picture please.” 

Anderson does so, taking about 50 at once. 

“Okay, okay, let's get one of you two, you can’t not have a proper graduation picture, especially not when you’re valedictorian.” 

Mr Morgan takes the phone and smiles at the siblings. When the impromptu photoshoot ends, Y/N is glad, despite it pushing back her escape. 

“Y/N, on a serious note, you are always welcome in my classroom, you’ve been a pleasure, and don’t tell anyone, but you were my favourite. And you, I hope you’ll be just as good next year sir,” he says turning to Anderson, “although considering you’re here and not in class doesn’t bode well.” 

“Thank you, sir, really. But you are completely right, and that’s why we’re bouncing now, so he can get two at least two periods.” 

Mr Morgan smiles at the two when they start to run to the car. He’s always felt sad for the eldest Miller, and her parents absence did not go unnoticed. 

------------------------------------------------

“I’ll see you later, I know you guys will probably crash a kegger, but at least come home before you go?” 

“Yeah, yeah, okay, who knows maybe I’ll see you there?” 

Anderson laughs and gets out of the car, he knows his sister won’t especially when Peach will be home. Y/N watches him go into the building and stays a couple minutes to make sure he doesn’t sneak back out when he thinks she’s gone. 

But Y/N barely gets time to breathe, as she’s down to the elementary school to pick up Peach. The girl in all pink is waiting with a gaggle of friends and shrieks when she sees the blue car. 

“Y/N! Y/N! I got the “most improved” in drama!” 

Y/N opens the door and picks up Peach, spinning her round and congratulating her. 

“Well done, bubs. This calls for a celebration, it’s the first day of summer and the boys won’t be out for another couple of hours - what do you want to do?”

Peach doesn’t even need a second to think. 

“Lemonade stand!” 

Huh? Y/N was prepared for an answer closer to maybe a princess party or surfing lessons, but a lemonade stand? 

“Are you sure?” 

“You said we could do whatever I want!” 

“Okay, okay, let’s go then we’ve got a lot to do.” 

Satisfied with getting her way, Peach got in the car and demanded that the next stop was the craft store. 

-------------------------------

The next 90 minutes were gruelling. Peach spared no expense, Y/N was lucky that she still had the credit card Julie gave her. But she knew it would all be worth it. And it was. 

Peach chose a spot right in the middle of the beach and the stall was already making a profit. Y/N knew kooks just couldn’t resist the temptation to look good and what was better than giving a generous tip to a child’s lemonade stand? 

But with a successful kook-trap came the kook assholes. Namely Rafe, Topper and Kelce. 

“Three lemonades please. Apricot, right?” Rafe said with a smirk. 

“You know it’s Peach asshole.” 

“That’s a bad word, Y/N,” Peach mumbled, clearly upset about being called apricot of all things.

“Yeah that’s a bad word, Miller, you should listen to Apricot a little more.” 

“Maybe, you should listen to your college professors, oh wait, you dropped out, my bad, must be a bit of an open wound judging by the look on your face. I bet daddy wasn’t impressed.” 

“Excuse me, you bitch, how dare you talk to me like that.” 

“Run along, lap dog, we don’t need your money.” 

Rafe goes to say something but Topper and Kelce hold him back. 

“Bro, don’t get it shit with your pops over a fucking lemonade,” Topper warned. 

With a final “fuck off”, Rafe Cameron stalked away to his car, his gang of cowards following, but not without Topper placing a crisp $20 bill in the tip jar. Peach mumbled and thank you and Y/N just nodded to Topper, too tired to say anything more. 

And if her afternoon couldn’t get any worse, the prickly blonde from this morning strolled over to the stand. 

“I’ll have four lemonades please.” 

Peach gasped and accepted his money right away, getting to work on the drinks. 

“I’ve seen many a kook-trap in my time, Miller, but not many operated by Kooks themselves. Impressive ingenuity.” 

“Thanks - JJ, was it? Peach here won “most improved” in her drama class and this is what she wanted to do in celebration” 

“Cute, Miller, didn’t take you as a softy earlier.” 

Peach announces that she’s finished with the pogue’s drinks, he puts another $5 in the tip jar and grabs the drinks. 

“Miller, there’s a kegger at the boneyard tonight, wanna come? I’m sure at least one of your brothers will crash.” 

“Sorry JJ, someone’s gotta look after the little one, maybe another time, if you can stand being around a kook for that long.” 

“I think I can make an exception, especially if they look like you Miller,” he winks, “boneyard tonight, if you change your mind.” 

Y/N blushed, but she knew she couldn’t, she couldn’t leave a nine year old at home, even if Kevin was there, there was no guarantee that Peach would be fed and given adequate attention. 

“He’s pretty, you should go.” 

“Peach, honey, you know I can’t, I can’t leave you at home.” 

“But I could go to Jenny’s, she’s having a sleepover tonight, I forgot to ask earlier, I got too excited about the lemonade stand.” 

“Okay, you can go to Jenny’s, but promise not too much candy?”

“Only if you promise to go with him tonight.” 

Peach was proving to be just as mischievous as her brothers. 

“Okay fine.” 

“Go tell him then.”

“Huh?” 

“I won’t believe you unless you go tell him now that you'll be there!”

 Y/N groans, but gets up to follow the blonde. As she nears, she shouts, 

“Hey JJ! I’ll be there tonight, at the boneyard, I’ll be there.” 

“Didn’t take too long for you to change your mind then, am I just that irresistible?” 

“No? What? Of course not! It’s just Peach - she’s a master manipulator, and she’s only nine!”

“Sure, Miller, if that’s what you want me to believe, I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

Y/N turned, she should cringe, but she finds herself blushing as she walks back to Peach. 

“Don’t say anything, missy, you’ve done enough, let’s pack up and get you ready for Jenny’s. You young ones are such troublemakers, damn.”  

A/N: I am not American, so I hope that the graduation stuff makes sense, from someone who has no real clue what happens there lol  

#obx #outer banks #jj maybank #jj maybank imagine #obx imagine #outerbanks imagine #john b routledge #kiara carrera #pope heyward #rafe cameron #sarah cameron #ward cameron #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank x kook!reader #jj maybank x reader

[politijohn]

The Stock Market is not the Economy w/ Dan Price

Airlines spent 96% of free cash flow on stock buybacks for a decade, then cut 90,000 jobs when trouble hit. Then they got a $50 billion bailout

GE promised its CEO a huge bonus if stock hit $19. It didn’t, so GE re-did contract so the bonus kicks in at $10/share The CEO cut 20% of aviation staff to increase profits and raise the stock to $10 His bonus: $47M. If it goes up again, he gets $270M

JCPenney - April: furloughed 85,000 employees, May 10: Gave CEO $4.5M bonus on top of $17M/yr in pay, May 15: went bankrupt, Oct: laid off 15,000 people, Dec: closed 150 stores, Now: CEO left with $4.5M bonus after stock fell 88% in her 2 yrs

Boeing spent almost all of its cash on stock buybacks over the prior decade. In the past year, it cut 27,000 employees. It also fired its CEO over 2 deadly plane crashes and ensuing coverup, and gave him a $81 million exit package

On Jan. 6, when the mob stormed the Capitol, the stock market went up 250 points to a new record, handing the richest 1% an extra $300 billion. Also that day, a new report showed employment dropped for the first time since April and a then-record 3,900 people died of covid

Albertsons, US’ 2nd-largest grocery chain: *Profit is up 256% in pandemic *Stock at record high *Owned by private equity *CEO made $29M last year *Fired all California non-union drivers to replace them with gig workers with no benefits/min wage

The stock market for the 500 biggest companies ended the year up 15%, among the biggest gains ever. Also in that span, those companies lad off a record number of people, and wait times for food banks hit a record high

As part of the first stimulus, the Fed pumped about $3 trillion into the stock market, which helped it soar to record highs. At the same time, a record 30% of small businesses failed and unemployment tripled

Since 2009, stock market is up 233%. Since 2009, the federal min. wage is up 0%

Coca-Cola - This decade, it spent $48B on dividends and over $20B on stock buybacks 2018: CEO got 58% pay increase 2019: CEO got 12% pay increase, to $18.7M 2020: Company makes $8.3B profit…and it just laid off 12% of workers

Among the biggest 50 companies, they spent 79% of profits on stock buybacks and dividends in recent years to enrich executives and mostly-wealthy shareholders. Last year, those companies combined to lay off over 100,000 workers

Disney stock is up 21% in the past year to a new record high. In recent months they laid off 32,000 people. One of our employees lives near Disney World. Recently there was a line of cars outside his house for a drive-thru food bank 7.5 miles away

In the pandemic, total stock value has grown by $16.6 trillion. $8.3 trillion of that went to the richest 1%, and they pay a lower tax rate than those who are unemployed and need help

Salesforce - In the last 5 years, it has bought 27 companies for tens of billions of dollars. It just bought Slack for $27.7B. Its stock is at record high, up 23% in the past year after revenue surged 29%. And it just laid off 1,000 people

In November alone, the average member of the top 10% gained an average of $200,000 from the stock market while 7M people plunged into poverty

On one day in November: *The stock market hit 30,000 for the first time *Elon Musk became first person to gain $100B in a year *A Census report revealed 6M people face imminent eviction

Uber + Lyft spent $200M on November election ads to convince Californians they shouldn’t pay drivers minimum wage or benefits. In the 2 weeks after passage, Uber stock went up 39% and Lyft stock soared 52%. In return, all drivers were denied basic benefits

Average stock gains over 10 years CEOs with above-average pay: stock up 160% CEOs with below-average pay: stock up 280% And yet CEOs are rewarded whether the stock goes up or down

