Tumgik
#I WANNA TALK ABOUT WIZARDS AND SHIT
Text
SPEAKING OF WHICH are there like any chill wizard101 discord servers or group chats that I could join. Or if anyone just wanna add me on discord shoot me a tumblr DM because I'm lonely and I like you guys :)
20 notes · View notes
andthebeanstalk · 1 year
Text
One of the things I love about Glass Onion is the way that the camera and music work together to tell nonverbal jokes.
Like when Benoit basically has to hold Miles' hand to get him to the conclusion that someone reset the puzzle box Benoit lies about receiving:
Benoit asks if it's possible that someone reset the box, and Miles then declares that someone must have reset the box like it is this huge reveal - and the camera zooms out while the music subtly swells as though he really has figured out something smart, when actually he literally restated what Benoit just said.
#original#I love the reveal that he's not even a smart con artist he's just a piece of shit#he's just a shameless copycat that people keep enabling to do bad things bc they assume he knows what he's talking about bc he's rich#like that line in Fiddler on the Roof - 'it won't matter if I'm wrong or if I'm right cuz you're rich they think you really know!'#glass onion#knives out glass onion#benoit blanc#Daniel Craig#ed norton#I hope the YouTuber sideways does a video about this because he does incredible music theory videos about movie scores#and I bet there are a bunch of hidden meanings within the music that I have no idea how to pick out#that man is like a wizard to me I don't understand how someone can understand music that much!#So cool!#I started this movie like 2 hours ago and I'm barely half an hour in cuz I keep stopping to write film theory essays on Tumblr#oh Adderall you cad!#I have no regrets I feel like this is helping me understand film better. i care a lot about the language of Storytelling#and I must say my favorite medium is film. I am writing a graphic novel right now but if I knew I could just skip that part and make it#into a show. I would do that. I don't wanna draw that much! I like drawing! but I want to see it as a show!!#this is too many drawings!!!!!#but for various reasons the film industry is not really a great place for me - or even possible as a physically disabled person#hard to work yourself up to the director's chair when all the entry positions involve standing for 14 hours at a time#I hope that if I ever do manage to make my graphic novel into a TV show that I will maintain enough control over the project to ensure#accessible hiring practices and workplaces#but in the meantime I guess I have to make waaaay too many drawings#no I can't shorten the story I don't have that kind of control it is an epic saga and the world's longest Slow Burn and that is that
264 notes · View notes
roychewtoy · 7 months
Text
supergiant games are 3 for 3 [sorry bastion..... i haven't played u bastion.....] to me. transistor, pyre and hades BEEEELOOOOOVEEEDDDD
#bastion regularly gets knocked down to like.. a quid on the playstation store. i should pick it up and play it at sum point..#but yes.... cant believe they are making their first sequel.. treading into new territory.. CANT WAIT😃#idk what my favourite of the three is.... very different flavours#with the throughline ofc being incorporating gameplay mechanics directly into the story.. Delicious#and jen zees art and darren korbs OSTs and LOGAN CUNNINGHAMS VOIIIIIICE YIPPEEEE#i think realising he voiced both hades and achilles was the most surprising to me just because how close together they are in the house#like...those r different guys. and i looooove him as the transistor itself😵‍💫ooooooouuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaahhh#really love that the original pitch for transistor was ->#greg kasavin and jen zee shooting the shit in a long car journey coming back from e3#fantasy world. unassuming women working as a singer in taverns falls in love with a travelling wizard#group of people come for the wizard and kill him with powerful demonic blade. blade is lost in the struggle. she finds it#and miraculously hears the guys voice coming from inside the sword. wields it herself. goes out for revenge#and they enjoyed the idea but accepted it was never the sorta game they were gonna make. then transistor development starts hitting a wall#wonderin why they arent making the story the wanna make. and greg goes..because a demonic rune sword doesnt work in a scifi setting#jen designs red and the transistor. nails it in one. like the original concept art is just.. how they look in the final game#RIGHT TRANSISTOR DEVELOPMENT TANGENT OVER#i love the fleshy..marble design of The Process... eating up the city....#LOOOVE sunkrish balas performance as royce. that third act with headphones on. he gave me chills. his intonation is soooo perfect and eerie#luv the ps4 controller lighting up when the transistor talks hehehehe#this became ramble city. Pyre. PYRE!!!!!!!! fire off points about pyre. go go go:#the Cast Of Characters😃....AUUUGH. the downside as a setting.. hello boundless purgatory.. endless plains and roiling seas to travel across#how TIED the gameplay of the rites is to the story of pyre. its kinda crazy how well integrated it is#pyre is soo Lore heavy. and most of it is optional. no voice acting in this badboy#only played it once but i fucking loooved reading all the entries in the book of rites...#its just so DENSE. I LOVE U HIGH FANTASY BASKETBALL SHOOTING HOOPS INTO FLAMES TO ASCEND FROM PURGATORY GAME <- greatly simplifying#it has fucking interactive music that changes depending on what team u are fighting against in the liberation rites COME ONNNN MAAAAAN#everybody and their nan knows how fucking good hades is. im running outta ramble space in these tags#tightest controls. weapon and boon combinations up the wazoo. drool worthy gameplay loop. just one more run: the game. pet doggy#i looooooooooove supergiant games i looooooooooooooove supergiant games. BOSH#chewtoy
2 notes · View notes
mostlyanything19 · 2 years
Text
That's it i'm claiming Yasha for the autistics too
12 notes · View notes
toasttedbaguels · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
oh i am going to kill this one particular class.
#i just. want to know what goes through someone head when they do this shit#whatever anyways one of the other technicians had a talk with their teacher and i’m HOPING thatll fix some things#idk i don’t always wanna bitch about work but like... when the teacher makes the most ridiculous requests that NO OTHER TEACHER HERE DOES..#like every friday i have to bring up her TWENT EIGHT students work and materials from ANOTHER BUILDING to the TOP FLOOR#when every other teacher that has the same setup just brings their shit back at the end of their lesson. like its lazy#even more lazy is that they don’t clean their shit ever and then complain when all our brushes and palettes are wrecked#like huh. huh. who did that i wonder? who also got their own individual art kits at the start of the year and yet still insists on using-#-and destroying the cupboard stock? huh? huh? bizarre.#bagel babbles#idk also she is just like. rude. to me at least. but fine to the other technician#because he’s like hot and cool or whatever idk. and i’m not him#i think she’s got it in her head that i’m less competent than him for some reason#which like yeah but only in specific skill areas like using all the fucking heavy workshop machinery i haven’t been trained on yet#like he’s LITERALLY been doing this three years and i started in octoberwhat do u want#also also just in general he’s like 5 years older than me. of course he’s had more time to learn this shit i’m TWENTY ONE#even then though like this guy is teaching now. *im* the main technician now. fucking put up with it girl i am not him.#rant over. anyways doesnt this sink look kinda like howls bath? happy wizard freak friday :)
9 notes · View notes
laundrybiscuits · 1 year
Text
The officer leans close, jabbing a finger into Steve’s chest. “You’re damn lucky it ain’t ten years ago or one state over,” he growls. “You could be looking at a felony charge, serving 15 to life. We didn’t stand for this kind of thing in Hawkins when I joined the force.”
Steve just folds his arms and gives the officer a bored look. “Okay,” he says. “Good talk. Can I see my boyfriend now?”
The officer sneers, but he steps aside to let Steve through. They’ve got Eddie cuffed to the hospital bed with another gun-toting guard in the corner. 
“Jesus christ,” snaps Steve. “He’s not gonna escape, he can’t even walk right now. Why don’t you clear out and give us a little privacy, huh?”
“Sorry,” says the guard, not sounding all that sorry. “It’s for his own protection.”
Fuck. He’s gonna have to hope Eddie can follow his lead. All that practice pretending to be a wizard or whatever has to be good for something, right?
He perches on the side of Eddie’s bed and takes his hand. He can do this. “Hey, gorgeous. How’re you feeling?” 
“Uh,” says Eddie, eyebrows doing something hilarious. “Steve?”
“It’s okay,” says Steve. He rubs his thumb over Eddie’s knuckles. This is the most they’ve ever touched, he thinks—the most that was just skin, no layers of denim or leather in between. Not even a layer of blood and dirt. 
He swallows and keeps going, willing Eddie to develop freaky mind-reading powers all of a sudden. “I know you didn’t want to tell anyone about us, but I had to, baby. I’m sorry. I had to tell them you were, y’know, with me when…when Jason killed Chrissy.”
“You didn’t have to tell them about us,” says Eddie slowly. He’s giving Steve kind of an intense look. “Honey-pie. I’m sure there’s gotta be another way. One without as many consequences for you that you might not have thought all the way through.”
“There really isn’t,” Steve says. Thank god Eddie’s so quick on the uptake. Sure, he’s being a stubborn dick about it, but at least it doesn’t seem like he’s going to let anything slip. 
“Fucking hell,” sighs Eddie. “Don’t suppose we can put that pesky little cat back in the bag. Okay. Darling angel, light of my life, corndog of my soul, who else knows?”
Corndog of my soul, Steve mouths to himself. “Just the cops. And Robin and Nancy, obviously. And—oh, remember Hopper?”
“Do I remember Hopper, he asks. Oh, pudding-pop. The late Chief Hopper and I spent so, so much quality time together over the years; he was practically a father figure to me. And just as with my actual dear old dad, his departure was cause for great rejoicing in Casa Munson.”
“Sorry to break the bad news, then. Hop’s alive, and he—uh, he knows everything.” Steve tries to communicate the scope of everything by kind of tilting his head back and forth. “He’s been…helping.”
“Huh. No shit,” says Eddie. Steve can’t tell whether or not he’s getting it. To be fair, there’s a lot to get. “Okay, gallant knight errant of mine, any news on whether or not I’m getting sprung from this charmingly appointed dungeon?”
“We’re…Hopper’s working on it. That’s why I’m. Y’know. Here. To tell you that they know about us.” 
“Cool, right, understood.” Eddie closes his eyes, leaning back on his pillow. It’s so strange to see him in nothing but a hospital gown against white sheets. He looks like a wrung-out dishtowel. 
There’s a commotion from outside, raised voices saying something like you let him what and haven’t even interrogated the Munson kid yet and not a legal status you fuckin—
“Time’s up, sweetheart,” says Eddie, mouth quirking up into the ghost of a smile. “Anything else you wanna say before they decide to upgrade my security?”
“Uh,” says Steve. He’d mostly been focusing on getting the basics of Eddie’s alibi across in a convincing way, and he can’t remember if there were any other details Eddie should know. 
He hears the door slam open behind him, and panics. “Love you, bye,” he says, and ducks in to brush a quick kiss across Eddie’s chapped lips. The last thing he sees as he’s hauled bodily out of the room by a pissed-off detective is Eddie with his eyes gone enormous and shocked, lifting his uncuffed hand to his mouth, looking and looking at Steve like something is always going to be different from now on, forever.
(ETA: small continuation here!)
6K notes · View notes
tyrantisterror · 1 year
Text
The Terf Queen said more heinous shit and listen I’m trying to channel my anger into writing so something positive can be made of it but it was just... really upsetting this time, I mean she did it two days before my fucking birthday it feels personal I know it’s not but jesus, so I’m going to make a bitchy post after midnight because fuck.
YOU KNOW WHAT SUCKS HARDCORE ABOUT HERBY PORBER?  HOW FUCKING BORING IT MADE WIZARDS.
