#her and mikes relationship is very complicated but i think he would help her adjust to like the zombified life | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

when-to-sit-in-silence · 3 years

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Mama’s Boy

Rated: T Relationships: Lonnie Byers & Will Byers Characters: Will Byers, Lonnie Byers, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Mike Wheeler, Mentioned Joyce Byers Additional Tags: Post Season/Series 03, Emotional Manipulation, Abusive Parents, Past Abuse, Verbal Abuse, Confrontations, Homophobic Language, Lonnie Byers Being An Asshole

Summary: Will’s dad comes to visit the day after his birthday, and Will is right to have a bad feeling about it. But he’s not the same scared little kid he used to be.

Will’s dad is standing on the front stoop.

Wearing a pair of cheap sunglasses and grinding a half-smoked cigarette beneath the toe of his boot, Lonnie Byers reaches for the doorbell a second time, and with the curtains parted by the width of two fingers, Will stands there in the living room watching dumbstruck.

“Who is it?” he hears Mike call from the dining room as the house fills with another impatient chime. Will doesn’t respond. He can hardly believe his eyes. He figures the chances he’s only imagining his father there are too great to give an answer.

Lonnie tries to peer through the frosted glass on the front door, and when he doesn’t make anything out, he turns his gaze back out to the driveway, empty but for the unfamiliar sedan that must’ve been the rental he’d driven from – wherever cars can be rented around here. Will has serious doubts Lonnie put the hours into driving halfway across the country himself. Running his tobacco-stained fingers through his hair, Lonnie’s shoulders rise and fall with a sigh. He throws one final glance at the door before he starts to descend the concrete steps.

A sudden surge of panic shoots through Will’s chest, the reality of the moment finally striking him like a hammer. He abandons the curtains for the front door and turns the lock.

“Dad?” he says as he very nearly tears the thing off its hinges trying to get it open before Lonnie reaches the car. Pausing in the middle of the lawn, Lonnie spins back around. Behind his dark glasses, he sizes Will up in the door frame, and the corner of his lip lifts into smirk.

“Holy shit,” Lonnie exclaims. “Look at you, huh? Finally hit that growth spurt.”

Immediately, there is that feeling of being seen Will had gone so long without sensing, a feeling he could only attribute to the beady, watchful stare of his father growing up, a signal for the muttered comment he would make under his breath in the seconds to follow. Will would feel like all his skin had been stripped away, like he stood there exposed to the elements without his body’s most basic line of defense against the world pulsing and living all around him. He resists the urge to squirm, attempting to harden his exterior with the mindful elevation of his chin. “What are you doing here?”

Lonnie laughs like it’s obvious. “What do you think, son?” He pulls something out of his back pocket, a green envelope marked with his name in permanent marker. “Figure I’d surprise you for your birthday.”

“My birthday was yesterday,” Will replies, unimpressed.

“Come on, kid, I know that. Didn’t want to intrude on any plans you had.” Lonnie returns to the front stoop and hands Will the envelope. He stares at it, uninterested in what’s inside while his mind scrambles to come up with some sort of response to the absurdity of the situation. His dad, Lonnie Byers, showing up unannounced to their new house two thousand miles away to hand him a birthday card without so much as a phone call since 1983. Will might laugh if he wasn’t so uneasy.

All he says is, “Thanks.”

“Your brother home?” asks Lonnie, looking over Will’s shoulder into the house.

“He’s working.”

“And your mom?”

“Same.” Will actually isn’t sure where his mother is. Joyce had left pretty suddenly that morning before dawn, waking Will and El briefly to tell them everything was fine; she was just going on a trip for a few days and would be back before the next weekend. When Will had gotten out of bed that morning and realized he hadn’t dreamt that moment, Jonathan mentioned something about Murray Bauman, that journalist guy who’d shown up last summer to help them close the gate beneath Starcourt Mall. All of them had been chewing on some pretty troublesome questions the last several hours – but Lonnie doesn’t need to know any of that. Honestly, the sooner he thinks Joyce will be back, the better this whole situation might turn out.

Lonnie removes his sunglasses and hangs him off the neckline of his t-shirt. “Yeah, thought so. Alright, then.” He gestures to the house. “You gonna show me around the place?”

“Oh – uh, yeah, I – I guess.” Will can’t get over how weird this feels. Momentarily, he forgets how to operate his legs before stepping aside to let Lonnie through the door. “Come in.”

That same naked feeling Will has when his father stares at him, he gets as Lonnie sweeps his gaze around the front entryway and adjoining living room. He surely recognizes a lot of the same furniture they’ve always owned, notes that the place has a staircase leading to a second story but really doesn’t look that much bigger than the old house back in Hawkins. It isn’t nice. Will can admit that, but it never bothered him until Lonnie set his eyes on it for himself. All the sudden, he wishes the place was spotless, shiny and elegant like everything his family isn’t. And then he hates himself for wanting that.

Lonnie’s eyes land on a photograph hanging above the sofa for an especially long pair of seconds. It’s just a portrait of Will, Jonathan, and Joyce taken at his middle school graduation last year, but Will holds his breath waiting for Lonnie to look away.

“So, it’s the three of you here?” he says, walking over to adjust an old hand-made throw blanket draped across the arm of the sofa. “Certainly looks like you’ve made yourselves at home.”

“Well, it’s been almost six months,” murmurs Will.

“You like it here?”

“Yeah,” he lies.

“Jonathan like it here?”

“Yeah.” That’s not a lie. Probably not, anyway. Jonathan seems to like it the most out of any of them, but then again, that really isn’t saying much.

Lonnie’s about to ask another question when a voice calls out from the other room. “Who’s there, Will?”

A moment later, Mike and El appear, both pausing as soon as they see Lonnie sifting through the magazines and newspapers fanned out across the coffee table.

“Oh, Will,” Lonnie says, eyes shifting between the newcomers, “You didn’t tell me I was intruding on something. I didn’t know you had friends over.”

“I mean – no, no, you’re not – no,” Will stammers. He puts himself between his father and his friends, flicking his index finger back and forth. “They’re just – they’re just here.”

Lonnie blinks at his son. “You gonna introduce me?”

“Right. Right. Uh, guys,” he says to Mike and El. “This is my Dad. Lonnie. Mr. Byers. Whatever. And, Dad, this is Mike. He’s visiting from Hawkins for Spring Break. And that’s – that’s –” Will flounders to decide which name to give. Teachers and most other adults have gotten to know Eleven as Jane Hopper, but she tends to introduce herself by her nickname. As he stands there stuttering, it occurs to him El’s is a complicated story that might be best kept hidden.

Read the Rest on Ao3

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things fanfiction #will byers #lonnie byers #joyce byers #the byers #byers

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emsartwork · 4 years

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Sorry if you’ve already answered this but J was wondering if you could talk more the girls childhood/growing up? Love what you’re doing btw, absolutely adore how you’ve basically recreated the Winx world! 💗

Thank you!!! and sure thing! long post ahead

BLOOM: she never really had any problems family wise, Vanessa and Mike told her she was adopted at like…. Age 7 or so (in a positive affirming way obvi) and even if any kids teased her about it she never doubted her parent’s love for her. Even with Daphne’s spell helping her blend in with earth life, Bloom still had a nagging sense she didn’t “fit”, and got lost in fantasy books and art whenever possible. Growing up she deals with some body image issues that probably stem from the whole wrong fit feeling. Bloom grew up an artistic and quiet kid, Mitzi and Selina were her best friends from childhood, and because they both had really strong personalities, Bloom often repressed her own feelings in order to play peace maker. Up until high school, where Mitzi, who was always the leader, slowly started to turn into a bully in order to gain the approval/fear of her peers, targeting Selina specifically. Bloom was more of a follower at the time and just didn’t want to loose her friends so she didn’t stand up to Mitzi but tried to treat Selina as if nothing had changed, which was not cool with Selina and she not-so-subtly started to reject Bloom as a friend. Bloom, for her part, did get her shit together and stand up to Mitzi, loosing her only other friend right before her senior year of highschool (she was still technically friends with Andy but they had also just broken up and everything was awkward lmao). Bloom regrets not standing up to Mitzi sooner, and wants to rekindle her friendship with Selina (and Mitzi if she’s willing to tone down the bitchiness).

