#i fear for our main stephen now
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The Campaign to End All Campaigns
Without any effort on my part Officer Bret or Brenton slides from my bed in to the large scale bathroom stark naked in the radiant sunlight.
I can see him from in all its glory the remote in my hand I flick the television on all I see is there races for office with three men I could fuck.
I am mesmerized by the conversation and interview I did not feel his hands lay on me and start rubbing me digging deep in to my skin.
I move my neck to my side kissing his cheek he kisses down my neck feeling every inch and crevice his nose trailing down to my armpits.
He leans in losing my body all over I realize i underestimate what real power is since he is swallowing all of my juices like sweet nectar from the gods.
We kiss my back being placed to lay on the bed his body shuffles on top of me grinding his hips on me our scents swelling upward as they mix.
“I could help with that Master”
“Get your mind out of the gutter “
“I meant with the Governor, Senator, and the Mayor.”
“First off Senator Tom Ellis is your main guy”
“Yes he is my priority, all for you my king.”
“You better get going “
“I will miss you all day.”
“Oh yeah? Babe”
“You are my world Master Lawrence “
“I put the app in your keep track of me”
“Excellent! May I go?”
“Yes! Now boi”
Officer Breton manages to hunt down Tom for all he is worth tracing him to a proven successful and private gym for only the elite of the town.
Tom is finishing his work out the sweat is all over the air swooning high with sweat over the room and he is shock when I walk in to the room.
The door locks he stares at me with a look of stress, shock, worry and fear evident in his face and I knew that the cop will bring him.
Before he knows it a knock on to the head is hard blow on his head he fell backwards to the gym floor and he lifts him on to his large shoulders.
Carrying him from the back of the gym he leaves the alley way in to his car as they disappearing in to the lateness of the night so high.
The car parking in the depth of the night I await for him in the cabin the door is locked and he strapped to the chair a force to stare at television screen with a static spiral calls him to obey.
“Why don’t they answer?” Andrew slams the cellphone to the ground in fiery pitch.
“Someone has an attitude problem.” Tom adds.
“What are you doing here?” Andrew yells.
“Who are you?” Andrew calls out.”
“You are under arrest.”
“For what?”
“What are my charges?”
“For taking Master Lawrence’s state “
“Excuse me! What is this about ?”
“Officer please “
“What is that? STAY AWAY FROM ME!”
“Sorry! I can’t do that babe”
“Get him! Yes Sir”
“Master Lawrence!”
“What do you expect of me?”
“Only this….boom”
“What the…so stunning”
“Obey the spiral “
“Obey Master Lawrence “
“OBEY!”
“OBEY HIM”
“YES! I obey Master”
“He is my everything “
“Our everything”
“We share”
“Fuck yeah!”
“Where is he?”
“Follow us “
“What about the Mayor?”
“He is next “
“I Andrew “
“Will call him”
“Do it”
“Call Stephen”
“Yes Sir”
“He is on the cellphone “
“Oh Master!”
“Stephen Amell…The Mayor’s office “
“Hello….”
“After this beat”
“You will be a slave “
“The sound grows louder”
“Mmmmm”
“Bing”
“Bing”
“I am blank”
“You are a slave “
“You belong to Master Lawrence “
The end
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paper hearts (part eight): one step at a time
pairing: stephen strange x widow!reader
summary: things are going well for you at the sanctum as you master your knowledge of the mystic arts. not only that, but it seems that you and stephen are growing closer with each passing day…
warnings: swearing, mentions of depression and ptsd, awkward flirting, domestic fluff
word count: 6.1k
a/n: this is kind of a filler chapter of sorts? just some good stuff i think we all need from stephen and our widow <3 also shoutout to @singhfae for some of the ideas i included in here!
series masterlist | main masterlist
another morning was spent in the kamar-taj training grounds to touch up on some protective spells and shields. you had found yourself spending an awful lot of time here, enjoying the fresh air and open landscape with miles upon miles of breathtaking scenery; you didn’t think you would ever get used to it, and you certainly didn’t think you would ever get used to possessing magic.
you liked how the magic felt between your fingertips, like it was pure energy fizzling through your veins and moving outwards like an extension of yourself, stretching farther and wider than any weapon you had ever held could reach.
it felt really fucking cool to put it simply. your abilities had grown the more you practiced at kamar-taj and spent time with stephen. he had been a wealth of knowledge and was more than happy to assist you in whatever areas you needed a bit more help with—primarily the spell aspect of the mystic arts. he was the smartest person you had ever met and you couldn’t think of a more suitable teacher… but you weren’t about to tell him that, his ego was inflated enough as it is.
as for you, shields, ropes, and portals were a piece of cake, barely requiring any thought or concentration; some spells here and there were pretty easy to grasp as well, but for the most part, remembering everything and the very nature of magic itself was challenging for you to wrap your brain around. you had grown up on order, discipline, and facts; fear, precision, and malleability. something as mind-bending and otherworldly like the mystic arts was no easy task, and you struggled quite a bit, especially with the stacks upon stacks of endless spell books and ancient texts documenting the very history of magic itself—yeah, it was a lot. but lucky for you, doctor stephen strange was practically at your beck and call.
maybe not so lucky, actually. the more time you spent with the sorcerer, the more you fell for him each and every day. your crush hadn’t dissipated, no matter how hard you tried to tamp it down and deny how you felt. sure, you had threatened him a few months ago that you couldn’t stand him and that you would essentially require him to prove his love for you before you even thought of giving him the time of day, but now… it had only been a few extra weeks and you felt like a lovesick puppy, it was ludicrous. never in your life had you felt so helpless or vulnerable. it went against every rule and law that had been engrained in you at such a young age: do not form attachments, love makes you weak, allow yourself to fall victim to your emotions and your life will be at risk.
every instinct within you screamed and raged at you to cut it off with him—even though nothing had really happened as of yet anyway—but you just couldn’t stop. you felt at home at the sanctum, so unlike the familiarity of the compound. sure, that had felt like a home of sorts, but that was before this—your life with stephen and america and wong. the compound had still felt like work, cold and isolated and rigid. the sanctum, on the other hand, was warm and comforting and truly felt like a home that was filled with something that could almost be akin to a family. it was ridiculous, of course, enabling yourself to feel this way—encouraging it, even—but you simply couldn’t help yourself. you really, really loved it here.
stephen had given you your own room and showed you some spells that would help you redecorate however you so wished, it was quite a lot of fun, actually. you had asked america to help you design everything: your color scheme, if you should have a canopy bed or a four-poster; if drapes would look better or if it might be a fun change to use fairy lights along the window frame. she had been a great deal of help, even adding an array of knickknacks and decorations from her own room to share a bit of her personal style to the space. it was nice, and you had felt more safe and comfortable and relaxed than you had ever felt in your entire life.
you weren’t sure what to do or how to process anything. stephen had gifted you with the knowledge of this peculiar and underlying ability of yours, assisting you in honing your skills with each passing day, and provided you with a home and family to call your own—well, he hadn’t explicitly said he thought of you as family, and you were far too embarrassed to even bring anything of the sort up to him, but still, you thought of it as such and you were grateful. you didn’t think you would ever be able to repay him for what he had done for you. in a way, the ridiculous wizard in his funny little red cloak had saved you.
oh, god. you were turning into a giant sap.
you shook the thoughts from your head and returned to training. a much needed break had been spent admiring the view from the other end of the courtyard and sipping from your bottle of water. now, it was back to work.
before you could even turn around to make the trek over to your training mat, a familiar gravelly voice spoke from behind you.
“word around kamar-taj is that i have a girlfriend. you wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”
your eyes widened as you faced stephen. all right, who spilled the fucking beans? “what?” you played along innocently. “no! who would’ve started a rumor like that?”
“what makes you think it’s a rumor?”
“because you’re not dating anyone.”
“i’m not?” he asked smugly.
“…no?” you avoided his gaze as you glanced across the courtyard, trying to meet nina’s eyes in a not-so-subtle attempt at getting you out of this situation. she just laughed and turned back to malachi as they practiced new fighting positions.
thanks a lot, buddy.
suddenly a broad chest appeared in front of you, blocking your view of nina or any other distraction. stephen leaned down until you were looking back at him again. “nothing to say?” he added with a sly grin.
“uh… who’s the lucky girl?”
he shook his head as a chuckle bubbled up his throat. “i don’t know… you tell me.”
you blinked. “…tell you what?”
“come on. i know it was you, sweetheart.”
there was that damn pet name again. while it had seemed like a mere slip-up the first time the term passed his lips, now it felt intentional, almost genuine.
shit. maybe playing dumb wasn’t your best option. “that obvious, huh?” you replied with a grimace.
“if anything, i’m flattered. never thought i’d actually get to this point, yet here you are declaring your love for me all throughout kamar-taj.”
“woah,” you said, holding up your hands, “pump the breaks there, lover boy. i never told anyone it was me. i just informed someone that you weren’t single, that’s all.”
“and why would you do that, pray tell?”
“all right, shakespeare,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “felicity was talking to me about possibly asking you out and i said you had a girlfriend, okay?”
“you’re still not answering the question, sweetheart. i want to know why.”
your eyes narrowed. “you’re getting awfully comfortable with that ‘sweetheart,’ aren’t you, pal?”
stephen’s face fell. “do you want me to stop?”
“…i didn’t say that.”
his lips twitched. “very well. i’ll end the interrogation for now. how about we head home for dinner?”
“yeah, okay.”
“what would you like tonight?” he asked gently as he led you to the farthest corner of the courtyard, raising an expectant hand as if asking you to portal the two of you back to the sanctum.
you did so with ease, slipping your very own sling ring onto your index and middle fingers before flicking your wrist in a circular motion that coaxed the telltale golden sparks into view. you noticed in stunned silence as stephen’s face lit up as you did so, pure elation and pride settling onto his features at your progress. you supposed practice did make perfect because you somehow managed to move up to the top of your class of fellow apprentices, creating a portal at a greater speed than any of the other students.
you didn’t know if it truly did come naturally to you, or if there was still some lingering component of your training from the red room that urged you to prove yourself, to be the best of the best as a means of survival.
your hand dropped back to your side as the memories jumped to the forefront of your mind; you had been doing so well of pushing that part of existence away, burying it so far within yourself that you couldn’t stumble upon it at the worst of times or when you least expected it—like right now. god, when was this ever going to end?
a careful hand rested on your shoulder and you flinched away before grabbing said hand and twisting it away from you.
stephen’s sharp gasp snapped you from your thoughts and you quickly jumped back, guilt creeping up your throat until you were choking on it.
you clapped a hand over your mouth. “shit, shit. i’m so sorry, doc. are you all right?”
his cerulean eyes were searching yours, quizzical and assessing. “i’m fine, sweetheart. are you all right? where did you go just now?”
you felt tears pricking at the corner of your eyes and blinked enough times to clear them away. forcing the memories and guilt down, you cleared your throat and readjusted the proverbial mask you wore when your thoughts became too overwhelming, and turned to face stephen. “sorry, nothing. i’m fine. let’s just go back to the sanctum, i’m starving and you stink.” you pushed forward and stepped through the sizzling portal and left a worried stephen to follow after you.
once you entered the sanctum, you swiftly escaped to the privacy of your bedroom, ridding yourself of your burgundy robes and stepping into the steaming shower that you had started with a simple wave of your hand—pretty convenient, if you did say so yourself.
you went through the mind-numbing motions of washing your hair and lathering your body in suds of lavender and chamomile wash, a timeless fix to stress and worry, the scent of it immediately calming your nerves and allowing you to breathe again. it had been natasha’s go-to after long and arduous training sessions back at the compound.
fuck, now you were thinking about her now. what was with you today? first, it was sappy thoughts about stephen, then memories of the red room, and now mourning over nat’s death again. when would this end? you were so tired of being sad all the time. you thought you were doing a pretty decent job of hiding just how awful you felt at times, and yet, that niggling feeling of hopelessness and loss reared its ugly head whenever you were alone. what? you suddenly couldn’t take a shower without taking a torturous walk down memory lane?
you released a weary sigh that caught in your throat before shutting off the water and wiping the wetness from your face, not knowing if it was purely from the showerhead or from your tears that had gotten mixed in.
grabbing a towel from the rack, you murmured a soft heating spell beneath your breath that provided immediate warmth to the fabric, and then wrapped it around yourself, feeling slightly better now that you had washed away the sweat and memories of the last few moments. you ran another towel through your hair and then utilized the drying spell stephen had mentioned to you previously. honestly, this magic thing was a real time saver.
you dressed in casual clothes, just a simple t-shirt and loose cotton pants that flared around your ankles. it was a nice change to leave the tight-fitted material of your widow suit and training garb tucket away in the closet and wear something comfortable while you unwound for the evening.
slipping into a pair of fuzzy socks america had given you that matched her own, you made your way down the massive staircase and entered the kitchen to find stephen hunched over the stove. the comforting scent of olive oil, garlic, and caramelized onion wafted throughout the room and brought a smile to your face. it seemed the sorcerer had been quite busy since you had parted ways upon returning to the sanctum.
you eyed his own clothing: a pair of dark sweatpants and cotton shirt layered with a soft cardigan. he looked warm and cozy… and kind of—no, stop that.
“huh,” you mused aloud. “i think this is the first time i’ve seen you without your wizard costume, doc.”
stephen snorted before turning around to face you, a teasing grin pulled at his lips that was bordered by a neatly-trimmed goatee. he must have taken his own shower as well because he looked fresh and clean and smelled faintly of citrus.
“i’m not a wizard, y/n, and neither are you. you know that.”
you waved a dismissive hand. “yeah, yeah. tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to.”
he shook his head in playful exasperation before smiling softly. “how are you feeling?”
you gulped. why did he have to bring up your reaction from earlier? why was the man so infuriatingly perceptive? “fine.”
“are you lying to me?”
“…no.”
“y/n,” he pleaded, “talk to me. what happened earlier?”
“nothing. like i said, i’m fine.”
he eyed you closely, his brows pinching slightly in a probing sort of way, like he had x-ray vision and could see right through you, but then he blinked and schooled his features back into a pleasant expression. “if you insist.”
“i do,” you said, suddenly feeling hot and desperately needing to change the subject. “uh, hey. while i’m staying here, is there anything you want me to help out with? like cleaning or chores or something?”
he looked at you with an incredulous expression. “not really, no. why would you do that?”
you shrugged. “i just… don’t want to seem like a freeloader or anything.”
