#polar bears fat bear friday
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Some chonky friends to celebrate fat bear friday with
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FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK FAT BEAR WEEK
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🚨Breaking News 🚨
youtube
He has returned
#480 Otis#it is not fat bear friday#nor is it salmon slammin saturday#but Otis can get time any day of the week#except sundays. those are for the polar bears (sorry Otis but even kings have boundaries to their empires)#Youtube
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doing a little experiment. please reblog so this poll can reach a larger bear-enjoying audience.
(a few of these days - like existential tuesday and thinky thoughts thursday - are exclusively posted by @bearotonin-international , so credit where credit is due.)
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You came up with those day ideas? Shit i didnt know i'm abt to go edit the daily bears bio to credit you for that brb
Not all of them. But ngl the every single week posting the same day series content is not something I’d seen done consistently before I started doing it. And polar bear sunday, existential tuesday, thinky Thoughts Thursday are definitely my brain children, and I honestly don’t remember if I got fat bear Friday from somewhere/someone else lmao.
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my dad got me a really soft blanket for my bday :DD
#peach patter#i can tell im getting older when mundane items make me go crazy#like YESSSS A BLANKET!!!! its so fucking nice its got a thicker fur kinda layer and then the outward facing part has red and mint stripes#icr the name of the pattern the stripes are in cuz its not a tartan or plaid augh. whatever just trust me its rlly nice#i shouldve asked him to get me a big teddy bear too. i need a companion for friday that i can properly cuddle when i sleep#friday is my polar bear plush btw. his full name is fat fuck friday i love him
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i'm only me when i'm with you - jake jensen x plus-size!reader
word count: 1543
content warning: death, body dysmorphia, internalized fat-phobia
It was a hard year. You were trying to be excited for so many things. You had just started a new career and you had finally bought your own house but no matter how great the positives were, the loss of your best friend hit you hard. You and Jake had met each other in kindergarten and quickly became friends. Everyone teased you about it on the playground but neither of you seemed to mind, especially when Jake would make voices for the dino chicken nuggets during lunch on Fridays. You grew up together even becoming friends with his older sister Jessica by the time you all were in high school. School was always hell for you, being the overweight girl, but the friendship you found with Jensen’s really carried you through. When Jake decided to join the military, you stayed back with Jessica and attended community college. The years went by with occasional holidays and birthday barbeques until one day Jake didn’t come home. He was out on a standard mission; he had been on over a hundred at this point. He told you that he would be back by next week, but when the reports of a helicopter being shot down in Bolivia hit the news, you feared the worst. Sure enough, twenty-four hours later his mother was informed that he had been killed in action. It was the worst pain you had ever felt. And just when you thought you had finished grieving, any small reminder would take you right back to that bottomless pit.
It had been almost eight months since you got the news and life had started to level out once again. You cheered Jessica’s daughter at soccer games and helped out with school projects. You helped his mom with holiday dinners and fundraisers. It was Thursday evening, you had ordered in some food and began to catch up on all the shows you missed during your work week when Jessica called you. Upon answering the phone she was a frantic, crying mess, and you were so worried that something had happened to his niece. “Jess? Hey, are you okay? What’s going on?” You sat up feeling your heart begin to race in your chest. It felt like an eternity had passed before Jessica finally was able to say the words, “Jake’s alive! He’s home!”
You felt like you had whiplash.
You had answered the phone thinking something bad had happened and what was supposed to be good news came as a complete shock. This was the worst case of emotional motion sickness.
“Wait…What?” You had managed to get out even though it felt as if all the air had been taken from your lungs.
“We’re all at my mom’s house. You need to be here.”
“I-I, okay, I’ll be right there.” You hung up and stared at your phone in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. He was dead. You had attended his funeral and grieved with his sister and mother for weeks. It took several minutes for you to even gain the strength to shake the shock you were in and move. Getting in your car it was strictly autopilot straight to his mom’s house. You were in pajamas, an oversized t-shirt with a polar bear on it and taco pajama pants. You didn’t even know how long you sat in the driveway before slowly walking up the front steps. As you opened the door, you heard his laugh causing your heart to jump into your throat. Making yourself seen in the entryway, Jake’s eyes met yours and he jumped up, “There’s my girl! C’mere nugget!” You were speechless as he rushed over to you and hugged you. With his arms wrapped around in the familiar bear hug he would give you, you finally broke down.
It was really him and he was okay.
He kissed the side of your head before pulling away, “Hey, it’s okay, nugget. I’m here.” He tried to reassure you but you were honestly so emotional even just hearing his voice and the childhood nickname he had for you. The group of you had spent the night at his mother’s house trying to piece together the events from the last year.
It had been two weeks since Jake had returned home and life almost had started to feel normal again. Late Thursday night, you got a call from Jake asking if you wanted to go for a drive. You agreed and almost laughed when he told you that he was waiting outside. Pulling on a hoodie, you quickly locked up your house and ran out to the street to meet him in his jeep. He had driven you out to some random field off the highway which you were both surprised that after more than a decade you hadn’t got in trouble for trespassing. After parking and turning off the jeep, he grabbed a blanket out of the back seat and tossed it over his shoulder. Jake always took great pride in picking you up and was happy to lift you up into the open tailgate.
He was the only one you had allowed to even try to pick you up as the thought of him trying and dropping you was mortifying. Before the military he tried but as soon as he got home from basic training it was his favorite thing to do. You were almost grateful that he got sent off somewhere as the constant piggy back rides around your apartment got to be annoying.