AT&T - 2018-2019: bought Time Warner for $100B, cut 29,000 jobs May: gave departing CEO $64M pension ($274K/mo for life), laid off 4,700 more workers August: laid off 600 more workers, Now: laid off thousands more - news sent stock up 2%

Marriott - 2018-2019: made $3.1B in profits, spent $5B on stock buybacks April: furloughed most employees, paid $160M in dividends to shareholders, gave CEO a 8% raise and 200% bonus Sept: laid off 17% of HQ staff Now: made $100M profit

$3B: what Jeff Bezos cashed out in stock in one day, as Amazon profits tripled in the pandemic. $2.1B: cost to give all Amazon warehouse workers 2 weeks paid sick leave and a year of hero pay (they got none of either now)

84% of stock market value is owned by richest 10% “but what about 401(k)s” Half of Americans don’t have one The average 401(k) balance has *declined* $5,000 in 6 years after inflation, because employers put in less & people can’t afford contributions

MGM - Laid off 18,000 people while giving its CEO $700K in stock. The value of the stock doubled to $1.4M after the stock went up, partly because of increased profitability due to the layoffs

Wells Fargo made $10B in staff cuts, meaning tens of thousands of employees lost their jobs. Wells Fargo also made a $2B profit, did $24B in stock buybacks last year, and paid its CEO $36M

Black and Latino Americans make up about 32% of the population but own only 1.7% of all stock value

1948-1979: Worker productivity: up 108%, Stock market: up 603%, Worker pay: up 93%.  Since then, worker productivity: up 70%, Stock market: up 2,200%, Worker pay: up 12%. Corporations and workers used to get richer together. Now companies just keep the money

Deere - Construction sales are down 25%. Yet, it is posting a $2.25B profit as it cuts thousands of jobs. The result: Its stock grew 23% in a year to a record high. In the week after it announced job cuts, its stock grew 9%

Walmart - Stock is at record high, up 23% in a year. The Waltons have gotten over $20B richer in the pandemic. Online sales are up 74% and market share has grown…and it cut hundreds of corporate jobs

Macy’s - Its stock was down 60% in a year and they cut 3,900 jobs. So what did it do? Gave its CEO a $3.7M bonus, and gave about $1M each to 5 other execs

CEOs justify huge pay by saying they’re worth it. But there’s no correlation between profit and CEO pay at 61% of corporations. Since 1990, stock market: up 300%, CEO pay: up 550%

Stock for the parent company of Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant is down 75% in a year. It closed all 2,800 stores. So what did it do? Gave executives $5.5M in bonuses, including over $2M to the CEO

Where proceeds from stock buybacks + dividends went over the last 15 years: White people: $13 trillion, Black people: $0.18 trillion Hispanic people: $0.21 trillion When we talk about the systemic racial wealth gap, this is a pretty good place to start

Amid the early days of the pandemic, stocks grew 38%, the most ever in a 50-day span. At the same time, thousands of small businesses closed each day while thousands of people died from covid

Google - Stock at all-time high. $6.8B profit last year. Founders Page + Brin added $10B+ to fortunes in a year. Offered jobs to over 2,000 people and axed them w/ no severance before they ever worked a day - after they already left their prior jobs

Companies did $62B/year in stock buybacks in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Now they do $730B/year in stock buybacks. Worker pay increases are far smaller now than they were in the ‘80s and ‘90s

Chevron - Its CEO made $33.1M/year. 5 other execs made a total of $59M. It spent $13B on stock buybacks and dividends in a year then laid off 10-15% of its staff

Big companies don’t just spend profits on manipulating stock. They are a record $10 trillion in debt - mostly for stock buybacks + dividends to enrich themselves. When the bill comes due, layoffs typically ensue

In April, a record 30M people lost their jobs and small businesses lost 55% of their revenue. At the same time, the stock market rose the most since 1987 and billionaires gained $308B

#Eat the rich #capitalism #stock market #economic inequality #the left #working class #long post #us politics

[rogerslovesstark]

Hi there! A huge fan 💜💙 I was wondering if your requests are open?

If yes, could you please write an angsty fic where in reader is dating Bucky and for some reason he belittles her and breaks off their relationship. After which eventually everyone on the team stops talking to her. She's forced to leave off on her own and struggles a lot. Later Bucky realises his mistake and tries to contact her but the old her is gone. Like she finds her own happiness. Sorry if it's too detailed☹️

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

WARNING: Angst

Your recruitment to the team was quick and very low-key. Almost no one knew that you had joined the Avengers because you requested Tony not to hold a press conference. You loved being an Avenger, the idea of helping people in need was so fulfilling.

However, the spotlight of being an Avenger was not pleasant. You did not know how Tony and Steve were able to handle it, the constant feeling of eyes on you, paparazzi almost always being on top of everything you do.

The few events you did go to, you stood with Bucky most of the time. He always kept you safe and comfortable while the party was booming. The two of you would walk around the venues Tony would rent out, looking at the architecture of the building, admiring the art that was around.

The conversation was kept minimal because there was already so much noise from the party. Both silently agreed that there was no need for extra noise.

It was the New Years Party two years ago where Bucky asked you if you wanted to slow dance. The Venue had multiple balconies and he chose the smallest one for the two of you to dance.

The two of you swayed to the soft music that could be heard from the party. Once the clock hit 12:00, Bucky leaned over and kissed you. You two began dating shortly after.

Every Sunday was a day for a date unless either of you had a mission. Every other week you planned a date for you and Bucky, walks in the park, restaurants, bars, everything you could think of.

You developed a dependency on Bucky. Always seeking his reassurance, seeking his comfort and touch. You felt as though you were not complete unless you were with Bucky. 

Your childhood was to blame, primarily your father. Physically, your dad was there but not emotionally. You never received emotional love from your father, the ‘I’m so proud of you’ or ‘you’re doing amazing’ Just a stiff nod.  

Being raised by your psychotic father was the reason you developed into the cold-hearted killer you were. From 16-19, you worked as a mercenary and killed for money.

You craved emotional validation from someone because you were so deprived of it when you were a child. You struggled to form relationships with others because of it too. That was one of the main reasons why you were not as close to the team.

Bucky would always smile at you, or kiss you when you were excited about something you would accomplish. On missions, he would always stay near you unless instructed otherwise by Steve. 

Bucky has been extremely off recently, always working with Steve, or working out with Sam, helping Wanda train her new abilities because it’s hard to kill a super-soldier than a normal human. 

He had missed five Sunday dates. Five of them. In those five weeks, you barely saw him and it was driving you crazy. You constantly would search for the time where the two of you could just be alone. You were so deprived of physical touch and emotional love, you began to fall into a depressive state. 

You walked towards the conference room, you asked Friday where Bucky was. She said he was in the conference room alone which is weird that she specified.

You opened the door and found Bucky just sitting on his phone. It was almost 10:30pm and he was just chilling in the conference room on his phone.

“Baby, I’ve been looking for you,” You said, walking over to him and running your hands along his broad and muscular shoulders. He was always so tense when he was sitting hunched over.

He shrugged you off his shoulders and turned to look at you. Not a soft, loving kind of look that a lover would typically give his lover; he gave a harsh glare as if you had done something to him. 

“God, you are so fucking annoying, you know that,” Bucky said. He grabbed that hand that was touching you and stood up from his chair. He let go of your hand rather quickly as soon as he stood from the chair. 

“I can’t fucking stand being around you Y/n, I don’t know why I ever asked you to be my fucking girlfriend,” He said, lowering his face closer to your face so the two of you were at eye level. 

Tears pooled in your eyes, every word he said was like a thin blade stabbing you in the stomach over and over again. You did not know what you did wrong, you had not even seen him in almost a week despite living with him.

“I’m sorry Bucky, I’ll be better, what can I do to be better, please,” You whispered, if your voice were any higher, you would being sobbing. 

Bucky just watched as you pathetically tried to hold your sobs in. You really were a weak woman and Bucky knew that. He knew that he held you in the palm of his hand and if he wanted to, he could break you.

He watched as your world crumbled around you because Bucky had decided to hurt you. Your hands were shaking and curled into fists. Your nose was turning red from holding back your tears.

“You are nothing without me, and I don’t want you anymore, so get the fuck out of my face and leave. No one on the team likes you, they would rather see you dead than ever have to see your horrific face ever again.” Bucky snarled, ready to see you burst into tears.

He knew that was the last straw.

You quickly turned around and left before you burst into tears. Bucky grabbed your arm and tried to turn you around, wanting to see you cry. You were forced to turn around, tears in your eyes pulling your hand back and smacking Bucky on his cheek. 

You left him dazed in the conference room. You ran to your shared room, collecting all your belongings. You had a small apartment in the heart of Montreal that no one knew about. You deliberately left off your information given to FRIDAY.

“FRIDAY, get rid of all information regarding Y/N L/N” You requested.

“Request denied, reasoning: unauthorized access to function,”

“Override denial, code Tony Stark has a fat ass” You rolled your eyes at the code Tony had told you to be used as a last resort code.

“Permission granted, removing all information regrading Y/N L/N,”

You grabbed a piece of paper on your desk, writing a short goodbye to Tony knowing he would wonder where you went. You quietly walk over to Tony’s office and placed it on the monitor he mainly used.

You left the compound shortly after, walking seven miles to the small car you planted in the forest. You prepared this as a last resort option. You never wanted to use this car but times were desperate and you had to get away from Bucky.

++++

You were struggling, barely able to figure out how to live on your own. The money you had saved from working for the Avengers was running low and the waitress job you did have has barely enough to pay the bills you had. 

Montreal was really expensive you ended up realizing, with such a horrible job, you sold your apartment and moved in with some college students in a small house. You shared a bedroom with one of the women in the house. 

Ashley, your roommate, actually found the job for you, she helped you changed your appearance and spotted your money whenever you were desperate for it.

