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greenfiend · 2 months

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The Significance of Lover’s Lake and Byler (Theory)

'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact

Yes we're lovers, and that is that (Heroes by David Bowie)

Part 2 here

(Warning: This post has mentions of sex (nothing graphic)… if you’re uncomfortable with that please do not proceed.)

So, Lover’s Lake has existed within the show ever since season 2, when Will mapped out the entirety of Hawkins. The lake is shaped like a heart (keep this in mind for later) thus the name “Lover’s Lake”. Makes sense within the town of Hawkins, but does not provide an explanation on a subtextual level. None of the “lovers” existing within the show has been associated with the lake (you could say Steve/Nancy but honestly it’s a stretch since they never actually rekindled their romance.)

This leads me to the question… why call the lake “Lover’s Lake” without associating any lovers to it?

Because maybe, there will be lovers connected to it… but they aren’t lovers… yet.

Okay, let’s get back to the shape. A heart. ❤️ Hm. Now which character within the show is most associated with hearts? Which character is even referred to as the heart by their love interest?

Mike.

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that he’s one part of the “lovers” here. Thus ruling out many other romantic pairings within the show. Leaving only two pairings: Mike/El and Mike/Will. I won’t go into detail on why I believe Mike and El will inevitably break up, you can read a lot of different analyses for that. So that leaves… Mike/Will. Not lovers yet.

Okay, here’s the part where I may get crucified. The definition of lovers.

Please put your pitch forks down for this.

Lovers usually refers to two people in a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

With all the subtext (and actual text) around sex and sexuality, and how we see Will struggle with his own sexuality, there is a likely conclusion here. He’s going to confront his sexuality. To do so, he will have sex. With whom? Well, with the one person he loves the most, the one he affectionately refers to as the heart… his best friend… Mike.

Now, where’s this going to happen? What better location than somewhere empty and secluded.

Reefer Rick’s lakeside house.

Now, who is “Reefer Rick”?

Also known as, Rick Lipton, Reefer Rick is a drug dealer who’s closely acquainted with Eddie.

He’s an enigma. We never see him. All that is known about him are the things mentioned by other characters.

He’s currently in jail apparently for dealing drugs. Also, he seems like a town pariah.

Also, he isn’t too keen on Fast Times (returned on time), at least not as much as “Cheech and Chong” (returned late each time.) That shot at 53 minutes and 5 seconds in Fast Times doesn’t do it for him, I guess. Unlike watching two guys get high.

His name choice is an interesting one.

“Reefer” Rick Lipton.

“Reefer” is a synonym for “marijuana cigarette”. Okay, makes sense, he is a drug dealer after all. But why the term “cigarette”? Well… there’s this other word that also happens to be a synonym for “cigarette”…

Then Rick… short for “Richard”. Richard is one of the few names out there with a nickname that is also slang for male genitalia… “Dick”.

Then finally… Lipton.

As Robin says, spelled like Lipton tea. Now, why would the writers use the name “Lipton” and even reference the tea company if there were no significance to it? They wouldn’t. We know this about them.

So why “Lipton”?

Let’s do a bit of research here, shall we?

The founder of Lipton tea was a man named Thomas Lipton.

Thomas Lipton just so happens to have been a closeted homosexual man who had a long term relationship with another man whose name is… *drumroll please*

William Love.

Okay, that can’t be just a coincidence right?

So moving on to Reefer Rick’s house.

We see glimpses of his living room, kitchen, and briefly his bedroom.

Jason and his buds are searching for Eddie and this involves looking under the mattress? As if, Eddie could successfully hide under there? Haha okay sure.

The angle of this shot is interesting too, because the bed is essentially being shown off to us.

This bed with a blue blanket and yellow sheets. Hm. Interesting.

Keep in mind this scene is essentially unnecessary. They could have easily shown Jason et al searching for Eddie without creating an entire new set for a room that’s only used in one single insignificant shot. Therefore, I do not think it’s unreasonable to believe this is used for foreshadowing.

Then we also get this shot from outside the window into the bedroom.

Look familiar? I thought so too.

Okay. Now for my theory/prediction.

As I mentioned earlier, Will is currently struggling with his own sexuality and feels a lot of shame and internalized homophobia. There’s also a lot of evidence that Mike is experiencing the same thing. Unlike Will, Mike conforms to the society’s expectations. He dates El, performing as her boyfriend. This is comparable to Nancy’s arc in season 1. She also conforms, and like Mike, leaves her best friend behind. We all know how that ended.

Now, what better way to wrap up the show than to have Mike correct his sister’s mistake? To have Mike reject societal expectations in favour of his best friend?

Okay so this is my theory.

Mike and Will have their first kiss an episode or two prior to 5x07. Tensions are high, but they’re busy fighting interdimentional monsters along side their friends.

Then comes 5x07 which somehow leaves Mike and Will alone by Lover’s Lake. The tension between them reaches an all time high, leading to a passionate kiss and then… more. Let’s just say it involves that blue and yellow bed.

At the same time as these two become the lovers they were meant to be, another character is being saved, or perhaps being brought back to life. Perhaps another red head, one we all know and love. Yes, a major parallel and contrast to Steve/Nancy’s sex scene in season 1, which featured Barb dying. But because Mike is rejecting conformity and being authentic, another character lives instead.

I mean, what better way to represent the beauty of the love and intimacy between these two boys? Their love is literally bringing back life to the world.

So yeah, basically I’m saying that Mike and Will expressing their love for each other will save Max.

This also wouldn’t be the first time that Max’s survival is correlated with their relationship. As I doubt that it was merely a coincidence that in episode 4x04 we have Mike’s genuine monologue to Will, then we have Max surviving Vecna. In contrast to 4x09, which features a forced monologue from Mike to El, followed by Max losing to Vecna and barely surviving.

So, as their bond strengthens, Max’s life bar goes up (so to speak). If something interferes with their bond, Max’s outcome is more dire.

The writers have also been associating Mike/El with death…

[Tumblr only allows a limited number of images so pretend we have one of El holding dead flowers and another image of the cut scene from 3x05 with Mike/El having a moment cutting to a dead body on the hospital floor]

Mike/Will on the other hand have been associated with life. The birds chirping in the background of their final scene together, the flowers blooming between them as they stand together. Plus, blue plus yellow does equal green after all. Which is the most commonly associated colour with life.

🌿🌱🌳

To conclude, I just want to say that I personally think this would be a nice way to end their arc. I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with associating Mike/Will with anything sexual… but the show has been doing this already. Whether you like it or not, Mike and Will have been shown implicitly and explicitly that they desire each other both romantically and sexually. The fact that they have sexual desire for each other does not minimize or trivialize their friendship and love, it’s an aspect of it… adding another dimension to their relationship.

Do I think or hope they would show anything pornographic? Absolutely not (do I even have to say this?) But explicit like Steve/Nancy? Yes. Do I think they’ll be only 14/15 years old when this occurs? No. This will likely happen after a time jump.

Being authentically yourself and not conforming is overall a major theme of the show. I mean it’s called Stranger Things after all. Will people be upset by the ending of this arc? Bylers included? Absolutely. Many people within the town of Hawkins and people watching the show will both show disgust for it. But that’s the point. It’s not “normal” and that’s okay. Different is good, and can be a beautiful and wonderful thing. We all just need to open our minds and hearts a bit. I’m not just talking about the GA; many Bylers are also closed minded and stuck in their ways too. Let’s all try to work on that, shall we?

Despite the opinions of others, Will and Mike will choose to love each other which will inevitably lead to their defeat of Vecna. Love concurs all. It may be cheesy and cliche but personally? I think that’s a beautiful thing. We all can learn to love more.

Anyway, would love to know your thoughts on this.

Then we could be Heroes, just for one day

Part 2 here

#loverslakegate #byler #stranger things #stranger things 5 #byler theory #stranger things theory #lovers lake

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bloatedandalone04 · 1 year

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Romance is (not) Dead

➪the one where ethan is your boyfriend and you’re his alibi.

Warning: spoilers for scream vi, blood, swearing, making out, mentions of blood, mentions of death, character death, you're literally dating a killer, mentions of smut, possessive ethan, lowkey yandere ethan

Word Count: 4.3k

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine <3

Man, did you hate frat parties. Especially the one you were at now.

These ones were the worst; the loud music, the smell of booze and smoke, the overly confident (and unbelievably unattractive) men, the horrid dancing.

No fucking thanks.

Maybe you weren’t like most college students as you didn’t enjoy partying all that much and would rather stay in studying or watching whatever movie you felt like that night, but what can you do?

This was definitely not your scene.

And it was definitely not your boyfriend’s scene, either.

You slouched against the uncomfortable cushion of the couch, your arm pressed to Mindy’s as the space was limited. Anika’s legs were draped over both yours and her girlfriend’s as they talked between themselves, effectively cutting you out of the conversation you didn’t want to take part in to begin with.

Looking around the room, you tried to locate Ethan and came to the conclusion that he was no longer in it. He and Chad must’ve wandered off in search of alcohol or something else to keep them entertained.

You tip the cup in your hand, seeing that it was still half full, and reach over to put it on the table beside the couch. Standing up, you push Anika’s legs off yours and wince at the cracking sound that came from your knee.

Had you really been sitting for that long?

“Hey,” Anika called out to you once she felt the push you gave her legs. “Where are you going?”

Mindy answered for you, “Probably to go find her boyfriend,”

You shrugged, paying no mind to the teasing wiggle of her brows. “What if I am?” You ask, matching her tone. “What, you’re the only one allowed to get any action tonight?”

Mindy raised her hands in defense. “Hey, I’m not judging,” she said. “And TMI, by the way.”

You rolled your eyes, grabbing your jacket from off the couch. “I had to sit next to you two making out every five minutes and I’m the one who is giving out too much information?”

Mindy looked at Anika then back at you. “Point taken,” she agreed and wrapped her arm around Anika’s shoulders. “Go on, then.”

Shaking your head, you bid them both a goodbye and take off in search of your boyfriend. You find him in another room with Chad, and already you could see that his roommate was trying to boost his confidence.

You lean against the doorframe and watch as Chad pushes Ethan forward and towards a group of girls. A heat burns in your bones as Ethan shakes his head and turns away, only to be pushed back by Chad, this time with his arm around his shoulders as he did the talking for him.

It was as if Chad didn’t care that Ethan had a girlfriend, you, and wanted him to talk, and probably flirt, with as many girls as he could without you being in the room.

Fucking Chad.

The girls laughed at whatever Chad said to them before turning away from the guys, no longer engaging in a conversation with them.

You smirk to yourself at that. Ethan really didn’t know how to flirt, and it was a miracle he somehow worked up the courage to ask you out a year and some ago.

Ethan went to the same high school as you, and in your senior year he built up enough confidence to ask you out on a date. Well, sort of. He saw you rummaging around your locker and walked up to you, a folded piece of paper in his hand. When you noticed the cute boy from your English class leaning on the locker next to yours, you offered him a smile. He smiled back before handing you the note and you took it from him, a quirk in your brow as you read the messy handwriting.

It was one of those cheesy I like you, will you go out on a date with me? questions, completed with two boxes, one for yes and one for no.

You shook your head and reached up, grabbing a pen off the top shelf of your locker. Scribbling a quick check mark onto the box next to the yes, you hand the paper back to him and watch as a smile forms on his face and from then on it was history.

You were brought back to reality when your eyes met his and you can see the excitement swimming in the brown irises, his roommate quickly forgotten about as he walked away from him and towards you.

He took off the cheap head piece of his costume and held it in one hand, using his other to make a mess of his flattened out hair.

Once it was a perfect mess of curls, he stood before you in all his glory. “Hey, hotness,” you greet him, crossing your arms as you continue to lean against the door frame. It was as if the whole house had quieted down just for the sake of you starting a conversation with your lover, and you nodded at the group of girls that had obviously turned down his unwanted advances. “New girlfriends?”

Ethan shook his head, leaning down to press a quick kiss to your cheek. “Yeah, right,” he answered, towering over you and looking you up and down. He was with you when you dressed yourself in the angel costume that included a white dress, wings and a halo, as you got ready at his place and walked to the party together, but that didn’t change the fact that you looked unbelievably hot, even more than usual. You had long since ditched the accessories, now only being left in the dress, fishnet stockings and your black ankle boots. “You know, I think Chad does a better job at embarrassing me rather than boosting my confidence.”

You laugh quietly, shaking your head as you tug him closer by the waistline of his pants. “Poor you,” you murmur, tilting your head up so you can look him in the eye. “Guess you’ll just have to settle for me.”

Ethan gave you a sly smirk, leaning down to reduce the gap between the two of you. “Who’s settling for who?”

You shake your head with a grin, draping your arms around his shoulders and leaning up on the tips of your toes. Pressing your lips to his, you kiss him slowly, unknowingly taking his breath away and he drops the headpiece to grip your waist, pushing you closer to the frame.

Space became limited between the two of you and you had no room to arch your back like you normally did, so you settled on pressing flat up against the wood, your hands tugging Ethan closer by his biceps.

If there was one thing you loved most about him, it was the confidence he gained whenever he was with you. He was his true self when he was alone, or in this case, ignored with you. No one paid any attention to you, continuing their conversations or just walking past one of the many couples making out. It was like the world became just the two of yours and everyone else didn’t matter anymore.

With that being said, you would much rather be doing this somewhere more private, preferably in the comfort of his apartment as you knew Chad wouldn’t be there, but that still didn’t stop you from deepening the kiss by gripping the sides of Ethan’s face and tilting your head for better access.

In the midst of it all, you don’t notice the quiet, hardly audible thud of your green jacket falling to the floor as Ethan twists the fabric of your white dress in his hands. His tongue runs along the length of your lower lip, and before you could part it from your top one, Ethan is tugged away slightly by Chad.

He muttered something about Tara and then he was gone, disappearing further into the house.

Ethan sighed out of annoyance and lifted his hand to wipe away the smeared lipstick from your chin, his thumb lingering on your bottom lip before he took your hand in his, following the path that Chad cleared. You couldn’t wipe the giddy smile from your face as you place your free hand on your boyfriend’s forearm, allowing him to guide you in whatever direction he believed Chad took off in.

That wasn’t your first heated make out at a party, and it wouldn’t be your last, but it still left you breathless and with an ache that you only wanted Ethan to relieve.

However, when you see the concerned look that both Anika and Mindy wore, you quickly forget about your own needs and instead ask, “What is going on?”

“We’re trying to stop Tara from going upstairs with this loser,” Mindy told you, her eyes never leaving the man beside your friend. Chad was on the first step while Tara and the guy were a few above him, and she was doing a really bad job at acting like she wanted to go anywhere with this guy.

“I’m fine, guys,” Tara insisted, though you could still hear the doubtfulness in her voice. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Tara, don’t go with him,” Chad said, daring to move onto the second step.

“Yeah, just come back to the party,” you add, lacing your fingers with Ethan’s. “It is downstairs, after all.”

What happened next happened in a blur. Tara was tugged back on the steps, causing her to fall over, Chad pulled the guy away from her, Sam showed up out of nowhere and tased him in his…well, let’s just say that the area she tased him in had him on the floor within seconds. Tara yelled at her older sister and fled the house and everyone followed them outside.