Tumblr media
Look at this.  Look at these fucking characters.  They look like fucking fashion models.  They look like they’re about to walk the goddamn runway.  There’s not an ounce of whimsy or fantastical shit here.  These fuckers look like they’re about to announce the start of Universal’s Dark Universe movie franchise, right down to the unnecessary appearance of Johnny Depp.
Wizards in Henry Pansly’s Adventures in Centrism are, with rare exception, people in mostly regular outfits who occasionally point a stick at things to zap it with a laser.  Everything about them is so... toned down and grounded, as if they’re afraid to let wizards look silly.
But looking silly is what makes wizards fucking awesome.
Tumblr media
Look at that fucker, with his extravagant beard and big elaborate bathrobe, floating in fucking space over a dragon rising out of an exploding volcano.  It’s ridiculous, it’s ludicrous, it’s fucking awesome.
Tumblr media
Pew pew sticks?  Fuck that!  An unleashed wizard floats on hexagonal geodes while shooting GODDAMN LIGHTNING from his GODDAMN FINGERTIPS!
Tumblr media
Even mundane shit is rendered ridiculous and magnificent.  Look at this gaudily dressed son of a bitch as he ponders his orb.  Just hanging out with his cat looking at a cool sphere, no big deal, but the theatrics!  the drama!  It’s positively splendiferous, fuck!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Oh you thought I wouldn’t include some sick Rankin Bass pics while talking about aesthetics in fantasy fiction?  Shame on you, of course I was gonna pull out good ol’ R&B.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
We gotta bring it back!  We can’t let this stand!  We can’t let wizards just be guys in vaguely fancy clothes with pew pew sticks!  They gotta be ludicrous and silly and over-the-top!  They need to shoot lightning from their fingers and cackle madly while holding glowing orbs and rising above a mountain into the heavens themselves while dragons fly underfoot burninating the countryside!  We gotta make them FUCKING CAMP!
youtube
I want to BEHOLD THE GODDAMN WIZARD!  I want wizards to feel like they belong on the side of a van of some shitty heavy metal band!  I want wizards who reside on black velvet paintings and in crappy pewter sculptures that cost as much as a used car!
I WANNA SEE SOME REAL, QUALITY WIZ BIZ!
youtube
2K notes · View notes
prismatic-bell · 1 year
Text
So @hejeksbs saw that post about fandom olds freaking out about IWTV stuff being posted on the AO3, and said they’re new to fandom and fandom culture and don’t understand. So congrats, Hejek, you’re one of today’s lucky 10,000. This is going to be a basic primer, but I encourage others to chime in with details. (Also, thanks for reminding me I need an Interview exhibit in the museum. I had that written down somewhere.)
So if you go back to the 1990s and early 2000s—the pre-AO3 digital years—you’re going to see an official disclaimer on just about every fic. These basically said “I don’t own anything here, please don’t sue me.” Some were quoted elaborate.
These started because of Anne Rice.
See, Anne Rice was, how can I say this nicely…an asshole? The day she died there were literally people posting crab rave and “Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz on Tumblr. Because before Harry Potter fanfiction was pretty frowned upon and you might get a C&D if you didn’t keep your head down properly, but Anne Rice.
ANNE RICE.
Anne Rice literally recruited her “loyal fans” to harass people who made fanworks. At least one person was doxxed to her workplace by rabid Ricers, and at the time fanfiction was taboo enough you could absolutely get fired for that. I was eleven and friends with someone who was 13 who’d just read Interview and drew this wonky I-am-a-kid-who-can’t-really-draw-yet-but-I-loved-this-SO-MUCH piece of fanart of Louis and Lestat, and she literally dipped off the internet because she got an extremely nasty “I’m suing you” threat from Rice. (Are you out there, Mercury000? It’s me, sailorsharon0722.)
Anne Rice did everything in her power to ensure there was no IWTV fandom at all. I’ve heard from people older than me that she used to host a ��vampire’s ball” every year in New Orleans for her “loyal fans” but if you showed up and she felt your costume outshone her own, she’d make you leave. People didn’t dare so much as put “Lestat” and “fanfiction” in the same sentence.
And then, irony of ironies, when her reputation got so bad she was struggling to sell books, she…became a Christian and started writing Bible fanfiction to sell.
Yeah.
Over the years there were claims she’d changed her mind about fanfiction, but nobody ever had evidence to back this up. I even saw a dude on Quora claiming to be a close friend of hers saying we were all lying, and he got absolutely ratioed by fans going “I still have my C&D letter, you wanna fucking try again?”
Incidentally, I would like to point out that her attitude wasn’t uniform. It’s easy to say “that’s just how it was,” but Neil Gaiman has been around since the 1980s and has always appreciated fanfiction. Stephen King’s approach is “please tell me, to my face, that me explicitly writing about Cthulhu isn’t fanfiction” and otherwise pretty lassez-faire (he has no interest in knowing you’re writing fanfiction of his stuff, he just genuinely doesn’t care), and his first book was published in the early 1970s. Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, actually accepted submissions of fanfiction scripts DURING THE SHOW’S ORIGINAL RUN, at least according to popular lore. (@dduane, can you check me on this?) Mercedes Lackey—who’s 1980s-and-1990s fantasy royalty—has been asked on Quora about why she “changed her mind about fanfiction” and her response was “I never changed my mind, I just had to talk my publisher into accepting it. I’ve always been okay with it but I had to say no because of my contract.” Sure, Diana Galbaldon was out there comparing fanfiction to rape(????), but even among those who disapproved of fanfiction, Rice’s attitude and actions were extreme. And they persisted into the 2000s, too, with her egging on fans who harassed and sent death threats to a YouTube reviewer who didn’t like one of her books.
AO3 changed ALL of that.
AO3 said “here is our well-researched legal claim that fanfiction is legal, and if someone gives you shit about works you have posted on our website, our lawyers will represent you. You can post safely here. It’s okay. We got your back.”
Even so, the fear about Anne Rice continued. And can you blame people? This woman’s name held the same power in fannish conversations as “Voldemort.” (A moniker by which I’ve actually heard her called.) She all but destroyed the old guard, on purpose.
….and then a new generation of fans happened. A new generation that didn’t remember life before AO3, had never known anyone who literally had to move house to get away from Rice’s minions’ threats and harassment. I know we use “nature is healing” as a joke on this website, but really truly, that’s what happened here. She left charred tree trunks and bushes that were old-school fans and from their ashes tiny little 2010s-fans seedlings began to grow.
The thousand-odd fics you saw in those screenshots (which I feel I should clarify are from before the new show came out—a show that must have her turning in her grave, because she was absolutely adamant that all her vampires were STRAIGHT and if you thought otherwise you were DISGUSTING, and I hope she spins so hard her corpse combusts) are absolutely shocking to us older fans because it’s like staggering out of a nuclear wasteland and spotting a little garden with signs saying “free nuclear-illness medical services” and realizing it’s real. What the fuck, what the fuck, but also, holy shit y’all we’re so proud of you. YES. Keep going. Don’t let the witch get you down.
EDIT: I’ve been informed by someone in the notes that IT ACTUALLY GETS WORSE:
Tumblr media
I’m not going to transcribe the whole thing because I’m on mobile and most of it is just bog-standard post notes, but what’s relevant is @theoriginalvelocipastor saying “OP forgot the part where she [Anne Rice] would take ideas from fanfiction.”
Like holy motherFUCKER this woman’s hypocrisy.
2K notes · View notes
intheshadowsbehindyou · 7 months
Text
The Mercs reacting to Y/N asking them about their past
Warnings: None
Scout:
- Uhhhhh
- It was… moderate? He got bullied by his brothers a lot but they eventually stopped as they matured. It was moreso the people at school that gave him trouble. Causing him to become aggressive and “misbehaved”
- His mother loves him to bits. She still spoils and frets about him to this day. Occasionally you’ll see candy sent to him in boxes on his nightstand with sickly sweet notes like “I love you my little baby bear : )” it’s borderline embarrassing sometimes. She never scolds him too roughly and always seems to know what advice to give.
- He doesn’t seem too thrilled telling you about his past. He tries to recall positive memories, like during the summer him and his family would frequent the beach. He seems to have had more positive times with his school friends as well. Mostly playing cruel pranks on adults.
———————————————————————
Soldier:
- He hesitates. It wasn’t great. That’s for sure. He was fed pretty strong propaganda as a child which led to him to become radical. This gradually died out over time and he became less and less bigoted. “I KILL EVERYBODY EQUALLY NOW!” He announces proudly, woohoo! character development.
- He vividly recalls beginning to question his sexuality around his teen years and being in a military training program for kids who wanted to serve their country. Which of course led to him having frequent gay sex in his young adulthood. Bruh.
- He always sorta had… really weird trigger-happy tendencies. He taught himself to shoot guns from a young age even know everybody opted against it. He then blew up an entire village, mistaking it for “FILTHY SOUTHERN TRAITORS CONSPIRING A SECRET BASE!”
- Nonsensical war stories that never happened and the only reason they exist is to make himself look good. They make you laugh. He’s full of himself, trying to impress you.
—————————————————————
Demoman:
- Yikes.
- “I.. Really don’t wanna talk about it.”
- He tells you bits and pieces from time to time about how terrible being an orphan was. Let alone having parents who didn’t care about him.
- He hates wizards because of Merasmus now. So there’s that. Straight up will beat the shit out of anybody that even remotely looks like a wizard. He’s more rational when sober but still has a deep passionate hatred for magicians.
- Manages to recall a more lighter story where he blew up his chemistry teacher’s entire farm as revenge for giving him bad grades. That was fun. He tells you this while fiddling with the inside of one of his bombs. Evidentially trying to get it working properly. “Yah, well I’d like to see that lot see me now. He’d bust a bloody vein in his wee little noggin tryin to comprehend how his ‘worst student’ managed to get this successful at demolition!”
- If you ask him more he’ll just shake his head. Stating it wasn’t that important and the past is the past.
———————————————————
Engineer:
- It was actually really good. His mother and father loved him. They were quite wealthy though and it caused him to be bit of a little prick. He always got pampered and spoiled to incredible degrees and was always a bit mischievous. He mellowed out and became his humble modern self over time though.
- He used to snicker over the fence while watching his neighbor’s lawnmower spontaneously catch on fire. That may or may not have been the result of his genius.
- Went to a prestigious school for incredibly smart kids and visited his grandfather on certain weekends. His grandfather was a bit preoccupied with work though so he’d take him to RED/BLU and pass on his building knowledge by showing him how to do stuff.
- Was always a very creative and well liked individual. Girls felt out of league with him in high school and they’d always shyly giggle as he passed by. They were always too timid to ask him out.
- One would often forget that Engineer is a deathly mercenary like the others. He showed blood thirsty tendencies from day one. His family encouraged it of course. Because why wouldn’t they! His father was so proud of him when he killed his first victim.. aaahh those little mercs grow up so damn fast. Engineer would laugh as he told you this. Great.
——————————————————-
Heavy:
- He becomes very grumpy. Crossing his arms and looking away. He can’t bring himself to stay mad at you, though. He knows full well that people only assume the best when asked a question such as this. He doesn’t blame you at all.
- He’s rather straight forward with it, and doesn’t hold back. “Heavy’s entire family was sent to ice prison and had little money. Not a single coin to hold us up. So, naturally work had to be done.” He goes on about how he was the breadwinner of the family and had the burden of carrying his entire family on his back. “Oh! and my father is dead.” He adds.
- JESUS.
- This man seemingly could never catch a break in his childhood. He did nothing but provide, work, and take it upon himself to be an adult at an early age. Not having many friends. Even having struggled in college. Mother of god. An absolute trainwreck.