STELLA: So Stella’s childhood is a little more complicated. Stella is the first SoLuna heir in Solarian history, and a very loud minority protested her very existence. Stella also had to stay close to the Second Sun of Solaria as a child, so she had a very solitary and confined early childhood in a wing of the Solarian castle. When she did figure out how to sneak out she was only 10 or so, and spent most of the time just wandering around the capital city. She didn’t have any problems in the city, but an off duty guard recognized her and took her back to the palace. Stella was then sent to an elite boarding school under a false name (Sasha), she formed close friends with Nova and Varanda, but the trio was the target of the rest of the school’s bullies (for various reasons). Junior high was peak nerd Stella, but she “princess Diary-ed” herself when starting high school and started placing all of her value in her appearance and status as a sex object. Her parents’ marriage was also starting to crumble and Stella felt like she had lost their love. Because Stella craves validation and affection, this lead to a couple bad relationships because the only way she could get people to “love her” in her brain was through physical intimacy, even if it didn’t really fill the void she felt. Nova and Varanda were her rocks during this period and Stella was able to learn to love herself first with their help. Stella was insanely nervous to leave her friends and go to Alfea, and tried to force friendships with other people originally, (this mostly lead to people thinking she was annoying and getting multiple censures from Griselda), and her first genuine connection on Magix was with “Prince Sky” (Brandon). Nova and Varanda were VERY worried when Stella first told them about “Prince Sky”(Brandon) and how fast they had gotten into a relationship and they may have stalked/threatened him on a visit to Stella but they eventually came around and started to like him. Stella being expelled was only kind of an accident, Varanda texted Stella in the middle of a Chemancy class her application to Alfea for the next year had been accepted and Stella got SUPER excited and blew up the classroom. She probably could have stayed in school but her response to Fraragona and Griselda’s “now what do you have to say for yourself young lady” was *giddy laughter* and “ i only wish the explosion had been big enough to send me forward to next year!!!!!” and griselda was like “either she goes or I go” and Stella was like “ya gurl i gone” of course her time back on Solaria didn’t go exactly as planned as her parents were just fighting every time they tried to do something together making her people pleasing/self blaming tendencies worse.

FLORA: ahhh my baby So Flora does remember her father, not a lot and she feel guilty she doesn’t remember more, but she was only 7 when he died. Alyssa remarried when Flora was 13, and eventually she adjusted to having a younger sister who she loves very much now. Due to Rhodos’s nature preservation needing a lot of room for study Flora and Miele grew up pretty far away from any town and didn’t have a lot of friends. This is primarily why Flora and Miele are so close despite their age difference, and why Flora took her role as protector so intensely; she was the only one there (I mean besides the parents obviously). Flora did well in school though she was quiet and reserved, which made making friends even harder than living in the middle of nowhere. She figured out the best way to make people like her was to give them what they wanted, and this snowballed into Flora becoming kind of doormat not comfortable with voicing her true feelings and faking a lot what people expected from her. Flora has a lot of repressed…… everything (Bloom mostly just has a lot of repressed anger she’s good with other emotions lmao) she has trouble identifying what she’s feeling and for the most part is content to leave her feelings buried as long as the surface remains calm. The Winx do help her start to access her feeling more, and encourage her whenever she does voice an opinion. Helia is a perfect match for her in the sense that his quiet nature leaves Flora to express herself without trying to mold herself into whatever she thinks he wants (of course on the flip side this also means Flora and Helia have issues with communication and repression but that’s another topic).

AISHA: hoo boy another complicated one. Aisha was raised in a strict environment, this mostly stems from her parents and their more…. anxious natures, but royalty on Andros is not as free as some of the other planets. Aisha’s world consisted of lessons and adults and rules and she had very little control over her own life. Aisha met Anne in a rare moment of freedom in the tidal gardens where Anne’s father worked. Anne was biding her time waiting for her dad to get off work so they could grab some dinner and was dancing. Aisha just watched her for a while before Anne noticed her and asked her if she wanted to play. The two formed a fast friendship, and Aisha finally started to feel like she had some sort of influence in her own life as she snuck out of lessons to play with Anne every evening she could(obviously their favorite thing to do was dance lol) Unfortunately Anne and her father disappeared one night. Aisha lost her only friend, the only social outlet she had, her one source of freedom, and couldn’t even figure out what had happened. Feeling so out of control lead to a pretty bad anxiety disorder for most of her teens, primarily triggered by the dark or being trapped in some way. She also has issues trusting others and letting people help her. Aisha started to act out, trying to exert any kind of control and relieve some of her anxiety. Her risk taking behavior got pretty bad, but she had started to tone it down after she met and bonded with Piff(royal business trip to Magix she skipped out on). Of course when the pixies went missing she wasn’t going to let her friendship vanish again and tracked them down with a not so healthy single minded determination.

TECNA: born to higher class parents, Tecna had greatness thrust upon her from an early age. She received extra training and education basically from birth, which she was fine with for the most part. Tecna grew up being able to handle academic pressure very well and met all of her teacher’s and parent’s expectations. She and Riven had a brief collision as preteens in a school before Riven got expelled. Tecna’s one issue was that of her emotional intelligence, Zenith doesn’t really place an emphasis on that, so she was able to advance through high school very predictably until she attended a non-Zenith based workshop for magic. She found herself socially ostracized and very very confused. Of course Tecna had never met a subject she couldn’t master and emotions wouldn’t be an exception right??? Wrong. Zenith’s information about the brain and the chemicals produced was of no help, her teachers and parents didn’t understand why Tecna suddenly had this new interest in such an illogical subject, and worst of all, Tecna realized she didn’t understand her own brain chemicals. Tecna had a mini existential crisis, realized she had no idea what she even wanted to do with her life or why it mattered and applied to the Alfea Fairy program because “FAIRY MAGIC EMOTION MAGIC HELP” also it would offer her strong emotional experiences(transformations basically require it), the opportunity to work closely in groups, and personally obverse her dorm-mates emotional states. She got way more than she bargained for but doesn’t regret it a bit.

MUSA: my angst child T-T so basically, the first half of her childhood is p good, her parents work really hard and don’t always have enough money but the family unit is pretty stable. At around 12, Musa’s mom gets sick. Nobody is too worried at first, but she never seems to get better and she takes a big turn for the worse when Musa is about 16, Matlin is finally diagnosed with Core Failure Syndrome. CFS is similar to Core Fatigue, but while Core Fatigue can be remedied fairly easily with rest and magic, CFS is virtually incurable unless it’s caught really early. The causes are still unknown, and the symptoms (fatigue, nausea, cognition issues, and muscle weakness) can be prolonged but mild until it’s too late. In the later stages (extreme fatigue, numbness in the extremities, chest pain, joint pain, memory/focus issues, inability to keep food down) all you can do is try to make the afflicted comfortable. Ho-boe is understandably distraught, and tries to freelance write for music but goes into a pretty bad depressive state. Musa has a few odd jobs here and there, and thats mostly what’s keeping them afloat among heavy medical debt. Musa latches on to her mother for emotional support as Ho-boe is super dissociated. When Matlin does pass as Musa turns 18, Ho-boe finally breaks, and violently destroys every last reminder of Matlin because he can’t deal with the pain. Musa, who has suddenly had her one emotional anchor cut off, is super freaked out and scared by this and it really damages their relationship going forward. Musa becomes incredibly anxious, and can’t really process her mother's death because her father won’t talk about it with her and is still shut off emotionally. Moving to Magix only worsened it as Musa rebelled and went after music with a desperate passion. Applying to Alfea was a way for Musa to get out of the house, and she and her father weren’t on speaking terms when she did leave for the college. Musa had planned on learning more magic to further her career as a musician, special effects infusing magic into a song rubbing shoulders with rich and well connected people who could possibly get her connected to the big shots in music….. The winx situations had her change some of her long term plans a little, but her connection with the group + her separation anxiety and fierce loyalty didn’t really leave any other choice lol

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magniloquent-raven · 4 years

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Ooh for your prompts: Fluffy Elmax sleepover with cuddling for #16 pls :') xoxox

i had such a good time writing this omg thank you!!! tho there’s a couple bits that threaten to be angst because im physically incapable of writing pure fluff lmao. it’s just tiny bits tho. just a smidge.

also, because s4 isn’t out yet i uh. kinda just did a time skip but didn’t rly change anything about how s3 left off? i know we know hopper’s alive but like. i guess he’s just still in russia in this fic LMAO rip. don’t think about it too hard

posted on ao3 as well :)

—-

Max’s watch timer beeps obnoxiously again. 8:36. El’s late. She hits snooze.

“When’s your friend supposed to be here, sweetie?”

“Soon, mom. You know, you and Neil don’t have to wait up.” They do this every time. Like Max isn’t almost seventeen and perfectly capable of being alone in her own damn house for five minutes. At this rate they’re going to be late for whatever thing it is they’re going to, and Neil will be even more of a bitch than usual.