Before you could leave the house, Ethan told you to stay by the door while he went to go grab something. When he returned with your jacket in his hands, you didn’t bother holding back the smile that took over your face as he threw it over your shoulders before taking your hand again.

You probably would’ve forgotten it had he not gone back for it, and you couldn’t be more grateful as the temperature you were met with once you stepped outside wasn’t exactly warm. At this point, you didn’t care about the whereabouts of the rest of your costume as they were cheap accessories that could easily be replaced, so you didn’t mind leaving them behind.

You met back up with the group just as Sam got a drink thrown at her and been called a murderer by a group of girls. After yet another bicker between the sisters, Tara walks off with the others following behind her, leaving Sam to stand by herself.

As you begin to tug Ethan in the direction of the others, he stops beside Sam, fumbling around in his pocket for something. “Here,” he said, holding the white fabric up. “Sorry, I only have, like, three tissues.”

You held back a laugh as Sam grabbed them from him, glaring at the two of you as she uselessly wiped at her soaked chest. Tugging on his hand again, you leave her behind as you walk the short distance back to his apartment.

When you were in the privacy of Ethan’s room, you shrug off your jacket and sit down on his bed, leaning against the headboard and stretching your legs out in front of you. “Chad’s not home,” you point out the obvious and make sure to have a sultry tone to your voice.

“No, he’s not,” Ethan replied, taking off the rest of the knight costume and dropping it by the growing laundry pile by the desk. “He probably went to check on Tara at her place.”

You nod as he sat next to you, his fingers trailing down your legs until they reached the zipper of your boots. “So, what I’m hearing is,” you trial off as he unzipped your boots and slid them off of you. He had his eyes on your legs, focusing on his task of ridding you of as many articles as he could, but the curve in his brow told you he was listening. “We’re all alone?”

Ethan dropped your boots to the floor, the thud sounding throughout the quiet room as he nodded, meeting your eyes. “Mhmm,”

You lean back on your elbows, watching as he moved so he was hovering over you. “We should really go see if she’s okay,” you say but make no move to stop what is bound to happen if one of you doesn’t pull away within the next few seconds. “You know, just to be sure.”

Ethan hums in agreement, situating himself between your legs, his hand sliding up your dress to tug at the hem of the stockings. “Yeah, we probably should go check on her,” he mumbled as he ghosted his lips over yours. “And the others.”

“Agreed,” you nearly whisper as your hands tug at his shirt, your hips bucking up into his just slightly. It was enough to soothe the ache you both were beginning to feel, much like how you felt earlier with him at the party. “But we’re not going to, are we?”

He hummed, shaking his head before connecting your lips.

You were sitting with your back pressed against the headboard, a blanket covering your naked body and your phone in your hands. You scrolled through one of the articles posted about the killings that happened earlier in the night, which something you had no clue even happened.

Ethan was at the end of the bed, half dressed as he couldn’t be bothered to put his shirt back on at the moment.

Just as you were about to inform him of the two students that were killed, Chad bursted into the room. “Tara and Sam were just attacked,” he said. “Where the hell were you and where the hell is-” he cut himself off when he saw your bare shoulders peeking out from under the blanket and the annoyed face you gave him.

Ethan cursed him out as he moved back to block your body from Chad’s view. “Jesus, don’t you know how to knock?” He asked angrily, grabbing a grey shirt from off the floor and giving it to you.

“Um, yes, I do,” Chad mumbled, embarrassed at what he just walked into. “To be honest, I was coming in here to accuse you of being the one who attacked them, but I see you’ve been…busy with something else.”

“Yeah?” Ethan asked as he pulled a grey henley over his head. “What gave you that idea?”

“Yeah, heh,” Chad trailed off, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess you don’t need me to be your wingman afterall, huh?”

When neither you or Ethan laughed, Chad cleared his throat and shook his head, pointing behind him with his thumb.

“Um, Mindy wants us all to go to Tara and Sam’s place,” he said. “So we’re all together and no one becomes suspicious of one another.”

“Really?” You scoff as you put the shirt on and throw the blanket off you. “Is this what our life has become?” You ask no one in particular and take the pair of sweatpants Ethan held out to you.

He shrugged and covered your body with his as best as he could as Chad let out an awkward laugh. “Yeah, you know what?” He slowly backed out of the room, making both you and Ethan look over at him. “I’ll just see you guys over there, okay?”

You rolled your eyes when he closed the door again, sitting up straight once you were dressed. “I seriously can’t stand your roommate, you know that?”

While you began moving various blankets and pillows on the bed in search for your phone, you become too distracted to hear the way Ethan agreed with you, mumbling a quiet, “Yeah, me either,”

You had nearly dozed off multiple times during Mindy’s rant about the rules of horror movies and how to narrow down the suspects. You had your chin pressed to your hand that was resting on Ethan’s shoulder, your eyes feeling heavier as she continued to ramble. When she mentioned that newcomers, aka new friends, are most likely the killer, you lifted your head and furrowed your brows. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see how I could be the killer,” you say and gesture over to where Sam was sitting. “I don’t even know her.”

“All the more reason you could be out to get her. You have no connection, but you’re friends with Tara, who was also attacked,” Mindy said, her eyes cold and accusing. “Now that I think of it, where were you when Sam and Tara were attacked? Everyone was at their place except for you.”

Before Chad could interrupt his sister’s interrogation and come to your defense, Ethan grabbed your hand. “She was with me last night,”

Mindy glared at him. “And where were you?”

“At home,” Ethan answered. “In my room.”

“TMI,” Mindy shook her head, taking her eyes off the two of you.

“It is true, though,” Chad said after a few seconds, raising his hand as if he were answering a question. “I might have accidentally walked in on them.”

You give him a sarcastic smile and stand up. “There, it wasn’t either of us,” you say and tug on your boyfriend’s hand. “Can we go now? This is boring.”

Mindy squinted her eyes at you before shrugging. “Fine,” she said. “But I’ve got my eye on both of you.”

“Maybe you should have your eye on your girlfriend, too,” you point out and hear Anika scoff. “She’s also a newcomer.”

“Yeah, okay,” Anika muttered. “And maybe you should care more about your so-called friends rather than slutting it up with your boyfriend.”

You rolled your eyes at that, the words hardly affecting you and you pulled on Ethan’s hand, not noticing how his eyes were cold and hard. He glared at Anika, her harsh words about you playing on repeat in his head, before he let you lead him away from the group.

At the sound of Quinn and her boyfriend going at it, you regret not asking Ethan if you could go with him to econ. Earlier you were sitting next to him on the Carpenter couch and were prepared to fall asleep with your head on his shoulder when he got a text.

You were too distracted by his phone wallpaper, which was a picture of the two of you on your third date, to see what the text he had received said. He gave you a chaste kiss, mumbling something about needing to go and the word econ before he was gone.

Now, still on the couch, you were sitting next to Anika as she flipped through the channels on the TV. At the sound of four distinct phones going off, you sat up and watched as Sam, Tara, Mindy and Chad stood up from their chairs at the table and ran towards Quinn’s room.

This made both you and Anika stand up as well and follow after them, all six of you pausing outside the closed door. “What is going on?” As soon as you asked that, the door was pulled open and Quinn’s bloodied body was thrown at Anika. The force of the body took her to the floor and chaos erupted as the killer, dressed in a black robe and mask, stepped out of the room.

They sliced up Mindy’s arm as Chad and Tara ran out of the apartment completely, leaving the four of you behind. The killer turned to you and you let out a small scream as they grabbed onto your arms and threw you into Quinn’s room.

You landed on the floor with a harsh thud, a jolt of pain shooting down your arm. You watched in horror as they picked up Anika and plunged the knife into her stomach, twisting it and sliding it upwards. Sam came running out of the kitchen with a knife block in her hands and she slammed it against the head of the killer, making them fall to the floor with a grunt.

“Guys, in here,” you yelled out and got up quickly, pulling them into the room with you. Sam slammed and locked the door, telling Mindy to do the same to the bathroom door. When she came face to face with ghostface, she tried closing the door before they got in, but failed to do so. She instead opted for the other door and slammed that one, but everyone knew it wouldn’t be long until it was broken through.

It was then that Sam opened the window and secured the end of a ladder to the frame, successfully creating an escape route into the apartment next to hers. “You go first,” you say as you help Mindy hold the dresser against the door. After a quick debate, Sam finally gave in and began crawling across the ladder, yelling at the three of you once she was on the other side.

“You next,” Mindy said to you and you shook your head, nearly losing your balance when the killer gave a particularly hard shove to the door. “Yes, go. I got Anika. Go.”

At this point, ghostface had his arm in the room and began swinging it around. As you gave Mindy a nod, the blade sliced against your back, cutting the shirt you were wearing as well as a layer or two of skin.

You cry out in pain and rush towards the window. You avoided looking down as best as you could, listening to Danny and Sam’s words of encouragement as you crawled as fast as you could across the ladder. Danny easily pulled you into his apartment once you were in reaching distance, and the three of you began yelling for Mindy and Anika.

Mindy made it across and Anika would’ve, too, had her wound not worsened and had she not wasted too much time crying over how high up she was. She was about half way when the killer finally broke into the room and walked to the window. They dropped the knife and grabbed onto the ladder, swaying it in a mocking manner. Anika cried out once she was about half way, giving up on trying to crawl the rest of the way.

What none of you knew, at that moment, was how the degrading words Anika had spit at you earlier played through Ethan’s mind, making his hold on the ladder tighten. He stopped moving it for just a second before gathering the strength he needed and flipping it onto its side, sending Anika falling several stories down. Her head slammed off a dumpster before her body fell limp a few seconds later, her lifeless face staring up at the four of you.

The sun was glaring down at you as you sat in the back of the ambulance. The paramedic examines your arm after she places a large bandage on your back, successfully stopping the blood flow from the cut. She came to the conclusion that your elbow was sprained and after she finished wrapping it in a sling, your eyes met a familiar pair of brown ones.

Ethan ducks under the caution tape as you quickly stand up and take off in his direction. He drops his bag to the ground as you throw yourself at him, not caring about the pain that shoots up your arm at the force of your body hitting his. You wrap your free arm around his shoulders, pulling him down into as you cry, your fingers tangling in his hair. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” he said, guilt evident in his voice. “Are you okay?” He asked quickly, hearing you whimper in response.

You shake your head and he wraps his arms around you protectively, eyeing the body bag in the alley way with a dangerous glint in his eyes. Chad makes his way over to the two of you, his defensive side coming out. “Where the hell were you last night?”

“Back off, man,” Ethan muttered, standing up straight and keeping his arm around your shoulders. “I had econ. Ask anyone I was with last night.”

Chad scoffed. “You were the only one who wasn’t here last night,”

You had grown tired of the countless accusations thrown around and lifted your head to glare at Chad through teary eyes. “Would you give it a rest?” You ask angrily. “I think I would know if my boyfriend of almost two years is going around killing people.”

“I thought the same thing,” Sam mumbled as she stood next to Chad. “But I was wrong.”

“Guys, come on,” Ethan sighed, feeling like he was being backed into a corner but not letting his defensive side come out. It would give everything away. “I already told you where I was. Ask one of the hundred people who I was with.”

At that Chad and Sam backed off, walking away with heavy shoulders.

You press your head against his chest once they leave, small whimpers still escaping your lips. Ethan holds you tightly, his eyes narrowing at the cut in your shirt and the glimpse of the white bandage he could see under it.

He presses a kiss to the top of your head as he stares at the Carpenter sisters and the twins, his eyes holding a deadly glare.

It’ll all be over soon. He thinks to himself.

And when it is, it’ll just be you and him - just like how it always had and always will be.

Thank you all SO MUCH for the love and support I received on the teaser. It blew my mind as I truly wasn't expecting it :') I hope you all enjoyed this <3 (ps. I tried to make it as accurate as possible to the movie, but I have a terrible memory heha.)

I don't normally tag people, but since you asked ;) @anonoussy

#ethan landry #ethan scream 6 #scream 6 ethan #ethan landry imagines #ethan landry x reader #scream 6 #scream 6 imagines #scream 6 x reader

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ingravinoveritas · 1 month

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have you seen the super blurry video of the 4 of them at the Oliver awards?? I what really gets me is Michael stepping into the person behind him.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/davidtennant_daily/3347586970874865569?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MWhjbHM4azBiMmt0Zg==

Yes, I have indeed seen the blurry video that's been going around this afternoon. I know some folks were having difficulty seeing it, so I will post it here:

I think probably the first thing I thought was that this video is too short to really draw any full-on conclusions (to quote Buffalo Springfield, "There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear..."), and to wonder where the heck it came from. (It was posted as a story on a fan page on Instagram, but there's no indication of who recorded it or why it was publicized to begin with.)

Beyond that, though, and because we do not have a context for what is happening (although given the folder David is holding, it looks like it was filmed around when the group photo was taken), I am just looking at the things that are most plainly visible. One of which is what you mentioned, with Michael jerking back suddenly into the woman behind him. It's been suggested that Anna touched Michael's arm to guide him to move because the other woman was trying to pass through. When I watched it again, though, it looked more like the order of events was Anna reached for Michael's arm, he visibly pulled back right when she made contact, and then the other woman moved to keep from colliding with him. That is my interpretation, at any rate.

It also looks like a conversation is happening (possibly between Michael and Georgia, with David in the middle), and Michael seems to look somewhat agitated. Georgia, who is on the right of the frame, appears to then slap her hand to get their attention. This very well could be because it was loud, there were a lot of people talking, and it was difficult to hear. Given how close she is standing to David, though, Georgia could have also just put a hand on his arm the way Anna did with Michael, but she didn't, and I'm a bit perplexed as to why. The hand slap actually reminded me of a school headmistress, or something Judge Judy would do, because those are the only two people I think I've ever seen do a gesture like that.

Whatever her reasons, it seemed to work, as David's head snapped up right away. I did notice though that Michael continued talking (perhaps possibly determined to get whatever point he was making across), and it gave me the feeling that he and Georgia were having a bit of a back-and-forth/fighting for David's attention. (I guess that means the answer to the question of, "Can Michael fight?" is "Yes, if David Tennant is involved".) It could also be that AL was trying to sooth him/get him to be more agreeable to whatever Georgia was saying, but it doesn't seem like that really worked.

Again, it's a very short video and without context it's hard to say anything definitive, but that is my interpretation. I'd still like to know where in the world this video even came from, especially because it seems to cut off so suddenly, giving the impression that there was more. Strange days indeed...

#whyblock #reply post #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #georgia tennant #olivier awards #curiouser and curiouser #glad to see Michael and David talking though #so many questions #but i will leave it to my followers to make up their own minds #anna lundberg #thoughts #discourse

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a-small-writer-in-a-big-world · 1 year

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ok, well, take your time! I don’t mind the wait!

141+ Alejandro with a reader who shows their love through aggressiveness? Like, their way of saying “i love you” is “sleep with one eye open tonight, bitch”

or “shut up or I’ll punch you” but in reality, they would die for said person, and would also kill for said person.

probably HAS killed for said person.

this is totally not a self indulgent ask, what would lead you to that conclusion?!?!?