You had no skill set for an actual job, the only skills you had were killing. And your skills had developed rapidly as an Avenger. You knew what you had to do to survive.

The first kill that you had was a child trafficker in Toronto. Ashley covered for you, saying you two would go to a spa for a girl's weekend. She stayed at the spa while you finished the job. You gave her 20% of the income made. 

You two had gotten close over the two years that you spent in the shared house. She was one of the only people that you trusted at this point. She suggested that you started therapy, which you decided to actually go to.

Your therapist wanted you to start realizing that you were more than who you surrounded yourself in. You deserved the love that you craved and you could only get it when you truly loved yourself.

++++

Bucky was laying in the bed the two of you shared. Two years had passed since he had driven you out of his life. He didn’t know why he did it, he was so upset because he saw you flirting with Tony. But Tony got engaged to Pepper only a few days later. 

After nine months of you being away, he started to crave your presence in his life. He asked FRIDAY where you were but she had no information on you. When FRIDAY said she had no information on you, he had one of the biggest meltdowns he ever experienced. 

You were officially gone from his life. Even with all the winter soldier experience of tracking people down, he couldn’t find you. Bucky knew that you were smart, you could hide in plain sight if you wanted to. 

It was in Toronto that he saw you again. Bucky’s whole world stopped after he saw you. You were so different now. Your hair was completely different from what he was used to, and you dressed differently too. 

It took him two months to finally get you to speak to him.

“What do you want Bucky?” The way you used to speak to him was so soft, now you were so cold towards him. Bucky’s stomach churned, almost nervous to respond to you.

“Y/n, please come back, I’m sorry for everything I have done to you, everything I said was a lie. I still love you” Bucky pleaded to you. 

“Bucky I’m not the same woman I used to be, you broke me, I was so broken and I was the only one who fixed me. You don’t get to come back after I learned how to not live with you.” You shouted at him.

Tears pooled in Bucky’s eye, he had lost the one person who had shown him, true love. The one person he wanted to protect for the rest of his life. He lost you, forever.

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes angst #bucky x Female Reader #Winter Soldier #WINTER SOLDIER ANGST #james barnes #james barnes x reader #james barnes angst

[phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess]

Random tips for homonyms (words that sound the same)

+There He is standing over there by the clown-dunking station. (Location)

+Their That is their opinion / That is their luggage.

+They're (They are) The Conroys are coming today, they're going to be another hour or so.

+Here "The second sock is right here" Mum said, exasperated. (Location)

+Hear To use your ears / Stop shouting,m you know I can hear you, right?

+Heard I heard a rumour that you were into sparkly unicorns that shoot fire?

+Herd A large group of animals. The zebra herd moved together across the river, there must have been at least 200 animals.

+Bare Naked - He was bare as the day he was born. Carried - He could bare the burden a few miles longer, so his mother did not have to.

+Bear (Animal) Big growly animal. Looks like it wants pets, does not. Do not try to pet them.

+Lone Janice was by herself, feeling alone and uncertain / There was a lone lemon left on stand at the end of the day.

+Loan I received a small loan of 10 million dollars from my father, to set up my own business. You could say I'm a self-made man.

+Hair On your head. Her hair was a disaster, caked in mud and a live rabbit struggling to get free from the back. The other models slowed in shock at seeing her on the catwalk.

+Hare (Animal) Unlike their cousins the rabbits, hares are 100% more ready to kick your ass given the slightest hint of weakness. They can smell fear. Good Luck.

+To He is going to the store to buy bleach. He has passed the item to the cashier.

+Two There was one person in the bathroom, and another in the lounge room. There were two people in the house... but only one lived there. You should probably go out the bathroom window, Mary.

+Too Like 'also'. I would like to come and watch the execution too, Grandma.

+Bored The class was dragging on, and Jimothy could not focus one bit. They were understimulated, bored out of their mind, and fairly certain the clock on the wall was running backwards to spite them.

+Board Plank of wood. Brayna shook with nerves as she shuffled the length of the diving board; jutting out into the air, 10 metres above the pool. The crowd roared in anticipation of her jump; she hoped not to disappoint them.

+Meet Karen was itching to meet with the Manager, to have this little upstart on the register fired. How dare the child ask her to pay extra for the meal upgrade to an extra-large combo?!

+Meat Beef, lamb, chicken, fish, technically even humans are just made of meat. Dinner consisted of three vegetables and a piece of unseasoned meat; this was the last time Rahul would eat at Toby's house.

+Through With the cave entrance blocked, and pitch darkness before them, Kylira realised that the only way out was to go through the tunnel system. They hoped that whatever was breathing on their neck was benevolent.

+Threw Michael threw the football to his father, smiling easily and joking alongside the other men in the family. Finally, he was accepted for who he was... Dad had even called him 'Mikey' today, for the first time.

+Register The cash register in the supermarket is where the items and their costs are tallied up, so that the customer knows how much they have to spend to keep living this week. The

+Registrar Benny was one of the registrars for the Dept of Births, Deaths and Marriages. His job required he made certain information was recorded on the official lists, and kept with appropriate privacy/confidentiality. Ophelia was a hospital registrar, she had finished her medical schooling and was doing on-the-job-learning under Dr Dunklevisson, in the Cardiac unit. She hoped to be a specialist one day.

+Break Chad understood he would not be playing the next few games due to his injury. He also knew that Nicky would break more than just his fingers if he refused to lose the next matches he did play. He should never have gotten mixed up with this gang nonsense.

+Brake While driving, a 7ft kangaroo shot out of the underbrush making Dazza swerve wildly; to avoid running off the road, he slammed his foot on the brake pedal to slow down. "Bugger." he swore, flipping the roo off. It flexed at him, jerked its chin and disappeared into the night.

If you can think of others, add them, or just send an ask.

#for non-native english speakers #who hate that homonymns exist

[imjustthemechanic]

The Price of a Soul

Part 1/? - Agent Russel Part 2/? - The Letter Part 3/? - Miss Lake Part 4/? - The Stewardess Part 5/? - An Assassination Part 6/? - Fallout Part 7/? - Face to Face Part 8/? - Deals, Details, and Other Devils Part 9/? - Baggage Part 10/? - Private Funding Part 11/? - Just Passing Through Part 12/? - Party of Four Part 13/? - Resolute

Sure enough, something shows up on the sonar.

-

Their final stop before the search could begin was the tiny village of Resolute, which consisted of a few houses huddled around a little sandy bay in the midst of an otherwise breathtakingly inhospitable landscape of craggy rocks and ice.  The beach itself had to serve as a runway for a nail-biting landing in the arctic darkness, but Howard pulled it off with a smile and then got out a sextant.

“I’m gonna double-check our position before we turn in,” he said.

“I’ll get some supper out,” Lake offered.

“You really think we’re going to let you anywhere near our food?” asked Peggy.

“Suit yourself,” Lake said with a shrug.

As it turned out, they did not need to start on their rations.  The town itself was inhabited almost entirely by the local Inuit people, who rarely saw visitors and many of whom did not speak good English, but Peggy could find no fault with their hospitality.  A party of them soon approached the plane to ask if the group were lost and to offer food and warm clothing.  Peggy assured them that she and her companions were quite all right and just passing through – but when she thought of the army rations stowed under the seats of the airplane, she simply couldn’t refuse the offer of a hot meal.

This consisted of flatbread with berries, venison soup, and rhododendron tea served up in one of the little kitchens of the town, while out the north-facing window they could see the green curtain of the aurora borealis moving sinuously across the sky.  Howard spread out a small navigation map on the table, and pointed to their position.

“We’re here, and it looks like Kay’s coordinates are just west of us,” he said.  “We’ll start on the exact spot and go in a spiral outwards.”

Lake nodded and swallowed a mouthful before turning to the house’s owners and asking them a question in what Peggy had to assume was their own language.  There was a surprised reply, and then what sounded like an exchange of pleasantries before the woman pointed to the west and began describing something, using her hands to indicate a thing that had moved across the sky.

Peggy’s heart quickened.  She had no idea what Lake had said, of course… it could be she’d asked this woman to play-act.  It was better not to get her hopes up.  And yet in that moment, for the first time she found herself thinking that maybe, just maybe, Lake was telling the truth.  Maybe the Valkyrie really was out there.  Maybe they really were here to bring America’s lost hero home.  If that happened… would she trust Lake thereafter?  It was hard to say, although she doubted it.

“She says they saw the plane go over and come down in that direction,” Lake translated.  “They didn’t think it had crashed at first, because they didn’t see an explosion, but a hunting party found part of the wing on the rocks a few months later.  A mother polar bear had dug her den underneath it.”

“We’ll have to be careful, then,” said Peggy.  She had no desire to run afoul of any large carnivores.

“A couple of shots will drive it off,” Howard said.  “Or make it into a very nice rug.”

“A conversation piece, to be sure,” Peggy observed.

Their hosts had no spare beds but did offer them extra blankets so they wouldn’t be too cold sleeping on the floor of the plane.  That was just as well, Peggy realized, because otherwise Lake would have had no bedclothes at all.  She looked quite comfortable curled up with her head on her folded coat, and it made Peggy wonder what sort of places she was used to sleeping in.

Halfway through that thought, she realized she was on the verge of feeling sorry for this woman, and quickly quashed it.

In the morning they got up well before it was light and ate a quick breakfast.  Howard buckled himself into the pilot’s seat, Jason took up his position next to the sonar equipment, and Peggy and Lake sat on opposite sides of the plane so that they could watch the landscape on both sides.  A crowd of children from the village turned out to watch the plane take off, and waved as they roared into the air.  Lake smiled out the window and waved back.

Peggy kept her eyes glued to the window as they flew out over the frozen ocean.  On a sunny day, the light reflecting off the miles upon miles of ice and snow would have been blinding.  In the pre-dawn, there was very little to see at all.