“that’s not how i see our arrangement, y/n,” he said, tone turning soft. “you don’t need to earn your keep to stay here. america and i like having you around, and we’re both happy that you’re learning the mystic arts in the process. i want you to feel at home here, okay? you don’t need to prove yourself, especially not to me.”
“okay,” you agreed quietly.
“but, if you’re absolutely dying to do something, you could help me cook dinner? i could show you some spells that can help speed up the process, if you’d like?”
“i’m really not a very good cook,” you said. “i might accidentally burn down the kitchen.”
he chuckled warmly. “it’s all right, i’m pretty disastrous myself. that’s what the magic is for, it’ll help.” he beckoned you forward with a gentle motion and you hesitantly stepped further into the kitchen until you stood by his side at the stove. “here, i’ll show you, yeah?”
you nodded. “okay, sure.”
as stephen laid out a large cookbook on the countertop, you felt a soft pressure around your waist. you looked down to see the familiar red cloak that was usually displayed across stephen’s shoulders now tied around your form in a makeshift apron.
a surprised laugh bubbled up your throat. “what’s this about?” you asked as you brushed down the fabric in a gentle sweeping motion.
stephen eyed you with an almost awed expression donning his features. “he likes you.”
“what?”
“the cloak of levitation, that’s what it is,” he said. “i think he likes you. he’s never really gone to anyone else unless they were in need of saving.”
“oh, like when we were on that mission together with the gross monster-things?”
he chuckled. “yes, exactly like that.”
suddenly, a section of the cloak lifted to rest against your cheek in an almost human-like gesture. “it’s nice to meet you, too,” you said to the sentient fabric, a giddy smile pulling at your lips. what an odd thing this whole magic world was. it was full of surprises and you were never truly bored.
“mmm, what smells good?” america chimed in from the doorway.
the two of you turned to the teen as she took a seat at the counter. “chef strange here is teaching me how to make spaghetti,” you answered with a teasing grin as stephen leaned over to bump your shoulder playfully.
america watched with a knowing look in her dark brown eyes.
before long, dinner was ready and plates of spaghetti and stacks of fragrant garlic bread floated along the countertop to land on individual plates for you, stephen, and america.
“where’s wong?” america asked as she dug into her plate, the corner of her mouth dripping with tomato sauce. you handed her a napkin and she took it gratefully.
“performing some ‘higher duties’ at kamar-taj,” stephen replied. “won’t be back ‘til late.”
“oh, should we save a plate for him?”
stephen turned to you from his seat on the left. “yeah, i think he’d appreciate that,” he said softly.
you smiled in response and returned to your plate, twirling a forkful of noodles into your mouth. “god, that’s good,” you said as the flavors swirled around your tongue.
“never had spaghetti either?” america asked, a hint of sadness creeping into her tone.
you shook your head and offered her a comforting smile. “but it’s okay, i’m glad i could try it for the first time with you.”
her frown morphed into a smile that mirrored your own and the two of you dug in. you felt stephen’s eyes on you—he always seemed to be watching you in moments like these when you shared tiny fragments of your past—but he didn’t say anything in return, instead, he continued eating in silence.
the following morning, you awoke to the scent of freshly-brewed coffee, cinnamon, and maple syrup along with faint sounds of tinkering coming from the kitchen. geez, that man sure had a knack for cooking at all times of the day. when he wasn’t acting as master of the new york sanctum, he was either in the kitchen or the library. maybe he should think about switching professions…
you stretched your arms above your head, the slight chill of the air in your room kissing your skin as it peeked out from the warmth of your blankets. rising from bed you went about your daily routine of brushing your teeth, tying your hair back in an intricate braided bun that yelena had shown you, and dressed yourself in casual clothes before you needed to head off to kamar-taj for the afternoon. this morning, however, would be dedicated to pouring over endless spell books in the library. oh, joy.
before leaving your room, you briefly checked your reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall, setting a few stray hairs into place, until you caught yourself. what the hell were you doing? really, checking your appearance before going downstairs to see your crush? how old were you, twelve?
you groaned to yourself and then opened your door to walk down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“well, well,” you greeted. “what has the chef prepared for us today?”
you heard stephen’s deep chuckle from where he stood at the stove, shivering a bit at the sound as you sat down at the counter with your elbows resting on the cool surface.
“good morning to you, too,” he said. “how did you sleep?”
“like a baby.”
“that’s good to hear,” he replied before turning to face you, and you noticed how a section of his hair curled onto his forehead in the way that you liked, but would never voice aloud. it made him look younger and more carefree, so unlike the slicked-back style he wore on more serious occasions. as for right now, however, he seemed completely relaxed and unguarded as he shared his morning with you.
a kind smile tugged at his lips in a way that reached his eyes, lighting up his face in a welcoming glow—what the hell? when did you turn so soft all of a sudden?
“you look really pretty today,” stephen said quietly.
oh. you bit your lip as heat climbed up your neck and into your cheeks. god, you were never going to get used to his compliments. he was giving them out to you like they were candy.
“thanks,” you breathed, looking down at the counter to hide your blush.
he cleared his throat awkwardly before moving about the kitchen again. a cup of steaming coffee slid in front of you and you quickly looked up to find stephen now turned back to the stove as if he hadn’t just given you your exact coffee order.
you took a hesitant sip and hummed happily at the familiar taste, and you wondered when he had learned how you took yours without having to say anything. you couldn’t recall ever mentioning it to him… was there a spell for that? could he read it on you or something?
without another word, stephen quietly plated up something that looked like soggy bread onto three plates and placed them along the counter.
america then bolted into the room as if summoned and took her usual seat next to you. “ugh yes! french toast,” she cheered.
“french toast?” you asked confused. “what makes it french?”
the teen tilted her head in thought, brows knitted together before she said, “i’m not sure… but it tastes really good. try it!”
stephen’s soft chuckle soon followed after your brief discussion of the origins of french toast. he watched in silent amusement as you poured maple syrup on top of your stack and cut the soggy bread into bite-sized pieces, lifting a forkful to your mouth and moaning softly. “wow.”
“wow?” he asked.
“yeah, wow,” you repeated. “you sure you weren’t a world-famous chef in your past life or something? is there a cooking whiz variant of you out there somewhere?”
suddenly, a deep and boisterous laugh filled the kitchen as stephen hunched over his plate. his eyes crinkled at the corners as elation painted his features. you had never heard him laugh like that before, like there was nothing holding him back, no reservations or restrictions—just pure joy. it sounded really, really nice, actually, and you couldn’t help but giggle yourself with america joining in soon after until all three of you were nothing but fits of loud, ridiculous laughter.
you couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this happy or carefree. what a pleasant change, you thought.
a throat cleared from the doorway and you turned to find wong entering the kitchen with an arched brow rising on his forehead. “what’s so funny in here?”
“stephen and y/n are hilarious,” america choked out, the remnants of her laughter still spilling from her lips. “want some breakfast, wong?”
he assessed the three of you more closely before moving toward the stove and preparing himself a plate in awkward silence.
stephen snorted to himself but it was loud enough for you to hear so you kicked him under the table to which he retaliated by bumping your shoulder and you quickly slapped a hand over your mouth to muffle the new laugh that was fighting its way up your throat.
another sound of wong clearing his throat. “shouldn’t you be in the library studying?” he asked carefully, eyes flitting back and forth between all three of you.
both you and stephen turned to him with matching expressions of pure innocence. “most definitely,” stephen responded coolly but you could still hear a hint of his usual snarkiness in his voice. “just making sure we’re properly nourished and fueled for our long day ahead. isn’t that right, apprentice y/n?”
you set your fork down on your plate as you played along. “oh absolutely, master strange. i can’t wait to see what mystical knowledge i’ll have the pleasure of learning today.”
america snorted into her orange juice, stephen pressed his lips together, and wong just shook his head in exasperation. “you two are nothing but trouble.” he then made his way out the door but offered a polite “thank you for breakfast” before exiting completely.
the three of you burst out into laughter again at how ridiculous the situation was and you clutched your side as your muscles pinched as if they were unfamiliar with this level of happiness you were feeling.
“you almost got me into trouble with the sorcerer supreme!” you exclaimed before playfully shoving stephen in the chest but he swiftly clasped your hand in his and held it there firmly.
your eyes widened as he glanced down at you, feeling suddenly tense and uneasy at his close proximity, like you might jump out of your skin or kiss him—what?—but that was quickly shoved aside as your primary focus settled on the fact that stephen’s heart was pounding beneath your palm. was he affected by this just as much as you were? you swallowed nervously, not knowing what to do or say or look at.
you didn’t have to worry about that for much longer as the silence was suddenly interrupted by america burping rather loudly.
“oops,” she said meekly. “where are my manners? so sorry,” and then she grabbed her plate and walked it to the sink before leaving the kitchen with a shit-eating grin on her face.
you cleared your throat before pulling away from stephen and rising from your chair. “so,” you started as if the last few moments hadn’t happened, “time for today’s lesson, yeah?”
you poured over a collection of spell books and ancient texts, your eyes growing blurry as you scanned the pages in great detail. it wasn’t the various languages that troubled you, but the very concept of magic and the mystic arts as a whole.
sure, you had seen a lot of oddities in your life, especially after joining the avengers, but the fact that magic actually existed was the one thing that continued to boggle your mind.
your head dropped into your hands as you released a defeated groan. how were you possibly going to become a sorcerer if you didn’t fully believe in the possibilities and complexities of magic? this was hopeless.
“having a bit of trouble, are we?”
you lifted your head to see stephen re-enter the library with another cup of coffee in his hand and more overwhelming stacks of books trailing behind him, his signature smirk already pulling at his lips.
“oh, bite me,” you shot back.
his chuckle echoed throughout the room as he took a seat across from you, books fluttering down to the table.
“this is hopeless, doc,” you voiced aloud. “how am i going to remember all of this?”
he tsked softly. “that doesn’t sound like the tenacious girl i know.”
your eyes narrowed at him. “yeah, well, not everyone can have a photographic memory like you, asshole.”
his only response was a mischievous pull to his lips before golden sparks sizzled into view beside him. you watched in silence, blowing on your coffee before taking a careful sip as he reached through the portal and pulled out another book from somewhere deep within the endless library.
“another one?” you groaned.
his lips twitched. “i think this one might help alter your perspective a bit.”
from there, the two of you poured over more and more tomes of endless knowledge for hours until your brain felt like it might turn to mush. you lowered your head to the table and let out an exhausted groan. “enough of this, doc. i can’t feel my brain right now.”
“nobody can feel their brain, y/n,” he replied with a snort.
“yeah, yeah. whatever, mister neurosurgeon genius.”
he placed a light hand on your back in some semblance of comfort, and it did actually feel pretty nice to feel his warm touch against you. “why don’t you take a break for a bit before we head to kamar-taj this afternoon?”
“good idea,” you said sarcastically. “wouldn’t want my brain to forget how to move my muscles after you bludgeoned it to death!”
“don’t be so dramatic, sweetheart. this is nothing compared to what you’ll continue to learn in the future.”
“oh great,” you deadpanned.
“rest,” he insisted. “i’ll wake you up when it’s time to go.”
the two of you were stood across from each other in the courtyard, going about your daily training session together and briefly discussing potential modes of attack in varying situations, calling upon helpful spells and shields to assist you along the way. the addition of magic to your previous training was really quite useful and provided you with a sense of power and confidence you didn’t know you could achieve. sure, you had always been confident in the physical aspect of fighting and surviving, but there was something about the magic running through your veins that increased this ability tenfold. you felt unstoppable.
as you continued to grow in your abilities, you gradually noticed that your magic began to adjust and evolve, incorporating pieces of you into each aspect of your magic. today in particular as you trained one-on-one with stephen, you noticed an unusual pattern start to weave itself into your shields that you had never seen before now… it almost had the appearance of spiderwebs.
“incredible,” stephen breathed.
“what? what’s going on?” you asked, confusion swirling within you as your hands dropped back down to your sides.
“your magic is evolving, like it’s communicating with you. i—i’ve never seen anything like it.”
you frowned. “really? that’s odd.”
stephen hummed in thought as he studied you rather closely, a crease forming between his dark brows. “well, i suppose i’m not surprised.”
“not sure if i should feel offended or flattered by that.”
he snorted softly. “it was intended to be a compliment, sweetheart. what i meant,” he said, voice lowering, “is that you’re special and that you’ve already impressed me in more ways than one, so it’s no surprise that you can do something so spectacular and unheard of like that.”
“oh.”
“not sure what to say?” he asked amusedly. “have i rendered you speechless?”
you rolled your eyes in an overly exaggerated attempt to hide just how affected you were by his compliment. the man seemed to have an unlimited supply of those for you as of late. stupid wizard with his stupid compliments and his stupid voice.
“whatever,” you huffed. “shouldn’t we move on to something else? more combat training, perhaps? i promise i’ll go easy on you this time,” you added with a smirk. “wouldn’t want you to throw your back out, old man.”
“funny,” he deadpanned. “i think we’re done for today, actually. let’s head back, yeah?”
a few days later, you received a ping on your phone requesting your presence back at the compound. a new mission arose and they required your assistance.
you weren’t sure how to feel about that, to be quite honest. sure, you were more than happy to see yelena again and catch up in person, and of course, sam and bucky would be loads of fun to be around, but you almost dreaded the thought of being away from the sanctum—away from the home you had been welcomed into here with stephen and america.
for god’s sake, y/n, you scolded yourself. you’re not going to be away forever, it’ll just be for a week at most.
you packed a bag of your essentials before descending the staircase and announcing your upcoming absence to stephen and america over breakfast, the two of them offering genuine goodbyes as you later opened a portal back to the compound. it felt different this time, creating a portal for yourself rather than stephen doing it for you like those times before. you smiled to yourself at the memory of those days and how far you’ve come since then.
standing in the entryway of the sanctum, you looked around you at all of the antiquated knickknacks and relics and oddities sprinkled about, already feeling a bout of homesickness settle in your stomach. why did it feel like this was goodbye? had you really developed such a close relationship with your friends here and the home that they had offered you? especially over such a short amount of time, would it really hurt to be away for more than a few days?
you pressed your lips together in a forced smile as you looked at the two of them standing together rather morosely. god, what a depressing bunch you all were. “guess this is goodbye for now, huh?” you said in a teasing tone, but it sounded rather bland, even to you.