…

it might be a bit self indulgent

So like, I’m kind of this way I’m very much a person who finds being vulnerable difficult so this shouldn’t be too hard lol

Aggressively Affectionate Reader with 141 + Alejandro

Price

Firstly, never think that you could ever scare this man off with how aggressive you can be. He's a military captain, aggressiveness doesn't bother the man at all

Has gotten used to your "threats" as you call them, he knows you would never hurt him

"If you don't go bed, I'm beating your ass." You threatened from the door way of his office.

"Give me ten more minutes, love." He said without looking up at his reports.

He appreciates every little thing you do for him and finds it somehow sweet that you do it with aggressiveness

If you slam a coffee down in front of him, grumbling that you won't do it again when you do it everyday, he'll give you a kiss on the cheek or a quick squeeze on your hand

Knows when you're actually angry or when you're just your usual grumpy self

He let's you know that you don't always have to be guarded around him and makes sure you feel safe enough to vulnerable when you want to be

Likes your soft moments just as much as he likes your normal moments

Ghost

Being military, your aggressiveness doesn't make him nervous but it does put him off at first

Coming from a not so great background, he doesn't appreciate being talked down to or threatened so if you want to be with him, you need to make it clear that you're not actually threatening him

When he figures it out, he's a lot less on edge especially since you have toned it down for his sake

You're still aggressive towards him but in very different way.

“Shut up and let me help you.” You demanded as you grabbed the med kit.

“Did you just tell me to shut up, sergeant?” He narrowed his eyes at you but let you patch him up.

Has had to tell you multiple times not to pick fights with people who get on his nerves though he likes to know that you have a his back

Will definitely call you out if you’re being too mean and won’t stand for any mistreatment if you start to get mad

In his mind, he associates you with a cat and has called you one multiple times just to watch you send him glares

Soap

He's friends with Ghost, so he's used to cold or aggressive people and of course being in the military he's not phased at all buy it

You don't intimidate him, in fact any time you threat him he makes a similar threat back just to one up you and to see what your reaction will be

"I'm going to shave that stupid mohawk off your head." You groaned when you saw him back on base since leave.

"Do that and I’ll lock ya out of your room." He kissed your forehead with a smile.

He knows you always have his back when you're both out on the field and he always has your back.

Had watched you kill people who have hurt him or tried to in some pretty violent ways but it makes him feel safe

Sometimes you do hurt his feelings but he’s not afraid to tell you that you did and when he does you usually apologize, making sure to try not to let it happen again

"I hate you."

"I love you too."

Gaz

Again military, so he’s used to it and honestly he doesn’t even really notice it anymore

You could say the most outlandishly rude thing to him without actually meaning it and he wouldn’t bat an eye

He just shows you affection by hugging or kissing you on the cheek when you do it and likes that it makes you get more mad at him

“Stop or I’ll punch you.” You threaten as he placed another kiss on your neck.

“Go ahead and try.” He just buries his face into your neck more.

If anyone dares to say that you don’t care about anyone but especially him then he will be your number one defender.

He hates that people don’t understand that this is just how you express yourself and they you’re not actually trying to be hurtful

Worries a lot about how you have tendency to get yourself into trouble when you’re both of missions together and makes sure you understand that he would never forgive you if you died saving him

(he would forgive you eventually)

Alejandro

Nothing you could ever say will take away the heart eyes he has when he looks at you

Like Gaz, he’s so used to it that when you aren’t being aggressively affectionate with him he’s incredibly worried that something horrible happened to you

“Do not make me come over there.” You threatened as you pointed the knife you were sharping at him.

“What if I want you over here, mi vida?” He smirked as he looked you up at down.

When you do something for him, such as cook for him or get him coffee, he returns the gestures twice as much and it makes you even more aggressively affectionate

You two sound like you’re always arguing but you’re really just having a normal conversation, that’s just how it is

He is always alert when you’re on missions with him because he knows that you lay your life down for him and he’s not about to let you die on his watch

Sorry this took so long! Hope you like <3

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lesinquietes · 6 months

Text

Summary: With Dynamight’s help, you solved the crime. He isn’t quite finished with you yet, though.

Adult!Bakugou x Forensic Detective!Reader

⚠️ fluff. suggestive themes.

I Previous l Next l

You close the manila folder on your desk and lean back in your chair. A breathy, content sigh leaves your lips. The case has been solved. The evidence has been retained. All that’s left is to file the associated documents. Then, you can head home for the evening. Another job well done.

You gaze out at the cityscape. The sunset sprays beams of brilliant yellow and orange towards your office building, reflecting off the large glass windows. The streets are busy with people and cars. Soon, you’ll join the bustle, conforming for the sake of commuting home.

Sometimes, when you sit here like this, you consider how small everyone is compared to the rest of the universe. Most actions that seem supermassive are actually minuscule and insignificant. In the grand scheme of things, you wonder if the job you’re doing makes a difference. Maybe not wide scale, but arguably, Japan could stand to be safer. Heroes do a lot of the rounding up these days, but you think local detective work is still important.

“Hey.”

You perk up. Speak of the devil.

You glance away from the view to greet Katsuki Bakugou, the hero who spent his time protecting you throughout your most recent case. He’s leaning against the door, arms folded arrogantly over his chest. At once, a smile graces your mouth. As soon as you submitted your conclusion about the primary suspect — with enough evidence, to boot — the Captain of your force implored Bakugou to make an arrest. Of course, the rowdy blonde didn’t capture the villain without beating him to a bloody pulp first. Normally, you wouldn’t condone such behaviour; however, given that the murderer targeted random women every time he killed, you can turn a blind eye. Men like that don’t deserve mercy.

You adjust your position so that you’re sitting upright. You know he doesn’t care; you’re not sure why you do. When you’re satisfied, you raise your fists in the air and reply.

“We did it!”

The exhaustion woven into your words isn’t missed. Since gathering that first sample at the initial crime scene, you haven’t stopped working. He admires your drive to do what’s right.

“Yeah,” he grunts. “Plenty more where that came from, though.”

“True.” You acknowledge, climbing to your feet. “But that’s one down.”

And Katsuki can’t argue with that. In fact, Katsuki finds he can seldom argue with you. It’s not that you’re always right; he thinks it’s because he likes listening to the sound of your voice. It’s unique. It’s calming. It’s something about you that he’s grown excessively fond of.

At last, he enters your office, like a moth drawn to fire. He’s still dressed in his hero garb. You notice there aren’t any scuffs on his pristine skin, indicating that his battle was rather one-sided. This is the first time you’re seeing him after the arrest. Everyone knows he doesn’t talk to the News team unless he has to; reporting to the public falls on the officers assisting his cases.

“You alright?” He asks, watching from a short distance as you gather your belongings.

“Definitely.” You verify. “You?”

“Whatever.”

That’s a yes. He doesn’t like to be upfront with his feelings. You’re beginning to understand his cues, though. It’s a shame this is the end of your time together; you would have liked to continue figuring him out. Perhaps another high-profile case will pop up and he’ll be assigned to you again. You can’t lie — you’re hoping for that to happen a little harder than you should be.

You throw on your windbreaker and take your knapsack in your hand. He hasn’t moved an inch from the front of your desk. It’s as if he’s been glued in place. The only part of him that’s visibly moving are his deep crimson eyes. He’s fixated on you. But unlike when you caught him at the crime scene, he won’t glance away this time.

“Dynamight, thank you so much for your work today.” You beam at him. “Without you, I—“

“Told’j’ya before, princess, it’s Katsuki.” He scoffs. “F’r fuck’s sake, talk t’ me like a normal person.”

You feel the heat spread across your cheeks. You’re praying he doesn’t notice your change in expression, but who are you kidding? Although the man acts like he’s emotionally unavailable, he picks up on more than you think. You flounder with your response.

“It’s just, we don’t really know each other like that, so I didn’t want to—“

“‘Course we do.” He lifts a critical brow. “You’re comin’ t’ dinner with me now that this shit’s over with, right?”

Mentally, your jaw is unscrewed and on the floor. Is this reality? The Dynamight — the rudest, most impressive motherfucker you’ve ever had the pleasure of working with — is asking you on a date. All this time, you thought his flirting was a game, while deeply regretting that you hadn’t made a move before your time with him was up. Discovering that your crush is mutual reinvigorates you. Before you fuck this up, you muster a reply.

“Uh… yes!” You giggle. “Of course I will!”

You don’t know how you manage to keep a steady tone. The only thing you can’t control is your face. Fortunately, he thinks it’s hella cute. Without considering who might be watching, he strokes your cheek with his thumb to coax back your attention. He nearly melts when you shyly meet his gaze, such a small, innocent smile gracing your lips. He knows it’s too soon to kiss you. He wishes it wasn’t. Instead, he offers you his arm. Your hand feels warm against his bare bicep.

He grabs your knapsack from you — a gentleman’s gesture that’s a little rough around the edges. Thankfully, the execution doesn’t bother you; it’s the thought that counts. Katsuki thinks that might be what attracted him to you. The way you conceptualize him is different. Last week, a woman scolded him for his use of language, even though he saved her purse from being stolen. Shouldn’t it be his actions that matter? Some days, he feels like he’s back in his teenage years, dealing with Best Jeanist’s strict teachings again. People need to learn not to judge a book by its cover.

He guides you out of your office with his hand secured to your lower back. You don’t miss the stares and whispers of your colleagues. You’ll have a lot to explain tomorrow morning.

“You like Indian food?” He inquires lowly, warm breath ghosting over your face.

“Sure.”

If you make it in.

#minors dni #katsuki bakugou x reader #pro hero bakugou #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #fem reader #adult bakugou #bakugou x forensic detective #afab reader #soft bakugou

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ravixen · 10 months

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hi!! hehe i read ur partner privileges post and i was wondering if u could do the same for vocal unit if possible?? thank you! 🫶

svt + prioritizing their s/o (pt 2)

➔ reaction || requested || vocal unit

➔ warnings: none || 0.9k words ➔ notes: fluff ; hiya, thanks for the love :) the concept for this series isn't partner privilege since I'm saving that for a different idea, but I definitely know which reaction you're talking about. I hope you reblog the other post and this post if you enjoyed reading them! also a reminder to followers: I block any empty blogs/blogs with less than 3 posts or reblogs :)

JEONGHAN: his calculation skills are unmatched, but you think highly of him in general so you're not sure if the praise means much. you can always tell when he's thinking because his face freezes into an open smile, maybe an stilted laugh, as his eyes flicker around the space, and you practically hear his synapses firing as he weighs out options and draws conclusions. you're almost envious of this ability; it always takes you a little longer to see what he sees. while he's zipping through the forest path, you're getting stuck on bushes and low branches, and this frustration is what makes you reluctant to join in on games sometimes. of course, he notices this, too. when you get too quiet, he sidles up to you, murmuring barely audible suggestions. "tell seungkwan about cheol's betrayal tactic. bring up minghao's shopping trip from the other day—it'll be funny. shout over mingyu whenever he starts talking," he'll say without blinking an eye. the first time, you were hesitant and missed the timing, but he continued standing next to you, waiting for the next opportunity. it's helped your confidence a lot, and no one has caught on yet (or so you think). every time, he's reacting along with everyone else, letting you take the spotlight, because he'd rather help you out than claim credit.

JOSHUA: found in part one!

JIHOON: you know he's a busy guy, so you always tell him that he doesn't have to pick up your calls, but he does anyway, no matter what he's doing. if he's truly busy, then he'll tell you immediately and say that he'll call you back later, but if it's nothing too pressing, then he doesn't mind listening to you talk for however long you want. sometimes you catch him in the studio or watching anime, and he lays on the couch, phone on his chest, to hear about your day. sometimes you catch him out on errands, and he puts you on speakerphone as he drives. sometimes you catch him out with friends, who always have to make their presence known in the few precious seconds they have before your boyfriend steps away to a quiet corner. you ask him about it once, and at first, he makes a bad joke to deflect, but after a moment, he admits that it's to show you his sincerity. he loves knowing that he's the first person you call for good news, bad news, boring news—and he never wants that to change. "I'm worried that..." he fiddles with his t-shirt hem as you wait. "well, I'm worried that if I don't pick up enough, I'll stop being your number one contact, and I really like being the first person you think of."

SEOKMIN: he likes to include you on every decision, and it's really sweet...when you don't have decision fatigue, at least. but how can you get irritated with him when he blinks up at you with those big bright eyes that hold nothing but adoration for you? over time, you learn to differentiate when he actually has an opinion and when he doesn't care what you choose. for example, I think the strawberry cake sounds good. Is that okay? means that he wants it, though if you wholeheartedly disagree, he'll find a compromise—like buying two cakes. on the other hand, I think the strawberry cake sounds good. What do you think? means that you can choose whatever you want. at the core of it, he just wants you to know that you matter to him, and the easiest way to do that is to listen to you. it's not really a pet peeve, but he doesn't like when people unilaterally decide on things, so he makes sure to never do that to you. "I'm sure I'll like whatever you choose," you tell him, but he shakes his head. "what if you don't? I should ask just in case." he covers it with an over-dramatic pout and cutesy voice that make you laugh, but he's serious. your opinion and happiness will always matter to him.

SEUNGKWAN: you don't know how he manages to remember so many of your favorite things, but he does and he uses this mental catalogue to impress you all the time. it's not just your favorite things, either; he somehow recalls the things you've mentioned in passing, things that even you have forgotten, and it's really impressive when he takes you out for food you've been craving, when he drops off an item that you've ran out of, when he says he looked up tips on how to clean ketchup stains. "how do you do that?" you stare in amazement as he pulls up a reservation to a restaurant you've been dying to try. "how do you make room in that brilliant brain of yours for all of these details?" he rolls his eyes, but there's a smile tugging on his lips at the praise. "I just erase some of our early choreography to free up mental disk space," he says, laughing. "c'mon, is it really that unbelievable? you know I like remembering things about the people I care about. you're obviously included in that group. I like making you feel special to me because you are." he pretends to dig his knuckles into your cheek, scolding you for thinking otherwise. honestly, you can't quite figure out seungkwan's love language because he's the type to show his affection with every action.

#caratwritersclub #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fluff #svt fluff #jeonghan scenarios #jihoon scenarios #woozi scenarios #seokmin scenarios #dk scenarios #seungkwan scenarios #g: svt #m: jeonghan #m: jihoon #m: seokmin #m: seungkwan #t: reaction #s: request #anonymous #ravixen

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scoonsalicious · 3 months

Text

Unwanted: Chapter 2, Unspeakable, Pt. 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) No language in this one; I am SHOOK! Brief mentions of sex, Tolkien nerds, the first appearance of the green-eyed monster, repressing of feelings.

Word Count: 603

Previously On...: Girls' Night with your friends led to some... interesting discussion about your friendship with Bucky.

A/N: Was this scene absolutely necessary? No. Could I resist including a moment to showcase the adorableness of Bucky and Pocket's friendship? Absolutely not.

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917

Taglist: (Please let me know if you’d like to be added!) @blackhawkfanatic @les-sel @marcswife21 @buckybarnessimpp

About an hour later, you were getting ready to watch the first Hobbit movie. You'd changed into your pajamas and were getting your movie snacks in order. Bucky was sprawled atop your mattress; the two of you hardly slept apart anymore, and you alternated whose room you stayed in. Tonight was your turn to host the Nightmare Sleepover, as you'd come to call it.

"How was Girl's Night," Bucky asked as he watched you put on your lotion.