Her mom glances over at him. He’s sitting in his armchair looking surly, checking his watch pointedly. Asshole.

“Well…I don’t think—”

Max hears a car pull up out front. “Oh, thank fuck,” she mutters, turning on her heel and marching out to greet the Byers’.

Joyce climbs out of the passenger seat as Max strides across the lawn. “Max, honey!” she waves, grinning bright, “How are you?” There’s always a…tone to how she asks that. Questions lurking under the surface that they don’t talk about. It makes Max’s insides all squirmy thinking about it, though she is on some level grateful for the concern.

Max stands on the curb, tugging on her earring. A habit by now. It’s both a comfort and a reminder. She got one hell of a lecture the day she came out of the bathroom with blood running down her neck and a safety pin in her earlobe, but she didn’t regret it for a second.

El slides out of the driver’s seat, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. Max watches her stand and adjust her shirt. She always looked good in yellow. “I’m good,” Max responds after a beat, and it’s honest for once.

The door behind her creaks. Probably her mom and Neil coming out of the house, hopefully to leave, finally. She doesn’t turn around, just steps into Joyce’s waiting arms and presses her face into her shoulder. Max is taller than her now, by a couple inches, so it hurts her neck a little, but it’s worth it.

Will’s still tucked away in the backseat, peering through the window, Max waves at him when she peeks up over Joyce’s shoulder.

Then El distracts her. “Your hair,” she says, gently tugging on a lock behind her ear. Max steps back from Joyce, and runs a hand through it, cheeks pink. Three years ago she’d hacked off all her hair with a pocket-knife, woke up the morning of Billy’s funeral with strands still stuck to her neck, locks hanging ragged across her forehead. Her mother had thrown a fit.

“Yeah, I cut it again,” Max says, like that wasn’t obvious. She’d let it grow out uneven and messy for a while, but she broke out the scissors again about a month ago. It’s neater than her last haircut, but not by much.

El’s hand is in Max’s hair again, dangerously close to her face. Max’s knees wobble a little.

“Bitchin’,” she says solemnly, after a few seconds of consideration.

Max’s grin is blinding.

Her mother cuts in, before she can respond, gives her the usual talk about staying in the house and making sure she’s got her emergency numbers memorized. Then she bids them all a hasty, distracted goodbye. Her mom was never very comfortable about the Byers’. Probably something about Joyce’s too-knowing gaze, or the fact that El glares daggers at Neil every time he’s within range.

She’s doing it now. Watching him get into his truck with a quiet rage in her eyes. Joyce puts a hand on her elbow, and it doesn’t move until Neil’s truck has turned the corner at the end of the street.

“We should get going,” Joyce says, checking her watch. “Will wanted to be at Claudia’s an hour ago but we got caught up at Mike’s house, and, well, you know how it is,” she flutters her hands, approximating a shrug.

She hugs El goodbye, then pulls Max in for another one. “Call us if you need anything,” she says, pulling back and putting her hands on Max’s shoulders. That sad glint is in her eye again, and Max knows the offer extends beyond tonight.

“Thanks, Joyce, we will.”

By the time she’s taken the corner at the end of Cherry Lane Max’s watch is beeping again.

El glances down at it, a pinch between her eyebrows. “…Was that for me?”

“Uh.”

The confusion melts off her face, replaced by a cheeky grin. “It was!”

Max shuts the alarm off, cheeks burning. “Why were you guys at Mike’s for so long?” she asks. eager to change the subject. If the guys are meeting up at Dustin’s the delay wasn’t because Will and Mike were catching up, and, well, Mike and El’s relationship is…of interest to Max. For reasons.

El purses her lips. It’s a face that tells Max they’re gonna need to be sitting and cozy for this conversation because it’s gonna be a long one. So, she links their arms and pulls her inside.

An hour later they’re huddled under a throw blanket on the couch. El is giggling, face in her hands, and Max is wheezing around a mouthful of skittles.

“Oh, that’s so not funny,” she chokes out, trying not to spew candy everywhere, which brings about a fresh wave of laughter. El’s shoulders are shaking, brushing against Max’s and making her warm all over. God damn, she’s missed this.

“Then why are you laughing,” El replies, poking her side and smiling from ear-to-ear.

She’s beautiful, Max thinks. Her braid is half-undone, letting her hair curl around her face in gentle waves, and her eyes are bright. She looks happy, and Max holds on to that, keeps it all for herself because she did that, she made that happen. She might not have everything she wants from El, but she’ll take whatever she can get. Whatever El wants to give. And sometimes just her smiles are enough, enough to make Max’s chest constrict and her heart glow, because for now, she’s happy too.

She laughs again, in leu of a response. How can she not, when she feels so light she could float away, high on the soft strawberry scent of El’s shampoo and the way her cheek dimples when she grins. But she can’t say that, so she says, “Because it’s Mike,” and pokes El right back. “I’m legally obligated to laugh at his misfortune.”

They have a complicated friendship, which mostly boils down to her being willing to bail him out when he’s in shit, but only if she gets to make fun of him while she does it.

El wrinkles her nose a little, but her smile doesn’t dim, “You two are weird.”

She’s pretty sure it used to bother El, how much Mike and Max fought. Max can’t help but wonder if they’d have gotten along better if she wasn’t in love with his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend. Because she’d dumped him for good this time. Four months ago, apparently, though Mike was, until a few hours ago, under the impression it was temporary.

Max almost feels bad for him. Except she doesn’t. Apparently, he was a dick about the whole thing, so at least she has a solid reason not to.

“You love us,” Max scoffs. El may have broken up with Mike, but she’ll always love him in some way or another.

El’s expression softens, turns fond and sweet. She’s thinking about Mike, Max is sure, but the smile is still directed as her. Small victories. “I do,” she says quietly.

They order a pizza after that, and watch movies into the wee hours of the morning. By 3am Max’s throat is raw, and her stomach hurts from laughing (and too much pizza). It’s the most fun she’s had in a while. The Byers’ don’t visit as often as any of them would like.

Max isn’t even tired, but El’s head has been dropping onto her shoulder on and off for the past hour so she suggests they call it a night.

She knows that when the boys sleep over at each other’s houses they’ll take the floor, or the couch in the basement, anything but actually sharing a bed. As El wraps an arm around her waist and snuggles up with her under the blankets, Max takes a moment to wonder if that would be better or worse than this.

It always seemed so miserable to Max, how much boys have to limit themselves.

But also…well, it might be easier sometimes. She wouldn’t have to deal with wanting things she shouldn’t want because El would be over there, and not right up in her space, hands warm and breath tickling Max’s ear. This is different than sitting thigh-to-thigh on the couch, it blurs the line more, and it’s the ambiguity that’s driving Max crazy.

She wasn’t tired before, but she’s wide-awake now.

Time creeps by strangely this late at night. Max isn’t sure how long she lays there, staring at the ceiling, trying to calm her pounding heart. El’s breath is steady, quiet, and her eyes are closed. Max is sure she’s asleep, she was so tired before.

Before she can stop herself her hand creeps up, brushes a strand of hair from El’s face.

Moonlit, she’s ethereal. There’s always been something otherworldly about El, with her big, dark eyes, always watching, boring holes into you with their intensity. Shadows play across her cheek, and Max tracks them for a while, absurdly jealous of moonlight.

She traces patterns on El’s forearm, the one resting on Max’s stomach, keeping her touch light so as not to wake her.

More time passes, and Max’s head feels heavy with sleep that won’t come. She’s groggy, leaning back but unable to keep her eyes closed.

She starts talking. Whispering. Remembering the times she read Wonder Woman comics to El until she fell asleep, and hoping, somewhere in her foggy brain, that it might work on herself too.

“You know… I always knew we’d be good friends. The second I heard your name I wanted to know you,” she murmurs, and draws a star on El’s wrist. “Didn’t know how badly I wanted until I saw you though. You were terrifying, and I loved it. And now…” Her eyes slide closed as she thinks. “You’re the best person I’ve ever met. You’re beautiful. Everything about you. And I love you…more than I should.” She sighs, sits in silence and cards her fingers through El’s hair. It’s getting so long.

El’s hand closes around her wrist.

Max’s eyes fly open, and she stills, heart pounding. “Uh.” El’s eyes are open, looking up at her, she’s awake, she’s awake, oh fuck– “Um. Did—did I wake you up, I’m—sorry if I woke you—”

“It’s okay.” The corners of her mouth turn up, slow and careful, “I couldn’t sleep anyway.”

“Oh.” Is all Max can manage, staring down at El with wide eyes, waiting for her to…do something. Max’s palms are sweating. She doesn’t know what to expect.