“i’m going to miss you,” america pouted. “don’t stay away for too long.”
“i won’t,” you replied, leaning forward to rub your knuckles into her hair. “i could never stay away from you, kiddo.”
she offered a smile in return and lifted her pinky up to you. “promise?”
you nodded as you linked your pinky around hers. “promise.”
stephen watched the two of you in silence, never saying a word but you felt the heaviness of his gaze on you as you left this part of your world behind.
the first few nights at the compound were fine. the mission was going exceptionally well and everything had gone as expected. you and yelena had caught up in your brief moments of free time over old movies and takeout; sam and bucky shot insults back and forth as usual, and you found yourself laughing at their antics as their boisterous arguments filled the kitchen—and yet… something felt like it was missing.
you were currently tucked away in your room at the compound, tossing and turning with discomfort at the unfamiliar feeling of your bed. well, it didn’t used to feel unfamiliar to you, you had just grown used to something different—better—over time. you missed your bed and your room at the sanctum, america and stephen, and the food he would cook for you, showing you how to make your favorites and some new dishes you had never tried before.
you knew it sounded ridiculous but you almost… missed him. you missed his stupid sense of humor and the way he studied with you and helped you better understand the mystic arts. you were almost tempted to text him but had to hold yourself back. it wouldn’t be that much longer until you could return to the sanctum; the mission was close to being complete and you had already documented most of the details in your report anyway, so it wouldn’t take long to finish. but still… you actually really, truly missed him. you tapped anxiously at your thigh, weighing your different options.
“oh, fuck it,” you said as you reached for your phone on the nightstand and scrolled down to his contact name. it had been a while since the two of you had texted each other, what with the rift between you and then after you started living with him, there was no need for it. but now… being away from him for even less than a week was messing with your head and you just wanted to talk to him. you would much rather see him or hear the familiar baritone of his voice that you oftentimes felt more than heard instead of through the cold and detached words on a screen, but you didn’t want to seem too desperate or clingy.
hi, you texted lamely and immediately felt like an idiot once you hit send, mentally smacking your forehead. that was really what you chose to start with?
it turned out that stephen didn’t seem to have a problem with your pathetic attempt at texting, as he quickly sent back, miss me?
you could practically hear the satisfied smirk in his text and rolled your eyes as you started to type out a snarky response before changing your mind, deciding to be open with him for a change. he had been far more open with his feelings toward you than you had with him, and it was probably time you reciprocated. i do, you responded.
there was a pause, the three dots popping up on the screen and then disappearing in the next moment. you felt so stupid, and you probably did seem just as desperate and clingy as you were hoping not to.
your fingers danced over the keyboard in a quick attempt to backtrack your response, but then his incoming text slid onto the screen before you could hit send.
can i come see you?
please.
taglist: @stygianoir @poor-unfortunate-soul-85 @samisubi @seishoari @mischiefmanaged71 @pasta-warlord @elicheel @vesta-ro @luthientinu @torresbarnes @kikus-art @stanny-uwu @hospitaldaydream @loki-is-loved @slvtforstr4nge @sofi786 @glitterylokislut @faithinhome @mando-is-the-way @bobateadaydreams @singhfae @evelynrosestuff @lazysheepperfection @reinereinegoaway @preciousbabypeter @mayotsukia @lucimorningst4r @tis-vereon @talesofadragon @sleepdeprivedasever @wanderingfairy73 @strangelockd @cafeaueva @remuslupinwifee @kathanibennett @ironstrange1991 @strangeobsessed @strangesweetheart @lucywrites02 @kentucky-criedfricken @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx @fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13 @strangeions
tumblr wouldn’t let me tag you for some reason, so sorry!
let me know if you want to be added/removed from any of my taglists!
#paper hearts#doctor strange#doctor strange fic#doctor strange fanfic#doctor strange fanfiction#doctor strange x you#doctor strange x y/n#doctor strange x reader#stephen strange#stephen strange fic#stephen strange fanfic#stephen strange fanfiction#stephen strange x you#stephen strange x y/n#stephen strange x reader
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red white & royal blue is one of the worst movies i've ever seen, but it was also just crazy enough to be watchable. i felt like i was going to die. here are some insane highlights of my viewing experience:
the presidents son (alex, one of our leads) is a beto o'rourke liberal who thinks democrats can win texas. everyone agrees to let him try despite having no political expertise. he never mentions the issue of gerrymandering. he's gonna do it solely because he has this brilliant, secret memo with some 5head strategy nobody has ever thought of before.
we never get to read the memo, or even know what his plan is.
it works. they win texas.
there's cameos from equally delusional libs like joy ann reid and rachel maddow.
stephen fry plays the king of england.
king stephen fry is initially homophobic.
but don't worry, the royal family eventually reforms and definitely doesn't need to be abolished :)
uma thurman is the president.
president thurman has dialogue educating the audience on the importance of safe sex & using condoms during anal.
there's a whole scene where they hear what they think is a gunshot. in a hospital. they use it as an opportunity to force the two leads together in a closet for some tee-hee involuntary closeness.
the fact that it could've been a shooter is basically ignored. the scene has no fear or tension.
they do the trope where there's a sassy female side character who is basically just there to tell the main gay couple they're idiots for pining after each other without taking action.
there are several Very Important Monologues about impostor syndrome and how coming out isn't mandatory and every individual queer person's choice uwu.
there's a sneaky reporter who everyone knows is sneaky but the main lead keeps sharing juicy details to anyway. surely he won't leak this. its off the record!
they pair the two leads' black friends together. said black friends have no personality or character arcs.
the main romance is only slightly less contrived.
i'm pretty sure they told hollywood at gunpoint that you're homophobic if you don't appear in this movie, so there's a bunch of other cameos i forgot about as well.
all in all an excellent movie for watch parties. especially if you want to experience the out-of-body dissonance of an extremely generic lazy hallmark romance, but with explicit sex scenes and overt centrist liberal politics. at any point i was expecting hillary clinton to show up for a 5 second cameo to wink at the audience & say that being gay is okay.
2/10, would watch again and again until i end up in a liberal fugue state where i, too, believe that dems will win texas any day now.
#not su /#ask to tag /#not gonna tag the movie because i dont have a death wish (although the movie definitely helped make some progress on that too)
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Decided to whip up a little fic for @sveene based on some headcanons she had about Mandroid and Tara.
Tara was reading on her patio when Stephen appeared in his mech armor. He was finally allowed outside of the GHOST base since he had been on good behavior. The fact he wasn’t using the avatar was surprising though.
“You look like you have something on your mind.” she said while closing the book.
His fingers twitched. “I’d like to show you something.” She watched as he lowered his main window and stuck his head out. “I want to show you my inner workings.”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion before going wide with astonishment. “Wait, you’re saying that you want me to get in the armor? Are you sure that’s okay?”
He nodded. “You won’t damage anything. If you don’t want to, I understand. The view inside is… alien.”
“I’m just surprised since you’re usually so secretive about your body. I understand why though.”
He held his right organic hand out. “With how our relationship has evolved, I want to show you how serious I am.”
She was so happy she felt like crying. “You put a lot of thought into this. Of course I’ll look.”
Leaning down, he stroked her face with the side of his thumb. “You’ve given me so much while I’ve done so little. This body limits me on what I can do to show you how I feel so this invitation is the most intimate thing I can think of.” He suddenly looked nervous. “Be warned, inside the armor can be overwhelming at first. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, please tell me.”
His head retreated back into the armor while his hand wrapped around her torso. He lifted her into the air above the window before lowering her inside. The first thing she was aware of was heat. It reminded her of how warm his body was when he was sick. All around her were cables, metal, and organic material bathed under magenta tinted lighting. She had no idea what to make of it all. The thickest cable of all had to be his neck.
She couldn’t stop herself from gasping as she studied it. His neck was much longer than she realized. Right now, it looked like a large snake was curled around her. If she was able to think logically, it would make sense for his neck to be longer so that he could maneuver to whatever window he wanted. She was grateful with the amount of view ports at his disposal because otherwise she assumed it would be an even more hellish experience being inside his body.
His face immediately appeared in front of her when tears started running down her cheeks.
“Tara, do you want to leave?” he asked in concern.
Her arms went around his neck so she could press him against her. She sobbed when she felt their cheeks touch.
“I had no idea that this is what you have to deal with everyday. Was this really the only way?” she choked.
“You’re… not afraid?” His voice was shaky. She had no idea what his expression was, but knew that he was crying as well. He rubbed his face against her and coiled the rest of his neck around her in a makeshift hug.
They stayed in that position for a while, the outside world forgotten. Neither of them wanted to break the contact they shared even after their tears ceased.
“Thank you for showing me this, Stephen.” she said softly.
“You’re welcome, Tara. I’m so relieved that your tears weren’t from fear. Thank you.” He moved away from her. “This has been overwhelming for the both of us. Would you like to leave?”
She let out a long exhale. “Yeah, now would be a good time.”
His hand reached in and pulled her out in one fluid motion. She was left in the air for a brief moment before his head was in sight in order to place her on a chair.
She stretched her arms and legs. “Thanks, I don’t think I’m up for standing just yet. You don’t need to disinfect it inside or anything since I’ve been in there?”
He shook his head. “No, part of the atmosphere in my body is infused with a harmless chemical to keep it sterile at all times.”
“There’s so much going on in there that I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it.”
“I don’t expect you to understand it on a technical level. I just wanted to share it with you.”
She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m so grateful for that.”
#tf#tfe#transformers#transformers earthspark#tf earthspark#earthspark#dr. meridian#mandroid#tfe mandroid#earthspark mandroid#writing#my writing#tara singer#fic#fanfiction
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The Lawrence Collection: The Pratt’s
Many varies journey’s can take a lifetime of all the changes that happen in your lifetime
so no shocker.
Zach has no idea that a moment of change is on its way as he jolts up at the sound of shattering glass erupts.
He gets up rolling off of his bed into his soft designers slippers he grabs a bat, reaches for his door and sneaks down the staircase.
He lands on the last step edging closer to the looming figure with his back turn to him in fear.
He backs up a bit to the wall taking a deep
heavy breath lifting his bat he skits over to
him.
Getting ready to swing it the man swerved to face him using his hand to block the blow easily.
The man unleashes a wicked smile bursting in to an evil laugh as he cuffs Zach’s neck to hold him tight.
The man looks in to his eyes distracting him while he forces a spray can in his face let it flow.
The aerosol canister goes off flushing deep in to his nose pushing past Zach’s defenses he lay mindless like a rag doll.
“Sorry Zach we have been tracking you for a while since a hot tip came across our deck.”
“You will never have freedom again I promise you.”
“You are pretty hot”
“Will sell you as set.”
“Wow! Nice grip”
“Still resistant I see”
“Mwahahahahaha”
“You will soon be re-educated”
“Eventually we will be best friends”
Stephen is his second eldest brother who he adopted as a kid walking into the mansion at midnight.
The man places a mini chip on a wall cause a shake in the disturbance opening up a tiny portal.
He kicks Zach into the portal as it closes up in a magnificent flash so he can turn his attention back.
“Who are you? Answer me! “
“Mwahahahahaha! Why don’t you sit your ass down and shut up?”
“Excuse me! Who do you think you are?”
“Who am I? Your new owner bitch”
“Kneel and submit”
“Fuck you and fuck that!”
“Finally a challenge. Yum!”
“Ok guys! Commence”
“Who’s on the other line?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know”
“Your days are numbered”
“You think so?”
“Cough-cough-cough”
“Idiot! It’s called Hypno gas”
“Your muscled tone ass is mine for all eternity.”
Brenton the second youngest brother is all that stylish, hot and so damn sexy in his bed room window.
I am thirsting a bit watching him stand near the room, putting his cell in between his lips he sighs.
I see him dance a bit lifting his tee shirt over his head in a bit with a dance he throws it to the side.
A shadow appears behind a man enters into the room from a door forming behind him in the wall.
Brenton is lost in the heights of feverish sexy dance off with his own shadow unknown to the danger.
The man takes a step further grabbing him by the neck and spraying him till he falls a sleep.
“Welcome Brenton”
“Nighty night”
“My love”
“Hello?”
“It’s concluded sire “
“Well done”
“Bring him to the lab”
“Sir Yes Sir”
“Thumbs up and he is gone”
“Three down and two to go”
“Oh sweet vengeance !”
“Soon it will be mine”
“Drop the canister “
“Don’t move”
“Oh! Officer Colton”
“I said stay still”
“No way!”
“Huh? Sleep”
“What the…uuuuuhh”
“You freeze”
“HOT!”
“Motherfucker”
“Who’s assuming control?”
“You are Master Lawrence “
“Follow me into the main room my love”
“Open the portal and go in”
“You are my property now”
“Nothing you can do about it”
“It’s your life now”
“Yes, Master Lawrence “
Robbie is a firefighter coming home from a huge day with exhaustive sigh he looks so exasperated.
“Oh! Poor Robbie”
“Where on earth?”
“Zip it “
“Mouth close”
“Hands to the side”
“No more speaking”
“No more free will”
“No more life”
Robbie eyes go dull falling back into his couch he falls completely under my spell for the rest of existence.
“Oh! Hey Master”
“Did I fall a sleep?”
“Kind of, yes”
“Yyyyeeesss!”
“My Master”
“You are right and just”
“A leader”
“A king”
“No matter what”
“Call me Master”
“Sir Yes Master Lawrence Sir”
“Kiss me”
“Yyyyeeesss”
“Your lips sweet”
“Intoxicating”
“Damn!”