"Interesting," you replied, rubbing the lilac-scented balm into your skin. You knew how much he loved the smell of it, so you always made sure to have it on hand. "They think we're sleeping together, so they wanted all the salacious details."

"Doll," he chuckled, rolling onto his side to get a better view of you, "we are sleeping together."

You shot him an arched glance. "You know what I mean."

Bucky fiddled with his vibranium thumb and looked up at you through his lashes. "What did you tell them?"

You plopped yourself next to him on the bed, grinning. "Well, obviously, I told them you're hung like a horse and have the stamina of a steam engine, but that you always cry after you come and you insist on calling me 'mommy.' It’s fairly off-putting."

"You are an absolute menace!" He lunged for you and began tickling you without mercy. You fought him off as valiantly as you could, but you were no match for a super soldier and you both knew it.

"Yield!" you cried, breathless, a few moments later. "I yield!" He reluctantly let you go so you could catch your breath. "I told them the truth-- we're just friends," you said once you could talk again, "but they all think you're very sexy and one of them-- and I will not say which one-- said she would let you do, and I quote, ‘unspeakable things to her body.’"

Bucky's face lit up like a Christmas tree; you knew how much he relished any kind of praise. It was like physical touch-- he had been deprived of it for so long, he was starved for it. "Was it Natasha? It was Nat, wasn't it?"

The readiness at which he jumped to that conclusion left a gross feeling in the pit of your stomach. All you could do was give him a tight-lipped smile and shrug your shoulders, playing coy. You definitely did not want to examine why his comment made you feel so icky.

"We should get this movie going," you told him, instead. "Otherwise we'll be up all night." Bucky fluffed up your pillows against your headboard while you fiddled with the remote to queue up the film. Because this was Tony's place, you didn't have a regular television. Instead, your room was equipped with a projector embedded in the ceiling, and the entire wall opposite your bed was the screen. It was as good as a movie theater.

"Are you excited?" you asked as you leaned back against the pillows next to Bucky.

"Are you kidding me?" he said, scooting closer to you until your shoulders were touching and passing you an open pack of Twizzlers. "Watching an adaptation of my favorite book with my best girl? I've been looking forward to this since the moment you told me there were movies."

A warmth flooding your insides like liquid sunshine. You poked his mouth with a Twizzler until he opened up and ripped a bite off of it. Grinning, you took a bite and rested your head on his shoulder, feeling completely content in this moment with your best friend.

<- Previous Part / Next Part ->

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x female reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #james buchanan barnes #mcu bucky barnes #james barnes

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ckret2 · 9 months

Text

Chapter 14 of Human Bill Is A Prisoner And Only Mabel Is Being Nice To Him (real title TBD), and the conclusion of the first big plot arc:

Also featuring: what Pacifica has been up to the past year! Dipper and Mabel arguing about Bill! The hand witch, briefly! Funny pranks that Ford does not think are funny! And other things.

####

Dipper and Mabel waved goodbye as they left the Hand Witch's cave. The witch, her boyfriend, and Mabel's spare right hand on the witch's shoulder waved back.

"Thanks for helping us out on such short notice," Dipper said.

"Oh, any time!" the witch said. "Come back whenever you like! I'll make tea and snacks again."

"Girl, you know I'm always up for more of your..." Mabel flashed the witch a pair of finger guns and a wink, "... finger food!"

Her spare hand made a finger gun back. The witch laughed so hard she wheezed. Her boyfriend leaned down to pat her back.

As Mabel and Dipper wove their way down the Hand Witch's mountain, Mabel said, "It's good to see she's found a relationship. She seems happy! And less desperate."

"I dunno, I'm kind of worried about that guy. What if he's just using her to learn her handomancy secrets?"

"Naaah, I'm not worried about him. He's a really bad apprentice. I think he's just letting her train him as a bonding activity. Like when girls let their boyfriends explain football so they can watch games together." Mabel turned to peer at the dark cave above. "Do you think Alehandra will be lonely without me?"

"Wh—you already named it?"

"Hands come in pairs, Dipper. Maybe she'd like a twin sister." She looked at Dipper's hands. "Or brother."

"Oh no. Uh-uh, I can see where this is going. We've already gotten in enough trouble with that stuff."

Mabel's phone buzzed. They must have gotten near enough town to get reception again. She pulled out her phone, saw a text from Soos, and swiped it open. "Mabel, this is Ford..."

"Speaking of growing extra hands," Dipper said. "Mabel... I think this whole thing is a bad idea. I mean—worse than it was originally. Getting Bill magic hair growth formula is one thing, but, growing extra limbs? I don't know what he could do with that, but he could do something."

Mabel's thumbs hovered over the screen, paralyzed as she tried to figure out what to tell Ford and Dipper at the same time.

The truth was, she'd had the same worry as Dipper. She lowered her phone. "Yeah, okay, maybe he could possibly do something with it hypothetically—but clearly the whole reason he asked for it was for the hair growth part! Because he's bald. So maybe he just... doesn't care about the rest? If we get only enough Hairy Fairy to regrow his hair and use it all up, then he won't have a chance to use it for anything evil, right?"

"Unless he's not even interested in regrowing his hair." Dipper pulled off his backpack and rummaging through it until he found the advertisement Ford had given him. "Look, everything in this ad lines up with what Bill told us about Hairy Fairy's history. If he knew that much, he definitely could know it can grow extra limbs. He might have even known it was coming back on the market before he saw the commercial! What if the only reason he burned off his hair was to manipulate us into getting this formula?"

"What would he do with a bunch of extra body parts?" Mabel asked. "He's clumsy enough with the ones he already has. I kinda think more would make him weaker."

"I don't know, but—I didn't know what he wanted a 'puppet' for, either, and see how that turned out?"

Mabel bit her lip, looking at Dipper's face—and then looked down at her phone, rereading the last sentence of Ford's text. "I'm worried he might be up to something nefarious."

She couldn't have this conversation in two places at once. She typed a quick reply to Ford—"It's too complicated to explain in text! I'll tell you when Dipper and I get home. (It's NOT dangerous, don't worry!) ❤️"—and stuffed her phone in her pocket. "Okay," she said. "Look. Sure, it makes sense to be extra paranoid with Bill—especially when we saw him finish his big master plan last summer—but honestly? I kinda don't think he's that good. Think about how many times Grunkle Ford says he tried and failed to get into our universe! I don't think he's a big alien super-genius with a careful zillion-year plan; I think he's just some guy that needed to try a zillion years just to get one plan to work. And that's... kind of lame. What can a guy like that do with hair formula?"

Dipper absorbed that. "Wow. Yeah, actually, when you put it that way, that—that isn't very impressive." He grimaced. "But—okay, even if he didn't have a complicated escape plan, what if he saw the hair formula and thought of one that he needs extra arms for—?"

"Dipper, we can 'but what if' Bill forever!" She flung out her hands in frustration. "If we second-guess everything he says, we'll start wondering stuff like 'what if he wants us to distrust him so he can reverse-psychology us into doing the thing he actually wants?' It'll drive us crazy! And letting Bill drive us crazy won't make us safer! We can't spend another summer being paranoid about Evil Bill Tricks!"

"Okay yeah, you have a point, but—why is the solution 'do what he wants'? Why isn't it 'tell him no, and cover our ears whenever he tries to say he wants something so we don't even know what he wants and he can't manipulate us'?"

Mabel's mind flashed back to the sad ghost under the zodiac blanket, huddled in a dusty corner. She looked at her feet and kicked a clump of grass self-consciously. "Because... he's sad and it's making me sad."

Dipper groaned. "Mabel."

"I know—"

"Mabel, he could be acting sad on purpose—"

"I know he could, I know, I KNOW!" Mabel let out all her accumulated Bill-induced frustration in a scream that startled several birds out of a nearby tree. She jumped furiously on the clump of grass. "He probably thinks I'm a big soft sucker! He's the worst and I hate him so much!"

"YES!" Dipper aimed a kick at the grass clump. "He's the worst ever! It's his fault we're even having this argument!"

"This summer was supposed to be different!"

"No apocalypses, no murder attempts, and no demon triangles!"

"No triangles at ALL! I don't even like geometry!"

When they'd collaboratively destroyed the grass clump, they fell silent, breathing heavily, staring at the upturned dirt. "I needed that," Mabel said. After a moment, she knelt down and tried to set the mangled grass back upright. The grass did nothing to deserve this.

Dipper leaned against a tree. "So. Are we giving up on the hair stuff?"

Mabel carefully patted a mound of dirt around what was left of the base of the grass. "I... still wanna go through with it."

Dipper had used up all his frustration on the grass. He sighed. "If you're gonna get that stuff for Bill no matter what I say, then... why are you trying to talk me into it?"

"Because I'm not going to do it. Not unless you agree."

"You... what?"

"Dipper, I feel like this is the right thing to do—but that's why I need to know what you think. The last time we didn't talk things out, the world almost ended! We always make better decisions together than we do apart. If I can't say anything that makes you think it's worth the risk, then—I'll give up. I'll tell Bill we couldn't get the stuff, and offer to get him a discount wig after Summerween, and... that's it." Mabel shrugged. "I'm scared too. I keep wondering stuff like 'what if he gives himself leg stilts and climbs out the chimney? What if he grows seven fingers and can finally overpower Ford?' But that's stupid."

She looked up at Dipper. "I want to make sure that if we give up, it's because there really is a danger. I don't want to refuse to help somebody suffering just because we're scared of him."

Dipper slid down to sit on the grass and watch Mabel give the grass clump first aid. Once Mabel was satisfied enough to sit back and wipe her hands off on her skirt, Dipper said, "Yeah. I am scared of him. He's tricked me with some misleading wording before, and I don't want it to happen again. I want to say I'm just being logical, but... right now, maybe I'm doing more feeling than thinking, too." He shrugged. "The truth is, I can't think of anything he could do with the hair growth formula that isn't so ridiculous, even I don't believe it's possible."

Mabel nodded. "Are you scared enough to say 'no'? If you are, we'll quit."

"No, I'm not." Dipper heaved a sigh. "I guess... let's do it. But I want to be as careful as possible. We'll get just barely enough to regrow his hair, one of us will apply the formula so he can't misuse it—"

"I can do that," Mabel said. "I've already slathered like a whole bucket of yellow paint on his face."

"Okay. And I'll watch the whole time as backup, in case he tries anything."

"Barty can watch from the vents as the backup-backup, too!"

"Good idea."

"Boom! Flawless plan!" Mabel grinned. "Now let's go see Pacifica!"

####

The address Pacifica had given them led to a small fenced-in pasture outside town.

Over the main gate was a sign that read "Platinum Alpaca Estates".

In the pasture, a half dozen pink-collar-wearing alpacas placidly grazed.

And standing in front of it all—wearing immaculately tailored lavender overalls, a set of white rhinestone-studded boots and cowboy hat, and a nervous smile—was Pacifica.

Dipper and Mabel gaped.

Dipper said, "What the— What is—"

"Pacifica what."

Pacifica held up her hands. "Okay wait, just let me explain! After my family lost our mansion last year, I could only keep one horse? Which was devastating! I needed to fill the void of hoofed mammals in my life somehow."

Mabel leaned over the fence. "So you got alpacas?"

"I was actually inspired by the llama sweater you gave me." Pacifica gave Mabel a small, crooked smile. "It reminded me that I've always secretly thought alpacas are cute, and I really like alpaca wool goods, so I thought... you know... what if I try it out?" She opened the gate, gesturing for the twins to follow her toward a small barn. "And I actually really love it! These are like, my babies. And I'm talking with some fashion brands about maybe selling them some luxury wool?"

She led them into the barn, and then into a small office being cooled by a window A/C unit. Several wool garments, protected in glass cases, were proudly displayed on the walls with labels underneath: "First Sweater", "First Scarf", "First Blanket"—

"Hey!" Mabel pointed at the familiar blanket, creamy white with the anti-Bill zodiac in ochre yellow. "That's the one I made! Did the yarn you sent me to make it come from your alpacas?"

"It did! You're the first person to make anything with their wool."

"Whoa."

"I actually want to use my symbol from the circle as our brand. I'm waiting to hear from my copyright lawyer about who I need to talk to for the rights to the image—if it's you or your great-uncle, or if it's still with the tribe that left the valley like a thousand years ago, or if it's public domain," Pacifica said. "It's a vague enough shape, I think it could look like either a llama or an alpaca, right?"

Mabel considered what Bill had said about Pacifica's symbol, considered the small alpaca herd visible through the office window, and said, "I have it on good authority that it's supposed to be an alpaca."

"So, wait," Dipper said. "What does this have to do with your modeling job?"

"The ranch isn't turning a profit yet. I'm still in talks with the brands that want our wool, and in the meantime I've got to hire more people to help. I don't know the hard stuff about taking care of alpacas, I just kind of brush their wool and make friends with them while my employees do the hard stuff."

Dipper snorted.

"Hey! I'm learning! But I've only been doing this a few months." Pacifica sank down into her desk chair, propping her chin in her hands. "Almost all my allowance and side gig income is going toward my alpacas. My parents don't want to invest in my startup!" She pouted. "They said if I want to act like a rancher instead of a socialite, it'll be on my own dime."

"So that's why you're working two summer jobs?" Dipper said. "Oh, man. I should have known something was up. I thought it was weird when you said your parents wouldn't pay for a spring and summer wardrobe."

"Yeah, I spent my spring wardrobe budget on this barn," Pacifica said. "I figure I'm investing in my future wardrobe, you know?"

Mabel planted her hands on Pacifica's desk. "Pacifica, I can see how important this is. I've run a business myself—I appreciate the pressure you're under. But, how about this: we could help each other! If you get us a tiiiny bit of that formula, I'll come over once a week for the rest of summer to help out with your alpacas. For free!"

Pacifica blinked. "What?"

"And that way, even if you do get in trouble and lose your Hairy Fairy job, you'll still have someone to help you out!"

Dipper's eyes widened. "Um—Pacifica, could you give us a moment?" He grabbed Mabel's elbow and tugged her out of the office.

"What is it?"

Dipper whispered, "Are you sure you wanna make that kind of commitment for the rest of summer? For Bill's sake?"

"Dipperrr, it's like working in a petting zoo!" She gestured toward the office window. "Look at how soft they are!"

"Oh, boy."

"And maybe I could get some luxury alpaca wool! I'm gonna have the fanciest sweaters."

Dipper grimaced, but decided Mabel would probably have looked for an excuse to spend time around the alpacas regardless of the situation. "Okay. Have at her." He nodded back toward the office.

When Mabel and Dipper came back in, Pacifica was sitting up straighter, hands laced on her desk, a miniature businesswoman entertaining a business proposal. "I appreciate the offer," Pacifica said. "But I don't think a few hours of labor a week balance out the profits I could make at my modeling job. It just doesn't make financial sense. I'm sorry, Mabel. I've got to think of my alpacas."

"I understand. But—I've got to think of my not-friend. If you could just see..." She trailed off as a thought occurred to her. "Dipper! Let me get in your backpack."

"Um, okay—?"

Mabel rummaged around in the main pouch. "I'm sure we left it... Ha!" She slapped down a ziplock bag containing the lock of Bill's hair that they'd collected to make his poppet. "This... is the person I'm trying to help." She crossed her arms triumphantly. "Okay, not the person, but it's his hair anyway."