El moves her hand, puts Max’s palm against her cheek and shuffles forward until they’re nose to nose.

“Oh.”

She tastes like toothpaste and kiwi lip balm, and kisses as sweetly as she smiles. Her hands end up in Max’s hair, fingers gentle but demanding, guiding her forward. If Max wasn’t already laying down, she’d need to be because her knees are jelly.

“Oh,” El echoes when she pulls back, laughter in her voice. She presses a chaste kiss to the corner of Max’s mouth, careful and deliberate. Then her expression softens, sobers. “I was jealous of you. At first. Didn’t…know what it was. Know why. So, I ignored you. And… I’m sorry.”

Max shakes her head, “Ancient history. It’s okay.”

“No, I,” El stops, furrows her brow, “You were so happy. Free. I wanted that. And then, then you helped me have that. So. Thank you.” She cups Max’s face, fingertips tracing along her cheekbone, and Max’s heart sings. “And I love you too.”

They kiss again, and Max decides that El sleeping on the floor would’ve been a terrible idea.

#elmax #elmax fanfic #stranger things #el hopper #max mayfield #i couldn't resist the little bits about max mourning her brother because im a masochist apparently #if anyone was wondering the earring max is wearing is 100% billy's #and joyce knows neil is The Worst which is why she's concerned about max #making sure he isn't treating her how he used to treat billy #yeah #ALSO #susan being all overprotective?#is because of billy #like. he might not have been her kid but he was something to her yknow?#and now he's gone #and she gotta deal w that somehow #and shes dealing with it by clinging extra hard to the kid she's got left #THAT'S TOO MANY SAD HEADCANONS TO PUT IN ONE FLUFFY SLEEPOVER FIC WHY AM I LIKE THIS #anyway apparently posting my writing is a thing i do now so i need a tag #a raven's writing desk #because i'm real pretentious dont @ me lmao

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terry-perry · 5 years

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Adam’s Family

Once again, this goes out to @ladyfluff! It was so great being a part of something of yours, and I hope this isn’t the last time we do a collaboration!

Previous chapters by the aforementioned author right here:

Adam’s Family.

Adam’s Family

After one of the cameramen knocks on the door, it’s opened not long after by a barely awake Y/N. She gives the crew a drowsy smile and waves.

“Hey guys! I almost forgot you were coming. I’m normally not up until past midnight.”

She lets out a yawn as she rubbed one of her eyes with a finger before motioning them all to come in.

“Welcome to New York! The city that’s always up, even when I’m not.”

Everyone is now downstairs in a shop, with the camera zooming in on different pieces of Y/N’s collection.

“This is my little shop where I keep a few things that I’ve gathered throughout the years. As you can see, most of them are pieces of furniture, artwork, and just stuff I thought was quite lovely.”

She pauses to take off a rather old looking music box from a nearby shelf and give it a good polishing with a rag. Once she does, she opens it and smiles fondly at the little dancer inside twirling to a soft melody.

“This little beauty is from the 19th century, as are most of the things you find in here. Back up in my apartment are the things I absolutely refuse to sell due to the sentimental value they possess. Songbooks from old composers I used to pal around with, unfinished statues from artists I admired, and some stuff my brothers have given me of course!”

Someone from behind the camera asks her a question that she tilts her head at.

“I technically haven’t gotten into any form of business with either of them. We all do collect things, yes, but it’s just a habit you pick up when you’ve lived as long as us, I suppose. And lived enough lives.”

She lets out a sudden giggle, thinking of something.

“In fact, there’s this lava lamp Adam gave me that was given to him by -“

The standard chiming of the bell that rings from someone entering stops her anecdote. She looks over and lights up from seeing who came in.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were on your way already!”

She runs over to wrap her arms around her boyfriend Ian and kiss him fully on the mouth. He responds with an equal amount of enthusiasm by lifting her off her feet and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I told you I was able to get an earlier flight! Didn’t you get my text?”

“Funny story about that…”

——

Back upstairs in Y/N’s apartment, there’s clutter that could rival her brother Adam’s. The camera records the different marbled faces and eerie painted scenery, along with a couple of bookshelves she had that contained early editions of classic novels. Some show visible signs of their age due to the slight tears on the spines, and the titles being somewhat faded. Other than that, the books seemed to be rather intact for the most part. The crew now have their focus on the couple snuggled up on the couch.

“We’ve been dating for a good while now. We met through Adam technically. I was there visiting him when I met Ian.”

“I don’t know what you could’ve seen in me at the time. I was a stuttering idiot when I first saw you.”

“I thought it was cute! You were so shy and sweet! It took him weeks before he could properly ask me out.”

“I remember practicing in my mirror so I wouldn’t screw it up,”

They’re asked about what keeps their relationship intact despite the list of complications they have.

“It was a bit tricky at first to maintain it since it’s not very common for my kind to have an actual relationship with a zom- human. Force of habit. It’s one of the main reasons my family wasn’t exactly too thrilled about us.”

She is asked to elaborate.

“Well it isn’t unheard of for people like Ian and me to be together. But normally it’s only for a short while, because the human is eventually turned. It’s not like that with us, though.”

“We’ve talked about it once we got more serious, and I learned more about her and the others. There can be some risks, with most of them involving either one of us getting killed during the process. So I’ve decided to just enjoy spending this life I have with her now. And then hope I get the chance to meet her in the next one she lives in.”

Y/N shields her face in Ian’s chest to cover up the grin she had, and the tears. He gave her a goodhearted chuckle and held her close.

“So far we’ve been able to make some adjustments for each other. We visit each other every chance we get. And I’ve been able to get these cool blackout curtains that I’ve made sure are pinned down to the wall and clamped shut. And she actually tried to start cooking because of me. Which may, or may not, have started a couple fires…”

Ian laughs when she punches his shoulder.

“I’ve gotten better!”

——

Scene changes to a club of some kind where Ian is sat onstage melodically plucking at a guitar while looking over to Y/N at the mike.

“It’s very clear, our love is here to stay...

Not for a year but ever and a day…”

We go back to the apartment where Y/N is now alone on the couch. Ian had left for the airport not too long ago. She appears to have been crying.

“As you know, I grew up during a time when women didn’t get a lot of good options for their future. For me, the future could’ve been to be married off to some farmer almost twice my age. To be his submissive wife that was only meant to serve him, and give him children that he could also ignore. If it weren’t for Adam meeting Eve - and giving me the chance to have a new life - I probably would’ve fooled myself into being content with the expectations made for me.”

She looks over at a framed photo on one of the bookshelves. Zooming in, the camera sees that it’s one with Y/N in a dark Victorian styled gown standing between her two suited up brothers while Peter’s husband Rowan stood on the far right end by Peter and Eve stood at the far left with Adam. The crew are informed that it was taken during Adam and Eve’s third wedding.

“I’ve always been grateful to have Adam and Peter as my brothers. Everyone else did their own thing and were compliant with whatever it was our parents wanted them to do. The three of us were the ones that stood out as the black sheep. Peter was the one that was always openly supportive of everything I did. I think that was mainly due to the fact that he hid who he truly was for such a long time. He’d let me go hunting with him, and taught me how to ride a horse. And he was also the one that I loved to cause mischief with, especially when it came to annoying Adam. His angry face is just as hilarious as it was 500 years ago!”

She lets out another little laugh as she reminisces.

“But he was always a good sport about it in the end. Adam and I had a larger age difference between us, so you can say he was both like my brother and father. Which he pretty much was. He was the one I went to whenever I had a bad dream. He’d let me crawl into bed with him, and he’d read to me until I fell asleep. Even though they both have shown some reluctance in accepting my relationship with Ian - with Adam especially taking some time to be open about it - they’ve welcomed him into the family once he spent more time with us, and they saw how happy he makes me.”

“The radio and the telephone and the movies that we know

May just be passing fancies and in time may go…”

Ian sits in a cab and looks out at the familiar desolate streets of Detroit while being lost in thought.

“There was this night she slept over at my place - before I knew what she was - and some sunlight peeked in from the curtains. She screamed because of the burns she got on the side of her face. I was just worried about what the hell I could do to help her, I didn’t even hear her say ‘I’m sorry,’ over and over the way she did. She thought it was her fault…”

“But oh my dear...

Our love is here to stay…

Together we’re going a long, long way…”

“I had always looked at my brothers’ relationships with their partners, and I had often wondered what it would be like to have someone. To actually be in love.”

“Y/N is hardly like anyone I’ve met. She’s so cultured, sweet, loving, and fun. And I’m so used to being told to settle down when I babble on about whatever. Or I don’t even get paid much attention to. But with her, I feel like I can tell her anything.”