“My mind is blown”
The end
#Zach Levi#Stephen amell#brenton thwaites#colton haynes#robbie amell#live doll#action figure#hypnosis#mind control
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guys (gn) i just don't
i think many of you are probably aware i generally react to trauma and painful stimuli with either acceptance tinged with sadness, or anger to mask my fear
i can't muster either. it's starting to crash down on my head that people were gunned down in a bowling alley that my husband and i go to several times a year. we went on some of our earliest dates there. the old ownership didn't survive covid restrictions and the community was so relieved when someone new bought it and it finally opened back up. it's got a great jukebox with every song you can think of that blares out over the speakers and arcade games and pool tables.
this is maine. we're not flashy, we don't have much to do. we're simple people who just want to have a good time doing something people from more populous places might consider boring and dumb. bowling is exactly the kind of thing we love. playing bar games with friends, like people were doing at the other shooting location, is a quintessential maine wednesday night.
and not only that, but he targeted the deaf community. three of the dead at the bowling alley were part of a group of deaf friends. the people playing cornhole at schemengee's, the bar, were also deaf. one of those killed there was the asl interpreter for the maine cdc representative who did such a good job for us during covid that he now works for the national cdc.
i never knew lewiston had a tight-knit deaf community. i hate that i found out this way.
people in my town had to look on the bullet-riddled bodies of people they love and confirm their identities. one of our town councilman lost his son. his son was the one who saw the gunman, knew what was happening, and picked up a knife and charged, trying to stop him. he lost his life for his bravery.
one of the women killed, an employee of the bowling alley, ran for the phone amid the automatic gunfire to call 911 instead of seeking safety. she had kids. she loved golf. she had people and things that brought a smile to her face that she knew she'd be leaving behind, but she chose to be brave and try to save others.
we're one of the forgotten states. we like it. we don't make headlines, or when we do it's because a politician won because of a law about setting bear traps with krispy kreme, or something equally silly. when people bother remembering us it's to make jokes. stephen king is our pride and joy. ll bean is practically a religion.
to see lester holt conducting interviews on streets i recognize, streets that are usually full of traffic but which he could sit in the middle of because we're not allowed to go outside, is surreal. i miss being forgotten.
this hurts. it hurts so much. i've known hurt, i've known the kind of mind-bending, reality-altering, goes-against-nature pain that i'm grateful a lot of people don't have to endure, but i don't know how i'm supposed to fit this inside my body. there just isn't room.
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for the WIP ask meme, trust that i'm exercising great control in picking only three. i would be so honoured to hear about:
1) circus luna draft 2
2) groundhog day but it's halloween and every time bob newby dies it get faster
3) relativity falls but it’s stranger things. :-) <3
Hello friend! It took me entirely too long to answer this because in between you sending it and me answering it, holiday happened. Whoops.
1) circus luna draft 2
This is an original fiction project that’s near and dear to my heart, that’s been trapped in the writer equivalent of development hell for over a decade now. It’s almost entirely unrecognisable now from what it started out as, save for the very basics: it’s a Kids On Bikes story where the primary antagonist is an evil, supernatural circus.
The current elevator pitch for Circus Luna is ‘Stephen King’s IT meets Karyn Kusama and Diablo Cody’s Jennifer’s Body’. The main cast of characters, over the years, has morphed into a group of five friends, who face the circus once as teenagers and then have to face it again as adults, when they’ve all come to doubt what it was they experienced when they were young. I’ve talked a little more about the premise and the characters here and here. There’s also an inspiration tag on my blog, here.
I won’t share a sample, because I’m hoping to publish this professionally someday in the (far distant) future and apparently that can become a Problem if parts that end up in the final draft have already been posted somewhere. But I can promise that it includes:
growing up queer in a small rural town in the early aughts!
the seductive appeal and selective memory of nostalgia!
emo hair!
the power of cultural narratives to impact our personal lives!
star-crossed, tragic romance!
Halloween vibes!
the painful, difficult, but ultimately rewarding experience of growing up, and how to mourn the things that are naturally and inevitably lost along the way!
Goffs Vs. Prepz!
the corrosive nature of fear!
having crushes on all your friends!
trains!
BUGSSSSSSSSSS
and, perhaps most importantly:
the Power of Friendship (and My Chemical Romance)!
2) groundhog day but it's halloween and every time bob newby dies it get faster
This is Exactly What It Says On The Tin! It’s a oneshot in three chapters set during season 2 of Stranger Things, wherein Bob Newby gets trapped in a time loop and somehow has to solve the overarching mystery of s2 using only the information everybody has up to the point where he dies, if he wants to save the people he loves and also himself. And also, he and Joyce and Hopper are all going to get to kiss.
I don’t know how much of an audience there is out there for Bob Newby-POV adult-monster-hunting-trio fic out there, but hey, I’ve written weirder shit.
Because I can, here’s a sample:
...
Jim throws the breaker and then hovers while Bob taps through the series of commands and prompts to unlock each of the doors in turn, pacing and scanning the hulking shapes of the boiler and whatever other equipment is stored down here, with the machine gun held at the ready and a scowl on his face. Finally, Bob has to abandon his task to say something. “Would you please pick a spot and stand there? You’re making me nervous.”
“You’re not already nervous?” Jim cracks, with something Bob thinks is trying to become a smile. But he does stop pacing. “Jesus. Forgot. This must all be old hat for you by now.”
“Yeah. But you never really get used to it,” Bob says, turning back to the glowing black screen. Beside him, Jim gives a little huff that might almost be a laugh.
“Got that right.”
They’re both quiet, for a few minutes after that, the only sound in the room the rattle of Bob’s fingers over the keys.
“That’s the exit doors back online,” he says, coming to the end of the string of commands. “Joyce and the kids should start heading out.”
Jim nods. But he doesn’t immediately pass the information along. “You really don’t think we’re gonna get out of here alive. Do you.”
Bob looks at the computer screen to avoid having to look at Jim’s face. “Well, hope springs eternal.” He lets out a long breath, and decides he can afford to offer Jim a little of that hope. “I’ve never had you here with me before. And I’m sure you’re a much better shot than I am.”
Jim’s quiet, for a long moment. When he does speak, it’s into the walkie-talkie. “Newby says to start moving out. Exit doors are online.”
Bob takes that as his cue, and for a few minutes more, the only thing he thinks about is the screen and the keyboard in front of him, turning on sprinklers and setting off alarms to draw the monsters away from Joyce and the kids, based on the directions the doc relays via walkie-talkie. It’s like some kind of video game, trying to control the movement of a bunch of distant characters through a maze full of enemies without getting them killed. Just with impossibly real stakes.
Bob can’t keep the thought from forming in his head, though. “Why are you here? We both want to get Joyce and the kids out of here safe, I’m sure they could use your marksmanship more than I can.”
Jim shrugs, shoulders tight, the smallest possible gesture. “Told you. I know Nancy Wheeler can handle herself. And if you got eaten on the way down here, we’d all be fucked.”
They’re pretty well fucked anyway. And Bob doesn’t get much time alone with Jim like this, not late enough in a loop that he’s earned a little trust. Maybe it’s that. Maybe it’s knowing that, if and when they do loop, Jim won’t remember anything about this conversation. Or maybe it’s just a combination of masochism and morbid curiosity that makes Bob say it. “You’re in love with Joyce, aren’t you.”
Jim whirls to face him, wide-eyed, startled, like he’s just been goosed. He doesn’t say anything, at first, just stares.
When he finally does speak, it sounds strangled. “I’m not enough of a prick to let you get killed just so I’d have a shot at your girl, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Obviously you’re not, or you wouldn’t be here,” Bob points out. “I’m just – trying to figure it out. What I got myself into. What’s going on between you two.”
Jim cracks a humourless grin, at that. “Some puzzles I guess even the Brain can’t solve.”
He turns his back to Bob again, watching the door. Bob thinks the conversation’s over until Jim says, quietly, “You’re good for her. She deserves something, somebody like you in her life. Stable. Sane. Normal.”
“Not so much of any of those anymore, apparently,” Bob half-jokes, half to himself.
Jim goes on like he hasn’t heard. Maybe he hasn’t. “Joyce hasn’t had a lot of good things come her way. I don’t wanna fuck this one up for her.”
“She might want you to,” Bob offers.
Jim looks a little stunned. He doesn’t say anything else.
He doesn’t have time to, either. The strange screeching, rattling cries of the monsters rise from the stairwell, echoing eerily through the metal of the vents and pipes overhead. It sounds like a lot of them. And they’re coming down fast.
Jim doesn’t take his eyes or the machine gun off of the open doorway to the little room they’re in as he barks, “Give me good news, Newby!”
“All the doors are open,” Bob says, turning to look in his direction. “Think you can buy me one more minute to open the front gate for them, too?”
Jim’s face isn’t visible, his back still turned to Bob, but his voice is grim. “I can try.”
3) relativity falls but it’s stranger things
Yet another WIP that’s near and dear to my heart and taking forever to finish! This seems to be a theme.
This one was inspired by (as you may be able to tell from the file name) the Gravity Falls Relativity Falls AU, where people swapped the ages of the Stan twins and the Mystery Twins, and also various side characters and antagonists. This fic is a Stranger Things season 1 AU where the teens are in the roles of the adults, the adults are in the roles of the kids, and the kids are in the roles of the teens. Nancy’s the Chief of Police with a broken family and a broken heart, Mike’s the loner who gets thrown together with a classmate by the disappearance of a kid, and Karen is the plucky twelve-year-old determined to find her missing friend.
I’m stuck in the Dreaded Middle at the moment, because shaking up the roles shook up the plot, and I didn’t plan ahead for how to resolve it quite enough. There’s a reason outlining has become my best friend.
There are a number of samples in my sample tag, but also, since you asked so nicely:
...
The girl’s eyebrows crumple together and she makes a soft, wordless little noise as Mike and Will lower her carefully down, spread out along the length of the couch. Like it hurts. She’s already bled through the blue strips of bandage that used to be Mike’s t-shirt. Not for the first time, Mike wonders what the hell he thinks he’s doing.
“I’ll – I’ll check on the water,” he says, dropping the girl’s heavy black Doc Marten boots on the arm of the couch. He doesn’t wait for Will to answer, just makes his escape across the room to the kitchen sink. His ears are burning, and he has no idea why.
The taps at the sink refuse to turn, at first. When they finally do, it’s with an ominous creak, and then a slow and rising rumble that makes the faucet shake before it abruptly spits out a clot of slime and rust. The water that comes burbling out after it is brown and freezing cold.
“I forgot,” Mike says, as he rejoins Will by the couch. “This place is on a well. The tapwater might not be any better than the rainwater. Actually, it might be worse. But there were some clean dishtowels in the drawer,” he finishes, offering up the stack, along with the cereal bowl he’d filled with brownish water. “And I think there are still some towels in boxes in the bathroom, so we could dry her off -”
Will, Mike notices, has a smile like a sunbeam. Somehow it makes Mike even more embarrassed of his babbling. “That’s great. Do you think your mom or her uncle would’ve kept any antiseptic and bandages around?”
Mike spends the next – he doesn’t know how long, starting up the cabin’s generator to get the lights on, lighting the cast-iron stove in the corner, running and fetching and washing and applying pressure under Will’s quiet but certain direction. He’s a little amazed by this side of Will. Mike mostly only knows the Will Byers he sees at school or when he has to pick Karen up or drop her off at Joyce’s. The Will Byers with his nose always in a sketchbook or a novel, who lets the bullies push him around with an air of silent exasperation, who rarely if ever talks back or raises his hand in class. Seeing him this confident, this focused, is new. He really seems like he’s in his element.
Mike wonders briefly how Will learned so much about medicine and first aid, and then feels stupid. Of course. He knows Will works, has worked at just about every odd job around town since he was old enough to start. He knows Will was a lifeguard last summer. And – it’s just Will and his dad and his sister, and Will’s dad works odd hours, with the paper, and long ones, at the general store. Will probably cooks, too. And does laundry, and all the other stuff Mike’s dad has somebody come in to take care of.
That thought makes Mike feel incredibly – something. Maybe guilty, though he’s not sure why. He’s got bigger things to worry about right now, though, so he shoves it to the back of his mind.
The girl frowns, and whines, and at one point throws an arm out and smacks Mike hard across the chest, but she doesn’t wake up. Mike presses the inside of one wrist against her damp, pale forehead, under her close-shorn fringe of hair, and starts. “She’s burning up!”
Will glances up from the wound in her side. “Fever’s a bad sign. Can you get a couple of cloths and run them under cold water? One for her forehead, one for the back of her neck.”
Mike comes back with three cloths, and another cereal bowl full of icy wellwater. There’s just something fundamentally – grubby about the girl, now that he’s up close and personal, like she’s been camping for weeks without a proper bath. Mike tells himself it’s important to get her cleaned up to keep her wound from getting infected. But mostly, there’s just not a lot else he can do, other than putting his finger where Will tells him to to hold bandages in place while Will ties them off.
And Mike just thinks that, if it was him who was hurt and hiding out and unconscious at the mercy of a couple of strangers, he’d at least want somebody to clean the smudge of dirt off his chin. And the dried blood from the crevices around his nose. And maybe wipe off some of the black eyeshadow that the rain had melted down his cheeks.
The girl’s face is narrow and sharp, her cheekbones high, the bow of her lips sweet, her lashes dark against her cheeks. When her face screws up in pain, Mike gives one extra, unnecessary brush of the cloth over that cheek, as gently as he can. He doesn’t dare touch her with his bare hands, without the excuse and barrier of the cloth in between them. But he wants to do something to comfort her.
Without the makeup, without the scowl, she looks – so much younger. Almost delicate, despite the hair and the boots and the leather jacket and the tattoo. Almost vulnerable –
The girl’s eyes snap open, and fix on Mike’s.
Mike’s not sure what happens next. One second, he’s kneeling beside the girl, carefully washing grime off her face. The next, his back is smashing into the wall across the room. There’s an ominous rattle, and the mounted deer head high on the wall goes crashing to the floor between his feet. He raises a hand to his spinning, aching head, and tries to focus, to figure out what just happened.
The girl is wedged up against the far arm of the couch, knees tucked tight against her chest like she’s trying to make herself as small as possible. One arm’s flung out in front of her with the palm facing Will and her fingers all splayed, like she’s directing traffic. There’s a bead of blood inching down from her nose, but she doesn’t move to wipe it away. Her eyes are big and furious and scared and flicking back and forth between Mike and Will. If she was a cat, Mike thinks, her back would be up and her ears would be flat against her head.
Her voice is clear and sharp as she demands, “Where am I?”
Will’s got both hands in the air, like the girl had pulled a gun on him. The bowl of water Mike had brought him – which is a pinkish brown now, Mike notices, with a lurch in his stomach – is splashed all over the floor by Will’s knees, slowly soaking into his jeans, but he doesn’t so much as shift away from the slowly-spreading puddle.