Pacifica's brows shot up. "Oh, wow." She opened the bag and carefully extracted a few strands to examine. "This is the most golden golden hair I've ever seen. And look at it. Little oily, could use a good conditioner, damaged roots, but otherwise amazing health, no split ends..." Pacifica looked at Mabel, pointed at the baggie, and asked, "Virgin?"

Mabel laughed nervously. "I have no idea and I never ever want to find out."

"No! I mean is this the natural color and texture, or has it been treated?"

"Oh. I'm pretty sure it just came like that?" She looked at Dipper.

Dipper shrugged. "I mean, probably? I doubt he hit up a salon before coming to the Mystery Shack."

"And... you say he had a bad haircut?" Pacifica asked. "What does he look like now?"

Gently, Mabel said, "Bald."

Pacifica let out the softest gasp. "Okay. I get it. I'll help. And also send over a couple of conditioner samplers, because whoever your friend is, he has not been taking care of his hair lately. Natural beauty can only carry him so far. I'll have the conditioners overnighted to your shack."

"Great!" A wide smile broke out across Mabel's face. "Thank you so much, Pacifica! And the formula, too?"

"Actually, I can give you that right now." Pacifica pulled a small green Hairy Fairy bottle from one of her overall pockets.

Mabel gasped in delight. Dipper said, "Wait, you had that the whole time?"

"When we escaped the country club, I accidentally still had the bottle we'd used for the live demonstration in my pocket," Pacifica said. "I was going to replace it tomorrow morning before anyone goes looking for it; I'll just give you guys a few drops and make up the difference with a little alpaca shampoo. Hopefully, nobody will notice the difference."

Mabel said, "Pacifica, you're the best!"

"I know." Pacifica leaned across the desk to put a hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Just promise me one thing."

"Sure! What?"

"I won't be able to do this a second time," Pacifica said. "So you'd better make sure your friend takes care of his hair."

####

Bill squinted at the chocolate chip-sized dollop of lotion at the bottom of the quart-sized plastic food container. "Gotta hand it to you, Shooting Star. This is the funniest way you could have transported the formula."

"We forgot to bring anything to put it in." Mabel snapped on a pair of yellow dish gloves and pointed at the kitchen floor. "Okay! Sit down so I can reach and let me work my magic."

"What, don't think I can handle it myself?" But he sat down even as he protested. He'd already removed his cardboard triangle helmet—which now sat, battered and bent, on the kitchen table—and had washed off his paint/makeup as well as he could without requesting shower access.

Mabels scooped the dollop of lotion onto one gloved finger, then massaged it across her fingertips. "I'm your official makeup artist now! I've gotta do it. Besides, you missed a chunk of hair when you were removing it, you'd probably miss a chunk when you were putting it back on."

"Eh, fair enough. Okay kid, do your worst."

As Mabel coated Bill's scalp, the chemical burns he'd given himself while removing his hair vanished, replaced with new healthy skin—and Dipper quietly lamented, once again, that this stuff was being marketed to grow hair and not regrow limbs. He'd have to document it thoroughly in his journal later.

Dipper was sitting at the bottom of the attic stairs, watching the proceedings in the kitchen, armed with Mabel's grappling gun to use as a projectile weapon if Bill dared try anything. But Bill just sat there, legs crossed with his feet on his thighs and his hands palm-up on his knees like he was meditating, not even turning his head as Mabel worked.

Mabel jerked her hands back in surprise as a fresh layer of golden hair sprang out of Bill's scalp—then quickly reached in again, massaging the lotion into all the strands and coaxing them out until they were all around shoulder length, the same as they'd started. "There! Ta-da! Good as new!"

As the hair crawled down Bill's temples, tickled his ears, brushed his cheeks, he squeezed his eyes shut as tight as he could and clenched his jaw, straining hard to keep from moving. His open hands curled into fists. Dipper raised the grappling hook. But when Bill turned to face Mabel, he was all grins again, and if Dipper hadn't known to look for it he wouldn't have noticed the anxious tic in Bill's eyebrow. "Well? How do I look?"

"Gorgeous! If the real Goldilocks saw you, she'd have to change her name in shame."

"Ha! That's what I like to hear!" Bill un-pretzeled his legs and stood up. "And you did it without giving me any spare eyebrows, too." So he did know about the side-effects.

"Oh, pfff, yeah, I'm not lowering my guard around that stuff again. The first time I opened a bottle, I got some on me and grew an extra hand!"

"No! Really?" Bill gave Mabel's gloved hands a skeptical look. "Where's it now?"

"I donated it to the Hand Witch."

"Ahh, pity. You could've had some fun with your temporary crown."

"'Crown'?"

"Most fingers in the household?"

Mabel's eyes bugged out, and then a manic smile took over her face, as if her brain had just been flooded with more glee than her face could process. She yanked off the gloves, hastily rubbed them on her left wrist, and shouted, "GRUNKLE FOOORD!" She sprinted through the entryway and took the turn down the hallway so fast she ran a couple steps up on the wall before landing back on the floor. "Grunkle Ford, guess what!"

Dipper almost followed her—until he caught Bill moving in the corner of his eye, bending down to pick up the discarded gloves. Dipper raised the grappling hook. What was Bill planning to do with them—use the remainder to mutate himself? Save them to use later? Eat them—?

Bill dropped the gloves in the plastic container the lotion had come in, sealed the lid, and dropped them in the kitchen waste bin. Under his breath, he muttered, "The last thing I need is the pig sniffing this and growing an extra snout." He paused. "Wait. That would be funny."

From the other side of the house, Ford's voice bellowed, "BILL!"

Bill's head snapped around to face the kitchen doorway—and for the first time he glanced at Dipper sitting on the stairs. "Hey. What do you bet he didn't even let Mabel explain before deciding this is my fault?"

"Uh..."

Mabel and Ford's approach could be tracked through Mabel's hasty explanation: "Grunkle Ford, it's just a prank! I'm okay, see? I'm gonna donate Mirhanda to the Hand Witch, it'll be fine—"

The moment Ford saw Bill, he made a beeline for him and seized him by his t-shirt collar. "What did you do to her?! Answer me, Cipher!"

"I didn't! I'm innocent! I plea the fifth! I've been falsely accused! I was framed! Mercy!" The sincerity of his pleas was somewhat undermined by the fact that he couldn't stop laughing the whole time Ford was trying to menace him. His too-wide gleeful smile looked a lot like Mabel's.

####

"Okay, Pacifica," the director said. "This commercial is for the teen market, so we want you to talk to the camera like you're talking to your peers, all right? And by that, I don't mean your real peers. I mean the slightly less rich girls who would do anything you asked to be considered one of your peers."

"Don't worry, I've got this," Pacifica said. She positioned herself on her stool, hands laced over her knees, and said, "Ready when you are."

"And... action!"

Pacifica gave the camera her best haughty-but-not-too-haughty look, the one that said maybe if you say something interesting to me I'll double your social standing for fun, and launched into her memorized lines: "Hey, I'm Pacifica Northwest—you all know me, most of you probably want to be me. Listen, girls: have you ever tried to go short and it just didn't work out? Maybe that pixie cut makes your ears look weird, maybe those bangs are not for you. If you wish you looked as great as me, I have just the thing for you..."

Everything continued as normal, until Harry's Hairy Fairy Formula was applied to her hair... and nothing happened. Pacifica stumbled over a word, and then kept going, as if maybe no one would notice if she didn't draw attention to it. As she was wrapping up her monologue, her hair finally... slowly started growing... and stopped at half its usual length. Pacifica bit her lip.

"Pacifica!"

She winced and turned toward her boss, feigning a look of innocent surprise. "Yes, Mr. Haroldson?"

"What did you put in your hair! You know you're not supposed to have any product in your hair on shoot days!"

"Nothinggg! I've been following my hair care instructions perfectly! And I had it rinsed just before the shoot like always!"

"Well—what's the problem, then?" Mr. Haroldson turned to the hazmat-suited hairdresser holding the formula bottle.

"I don't know." He took off his mask. "This is the same sample bottle we used at the country club demonstration, it should be fine..." He took a sniff of it, and grimaced. "What...? That's not our usual fragrance, is it?" Mr. Haroldson leaned over to sniff as well.

She'd been found out. She was doomed. Her poker face collapsed like a house of cards. "Okay fine I took a few drops for a friend and maybe replaced it with a little bit of shampoo, so what!" She pointed at Mr. Haroldson. "What are you gonna do about it, huh? Fire me? Go ahead, see if I care! I can get a million better modeling jobs in a week!"

Mr. Haroldson's expression darkened in rage—and then he said, "Pacifica, you're a genius!"

"Huh?"

"Watering it down! Of course! We can sell unaltered bottles to hook new customers and then stretch out our supply by giving repeat customers the weak stuff—we'll tell them that it's less effective if they're overusing it! We can keep up that scam for years, it's not like the FDA is regulating this stuff! Why, we could even make a whole new product!" He turned to wave at an assistant, "Call R&D, get R&D on the phone—we'll make a formula designed to grow short hair. We can call it... Pixie Dust Pixie Cuts! It's all thanks to you, Pacifica!" He beamed at her.

She beamed back.

He said, "You're not getting credit or a raise though."

"Pshhh, obviously. I know how this industry works."

"All right, back to work." He pointed at the director. "Crack open a new bottle and let's wrap this up ASAP. I've got to schedule some meetings about the new product line."

####

"Well, he didn't grow himself eight arms," Dipper said, sitting cross-legged on his bed. He was going over a map of Gravity Falls he'd taken from the gift shop, circling locations of potential paranormal activity he wanted to investigate over the summer. Bill-tainted places got an additional triangle. "And I took out the kitchen trash to make sure Bill couldn't go back for the formula later. I guess he wasn't up to anything after all." He paused. "... Unless he wanted the formula in our trash, and now it's multiplying the garbage or getting picked up by some sleeper agent outside the shack—"

"Stooop," Mabel said. She was carefully coloring in a green bottle of Harry's Hairy Fairy Formula in Dipper's journal; Dipper had started entrusting his journal's art duties to Mabel whenever they went on a joint investigation. "We can't start thinking like that! Remember, our therapist told us that paranoia is a natural coping mechanism for dealing with scary situations, but trusting people is healthy and a sign of healing!" She set down the journal so she could emphasize the word "healing" with jazz hands.

"I think that's supposed to apply to trusting normal people."

"Yeah, but still." The journal flipped a few pages as she picked it back up, and her eyes were caught by scribbles in bright highlighter yellow. "Hey, what's this new stuff? Did you make up a secret code to keep notes in? Can I learn?"

"Ugh. No, Bill did that. I left my journal out and he wrote a bunch of secret messages. It's probably telling me how I'm going to die or the names of all the girls who will reject me or something."

"Pff, probably. Have you shown Grunkle Ford? Maybe he knows it."

"Not yet. He's been too busy."

"Right..." And now, she was sure, he was probably mad at her personally for worrying him with the hand prank.

Mabel flipped through a few more pages, looking at the bright yellow notes. She glanced toward the window, scanning the trees outside. She sighed and got up, leaving Dipper's journal on her bed.

"What's up?"

"Now you've got me worrying about sleeper agents. I'm gonna make sure the gloves are still in the trash."

When she'd confirmed all the garbage was right where it was supposed to be and came back in the shack, she spotted Bill in the living room. He was scrunched up on one side of the sofa as close to the doorway as he could get, watching TV. He glanced over as she shut the front door and flashed a grin. "Hey, Shooting Star. What're you up to?"

Ah, great. They were on casual chit-chat terms now. She edged toward the doorway but stayed outside the living room—sorry, not staying long—and said, "Oh, you know, just—looking at... the outdoors." Before he could dig further, she changed the topic. "So! How's that hair working out for you?"

"Ah." His smile wilted and his glance drifted back toward the TV. (He seemed to be watching the local news. Mabel decided he must've been really bored.) "Well, hair's still the worst thing that's ever grown on me and I still see a human in the mirror—but at least it's a human with a vaguely triangular silhouette. I can live with being back where I started."

"Sorry we couldn't come up with a real solution." As glad as she was to finish her obligation to Bill, she hated that all her efforts hadn't even really helped. Some problem-solver she was.

"Yeah, well. You can't build a pyramid out of meat. You did the best you could." Bill turned to fully face Mabel. "But, hey—listen." He had one eye squeezed shut but the other one stared her down with the intensity of a spotlight, paralyzing her in place. "Even if it's not perfect, I appreciate the effort you put in."

"Hey, it's no big deal. Crafts are my whole thing! It was kinda fun."

"No, I'm serious," Bill said. "I know I'm the town bogeyman, and everyone's only putting up with me until they find the easiest way to obliterate me. But you did a lot more than just 'put up with me.' And, well—don't tell the others I said this," he rolled his eye toward the hall to the rest of the house, and lowered his voice, "but... it's been a long time since anybody's treated me with a little kindness. Longer than you can imagine. I think I'd forgotten what it feels like. Even if I don't have much time left to enjoy it—I'm grateful for the reminder, kid."

Mabel's eyes widened. "Bill, that..." A lump formed in her throat. How long had it been? As big a jerk as he was—centuries? Millennia?

She darted into the living room, squeezed Bill in a hug before he could protest, and then bolted up the stairs two at a time.

And Bill thought to himself, got her.

Humans were so easy. Once you figured out what they wanted to believe in, you could make them do anything you wanted.

Mabel wanted to believe that everyone everywhere yearned to be friends with everyone else, and that the only thing holding them back was the defensive walls they built around their emotions. Mabel wanted to see people's walls come down. Mabel wanted every social problem to be simple enough that even a child could solve it if they were earnest and honest enough.

Mabel shouldn't have let Bill watch Color Critters. It told him too much about the kind of world she idealized. He had that kid completely figured out—

There was a loud pounding as Mabel leaped back down the stairs three at a time. "On your feet!" She grabbed Bill's hands and tugged him off the sofa, then wrapped a measuring tape around his hips.

He twisted around in bewilderment as she circled him, now measuring his chest. "What—?"

"Face forward! Arms out from your sides!" She measured his shoulder span, then grabbed one arm to measure the length. "I'll be back later. I've got work to do. Do not come upstairs!"

Bill leaned out the doorway to watch her bunny-hop back up to the attic.

Okay, he had that kid mostly figured out.

Well, the odd quirks just made her a little more interesting than the average human. The important thing was that, whether she knew it or not, she wanted Bill to be her friend. She wanted to be the horse girl who tamed the hostile bronco, the beauty who saved the beast. She wanted monsters to swear their loyalty to cute spunky protagonists, and she thought she was a protagonist.

The "reformed bad boy" was outside of the usual characters he played—he was better as the ancient teacher, the playful trickster, the divine messenger—but it was an easy enough role, and it gave him plenty of room to misbehave while staying in character. It's so hard to change my old ways—but maybe it would be easier if you give me another chance, if you help me, if you do this one little thing for me...

There was a fun little quirk of human psychology that was so well-known they'd even given their own name to it: the Foot-In-The-Door Technique. Once you get a human to do you one small, tiny little favor, they'll be more likely to do you another, bigger favor later. Borrow a dollar today and they'll be more likely to let you borrow a hundred dollars next week. Ask them to drive you to the auto shop and you'll have a better chance of asking them to help you move. Get them to bring you a little hair solution, and... well, Bill would just have to wait and see what he wanted next.