- He assures you he’s fine, and he takes comfort in knowing he managed to come this far in the first place. Let alone to such an older age. “Stupid little baby will become big and strong like Heavy, and he will show you.” He tells you lovingly. Stroking your hair.
——————————————————————
Pyro:
- Looks confused and slightly concerned of why you’d ask such a thing. As if it didn’t really matter. All that mattered was here and now.
- They’re clearly avoiding this conversation, and brushing it off. Instead they want to show you this horrific forest fire they made! They think it’s so cool. Watching innocent fishing dads burn alive is cool.
- Redirects you and insists you tell them about your childhood first. Is very polite despite not enjoying the question and by the looks of things it’s better off to just leave the question be for a bit. They really don’t want to talk about it. To very high degrees. (pun intended.)
——————————————————————-
Sniper:
- He was a rather lonesome child. Preferring to sit by himself and never really participate in activities. His parents pushed him to socialize but he never really got that great at it. He also sort of tormented the other kids whenever he deemed them too noisy or annoying. Throwing rocks at their heads. He got rather good at this due to doing it so many times.
- He’d play pretend by himself in the backyard behind his house. Occasionally his father would join in, but after school he headed straight to his treehouse whilst his parents were busy and shot at poor birds with a pop gun. Scaring them half to death. He’s play his little hunting game until sunset, to when his mother would call him in for dinner.
- His father found his games quite cute and taught him how to shoot an actual gun eventually for the purpose of hunting. Aaaand he’d live to regret that.
- He was always an outdoorsy kid. Going on camping trips and petting zoos. He had a soft spot for certain animals and got caught hugging and kissing the top of a sheep’s head. Awww. He was affectionate in his young age. (Dont bring this story up to him ever again.)
—————————————————————-
Medic:
- “Ohhohoh! What a silly question! It was awful.”
- Nobody really liked how much of a nerd he was in school. Despite growing up in a village with a rather long lineage of medical “professionals” (I use that term loosely) he went to a school outside his village. He got bullied on a regular basis and people dumped paint in his hair while he was outside reading.
- This of course made a pretty sensitive child out of Medic. He was prone to being a “Cry-baby” and “too sensitive” in his classmates’ own words. He was also a mama’s boy which didn’t seem to help the teasing.
- Medic took rightly by his mother. She was batshit insane. The most stereotypical mad scientist you’d ever lay your eyes on. She’d read him bedtime stories which were very complex university textbooks for some reason.
- He took a liking to all his mother taught him. Books of the cosmos, math, and other stuff. Especially the medical science that was strung about the village. He developed an incredibly strong morbid curiosity for anything that seemed off or strange. Wishing to understand the world around him as much as possible.
- He took a magnifying glass into the garden and studied bees when he was five. Theorizing their stingers could create a miracle cure (It couldn’t. His allergic cousin fucking died and Ludwig thought that was hilarious.)
——————————————————————
Spy:
- “Hey Spy, can you tell me a bit about your childhood?”
- Immediately cloaks away.
- Goes missing for like several days.
182 notes · View notes
blue-blue-blooms · 6 days
Text
When Love Isn't Enough
Tumblr media
Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader
Part 1
1.6k words
Summary: Steve can feel you pulling away. You haven't been yourself in a while, becoming more and more withdrawn. It doesn't help that there's an evil wizard on the loose and you meet the checklist for the perfect prey.
Warnings: Some angst. Talks of depression, loneliness, and suicidal ideation.
"Y/N hasn't been herself lately. And, I don't know, she's been pulling away recently. Not physically. More, like, she's there but she isn't. She's in the room with me and she's pretending to listen, but I can tell she's thinking about something else. And it isn't like she's bored or, like, daydreaming, she just seems...distant. She keeps saying she's fine, but I know that she's not. I mean, she thinks I haven't noticed, but she doesn't eat much anymore. She barely sleeps and she claims it's because of school, or work, or whatever excuse she has...Robin, are you listening to me?" Steve rambles, one hand on the steering wheel and the other running through his hair in frustration, as he drives Robin to the pep rally. 
"Yes, yes, I'm listening!" Robin exclaims, desperately trying to keep her hand steady as she applies her mascara. 
"Really? What'd I just say then?" Steve asks.
"Something about how obsessed you are with Y/N and the smell of her hair," Robin guesses, immediately backtracking as she sees the look on Steve's face, "I'm sorry! But there's always so much going on in your love life. I can't fully grasp the labyrinthine complexity that is your and Y/N's relationship!"
"It's not that complex, I'm worried about her!" Steve says, "Like just today, she calls me and says not to drive her and Dustin to school because they're biking. She doesn't even own a bike!"
Robin stops applying her makeup for a second and looks over. Realizing the severity of Steve's emotions, she lets out a little sigh and gives him a gentle nudge with her hand. 
"I'm worried about her, too" She confesses, "I don't think she's mentioned this to anyone so please don't bring it up with her, but her grades have been slipping. A lot."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and I've seen her at the counsellor’s office" Robin admits.
"Ms. Kelley?"
Robin nods. 
"Well...Why didn't she say anything to me?" Steve asks, his face falling as he tries to come up with reasons as to why you aren't opening up. 
"I...I don't know. She hasn't been speaking to me, either. We sit together during lunch, but she barely talks to me. I just talk at her, and she just sits in silence," Robin replies, "Have you tried bringing this up with her?"
Steve pauses for a bit then says, "No...I didn't wanna push her. It just feels like...like she's teetering on the edge these days, and if I say the wrong thing, she'll run."
♡♡♡
Most days start like this: you wake up gasping for breath, one hand on your chest and the other stifling your sobs. Another nightmare. Sometimes it's about the Russians, sometimes it's about finding a Demogorgon eating your cat, sometimes it's about Billy and the Mind Flayer, sometimes it's about losing Hopper, but every time it hurts just as bad. You wish you hadn't gone to Mike Wheeler's that day to check up on Dustin. You wish you hadn't found out about Eleven or the lab or the Upside Down. But everything in your life is so deeply intertwined that you would have found out one way or another. It's beyond you how everyone else in Hawkins has remained so oblivious. 
Even though you wish you could rewind and take back every moment that led you to where you are now, you know in your heart that you wouldn't. If it wasn't for all the shit you had to go through, you wouldn't have the people you have now. You wouldn't have ever befriended Nancy Wheeler. You would've never met Robin Buckley. You and Dustin would never have grown as close as you are now. You wouldn't have the golden-dusted, happy memories that you made last summer with Max and El. You never would've learned how to play DnD with Will. And you never would have fallen in love. 
You never saw Steve coming. Well, you did see him coming that day when you and Dustin were at the Wheelers looking for everyone. He had roses in his hands, and he was mumbling to himself. For a second, you thought he'd caved into the insanity of what he'd gone through and lost his mind. 
"Are you talking to yourself?" you'd asked loudly, making him quickly turn around, "Do you need help?"
"What? No! I was just-" he'd stuttered, "What're you two doing here? Actually, who are you?" The last question was directed at you. 
"Who am I? The bitch that sat behind you in English for two years. I've been lending you pencils for months. Are you serious-" you'd snapped at him, a little offended at him for not recognizing you. 
"We don't have time for this!" Dustin yelled, interrupting you, as he took your hand and dragged you to Steve's car. 
You always laugh a little when you remember that particular memory. It wasn't the first time you two had met (maybe for Steve) but it was the first time you'd both become aware of each other. And it was like something had clicked into place because now that you both knew each other, you couldn't drift away. Suddenly Steve was everywhere. The summer after El's bitchin new makeover and the whole debacle that was closing the gate to the Upside Down, you and Steve spent every day together. He'd started working at Starcourt and you worked at the Kiosk across from him, which meant you saw each othera lot. Soon, those days of eating free ice cream in the back turned into shy glances, nervous laughter, and stolen kisses. You were his and he was yours. It was almost perfect. Almost. 
Because even with all this love, joy, and friendship, you can't forget that you're rotten to your core. That there is something deeply wrong with you, something gory and disgusting that's been eating you alive. You don't know how to tell Steve that he doesn't know. If he knew you, he'd leave you. You're so broken inside that it's almost comical. Every day starts and ends with a nightmare. Then the headaches. Sometimes the nosebleeds. Always the loud voices in your head reaffirming the beliefs you have of yourself. You're not good enough. Never have been. You're a fraud. Always have been. You don't know what's worse, when you can't breathe or when there's too much oxygen. 
You call Steve and tell him you don't need a ride. Then you make Dustin bike to school, and you wait for your mother to leave for work before climbing back into bed. These days, it was getting harder and harder to do the mundane, everyday tasks. You couldn't get out of bed. You couldn't take a shower. Everything required willpower that you just didn't have.
God, I'm so pathetic. 
You've nearly fallen back asleep when you hear a knock on your door. You ignore it, hoping whoever it is goes away. The knocking continues, growing louder and louder. You let out a curse and hop out of your bed, begrudgingly going to the front door. You open the door and find Steve standing outside. 
"I knew it!" He exclaims, "Why aren't you in school?"
You don't have the energy for this. You just want him to leave. 
"I'm sick," you lie, adding a half-assed cough, "You should be at work."
"If you were sick then why didn't you just say that when you called this morning?" Steve enquired, folding his arms across his chest, and raising an eyebrow. 
"I got sick after" you shrug, "How'd you know I wasn't in school."
"Dustin, he called about some DnD shit and mentioned you weren't in when I asked why you couldn't play," Steve explains, his eyes scanning your face, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," you say.
"No, you're not" Steve replies, coming in through the door and making his way into your room. You silently follow and fall back into bed. 
"Baby, what's going on?" Steve asks softly, getting into bed behind you and laying down.
"Just a headache," you mumble, "I'm fine."
You feel him padding his fingers through your hair and you find yourself lulling back to sleep. But before you can, you hear him start to speak again.
"Not just today, Y/N. What's going on with you? You haven't been yourself lately."
You don't know how to answer this. How do you articulate the absolute mess that is your mind? How do you tell him that you feel like you're on the verge of going insane? How do you tell him that all you feel is agonizing despair and the only reason you're alive is because you're too much of a coward to die?
"I just...haven't been feeling well," you say, "Just haven't been doing so well."
"How can I help? Can I do anything?" Steve asks, holding you close as he brushes the hair out of your face and lays a soft, lingering kiss on your forehead.
"I don't think anyone can fix it," you reply, turning to face him.
The sun peeks through your blinds and you can just about make out his face in the dark. You lean over and softly kiss him. He's everything that you're not but you're too selfish to let go.
"I just wish you'd speak to me, tell me what's going on in your head. I just feel locked out, baby." Steve whispers.
The only response you can manage to give is a mumbled sorry. But there's so much more you'd like to say. Sorry that you're stuck with me, you deserve better. Sorry that I'm like this. Sorry that I'm this broken, this wretched. Sorry that I've fooled you into thinking I'm better than I am. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
You close your eyes and lay your head on his chest. In the darkness of your room, you pray that this moment lasts forever. But as another nightmare sinks its claws into you, you're not sure if you'll make it out alive.
56 notes · View notes
anxiously-sidequesting · 11 months
Text
Sorry I'm crazy about polls but my autistically flavored brain thought up of 2 more and the shipping one isn't even over yet. Please help
18 notes · View notes
enweasley · 23 days
Text
Restricted Section ; Finn Weasley x Sallow!Reader
AN: HII! So I haven't seen this being done much (or even at all but I barely looked) where people would write fanfics of their own characters in Hogwarts Legacy, so I decided to do so! Quick introduction to the character:
Tumblr media
This is Finn Weasley; He's in Gryffindor and has a very loyal but mischievous personality. He's also pansexual! He LOVES herbology but he loves solving mysteries and exploring secrets even more - even if it's super dangerous. However, he will go to any extent to keep others out of danger (ironically). Finn can be really harsh to people if someone hurts him or the people he cares about. He's not perfect, though, he has some flaws. He does have a short temper and can say pretty horrible things without meaning to. He can also be quite reckless and finds it hard to accept other people's love and care, leading him to forget to keep himself from getting hurt.