“Okay, okay!  We’ve got a reading!” said Jason eagerly.

Lake started to get up, but Peggy held up a hand.  “Don’t you dare,” she said.  “The last thing Howard and Jason need is you carrying tales of their technology back to Russia with you.”

“This isn’t patented yet,” Jason agreed.

Lake seemed to think about it, then reluctantly sat back down again.  Peggy stayed seated, but moved so that she could see the paper unspooling.  Based on the lines his pens were tracing out, it seemed like the top of the ice was quite flat, but the bottom very craggy, and the seafloor beneath gently sloped down.  The black trace suddenly jumped up to above the other two before falling back down again.

“See that?  We just passed another little island,” said Jason.  “This one I think is no more than maybe a hundred yards across.”

Lake pressed her face to the window.  “I don’t… I guess we’re already passed it.”

“You might see it on the way back,” said Jason.  “Or it might be totally buried in snow.  Fresh snow isn’t dense enough to show up.”

They pressed on.

The sun rose slowly, throwing the icescape below into startlingly high relief.  Every rock, every crack, and every stunted bush had its own coal-black shadow stretching away to the west.  Peggy squinted, trying to spot anything that looked artificial, but in this light every shape seemed to have the same unnatural sharp corners.

“Oh, look at that!” said Lake.

“What?” Peggy asked, and then made out a long, snaking crack between ice floes, with shapes moving along it almost like cars on a road.  For a moment Peggy had no idea what it was, but then a shadow showed that they were, in fact, narwhals with their long tusks, using the space as a highway to keep breathing as they headed south.  She wondered where they were going.

The cetaceans were in view for only a few moments before the plane left them behind, and then Peggy heard a dreamy sigh from Lake.

“Unicorns of the sea,” the woman said happily.

Peggy was a bit puzzled.  “You said you’d been here before.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never seen a narwhal,” Lake told her.  “There are so many unspoiled places still left in the world… maybe I’ll get to see some of them.”

“The view isn’t very good from prison,” Peggy replied darkly.

“Hey!” Jason said suddenly.  “Hey, hey, Howard!  Turn around and fly over this area again!”

Peggy turned around to look.  There was a scribble on his polygraph paper, where for just a moment, all three pens had twitched and drawn over each other… just as he’d said they would when encountering a man-made object.  Her heart quickened and she turned to look out the window again, but there was nothing visible there except ice.  The landscape outside tilted as the Skytrain made a wide turn, and Peggy squinted… would their be any sign?

Something glinted in the sun.  Was that ice, or metal?

“There it is again!” said Jason.  “That’s loud.  It’s got to be either rock or metal.  Fly around east-west this time so we can get another angle on it.”

The plane swung round again.  They passed the narwhal highway, though the sun was now too high for the individual animals’ shadows to be seen.  Their lane of open highway sparkled as the water moved, and Peggy wondered if all she’d seen earlier had been a puddle or a bit of unusually smooth ice.  This time it seemed to take much longer for them to get back to the same spot, but then it happened for a third time.  The needles zagged wildly across the paper, and Jason beamed in triumph.

“Did you get our heading?” he called to Howard.

“Got it!” the reply came back.  “Does anybody see anything?”

“I may have seen a piece of something metallic, but it’s very hard to tell in all the snow,” said Peggy.

“All right, we know where to look now, heading back to Resolute!” Howard said.  The plane began to turn again.

This seemed to come as a surprise to Lake.  “We’re not landing?” she asked.

“This thing isn’t designed to land on the ice, Doll-Face,” Howard replied.  “We’d probably go right through.”

“And here I thought Howard Stark would have more tricks up his sleeve,” said Lake.

“Now you’ve done it,” Peggy told her.  “He won’t rest until he’s made it work.”

- 

The locals in Resolute were interested to hear about the results of their quest – Peggy suspected that very little ever happened in such a place, and this was the most excitement they’d seen since the end of the war.  There were congratulations all around, and Howard had no trouble renting a pair of sleds and teams of wonderfully fluffy malamute dogs to pull them.  To Peggy’s surprise, Lake seemed to fall in love with these animals immediately.  She knelt down to ruffle their thick coats and let them lick her face, cooing endearments to them in English and the local language both.

“You wouldn’t have struck me as a dog person,” Peggy observed.

“I had a friend who absolutely adored them,” Lake told her.  “If I met these pretty boys and girls and didn’t tell them how much he would have loved them, he’d haunt me to the end of my days.”

Peggy wouldn’t have wanted to take too much advantage of the people of Resolute and their hospitality, but the alternative was those rations on the plane, so she allowed them to be invited for supper again.  It was very much the same as the previous meal but that was all right, as was the fact that Lake and a couple of the children were trying to give Howard and Jason lessons in Inuktitut.  That gave Peggy an opportunity to let her surroundings fade into the background and analyze her own thoughts.

Did she believe they’d found the Valkyrie?  It squared with the descriptions Lake claimed to have gotten from the locals, but Peggy still didn’t know if she’d been truthful about that.  There certainly wasn’t any sort of secret base, though, unless it had somehow been built on the seafloor and the ice allowed to re-freeze above it.  That seemed enormously impractical.  How would they bring in people and supplies?  The locals would surely notice, unless everything were done by submarine… and if there were submarine traffic in the area, there would probably not be any shy cetaceans like the narwhals.

But if it were the Valkyrie, then what did that mean?  How had Lake ever managed to find the place, and why, having done so, had she chosen to tell nobody but Peggy?  She very much doubted it was just to be nice.  She wanted Peggy to feel in her debt… she’d gone to the effort of coming along on the expedition to be sure they all knew who had made this possible.  She was going to want some kind of repayment.  Was all this just to secure Peggy’s help in getting Dottie back to the USSR alive, or was there something else?

She knew better than to ask.  Lake would not give her an answer.

Peggy also wondered what she was going to do if they found the Valkyrie.  Lake had described Steve’s body lying there above the plane, having been forced out the windows as seawater poured in.  That meant if they uncovered the wreck, it would be one of the first things they saw.  Peggy had to prepare herself for that.  When she’d thought this was all some kind of trick, she hadn’t needed to worry about her own emotional stability but now that the specter of actually finding him had reared its head… she didn’t know if she were ready.

And that was absurd, because Peggy had always lost Steve Rogers three times.  The first had been when she’d heard the radio go dead, and knew that he was thousands of miles away dying among fire and ice.  At the time she’d sat there and sobbed mindlessly for a while.  Phillips had patted her back and assured her it had probably been quick.  She’d drifted through the next few days in a kind of numbed haze, wanting desperately to get drunk but not allowing herself to do so.  Steve had not been able to get drunk when his lifelong friend had plummeted into a ravine, only days earlier.  Why should Peggy be permitted the privilege?

She’d lost him again a week later, when she’d waited all night at the Stork Club, knowing he wouldn’t be there but hoping against hope.  Of course he hadn’t come.  At sunrise she’d finally gone home.  When she’d heard Steve die on the radio, Peggy had felt hollowed out, as if she had no room for anything inside her but sorrow.  Leaving the Stork Club, she’d felt resigned and empty.  She was a tiny mote whose hopes and dreams and loves meant nothing in the face of a cold, uncaring world, and she would have to live with that.

The third time had been when she’d poured the vial of blood into the East River.  That had been sad, but peaceful.  It was time to let him go, and Peggy was ready to do so.  She would move on, and follow his example as best she could.

Could she really lose him a fourth time?  Could she look at his corpse in the ice and know that this time there was no room for even the most fleeting of fantasies, that the truth really was as cold and hard as the arctic ice?  Peggy didn’t know, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to find out.

#fanfic #captain america #agent carter #peggy carter #steve rogers #steggy #fix it fic

[monochrome-in-madness]

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My Top 10 Favourite Horrors

Within this top 10 list, some will include the prequels, sequels and any other follow ups as 1 ranking number. Some may be considered thriller, sci-fi, suspence etc, however, I do regard these as horrors myself.

I have take many aspects into account, such as videography, actor quality, SFX makeup quality, soundtrack, directors, CGI etc.

Note : this is my personal opinion. You do not have to agree with it, though if you haven't seen these, I highly reccomend them.

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1. The Conjuring

(1 & 2)

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The Conjuring 1 :

The Perron family moves into a farmhouse where they experience paranormal phenomena. They consult demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to help them get rid of the evil entity haunting them.

The Conjuring Trailer :

The Conjuring 2 :

Peggy, a single mother of four children, seeks the help of occult investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren when she and her children witness strange, paranormal events in their house

The Conjuring 2 Trailer :

My Opinion :

The Conjuring was the start of an incredible series of horrors that beat any other horror to the ground. It is absolutely fantastic and I basically worship these films. James Wan is my favourite director and he never ceases to amaze me.

Paranormal horror is my favourite and as someone who actually believes in the paranormal and who has had paranormal experiences, I can confirm that The Conjuring is much more realistic than any other paranormal films, which just makes it extra spooky.

The actors, camera angles, music, sfx makeup and storyline is just - chefs kiss -. I've been waiting for the 3rd one for so long, but they keep extending the release date. (R. I. P)

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2. Annabelle

(all of them)

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Annabelle :

John and Mia Form are attacked by a Satan worshipping couple, who uses their doll as a conduit to make their life miserable. This unleashes a string of paranormal events in the Forms' residence.

Annabelle Trailer :

Annabelle Creation :

Samuel and Elle embed their daughter's spirit into a doll, only to realise it is a demon. Years later, they open their home to a nun and six orphan girls, one of whom finds the doll.

Annabelle Creation Trailer :

Annabelle Comes Home :

Judy and her babysitter are left alone in her house after her parents leave to investigate a case. However, an unexpected guest sets Annabelle free, unleashing demonic activity in the house.