“It’s okay,” Mike says, wincing as he starts to straighten up. He’s not sure why the look Will shoots him is so frightened, but then, he’s also not sure how he ended up on the other side of the room. Maybe the girl’s some kind of ninja assassin or something. She doesn’t look strong enough to throw Mike across the room, but – Mike knows maybe better than anybody how appearances can be deceiving.
The girl’s attention snaps to Mike as well, and she whips her arm around so that the palm is facing him instead of Will. Mike stops trying to get up, raising one hand instead in surrender. “It’s all right, okay? We’re not gonna hurt you. And we’re way out in the woods here, nobody’s gonna find you.” He glances down at the girl’s side, where fresh red is starting to seep through the bandages Will had so carefully wrapped. “You should probably lie back down, it looks like you’re opening that back up -”
“I’m leaving,” the girl says. Somehow, she makes it sound like a threat.
“Okay,” Mike says, as she unfolds herself from the couch and takes one uncertain step forward. “Nobody’s stopping you. You don’t have to, though. You’ve got a fever. And a bullet wound. You can stay here until you feel better, Will and I won’t tell -”
“I,” the girl repeats, wobbling and nearly crashing back down onto the couch, “am leaving.”
Will meets Mike’s eyes with a panicked look. Mike’s sure Will can see as clearly as he can that the girl isn’t going to make it more than two more steps before she falls over. But neither of them, Mike thinks, knows what to do about it.
“Who’s after you?” Mike asks. Maybe, if he can keep the girl talking –
She fixes him with a glare. And then flops back, heavily, onto the couch. She looks briefly surprised and indignant, like her own legs have betrayed her, and pushes herself back to her feet, even though she looks even wobblier than before.
“Mike,” Will says, low and urgent and frightened.
“What? You want to know too, right? If they’re the same people who took Joyce -”
“Mike,” Will repeats, with a warning flicker of his eyes in the girl’s direction.
Mike’s getting the feeling he’s missed something. “What?”
“It might be a bad idea to piss her off,” Will hisses at him, still with that pleading, scared look.
Mike pushes himself to his feet. “Yeah, well, murdering bank robber or not, I don’t think she’s in much shape to -”
He doesn’t get the rest of the sentence out. Because the girl glares, and waves a hand. And Mike’s back smashes into the wall again and stays there.
Mike kicks, and struggles, and gasps. But none of it does anything. It’s like there’s a gigantic, invisible hand pressed flat against his chest, squeezing the air out of him, pinning him in place. The girl’s glower turns to a slow, small smile, which is somehow just as ominous, her dark eyes never leaving his.
She lifts her hand a little higher. Mike can feel his windbreaker drag against the wall behind him as his feet leave the ground.
And then the girl’s eyes roll back and she collapses gracelessly backwards across the couch. The invisible hand holding Mike pinned abruptly vanishes, and he drops, hits his feet wrong, and winds up on the floor on his hands and knees, inches from putting an eye out on one of the deer head’s antlers.
For a frozen moment, nobody moves.
“Oh,” Mike says, finally, straightening up with care.
“Yeah,” Will agrees.
They both turn to look at the unconscious girl.
“Well,” Mike says, for lack of anything intelligent to say, “that might be why somebody’s after her.”
...
[ask me about a WIP!]
#chatter#the theme song for circus luna is mcr's 'kill all your friends'#stranger things ageswap au tag#circus luna#this is mary's fic tag#i don't thiiiiink I've shared any of these yet
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Swift Short Story (Eras Edition): Please Reblog After Reading. I'd like Taylor Swift to like it!
TAYLOR: IF YOU SEE THIS, PLEASE MESSAGE ME YOUR COMMENTS OR DROP A NOTE AFTER YOU READ THE STORY.
I wrote this months before Midnights was released—back in March 2022 actually. Because this story alternates between two characters, the ~ indicates a change in character.
__
December 11-12, 2019: Kennebunkport, Maine
You be the prince and I’ll be the princess. It's our love story; baby, just say, "Yes”(1). But our love story later became a tragedy when you: Stephen announced you'd be marrying someone else to please your dad. He told me, "if you and Stephen had been closer in age, maybe it would be fine," and that made me want to die. The idea he had of her, who was she? A never-needy, ever lovely jewel whose shine would reflect on you?(2). I was confused because I didn't feel pretty; I just felt used(3). I should've known that I wasn't your princess; this wasn't a fairytale. I wasn't the one you'd sweep off her feet(4).
We fought about your marriage at 2:30am because everything was slipping right out of our hands. I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street. I’ve raised myself for a goodbye because that was all I've ever known. You then took me by surprise; you said, "I'll never leave you alone because you are the best thing that's ever been mine." But the next morning, you broke your promise. At that point, I became the worst thing that's ever been yours(5).
~
The morning after our fight, I was driving in my Chevy when you called. You begged me, "Stephen: don't say yes, run away now. I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door. Don't wait, or say a single vow."(6). I should’ve stuck with that perfect plan, but I worried my father would sabotage it.
“Sorry Betty, but I can’t.” I then hung up. I still saw your face in my mind as I was driving away because none of us thought it was gonna end that way(7). You and I didn't know that we were built to fall apart. We broke the status quo before we broke each other's hearts (8). I was thinking one day, I'd tell the story of us; of how I was losing my mind when I saw you here. But I held my pride like I should've held you. Oh, I was scared to see our story's ending. Why was I pretending this was nothing? I'd tell you, "I miss you," but I didn't know how. I've never heard silence quite this loud(9).
I then got on with my dreadful December day to marry my witch wife. I would've had the sweetest day of my life in Kennebunkport's chocolate church if I married Betty instead.
December 13, 2022: New York City
Love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right(10). My story started when it was hot and it was summer; I had my wife right there where I wanted her. A guy came along, got her alone, and let's hear the applause! He took her faster than I could say sabotage. He had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum(11). He always chased down the newest thing and took for granted what he had (12). And the saddest fear came creeping in; that she never loved me, him, anyone, or anything(13).
Then she came around again and said, "Baby, I miss you and I swear I'm gonna change, trust me." I remembered how that lasted for a day.I said, "I hate you," before we broke up(14). It was such a shame, because I was Sir Here to stay. Now I'd be Sir Gonna be alright someday. Maybe my wife would miss me; but by then, she’d become Mrs. too late(15). Regretting her was like wishing I never found out that love could be that strong(16).
Betty: three years had gone and I've been reaching, even though I knew you weren't there. I was playing back a thousand memories, baby; thinking about everything we've been through. Though maybe I've been going back too much lately; when time stood still and I had you(17). I've been out in the world; searching for my soul. I haven't been scared to be hip, but scared to get old. The last time I felt free was when none of that mattered because you were with me(18).
One night, I took a train from Kennebunkport to New York City, where I could take a vacation from my sorrow. It didn't take a while for me to find myself walking through a crowd, where I’d hear a Kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under their coats. Everybody here wanted something more; they were searching for a sound they hadn't heard before(19). The only sound I wanted to hear was funk music at Tribeca's Dive Bar, where I later went.
There, it felt like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters and make fun of our exes. It also felt like a perfect night for breakfast at midnight to fall in love with strangers. I was happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time. I then saw Betty yammering on with strangers she barely knew(20). Betty: would you still have me? Would you love me? Would you kiss me on this bar's porch in front of all your stupid friends? If you were to kiss me, would it be just like I dreamed it? Would it patch your broken wings?(21) I wished you'd say, "you'll remember me," while standing in your nice dress and staring at the sunset, babe. With your red lips and rosy cheeks, I hope you'd say, "you'll see me again" even if it were just in your wildest dreams."(22).
~
Stephen: you still got that James Dean daydream look in his eye, and I got that red lip classic thing that you liked. It's been a while; I didn't mean to stare(23). I heard your wife was nothing like me. Don't you smile at me and ask me how I've been. Don't you say you've missed me if you don't want me again(24). And if you've been missing me, you'd better keep it to yourself because coming back around here would be bad for your health(25).
I then saw my ex-man with his new girlfriend. She was like, "Oh my god! Isn't she your ex who lives in delusion?"
With pride, my ex-man replied,"Oh yeah! She’s still 22 and living inside her fairytale fantasy(26). She would've made such a lovely bride. What a shame she's f*cked in her head(27)" I wondered how many girls he had loved and left haunted(28).
Although his comments hurt me, I had to ignore him. So, I asked the bartender fella over there with the hella good hair, "Won't you come on over baby?(29)" I then loudly raised my Jack Daniels glass with the bartender's champagne glass. "Here's a toast to my real friends. They don't care about the he said, she said. And here's to my ex; because forgiveness is a nice thing to do." Hahaha, I couldn't even say it with a straight face!(30) I then pulled the bartender's black shirt towards me. "I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover."(31)
Stephen then joined in on my fun."Hey Betty! How have you been?"My senseless self spoke on behalf of my sensible soul. "Oh, I forgot that you existed and I thought that it'd kill me but it didn't(32). Stephen: don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled. I'm fine with my spite, my tears and my beers!(33)"
~I told her,"Betty: you need to calm down(34). This is why you'd got a long list of ex-lovers. They'd tell you, 'you're insane.' Because I know you love the players, and you love the game.""Oh, my God, look at that face. You look like my next mistake. Love's a game, wanna play?!(35)"
Because you played offence, I now had to play defence. After all, you, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, had knocked me off my feet again and got me feeling like I was nothing. "Betty, all you are is mean, and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life(36). You are wasted like all your potential and your words shoot to kill when you're mad. I hope you have a lot of regrets about that."(37). Thereafter, you stormed outside the bar and ran towards Central Park in tears.
Was I out of line? Did I say something way too honest, which made you run and hide like a scared little girl. I looked into your eyes; thought I knew you for a minute, now I wasn't so sure. So here was to everything coming down to nothing. Here was to silence, that cut me to the core. Where was this going? I thought I knew for a minute, but I didn't anymore. For years, I've been staring at the phone; you still haven't called and then I felt so low that I couldn't feel nothing at all. And I flashbacked to when you said, "I'll be here forever and always(38).
~
I knew men's looks could be deceiving but Stephen, I knew I saw a light in you. And as we used to walk, we'd talk and I didn't say half the things I wanted to. The way you walked, talked, and said my name; it was beautiful and wonderful(39). I wish you'd never changed because we were happy(40). We showed them all no one could touch the way we laughed in the dark. You should've always been there for me. You should've always burst through my door with that "baby I'm right here smile"and it would've felt like a million little shining stars had just aligned. And I would've been so happy. People asked me how I've been as I was combing back through my memories. What could I say when tears were streaming down my face in front of everyone I knew? And what could I do when the one who meant the most to me was the one who didn't show? You should've been here and I would've been so happy.
Later, Stephen caught up to me at Central Park and said, "I'm sorry,"And I said, "I'm sorry too," and that was the moment I knew(41) you didn't deserve me. People like you would always want back my love they pushed aside, but people like me would be gone forever if they said goodbye(42)."Baby—""Don't call me baby. Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me(43) become.""You just don't understand me."
I've been dreaming about the day when you would wake up and find that the best girl you were looking for has been here the whole time. "Unlike your wife, I was the only one who understood you. I’ve been waiting here all along. So, why couldn’t you see that you belonged with me?(44)" Silence then came down upon you as you were looking up. Because you didn't answer, I started running.
~
And right before your eyes, I was aching. I wore my best apology, but I was there to watch you leave(45), which I couldn��t accept. "Come on Betty, don't leave me like this! I thought I had you figured out. Something's gone terribly wrong. You're all I wanted."(46)
You were drowning in your tears when you replied, "Then answer me!""My dying father threatened to remove me from his will if I didn't marry his business partner's daughter, who later died." Among the properties in that will, included his mansion, where I was raised. I still lived in that home, but without you Betty, I was homeless.
You then surprised me with details on what you've been doing during your love life. "You don't know how many guys I've dated since you left. I've been breaking hearts a long time, and toying with those older guys. They were just playthings for me to use. This is how love works(47)." No, it isn't.
Love was all you wanted, because you were giving it away like it's extra change and hoping it would end up in men’s pocket. But men left you out like a penny in the rain(48). I could've picked up the pieces for you, even though in most men's eyes, you were beyond repair. We had a crooked love headed in a straight line down; it'd make any couple wanna run and hide. Then it'd make them turn right back around(49).
I missed your tan skin and your sweet smile. So good to me, so right and how I held you in my arms that December night. Maybe this was wishful thinking or probably mindless dreaming. But if we loved again, I swear I'd love you right. I'd go back in time and change it, but I can’t. So if the chain was on your heart's door, I’d understand(50).
I should've been there in the back of your mind. I shouldn't be asking myself, "Why?" You shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet. You should've said, "No" to your dad, and you might still have me(51). But then, I remembered how you were the only one who took the time to memorize me; you still knew my fears, my hopes and dreams(52). Even in my worst times, you saw the best of me(53).
My head wanted to push you out, but my heart wanted to pull you in."As much as I wanna believe you Stephen, I’m scared that ghosts from your past are gonna jump out at me; they'd lurk in the shadows with their lip gloss smiles.” “I don't care because right now you're mine.” Then you said, “don't you worry your pretty little mind. People throw rocks at things that shine and life makes love look hard. But they can't take the love that's ours(54). I wish you would come back."
And I wish you knew that I missed you too much to be mad anymore. I then began choking up. "I confess, babe. In my dreams you're touching my face and asking me if I wanna try having a relationship again with you. And I almost do(55).” I was a mess, but I was the mess that you wanted(56). You then dried my tears. "It's okay, Betty. I wanna try again with you." “Thanks Stephen. I promise to be your strength.” “And I promise to be your solace—forever and always."
Then, I didn't know how it’d get better than this. My hands shook. You pulled me in and I became a little more brave. It was your old kiss, which was flawless(57). I've been spending the last three years thinking all love ever would do was break, burn, and end. But on a Wednesday on this new day, I watched it begin again (58).
__
Lyrical credits to Taylor Swift. This story won't be published in any print publication.