“Ian’s been so open minded about everything, so selfless. And he is so passionate about music, not to mention more talented than he gives himself credit for.”

“I won’t lie, I’m a little disappointed that I won’t get to share certain things with her. Like going to the beach, showing her off to my family, sharing a milkshake at Eileen’s, having babies with her…”

He seems to do a little more thinking; most likely imagining the last scenario.

“But none of that would be stuff I want if I couldn’t have her,”

“In time the Rockies may crumble

Gibraltar may tumble

They're only made of clay

But our love is here to stay.”

Ian strummed the last few notes of the song and shared another look with Y/N while the audience applauded. It wasn’t their approval he sought out to have.

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defyingthestars · 5 years

Text

Liminal - RPF

so yes this is about Dan and Noah and mentions Clare - I love real people’s real partners and I love the many ways people choose to love each other, even when it’s complicated.

implied past relationship

bittersweet fluff, all of the feels, indulgent, and very PG or PG-13 at most; one minor drug mention (a joke)

not canon compliant because it’s literally rpf and not compliant with reality - don’t read if it will upset you, obviously!

set on the second Sunday in June, as you’ll remember, the last day of filming in Goodwood

“That’s a wrap on Rose Apothecary, thank you everyone,” the Production Coordinator calls when the director and DP have viewed the last take and given the thumbs up. There’s a hoot or two and a smattering of applause before a crew edges in to start pulling out light cables and tearing down blackout paper.

Dan looks around to try to take it all in but he immediately feels lightheaded. Luckily his dad is there with an arm around him, and then Noah is at his side pulling him into a hug, clapping him on the back.

Dan clears his throat and gets everyone’s attention. “Thank you everyone, don’t break yet don’t break yet. We still need: unit leads, Kosta, Rob, Connie, Amy, both Mikes, Dad, and Beth. Let’s all meet in the Galley and we’ll try to make it quick. Everyone else check timeline and call sheet updates when they come in because we’re tightening everything way down tomorrow. Sorry in advance but you’ll thank me when the game starts, thank you so much.” People clap again at that and start to trickle out, heading in different directions toward transpo, to see what’s left at crafty, or across the street to the Galley.

The Galley isn’t a real anything, just an empty space adjacent to the false kitchen built out behind the Cafe that has, over the years, served for meetings, storage, freakouts, a daycare, a massage room, an emergency nap room, an emergency crying room, and probably a few other things Dan doesn’t need to know about. The Production Coordinator hands Dan a stack of binders and they start to walk and talk, a few other people following with questions, and a few straggler fans in the street slowing them down on the way for exclamations of love, gifts and photos.

Jenn catches his elbow and pulls him into a tight hug in her kitty cat sweatshirt that he knows she wants to keep, probably so she can burn it on the next full moon. He pulls back and they just look at each other and her face is so soft, and he gets scared for a second that he won’t remember all of these little moments when his heart felt like this. He shakes his head against that deluge and squeezes her hand, saying, “Nope, nope, not going to cry today. Have too much fucking work still.”

“Save the crying for the wrap party,” she says with a wink and he nods emphatically, inhaling deeply.

Noah catches up to them and only gives Dan a tight-lipped half smile, which Dan knows means he’s feeling it too. “Think I’m going to head back with Jenn in the van, yeah?” he asks, gesturing over his shoulder. Dan starts to nod and turn away but catches himself.

“Actually can you stay for this?” Dan says, squinting in the low afternoon sun because he forgot to put on his sunglasses, shifting the armload of binders he’s holding.

“Yeah of course, if you need me.” Noah nods and smiles like it’s not a problem, because nothing is ever a problem for Noah. He gives Jenn a hug goodbye and a kiss on the cheek, and takes half of Dan’s binders off his hands.

Everyone crams into the Galley around a table piled with too much sugar and caffeine, and Dan passes around production timelines and pencils. “Gonna leave most of this to Kosta and Beth, but here’s my rough plan: get every member of this crew home or to a bar before kickoff.”

Everyone laughs, jittery with chocolate and coffee and adrenaline but all-in to make this work, as they always are. Dan wipes his glasses clean and puts them on, just catching his dad looking at him with that kind of inscrutable pride that parents should really never let their children see, because it’s overwhelming. Dan has to put his head down in his binder or he’s definitely not going to make it through this meeting. “Let’s get to work.”

The sky is darkening purple blue black when they finish, another short round of clapping and thank yous and everyone is back out on their little street, heading for vans and making plans for dinner or drinks. Eugene stops to talk to a few people and then turns to look for Dan. “We’re still having dinner, right? Are you coming right now?”

Dan looks between Noah and his dad, touches the mole on his chin as he thinks. “Actually can you go ahead and get a table? We’ll be like twenty minutes behind.” His dad nods and pats him on the shoulder, heads to the car that’s waiting just for him at the corner. He turns back at the last second to ask Noah, “You coming too?” Noah looks to Dan like he’s unsure but Dan answers for him.

“Yes, he is, Clare too.” Eugene waves back at them in confirmation and opens his car door.

The street is clearing out and Dan just watches for a moment, the cars and vans pulling out and the fans long gone. It has that eerie, but still familiar feeling, like being in the high school hallways after hours, or onstage in a dark, empty theater. Dan has always liked spaces like that.

Noah looks too, for a few moments, but finally has to ask. “What are we…”

Dan lifts his chin, a decisive motion, and points them across the street. “Come with me.”

They have a nighttime security guard just for the store when the set is still loaded, the nicest retired Mountie you could ever hope to know, named Ruth. Dan and Noah’s shoes crunch in the gravel as they cross over to the Rose Apothecary entrance, and Ruth greets them warmly.

“One more game, Ruth, ahhhhh!” Noah says excitedly and Ruth bounces on the balls of her feet.

“You really think they can finish it off in 5?” Ruth asks like she’s too nervous and hedging her excitement properly.

Dan has only been watching sports for about a week, but he gets that.

“Hope so, hope so. Let’s win it at home.” Noah grins and Dan just smiles past them, gazes at the door of David and Patrick’s store.

“They break everything down over there?” Ruth gestures toward craft services on the other side of the street.

“Almost, but there’s fresh coffee if that’s what you’re looking for,” Dan offers, stepping up to the door and motioning for Noah to join him.

“Think I’ll go check it out,” Ruth says, stepping off the porch and heading off. “About ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes would be great,” Dan says, putting his hand on the door.

“You got it, boss.” Ruth’s boots thud away in the distance and Dan opens the door. The lock works but he doesn’t actually have the key, so luckily it’s still open from crew coming in and out.

They walk through the threshold and Dan fumbles in the dark for the row of functional light switches he knows is there somewhere, behind a ladder shelf full of fake plants. He feels around and flips the first one, which floods the front of the store with glaring fluorescents. “Nope,” he says, quickly flipping it off and going for the furthest one away instead. A row of recessed lights toward the back wall instead glows warmly, casting shadows around on the shelves and stacks. “Better,” he says, smiling at Noah and taking them a few steps inside.

They’ll strike all this tomorrow. It breaks Dan’s heart, but he’s ready for his heart to break a hundred times in the next few weeks and months. At least he hopes he is.

He can feel Noah watching him curiously as he scans the walls, taking in all the beautiful details that someone else crafted for him, lovingly placed here to make his dream, make David’s dream, come to life in this place.

“I didn’t really need to be at that production meeting,” Noah starts first, dragging his toe in a wide arc around Dan as Dan just stands there looking around. Dan takes a steadying breath and finally looks down at Noah. He pushes his glasses up on his nose and sticks his hands in his pockets.

“No. I’m sorry about that,” Dan shakes his head.

“But I needed to be here,” Noah says slowly, nodding his head because he gets it. He always gets Dan. That’s why he’s here at all.

“I thought so. Just once,” Dan says, carefully.

“We’ve definitely never been in this space alone,” Noah says, laughing softly, and that is very true. The room is always packed with people and equipment just out of the frame, and even the sweetest moment shared here between David and Patrick had a hundred pieces of hot lighting and eyes on them.

“Ok, so,” Dan starts, clearing his throat and turning to Noah. He folds his arms and adjusts his stance, feet wider apart because Beyoncé says standing that way helps you find your voice, but also because it brings him a little closer to Noah height wise.

“There’s gonna be, like a million of these in the next few weeks, but I wanted to have just one, if we could, here. And sober,” Dan adds, thoughtfully, and kind of rolls his eyes knowingly because they’re all a mess and this is going to get messier.

Noah nods slowly and digs his top teeth into his lip, never looks away from Dan. He isn’t the guy who looks away, and Dan has always loved that about him.