Annabelle Comes Home Trailer :

My Opinion :

Another great film series that was birthed form The Conjuring. Definitely less realistic, with many more jumpscares and spooky characters, which is appreciated in the horror world. Many people find dolls far more creepy than ghosts, myself included, so that's another perfect aspect that adds to the suspense.

I prefer Annabelle 3 over the others, mainly because I found that one to be more scary overall, even though Daniela is an idiot and she makes me so frustrated 😂

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3. Saw

(all of them)

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For the totally unindoctrinated, the Saw movie franchise revolves around the Jigsaw Killer (a.k.a. John Kramer), who tortures victims he believes are complacent or guilty, in order to make them appreciate their time on Earth.

All Saw Trailers :

Obviously I'm not going to list every Saw movie, because there are 7 (Jigsaw aka number 8, does NOT count. It is a disgrace).

My Opinion :

A classic for horror and gore lovers of all kinds. Of course I need to list this as number 3. I simply adore these movies. I even have the DVD set, so I am definitely a long term fan haha.

The obstacles and creativity regarding Saw as a whole needed a lot of thought put into it, plus it has a happy little side note of "make sure you don't cause harm to others in life and don't take anything for granted" which some may have not even noticed while being overwhelmed by the amount of fake blood.

Yes, a lot of characters are annoying, but that just makes us enjoy seeing them tortured even more (shh it's not real). Some of the blood doesn't look very realistic, the sfx can lack attention, BUT... It's still great and I can overlook these few flaws to appreciate the movies to the max.

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4. Blair Witch

(2016)

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A young man and his friends venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mystery surrounding his missing sister. Many believe her disappearance 17 years earlier is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch.

At first the group is hopeful, especially when two locals act as guides through the dark and winding woods. As the night wears on, a visit from a menacing presence soon makes them realize that the legend is all too real, and more sinister than they could have ever imagined.

Blair Witch Trailer :

My Opinion :

I love the camerawork. Not because it's perfect, because it's the opposite. It's a documentary style and this makes it feel more realistic, as if you are within the film yourself. I enjoy how they skip to the action at just the right time after a mild buildup.

The visuals are great as well and there were definitely some parts where I was disgusted and claustrophobic, which is good to experience while enjoying these types of films.

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5. Under The Skin

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Disguising itself as a human female, an extraterrestrial drives around Scotland attempting to lure unsuspecting men into her van. Once there, she seduces and sends them into another dimension where they are nothing more than meat.

Under The Skin Trailer :

My Opinion :

I would classify this as horror, but many won't. Either way, this is an amazingly artistic film with beautiful imagery and silent awe. It definitely makes you feel the suspense in a calming manner and it has some really dark moments. Without reading the description, one might be confused as to what is going on, but how art is supposed to be interpretated is by the imagination of individuals.

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6. Veronica

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During a solar eclipse, young Verónica and her friends want to summon the spirit of Verónica's father using an Ouija board. However, during the session she loses consciousness and soon it becomes clear that evil demons have arrived.

Veronica Trailer :

My Opinion :

A Spanish masterpiece, to put it simply. It's hard to find proper horrors like this in English. I really enjoyed this one and I watched it subbed not dubbed, because I feel like voiceovers tend to ruin the art of the original film. The buildup is perfect and unlike many horrors, it barely shows you the face of the "monster". That leaves it to the imagination, which in general makes it far more scary.

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7. Underwater

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Disaster strikes more than six miles below the ocean surface when water crashes through the walls of a drilling station. Led by their captain, the survivors realize that their only hope is to walk across the sea floor to reach the main part of the facility. But they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they come under attack from mysterious and deadly creatures that no one has ever seen.

Underwater Trailer :

My Opinion :

This movie was released quite recently and I didn't know what to expect. I was definitely blown away by how good it was. Being trapped underwater gives most people a sense of anxiety. Add being trapped underwater and being hunted by creepy sea monsters and you've got yourself a good horror. Kristen Stewarts general anxious personality definitely suits this film well.

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8. Split

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Kevin, who is suffering from dissociative identity disorder and has 23 alter egos, kidnaps three teenagers. They must figure out his friendly personas before he unleashes his 24th personality.

Split Trailer :

https://youtu.be/84TouqfIsiI

My Opinion :

An incredible film with phenomenal acting on the part of James McAvoy. You can get lost within his character and almost feel as if you are the character itself. Suspense is built up slowly and the climax of the film is released rapidly. People I know who do not enjoy horror, love this film themselves, which is saying something. It's definitely one of the best modern films that draws you in from the start. 

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9. A Quiet Place

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A family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.

A Quiet Place Trailer :

https://youtu.be/WR7cc5t7tv8

My Opinion :

As you can tell by now, I love anything alien related. This film has some of the most amazing looking aliens I've seen, I was honestly in awe by how great they looked. Another silent film, but in a different sense to the previous one. Instead of being the hunter, this family is being hunted and this adds more to the fear factor.

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10. Unfriended - Dark Web

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When a teen finds a laptop with a cache of hidden files, he and his friend discover that the previous owner has access to the dark web and is watching over them.

Unfriended - Dark Web Trailer :

https://youtu.be/XenTM_C9fxM

My Opinion :

A modern take on horror. Involving the actual dangers of the dark web and the use of technology and turning it into a horror was a magnificent idea. It definitely had me at the edge of my seat.

Due to another film type that is not often explored (thus being that most of the movie is equal to what it would be like to look at your computer and video chat), it makes it different and therefore more compelling than the usual videography styles.

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Thank you for reading, if you've made it this far! Feel free to share your top 10 in the comment section, I am definitely interested in your opinions and finding new movies to watch myself. Any questions are also welcome.

Until next time, take care and stay spooky!

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#Horror #Horror movies #Horror films #Review #Movie review #Horror movie review #Horror fans #The Conjuring #Annabelle #Saw #Blair witch #Under the skin #Veronica #Underwater #Split #A quiet place #Unfriended dark web #Scary #Spooky #Spoopy #Dark #dark side #Paranormal #Supernatural #Witch #Witchy #Ouija #Spanish #James Wan #Youtube

[jwood719]

Thurmond, West Virginia: a Rail Road Town that the World Passed By, Then Found Again (sorta’) - Updated.

As I explained recently over a dinner with friends in town (for the first time in how long?!), Thurmond, West Virginia was south and west of Pittsburgh, so it seemed like a good option for a kind-of side trip on the way home from Pennsylvania.  Little did I know how long the trip south would be, but glad I was to have done it.

A CSX coal car drag passing the Thurmond Depot, as seen through the window of the yardmaster’s office. [1]

The town was founded by one Capt. W.D. Thurmond in 1873, the same year the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway completed main line track building through the New River Valley.  The New River Valley was scene to intensive coal mining in the latter half of the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, and Thurmond was literally and figuratively at the heart of it all.

I believe the tall structure visible through the coal smoke and vented steam is the coaling tower. [2]

Thurmond in 1988.  Conspicuously absent now are all the structures on the left side of the tracks -- as well as the tracks to the left. [3]

The New River Valley was also the scene of some of the worst of the “coal field wars:” the operators paid by weight, ran company towns and stores, and lured unsuspecting laborers into the valley with promises of good wages -- promises that never materialized.  Instead, coal weight was shorted, company rents and store fees were exorbitant, and rules were enforced with extra-judicial posses, bought-off law enforcement officers, and state militia at times.  Miners were repeatedly denied recognition of their unionizing efforts, scabs were thrown in between the simmering, or boiling, antagonists, and strikes devolved into shooting matches.

Thurmond in 1988. [3]  Two generations of water towers (near center) holding hundreds of thousands of gallons of water for the thirsty steam-powered engines, and the post office building (at right)  CSX removed the water towers in the 1990s.

Concrete footings for the water towers seen in the 1988 photo above.  The post office building still stands (at far right), and is still U.S.P.S. property, though it is no longer in operation. [1]

Thurmond was the vital hub for the C&O and for all the various people who moved through the Valley throughout the coal mining years; in 1910, Thurmond  moved more freight and passengers than any other town the rail road serviced.  It’s hard to imagine today, but from its founding until the early 1920s, Thurmond could only be reached by rail, and thousands of people moved through or lived in the town, going to work in a mine, working for the C&O, or providing goods and services.

The Marilyn Brown house, with the roofline of the Fatty Lipscomb house beyond. [1]

At one time, Thurmond boasted many commercial structures, scores of houses (like those above), and was also a service hub for the C&O’s engines and rolling stock.  Steam-powered rail road engines require daily maintenance, work that was effected in a large engine house that was perched above the river.

Thurmond in 1988. [3] The engine house is right of center in the mid-ground, behind the trees.  Some of the remaining private houses can be seen uphill behind the commercial buildings, as well as the one “street” that wound across the face of the hill.

Like so many towns built around 19th century industries, Thurmond’s importance declined dramatically as the 20th century proceeded.  The use of diesel rail road engines left steam engine mechanics unemployed; many of the mines played out, and those that remained (and remain still) employed far fewer miners to pull the coal from the seams -- or blast it from hill tops; and people who would have been passengers on the trains began driving automobiles.  The world, if you will, moved on, and Thurmond dried up.

Two views of the Fatty Lipscomb house. [1]

As coal mining declined, though, tourism increased, and in the 1960s and 1970s, enthusiasts of outdoor sports found the U.S. Congress receptive to the idea of setting aside some of West Virginia’s landscapes for boating, hiking and camping.  In 1978, a substantial swath of West Virginia was designated as the New River Gorge National River, and later, lands along the Gauley and Bluestone Rivers were conserved, designated as National Recreation Areas in 1988.