That's all for now, but I'll probably add more to his story as time goes by!
(Please excuse any grammar mistakes, I'm trilingual and grammar from 3 languages can mix me up a lot C:)
--
Tumblr media
Summary: The new student needs your help sneaking into the restricted section for something 'very important'. However, he doesn't expect you to cover for him when you get caught.
Warnings: Swearing, small panic attack, gets a little heated at the end. Kinda cheesy but we love that :)
Reader's gender is never specified!
--
"Excuse me! Y/n Sallow, right?" Interrupted from your game of wizard's chess alone, you turn around to be met with a pretty tall red-head. You couldn't help but think about how gorgeous he is, but you swallow your excitement.
"Yeah, that's me. You're the new kid aren't you?" You disenchant your chess game and give him your full attention. "I watched your duel with Sebastian in the Clock Tower, you're really good!"
Finn seems to flush at your compliment. During his short time starting in 5th year here in Hogwarts he's gotten plenty compliments on how he's been able to learn and execute spells so quickly, but for some reason your compliment had a special affect on him.
He chuckles lightly. "Thank you, I'm just trying to catch up quickly." He couldn't seem to keep his eyes from wandering over your features. "It's Finn, by the way. Finn Weasley."
"Oh, another Weasley! Well it's lovely to meet you! Did you need anything?" You ask politely.
Finn almost forgot why he was talking to you in the first place, but managed to remember before already humiliating himself in front of you. "Right, yes. This may sound quite forward, but Sebastian told me you're really good at sneaking around. Is there a chance you can help me sneak into the restricted section of the library tonight? I can't say why, but it's very important."
You were a bit surprised at his request, but kind of prideful that you were the first person he was led to for it. You smiled widely. "Of course! I'm surprised my brother didn't take you himself. Meet me at the grand staircase at 9. Don't be late!"
"Wait- Don't you wanna know more about why I need to sneak in?" He asked perplexed.
"Nope. I'll take any opportunity for sneaking around. Either way, you don't seem the type to burn down the castle or anything. Plus, you said you can't say why you need to sneak in."
He mentally facepalmed himself. How could he forget he just said that? Maybe he just wanted to talk to you longer. "I'll see you at 9!" You smile at him and walk away.
You take a long breath after turning away from him. Holy shit he's cute.
-
You're both crouched at the railing of the stairs looking down onto the central hall at exactly 9pm, analysing the prefects walking around and guarding the doors of the library.
"Okay," you whisper. "First of all, we need to go invisible. Have you learnt the disillusionment spell?"
Finn looks at you like a lost puppy, his head slightly titled. You almost had to tell him how cute he looked, but held back.
You pull your wand out and whisp it over your head and body. The wand leaves a blue trail of light before all there was left was your aura.
You continue whispering to the lost boy in front of you. "This is the disillusionment spell. It doesn't turn you completely invisible but it's better than being completely exposed."
You point to his hand holding his wand. "May I?" He nods hesitantly.
You slowly hold his fist clenching onto his wand and do the same movement you did on yourself over him. Finn could barely focus, the feeling of your soft hand on his summoning an army of butterflies in his stomach. You couldn't help but feel the same tingle in your stomach too.
Clearing your throat, you speak. "That's the movement for the spell. Just think of it and do the movement."
He did as you said, and suddenly you were both just two ghosts staring at each other's remains.
Finn chuckles enthusiastically. "This is awesome!" He whisper yells.
You laugh at his excitement, wishing you could see his freckled face through the spell.
"Okay, let's go. Stick close to me." You begin to sneak down the stairs, through the hall, and quickly side past the prefect turned away from the library door. You can feel Finn following closely behind.
After you both get into a safer corner of the library away from Madam Agnes's sights, you remove the spell off you.
"Here's the plan," you start. "You go get the key from Madam Agnes's desk draw over there, I'll distract her."
Finn nods. As you start to turn away, Finn grabs your arm gently and looks at you with his adorable puppy eyes.
"What if you get caught?" He sounds worried. You can't tell why he'd be worried about you, though.
You give him a cheeky smile. "Me? Get caught? You should worry about yourself, Weasley." He chuckles, shooing away the blush creeping into his cheeks after hearing you call him by his surname. "C'mon, let's go."
As you throw a book across the room, Finn conceals himself and scurries to grab the key. You quickly do the same and meet him at the entrance of the restricted section.
Exposing yourselves from the spell, you watch him unlock the gate before you walk in.
"YES!" Finn cheers, surprising you both with a tight hug. There's a pause before he realises what he's doing and slowly pulls away, taking his warmth away with him. "Sorry... Got excited."
You laugh sweetly at him. "I don't mind." He continues walking down the stairs of the forbidden room, but not before shooting you a relieved smirk.
"Lumos." You cast, making the eery room brighter and less intimidating.
As you squeeze between abandoned bookshelves and over piles of junk, you reach a collapsed set of armour. "Repai-" Finn begins to cast before a loud screech interrupts him.
Almost out of thin air, Peeves flies through the wall in front of you. He almost knocks you down, but Finn's quick reflexes catch you before you hit the ground. You find yourself wrapped in his arms, yours tightly around his neck.
"Shit, are you okay?" Finn asks you breathlessly, his worried eyes glaring into yours.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine-" But once again you were interrupted by the same squeaky, loud voice of the poltergeist.
"I'M TELLING, I'M TELLING," Peeves squeals mockingly before flying straight upwards towards the main floor of the library.
Your heart squeezes into itself. You've never been caught before, why now? Your uncle is going to kill you if he finds out you were sneaking around the castle, and in the restricted section of all places.
You didn't realise your breath was quickening until you felt arms lowering you onto the floor and rough but warm hands palming each side of your neck.
"Hey, hey. You're alright, sweetheart. Take a breath." You hear Finn's soft voice whisper in your ear. A little voice was in your head screaming How do you expect me to breathe when you're making my heart beat even faster??
You breathe deeply before letting out a small chuckle. "I'm okay. I'm fine. Just go get whatever you need to get. I need to deal with Peeves before he gets us both in trouble."
Finn looks at you as if asking you if you're sure. You just nod and sprint after Peeves, the last thing you hear is a distant "Repairo" before making it back to the library.
"PEEVES YOU STUPID POLTERGEIST." You try catching him, forgetting he's a literal ghost as your arms flail right through him.
"Y/n Sallow." You jump at the voice of Madam Agnes behind you. You slowly turn around while Peeves chuckles menacingly at your head hung low in shame. "And to think I'd get a break from the Sallow siblings, you come running along. Wait until your uncle hears about this."
"No. No no no-" You get interrupted by her. "That's enough. You're a bright student, you should know better than to go sneaking around the restricted section especially after curfew."
"But Madam Agnes-"
"And Peeves here tells me you were with someone else." Peeves twirls and rolls around mid-air, celebrating your punishment. "Please tell me you were forced to come here by someone's hand instead of it being your own choice."
There's a pause. You could never snitch on Finn like that. You only just met him but you know better than to put his record at risk on his first week of school here. This was your own choice anyway, you weren't forced. Finn helped you down there, so you're gonna help him.
"No. I came here all alone." You said in a low but stern voice.
Madam Agnes sighs at your lie, but she knew how stubborn you and your brother were, so she let it slide.
"Detention after classes tomorrow. You're going to sort the books to their respective places until they're all done. It doesn't matter if it takes you all night." Your shoulders slump. "Peeves, escort her to her common room, please."
With a sigh from you and an evil chuckle from the poltergeist, you begin your walk to your common room. At least Finn's in the clear now.
Little did you know, Finn saw the whole thing from behind one of the shelves. He couldn't help but let a grateful smile reach his lips.
--
The next day, Finn runs to the library to find you after his classes. It's already dark out by the time he finishes his extra tasks and from talking to Professor Fig. He doesn't know why he's in such a hurry, but he won't let his confidence escape him just yet.
Once he's in, he find the library to be completely empty, not even Madam Agnes in sight. He hears distant curses and shuffling coming from the second floor and he can only assume the source being your complaining.
As he follows the sounds of frustrated mumbles, he finally finds you at the end of the second floor in a dark corner holding a bunch of books to shelf up. He smiles at the sight of you awkwardly balancing everything in your one hand and walks over to you, taking a pile of books from you.
"Need help there?" He looks at you with a teasing smirk.
You look at him with a grumpy face. "Oh haha, Weasley. I can handle this on my own, thank you very much." You snatch back the books he took from you, instant regret flooding your features as you immediately struggle to balance them.
Finn immediately takes them back from you and effortlessly holds them over his head, extending his arm upwards far from your reach.
"Hey- Hand those back, Weasley." You try hopping to reach the books he so graciously stole from you.
He chuckles at your efforts while you claw up his chest and shoulders, trying to tug down his arm. After a harsh tug, Finn loses balance of the books he's holding and he tries catching them but ends up stumbling forwards.
The books fall to the side as Finn catches himself on the bookshelf, trapping you between it and himself.
You lock eyes with him, your hands clutched tightly onto the thin material of his shirt over his chest. You're both breathing heavily, chests almost touching with every breath.
You can feel Finn hesitate as his hands slowly reach to cup the back of your neck, his thumb over your cheek. No matter how much you willed yourself to, your simply could not take your eyes off him.
"Thank you." He whispers. Your eyebrows furrow.
"For what?"
"For covering for me." His stare snapping between your eyes and lips. "I heard you in the library after we got caught."
"You mean after I caught got?" You tease.
Finn smirks at your remark, his hold on your neck squeezing for a second. "Whatever you say, sweetheart." The nickname melts into your ears and into the rushed beats of your heart.
"Hey, Finn?" The use of his first name makes the blood rush to his cheeks, his breath hitches.
"Yeah?"
"You dropped my books."
"Shut up." Finn lets out in a desperate breath before pulling you into him, his lips roughly but passionately meeting yours.
His other hand shifts from the side of your head to tangle into your hair, tugging it lightly. You let out a little whimper, but that's all it took for Finn to deepen the kiss even more, his tongue slightly grazing yours. Breaths were escaping through your noses, desperate for air but never desperate enough to separate from each other.
Your fingers weave through his long, soft ginger locks. Your other hand clutches desperately onto the collar of his shirt.
You both finally pull away from each other, your hands gliding down to rest on his chest.
"Fuck." Finn leans his forehead on yours, leaning in for another quick peck. His hazel eyes are glazed over, looking into yours like they hold the world. He slowly brushes a strand of your hair behind your hair, memorising your face as you memorise his.
"I was hoping you'd do that." You chuckle breathlessly. Finn laughs with you, his eyes holding nothing but love as they stare into yours. "Oh yeah?" You nod, your nose lightly touching his.
"Now help me with these books, Weasley. You're still responsible for my detention." You playfully push him away and start picking up the books he previously dropped.
"And I'd do it again as long as it ends like this every time." He smiles at you cheekily.
"Do it again and I'm telling Sebastian you used a love potion on me."
And with that he got to work helping you sort the books out.
94 notes · View notes
phantomram-b00 · 1 month
Text
Why is Harry Potter trending (or was)? Can it not? Like deadass I’m being fr can it plz not. Especially that J.K Rowling is a massive TERF, a raging antisemite, and disgustingly try to deny that trans people were not affected by the Holocaust (which she was ratio’d by George Takei).