Dan plows ahead as bravely as he can. “I need to thank you. For every single piece of this. For taking that call. For reading the sides. For giving this a chance.”

“Oh my god, Dan, me? You...I…” Noah starts to break in, his voice pitching up.

“Nope this one’s mine,” Dan cuts him off, puts his palm on Noah’s chest and takes another breath. “You...you gave this everything, and you gave me everything. You gave Patrick to us and you gave David...literally the whole end of this story, and I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing - “

“That is 100% not true, Dan,” Noah interrupts again, putting his hand on top of Dan’s where it lays on his chest and tucking his fingers underneath. Dan shakes his head against his protest and links their fingers tighter together.

“I didn’t know what this, for sure all looked like, until you brought it all together. And that’s not just me that thinks that, it’s my dad, it’s the writers, it’s all of us. You filled in the blanks.”

“Dan, you wrote that. I didn’t…” Noah’s voice cracks and he grips Dan’s fingers a little tighter. “Fuck you’re not going to make this easy are you.”

“I can’t. It’s not. And Noah I have gotten really used to having you in my life, like all the time, and I don’t want to go back to where...I mean not to before, obviously, but I don’t want to not see you for two years ever again.”

“I don’t want that either,” Noah says softly. “Kind of hoping you’ll keep me around.”

Dan purses his lips and nods, furtively glancing around the room again. “I’m gonna try. But the sophomore slump is real and I’m probably going to spend all my money on shoes and cocaine and wind up living in my parents’ poolhouse in a year, so maybe you’ll be keeping me around.”

“A year? That’s ambitious.” Noah grins up at him and Dan looks down with tears stinging the corners of his eyes and it’s Noah who closes that space, thank fucking god.

He tilts his chin up and he kisses him, on the corner of the mouth, and then properly. Their lips are dry and their hands still clutch together at Dan’s chest, keeping them a respectful distance apart, so Dan softens into him, kisses him back and lets himself be kissed.

Noah pulls away gently, but doesn’t step back, just untwines their tangled up fingers and rubs up and down Dan’s arms, breathing quietly.

“Been a long time since you kissed me,” Dan says airily, leaning into him and letting his arms come up to hug Noah closer. Not too close, just closer.

“I kissed you like two hours ago,” Noah laughs into his chest and Dan leans back, holds him at arm’s length so he can really look at him.

“That’s not what I mean,” Dan says, that twisty smirk at one corner of his mouth that was always him.

Noah’s eyes twinkle in the soft light and he pulls Dan all the way into a hug, pressing his lips against Dan’s neck as he tucks his head over his shoulder, because that was always him, too.

“I love you, man,” Noah whispers at Dan’s shoulder and it’s the sweetest, stupidest, most assuring thing. Dan presses his face into Noah’s neck, fiercely fighting actual tears now.

“I love you so fucking much,” he laughs and cries, and Noah is just holding him and what the fuck is he going to do without this. “And I love Clare,” Dan adds urgently, sniffling into Noah’s shirt and Noah vibrates with a humming sound in Dan’s ear, his face still buried in Dan’s neck.

“She loves you too,” Noah breathes out, and Dan hugs him close, tries to breathe all of this in.

“Does she know?” Dan asks with a sudden hitch in his breath, and he didn’t quite mean to blurt that out, but now he definitely wants to know the answer, even if it hurts like hell.

“About us?” Noah asks.

Dan just nods forcefully, scrunching his eyes shut and crushing his glasses against Noah’s shoulder.

“She knows everything, Dan.” Noah answers easily and evenly, like it should be apparent.

“And she still loves me?” Dan asks incredulously, mostly entirely joking but he’s honestly happy to know this. To be known.

Noah just whispers, “of course,” like that, too, should be apparent, and Dan is grateful for this, and for that time. It wasn’t much, and it was a long time ago, but it’s theirs to keep.

“Good.” Dan says simply, feels the warm brush of Noah’s lips at his throat again.

They just hold each other, in the middle of this beautiful place that was uniquely theirs and carries Dan’s whole heart, his hopes and dreams, through them and through Patrick and David and out into the world. He finally shakes himself free and fiddles with his glasses, Noah still holding his other hand as natural as breathing or crying.

Noah clears his throat, actually turning away and making a soft coughing sound against his fist. He rubs his hand over his head then looks steadily back up at Dan, maybe trying to regain some semblance of composure, some coolness. “You better fucking call me. I mean call me anytime but you call me when you’re ready for the next thing, eh?”

Dan laughs through his nose at that. “As soon as I know what the fuck I’m doing after this, or have something real to show you, yes, you’ll be the first person I want to have read it.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m offer only.” Noah quips, tipping his chin up in a cocky little grin that is all Patrick, and Dan can’t help himself.

“Yeah you are,” Dan says with a little rumble in his voice, and presses his mouth carefully over Noah’s one more time, parting his lips ever so slightly and he feels Noah smile, kiss him back.

There are headlights then through the windows and the door, their car back to the city. Right on time.

“Mmm hmm,” Dan hums against Noah’s mouth, then pulls back, almost reverently. “Ok. Let’s get out of here before we do something that will make your fiancée not love me anymore.”

Noah follows close behind Dan as they back trace the few steps that had brought them here. “Nah, she’d probably like it,” Noah chirps as Dan reaches again to turn off the lights for the last time, his parting shot. For now.

“Don’t fucking tell me that,” Dan shakes his head but he’s smiling as he takes Noah’s hand in his and pulls the door open out into the night.

#schitts creek fic #rpf #the one guy #and that other guy #that's it #that's the story #fluff and feelings #a little angst #real life partners #implied past relationships #love

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rorykillmore · 6 years

Note

aaand what would you like to see go down with a hypothetical plot where sophie would turn another character?? or like, what are some interesting directions that could go in general i guess

okay so the current plan is that sophie is gonna turn cloud at the end of his geostigma arc, so i’ll answer this in the context of that!

i think just the set up is going to be really interesting? i don’t know yet what sophie’s specific thoughts on the whole affair are going to be, because it depends on how much she likes cloud by that point, but just like... multiple characters being involved in trying to find a cure for the geostigma and that seeming to head towards a very. dismal end before sophie suddenly provides a (potentially controversial) solution has a lot of potential, i think. from cloud’s perspective (quite possibly resigning himself to dying and then not, but having to adjust to a completely new state of being), from sophie’s (making a decision to save someone’s life, the factors that influence her to do that, and how that might get her a little more tied up in... widespread personal affairs than she generally likes to be), and also from the perspective of everyone else involved!

for instance, i’d be really interested to see like... mike’s reaction to cloud becoming a vampire, or nyssa’s, or foxfire’s, or laurel’s. i know dolores is definitely going to have some thoughts on it, which i’m looking forward to playing with as much as i am sophie’s stuff -- thankfully, as a host dolores’ blood is probably as appealing to a vampire as like... the synthetic blood from true blood canon, which is to say, not very. hosts are probably enough to match a baby vampire strength-wise too. so she’ll probably be in a safe enough position to try to help him through some of it, though i’m also just looking forward to how... cloud reacts to not being human anymore, and how dolores reacts to it too, since everyone knows her thoughts on humans but also vampirism is Complicated.

almost everyone else i mentioned is human, so the situation is more precarious for them, and i think there’s a lot of interesting potential in seeing how they have to cope with that and what they think and how cloud’s various relationships grow or change because of it. and whether people generally think sophie did the right thing or not.

sophie has spent the better part of her eternity as a pretty solitary vampire, too. true blood has this lore thing where it’s generally Bad if a bunch of vampires group up longterm because they rub off on each other and become much less ‘human’, and she’s smart enough to avoid that, but there are exceptions made for smaller, more contained dynamics -- maker/progeny bonds most of all. so i’m looking forward to playing with how she adjusts to that transition? being a maker, of course, is a pretty big commitment, but also just the other ways sophie’s life changes for not being as alone as she’s used to anymore and having actual other vampires around on denny.

speaking of transitions, of course one of my favorite aspects of any kind of turning plot like this is the process of the new vampire learning to adapt! i think that’ll be a very important part of the process of like... developing sophie and cloud’s bond, because whatever their relationship is like before this, this kind of thing Definitely puts it in a completely new context. it’s been awhile since sophie’s had to teach a new vampire the ropes, and i think that’ll be cool to see, and also probably on a sadder note... the changes in cloud’s lifestyle and mentality he has to adapt to, and how he copes with his predatory impulses, and the plots that could result from that.