As long as everything Bill asked for was harmless, there was nothing the warier members of the household could do to intervene without making themselves look like the unreasonable ones. And by the time Bill started asking for anything dangerous, he'd have Mabel eating out of the palm of his hand, and she'd have no idea until it was too late that she didn't mean a thing to him—

####

Bill stared dumbly in the mirror at the yellow yarn hoodie. "H—Did you just make this?" With his arms at his sides, from the shoulders down, it looked like a decapitated triangle.

"I used velvet yarn for your brick pattern," Mabel said. "It makes the lines stand out more! And I cut one of Dipper's bow ties in half to make the hood's drawstring so you can tie it into a bow!"

Wordlessly, Bill tied the bow—it hung in the center of his chest—and then he pulled the hood on, tugging it low over his forehead, completing the triangle. Mabel had put an eye on the hood. She'd even remembered Bill's eyelashes.

"I thought, hey—if the mask was too much, and the hair is too little, maybe a hoodie's just right," Mabel said. "I don't usually make sweaters for people—sweater curse, blarrr, you know—but, this one time, I thought it was important." She gave Bill a nervous smile. "So... what do you think? Do you like it?"

Bill stared at his reflection. It was hideous, misshapen, and alien, but it was almost himself.

He looked at Mabel. He got down on his knees. He put a hand on her shoulder. He said, "I will kill one enemy of yours, for free, no questions asked, in any way you want."

Mabel blinked. "Please don't do that."

"When I take over the universe I'm giving you your own galaxy."

"I don't—I don't want a galaxy. What would I do with a whole galaxy?"

"A solar system. A planet? Everyone wants their own planet!"

Mabel shook her head.

"Then what do you want?" What the heck do human children like. "Can I show you a magic trick?"

Mabel considered that.

####

"Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel ran into the kitchen, pushing Waddles in front of her, breathless with excitement. "Look what I can do!" She held a clear plastic spoon at arm's length, peered through it at Waddles like it was a magnifying glass, and slowly lifted the spoon up. Waddles floated up into the air as well. He snorted in mild bafflement.

Stan's jaw dropped. Ford said, "Ohhh, boy."

Mabel beamed at them both.

####

(This chapter isn't quite as edited as I usually do, because I've been sick this past week but wanted to get it out anyway. Apologies for that and I'd appreciate if you noticed any typos or disjointed sentences! And I'd doubly appreciate any nice comments, I've been having a hell of a week.)

#bill cipher #human bill cipher #gravity falls #mabel pines #fanfic #gravity falls fic #my writing #my art #bill goldilocks cipher

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ashesbreadandbutter · 1 month

Text

Naughty Hisoka Scenarios

Bro is a menace for real.

Upon first seeing you he feels something that manages to attract him and like a moth to a flame or a shark to blood... He invests his time in you for being interesting.

Him chasing you is like a game of cat and mouse especially because at first he does manage to keep a bit of his distance.

As you get closer though, having missions together, killing together, and so on so forth you finally catch on to his intent.

You give him a chance and the first time he has his way with you he spends damn near HOURS between your thighs, listening and humming as you'd jolt and cry

Has a thing for overstimulation, kissing, biting and sucking at your skin in the cruelest form of foreplay. He will definitely play with you like a predator tends to play with its food.

The way you whine and buck against his mouth makes him shiver and blush, eyes rolling back as you take hold of his hair.

Pull it, yank it, run your nails over his scalp.. really any form of 'affection' is enough to make his bite his lip and make his cock jump with excitement.

Does that thing at times where guys fuck you and then pulls out to rub the head of their cock over your twitching, throbbing entrance and he loves watching your eyes roll at it.

Loves listening to your noises when he touches you, you simply are just too cute.

He's a biter, though he may lick and suck and nibble on your skin as well and he does it carefully at first before it turns into him seeming like he actually wants to eat you whole

Don't tease him, bro definitely wants the smoke..

Honestly gets excited quickly and he can go for multiple rounds.

Interestingly enough he doesn't actually seem to go after anyone while he's with you, once he has his eyes set of someone he's usually set like that. He isn't one to jump from partner to partner if he actually wants someone

Rather dominant in bed but versatile, he will be rather excited if you manage to be the dominant one though. Pin him to the wall or grab his chin when he's talking too much and you'll have shivers rushing up and down his spine in no time.

Bro is literally feral, even if he's acting right and not downright jumping your bones it's always a thought that comes to mind whether he wants you immediately and wants to tease and take his time.

Loves physical affection from his partner(s), he'll even admit it if you ask him about it

"duh I love it, who wouldn't love being able to touch you all the time?" He says with chuckle while you flush and huff.

He knows just how to get under your skin and he learns quickly.

Are you ticklish? Do you get shy easily? Do you stare at him when you think he's not aware? Your fucked. Bro will come to the conclusion, might as well take it like a good boy/girl/pet.

He's fucking huge, his cock it literally no joke so don't hurt yourself Reader, take it slowly~

Has his moments where he just loves looking down at you while he touches and caresses your skin and when you eventually chuckle and ask him what he's doing hell simply hum innocently though you can literally feel his hardness resting in your back.

Honestly he's quite loyal. He doesn't like wasting his time so him choosing you is definitely a choice he made all on his own. It also means a lot because Hisoka can be rather bored with many people.

Knows how to use that mouth of his so don't think he won't use it. He'll eat you out as a punishment without hesitation.

Likes to spank your ass every time he's taking you from the back because he just can't help himself especially when it's shaking on his cock like that...

All in all, bro is definitely on demon time.

Idk 😶 just some thoughts I have on bro.

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ashdreams2023 · 2 years

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Hi love can i request a “too clingy” cliche with Loki or five??

Only you

Five hargreeves x reader

"Hi!" You chimed warping your arms around five’s shoulders from behind "how are we feeling today"

Five sighed, taking a sip of coffee from his fifth cup that morning "tolerable" he mumbled.

Diego then came in the kitchen just as you gave five a fast squeeze before sitting down next to him, now holding onto his free arm.

"You two are brighter than ever" said Diego.

Five continued to ignore his brother, not being in the mood to speak at all that specific day.

"Has anybody see my…oh-" klaus paused when he saw five drinking his coffee and a suspiciously familiar box of coffee beans open.

"Five…is that your first cup?" Five raised a brow at his brother then looked down at his cup, the coffee looked normal and tasted just fine but since klaus is making faces something is definitely wrong with it.

"Let me see" you reached your hand to take a look too but he snatched the coffee too fast resulting in it spilling on your hand "ow!"

Five slammed his cup on the table and dragged you to the sink, he turned the cold water on and placed your hand there.

"Five you’re a little rough don’t you think?" You said without thinking, and apparently that was his last straw.

"If you knew what personal space is maybe this wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t have to deal with your childish behavior!"

You froze, staring dumbly at him before snatching your hand away and storming out of the kitchen with both his two brothers watching uncomfortably.

Five’s short temper never bothered you that much, he went through shit and his family wasn’t exactly the best at handling themselves alone without him throwing himself in straight up danger in order for everyone to survive.

But for some reason this time it hurt, probably because he never mentioned it before and hearing it in that tone made it seem like he couldn’t breath with you around.

You asked grace for some burns cream to cool down your hand and spent the rest of the day in Alison’s room since allowed you to take it as a personal safe space away from family drama.

It was around eight at night when he appeared in the room, you didn’t want to look at him and pretended to be interested in the old vogue magazine on Alison’s desk.

"Hey, listen…I didn’t mean what I said you know that"

Still ignoring him.

Five sighed before going in to grab your hand but you moved away, that made him cringe and turn his hands into fists.

"Why are you being difficult!?"

You turned to face him with hurt and anger both mixing on your face "You can’t breath with me around so why should I get near you!? I’m giving you your damn fucking space ok!"

Five curses himself then stood in front of the door stopping you from going anywhere "you shouldn’t take anything I say seriously when I snap…" his voice was now calmer "please…I’m sorry, I wasn’t in a good mood"

"You’re never in a good one, and you…" you felt choked, frustrated and embarrassed.

"I’m an idiot for screaming at you like that, that’s what I am…I don’t find you suffocating or any ridiculous conclusions you had got in your head, you’re the only person that I don’t mind touching me and being this close with, you’re the only one I want near me." He breathed, he looked tired.

"Do you really mean it?" You said.

"Of course, I would strangle Luther if he tried to remotely give me a side hug let alone hold my hand or any of the stuff you do…plus your touch is softer" you felt your cheeks flush at that. Five took your hand onto his and brought you close.

"Only you can be this close, understood?" He said.

"If you say so…but if you yell at me again like that I’m beating you up" you pouted but he only chuckled.

"Fair enough."

#five hargreeves x reader #five hargreeves x you #five x reader #five x y/n #five hargreeves #five my beloved #netflix the umbrella academy #five the umbrella academy #the umbrella academy

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rustygateofme · 2 years

Text

Here’s some of my favorite callbacks to the show and the little details I noticed after I binged it all again:

- Leo is still speaking Spanish, even though it was one line.

- Leo actually took over a lot more missions in the show than I remember, it was because of him they defeated the shredder the first time around. (my head canon is that after Splinter made Leo leader in the show he just didn’t take the role because he doesn’t want that much responsibility on him)

- Donnie uses that much mystic tech probably because his bigger lab was destroyed and there’s less resources, he didn’t even have his shell equipped with flying gear. The other part of it, it’s faster and can be applied to any situation.

- in Leo’s room there’s a poster for Jupiter Jim sails the seven galaxies which he considered the best Jupiter Jim movie in Snow Day

- in the episode man vs. sewer Leo was the one who led the search for Raph. “You know how Raph gets when he is alone, the clock is ticking”.

- on that note, whenever Leo’s shenanigans directly posed a threat to his family he always took the fall.

- in portal jacked! Leo also was on edge and reckless if that’s what it took to save his brothers. In the movie the stakes were so much higher so his recklessness probably consumed him.

- the turtles defeated their big bads with a Jupiter Jim figure, tickles and then the hamato nimpo. No wonder Leo was so careless in the first act, everything worked out for them in the end before.

- not something new but wow I love disaster twins interactions.

- I might be wrong but I feel like Leo’s voice was deeper in the movie, but maybe it was because he didn’t get to crack a lot of jokes there.

- April’s Crane license.

- still bitter that we didn’t get Draxum but it gives the new people who are watching the show after the movie a chance to experience the whole Draxum/Lou Jitsu storyline without spoilers and I think it’s pretty great. As a new fan I’d definitely be confused if in the movie Draxum was just dad 2 and we get to the first season AND HE IS THE BIG BAD.

- I choose to believe that Vomitello was a callback to Tummytello and you can’t convince me otherwise.

- the line delivery on “Surprise, I’ve come for my brother” is because Leo’s coping mechanism is humor.

- they finally said teenage mutant ninja turtles but I feel sad knowing that nobody referred to them as Mad Dogs(

- Mikey opened a portal to the prison dimension just like Draxum did in season 2. Mikey was the closest to him as well, giving him an apartment and helping with the job search and all.

- Leo in New Jersey.

- Cassandra “Casey” Jones is still working as grandma CJ.

- Donnie’s “what a town” line that was frequently used by him in Late Fee.

In conclusion, I want more rottmnt now. How is the mystic city doing after the invasion? Is Leo still friends with Señor Hueso? Do they still use their old catchphrases and refer to each other with incorrect full names or did they grow out of it? What about Lair Games, do they have them in the new lair? IS SHELLDON OK?!

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cheese-ception · 10 months

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Měimèng

美梦 [ měimèng ] means sweet dream warnings: none word-count: 605

Xiao's bond with you is strong - so much so that he occasionally offers a reminder, voice gruff as he tells you of his fears about the possible effects his prolonged presence may cause. At times he disappears for days - or even weeks, claiming it is for your own good, only to return looking worn out, exhaustion written all over his features, causing the already existing seeds of worry in your heart to take root. Eventually you can no longer take it and decide to try and follow him - but to no avail, coming to the conclusion that tracking down an adeptus who doesn't wish to be found is no easy task. Aware of your attempts, the stubborn yaksha continues to avoid you, much to your dismay. Refusing to just give up, you persist even so, setting out to chase after him time after time, chipping away at his resolve to remain hidden, bit by bit, until curiosity finally puts a halt to his evasiveness, offering you a chance to find him at last. It is then you get to see exactly why he has been attempting to hide as he regards you warily, covered with in sweat, chest heaving in a staccato of sharp intakes of breath and exasperated exhales. You try to approach him closer and he shakes his head, the unspoken warning not to dare looming between you like an invisible barrier. Not wanting to pressure him further while he's in such a state, you let go, retreating to your room at the topmost level of the inn, glad to have shared at least that short, albeit rather unsettling, moment. Several weeks pass by, blossoms of concern blooming underneath your sternum, stemming from Xiao's extended absence. Yet despite them, you still choose to give him time, to let him come back to you on his own terms. And come back he does. Quietly watching from the rooftop for a while, tentative steps finding their way into your lodgings only once he's assured you're sound asleep. He wants more than anything to simply be with you, to feel you place your palm upon his brow and let the relief your closeness provides wash over him like a soothing rain while you cradle his head in your hands. But he finds himself uncertain. Reluctant to be the subject of your pity - or worse yet, to have his crippling bouts of karma cause you any harm. He settles down by the side of your bed, close enough to feel your warmth but without a direct contact, allowing his eyes to close in a moment of blissful indulgence - a respite he has ached for longer than he'd ever wish to admit.

"Just for a little while," he tells himself, sliding an arm between the blanket and his cheek, leaning against the edge of your mattress carefully. After all, adepti don't really need to rest, right? The soft rays of sunshine greet a brand new day and you wake with Xiao still by your side, stirring slightly at the sensation of your fingers combing through his teal streaked hair. At last, you feel like you can breathe again, solace dissolving the pesky tangle of doubts wedged in your chest as you take in the sight of his relaxed form, dozing peacefully mere inches away. Emboldened by overwhelming affection, you lean down, pressing a loving kiss to his forehead. Your actions, gentle as they are, don't go unnoticed, reflected in the yaksha's pleasant dream, sweeter now than it already was before. Perhaps someday he might get used to this. You know you definitely could.

________ Masterlist

#xiao #xiao genshin impact #genshin impact #genshin impact fanfics #xiao x you #xiao x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact hcs #genshin #alatus #yaksha #vigilant yaksha

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edenhasfeelings · 2 months

Text

The Death of Media Literacy, Religion, Misogyny, and Cognitive Dissonance

Spoilers for Dune Part 1 and 2 and the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I'll admit, I have not read the Dune books yet, but I am a huge fan of the Dune movies. Not only did Denis Villeneuve just make two incredible, epic movies with a lot of nuance, gorgeous visuals, and an incredible score by Hans Zimmer, but the story itself is really compelling for a lot of reasons. My mother had tried to get me into Dune when I was younger, but at the time it wasn't my thing. I really liked Part 1, but Part 2 was something else entirely. I was gripping my seat the whole time, genuinely enthralled by everything happening. But I came out of the theatre with one definite conclusion: Paul Atredies is not a hero. I shared my thoughts in the car, and while my boyfriend agreed with me and my father had no opinion, my mother adamantly refused. She read the first book in college, and loved the 1984 version of the film (watching that, in my opinion, was like slow cooking your eyeballs over a campfire, but it was cool for the time period I guess). She was insistent he was the hero, and then tried to say that they changed the story to make him seem more like a villain, but he wasn't in the first book.