Song List
1. Love Story: Fearless
2. All Too Well (10 Minute Version): Red (From the Vault)
3. Lucky One: Red
4. White Horse: Fearless
5. Mine: Speak Now
6. Speak Now: Speak Now
7. Breathe: Fearless
8. The Very First Night: Red (From The Vault)
9. Story of Us: Speak Now
10. State of Grace: Red
11. Better Than Revenge: Speak Now
12. Girl at Home: Red
13. I Knew You Were Trouble: Red
14. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Red
15. Mr. Perfectly Fine: Fearless (From The Vault)
16. Red: Red
17. If This Was a Movie: Speak Now/Fearless (Taylor's Version)
18. I Bet You Think About Me: Red (From The Vault)
19. Welcome to New York: 1989
20. 22: Red
21. betty: Folklore
22. Wildest Dreams: 1989
23. Style: 1989
24. Don't You: Fearless (From The Vault)
25. Picture to Burn: Taylor Swift
26. right where you left me: evermore
27. champagne problems: evermore
28. ...Ready for It?: Reputation
29. Shake it Off: 1989
30. This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Reputation
31. Lover: Lover
32. I Forgot That You Existed: Lover
33. closure: evermore
34. You Need to Calm Down: Lover
35. Blank Space: 1989
36. Mean: Speak Now
37. this is me trying: folklore
38. Forever & Always: Fearless
39. Hey Stephen: Fearless
40. We Were Happy: Fearless (From The Vault)
41. The Moment I Knew: Red
42. All You Had to Do Was Stay: 1989
43. illicit affairs: folklore
44. You Belong With Me: Fearless
45. The Last Time: Red
46. Haunted: Speak Now
47. Don't Blame Me: Reputation
48. Tied Together With a Smile: Taylor Swift
49. I Wish You Would: 1989
50. Back to December: Speak Now
51. Should've Said No: Taylor Swift
52. Stay Stay Stay: Red
53. Dress: Reputation
54. Ours: Speak Now
55. I Almost Do: Red
56. Dancing With Our Hands Tied: Reputation
57. Fearless: Fearless
58. Begin Again: Red
#taylors version#taylornation#taylor swift#taylor swizzle#speak now taylor’s version#fearless taylor’s version#red taylor’s version#1989 taylor's version#reputation taylor’s version#lover album#creative writing#tstheerastour#folklore#evermore#midnights
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Christmas 2022 - Day 2 - Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)
On t he second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
...two thousand dollars worth of tools!
Oh hey, we’ve reached the point where they got embarrassed about the number of sequels they were making. We took a diversion last year to look at the newest entry in the franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone, but we’re going back into the archives now to check out the last new to me entry actually set at Christmas. I’ve never seen 3 but I know that’s not set at Christmas and doesn’t involve the McAllisters either but maybe I’ll look at that one day as a random review just for the sake of completeness. With this coming out in 2012, it almost sort of maybe looks like they’re going for a ‘once a generation’ thing where they draw in one bunch of kids, then hit the next batch when the others have grown up. I mean, you had the original and the sequel at the beginning of the 90’s, 3 came out mid-to-late 90’s, then 4 was early noughties, now this one in the early tens and finally HSHA in 2021. At this rate I suppose we can look forward to the next entry in the early 2030’s. Maybe by then it’ll be set on a terraformed Mars.
I don’t know why but I’ve somehow always managed to misjudge this art for the film. I think something about the hair looking floppy made me think he was a spoilt little rich kid. Plus what is quite plainly a hoodie I’d somehow seen as like a blazer of sorts with a tie. I can only assume I only ever glanced at this and didn’t pay too much attention because boy is that ever a wide of the mark assessment. Indeed, this is the story of your average American family with 2.4 kids who have moved all the way from California to Maine in aid of mom’s new job.
At least he’s doing the whole ‘scream’ thing here to immediately remind you of the old movies. They even mention the painting at one point and the kids get oddly embarrassed at their parents doing the pose. I don’t know if he’s really selling fear here though, he just looks slightly appalled by something.
Fittingly for Maine the house is allegedly haunted by the spirit of an old timey bootlegger but we’re not exactly going into Stephen King territory here. It does give extra reason for our young protagonist, Finn (played by Christian Martyn), to be scared senseless but he doesn’t exactly need any help since he’s pretty much scared of his own shadow most of the time. It’s also the motivation for our obligatory gang of baddies as they plan to steal a painting which is said to reside in the house.
And hey, there are actual recognisable people in these roles again! Malcolm McDowell makes another appearance on our Christmas list, this time as the ringleader Sinclair. Alongside him he has Jessica played by Debi Mazar who sort of looks familiar but I don’t think that’s down to some of the more logical places I would have seen her like Goodfellas or Empire Records. She’s apparently Madonna’s bestie as well and she’s been in a whole bunch of her videos.
Maybe it’s because she looks like she’s come straight out of that Jim Carrey Grinch movie at one point. Definite Who vibe off her here. Plus there’s Eddie Steeples who was ‘Crab Man’ Darnell Turner on My Name is Earl and was also in Would You Rather that I watched during Halloween a year or two back.
Say what you will about these sequels being cash ins but they put their hand in their pocket sometimes to get people you might actually know. Granted, McDowell is very much a working actor and whilst thoughts do obviously turn to A Clockwork Orange, you can just as easily find him providing voice work to Pinocchio 3000 (okay that sounds stupid and I kinda want to see it) or Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (...same) so it’s probably not an amazing ‘get’ but I imagine he doesn’t come cheap.
Another recognisable face is Edward Asner who just feels destined to turn up in so many Christmas films. I swear it’s either him or the goddamned Northen Lights. At least he’s not playing Santa this time. It’s kind of a weird performance because he’s hosting this Christmas party and the mum is his new hire, only they’re trying to play him off as being massively drunk but it’s not that far removed from just being a vaguely senile old man.
The whole former bootlegger house does very nearly come close to giving this movie a gimmick and some sort of identity as pretty early on Finn inadvertently finds a hidden safe in the basement. Eventually he and his sister find out that it has a hidden wall that has a speakeasy behind it which, when his sister tries to steal a bottle of alcohol, triggers the door to shut behind her and lock her in. The idea of the house itself having these sort of traps built in and leftover from it’s former occupant would’ve been a new dynamic and you could potentially have moments of peril from Finn accidently finding himself on the wrong end of one. But it doesn’t really come up so we’re just left with the results of Finn’s imagination; icing up the front porch (a classic), pouring oil over people or baking poisoned cookies full of hot sauce. Hey, Home Sweet Home Alone took that one! That movie has clearly sunk to a new low if it’s having to rip off this movie. Thinking about it though, the kid in these movies is meant to be the viewer analogue, the little boys and girls watching at home are meant to be able to imagine themselves being the one setting the traps and getting their own back on all the mean grownups so it doesn’t exactly work if the kid isn’t the one actively setting the traps.
His big secret weapon is the power of sexual harassment as Jessica gets stuck in a window trying to break in so, when he two partners in crime try to pull her out, Finn keeps firing things at her that smack her on the arse and makes her think the guys are trying to cop a feel. A swift mule kick to the nards sorts them right out though. I don’t know if I want to run the risk of upsetting the moderation bots of Tumblr again though in order to show you, I’m not sure what the party line is on a nice bottom.
The traps feel a little tame in comparison to the other movies, especially when you consider the multiple times Kevin nearly killed the Wet/Sticky bandits with blunt force trauma, electrocution, burning, falls, Birdemic... Honestly, the most violent act isn’t even directed at the bad guys, it’s when he’s convinced the house is haunted so tries to collect evidence and ends up shooting his own Father with a taser. I know these kids are shown to be resourceful in these movies but where did he get that from?!It’s like the reverse Chekhov’s Gun as it never shows up again.
Or when this one guy pretty much gets Swatted and maced by about a dozen cops. See, there’s this whole subplot where Finn just wants to play videogames and not make any actual real life friends, only it comes across vaguely weird when the one guy he’s talking to online is this one dude in like his mid 20’s. Finn kinda has this whole borderline social issue though as he seems geniunely anxious at the thought of any human interaction with his peers. His sister is portrayed as being obssesed with her phone so it’s very much the type of writing you expect from that relatively early period of smart phones where adults are complaining about how their kids just wont get off the dang cell phone or those violent viddy games!
Then there’s this whole scene where Finn tells the guy they’re being robbed so he hacks Finn’s gamertag, gets his mum’s mobile number from the account details and calls her to tell her what’s happening. Only it turns into this whole misunderstanding where she thinks he’s grooming her son and has her daughter locked in the basement. Oh, noncing and child abuse, what japes we have.
Honestly, this one wasn’t too bad. It’s massively derivative and there’s no reason to watch it over 1 or 2 but it’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s just a very safe rehash that makes absolutely no attempt to try and stray from the formula, it just settles into the well worn arse groove that the original movie and the sequel already made and is quite content with that. It’s just the same movie but adjusted 20 years down the line with some new possibilities thanks to the advancement of technology. Still, because it’s giving itself such a low bar it didn’t really come across as making any massively glaring faults. Whereas last year I think Home Sweet Home Alone kind of forgot it even was a Home Alone movie for large portions so it’s a lot easier to pick fault with it. Maybe that one just set some low expectations for me that this one was able to meet.
It’s not to say there aren’t problems. Like Finn is just a massive dweeb who seems to have this sad look on his face the entire movie. Plus, him being scared borders on the ridiciousless on occasions. Like there’s one moment where he manages to run screaming out of the secret room, through the basement, up the stairs, through the kitchen, up another flight of stairs, into his room, throw off the covers and then dive under them. It feels like one of those jokes where someone is falling for a really long time so they have to stop to breathe before starting to scream again. Granted, Kevin was pretty scared in the first movie but he was a good couple of years younger, was actively left alone for days on end rather then just a couple of hours whilst his parents went to a party and the Wet Bandits were a lot more intimidating the guy guys on show here. These guys are only interested in the painting and even when they do discover Finn and his sister, they just try to keep them out of the way. The Bandits though, they took that shit seriously when Kevin was fighting back against them and you really did think they were going to kill him before Old Man Marley showed up with that snow shovel. I suppose this is a kids movie after all though and you’ve got to keep the menace and fear to a minimum.
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It by Stephen King
This is going to be a very long post. Let's start with some more technical infos, I have read this for the studyblr w/ knives summer reading challenge 2.0, initially I wanted to use this only for the non linear time line prompt, but considering that this book is over 1200 pages, and it's the book that has been on my tbr for the longest time I decided it could work for the tbr prompt aswell. As I was mentioning this book has been on my nightstand for so many years, it's been on my tbr for almost 10 years now, and I have one failed attempt at reading this in the past. I was thinking to read another book for the tbr prompt, and I might even read it still for the challenge, but for now this brick of a book will count for two prompts. With this being said let's talk about the book itself. There's a lot to say, this will be spoiler free, and I'll add my spoiler-y thoughts under the cut not to ruin the book for anyone.
I'll start with a bit on the prompt, although there's so muc hgoing on it's quite impossible to give out an accurate idea. We are following our characters in two different timelines that intertwine amazingly (for real I was afraid things will get confusing but it was so well done, it made the plot even more intriguing). The first timeline is set in 1958 when the seven main characters were children and first dealing with It. The second time line is set in 1985, where our characters are adults and will have to come back to their roots in Derry. Everything starts in the 50s with the very well known scene of Georgie, Bill's younger brother, who is the first to be murdered by It, aka Pennywise the clown. After this iconic scene we start meeing the characters in their adult life as well as in their late childhood, learning who they are, and how they got to meet each other and had to face this terrifying nightmare that plagues the city of Derry. I won't say more about the plot, I feel like this gives a decent outline of the very base of the story, although as I said it's so layered it's impossible to explain.
Let's start with the things I liked. I definitely preferred the scenes set in the 50s, but mostly because of the kid's dynamics. In general as I said the time jumps are very well made, are never confusing, and in my opinion they serve the novel very well. What I loved is the friendship these characters have. I grew attached to all characters, who have all their very different personalities and history. The relationship they have is so pure it warmed my heart in so many occasions. You get to see their friendship bloom in such a natural pure way it's truly one of the best parts of this book. Overall friendship is a huge theme of the book and it was so well made. The characters are very well shown, I feel like you really get to know them, as if they were real people, and it's not something you get to experience with all books. Surely the lenght of the novel helps with this. The base idea of the novel is very cool, and as you might know if you have read other book reviews I have written I particularly like when horror stories deal with childhood fears. That is something particularly fascinating, and it never fails to work. This novel is fully based on that and looks at the fears of a kid in a very broad way, so there's a lot to talk about. I cannot say I am fully satisfied with the end of the novel. There's one particular thing I will discuss in the undercut because it needs spoilers, which was so unnecessary and irritating. But aside from that I feel like there's a couple of things in the end that felt confused, or maybe just like they didn't fully fit the rest of the novel. I don't even know how to explain it because it's complicated, but as I said I wasn't fully satisfied with the ending. Still there's a big potential I will reread it in the future. And on this a little side note, if I'll reread it I will surely pick up an English copy. I read my dad's vintage copy he bought in the 90s and the Italian translation was so poorly done. I really hope the newer editions have been edited because it was painful to read a times. Another thing I didn't like, and of which I have already complained in one of my daily posts is that especially in the first part of the novel there's some lines that feel straight out of the men writing women reddit. As I said in that other post I do not feel a particular need to know about the boobs of a characters while I am reading about them feeling anxious or scared. There are of course scenes in which a more sensual description, or simply a description of the body is needed. But there certainly were parts in which it was not necessary, and felt so random. It's not the first time I have noticed it in King's writing, and I cannot wrap my head around it. I must say there's parts of the novel in which a similar type of description is done on male characters, but just as in the first case it feels unnecessary and sometimes it could even be a bit uncomfortable.
Overall this book is such a huge story with so many layers I think it's impossible to have a full review that is satisfying, I am not even sure that discussing directly the book could be enough to do it justice, because there's so much. It's such a journey. I do recommend giving it a try if you feel interested in it, and I speak as someone who despised long books. This was incredibly fast-paced, and once you are into the story it feels like a drug. It was described to me as one of those books you want to finish to know what happens, but at the same time you don't want it to be over. And it's a great description, you need to know what happened and why, but you also don't want to let go of these characters. I think I'll need a good while to get over this novel. Also I need to mention that if you want to read this book you should check the trigger warning lists if you know there's stuff that might bothers you. I'm pretty sure the tw list for this novel is infinite because of everything that happens, from bullying, to homophobia, racism, very abusive and toxic parenting, just to name a few. It's also very graphic in describing violence so keep that in mind and check the tw lists online out just in case. As for the scary factor I personally didn't feel scared at all, there was one scene that did creep me out, but I am finding out it's more difficult than expected to scare. Still some people I know say this is the scariest book they read, fear is a very personal thing.