it’ll be a great context for exploring the maker/progeny bond, which is one of the coolest things to come out of true blood lore imo (not that they like, Invented that concept because of course it’s a traditional vampire thing, but i just like their particular take on it). there are a couple of different directions giz and i can take that in, which might require some planning but is also at least partially one of those things you have to feel out organically when you get there.

if you decide to app alucard, i’d also be?? really interested in what he thinks about having a new vampire around?? i think you mentioned in another ask that he resents people who choose vampirism over death, so i’d love to see what he makes of this whole... situation, and what kind of part he takes in cloud’s new life, if any. sophie might be kind of protective of her progeny around a Strange Vampire, but it depends on how well she and alucard know each other by then. and there’s also maria, who’s started hanging around sophie and will probably end up running into cloud somehow, so... idk, maybe we’ll end up with a dysfunctional little supernatural squad at the end of the day.

lastly, i think the most interesting long-term potential for this plot is just like... the developing culture of having a growing number of vampires on denny, and what that means, and if people take notice? it depends on how widely known of a thing cloud’s turning becomes, but at least to some extent i feel like whispers of vampirism spreading could either result in either more people taking an interest (like, if seeking the vampires out out of a desire to be turned or healed wasn’t a thing before, it could be now), and/or more people becoming afraid? like, people who don’t want vampirism to grow or get panicky at the idea of it ‘spreading’, somewhat understandably.

or maybe somewhere in here we can do a little plot with cloud losing control and attacking someone, because that’s a pretty keystone “new vampire” plot element and it certainly spices things up to have people be like “okay now we have PROOF that they’re dangerous” and sophie (and possibly even alucard) having to do some damage control....

idk we’ll see!! but i’m really excited for this because i just feel like there’s SO much we could do with it and so many branching plots that could happen because of it

#thanks eps!!#this got me even more hype #cuts dennys lvad wire #mikexxwheeler

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renaroo · 7 years

Text

Wednesday Roundup 5.7.2017

So I think in the year-ish that I’ve been doing the Roundups, this is an actual literal first for me. This is the first time I have one “entry” from all my major publishers at the same time and not more. I mean one’s cheating since Monstress is a collected trade, but yeah, I have one from Dark Horse, DC, IDW, Image, and Marvel.

I could not have planned this if I tried.

In any case, fascinating coincidences aside, how did this week end up stacking up? How good were any of the issues? Lllllets find out!

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine, Image’s Monstress, DC’s Superman, IDW’s Transformers: Till All Are One, Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince

Marvel’s All-New Wolverine (2015-present) #22 Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk, Cory Hamscher, Erick Arciniega, Michael Garland

I’m not sure how many more times I can compliment this comic without it sounding repetitive but where we are, All-New Wolverine actually is making me, by force, enjoy a deep space story featuring the multitudes of Marvel alien species that I struggle to care about normally but really do here and now because GAAAAABBBY.

The relationship between Gabby and all the people around her is really one of the main driving forces. There’s of course the joy that’s her and Laura interacting and Laura growing into the mentor she never would have thought herself capable of (true daughter of Logan if there’s ever been), but this issue is wise in expanding on that during the first half of the story.

Gabby and Wade basically lampoon it from the start with Wade repeatedly expressing to Laura how special and unique Gabby is, and then Gabby working her magic on Laura, forcing her to grow up and move out of Logan’s old apartment into her very own (so on the nose and yet I love it oh so much). And of course there is the hilarity of bringing Jonathan into space.

All so that the cliffhanger at the end would leave you as emotionally destroyed as I feel at the moment!

Tom Taylor’s great, and I love how dedicated this comic seemingly is to staying out of Secret Empire and even more so to how dedicated it seemingly is to progress its own greater narrative -- namely with our mysterious hooded watcher who sees the departure of the Wolverines and cryptically moves their plans to Daken. To which I say nooooooooo our siblings were finally getting alonooonnnngggg

Great issue, on the edge of my seat for what’s to come!

Image’s Monstress (2015-present) Volume Two: The Blood Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda

So like Descender and a few of the other Indie titles I’ve picked up in the last year, I had Liu and Takeda’s Monstress come to my radar thanks to suggestions from people on tumblr! And what can I say? Those of you who recommend stuff to me really know my tastes it seems like!

This is a beautiful fantasy story with a very dark and unseemly look at the idea of fate and inheritance by blood. There is a weight to everything and the gorgeous style of the world hides the secret of the inner ugliness behind each and every corner.

To put things even more simply, this book is fascinatingly dark and is not the gentle Chosen One narrative that fantasy so often falls into at least in Western tropes. You can feel the influence of mythologies beyond Western, and really other than inverting the idea of a By Blood Chosen One you could argue that Western fantasy ideas do not really play much of a role within the narrative at all.

I think that’s what’s so fascinating to me. There’s a dense story with a lot to unpack, so those surface elements come off all the stronger and fascinate me into wanting to see even more of them.

Again just a very good read overall. Much approved.

DC’s Superman (2016-present) #26 Michael Moreci, Mike Godelwski, HI-FI

This is a very pleasant, very nice one-off read.

I’m not sure how much impact this issue will have on the greater story being told about our titular Kent family, but it was refreshing to have a look at especially Jon’s character from a different writer. As much as I have enjoyed Jurgens, Tomasi, and Gleason, Jon being naïve and near perfect has been a criticism I’ve thought deserved its dues for sure. And it’s interesting to see him feeling more his age in this issue and being a bit more stubborn and in the wrong and just flawed in the ways that kids are.

I loved that the lesson here was two-fold -- a lesson about Clark learning how to allow children to make their own mistakes and be there to comfort them when they fall, and about Jon learning to, in Clark’s terms, “flex muscles above the neck.”

The art was quite good and while Lois didn’t receive a lot of time here, she was Clark’s rock. I’m hoping that we will get more of the feisty and tenacious Lois who needs Clark holding her back from time to time sooner or later.

It’s a decent issue, and I’m glad Moreci is proving that people outside the usual team can tackle this new-old take on classic Superman and on the all-new Jon Kent.

IDW’s Transformers: Till All Are One (2016-present) #11 Mairghread Scott, Sara Pitre-Durocher, Joana Lafuente

I knew we weren’t close to seeing the end of Windblade! And not at all because I cheat and looked at next month’s cover back when the solicits for it came out like forever ago.

Rather than jumping around POVs which TAAO has made a habit of doing (well might I add!) with its ensemble cast, the continued narrowing of focus down to Starscream, with a short interlude showing Windblade’s internal mental battle, really worked for this issue. It’s so fascinating to get all the facets of Starscream’s perspective that we do here, and especially how the scars of being a Decepticon and being abused by Megatron still affect him greatly.

As the one Cybertronian who seemed the easiest adjusted to the new world of post-world Cybertron, it’s both expected and yet very shocking to see that it was a ruse. He has been as badly effected as nearly all the other Autobots and Decepticons have been by what they’ve lived through.

And I’m usually exhausted of the hallucinations about Bumblebee which I know are going to eventually be revealed to not be that much of a hallucination but it worked to great effect here. Mostly because Bumblebee left lol With that ominous ending silhouette and the subtle parallel between Starscream’s years long hallucinations of Bumblebee with the struggle Windblade is undergoing with two minds at once.

Reminds me of certain elements of Transformers Prime and Scott is a fan of bringing in elements of the Aligned universe into the IDW fold...

I really loved this issue, and especially loved the art. It breaks my heart knowing this series is coming to an end.

Dark Horse’s Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince (2017-present) #1 Kevin Panetta, Paulina Gancheau, Sarah Stern

Ever since I read the original Zodiac Starforce comic, I was really hoping we would be getting more of a follow up because my love of this genre and my love of how clever this comic was and how good it was with building this complicated world was too much for the tasty treat we got out of the original. And I couldn’t have been happier to hear we were getting just that!

We’re picking up a few months since the ending of the first volume and it’s really interesting to see how much our girls have grown in their various roles since then. I’m also getting the sense that this new storyline is going to be taking the opportunity to focus on the characters who didn’t get so much attention the last go around, like Kim and Molly and Lily.

Kim’s home life really strikes close to home for a lot of people, I’ve got to say. I’ve seen these situations play out, and I have to really applaud this comic for showing how important and defining it is for a supportive boyfriend/husband/etc. for a young woman in such a bad situation can be. It both helps women in the situation to feel as though they can seek support, and tells young men in the world that they can and should be the type of partner who is this supportive.

It’s interesting to see how the events of last time have played into everyone’s relationships months later, and it’s for better and for worse, especially for the scorned girls and boys who got a taste of the dark powers of Cimmeria. I’m so interested to see where all of this goes!