No hate to my mom, it's been a long while since she read the first book, and me and her are going to actually read the whole series soon. From my understanding and the research I've done, Frank Herbert wrote Dune as a cautionary tale against white saviorism and a commentary about America stealing oil from Middle Eastern countries and their subsequent colonization. I've also heard it was meant to be a standalone originally, but because people were portraying Paul Atredies to be the hero so much, he then wrote Dune Messiah to further drive home the point he was originally trying to make. But even without the knowledge of the books, it was apparent to me that he was not meant to be a hero in the movies. Of course, it isn't spelled out for you, and Timothée Chalamet does have some really epic, badass moments. But one of the biggest clue that you can have to what's going on is Chani, and how she reacts. She loves Paul, and she supports him, but she doesn't support him becoming a religious figure that leads her people because she feels as though that level of fervent religion is dangerous and not right; she says that a born and raised Fremen should be the one to free their people. You also see a huge shift from how Paul acts in the first movie and the first part of the second movie to how he acts after he drinks the Water of Life. In the first movie and first part of the second, he refuses to fulfill any prophecy, and tells them that he is not the one they are looking for. He is only wanting one thing: to avenge his father and his house. He even gets into an argument with his mother, Jessica, and he tells her that the Bene Gesserit were the ones to perpetuate this prophecy for their own gain. He knows it isn't real, and that it isn't divine, and that he was raised by Jessica to fit the qualifications for this prophecy for her own gain and the gain of her order. He knows what will happen if he takes up the mantle of Lisan al-Gaib: holy war spreading across the galaxy in his name. But when he feels like he has no other choice but to drink the Water to rally the Fremen to fight the Harkonnens, things instantly change. He becomes arrogant and demanding and self-confident, completely uncaring of how Chani feels and becoming solely focused on becoming Emperor. The line "lead them to paradise" felt really, really gross upon delivery, partly due to Hans Zimmer's masterful score. It feels damning.

While looking like a white savior story at very simplistic face value, Dune: Part Two is in fact a critique of it, even without the addition of Dune Messiah. The other big thing that the movie critiques is religion, especially blind faith at the cost of your critical thinking skills, religious fanaticism and idolization, and how religion is taken advantage of by people in power or people who want to be in power. Now I've seen a lot of tone deaf critiques of Dune, and a lot of ignorant comments made, usually in regards to the racial and political elements of the story. I have also seen a lot of people who get it and were able to help me expand my reasoning for the feeling of wrongness I got from people thinking Paul is a hero. But nothing compares to the TikTok I saw today. Someone blended the audio of Timothée Chalamet's Wonka character introducing himself, with the scene after Paul drinks the Water and goes to rally the Fremen to fight for his cause. The first image in the slideshow was an image of Wonka with the caption "Being raised in a religious household and calling yourself 'a Christian'." The second slide shows Paul in the midst of his religious fanaticism in the movie, with the caption "After being born again and having your entire worldview change." Absolutely no hate to this creator if you know who I'm talking about, but this video quite honestly had me gagged, for lack of a better term. I was absolutely shocked at not just the usual lack of media literacy that revolves around this movie and so many others, but the fact that they were so far gone from the point of the movie and Paul's character entirely that they thought it was a good idea to post that online in reference to their own faith. Paul Atredies took advantage of a prophecy that he knew was engineered to control the Fremen to do exactly what the Harkonnens wanted to do, just in a different font. His intentions might have been good to start, but ultimately, because of Jessica and the Bene Gesserit (specifically the Reverend Mother, as she talks to him in his visions and pushes him forward), who he realizes he is being manipulated by, he ends up where he is: a religious idol who (Spoiler for Dune Messiah) leads 61 billion souls "to paradise" and causes irreparable damage to the galaxy.

As someone who was raised Christian, I can tell you without a doubt that religion in general, but especially Christianity, can heavily damage your critical thinking skills and media literacy. When you look at everything from the lens of, "Ok but how does this piece of media validate my feelings and beliefs regardless of intention, subtext, or true meaning?" you end up falling into some really dangerous territory. Paul is not meant to be venerated in any way, shape, or form. He's a badass character and Timothée Chalamet did an excellent job portraying him, but you should not be comparing yourself to him, especially in the context of your religious journey. That is incredibly dangerous as you then shut your eyes to the true message of the story: white saviorism is bad, colonialism is bad, exploiting entire peoples for resources of any kind is bad, and spreading and using religion to control people is bad. Of course if you phrased bluntly any of these things to religious people they would (probably) agree that those are bad things. But when you put it into the context of film/literature/music/etc, and then you have no one spelling things out for you like you're used to people doing for you in your religion, and you've already tossed your critical thinking skills out the window in order to avoid doubting your faith, you end up supporting and turning a blind eye to the bad things that you would otherwise disagree with if it was made simple for you. Even if you have no ill intention, even though it was just a silly TikTok, the ease in which people delude themselves by refusing to look any deeper into media causes such mass amounts of complacency and allows history to repeat itself. It is repeating itself right now. When we learn about the Holocaust in school, everyone would say that if they were Germans living in Germany, they would have opposed the genocide of the Jewish, Romani, and queer people during WWII. But here we are, watching the genocide of the Palestinian people live on our phones, and yet people are still sitting in denial and complacency, and often using the Bible and religion as an excuse for why its' ok.

Steering away from the topic of religion, another clear example of media illiteracy recently was The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I both read the book and saw the movie (full book review posted on my book review blog @385bookreviews). While in the book you get Coriolanus' raw thoughts and it is made more obvious that he is not a good person even without the influence of Dr. Gaul, the movie still does a really good job of showing his decline into the person we see in The Hunger Games trilogy. And yet somehow, even with the context of the first three Hunger Games books (and the four movies), somehow people were still painting Coriolanus as the misunderstood good guy of the story. The latent misogyny that came out of so many people, especially women and girls who claim to be feminists, by saying Lucy Gray was manipulative and everything was her fault, was honestly appalling to watch. There is always room for personal interpretation of media, however that is widely different from purposefully ignoring canon information and editing the text to adhere to your own cognitive dissonance. This can once again come back to religion, as I believe people of every organized religion also practice this habit of picking and choosing whatever they want from their holy texts and then conveniently excusing the rest of it. Media illiteracy is shown in another way with the Hunger Games series fans as well. A lot of people can go to the movies or read the books and root for the rebelling protagonist and recognize perfectly the plot of the story: government bad, so good people rebel and fight for their freedom, and those are our heroes. And yet these same people will then turn around and ignore genocide because "the oppressed people attacked first, they should have stayed peaceful".

While not all media reflects real life, or is meant to be taken as seriously, The Hunger Games and Dune are definitely not two of those series. By ignoring the context and subtext and purely engaging with things as fiction, and then ignoring the real life applications and implications of the work, we are being purposefully and consensually blinded and allowing ourselves to become mindless cogs in a capitalist machine. We all need to learn to think for ourselves, now more than ever, and that starts with our media consumption.

#dune #dune movie #dune part 1 #dune part 2 #dune part one #dune part two #media literacy #the hunger games #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #deconstructing christianity #exvangelical #cognitive dissonance #pro palestine #free palestine #free gaza

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antianakin · 3 months

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@theneutralmime

I guess that depends on what you mean by weird or difficult to understand.

I think the dialogue is sometimes pretty clunky, I think it's aged really badly in some places, I think sometimes Lucas didn't explain things as well as maybe needed to for a primarily Western audience. But I don't think it's IMPOSSIBLE to understand, either. It's made for children to be able to understand the story and I think he managed that perfectly fine. I think by and large that the intended audience of the Prequel films understood what the story was. They know that the Jedi are the good guys and Anakin's the bad guy even if he seems nicer at the start. It's mostly adults who pick apart the Prequels and find it too clunky to be understood.

I think that Lucas's writing strength is not necessarily in his dialogue, but I also think he WAS intentional with what dialogue he chose and that there's reasons for why characters speak the way they do or say the things they do. Anakin is bad at flirting and awkward because he wanted Anakin to come off as a whiny teenager. This was entirely intentional. You can discuss whether making Anakin a whiny teenager was a good choice or not, but I think he succeeds at making Anakin feel like a whiny, bratty nineteen year old with like little to no ability to be suave.

I think it's possible that popular fandom interpretations of the Prequels have made it difficult to view them the way Lucas intended. It became SO widely accepted that the Prequels were about the Jedi being corrupt that it was nearly impossible to understand them any other way, and it DID take reading several essays on the dialogue and the different interviews Lucas had where he explained some of it for me to change my perspective on it. But that might be less of a problem of the film and its dialogue being weird on its own and more of a problem of fandom interpretations becoming so popular that they manage to overwrite my own understanding of the films. Also, if you're a more casual fan of the films, like I was before a couple of years ago, you're not necessarily looking up interviews where Lucas discusses these things or watching the films with his audio commentary on to hear him talk about certain scenes, so if a certain fandom interpretation is accepted as the truth and starts to spread, you might end up more familiar with THAT than you are with the things Lucas has said that counteract it.

One of the things I needed essays to help me with was attachment, because I DO think that Lucas failed to make sure that his definition of it was made clear to an audience that would've had a very different association with the word already. That being said, I think he DOES make the THEME clear within the story, about selfishness and greed and an inability to let go and how burning the world for the people you love is bad and how you can always choose to be bad but you can always choose to be good again too. I don't think the themes that Lucas was going for in his films are honestly that weird or different from what we OFTEN see in films in Hollywood. The concept of "letting go" is literally everywhere. It crops up in SO MANY films, especially in films aimed at the same demographic, but even films aimed at a more adult audience, too. It's an incredibly basic and popular theme and it's not hard to pick up in his films.

But I think people heard the word "attachment" and it flipped them out because the word attachment is basically equivalent to "relationship" or "love" most of the time in more Western media (see literally any Jane Austen film, they use the word a lot in there) and so they came to the conclusion that the Jedi forbid relationships and love entirely and then it led them to the conclusion that the Jedi were corrupt and THAT'S why Anakin fell to the dark side. That one word being tossed into the dialogue without adequate clarification on how Lucas was defining it had a cascade effect on people's ability to understand the story within the Prequels.

For example, there IS a parallel between Anakin's fall and the corruption of an institution in the Prequels, so people are picking up on something that DOES EXIST in the films, they're just applying it to the wrong institution. It's not the Jedi Order that parallels Anakin's corruption, it's the SENATE. But because people applied the corruption thing to the Jedi, they ended up dismissing the Senate as just already evil because it became the Empire later and it just becomes yet another way to blame the Jedi for things because they were working for an inherently evil organization and either didn't care or were too blind to realize it. So you can see how a misunderstanding of one word in one line of dialogue in one film ended up changing the entire understanding of the films.

But to a kid watching the movies, the word attachment might not yet be something they're familiar enough with to misunderstand. They might just gloss over that line of dialogue the way they would anything that involved a word they didn't totally understand and just rely on the visuals and music and other dialogue to lead them to the correct conclusions. Kids watching these films are capable of picking up that OF COURSE the Jedi are the good guys the whole time, of course they're not corrupt monsters, everything in the films made it very clear that they're the good guys. And it's a lot easier to pick up on the real themes of the story and the way the films are telling it when you start from that conclusion.

So, for me, when I was first reading those essays about what attachment meant in Star Wars and what Lucas had said about it, it didn't feel like I was getting a whole new understanding of the story so much as things were FINALLY slotting into place with what I'd understood as a child. My feelings about the Prequels and the story I'd gotten from them had never really aligned with what everyone else seemed convinced was true, but I'd never met anyone else who saw them positively before, so I'd just assumed if I liked them then it was because I'd watched them incorrectly, that I only liked them because I'd been shown the Prequels first when I was really young whereas everyone else had watched the Original Trilogy first. For me, reading these different interpretations of the Prequels that showcased a very different story than the one most people knew about wasn't NEW (not precisely anyway), it was just VALIDATING. There was a REASON I'd liked them before, a reason I still DID like them as an adult, even though everyone around me seemed to hate them and believe unequivocally that they were terrible films.

So is some of the dialogue weird? Sure, it's clunky sometimes, and there are things that aren't made clear enough, but I don't think Lucas was RELYING on his dialogue to get his story across. He's said before that in some ways he views Star Wars as silent films and the dialogue that's in it is more like music. The story isn't told through the dialogue for him, it's told through the visuals and the dialogue itself is secondary. And this works out fine when you're a kid who's used to dialogue sometimes not being understandable anyway and so you're more reliant on visuals and music to help you figure out the story, but the adults who were watching it were more used to relying on the dialogue to tell them everything they needed to know and so these films fell short. So while I do think the dialogue was flawed, I don't think it really hinders understanding of the story Lucas was trying to tell, but popular fandom interpretations of the films becoming the ONLY interpretation of the films DOES hinder understanding of that story.

#star wars #prequel trilogy #star wars prequel trilogy #star wars prequels #george lucas #attachment

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writingwithciara · 3 months

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Broken Bond (part 3) ~Chris Sturniolo~

summary: the 'l' word has been put into play. what will come from it?

word count: 4k

pairing: chris sturniolo x reader

notes: with the way the last part ended, i couldn't leave y'all hanging on whether chris meant what he said or not. [mentions of sexual content but nothing explicit]

masterlist

y/n stared at chris for longer than she wanted, zoning out in the process.

"hey. you okay?"

"yeah. i'm just gonna head on back up to matt's room. he'll probably be wondering where i am."

"oh. okay." chris watched as she got dressed quickly. he knew matt wouldn't care if she stayed in his room for the night but she was acting weird so he sat up. "hey. i didn't mean it, okay?"

"no. it's fine. honestly. thank you." she smiled softly at him before retreating up the stairs.

chris stared at the door, hoping she'd come back. but she didn't.

y/n looked at the clock on the microwave as she passed through the kitchen.

3:28

had she really been in chris' room for an hour? it didn't seem like it.

she quietly made her way back into matt's room and slid under the covers, being careful not to wake him. her eyes felt heavy but her brain was going crazy and her heart was beating rapidly. there was no way she would be getting any sleep.

by the time the sun was up, y/n had come to the conclusion that chris only used the 'l' word because it was in the heat of the moment, not because he meant it. if he had actually loved her like he claimed, he wouldn't have abandoned their friendship 6 years ago.

deep in thought, y/n didn't notice matt waking up beside her.

"hey. what's got you up so early?"

"couldn't sleep." she sighed and began to pick at her nails, something matt hated. he placed his hand on hers and she looked over at him.

"is something wrong? you know you can talk to me about it, y/n."

"nothing's wrong." she avoided eye contact, knowing he could tell she was lying. he knew anyway.

"does this have anything to do with chris?"

y/n sighed and finally made eye contact with her best friend. "how do you somehow always know, matt?"

"you two have been acting really weird around each other since you told us you caught him in his room. i figured your weird mood now had something to do with that."

"is this why you're so quiet? do you just observe everything?" y/n smiled.

"duh. someone needs to know things & it's not going to be nick or chris."