Another house, here perched on the hillside above the commercial district, and a stretch of the local roadway, looking downhill. [1]

Once the land along the rivers became national reserves, Thurmond basically passed into federal control, though up until the early 1990s, up to 50 people still resided there.  The Chesapeake & Ohio had also declined, and became a foundational holding of today’s CSX Transportation rail road company.  CSX still moves coal through Thurmond in long drags of hopper cars, either full and destined for power plants, or empty and heading back to the mines.

In 1988 (above) [3] and in 2021 (below). [1]  The view below is perhaps the best known angle of the old commercial buildings.  From right, these are: the Mankin-Cox Building, the oldest of the three, which housed a druggist and a bank; the Goodman-Kincaid Building, which housed a dry goods store as well as offices and apartments; and the National Bank of Thurmond Building; all held a variety of business concerns before business fled.  To the upper right is the Erskine Pugh house.  The track in the foreground has been removed.

Circa 1900 [2]  The engine house is right of center, with the commercial buildings to the left.  The large building at far left was a hotel, but it burned down and was replaced by an Armour meat company building -- which also burned, in 1963 . The depot (seen following photo) is at the far right, with the rail road trestle just in view.

The 1904 passenger depot, now the NPS visitors center (as of 1995), and yes, Amtrak does have Thurmond as a stop! [1]

The NPS owns most of the remaining buildings, and efforts began in the early 2000s to keep them from deteriorating further, with roof repairs and seals to keep out the weather. There are still 5 residents in Thurmond, all are on the town council, and in addition to being active within the park, they are also seeking ways to keep the town alive.  

The red house at left is new construction, but on an old foundation, and where possible, older building materials have been recycled in its build-out.  A project of Thurmond’s residents, the hope is to have it available for seasonal leases; my guess is it’ll wind up with a long wait-list -- and my name will be on it! [1]

Old rail road ties in the dirt: now an access road, the C&O service track that led to the coaling tower were once mounted here; the engine house would have been to the extreme right and partially out of view; the depot is dead ahead, and my road-weary car is parked near the trees. [1]

Maybe I was taken-in by the town because of the setting, nestled as it is among the hills and above the river; maybe it’s because the old buildings have that “certain something” that makes history buffs like me snap more photos than is reasonable; maybe it’s the potential that I can see in them (provided anyone ever coughed up the money to really rehabilitate them); if I was to get metaphysical about it, maybe it’s because of all the lives and history that occurred in the area and the energy left behind calls out still (y’know if I got metaphysical about it -- past lives anyone?); perhaps it’s all of those.  What-ever the reason, I’ve been thinking of making a trip back in mid-Autumn, take a long weekend as the leaves are turning and it’s got chilly -- and shoot yet more photos than is reasonable.

The 1922 coaling tower (above), built by Fairbanks Morse (as noted on the sign below). [1]

The reason for the coaling tower: a pair of the last steam engines in Thurmond: 1953. [2]

I briefly stopped at the New River Gorge visitors center where I got directions, and figured I could at least find out where I was going before getting off the highway for the night.  I arrived in Thurmond just before 5 PM, but even that later afternoon hour left plenty of daylight to walk about and take photos.  My thought had been to simply find Thurmond, then make my stop-over somewhere nearby (Beckley, WV is less than 10 miles away) then return in the morning.  That thinking quickly became “Oh! I can come back for more in the morning!” 

Up the hill: the old church. [1]  The church grounds now host the local triathlon and reunion events for those who once lived in Thurmond.

What I realized as I strolled around in the afternoon, was that the light would be dramatically different if I arrived early the next day (yeah: a “well duh!” moment if ever there was one), an effect of the changed daylight hours mixed with the topography that proved itself quite wonderfully -- and is why the images here show both the golden glow of evening and the cool white of morning.

Amtrak’s Cardinal route-train, on-time (or nearly) on a Friday morning. [1]

Standing by my car, having a sip of coffee, looking around as other visitors arrived or departed, I just, well -- “sighed with contentment” is an apt description. 

A view of the ticket agent’s office. [1]

For more information on Thurmond:

The National Park Service’s web page for Thurmond, WV.

Thurmond, WV on Clio, a history and culture website.

Both of these share some of the same information, and each has additional images, both historical and contemporary.  

A view of the New River Valley from the west side, across from Thurmond (note the houses and rail road cars on the far bank below the hill). [4]

The historical narrative written here was gleaned from the NPS hand-out for Thurmond, as well as from the Summer 2021 issue of National Parks magazine, published by the National Parks Conservation Association (“Miner’s Angel” concerning Mother Jones and the coal field wars of West Virginia, by Nicolas Brulliard).  Identification of the Marilyn Brown house made possible by access to a PDF of the NPS’ structural assessment report of buildings in Thurmond, revised edition, published in 2002.

A view of the yardmaster’s office [1]

Atlas Obscura’s “22 of America’s Best Preserved Ghost Towns”  Sorry, Mental Floss, you were forgot.

Looking south toward the depot past the three old commercial blocks. [1]

[1] Photographs by R. Jake Wood, 2021.

[2] Historic photographs displayed on-site by National Park Service, photographed on-site and edited for this posting by Jake Wood. 

[3] Photographs by Jet Lowe, 1988, for the Library of Congress’ Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record; retrieved from the Library of Congress’ Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, with minor editing by Jake Wood.

[4] Photograph by the Detroit Publishing Co., circa 1910; from the Library of Congress’ Prints & Photographs Online Catalog, with minor editing by Jake Wood.

The depot, alongside CSX trackage. [1]

CSX coal drag outbound with hoppers full of coal.  The post office building is visible just beyond the engine. [1]

#photography #roadtrips #Thurmond WV #national park service #Obscura Jaunts

[angelicichor]

I always imagined that either versions of Leatherface would have the most hectic family time on the 4th of July. Tons of family coming over, distant cousins etc, bbq, tons of meat to prepare for it,drinking, loud music and fireworks, Drayton/Hoyt bitching about how the food isn't that good although he would not do better if he were to cook himself. Even grandpa is there wearing patriotic accessories. Just pure absolute mayhem 😂

Oh, absolutely! 

Thomas would be forced to do SO MUCH heavy lifting for the family, because sure, their family consists of 4 people and the rest either doesn’t exist or doesn’t  care to visit them, but they’ll for sure invite the trailer ladies as well and Hoyt ain’t gonna disappoint America with a half-assed 4th of July!

So we’re talking crates of illegal fireworks, setting them up for the evening, dealing with a big group of people that Hoyt went an extra mile to find, getting them ready for supper, and just... Luda Mae will have a lot of cooking to do, yeah, but THOMAS’ POOR BACK help this BOY.

Hoyt would only be really useful for bringing stuff from the city, like beer, whiskey, smokes, veggies and all this kinda stuff, but everything else is purely Luda, Thomas and if he has one - his s/o. 

They’d only celebrate after 11 pm, because you know Monty and Hoyt would get too fuckin’ drunk to function for more than 2 hours, singing old country songs and watching the TV, but that’s only AFTER the marvelous dinner Luda prepared. 

And I think this is one of those few rare days during which Tommy let’s himself relax, sits down with his uncle and Monty, maybe gets something to drink, but he doesn’t really get drunk... boy’s got a hard noggin for this type of stuff, but he enjoys the feeling of being included, of the family being, well, happy together, no butchering to be done, no fear for the next day, just plain fun. He can do that.

With Sawyers however, oh god, brace yourself, Texas. 

There’s at least 30 people. AT LEAST. Not counting the people in the basement, because, you see, Drayton ain’t the only one leadin’ the butchering life.

Bubba, just like Thomas, is made to do all the heavy lifting, but Nubbins helps him a bit, well, mostly just keeps him company and plays with the victims. 

You know there’s this one auntie who has 5 children, who all immediately swarm Bubba, demanding to be lifted up, squealing at him so he does the same in return and they LOVE IT, because they love their cousin, especially that one blondie baby, who just has stars in her eyes when she sees him and Bubba gives her one of his masks at some point.

Nubbins only really pays attention to anything once Chop Top comes around, and then the two start fighting, wrestling, biting each other, like the feral rat men they are, meanwhile Drayton is off discussing something with another family member, talking about how sex ruins all good things, even though he should be getting the children off Junior, so he can make his delicious Chili.

The first guests have arrived at 6 in the morning and it’s an old couple that will be leaving later, but just wanted to chat with grandpa, help him dress up as Uncle Sam before leaving, the granny kissing Bubba’s cheeks with all the love in the world, but Nubbins just gets a cheek pinch, because she knows he’s a naughty, naughty boy. 

The second ones to arrive are the married folks who brought like... way too many fireworks. Like, they needed two pick-ups to get them to the house. There’s too many, please --- And they’ve been shooting those babies from 10 am till the end of the party and somehow STILL  have some left, which they’ll use on their ride home, because fuck law.

But honestly I LIVE for the headcanon that the Sawyers and The Hewitts are cousins. 

Mostly because I just wanna see Tommy and Bubbsy interacting.

Like they arrive and Bubba immediately squeals in happiness, running to hug his big cous’, whining and giggling as he lets him go, only to squeeze him again and Thomas just goes with it, because why not.

 They both help each other while unpacking everything and you KNOW Bubba’s fucking amazed by Thomas, the way he can carry more than him, how he’s more precise with the meat, how fast and focused his hands are... Just a star eyed baby watching like Thomas is the most talented person in the world. And Tommy feels so awkward with it, so he just... skits over and motions to one person’s face, pointing to Bubba or more precisely - his masked face, then to his own and it takes moment for the youngest Sawyer to register that he just got asked FOR A MASK. And oh gosh is he excited. 

 And the rest of the family still comes, but while everybody is excited to see Bubba, Thomas kinda... intimidates them, so the giant tries to make himself as small as possible, not to scare the children, but don’t worry! Bubba’s here to rescue him!