“Proof?”
Way ahead of you: (Tw: transphobia, racism, antisemitism, holocaust, Harry Potter)
Oh and don’t get me started how Hogwart Legacy, you know that game that was sworn Jk Rowling wasn’t apart of (yeah sure-) is blood libel story. Not to mention that trans people have told you not to especially since there is a canonical transgender character named Sirona. (People said Sirona is a Celtic goddess for healing. but- come on. You can’t bullshit out of this one. There are OTHER NAMES TO NAME A TRANSGENDER CHARACTER— it make those joke with how Jk Rowling naming not far off. Because it like naming a nonbinary character “NoGendora” or smth (before you say, I’m nonbinary myself—) so idc if it already have a meaning, it still is tone deaf to name a transgender women Sirona).
“But but- you can separate the art from the artist?”
Yes. You can separate art from the artist. HOWEVER before you celebrate thinking you had a gotcha moment. You can only separate if the art itself isn’t problematic or is bigotry itself. Harry Potter is as mention in the links. Not to mention, Harry Potter himself become a cop despite the cop in that world didn’t do jack shit. And don’t get me started on how they handle the whole elf slavery. Also there is heavy fatphobia in this story, proof, look at how they would talk about Harry’s abusive aunt and uncle from his mother’s side. Don’t get me started how she would describe Rita Skeeter. There even a black character who’s last names is Shacklebolt— do I need to say more (if I’m missing any other examples please tell me)
Not to mention she benefits off of it and uses her money to donate to transphobia and just don’t give a flying fuck if she offend people (which seem to usually be the case for trans/homophobia but moving on). like, this is who you wanna support? You still want to read this wizard book when there are other that don’t have transphobia, racist, antisemitic, or any problematic rhetoric and are objectively better than Harry Potter? Really? You wanna die on this hill?
Look. I used to like Harry Potter. but that was before I knew what a dirtbag of a fucking human she is (I didn’t really have social media at the time), and I cringe as I wish I learn sooner that she was a deplorable person who hates trans people like myself (nonbinary respectfully). But, I can happily say Fuck Harry Potter that series can burn in a trash for all I care and I hope the hbo series flops on its ass. And also fuck Jk Rowling, she can fuck off for all I care. That being said, If you support Harry Potter/Jk Rowling, unfollow me. Block me. Because I do not support Harry Potter/Jk Rowling. Because Trans rights/Gender Equality, Human rights are infinitely more important than a basic ass wizard book/movie with a even basic ass magic system when there are objectively better wizard/magic books that are respectful.
Anyway, that being said, Trans and basic human rights matter 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵 🤭
Click here before liking the post
82 notes · View notes
mixsethaddams · 11 months
Text
Soft Steddie summertime ficlet. Pure fluff. ~1700 words. No ratings or warnings.
Twitter got it first but tumblr got spellchecked 😹
One of Steve’s favourite things to do on a hot summer morning, was to stay in bed.
It was his own little form of rebellion. After years of being forced to get up at the crack of dawn to ‘not waste the weather!’ as a kid, he loved nothing more as an adult than to listen to the bird song through the window, muffled by the closed drapes.
He wasn’t always able to break the habit of a lifetime. He spent a long time after his parents stopped coming home still hauling himself up with the sun and berating himself into doing something that was worthy of the good day.
Some people didn’t have the luxury of getting up and going out to enjoy a hot day, so he should just be grateful. He spent more days than he could count sitting at the edge of the quarry, watching the gang play in the water. They loved it when Steve called to see if they wanted to do something for the day. They’d still be half asleep whereas he would’ve been awake for hours, waiting for a reasonable time to pick up the phone.
He would sit with a hot coffee, another little ‘fuck you’ to his mother. He loved warm drinks on sunny days, the way the extra heat made the tip of his nose prickle. His mother insisted he only ever have the awful homemade lemonade she never made sweet enough and steeped the peels in for too long. It was bitter enough to make Steve gag if he didn’t brace himself properly for it.
It wasn’t until the arrival of Eddie Munson that things started to shift for Steve.
He noticed it for the first time when, at one of the many quarry days, Eddie stole a long mouthful of Steve’s coffee before lighting a cigarette and settling down onto the rocky beach next to him.
“Fuck that’s good,” muttered Eddie, wiping a stray drop from his chin.
Steve stared in half-disbelief. Everyone made fun of his little thermos before now.
Steve felt a familiar flutter in his chest.
He’d been ignoring it up until now, convincing himself it was nothing because how could it be, they had nothing in common? Surviving a bizarre mind wizard’s attempt to end the world doesn’t exactly count as a ‘shared interest’.
Steve tested the waters slowly throughout the rest of the day. Nothing too crazy, nothing too deep. Just to see how close to his own opinions Eddie’s answers would land.
“Ed, I’m gonna do an ice cream run. Whats your favourite?”
“Anything lemon lime, man, thanks”
Steve’s favourite was the lemon lime popsicle.
“I got some snacks too, here, which one do you want?”
“Oh shit is that a Baby Ruth? I’m taking that, fuck the kids”
Steve had bought himself that same candy bar.
But Steve shook himself off again because come on, really? They were like, the two most popular things out there.
Only when the kids emerged from the water for their lunch did Steve see a little more of what they had in common.
There were pouts all round when the rules of an on-the-spot game were in dispute.
Voices spoke over each other to get the adults to agree that they were right and their rules were the ones that should be followed.
Steve sighed and prepared himself. Of course, the only options were to either find a new game entirely, or figure out the rules again together as group, right from the beginning.
Steve was used to being fought every step of the way on things like this. Robin and Nancy would make unhelpful comments in jest, and Steve would end up the bad guy for at least two of the gang.
He was about to open his mouth to propose his solution, when Eddie beat him to it.
“So find another fuckin’ game?”
Eddie said it so easily, licking melted popsicle juice from the side of his hand.
“But-!” The protests came immediately. Steve readied himself to dive in.
But Eddie spoke first again.
“If you can’t agree on this one, find another one,” he said firmly. “You wanna sit out here and talk about rules for an hour until its all straightened out?”
Heads shook.
“Didn’t think so. Now fuck off, you’re in my sun,”
Steve watched with wide eyes as the kids, who were really almost college aged by now, went happily back to the water.
“How did you do that?” asked Steve.
“Do what?”
“Make them listen!”
Eddie laughed.
“They had two options, they picked one, simple,” said Eddie with a shrug.
Steve watched Eddie carefully, waiting for more of an explanation that never came.
“What, you had a different solution?” asked Eddie.
Steve shook his head.
“Thats exactly what I was going to say,” said Steve, looking out to the water where they were playing together merrily.
“We good?” asked Eddie slowly, tipping his head to the side.
“Yeah, yeah!” said Steve quickly, realising he’d been staring. “Not used to having someone on my side when they start fighting, thats all,”
Eddie hummed and went back to his candy, occassionally stealing more of Steve’s coffee.
When the sun was finally lowering in the sky and the water was getting that little bit too cool to be enjoyable, Steve and Eddie shared the last cigarette in the pack while everyone else towelled off and gathered their stuff.
“So what, uh…” started Steve. “What would you usually do on a day like this? Or is this your thing?”
Steve was curious if all the little shared enjoyments and opinions of the day would continue. If it would amount to the thing at the top of Steve’s list, that he’d been bred to believe as ‘shameful’.
Eddie hummed around the butt of their cigarette before passing it back to Steve, giving him the last drag.
“Big plans for days like this, Harrington,” said Eddie, stretching out and resting back on his elbows.
Steve felt his stomach twist. He’d gotten it wrong. That was fine. It wasn’t a big deal. Steve was used to thinking he’d found someone he could be himself around and then realising he was wrong.
“I would’ve stayed in bed all damn day,” said Eddie, smiling softly up at the sky.
Wait. What?
“You…bed?” stuttered Steve. “Seriously?”
Eddie rolled his eyes and snorted.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” mumbled Eddie. “Don’t waste the day or whatever. You ever stayed in a dark room when its sunny out? Life changing, man. Ultimate relaxation knowing you’re choosing comfort over convention. Trust me,”
Steve was stunned.
“I…I was thinking the same,” admitted Steve.
“It’s nice,” he muttered, not looking up at Eddie and feeling embarrassed somehow. “I like listening to the, um, to the birds, you know? But still being in bed,”
Eddie nodded his head.
“I totally get it,” agreed Eddie, smiling wide. Steve’s chest felt like it was about to burst when they made eye contact.
“Wonder what else we have in common,” said Eddie coyly, leaning in to knock his shoulder against Steve’s hip.
They found out later that night that they both liked a lot of the same things.
They liked how each other sounded when they giggled softly through their first kiss, sitting on the roof of Eddie’s trailer and watching the stars.
They found out they both liked teasing fingertips and gentle pushing and pulling in the right direction.
They found out they both liked to sleep holding hands to ground them against the anxiety that still plagued their little group.
They liked the bubble they created between themselves, and filled it quickly with love.
And now, late into the morning of a blazing hot mid summer day. The phone off the hook since the night before and the walkies designated for emergency use only.
They were lying together, curled up and bordering on too hot under the blanket, listening to the birds.
They listened as the rest of the neighbourhood woke up and spurred to life, cars starting and families yelling.
It was a few weeks since that day at the quarry.
Steve and Eddie had spent every night and most of every day together. They agreed on everything. Well, except pizza toppings, but Eddie would eat all the olives so it was fine. Steve’s dad had once told him that in a business if two people agree on everything, you don’t need to keep them both around.
Steve wrapped his arms tighter around Eddie and said a silent prayer that he never tried to treat a relationship like a business. That was his parents’ mistake, he thought.
It was all very new. Some people still didn’t know the true nature of their increased ‘sleepovers’, but Steve was already aghast at the idea of being without Eddie again.
He knew they’d argue eventually. They’d find a tipping point on something that they wouldn’t see eye to eye on. Steve was ready for that day. He didn’t want to think of them ever fighting but he was realistic. Steve just knew he would never make the same mistakes as his parents did, and he’d do everything he could come out the other side with his Eddie still under his arm.
Eddie stirred fully awake when a car horn blared from down the street.
“Mmmmph!” he whined. “They scared the fucking birds away,”
Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to Eddie’s forehead. Eddie sighed and nuzzled in closer, settling himself in Steve’s neck with a contented hum.
“We doin’ anything today?” murmered Eddie.
Steve stroked his back in long, slow waves.
“Just this,” he whispered.
Eddie nodded, and his body soon went lax as he he drifted back to sleep.
Steve felt like crying, in fact he thought he might. He closed his eyes and rubbed his nose into Eddie’s hair. Steve was almost surprised at the overwhelming wave of contentment that crashed over him.
Years spent feeling guilt for not ‘enjoying the sun’ were slowly ebbing away. How could he feel bad over what he was doing now? How could the love, and safety he felt now, be bad?
Steve selfishly thought he would sacrifice ever seeing the sun again, if every morning was like this.
And it had been, hadn’t it? For weeks now. Steve woke up feeling just like this, for weeks.
Steve smiled to himself and tightened his hold on Eddie’s body. He felt a tear slide down his cheek as he settled himself into his pillow.
The birds returned and resumed their song.
And for hours, Steve listened.
237 notes · View notes
lokiina · 8 months
Text
I wasn't gonna do it. But I'm gonna do it.
I'm gonna kjhdkfjghdkfjg
If you don't want character spoilers I'm slapping this under a readmore but I need to cry a lil about Gale.