(spoilery thoughts under the cut)
This is my biggest complaint needs spoilers because there's one scene that felt so out of place an unnecessary I don't think I'll ever stop being annoyed at it. I am talking about the very end where in the 50s they kids are trying to get out of It's nest and apparently because their friendship is wearing out already they all need to have sex with Beverly. It was so unnecessary, and honestly kind of uncomfortable to read because it made no sense. There was no need to have that, their friendship worked amazingly, and this scene was just trown in there with no reason. Especially because as adults this whole bullshit thing does not happen, and they are not all present, but in that case their friendship still works perfectly. So really there's no back up for that scene, it just ruined the whole feeling for me. And the thing is that it has no consequences to the story, it's so umprompted and then it's just there with no real reason to exist. Can you tell I am pissed at it? The additional thing that annoys me is how yet again friendship between girls and boys have to be sexualised in some way, apparely it's impossible to have a friendship that stays a friendship if you are not of the same sex. It's a huge pet peeve of mine in all kinds of media whether it's books or shows and movies. In this novel in particular before this scene happened I had liked how Beverly's father, as well as other parental figures, mentioned how terrible a friendship between kids of different genders were bad. In the case of Bev's father to the point of accusing her to have had sex with her friends. The way Bev's reacted with absolute horror, because yes Ben might have feeling for her, and her and Bill really like each other, but at the end of the day they are just friends, was great. It shows how these friendship can be very deep but still just be platonic, but of course it had to be ruined. I hope this is making sense, because it turned in a rant that might not read as coherent as it is in my head. Overall this scene bothered me on many levels, and in the end was totally useless.
#i know this post is super long but i swear i tried to write as little as i could and there's still a lot that could have been said#also admire my dad's vintage copy and how cool the cover is compared to the editions you see in bookstores now#or at least in italy the newer editions are so ugly#studyblr#studyinspo#bookblr#booklr#book rec#book review#book recommendation#book cover#vintage copy#old book#book#books#bookish#it#it by stephen king#stephen king#reading#studyblr w/knives reading challenge#summer studying challenge 2.0#big book#mine#the---hermit#2022 book
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A Tale of Two Weddings: Midgardian Mayhem
A Loki x Eva (OC) story
Part Three of Loki’s Dragon
>>Part Nineteen<<
A/N I don’t own any of the Marvel characters. Just my own creations. This was originally posted in Wattpad. But I rewrote the parts as I transferred them, so there are some differences.
Summary: Eva thinks Laufey may have been right
Pairing: I originally wrote this as Loki x Eva but it can be read as Loki x Reader if you desire.
Link to previous chapter
Link to next chapter
Link to Masterlist
Credit to artist
Overall Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Angst, Adult Language
>>>18+ ONLY<<
Eva's nerves were on end during the next week, and she knew Loki could tell something was up. She kept deflecting answering that it had to do with the wedding, and it technically did, so there was no lie for him to detect. While Loki, Clint and Thor were on a mission she met Wanda in her room, bringing along with a bag full of 5 pregnancy tests. Eva set to taking them. The two sat and waited, Wanda asking her what was she hoping for.
"Well I guess if I am, it really doesn't matter so long as it's healthy and has ten fingers and ten toes."
"How do you think Loki is going to take it?"
"Honestly, I think he'll make a great father, I see him roughhousing with a little boy or being gentile with a girl who will have him wrapped around her finger. Teaching them magic, and if it's a girl teaching her how to defend herself..."
*DING* the alarm was going off on Eva's phone.
"Get Nat, she should be here too. I can wait"
A few minutes later Nat came in and the three led by Eva went to the bathroom counter. Her hands shaking as she was able to see the first one. When her eyes laid on it she was happy to see that it was positive. And the next and the next, but the last two showed negative.
"Crap, now we have a problem, and I'm going to have to see Stephen, to see if he can help."
"I can say I have questions on some magic and need to see him and you can tag along to say hi to your brother, or Wong." Offered Wanda.
"Thanks, I'd like to go ASAP!”
Later Eva was in the common room, reading, being constantly interrupted by Scott. Wanda stalked out, frustrated, "Hey Eva, do you think Doctor Strange would be willing to help me? I'm having problems with a complicated spell."
"I don't see why not, at the very least Wong can assist. How bout I come along... it's been a while since I've seen Wong."
"Sure can we go now?"
"I don't see why not," Calling to Tony in the kitchen "hey Bro, let Loki know I went with Wanda to see Strange"
"I will Pips, and remind the Wizard we have a fitting tomorrow for the wedding."
"Will do, see ya later."
Wanda took flight and Eva was nice enough to do a flying leap with her wings out to quell the fear in the team when she just stepped off the ledge. They landed in Bleeker St and walked to the Sanctum. The doors opened before she could knock and the cloak of levitation gave her a hug as they rested on her shoulders.
"What the Hell!" Stephen screamed in frustration. "It had better be Eva or your going to be a fucking curtain...." Stephen walked down the main staircase "Hello Eva, that Damn thing loves you more!"
"They always have."
"What brings you both here?"
"Can we talk in the study?" Wanda asked.
"Sure, is everything ok little one?"
"I don't know the answer to that, but I, well me Wanda and Nat need to know if you can keep our secret?"
"You know I can and will, and will aid if you need to keep Loki away from it too."
The cloak levitated Eva to the study as Stephen and Wanda walked. "Show off " muttered Stephen to the cloak.
Taking seats in the study Eva and Wanda told him about Laufey's theory, and then the tests.
Pulling his hand down his face, Stephen summarized "So you want me to find an OBGYN that deals with mutants and is ok with helping with a possible alien birth. Wow, give me a few minutes I'll call Christine, and see if she has any leads."
Wanda wandered around the study admiring all of the magical artifacts. Eva was just watching her breathing as she was starting to freak out, what if he didn't have anyone she could go to, then what?
Sauntering back into the study, "Ok so Christine has a colleague that she knows will work with mutants, they just ask you not flaunt your mutant abilities in or around her office. Christine made an appointment for you in an hour, I'll give you a portal directly into her office for the appointment and back here. Wanda I'm guessing you want to go with us?"
"Yes, it would probably make Eva a little more easy all things considered. If that's ok with you Eva."
"Yes, Stephen, you are going with us…I appreciate that, you know how I feel about Doctors."
The trio walked out of the portal into Dr Mooney's office. She was only a but startled.
"Good afternoon, which one of you is my patient?"
"That would be me, but took five tests and three were positive and two negative."
"A little excessive, but good to know, please give me a rundown of your abilities."
"And you," she indicated Stephen "are the father?"
"Nooo, no no no... she's like a sister to me. No if she is pregnant she wants to surprise her husband at the wedding in two weeks. That's why he's not here."
"And you both are?"
"Doctor Stephen Strange"
"Wanda Maximoff"
"So you both wait here I'll take her to a room and get a confirmation If she is or isn't ok?"
Wanda was getting fidgety Stephen kept saying it takes time remember, not magic, just old fashioned medicine. She's fine, Christine would not have sent us to someone who wouldn't take good care of her. The door opened slowly and Eva came in taking her seat in between the two. Dr Mooney took her seat again behind the desk. So do you want the good news or the other?
"Give us the other first." Eva said.
"Well given that Eva's a little different and her husband is an Alien, any pregnancy would be high risk."
"And the good..."
"Congratulations, you are pregnant!"
"I will expect to see you back here in 4 weeks for your next appointment, and I hope to meet the father at that time as well, I need to take in his genealogy into account. But is there a way to cover the Blue skin while you are in the waiting room?"
"I'll ask Nat about borrowing her Photostatic Veil." Said Wanda "I'm sure she won't mind."
"I'm sorry I'm just relieved, and Loki's going to be floored when I tell him. Is there anything I can wrap to give him?"
"Just use one of your positive tests."
"Thank you so much for seeing us short notice and for being so wonderful."
"I will contact Dr Moira MacTaggart, she's a mutant and a geneticist, and should be able to help with any complications. And I'll make your next appointment and send you an email for it. Also will you be leaving the way you came?"
"Yes" responded Stephen and opened a portal to the tower. "I'm going to need to talk to Tony and tell him you're hurt but not to mention it it Loki, and keep you off missions until after Loki finds out. Also I'll put a block in your, Wanda and Nat's minds around this topic."
#loki#mcu loki#loki of asgard#loki odinson#loki laufeyson#loki of jotunheim#dragana#loki x eva#avengers#tom hiddleston#wanda maximoff#natasha romanov#doctor strange
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Aquarium Visit 🐠
I greatly enjoyed today, praise God. My friends and I were able to go to SeaLife in Sydney today. It was a lovely experience, I am forever in awe of the vast array of creatures that God has created for us.
The main highlights of our trip to the aquarium were Pig the dugong and the very brief penguin boat ride. It's not a big place by any means but it is still a place I'd recommend visiting if you live nearby or are visting as there's a lot to enjoy.
After the aquarium was Pancakes on the Rocks for lunch and then off to the photo booth. And happily, one of my friends gave me a belated Christmas present today! It included, amongst other things, a good quality figurine of Pennywise, as played by Bill Skarsgard in the modern movie adaptation of Stephen King's It. 🎈
On a more serious note, my 18 year old brother messaged me today about some issues with my family. Since moving out, I haven't visited often or even called/texted often. I know that I need to do that more, especially with my brothers. One of my biggest fears with moving out was that I'd be abandoning my brothers in a bad situation where they need me and in the end, I've done exactly that. I'm their big sister and they need me now more than ever.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
#catholiscism#catholic#catholic women#christian faith#christian living#christian women#christianity#eastern orthodoxy#eastern catholic#orthodoxy#jesus#jesus christ#aquarium#dugong
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Night Shift by Stephen King
I thought I had peeked over the rim of the universe and into the fires of hell itself.
No matter how great the stories within wind up being, short story collections are always such sluggish reads, for me. Compared to the last King short story collection I read, Skeleton Crew, I think Night Shift easily wins, though. There may have not been any stories in here quite as staggering as The Jaunt, but there were definitely more that I really liked/loved, in general. Plus, my Top 5 Stories - One for the Road, I Am the Doorway, Children of the Corn, The Ledge & Graveyard Shift - are absolute knockouts! Just brilliantly effective, exciting, nightmare inducing storytelling. Either way, rating and reviewing short story collections is a pain in the ass, for me, so I'm going with an approach that generally seems to work. Here are my thoughts on each story:
*As Always With This Type of Review... POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!*
Jerusalem’s Lot : It took me way too long for me to get into it, because of the letter format, but once I did I really liked it. The first visit to the Lot and then the exploration of the basement were extremely unsettling/damn near terrifying. Love the revelation that’s Charles isn’t the last Boone. - 7.5/10
Graveyard Shift : A Top 5 Story. This was great. Creepy, skin-crawling, claustrophobic. The raw material of so many nightmares. Rats... Ugh. Bats... Ugh. Subbasements... Ugh. Asshole foremen... Ugh. - 9.5/10
Night Surf : A Capt. Trips story. Unlikable characters in the aftermath of the Trips epidemic, wandering around a desolate ex-tourist trap beach. They just burned a man infected with Trips and are coming to terms with it (I guess?). One of them has it now. Totally meh story. Was very happy when I could move on to the next one. - 2.5/10
I Am the Doorway : A Top 5 Story. (Maybe #1?) Fantastic cosmic horror about a man who grows eyes in the hands after coming back to earth from an exploratory mission orbiting Venus. They’re a doorway to some horrific world that wants to destroy us. He goes to desperate measures to stop them. Then he goes further. It’s weird. It’s creepy. It’s hopeless. I loved it. - 10/10
The Mangler : An industrial ironer is possessed and killing or severely harming workers at the cleaners. A rock solid story about the machines we make to make our lives easier turning on us. It's a theme King tackles often, and when it works, it really works wonders. These stories generally work especially well for me because I’ve always had a fear/distrust of large, dangerous machines like this one. Whether it was the trash compactor or cardboard crusher when I worked at Target or the redemption machines at the liquor store I worked at as a teenager, or even the band saw in Jr. High shop class, I always felt like no matter how safe I was, it wouldn’t matter. That made this especially creepy. - 8/10
The Boogeyman : The reason I chose this collection as my next King. I wanted to get it in before seeing the movie. Since then, I've decided I'll probably be waiting for it to hit streaming, but whatever. This was often chilling. If you don’t take a second (or third, or… shit… fourth) glance at your closet door after reading this, you’re a fool. It’d likely be a 10 if not for how unlikable the main character is. - 8/10
Grey Matter : A super gross allegory for alcoholism. It’ll turn you into a grey gooey slug monster that destroys everything and everyone around you. Get it? Anyway, it's not bad. Not really great either, though. - 6/10
Battleground : A lot of fun. Hexed Toy Soldiers attack a hit man who just got home from assassinating a toy maker. I wanted more, but what we get is more than good enough. - 8/10
Trucks : Another one about the machines turning on us. Really good tension. Very cinematic prose. So much better than Maximum Overdrive. Ha. - 9/10
Sometimes They Come Back : Might’ve even worked better as a whole novel. There’s a bunch here that really could’ve been expanded on. But still it's really good. Not quite my favorite, but really good. - 8/10
Strawberry Spring : Meh. Feels like filler. There's a promising concept with which very little is actually done. The ending was a little too obvious, yet fitting for how the rest of it read. I didn’t quite hate it, but it needed more meat to it. - 4/10
The Ledge : A Top 5 Story. Absolutely Fantastic! This is gripping, unpredictable storytelling. It’s suspenseful, it’s mean, and it’s so immensely satisfying in its structural simplicity. - 10/10
The Lawnmower Man : Super weird. No, seriously, this story is f*cking WEIRD. Not in a bad way, but certainly in an extremely unexpected way. I knew this was nothing like the movie, but damn. - 8.5/10
Quitters, Inc. : Brilliantly cruel. A great idea executed with a wicked creativity and pragmatism. Not quite Top 3, but a favorite, for sure. - 8/10
I Know What You Need : Interesting premise and execution. Not sure on the direction it takes though. A be careful with you wish for type thing maybe? Or a grass is always greener scenario? Anyway, I liked the connection to witchcraft/voodoo. Too anticlimactic to be great, though. - 6/10
Children of the Corn : A Top 5 Story. Guess I’m not sleeping tonight. When I was ~6 years old, I somehow ended up watching Children of the Corn. It quite literally scarred me for life. To this day, more than thirty years later, just driving past a cornfield makes my breath catch and the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. This story just twisted the knife. So atmospheric and creepy and grim. I simultaneously loved it and hated it so damn much. And it definitely refuels my desire to make a King show like Tales from the Crypt and Cabinet of Curiosities to faithfully adapt his short stories. - 10/10
The Last Rung on the Ladder : Way to break my heart, Steve. My goodness this was sad. A Cat’s in the Cradle vibe by the end, just brother/sister instead of father/son. A reminder to always make the time for those you love. The loss you may face for being there is far more bearable than the loss you’ll face not being there. This hit like a brick. That final line, "She was the one who always knew the hay would be there." tore my heart out. - 8.5/10
The Man Who Loved Flowers : Love kills. This one’s ending hits hard because of the contrast in tone. Nice and very short. Nothing amazing, but effective in its language and tone. - 5.5/10
One For The Road : A Top 5 Story. Hell Yes! The atmosphere is magnificent. Not only did I have to put on a sweatshirt, but I damn near went on the hunt for a rosary. I absolutely love this little corner of King's world. I want more... so much more. And now I also really want to reread ‘Salem’s Lot. - 10/10
The Woman in the Room : Sad. It really should’ve been shorter. No other thoughts really. Except, why close it out with this one? You had One For The Road RIGHT. THERE. It would've been such a bookends way to close out this collection. ::shakes head:: - 5/10
"I have walked beneath death's umbrella and thought there was none darker. But there is. There is."