"good point." y/n looked at the door. "can i tell you something?"

"you know you can." he turned so his full attention was on her.

"okay, well let me start from the beginning." y/n paused for a second before looking at her hands. "when i caught chris in his room, he was getting off to a picture of me. so i offered to help him if he ever needed it. and last night, after we got back from doing everything, i couldn't sleep so i went to his room to see if maybe he needed dome help. and one thing led to another and we had sex."

"wait, for real? like, full on penetration?"

"amongst other things, yeah. then he said he loved me and i came back here." y/n turned her head towards matt when she heard him chuckling. "it's not funny, matthew."

"it kind of is. think about it. you've had feelings for chris for a long time but he was ignoring you, right? then it turns out he's been standing on the sidelines waiting for you to forgive him. then, this whole thing happens where you catch him pleasuring himself."

"gross word."

"but then, he finally got what he's always wanted & he used a word he's never used with a girl before and you just got up and left without saying anything back?"

"well, i did say thank you."

"dude,that is definitely not what someone wants to hear after they confess their feelings to you."

"what if it wasn't genuine? what if it was just because of the moment?"

"y/n, don't be stupid. chris has genuinely liked you for a really long time. granted, he made a stupid choice but if you truly think about that, it was because he didn't know how to control himself around you."

"matt, can you please take this seriously?" y/n climbed out of the bed and began to pace his room. "i'm freaking out here."

"sweetheart, you need to relax." matt stood in front of her and stopped her pacing. "now there is a man downstairs who has never felt this way about a girl before. like ever. okay, maybe he said the 'l' word a little too fast but it really is new to him. you gotta give him the benefit of the doubt and let him know how you feel."

"i want to, matt. believe me i do. i truly love him and i have no idea how to back track on what i said. what if he doesn't think i love him because i said the worst thing i could after a beautiful, intimate moment? he's gonna think i'm an idiot."

"and he'll love you so much more for it, i guarantee it. trust me when i say that there is nothing you could say that would make him not love you." matt smiled. "besides, you guys have already had sex. it's not like you'll have to get over that hurdle in your relationship now."

"thanks, matt. that makes me feel so much better." y/n rolled her eyes, but smiled at matt.

"come on now. you got to go talk to chris." he gently pushed her out of the room. y/n went to the kitchen and checked the clock.

7:38

there was no way chris would be awake yet unless he was in the same situation as she was.

y/n sat on the couch and put netflix on the tv. seconds later, her phone buzzed beside her. she picked it up and rolled her eyes at the message she received.

matty b💙: babe that doesn't sound like you're talking to chris 🙄

she tossed her phone onto the cushion beside her and stood at the top of the stairs. there was a faint light coming from chris' bedroom. she wanted to go down to talk to him but her feet wouldn't move.

chris was down in his room thinking about what he said. how could he have used the 'l' word so soon? what was he thinking?

he knew he had pushed her away, even if only a little, but it still bothered him that after what they had gone through, she couldn't show him the same amount of affection. maybe it was time to get over her once and for all.

his phone was in his hand and he quickly scrolled through instagram. he looked for anyone, or anything, that would keep his mind off of y/n.

but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring himself to message any girls back. all he wanted to do was talk to y/n.

so he sent her a text.

y/n's phone vibrated in her hand and she looked down at the screen.

chris🙈: are you awake? chris🙈: if so, please come to my room chris🙈: we need to talk 🙃

y/n slowly made the descent down to chris' room. she stood outside the door for a few seconds before the door flew open.

"hey. i was just about to go find you." chris took a deep breath as y/n wordlessly walked into the room. he shut the door and leaned against it.

"what did you want to talk about, chris?"

"i wanted to let you know that what i said earlier, after we....you know....i didn't mean it. i know it scared you off and i apologize. it never should've come out of my mouth."

"it's okay chris."

"no, it's not. i have never ever said it before and when i say it & mean it for the first time, it's not going to be after sex."

"oh. okay. got it." she looked down at her feet. "is that all?"

"i guess. from my side at least." he looked at her. "anything you want to say?"

"not that i can think of." y/n felt her heart breaking as she processed his words. "thanks for letting me know."

"no problem." chris felt his heart breaking as he observed the way her shoulders slumped and her eyes focused on her feet. he wanted nothing more than to take it back, tell her he truly did love her, and never stop showering her with praise. but she deserved better than him. he knew it.

"so i can go back upstairs now?"

"yeah. yeah of course." he moved off the door and watched as she climbed the stairs slowly. "wait hold on."

"what?" she turned around as chris made his way up to her.

"things aren't going to be awkward now, are they?"

"not if we don't let them be awkward." y/n smiled sweetly.

"okay. cool." he chuckled and turned around. "tell matt i'll be up in a bit and we can all go get breakfast. my treat."

"okay." y/n nodded and continued back to the kitchen. matt was walking out of the bathroom and when he saw her, he gave her a look.

"did you guys talk?"

"yeah. he said he didn't mean it. but that's okay. i can move on."

"i don't believe that you can, but i'm not going to argue with you." matt smiled softly at her. "where's chris?"

"he told me to tell you he'd be up shortly and hat we could all go to breakfast. he's paying."

"okay cool." he looked at her. "so, which one of us is going to be the unlucky one who has to wake nick up?"

"you do it."

"i feel like if you do it, he won't get as mad because he could never stay mad at you."

"good point." y/n sighed. "but you're coming with me."

the two of them travelled up to nick's room. y/n slowly opened the door and saw he was still fast asleep. she walked over to his bed and moved the hair out of his face.

"nicolas, wake up. it's time for breakfast."

"5 more minutes." he groaned and swatted her hand away.

"we're going out to breakfast with or without you & chris is paying so i suggest-"

"chris is paying?" nick shot up and smiled. "give me a few minutes to get dressed."

"okay. see you down there."

y/n and matt waited for 10 minutes before the other brothers came upstairs. chris watched his brother talk to y/n and the smile she wore was so much brighter than the one she gave him 20 minutes ago.

the 4 of them climbed into the car. y/n took her spot in the passenger seat and chris got behind matt. nick raised an eyebrow and got in while looking between y/n & chris suspiciously.

at the restaurant, they ordered and ate their food quickly. all while discussing potential video ideas.

"the video we posted yesterday already has so many comments with fans saying their favorite parts were all the times chris would look at y/n with 'heart eyes' and they can't get over it." nick looked at y/n, then at chris beside him. "you guys have been acting weird all day. no. wait. back up. you've been acting weird for way longer than that, with chris' stupid reason for ditching you 6 years ago. i still don't understand, by the way." he looked back and forth between them before shaking his head and looking back at his plate. "if you guys are into each other, then i say you shouldn't let anything hold you back."

"we're not into each other, believe me." chris looked at his brother.

"oh. so i guess that it was matt and y/n making all that noise last night?"

"no. it was me and chris. it happened once. huge mistake that will never happen again. so can we just drop the subject, please?" y/n spoke, never taking her eyes off her own plate. she moved the food around the plate slowly, losing her appetite more with every passing second.

chris looked up at the sound of her voice and immediately felt bad for what he told her this morning. he had no idea it was going to hurt her this much.

"yeah. of course." matt placed a hand gently on top of hers and smiled. "are you done eating?"

"yeah." y/n set the fork down and pushed her plate to the middle of the table. the boys followed and chris paid for the meal like he promised. the car ride back was mostly silent, apart from nick trying and failing to start an argument.

when matt pulled into the garage, chris was the first one out and he was already in his room by the time everyone else made their way inside. as y/n passed his bedroom door, she sighed heavily. matt noticed this and placed his hand on her back comfortingly.

"hey, don't worry about chris right now. i'm gonna run you a bath so you can relax. how does that sound?"

"it sounds like a great idea. thanks matt." y/n smiled kindly at her friend. he told her to stop worrying about chris but that was nearly impossible when her heart felt this way. all she wanted to do was go to him & tell him she didn't mean what she said this morning & that she didn't think it was a mistake. but he didnt feel the same and she knew she would have to bury her feelings again.

after her bath, matt and nick had set up a movie for y/n in matt's room. at first we she was confused. until she remembered they were doing a podcast today. so she put the headset on and hit the play button.

upstairs, the boys were settling into another episode of their podcast. the topic today was 'relationships and things they're looking for in a potential partner'.

"well clearly, i want to be with someone who can match me in every way. their humor has to mesh well with mine and they have to get along with you guys, obviously." nick looked at his brothers. "if they don't, then i don't want them."

"that's a good way to put it, nick." matt smiled and took a second before he decided what he wanted. "any future girlfriend needs to have the following qualities. loyalty is a must. she has to be able to take a joke & she most definitely needs to get along with you guys over anything. that's my top priority."

"how about you chris?"

"huh?" chris was zoned out.

"what type of qualities are you looking for in a future girlfriend?" matt asked the question, making chris drag his hands down his face. they both knew the answer but matt didn't think chris was going to answer.

"like you guys, my top priority is that she gets along with you. she's gotta be kind, smart, funny. this isn't a must, like i could go either way, but if she's a little on the short side with brown hair, then that's a bonus. she's gotta know how to make me laugh and she's gotta know that i joke around a lot so she'll have to know how to take a joke. she's my top priority always so she's gonna have to be okay with being spoiled."

"remember that time when you-"

the boys trailed off topic, as usual and just went with it.

y/n's movie ended and she decided to snoop through the games matt had. after 5 minutes of searching, she settled on hogwarts legacy. while she was in the middle of creating a character, matt walked in.

"hey. we're done filming the podcast and chris wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to get some food."

"chris asked?"

"yeah. shocking, isn't it?"

"then i don't want to go. don't want things to be awkward."

"whatever you and chris are going through, it can't be easy. maybe you need to tell him that he hurt you when he told you it was a mistake. i'm almost positive he'll understand."

"i hate when you're right."

"oh, so you hate me all the time then?" matt chuckled, causing y/n to crack a smile.

"fuck off, matt." she looked back at the game. "i really want to play this game though, so can you bring something back for me, please?"

"okay. but only because i love you and you know i can't say no to you ever." he kissed her head and walked back to his brothers. "she's not coming."

"maybe i should stay back too." chris glanced at the bedroom door for a second.

"no. we're not doing that. come on." matt grabbed his brothers arm and pulled him out to the car.

for the next hour, y/n was alone. she finished creating her character but grew bored of the game rather quickly so she turned it off. she walked around the house, taking note of how clean it was thanks to matt.

deducing that there was nothing for her to do, she settled on watching tv in the living room. an hour later, the boys were returning home with more food than they could carry. nick had only a drink in his hand as matt and chris struggled to get everything up in one piece.

"a little help, please." matt nearly dropped the bag he was holding but y/n jumped over the couch just in time. she picked it up and caught chris staring at her.

"wow. good reflexes."

"yeah. thanks." y/n smiled awkwardly and set the bag on the kitchen table. matt shot chris a look and followed y/n to the kitchen. he handed y/n the food he got for her and began eating his own. chris sat across from her and ate silently while his brother and y/n talked. he hate not being the one who could do that, which meant he hate himself because of the way he had treated her.

after they ate, chris went to his room. y/n watched him disappear around the corner and turned back to matt. he raised his eyebrow at her.

"if you really like him, you need to go down there and tell him. tell him how he hurt you and tell him everything. you two need to get over whatever issues you're having. and more importantly, you need each other. more than you both care to admit. so please, just go talk to him. he's hurting to."

"matt, it's different when a guy says it didn't mean anything. because for girls, we get attached easily. im not ashamed to admit it. and yes, i love him and it definitely meant something to me. but im not going to force him to feel the same way, matt." y/n walked to matt's room and sighed. she knew he was right but she was also really stubborn. this time, it had to be him that made the first move.

matt didn't mean to upset her but he was right. however, he knew that neither of them would be the ones to make the first move so he had to do it for them.

to christopher🖕🏻: get your butt upstairs. it's important

to y/n💕: get your butt out here. it's important

he sat back and waited for them to show up in the living room. when y/n ran out of the room, he knew his plan was working.

"what's so important?"

"well i-"

"what's so important, matt?" chris came up from his room and locked eyes with y/n.

"you guys need to talk and neither of you are leaving until you sit down and have a conversation."

"can we talk privately?"

"only if it's in your room and you can promise me you'll talk."

"fine." chris shook his head and went back to his room. y/n sighed and followed. once they were both inside, matt stood at the top of the stairs and made sure they didn't leave.

once inside the room, y/n took a seat in chris' chair while he sat on the end of the bed.

"i didn't mean it." chris was he first to speak.

"yeah we covered that this morning."

"no. i meant that i didn't mean it when i told you ididn't mean it. what we did was most definitely not a mistake and im really sorry for making you think i was. i have a lot of regrets from the past but having sex with you is not one of them." he stood up and knelt so he was at her eye level. her gaze was fixed on the floor. he grabbed her chin and made her look into his eyes. "i meant what i said about the love. i absolutely, 100% do love you. there's never been a doubt in my mind that i do. i only said i didnt mean it because i thought it scared you off. i was doing what i thought you wanted."

"what on earth would make you think i didn't want to hear you say that?"

"well, for starters, after i said i loved you, you completely zoned out and then you said 'thank you' before rushing out of my room. i figured that the feelings weren't mutual."

"chris, they're very much mutual." y/n looked at him. "i'm sorry for making you think otherwise. i felt like an idiot when i left earlier because you looked so upset when i reacted the way that i did. god, chris. i love you. so freaking much. it kills me because you may be my soulmate & i'm scared of pushing you away."

"we can get through this together, y/n. believe me. you are the only person i've ever loved & you'll be the only person i love for the rest of my life." he held her hands tightly. "i just want to be with you. please say you'll be my girl."

"before i give you my answer, i need to know one thing."

"what?"

"on a scale of 1-10, how much did you enjoy the sex?"

"literally broke the scale. it was so mindblowingly perfect and crazy & everything i have ever wanted to experience. you are perfect and crazy and just so beautiful. did i mention you're perfect? because you really, really are."

"that was a great answer." y/n giggled and before she could say anything further, chris grabbed her face and kissed her.

"so, will you be my girlfriend? because i don't know how i'll continue living knowing you're not mine."

"of course i will, chris." it was y/n's turn to kiss chris. she pulled him in close. to the point where he now had both hands on the arms of his chair and he was leaning over her.

"can we go get comfortable on the bed? no sex. unless you want to."

"come on." y/n got up and pulled him to the bed. she laid down and he hovered over her while kissing her passionately.

they were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't notice matt standing in the doorway. only when he spoke up did they finally pull apart.

"i'm glad my plan worked." he smirked and leaned against the doorframe. "make sure to thank me at your wedding."

"get out of here!" y/n and chris both threw a pillow at matt. he caught both and laughed.

"clearly you're meant to be together. good night." he tossed the pillows back and ran up the stairs.

"wow. that was a bit of a mood killer."

"was it though?" y/n smirked and pulled chris back into her. their bodies quickly molding into one as the clothes flew off and the sheets got tangled.

taglist: @worldlxvlys @carolinalikesthings @fearfam69691 @junnniiieee07 @suyga @spicychrizzz @chrisloyalgf @hi-7-hi

#chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #chris sturniolo x reader #sturniolo triplets #matt sturniolo #nick sturniolo #nicolas sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo x reader

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