So many people just think he's annoying or Solas 2.0 and that's kdghdfkjgh
Tumblr media
if it's not coherent I apologize I need to word vomit.
!! also some mental health related TWs ahead as a warning !!
THIS MAN IS SO DEEPLY DEPRESSED. His self worth is so low and it's so heart wrenching to listen to and the writing is incredible.
(A lot of the characters in this game deal directly with like Gods and the abusive relationships they have with them but this is for Gale specifically. Everyone's got their own mess that's it's own thing. )
Holy fucking shit. I don't know if you get some of the dialog options I have gotten if you don't actively romance him but omfg. Man openly admitted to being suicidal so you talking him out of blowing himself up while everyone else including the last love his life is saying "kill yourself" is such a big big deal. Even if the end result is being framed as help. It's not. It's more manipulation and down right fucking EVIL.
His relationship with Mystra is messed up, the power imbalance is fuckin wild and if anyone out of this is expecting a goddess to be the victim when she was clearly a manipulator is unreal. Their situation he was just trying desperately to prove his worth to her and her essentially stringing him along until he wasn't of any use anymore. He wanted Mystra to see him as equal to her, and nothing he ever did was enough for her. Cuz she did not care about him. If it was a proper relationship and she actually loved him back he wouldn't have had to try to continuously prove himself.
He was taken advantage of through his relationship and his entire self worth has been shattered. Now he's not entirely without fault through some of it and acknowledges where he screwed up himself.
When you offer to find another way for him that doesn't end up in him exploding, you kick a lil spark back into him and as someone who's fuckin struggled with self worth and depression. I feel for him so hard. Sometimes it does take another person simply acknowledging your worth to be that lil spark. It doesn't even have to be in a romantic sense.
This man is high key autistic coded. Everything about the way he loves so purely, misses cues on certain things and misunderstands and needs direct clarification on stuff. Ask him about his special interest, magic. The gloom drops in these moments. It's fuckin precious as hell to see him light up.
The writing in this game is fucking phenomenal and I just. I have a lot of deep feels on this whole thing. Every character has so many lil layers to them and I wanna just smooch the whole dev team.
Anyway. He's my fav character out of this chaotic game and I just. I will protect this silly wizard with my life. He deserves good things. Fuck his haters.
I wanna go get some comfy fluffy art of him and my boy.
Tumblr media
152 notes · View notes
aloneinthehellfire · 3 months
Text
Chapter Two: Safe From Heartbreak
The Pariahs That Saved The World [Masterlist]
Tumblr media
Word Count: 6.3k
Warnings: nothing overtly horrible happening, mention of a funeral, mention of Victor Creel's appearance, canon-typical chapter here folks
[A/N: I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone supporting this story and I really hope I don't disappoint everyone. I am restricting myself to one chapter each week mostly because I really need the rest huns, it's been stressful lately x Anyways, enjoy this lengthy chapter of queer adorableness &lt;;3]
Tumblr media
Safe From Heartbreak
“You brought her?!”
Steve’s concern was met with Robin’s innocent smile, raising her hands to sheepishly shrug. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about it; you were stood right there with that familiar scowl you reserved just for him.
Robin wasn’t sure how people were going to react when they found out she had gone and begged you to help them. There was a small but vital discussion about it before she decided to break all those rules. But she knew you had to be here.
“What did we say about making her do this? She didn’t wanna come.” Steve whispers at her, but the room was too small for privacy.
“Firstly, she is right here.” You say, folding your arms. “Secondly, Robin didn’t make me do anything. I’m here to help.”
“What made you change your mind?” Nancy speaks up from where she sat beside Lucas. You felt a pang of guilt when you remembered how you spoke to her last time. You had expressed your outright refusal to be a part of this and here you were, contradicting your own words.
“We all have people we need to protect, right?” You say quietly, avoiding her piercing eyes.
Steve runs a hand down his face as he sighs in defeat, relaxing his shoulders. You watch how his eyes dart to the corner and you look over, heart wrenching at the sight of Max staring back at you. She smiles, so you walk over with Robin’s gaze unknowingly fixed on your back.
“I’m gonna grab some drinks.” Nancy sighs, setting down the remnants of your old project folder. “Anyone want anything?”
“Some water?” Lucas asks and she nods, leaving the room in silence.
“Does she seem alright to you?” Steve asks, a soft frown on his face as he looks up the staircase.
“Why are you so worried, Steve?” Dustin speaks up with a mocking tone in his voice. Steve throws him a glare.
“Because we’re dealing with a mind wizard, asshole.” He grumbles and Robin laughs. He sends a pointed look, lowering his voice. “You’re one to joke.”
“Huh?” She questions and he gently pulls her aside, quickly checking that everyone else was occupied. You and Max were deep in whispered conversation while Lucas and Dustin weren’t so quiet, rambling on about Vecna and the possibilities for defeat.
“I know what’s been going on.” Steve reiterates and Robin scrunches her face.
“Well you wanna tell me, or is it a secret?” She jokes and he suppresses a smile. “Come on, what?”
“Y/n.” He says and she raises her eyebrow, automatically looking to where you sat beside Max, smiling at something the girl was saying.
“You like her.”
Her stomach drops, head whipping back to where Steve stood with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“What?” Her eyes widen, looking flustered. She glances back over to you again, watching you laugh. “I- no. No, that’s not what’s happening.”
“Uh-huh.” He waggles his eyebrows, nudging her. “You’re not fooling me. You literally can’t take your eyes off her.”
“That’s not- I’m not.” She huffed, squeezing her eyes shut. “That’s not why I’m watching- wait, when did we move to making fun of my love life?”
“So it is a love life problem.” He points out and she shuts her mouth.
“I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“Thank god.”
Robin attempts to speak, opening and closing her mouth until she huffs in frustrated defeat, storming away.
As Max turns away from you to continue working on her writing, you place a hand on her shoulder in silent goodbye and walk over to Steve, raising your eyebrow.
“I see you haven’t lost your effect on women.” You comment, head nodding to the staircase.
“Ha ha.” Steve rolls his eyes.
When he doesn’t continue speaking, you assume he doesn’t want to talk to you anymore. It made sense. You had ended the idea of friendship between you both horribly, warping his feeling for you into a reason of hatred. It was a long time ago now, but you still regret what you did when you see that look on his face.
As you move away, his soft grip suddenly reaches out and pulls you back, surprising you.
“Are you okay?” He asks. He sounded genuine, throwing you off guard as you blink up at him. With a sigh, he’s running a hand through his hair. He always did that when he was nervous. “You didn’t… you didn’t speak to us before you left last year.”
“I’m…” You start, frowning. You didn’t speak to us before you left last year… Bullshit. “Yeah, I’m fine. Looking forward to getting rid of this Vecna guy, anyway.”
“Yeah.” He sighs, looking over to the corner. “Thanks for helping. I know Max really appreciates it. You guys were always close.”
“I’d do anything for her.” You admit, nodding furiously. Your mouth suddenly feels dry and you look around. “Wasn’t Nancy getting water?”
“Yeah, I’m getting seriously thirsty right now.” Lucas mumbles, groaning when he notices all the information he has to cover on the table in front of him.
“She and Robin are probably chatting about girl stuff.” Dustin shrugs and you tilt your head.
“Girl stuff. Really?”
“I don’t know.” He raises his hands in surrender and you roll your eyes.
“Fine, I’ll go see where they are.”
Part of you was glad you could escape that basement for a moment. In no means did it feel crowded space-wise, but having these people stare at you felt suffocating. You could physically feel them trying to solve you like a jigsaw puzzle, wondering why you came back, why you were truly here. Why you left.
The distinct sound of Robin’s voice radiated from the kitchen, pulling you towards the room before you realised your feet were taking you closer. You poke your head around the corner to see her standing by the kitchen island in conversation with Karen, eyes light as she expresses gratitude for letting them be here.
“Anytime. I like having a full house.” Karen says, smiling and grabbing her purse. “I am just running out, let Nancy know I’ve left.”
“Will do.” Robin salutes, making the older woman laugh.
“Hey, hon.” Karen coos as she walks past you and Robin whips her head to where you’re leant against the door frame, a sad smile plastered across your face.
She feels terrible. Maybe Steve was right; she shouldn’t have dragged you into this. But it was too late now.
“So, Mrs Wheeler seems to like you.” You comment, the sadness breaking into genuine amusement and Robin shrugs.
“I get along with adults more than people my own age. Minus my own parents.” She states, and your face drops. You try to mask it, brushing imaginary dirt from your jeans so you could duck your head. But Robin caught it. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” You sigh, gently closing your eyes for a moment before you walk over to her, leaning over the counter top. “It just feels weird to be back.”
“Sorry I dragged you here.” She says with a small voice and you look up at her, frowning.
“Robin, I meant what I said. You didn’t make me do anything.”
She dismisses it with the flick of her hand, looking unconvinced.
“Seriously.” You chuckle slightly, clasping your hands together for something to look at, leaning toward her as she sat down at a stool and rested her elbow on the surface. “I was gonna leave, like I originally planned. I’m only here for my grandad’s funeral. But… I can’t just leave when something dangerous is happening. I can’t leave Gran alone in Hawkins- I definitely can’t leave Max knowing that I did nothing to try and help.”
“I’m sorry about your grandad.” Robin smiles sympathetically, “Nancy didn’t mention that.”
“No one really knows.” You explain, resting your hand on your chin, matching her stance. “It wasn’t anything supernatural, you know? Just health… we knew it was going to happen for a while. My gran wants to keep it on the down low, have an intimate funeral. People will only bother her if she tells everyone.”
“She sounds like she knows what she’s doing.” She says and you laugh, nodding.
“She’s pretty great. Talks too much for her own good sometimes but I love that about her.”
Robin appears surprised, a hesitant spark in her eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah, absolutely.” You smile, brows furrowed. “I think conversations like that are so much better. It’s… it’s expressive. There aren’t really any rules, we’re not restricting our thoughts because we are too afraid of being a burden. You can learn so much from someone when they talk like that. I really admire it.”
You look up to her flushed cheeks just in time to see her adjust her posture so the fabric of her sleeve hides the pink creeping up. You try and stop a smile, but it was useless. She looked really cute.
Robin was more than a little flustered now. She didn’t know why, but your words hit her like a tank carrying stone, 100mph, no survivors. She’s never had anyone tolerate her habit before let alone admire it. Steve might be right. Not that she’d ever say anything.
“Robin?” Your voice snaps her back into reality, eyes looking back into yours.
“Yeah?”
“I-”
The kitchen door swings open and you both whip your heads to the entrance, watching Nancy take a deep breath.
“Wait, weren’t you getting drinks?” You point between her and the tap, your original thoughts long forgotten now.
“I got distracted.” She states, reaching into the cupboard and pulling out two glasses. “I tried calling Jonathan but- it doesn’t matter. I can’t help thinking Victor Creel has to be connected. Like, really connected. None of those reports were giving any reason as to why Vecna didn’t kill him in the first place. We’re missing something. Something big.”
“Why don’t we just talk to Victor?” Robin suggests and Nancy lets out a breathy laugh, filling up a glass with water before shutting the tap off quickly, spinning around to face her.
“He’s- he’s locked up at Pennhurst, remember? Unless we’re family or some kind of authority, we’re not getting in to see him.”
Robin closes her mouth and thins her lips. “You’re right, that’s stupid.”
“No, it’s not.” You interject, glancing between them. “I know a way we can speak to him.”
“You got his number or something?” Robin quips and you fight a smile.