The moment Bubba interacts with Thomas, everybody is more willing to do so as well, and soon enough Tommy is just... covered by little slimy gremlins that those people call their children. He’s loving it. 

Drayton and Charlie argue the WHOLE DAY, but at the end of it their argument comes to a close - because it’s time to prove who’s the better head of their family. And there’s only one way to do that! BUBBA, TOMMY, ARM WRESTLING, NOW.

Thomas laughs it off, but... But Bubba is ALL ABOUT THIS. He sits down fast as lightning and is giving Thomas that expectant look, but his cousin is just... confused, why would he? He doesn’t want to hurt Bubbsy, they’re family and sure this is only arm wrestling, but that can do SO MUCH DAMAGE when it’s two giant, powerful men doing it.

But Bubba insists, so Tommy listens and is surprised that Bubba is actually... fucking STRONG. He should’ve expected that and he did, but not to that extent.

They both give it their best, but in the end Thomas ends it with a loud slam and to his shock the table flips over and Bubba falls to the floor, but damn it, he’s SO STARSTRUCK. 

 Thomas is called the best man in the family instead of Hoyt, who is FURIOUS about it, but nobody cares and LUDA IS SO PROUD OF HER BOY.

Speaking of which, whenever Bubba and Thomas are alone Luda Mae will come up to them, praise both, tell them how handsome they are, tug their ears affectionately, because their cheeks are PROTECTED DAMN IT.

And she’ll definitely have a tissue with her to swipe away any dirt on Bubba’s face, he loves his auntie and doesn’t understand why Thomas is so embarrassed when she tries to clean his mask too.

Around 6 pm everybody sits down, gives grace and starts F E A S T I N G. Except Thomas, but when asked he just hangs his head and gives a shy smile, but the family understands, he isn’t the most open person. They make sure to leave food for him for later, when he won’t have so many eyes on him.Instead of eating he carves a dope-ass knife out of a bone that he found on the floor, leaves it on the bench for anyone to pick up and it just dissappears at some point. 

Also - DO NOT mix Nubbins and Thomas. Tommy has thrown the rat man against a wall before and is NOT afraid to do that before. They just... don’t work.Chop Top though gets on with Thomas surprisingly well, but it’s probably because Tommy is absorbed by his vast CD collection. He sure as hell comes back home with at least 15 of them and a player that he borrowed. Luckily Chop Top can drive himself to retrieve it at some point. 

kjaklsjalldk I could write headcanons for those bastards interacting for HOURS, but that would be too long ｡ﾟ･（>﹏

#virgo talks #bubba sawyer #texas chainsaw massacre #thomas hewitt #nubbins sawyer #chop top sawyer #drayton sawyer #hoyt #Luda Mae

[sourwolf-sterek32]

THIS MEANS WAR (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

Summary: It’s been nearly two years since the war with the Saviours ended. You and Daryl now ran the Sanctuary together and for once life was starting to look good. However, little did you know, your whole world was going to come crashing down around you very soon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Jesus’ Twin Sister!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: Blood, guts, language (just usual twd warnings)

A/N- I wrote most of this fic before the Season 10 trailer even aired so this fic follows the story line of Season 9, but then I sorta create my own ending for the Whisperers arc, so I hope you guys like it xx

Chapter 1: Prologue-

Your life had never been what most people called 'normal'.

Growing up in a group home was difficult, especially when people tried separating you and your twin brother, Paul Rovia. You refused to go anywhere without him and he refused to go anywhere without you. The two of you always said, it was either both of you or neither of you.

You and Paul hadn't always been orphans. You grew up with loving and caring parents, went to a normal school and actually had friends.

But, one morning your parents were driving the two of you to school, following behind a semi-truck on the highway while you and Paul were arguing in the backseat.

You couldn't even remember what you were arguing about, probably something pointless. But, it was clearly enough for your father to turn around in the drivers seat and tell you guys to shut up.

It wasn't until you heard your mother scream that you realised the semi-truck in front of you had suddenly braked causing your father to quickly turn back around and hit his breaks. But, it was too late. 

Your car crashed straight into the back of the truck. The front of the small car completely crushed, killing your parents instantly. The two of you were only eight years old at the time and didn't have any other relatives, so you were put in an orphanage and then a group home.

Neither of your ever talked about that day, almost as if it never happened, but it did and neither would never forget it.

Living in a group home was hard to get used to. There were so many kids always running around and you soon realised the only time it was ever quiet was in the middle of the night.

You and Paul used to be really sociable kids, always trying to make new friends, but after the accident you both just stuck to yourselves.

There was a school there and fortunately you and Paul were in all the same classes, except while he had martial arts class, you had archery class. It was good having those extra activities for the kids to pick from, they were fun and for those 45 minutes a day it made you forget all the problems in your life.

Not many people were interested in adopting both you and Paul, which meant you remained at the group home until you were 18. Then, got moved into shared housing in a completely different town.

It took you a while to get used to the shared housing, but you were already used to being around a lot of people so it wasn't too bad. Everyone got along and you both quickly got jobs to pay for rent and food.

Paul started working as martial arts instructor and he was damn good at it too, while you starting helping the local construction workers and builders.

You weren't qualified to be a proper labourer or construction worker, but they badly needed workers so they hired you. The work was hard and tiring, but it paid well and even though you were only given the shit jobs like digging holes and knocking down walls, you still learnt a lot every day.

To your surprise, you and Paul were still living in the shared housing with the same housemates, nearly five years later. You all got along really well and since everyone worked in town there hadn't been any reason to move out. Plus, the rent was cheap with the five of you splitting it.

-

You had just gotten home after work grabbing a cool beer out the fridge, enjoying the quiet empty house while it lasted. You had spent the past eight hours knocking down brick walls with a sledge hammer and although it was a good arm workout, you were absolutely exhausted.

"Hey! You're home early." Paul's voice suddenly called out.

You looked over the back of the couch to find him walking through the door, sporting his favourite beanie. You had bought him that beanie years ago for his birthday as a joke, but turned out he actually liked it and had basically worn it ever since.

"Thank God." You sighed taking a sip of your drink as you rested your feet on the wooden coffee table while sitting on the couch.

"Tough day?" He asked from somewhere behind you before he jumped over the back of couch, landing next to you. "Let me guess, you were knocking down more walls today?"

"Yep. While the other workers got to drive around in nice air conditioned bulldozers and front-end loaders all day." You replied glancing over at your brother as he grabbed the remote turning on the tv.

"That's because they're all qualified and you're not. But hey, on the bright side you might actually have bigger muscles than me." Paul responded, poking your bicep before pulling up the sleeves of his shirt and looking at his own muscles causing you to laugh.

You were definitely stronger than most women and if you were being honest probably some men too, but you liked it that way. You liked being just as strong as the guys at work and you knew if anyone tried giving you trouble then you'd be strong enough to defend yourself, especially with Paul having taught you martial arts and hand to hand combat.

"You're an idiot." You chuckled shaking your head at him before you turned your attention back to the tv, watching as Paul channel surfed, clearly unable to find something worth watching.

"Wait, shouldn't you be packing? Aren't you, Adam and Tim leaving for your road trip tomorrow?" You asked only just remembering that it was tomorrow, meaning it was just going to be you and Emily in the house for the next two weeks.

"I packed most of it this morning. Once the others get home from work I'll put my bags in Adams van." Paul replied and you nodded, handing him your bottle of beer as he took it and took a few sips.

"You're gonna miss me so much." He teased and you rolled your eyes.

"Well I definitely won't miss that God awful beanie." You responded as you pulled the dirty grey beanie off his head and threw it across the room in the general direction of the rubbish bin.

"You missed the bin by a mile." Paul snorted as he ran his fingers through his long hair trying to flatten it out before something clearly caught his attention on the tv as he quickly turned up the volume.

"What the hell?" He muttered causing you to turn back to the tv in confusion and that's when you saw the news headline 'Deadly virus spreading through Canada.'

But, they didn't elaborate on the virus or show any footage of it. Where did the virus come from? What were the symptoms of the virus? Was it treatable? Why isn't the news talking about it?

"I don't want you going on that road trip." You quickly said, not taking your eyes off the tv as you stared at the news headline at the bottom of the screen. If this virus somehow spreads down into America you did not want your brother on the other side of the country. But before he even had a chance to reply the rest of your housemates all walked through the front door.

"We bought pizza!" Adam shouted as you glanced over your shoulder to find him, Tim and Emily all walking into the house, boxes of pizza and bottles of soda filling their arms.

"Have you guys heard about the virus spreading in Canada?" Paul questioned as you moved your beer off the coffee table allowing the others to place the pizza and drinks on top.

"Yeah, it's nothing. It's probably just the Government trying to scare us, there isn't any deadly virus. If there was we would have heard about it a lot earlier and there would be more news on it." Tim replied casually and you nodded, he had a fair point. If this virus was real then why hadn't the Government made an official statement about it?

"So you think it'll be okay for you guys to still go on that road trip?" You asked, still slightly unsure about the situation.

"Hell yes! Plus we'll be on the other side of the country, nowhere near the Canadian boarder." Adam replied as he grabbed a slice of pizza while Emily began talking about the cute bartender down the road causing the guys to groan in annoyance and you both laughed. But, little did you know it was about to be the last afternoon the five of you were happy and together.

In less than seven days the whole world turned to chaos.

Dead people were running around the streets trying to eat the living. The cops and all law enforcement had just vanished. Every store and business had shutdown and as far as you could tell 50 percent of the population had turned into monsters.

Before phone service got cut off Paul had told you to pack up the car and get to Atlanta. He said he was on his way there and that he would meet you at the army base that was set up.

Hence, why right now you were stuck on the side of the highway. The tall skyscraper buildings of Atlanta city visible in the distance while you were bent over the hood of your car trying to pinpoint why your old rusty car decided to die.