So this is going to seem incredibly strange but I would almost be willing to call each and every single issue that came out today a tie because I just genuinely enjoyed reading each and every one of them that much. It was such an amazing and unexpected variety this week for me and it just hit all the feelings I needed them to fit. But, as always, twist my arm and I can offer a real answer.

And that answer is Transformers: Till All Are One. It has so quickly become my favorite Transformers title from the entire IDW line and I just was enraptured in each panel. It’s a definite win from me, even in a week as fantastic and tightly held as this one.

So how was everyone else’s Wednesday pull? Agree with me? Disagree? Think I should be picking up something I’ve missed? Please feel free to let me know!

#SPOILERS #Wednesday Spoilers #Rena Roundups #Transformers: Till All Are One #Superman (2016 )#All New Wolverine (2015 )#Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince #Monstress (2015 )

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andrea-odown · 7 years

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Lessons in Love - Chapter 11

A Sing (2016)-fanfic. Sequel to my story “Keep on Singing”.

Read it on FF.Net and AO3.

Description: After their kiss on stage there’s still so much to figure out for Johnny and Cia. None of them has been in a relationship before, after all.

Chapter 11: Johnny

On his ride home Johnny keeps asking himself if it was okay to refuse Cia's invitation.

Okay, he knows why he did it - because after Mr. Moon walked in on them making out in the dressing room, it just didn't feel right any longer. And the smirks Mike sent their way every once in a while didn't help either.

All the way to Cia's apartment, he waited for the feeling to come back - but it didn't. Not when she asked if he wanted to come up, not when she teased him - which he actually liked a lot -, not when they finally kissed.

And it was no lie. He would have loved to come up with her - if the feeling had been right.

Which it wasn't.

Unfortunately.

And all the ride home he keeps waiting for the right feeling to come back because he could still turn around, he could call her, he could tell her that he's changed his mind.

But it doesn't come back.

With a sigh he parks his truck and climbs out.

Even on his way up the stairs he keeps waiting.

And still, nothing.

He doesn't get it.

Back in that dressing room, it had felt right, so very right!

And then it was gone within the blink of an eye.

Okay, it has been no lie either that he wants to get up early tomorrow to work at the garage before rehearsals. Because he still wants to open the youth center before Rosita and Gunter start their tour.

But he wouldn't have cared. If the feeling had been right, he wouldn't have cared, that is.

He's still thinking about it when he goes to bed.

Something tells him that sleep wouldn't come his way anytime soon.

The next days pass rather quickly. There's the work at the garage and rehearsals and more work at the garage.

And then it's Friday, the day Rosita asked him and Cia to redeem their voucher for babysitting because she and Norman want to go on their candlelight-dinner-date.

When he picks up Cia she has her secret babysitting-weapon with her, her bag of wonders where the piglets can reach in for little presents when they do the tasks right.

It's not a surprise - Cia has used it before for babysitting the piglets -, but Johnny is still relieved.

Cia climbs into the truck, greets him with a quick kiss and they are on their way to Rosita.

"If something comes up, call me," Rosita says for the felt hundredth time. "And I put all the numbers you might need on the fridge, poison control…"

"Children's ward and so on," Johnny cuts in. "Rosita, we know."

The female pig sighs. "You sure you can handle this?"

"We did before," Johnny replies. Okay, actually, it was just him at first, and he failed miserably until he called Cia for help.

Rosita looks from him to Cia and Cia holds up her little bag of wonders and shakes it a little.

Rosita giggles.

"Okay," she finally says. "We might be out a little longer, so if you get tired, you can convert the couch into a bed and sleep here. Breakfast is on us tomorrow!"

"Yes, Rosita," Johnny says, mentally rolling his eyes. "You told us twice already."

Rosita sighs. "And if anything happens…"

"We'll call you," Johnny finishes her sentence. "Really, Rosita, we're going to be fine."

"Okay," Rosita says, but she still doesn't move.

"He, Norman!" Cia calls out. "Think you can catch her if I throw her out of the apartment? Literally, I mean."

And she leans forward pretending to grab Rosita.

"No, no, I'm going, I'm going!" Rosita says quickly and catches up with Norman at the door.

And then - finally! - the door shuts closed behind them.

Johnny has to admit, it's so much better to have Cia's help from the start instead of spending hours close to a mental breakdown while keeping the piglets from hurting themselves.

With Cia's help, no almost-accidents happen, he isn't close to a mental breakdown one minute, and it's just nice.

He's still glad when the piglets have gone to sleep and he and Cia can settle down on the couch.

He turns on the TV, but doesn't really care what's on.

The last days, he and Cia didn't have much time together, so he can't wait to kiss her.

And he does as soon as she sits down next to him. Almost.

Because in the last moment he remembers something. He really liked it when Cia teased him back in the truck after Rosita's birthday party. It's just a idea, but he wants to try it the other way round.

So just before their lips touch, he stops and when Cia tries to bridge the gap between them, he leans back.

Cia tries again, but he leans back a little more, and she chuckles.

"Now I regret giving you ideas," she says.

"No need for that," he replies before he finally pulls her into a gentle kiss.

Before he can deepen the kiss, Cia breaks it.

"Not here," she whispers. "Not when the piglets could see us."

Johnny thinks about it for a moment. He doesn't like it, but Cia has a point.

"Agreed," he says. "It was hard enough to have to listen to them singing the k-i-s-s-i-n-g-song every ten minutes."

"You have to thank the little bag of wonders that they finally stopped," Cia replies with a smile.

"And the one who came up with this bag of wonders," he adds, his voice a little low. "Thank you!"

And he pulls her into another gentle kiss.

He so wants to deepen it, but no, Cia is right. It's better to be careful around here.

They spend hours on the couch watching TV, cuddling, and sharing gentle kisses every now and then.

Around midnight, Cia looks at him.

"Think we should settle in for the night? I don't think they're coming back anytime soon," she asks.

Johnny just nods and gets up.

Together, they convert the couch into a bed, using the blankets and pillows Rosita has laid out ready.

Cia goes to the bathroom first.

It gives Johnny time to think. And doesn't know if he likes it. Because now he realizes that staying overnight means that Cia and he are going to share a bed for the very first time.

Sure, Rosita has told them about this option when she asked them to babysit because - so Johnny guesses - she really wanted to spend the night alone with Norman.

And yes, he agreed, and he and Cia brought everything they need to stay the night.

But now that it's actually happening, he isn't so sure if he likes it.

Having Cia this close to him for a whole night, is that a good a idea?

No, it's not, he decides, especially because nothing can happen between them.

And it's going to be even more difficult, he realizes, when Cia comes back wearing a nightshirt. At least it's loose and not tight which would make things even more difficult. And yes, it could be even worse, like, it could be even more revealing.

He quickly gets to the bathroom to take a shower and change into his pajamas.

When he comes back, Cia is watching TV.

Johnny climbs into bed next to her. He feels a bit uneasy, but he can handle this.

Cia looks at him.

"Sleep time?" she asks.

"Yes," he replies with a shrug.

She still looks at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Well, could you turn off the TV then?" she asks. "You were in charge of the remote control and I have no idea where you put it.”

"Oh, yes, sure!" he quickly says, finding the remote control on his side of the bed, and turns the TV off.

"Thanks!" Cia says, and although his eyes haven't adjusted to the dark yet, he knows she's smiling.

Then she lies down, keeping a distance between them.

It makes Johnny frown.

"Something wrong?" he asks.

"No, why?" Cia replies.

"Because you're lying down over there."

Cia lifts her head. "Well, I might kick. Or snore. Or both."

Johnny rolls his eyes as he lies down and holds out his arm.

"Don't mind," he says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Actually, he isn't sure if it's a good idea, but he wants to have her closer to him. About that, he's sure at least.

Cia shifts closer and her head comes to rest on his chest. He wraps his arm around her.

"Good night, Johnny!" Cia says.

"Good night, Cia!"

And now comes the time when Johnny realizes that having Cia this close to him is not such a good idea at all. It's one thing to cuddle when they're both completely dressed, but wearing so little? This sure complicates things.

Cia's calm breathing shows him that she must have fallen asleep.

Johnny, however, isn't sure if he's going to find any sleep tonight.

He listens to her breathing, feels her warmth, smells her scent, and he likes it.

Actually, it feels right.

He places a kiss on her forehead before he closes his eyes, trying to find some sleep.

He's still awake when Norman and Rosita finally come home.

He pretends to be asleep, though.

Johnny doesn't know when, but at some point, he finally drifts off to sleep.

#sing 2016 #sing fanfiction #sing movie #johnny #cia #lessons in love #and's fanfictions

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