“I tried asking Pennhurst if I could speak with him last time. I rang them up and they told me I wouldn’t be allowed to see him unless I had permission from the director.” You explain, combing back through your memory. “Of course, they wouldn’t even let me get an appointment because I was just some stupid kid who was probably wasting their time trying to tell ghost stories.”
“What does this have to do with talking to Victor?” Robin redirects your thoughts and you clear your throat.
“When they went to hang up, I asked who the director would actually speak to. I was just trying to keep them talking so I could maybe convince them. They told me he would only take appointments with people serious about their future… and, yeah, they hung up.”
“Serious about their future?” Nancy prompts.
“Psych majors.” You say and her eyes light up. “They definitely won’t let us see Victor right away, but I guarantee we can get an appointment with the director if we were the type of students he’d want to see. Maybe-”
“Maybe we can persuade him to let us study him.” Nancy finishes and you snap your fingers, nodding. The drinks were since abandoned now, her fingers drumming against the kitchen island surface.
“Okay, and how are we meant to convince them we’re psych majors?” Robin asks, frowning. “I doubt they’re gonna let us walk in without some kind of proof, right?”
“We fake it.” Nancy nods enthusiastically. “It’s easy to create false identification these days, and I have the perfect place to do it.”
She’s already headed out into the hallway before Robin shrugs.
“Nancy committing a crime? I gotta see this.” She comments and you smile, following her out with a jolt of excitement in your chest.
You weren’t sure if that excitement was conclusive to the thrill of the investigation, or the eagerness you felt to spend time with the new friend you couldn’t stop thinking about.
Tumblr media
“How long does it take you guys get some water?” Steve questions as you all come rushing down the stairs. Lucas frowns when he notices you were holding files instead of glasses.
“Okay, so…” Nancy breathes out with a smile, looking at you both either side of her. “We have a plan.”
“Thanks to Nancy’s newspaper minions, and Y/n’s incredible investigative skills, we are now rock-star psychology students at the University of Notre Dame.” Robin says as everyone flicks through the files you whipped up, a smile creeping onto her lips for mentioning you. You weren’t ever given praise for your help in this group before.
“I’m now Ruth.” Nancy nods, looking at you.
“Elizabeth.” You raise your hand.
“And I’m Rose.” Robin announces.
“Ruth?” Steve raises a brow at Nancy and she shrugs.
“Nice GPA.” Dustin looks up at you with raised brows.
“I do my best.” You reply, earning a smile.
“So, we called Pennhurst Asylum, told them we’d like to speak with Victor Creel for a thesis we’re writing on paranoid schizophrenics-”
“To which they said no. Just like Y/n said they would.” Robin comments, glaring at Steve when he sends her a look.
“But we landed a three o’clock with the director.” You finish, crossing your arms. “We just need to, well, charm him into letting us speak to Victor.”
“And maybe we can rid Max of this curse.” Nancy says, and you nod slowly.
“Yeah, uh, about that.” Steve glances over his shoulder before leaning forward, gesturing to the scattered pieces of paper from your folder. “We’ve been doing our Victor Creel homework, and, uh… we got some questions.”
“Lots of questions.” Lucas agrees.
“So do we.” Nancy states, shaking her head. “Hopefully, Victor has the answers.”
“Wait, wait, wait a second. Uh…” He shuffles through the three folders in his hands, shaking his head. “Where’s mine?”
The three of you share silent looks, Robin’s face twisting with indecision on what expression to make while Nancy struggles to answer.
“It doesn’t exist.” You finally say and he looks at you in shock. “What? We only made three. Unless you wanna be called Elizabeth…”
“What-”
“We should actually be getting ready.” Nancy cuts off his argument, standing up and nodding at you both.
Max turns in her seat and you send her a little salute, her own one sent back in return as you and Robin move to follow Nancy up the stairs. Steve cuts you off, and you see Nancy quicken her steps.
“That’s, uh… that’s not a thing again, is it?” You ask the girl beside you and she scoffs.
“A thing? No. Complete and utter nonsense? Absolutely.” She replies and you sigh, following their footsteps until it led you into Nancy’s bedroom.
“Nancy, you’re outta your mind if you think I’m babysitting again.” Steve whined while you and Robin roll your eyes, smirking at eachother.
“Okay, first of all, they’re not babies anymore.” Nancy says and he scoffs. “And Max is in real danger, she needs people around her.”
“I know, but why does it always have to be me?”
“Maybe because you still act like a child. You fit right in.” You offer with a smile and he squints his eyes.
“I liked it better when you weren’t here.”
“Oh, I’m touched.”
“Oh my god, you have a Tom Cruise poster.” Robin gawks as she enters the pink room, turning back with a suggestive grin. “You have a Tom Cruise poster.”
“That’s… old.” Nancy defends and you smile.
“Didn’t you used to kiss him every nigh-” You start but she cuts you off.
“I was twelve! That was… God, can you please not touch anything?” Nancy begs Robin, but the light brunette ignores her.
“I just- I can’t do anything here, Nance. Maybe I can be helpful with this asylum director dude.” Steve continues his failed attempt at joining your mission.
You perch yourself on the bed, smirking at Robin whenever she turns in awe to show you girly trinkets.
“I don’t know, I could, like, turn on my… my charm.”
“Not the kind of charm we need.” Nancy comments and Steve blinks.
“Ouch.”
“Yeah, last I checked that other charm didn’t work either.” Robin calls out and Steve purses his lips, resting his hands on his hips.
“Okay, double ouch.”
“No, I just…” Nancy sighs, “Look, Y/n and I did a little digging and it turns out this Dr. Hatch…”
As Nancy tries to dig herself out of her hole, Robin points to her dresser and you move with her, slightly intrigued to know what she had found. She starts moving around books and paper until she picks up a small necklace, scanning the desk. You assume she’s looking for some place to store it and you pick up the box closest to you, assuming it was for jewellery. Robin nods and you both widen your eyes when it turns out it’s not a jewellery box, instead letting out a soft melody. You hadn’t seen one of these in years.
“… that, like him, we are true academic scholars.” Nancy ends her argument, focusing back on looking through her closet.
Robin takes the music box from your hands and turns to Steve, whispering. “Holy shit, there’s a little ballerina in here.”
You let out a giggle and Steve turns back to Nancy, unconvinced.
“Academic scholar?” His hand points to you. “They’re giving you an academic scholar vibe? Yeah.”
“No, but… they will.”
You both turn around to see what Nancy was implying to find her holding two of the ugliest outfits you’ve seen, nothing like the comfortable clothes you opt to wear for your daily life.
“Oh, please tell me you’re joking.” Robin cringes and you place a hand on her shoulder, pulling a face.
“I’m gonna be sick.”
Steve laughs, tilting his head at the assortment of pink and baby blue hanging from Nancy’s hands.
“Well, if I’m not going then can I ask for one very important thing?” He prompts and Nancy nods unknowingly.
He glances between you and Robin, smirking. “Take lots of photos.”
Robin reaches across the bed and acquires a pillow, throwing it at Steve’s head who merely ducks his way out the door frame, still laughing.
“Can I not just wear black? Is that not respectable?” You practically beg, holding the outfit she thrust into your arms like it was a ticking time bomb.
“I don’t have black.” Nancy shrugs, “Other than an old funeral outfit.”
Your face falls and you sigh, looking down at it with an intense stare.
“What are you doing?” Robin frowns, refusing to touch her clothes.
“Maybe if I squint hard enough, it’ll look better.” You say and Nancy sounds out a protest.
“Hey, these are my real clothes, remember?”
“And they look good on you.” You say, Robin nodding along with you. “But only you. Not me.”
“Definitely not me.” Robin agrees but Nancy smirks.
“Well, you don’t have a choice.” She says as she walks out of the room. “Be ready in 10!”
She leaves you and Robin stood there holding clothes you hoped never to be seen dead in, disgust etched into your features.
“It’s just, what, an hour? Two at most?” Robin tries to convince herself, comparing the shirt on her body. “God, it even looks uncomfortable.”
“Let’s just get it over with.” You sigh, pulling off your jumper and throwing it on the bed when you realise Robin’s staring at you, that familiar red tint on her cheeks. “What?”
“Nothing.” She looks away, lips tight. Your eyes widen.
“Shit, sorry, I can go change in the bathroom-”
“No, no, it’s fine. I’m not uncomfortable, I-” She takes a deep breath. “Anyone can walk into the bathroom, we’ll just… yeah, we’ll just change here.”
She walks around to the other side of the bed, slipping off her shoes. When she starts to fiddle with her own jumper, you both immediately turn around to face away from eachother for some privacy.
You felt tense as you strip away your clothes to pull on Nancy’s ones, and you weren’t sure if it was a good or a bad feeling. You had only known Robin a little over a day maybe, but you haven’t felt so comfortable around someone for a while, not since… not since Starcourt, the hospital. Maybe…
No, you think to yourself, strapping on the heels that felt just a little too tight, I can’t let myself think that.
Robin was a friend, maybe not even that at the moment. And you don’t actually know her well enough to out yourself as a pariah.
“How are you feeling?” Robin calls out with your backs still turned, fiddling with some buttons. God, she hated this. The outfit, not you. Fuck.
She notices your hesitation, making her straighten up from where she sat perched on the edge of Nancy’s bed.
“About what?” You ask and she frowns.
“I don’t know… in general, I guess?”
“I’m… fine. A little weird that I’m wearing so much pink right now but, other than that, I’m okay.” You respond and she slowly nods, reaching down to slip on shoes. Ugh, heels. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah.” Robin says, standing up and immediately trying to find her balance. She wasn’t sure she could pull this off. “A little bit spooked, I guess, but hey, it’s Hawkins, what else is new?”
You chuckle, shaking your head. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Turn on the count of three?” Robin suggests and you agree. “One. Two. Three.”
You both spin around and immediately pause, taking in the new looks of the girls who definitely despised their clothes.
“We look ridiculous.” Robin blinks, turning to the mirror and gasping.
“I feel ridiculous.” You mumble, shifting the skirt that dug into your waist. Robin points to her reflection in horror and you shake your head.
“I don’t even want to know what I look like. I like ignorance.” You decide, walking over to the door. “Let’s go find Nancy and get out of here before anyone else-”
You open the door to find Steve, Dustin, and Nancy patiently waiting on the other side, staring back at you. Nancy gives a nod of approval, Dustin twists his face in horror and Steve starts grinning.
“What?” Robin asks as she joins you, eyes widening.
There was a sudden snap and you glare at Steve, the boy lowering his hand and hiding the disposable camera behind him.
“Have fun.” He says before dragging Dustin away with him, the younger boy still staring at you.
“It just feels so wrong.” He mutters and Steve agrees, disappearing down the stairs.
“Well, that makes me feel better.” You groan and Robin shakes her head.
“Nope, not doing it.” She tries to run but Nancy’s grabbing your arms, pulling you with her.
“Come on, you both look great.” She rolls her eyes, smiling. “Let’s go be so smart the director can’t refuse us.”
Tumblr media
“He’s going to refuse us.” You comment, watching the way Robin itched to be out of her outfit, your own hands fiddling with the skirt. Nancy’s hand slaps yours away and you gape at her.
“We’ll be fine as long as we play our parts.” She reminds you both and you take a breath.
“Yes, mom.” You mumble and she rolls her eyes.
“Y/n’s right, I can’t breathe in this thing.” Robin complains, struggling with her heels, “And I’m itchy. I’m itching all over.”
“It’s not all about comfort. Okay? We’re academics.” Nancy says and Robin sighs.
“Who are evidently coming from an Easter brunch.” She says and you laugh, snapping your mouth shut when Nancy glares at you. “Also, this bra that you gave me is really pinching my boobs.”