You had been on the road for a couple of days and were onto your last jerry can of fuel when you car finally decided to give up.

"Stupid piece of junk." You yelled in annoyance as you kicked the side of your car in frustration. What were you going to do now? You were as good as dead out here on the side of the road with nothing but your compound bow and a car that won't start.

It was at least a two hour walk before you reached Atlanta, but you knew better than to just walk all that way across unknown territory. Who knew how many monsters were actually out there. God, you were a sitting duck right now.

There was no point trying to figure out what was wrong with the vehicle because you knew you'd never be able to fix it. The only things you knew about cars were how to change tyres and check the oil, that was it. You weren't a mechanic, you were a construction worker, you could fix buildings and repair fences no problem, but a car? Hell no.

Before you even had a chance to close the hood of your car sudden groans and growls of those monsters began to fill the air and you felt the hairs on your arms stand up.

You quickly spun around scanning the road around you and spotted a large group of monsters stumbling out the woods in your direction.

"Shit." You whispered as you scrambled to the passenger side door, grabbing your compound bow out before you turned back to the monsters.

There had to be at least 15 of them and you only had eight arrows in your quiver attached to the side of your bow. Shit.

You knew you shouldn't have yelled earlier. Noise attracts the monsters, what were you thinking?! God, you wished Paul was here, he was the smart one out of the two of you. He always knew what to do, especially in tricky situations. Think Y/N, what would your brother do?

You glanced around your surroundings, trying to think of a way out of this mess when it hit you. The car. You quickly slammed the hood of your car down and climbed on top, jumping onto the roof.

You stood on the roof for a few seconds as you stared at the monsters 20 metres down the road before you nocked an arrow onto the string of your bow.

Your hands were shaking and your heartbeat was out of control, but you knew you could do this. You've killed a few of them before, why not add another 15 to the list?

You pulled your bow back until the string touched your cheek and hovered the sights over the closest monsters head. You took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled as you released the string, watching as the arrow landed perfectly between the monsters eyes before you quickly nocked another arrow and fired again.

You got in a quick, smooth rhythm as you released each arrow, killing the monsters instantly. It was just like target practice, but with moving targets that just so happen to want to eat you.

You were so focused on killing the monsters you didn't even realised you had used your last arrow until you went to reach for another one only to find no more on your quiver. Shit.

More and more monsters had stumbled out from the woods, clearly being drawn in from the loud groans of the others. What the hell were you going to do?

By now the monsters had reached your car, all of them pressed up against the rusty paint, their arms reaching up towards the roof where you were standing. You thought you would be out of arms reach on top of the roof, but you were wrong.

Rotten hands wrapped around your ankles in a surprisingly strong grip pulling you down towards them as you landed on your ass still on top of the roof.

Panic began to set in as you frantically tried kicking their hands off your feet while slamming the end of your bow against the closest ones skull, killing it instantly. But there were too many.

You wouldn't be able to fight them all off, not when you were still trying to fight against their grips around your ankles. This was it. No, this couldn't be the end. You had to find Paul, you were not dying like this.

Shaking your head you tightened your grip on your bow and slammed it into the head of another monster. If this really was the end then you were going to go down fighting.

You're not sure how many monsters you had killed with the end of your bow, but it seemed to not even make a dent in the small herd, that was until gunshots echoed in the air.

You watched in shock as the monsters began to drop like flies, but it wasn't until the last one was killed that you actually processed the fact that there was someone near you with a gun. Shit, that probably wasn't good.

You quickly glanced behind you spotting a man on a brown horse trotting towards you along the empty road. You were surprised to see that he was wearing a sheriff's uniform, but you were more focused on the fact that he had a gun aimed at you.

"Drop the bow." The man called watching you cautiously as he stopped his horse a few metres behind your car.

"I'm pretty sure it has to have an arrow in it to be dangerous." You replied in a light tone trying to show this man that you didn't want any trouble as you placed your bow on the car roof beside you.

"Yeah, you're probably right. But, better safe than sorry." The stranger replied with a slight chuckle as holstered his gun and adjusted the strap of his bag that was slung over his shoulder.

You spotted what looked to be the barrel of a couple shotguns sticking out the top of the bag. This man was clearly packing heavy equipment, but he seemed nice enough.

"My name's Rick Grimes. What's yours?"

"Y/N. Y/N Rovia." You answered as you jumped down from the roof of your car, being careful not to land on any of the dead corpses as you did.

"I should probably say thank you for your help with this. Not sure I would've lasted much longer, so thanks." You said motioning towards all the dead monsters on the road.

"No problem. This the first time you've come in contact with walkers up close?" Rick asked curiously. Walkers? So that's what he calls these monsters.

"First time I've come across so many at once. I've been on the road for a few days now, trying to get to Atlanta." You replied nodding in the direction of the large city.

"Me too. Trying to find my family." Rick answered and you nodded in understanding.

"I'm trying to find my brother." You simply replied as you began walking over to the nearest walker with an arrow through it. "I'm just retrieving my arrows, so don't shoot me." You warned, half joking but being serious at the same time.

"Need a ride to Atlanta?" Rick suddenly asked after a few seconds of silence, catching you off guard as you pulled the last arrow out and turned back towards him.

At first you thought he was joking, but by the look on his face he was being dead serious. Your car was broken and it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to walk there without coming across another herd. But, you didn't know this man, you just met him like five minutes ago for crying out loud. But, you needed to get to Atlanta, that's where Paul said he would be. You had to find your brother, nothing else mattered.

"Alright. But just so you know, if you try anything, it won't end well for you." You warned causing Rick to smile slightly before he patted the back of the horse behind him. What were you getting yourself into? A man shows up out of nowhere in a sheriff's uniform with a bag full of guns... what could go wrong?

"Duly noted." He replied and you nodded as you quickly clipped your arrows into the quiver on your bow before opening the drivers side door of your car.

Leaning into the car you grabbed your long silver chained necklace that was hanging from the revision mirror, quickly slipping it over your head as you tucked it in underneath your black tank top. It was a necklace Paul had given you and had a photo of the two of you inside the locket. You'd never leave it behind.

The two of rode for nearly an hour before you finally reached the city and that was when all your hope got crushed. The city was deserted.

A few stray walkers were stumbling along the streets here and there, but that was it. There was no way an army base was still up and running here which meant Paul had either been here when the base fell or he left. Either way, you knew the chances of finding your brother had just turned from unlikely to near impossible.

"Oh my God." You gasped staring at the broken down army tank in the middle of the street. A couple crows feeding on a dead body on top of it that was clearly wearing an army uniform.

"This doesn't mean your brother was here when the base got overrun." Rick replied softly as he slowed the horse and glanced over his shoulder at you and you nodded.

During your ride to the city the two of you got to know each other a little bit. He told you about his wife and son and how he woke up from a coma a few days ago. While you told him about your brother and explained how this whole thing started, since he wasn't awake when it did.

"Can you see that helicopter?" Rick suddenly questioned, his voice sounding uncertain as he stared up at the sky and you followed his line of sight, spotting the reflection of a helicopter on one of the buildings.

Before you even had a chance to respond Rick quickly took off down the street forcing you to tighten your grip on his gun bag so you didn't fall off the back of the horse.

You were so focused on the helicopter in the sky, you didn't even see the large herd of walkers down a side street until it was too late.

Rick quickly forced the horse to stop in its tracks as you came face to face with over 50 walkers. Holy shit. This was not good. This was really not good.

"Hold on!" Rick yelled as he turned the horse around and raced back down the way you had just came, but as you got near the tank again you spotted another herd in front of you, cutting you off. You were trapped.

The next few minutes went by in a flash as the walkers began trying to grab the horse forcing it to fall to the ground, throwing you and Rick off along the way.

You could hear the pained cries of the horse as the walkers began to eat it alive and you forced yourself to turn away as you spotted your bow on the ground beside you. You quickly grabbed your bow and turned around to find Rick lying on the ground completely in shock as walkers began circling in on the two of you.

"Rick! Under the tank!" You yelled and in a split second the two of you crawled under the large metal machine.

You remembered watching some World War II film years ago that did a special feature on military tanks and you knew there was a door underneath that lead inside the tank. At least you hoped there was.

You glanced over at Rick who was crawling besides you, the panic clearly evident on his face as the walkers slowly began following you underneath. You quickly turned your attention back to the bottom of the tank above you as your eyes scanned the metal looking for the door and you sighed with relief once your spotted it.

You looked back over at Rick who was about to raise his gun to his head before you quickly grabbed his hand, stopping him instantly.

"Through here!" You yelled slamming the door open as you threw your bow inside and climbed in before reaching down and helping Rick up.

"Thank you." Rick sighed as the two of you sat down opposite each other, your backs resting against the walls of the tank while you tried to catch your breath.

After a few seconds passed you slowly moved towards the dead army man on the floor of the tank and pulled his handgun out from his holster.

You checked the clip noticing the guy had a few bullets left which was better than nothing, but what were you meant to do now? You were literally stuck inside a tank that was surrounded by walkers.

"Hey, you guys?" A voice suddenly called through the radio inside the tank, catching both of yours attention as your heads snapped around towards the radio.

You quickly glanced over at Rick who was staring at the radio with the same shocked expression as you. You weren't alone.

"Dumbasses? Yeah, you two in the tank."

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NEXT CHAPTER

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A/N- Link in bio for Masterlist, iI will reblog with my Daryl Dixon Tag List, if you want to be added to the list just comment below. 

Well that was the prologue and the next chapter starts off around Season 9 Episode 1 and hopefully that chapter will be up by the weekend. 

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this little introduction, i would love to hear your thoughts about it below and I promise Daryl is in the next chapter, so stay tuned. But, until then stay safe everyone and have a great day xx 

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