8/10
-Timothy Patrick Boyer.
#booklr#horror books#night shift#stephen king#book review#short stories#book reviews#horror fiction#books#children of the corn#jerusalem's lot#one for the road#the ledge#i am the doorway#constant reader
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What song do you want played at your wedding? 💒
oh god not right now please...sigh okay Heaven by 3 Doors Down, that’s our song and will definitely be our song for our dance
List up to three things you own that have fringe on them.
I wouldn’t say fringe really...closest thing I can think of is tassles on a leather jacket? but no fringe
What is one thing you’ve been waiting patiently for for quite some time?
our wedding, since you brought it up...
When was the last time you sat in front of a bonfire? 🔥🪵
the Esser’s 4th of July party a few years ago, 2019 I think?
If you could meet any American Idol contestant (from any season), which one would you choose to meet? 🎤
Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, hands down! although there’s a few contestants who didn’t win I’d like to meet too
If you could meet any American Idol judge (from any season), which one would you choose to meet?
Luke Bryan babyyyyyy ;)
If you had to choose between competing on American Idol or on Fear Factor, which one would you choose, and why?
oh dear god Idol! I’m not eating anything disgusting and I swear to god if you have anything fucking crawl on me! :|
Which name do you like best for a girl: Harmony or Harvest?
Harmony, mostly musical reasons but it sounds better too
What is your favorite type of oil?
the kind that helps you get places lol
Have you ever been anointed with oil?
huh? umm no?
Which do you like better: the smell of old books, or the smell of new books?
either one, love the smell of books
Which smell do you like better: the smell of old books, or the smell of gasoline? 📚 ⛽️
old books, I hate the smell of gas
When was the last time you had a deep conversation with someone?
a lot lately with my fiance and my mom
When was the last time you played with sparklers? 🥢💥
no clue probably the Esser’s party if I wasn’t holding a drink lol
What are three of the most painful things you have ever stepped on?
Imma leave out the generic lego here lol so a plug, a jagged rock, and glass. although just being on my feet is very painful all the time cause I have bad neuropathy in my feet so heh
What is something you have recently realized?
how much hell you go through when you get a DUI...
If you could study abroad for a year in a foreign country, which country do you think you would choose, and why?
hmm the UK or Italy for many reasons
What are three little things in life that you enjoy?
music, animals, driving
If applicable, what song are you listening to right now?
Distance by Faktion
When was the last time you wore your hair up in a bun?
never, I’m ponytail all day every day
If you could choose three US states to visit, which three states would you pick?
Hawaii, Texas, Maine (gotta have that fresh lobster!!! and Stephen King lol)
Do you think you express yourself better in writing or out loud?
writing for deeper things, I guess verbal all around though
What’s the most amazing miracle you’ve ever witnessed? ✨
I’m not sure honestly, I’m trying to think but I don’t know...maybe haven’t
Do you enjoy being home alone?
it’s hell...it really is...although it’s a double edged sword cause I have bad social anxiety so
What is the most magical thing you’ve ever experienced? ✨
going with the miracle thing, I’m not sure...
What was the last hot beverage you drank? ☕️
coffee I guess? I always get iced, but last month I messed up on a DoorDash order and got hot instead which I don’t mind anyway lol coffee is coffee
What is your favorite season?
summer
Do you think your hair looks better curly or straight?
my hair can’t hold a curl for it’s life, too thick and poker straight so straight
Have you ever donated blood? 🩸
only in the blood drives in school
Would you rather eat at the Hard Rock Cafe or the Rainforest Cafe?
....triggering memory of Rainforest so Hard Rock. never been to that one anyway so I’d love to check it out
Would you rather attend a yoga class or a Zumba class?
Zumba would be way too physical for me so yoga
Have you written anything down today? ✍️
just jotting things on the calendar a little bit ago then again it’s only 2:12am so lol
What color is your camera case (if you have one)?
don’t have a camera, use my phone and that’s a dark gray with glitter
What do you consider ideal weather for spring?
cool with a breeze, sunny with little to no clouds
Have you experienced anything supernatural today? ✨
no thank god...can we not? O.O
What are three things you like that start with the same letter as your middle name?
I have two middle names which I’d rather not say on here
What year did you join Facebook?
Feb of 2008
Which do you use more: Facebook or Instagram?
Facebook for sure
Would you say you’ve had a good week so far?
ha no
What are three of your favorite ways to enjoy spring? 🌸
driving with windows down music blaring, windows open enjoying the breeze, looking the flowers and colors
Do you own a pair of pink pants?
no
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Fruit Farm Calls for Employee-Sponsorship Channel in New Pacific Visa
For the last three years, Quinnita Billy and her husband, George, have been returning to Australia in the harvesting season to work on farms.
“When we are here it’s like a homeland, especially when we see all of our Vanuatuan friends living and working with us,” she said from her current farm residence in Gayndah, Queensland.
“Back in Vanuatu most people do farming, so the work is not a problem for us.”
Billy and her husband have been employed on farms around the country, where they have come and gone on a seasonal basis as per the conditions of their Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (Palm) visa.
Her employer, Red Rich Fruits, said they worked hard to retain skilled and experienced workers like the Vanuatuan couple.
The company’s director, Matt Palise, said he had hoped that the new Pacific Engagement Visa, announced in February, would provide further incentive for businesses like them to be an employer of choice for migrant workers. Instead, the 3,000 visas per year are allocated at random via a ballot system.
“Rather than a random lottery, we would like to see an employer-sponsored scheme that helps to reward the workers who are committed to building a life in the country and reduce the likelihood of workers defecting to the city,” Palise said.
“We’ve got a lot of workers who have been with us for years, who are committed to being a part of the Red Rich Fruits family, and we would love to be able to offer them a permanent visa.”
More Security for Workers, Less Control for Industry
According to an agricultural commodities report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, released on Tuesday, the proportion of Palm workers as a percentage of all contract farmer workers jumped from 58% in 2019-20 to 82% in 2021-22, and the growth is expected to continue.
The productivity of seasonal workers is 20% higher than people on working holiday visas, Abares said, and that is also expected to increase because the Palm scheme now allows workers to remain in Australia for up to four years. Returning seasonal workers, it said, are 15% more productive than new seasonal workers.
But the new visa has slightly different aims than the Palm scheme.
A spokesperson for the minister for international development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy, said the new Pacific engagement visa was focussed on growing Australia’s Pacific and Timor-Leste diaspora, enhancing people-to-people links, and encouraging greater cultural, business and educational exchange.
“This is separate and in addition to the existing Pacific Australia Labour Mobility [Palm] scheme, which is the main Pacific migration vehicle to help fill workforce shortages in regional Australia,” they said.
This was echoed by Stephen Howes, an economics professor at Australian National University, who said it was good that the new Pacific engagement visa was not tied to a specific employer.
“I think the agricultural sector is well looked after in terms of dedicated visas, they’ve already got this, they’ve got three dedicated to them,” Howes, who is also the director of the ANU’s Development Policy Centre, said.
Laurie Berg, a law professor at UTS, agreed. Berg specialises in the rights of temporary migrant workers in Australia. She warned that employee-sponsored visas could leave workers even more vulnerable to exploitation.
“I think there are concerns that arise around exploitation, especially where they are dependent on employers for accommodation, which can lead them to feel tied to that employer, and fearful about leaving the job,” Berg said.
Employees are paid on hourly rates and also charged $120 a week for their accomodation and bills.
The farming operations manager, Tim Teague, said the on-site accomodation allowed them to retain expertise and a workforce that genuinely wanted to be there.
Teague manages Billy and her husband on one of the company’s farms in Gayndah.
“They are a pleasure to work with, they always sing and dance,” he said. “They make farming fun.
“And we see it in their work too. After you get through the initial costs of housing them and bringing them in they are far more efficient workers than backpackers.”
Palise said the company had invested heavily in housing and transport for their workers, a process that he said was made more challenging by government regulation. This included strict rules for constructing any new accomodation facilities, and unique specifications for building employee housing.
He said the checklist for providing this support to workers was extensive. “Are there enough houses? Do you have enough vehicles? And then even if you do have a combination? Can you get it approved?”he said.
“This is the major challenge facing us whether it’s the [Pacific] engagement visa scheme, or the Palm scheme.
“The government needs to provide an incentive for businesses to be able to build those houses and facilities to be able to have these workers.”
Howes said employee-sponsored visas needed to have strict regulations to protect employees. “Of course, [Palms] has issues, and it is a highly regulated program, but our studies have shown in general workers are treated well thanks to this,” he said.
Of all litigation filed with the Fair Work Ombudsman in 2021-22, 26% involved the treatment of migrant workers.
Source: The Guardian
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Literature blog post "Under the weather" by Stephen king
Wow this was a journey I am honoured and very happy, Sadly this will be the final blog post but let's make it worth it. In today's blog post I'll be talking about another story called “Under the weather” by Stephen king, This story is about a man called brad and his wife Ellen and also their dog lady, this story goes into a dark and eerie topic but that is why I made this blog post to analyse these topics specifically, and there are obviously SPOILERS. So without further ado let's begin with the title.
“Under the weather” the definition of this word is to be slightly unwell or low spirit, in this story it focuses on the sick and unwell parts. In a basic explanation Brad, our protagonist or main character in this book has a wife named Ellen and she gets “sick ''. Now how is this related to the title, later on while you are reading the story you will notice some hints in something wrong maybe Ellen is not even there or she is a ghost, But the real answer is she is dead or for brad “under the weather” If you ask me the author Stephen king made a great title although it doesn't tell the full picture it gives a hint of the major plot twist. Moving on What are the elements in this story?
Let's start with the plot: Brad Franklin wakes up from a nightmare. His wife, Ellen, is asleep beside him in bed; she isn't feeling well after a recent bout of bronchitis. Brad takes Lady, their dog, for a walk. As he leaves the building, he learns from the doorman that exterminators are coming in the afternoon to check on a foul door that's suspected to come from a dead rat in a neighbouring apartment. After taking Lady back up to his apartment and leaving his wife a note, Brad departs for his job at an advertising agency, leaving Ellen still asleep in bed.
At work, Franklin recalls past times with his wife, both happy and not so happy: Ellen helping him on his first breakthrough ad; the couple learning that she could not conceive a child, which in a way is a blessing given the fact that she has a heart condition that could have been adversely affected by the strain of carrying a child; a trip to Nassau. It was on the plane ride to Nassau that Brad recalls having a bad scare, in which for a brief moment he thought his napping wife looked dead. After she awoke, and he told her about his fear, she made a joke that if she had died, he probably would have shipped her body back to New York and married a "Bahama mama". In response, he told her that if she had really been dead, he would have used his imagination to keep her alive and simply refused to accept she was dead. Although there are many more things in the story, if I continue it will be too long to enjoy so let's move onto the characters. There are the main characters Ellen the wife of Brad, Brad the husband of Ellen, Lady the dog of Ellen and brad. Moving on The setting. The setting of this book is not clarified exactly but if I would be writing this story I would have put the story in America or in the western area it just seems that it would make sense since most of the advertisement from brads job like “Bahamas mamas” or the Viagra pill advertisement which I sadly do not remember the quote of. And the year 1980-1990 most likely. Moving on to who is the single main character.
The main character was Brad, a husband, a pet owner, a person who works at an advertisement company. Some things you can notice about him by reading the story is that maybe he is a bit unhinged and later on that is confirmed. If a human cannot let someone they love to go and move on they are most likely crazy. The only way to make them happy and yourself is to know that it will get better and not be possessive. Like how brad is he himself says while Ellen falls a sleep he thinks she has died and said this “ even if you die I won't let you go” This shows a lot of red flags or some psychotic behaviours, But due this the story is able to guide us to understand that she is dead. Moving on What is the point of view and who tells the story.
The point of view is first person and the person who talks to us the reader or tells us the story. This is further implied or proven by the way the story is written, it is obviously written as “I did, me and her did, we were on vacation” ETC. but also the fact that the way he reads the story is obviously in his eyes his view, we know she's dead but he thinks she's “under the weather” just from the title we can understand the story. And finally, my conclusion and my opinion on this book.
This book was very fun and I have some theory like usual but first let's talk about how it was to analyse this book. Just to analyse this book I had to read multiple times and had to discuss with some of piers and classmates but when you understand the story it is beautiful, everything connects why was their the smell, Why was he taking to her like that, Why wasn't she replying and always in her bed in the apartment. But I will not talk about the answers but I want you to read the story I will recommend it, And finally my theory. This story is a reference to fight club since there is a character called brad that's all I have to say.
Thank you very much for reading this far and I want to thank every single one of you who read this. And for the final time Have a Good day/afternoon/evening :)
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