“Yeah, and why do you look good and we look like The Shining twins?” You ask and Robin gasps in acceptance.
“Ooh, good one.”
“Okay, how about you both just let me do the talking?” She asks, looking between you both. “If that’s even possible?”
“It’s not only possible, it’s inevitable.” Robin stresses, pulling at the collar. “Because shortly, I’ll be dead from strangulation!”
Before you could even walk into the building, a man in monochrome stops you all, eyebrows raised.
“We have an appointment with the director.” Nancy smiles and you force your own, hands clasped in front of you. The man simply gives a curt nod, opening the door and jutting his chin.
“Friendly.” You mutter as you pass him, focusing everything on keeping your cool. The last time you went undercover like this was when you went to see Mrs. Driscoll…
As the man continues to what Robin assumed to be the office, she turns around to find you stood there, adjusting the waist band once again. In a sneaky turn, she makes her way back to you, dipping her head to meet your eyes.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Huh?” You look up, blinking. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m… Just got distracted for a moment. Let’s go.”
You both return to Nancy in time for the door to open, a very brief greeting to the director behind the desk until you were all sat in front of him, trying not to sweat. You hated this feeling in your chest, some kind of fluttering darkness.
“3.9 GPAs.” Hatch comments, nodding approvingly as he holds the last folder; yours. “All of you. Impressive.”
“And this is a recommendation from Professor Brantley.” Nancy holds out yet another forged document, the lie rolling off her tongue like it was second nature. There was a bitterness latching onto your throat then, remembering the last time she had looked you dead in the eyes and lied.
“Yeah, I know Larry. Quite well, actually.”
Your heart leaps to your throat. Fuck, you should have known that. You were in charge of the research, why didn’t you check to see-
“Eh, you know what they say.” Hatch says, raising his eyebrows. “Those who can’t do, teach.”
Robin giggles at his joke and you smile, nodding.
“Uh, yes. Yes, that’s actually why we’re here.” Her eyes dart to yours and you sense she’s afraid of messing up.
“We can only learn so much when we’re confined to a classroom.” You speak up and Nancy nods eagerly, smiling with you.
Hatch hums in agreement, “And I’m sympathetic to your struggle, truly. But there is a protocol to visiting a patient like Victor. You have to put in a request, and then you have to undergo a screening process, at which point the board will make a decision.”
He starts to slide the documents back to you and you bite your lip.
“I can see you’re disappointed.” He comments, “But I’m more than happy to give you a tour of our facility. Perhaps you can even speak to some patients in our low-security wing.”
The way he spoke down to you had your skin crawling with fury. This wasn’t the first time you’d been talked to like a mindless child.
“And we’d… we would love that.” Nancy tries, smiling again. “It’s just that, um… our thesis is due next month-”
“And you’re out of time.” Hatch cuts her off, raising an eyebrow. “Whose fault is that?”
You purse your lip, looking at your feet.
“Ours. Absolutely.” Nancy continues, hoping to appeal to his good side. You weren’t convinced he even had one. “We just- we wanted-”
“We didn’t drive all the way here to be disrespected.” You suddenly say and Nancy’s eyes widen in shock, looking at you like you were crazy.
“Excuse me?” Hatch blinks, reeling up to spew out more ridicules.
“Sir,” Nancy leans forward, “I do apologise for-”
“Don’t apologise, Ruth. Screw that.” Robin says this time and Nancy is almost staring daggers at you both. “Elizabeth is correct for being upset. The fact of the matter is, we did put in a request months ago and were denied. And then we reapplied and were denied again. And coming here was our last-ditch effort to save our thesis. And I really… I can’t breathe in this thing.”
“Uh, well, Rose, maybe you’d like to go outside and get some air.” Nancy says through gritted teeth.
“Maybe I should, Ruth.” Robin replies and you clear your throat.
“Director Hatch. Dr, I presume?” You look at him and he nods, frowning. “May I ask if anyone has ever had an appointment with you and gotten to speak to a patient of their choice before? Academically speaking, of course.”
“Well-”
“Hm, and how many of them were men?” You continue, Hatch struggling with his words. His hesitancy told you all you needed them to. “Right. All of them.”
“I don’t understand what you are implying, Miss…” He starts rooting back through documents and you scoff, taking him by surprise.
“You can just call me Elizabeth. Seeing as you never asked us originally if we were okay with not being addressed by our professional names, I can assume that you never bothered to learn or even look at what my surname might be.”
“Well, I-” He stutters and you know you have him where you need him to be.
“The thing is, Dr Hatch, I’m not even offended anymore. None of us are. Because if we were men sat in front of you right now, you’d actually be seeing us with the intention of discussing our request to see Victor Creel instead of inviting us here to simply mock us.” You say in a sickly sweet voice laced with venom. You turn your head to Robin. “Isn’t that right, Rose?”
“Yes, it is.” Robin nods, suddenly standing from her chair, “In fact, I’m starting to think this whole thing is a colossal mistake. I’m breaking out in a rash, my boobs hurt. And I’ll tell you the truth, Anthony. May I call you Anthony? These aren’t actually my clothes. I borrowed them because I wanted you to take us seriously. Because nobody takes girls seriously in this field, they just don’t. We don’t look the part or whatever, but can I tell you a story?”
Hatch stares up in confusion and you hide a smirk, fixing the same glare on him as Robin rambled about summer camp, about how she was fascinated with knowing Victor Creel’s mind and you felt that flutter of darkness burst into something else, something a little brighter. You knew words could be a powerful thing, and you knew now that Robin was so much more than you realised.
“I wanted to be you!” Robin emphasises, breathing heavy. “So, forgive me if I’ll now try anything in my power, including wearing this ridiculous outfit, if I might get the chance to speak to the man that ignited my passion, and learn a little more about how his twisted, but let’s face it, totally fascinating mind works.”
She takes a deep breath and you stand up, too, ignoring Nancy’s wide eyes.
“Maybe we don’t have the official paperwork, but don’t tell us that a man like cry-baby Petey wouldn’t have gotten an audience with Victor in a matter of moments if he’d asked politely, because we all know that he would.” You conclude, both you and Robin sharing that same fire in your eyes as you stare down at this man, unwavering.
“So… ten minutes with Victor. That’s all we ask.” Robin suggests, and Hatch glances between all three of you, sighing.
“Follow me.” He finally says, standing from his desk and leading you all to the door, letting his receptionist know he’d be out.
You and Robin sneak a grin to eachother, an amazed Nancy shaking her head in astonishment, leaning close.
“You guys make a great team.” She whispers and Robin smiles, feeling giddy when you reach for her hand and squeeze for a second in victory.
Tumblr media
“Y/n?”
“Y/n, are you okay?”
Your head is thumping, trying to force your eyes open. You felt tired and dizzy, taking in as many deep breaths as you can.
“What happened?” You manage to say, clearing your throat. You can just make out Robin’s face leaning over from the passenger seat. You blink. Since when were you back in the car? “What…”
Whatever your question was to be, your mind interrupted you with a sharp memory.
“Did I survive?” Victor says with a low voice, his deformed eyes felt like they were staring into your soul, your heart beating erratically. “No, I assure you…”
His head slowly turns towards the bars, suddenly snapping to where you stood.
“I am still very much in hell.”
“You fainted.” Nancy says from behind the wheel, a crack in her voice. “Hatch found us out, tried to have us arrested. We needed to make a run for it so you distracted them…”
“I think we can beat him.” Nancy whispers to you both as you walk through the courtyard, officers trailing behind you.
“What?” Robin frowns.
“To the car.” She specifies, determination written across her face. You nod in agreement, already seeing the familiar brown of the wagon across the field.
“Okay, I’m warning you right now, I have terrible coordination.” Robin stresses, “It took me six months longer to walk than all the other babies. I’ll just slow you guys down.”
“I’ll distract, you guys run.” You whisper, walking beside the hedge.
“What?” Nancy turns to you, Robin sporting a similar expression of horror.
“I took track for three years, remember?” You remind Nancy and she tilts her head in contemplation. “I can outrun them and give you time to start up the car. I’ll meet you outside the gates.”
“What- is this really a plan right now?!” Robin hisses at you both and Nancy grabs her hand.
Before Robin can protest any further, you quickly swipe at the ground and gather stones, spinning around to launch them at the officers.
“Just follow my lead.” Nancy urges as she pulls Robin into a run and you sprint the other way, glancing back to ensure they were both following you instead of them.
The next thing you can remember is being tackled to the ground, an array of voices shouting after you. It wasn’t an officer, though. It was a patient, her wild eyes screaming at you.
“Curse! Curse!”
She had spewed that over and over until you manage to push her off, scrambling to your feet and cutting through the trees, making out the silhouette of the vehicle just leaving.
“You passed out when you got to us, are you- are you okay?” Robin’s brows are furrowed, looking at you with more concern than you think you ever had for yourself.
“Fine.” You shake your head, slowly sitting up. “I think I accidentally ran into someone and hit my head a little. I must have been dizzy.”
It was a blatant lie and you knew it. But the truth sounded too scary for you to want to focus on.
“What did I miss?”
“Uh…” Robin looks to Nancy and your stomach drops. “Well…”
“Vecna got to Max.” Nancy says for her and you lurch forward.
“What?! Is she okay?”
“She’s okay.” Robin confirms, nodding profusely. “She’s fine. We told them about the music and they managed to pull her out of it before anything truly horrible could happen.”
You sigh in relief, slumping back into your seat. “Thank god.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nancy finds your eyes in the rear-view, frowning.
“I’m alright.” You let out a breathy laugh. “I think I severely overestimated my stamina from five years ago.”
“Good.” She smiles, and you curl your lips in return. “At least we know something now, right? This trip wasn’t a total waste. I say we take a look at the Creel House, see if we can find anything else.”
With everyone in silent agreement, you all try to calm your nerves from the day.
“I wish we knew more.” Robin speaks up after a few more minutes of driving, shifting in her seat so she could see both you and Nancy. “I mean, we still don’t really know how to stop him.”
“And why only one at a time?” You frown and she looks at you questioningly. “Victor’s whole family was taken in a night, one after the other. It’s terrifying to think, but… but what’s stopping him from doing that now?”
“Maybe he got weaker?” Robin suggests and Nancy sighs, shaking her head.
“Let’s just take today as a milestone, get some sleep, and keep working tomorrow.” She suggests and you nod, murmurs of agreement falling from both of your lips.
Your head turns back to the window, sinking further into your seat. Nancy was right, you should be looking to the positives, not digging yourself a hole of disappointment. You were so sure this trip would answer everything, but everything wasn’t as simple as you had hoped. This thing was new and it was bigger than you could ever have imagined. In fact, the more you thought about it, the clearer it became that you still had a chance to walk away from it all. You were one plane ticket away from escaping again, once and for all. In two days you’d be at your grandfather’s funeral, and in two days you will have nothing else holding you here except the responsibility you’ve all put on yourselves.
No, you couldn’t leave. It wouldn’t be right to rub it in Max’s face that you can escape this when she’s bound to it. You owed her this.
She was the only one who actually cared for you when Heather died.
Tumblr media
taglist: @kryztalglear / @dejerw / @officerrrfriendly / @a-simpfortessa-lesbriean / @spacedoutdaydreamer / @endurexxsurvive / @em16cor / @gray-cheese / @chaosofmanyfandoms
i try to keep up to date with taglists but if i have missed anyone or if you would like to be added please comment below or let me know via asks! [if i have highlighted your username in pink, it means tumblr isn’t allowing me to tag you so please check visibility settings while i try my best to sort this out!]
79 notes · View notes