He ruffled your hair as you happily sipped your milkshake before he hopped in next to you. The two of you sat in the trunk of his jeep wrangler, sipping the milkshakes he had picked up on the way over just talking about life. As the conversation began to dwindle down and you two were simply looking up at the stars only interrupted by the slurp sounds from empty cups. As Jake let out a particularly loud slurp after shaking his cup around, you looked over at him with a small smile.
“I’m so happy you’re back home.”
He nodded with a big smile, “You know what? Me too. Bolivia was fun and all but I missed it here. I missed you. It was torture, absolute torture! To be stuck in a squad of guys that hated all of my jokes and fun facts.”
You couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re right, that does sound like torture…Are you thinking of getting out of the military?”
Jake sighed before looking up at the sky, “I don’t know…I know that I should. This last mission was pretty bad but I just don’t know what else I would do. The military has been my life and I’m good at it, y’know? I’ve never been good at anything else.”
“That’s not true. You’re great at a lot of things and you could use what you do in the military to find a really good job.”
He nodded, “I know, I’m just worried I’d get lonely or feel like I peaked or am just going through life with no purpose… But what about you? What do you see for your future? I thought you would’ve found some dumb hunk to marry by now.”
You rolled your eyes before letting out a light laugh, “You know that the guys around here don’t like me.”
“That’s not true! You’ve gone on plenty of dates!”
“Yeah, hook-ups. Men will sleep with anything but I’m not anything anyone would want to show off. I just wish I could connect to a person and they fall in love with me without them seeing my appearance.”
“Why don’t you want them to see your appearance?”
“Because I’m fat… I'm just a hookup to them, a fetish even. When you get used over and over by men it’s hard not to see yourself as a disgusting object.”
“But you aren’t a disgusting object. You’re gorgeous! You’ve always been gorgeous at any size.”
“You have to say that Jake, you’re my best friend.”
“I’m being serious! You know what, now that I’m home, how about you and me go out to dinner?”
“Like we used to? Down at Freddie’s?”
“No, like a date. I’ll find somewhere nice and we can get dressed up.”
You shook your head, “No, Jake, it’s fine. I don’t need a pity date to feel-”
“It’s not a pity date! If anything it’s a make up for all the dates I didn’t take you on. They always say to marry your best friend. I don't know why I never thought about dating you! Well, I do. You were always such good friends with my sister too. I thought you viewed me as your brother. So I think going off of that I just accepted that as enough rejection so I wouldn’t have to embarrass myself by-”
He was cut off as your lips met his. He froze slightly unsure of what had just happened before relaxing and resting his hands on your hips. You slowly pulled away with a smile, “I’d be more than happy to go on a date with you, Jake.”
“Oh? Okay! Cool! We’re gonna go on a date!” He said before letting out a loud laugh and kissing you again.
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meeting kuroo’s family.
A/n: here’s an update everyone, happy friday!! stay safe and happy loves <3
Summary: kuroo thinks it’s time for you to meet his father and grandparents.
Parings: Kuroo Tetsurou/Fem!Reader
Warnings: pure fluff lol, maybe crack
Word Count: 1.1k
- you had been dating for a while, and kuroo surprised you one day after school, asking on your walk home if you wanted to meet his family
- of course, you were nervous, but you said yes and said you couldn’t wait to meet them
- only, you didn’t realize how early he meant when you agreed
- his house was close to yours so you two walked home together every day, but when he kept dragging you past your street, you were confused
- “where are we going? my house is that way...”
- “my house.”
- “why? I thought we were going to mine.”
- “my dad should be home from work, today is his day off and my grandparents are home.”
- “oh. oH. OH.”
- you were lowkey more nervous knowing you’d be meeting them today, I mean who wouldn’t?
- you were only in your school uniform and yes although it was formal in a sense, you would’ve liked to freshen up and at least look presentable
- “tetsu... my outfit-”
- “what about it?”
- you stared at him in astonishment as you kept walking side by side. his family wouldn’t mind would they?
- when you didn’t elaborate anymore and kuroo turned back straight, you realized your assumptions were right
- your nerves only increased though as you got closer and closer, and when you were in front of his house, you could no longer speak coherent sentences
- kuroo just reassured you that his family was super chill, and if you were comfortable enough around him, then you would feel the same around his family
- as soon as you stepped into the house, you smelt the most delicious stew ever. it instantly made you feel warm and cozy, and forget your worries
- surprisingly, you found kuroo’s father in the kitchen, cooking said delicious stew
- he greeted you with a warm smile and a hug, as if you were his daughter...it was comforting
- his father was a very tall man, like your boyfriend, most likely where he got his height from
- you sat stiffly at the dining table, fiddling with your hands under the table
- kuroo had left you in the kitchen to change out of his uniform and get you more comfortable clothes, the silence was kind of awkward as you waited
- the silence was interrupted though when an older man spoke, he was standing right beside you, eyes staring at you intently
- “wanna hear a joke?”
- BDUHFEAWIGLIF
- “dad, leave her be, i’m sure she doesn't want to here you’re jokes.” kuroo’s own father had said, addressing the old man
- “sure she does! she looks intrigued!!”
- ohhh this is where it was going-
- another science geek lmaoo, your boyfriend also got that from his family
- “why did the white bear dissolve in water?” asked the old man
- “uh, i’m not sure I understand sir, i’m not very good at science-”
- “because it was POLAR!”
- and with that he broke out into laughter, laughing at his own joke
- your boyfriends father just lowered his head, shaking it in disappointment
- “i’m sorry about that, y/n... my father is very persistent with his dead jokes.”
- you couldn't help but laugh at this family dynamic
- “it’s alright sir, i’m used to it. kuroo says those kinds of jokes ALL the time... any chance he gets really.”
- you met the last member of the family when kuroo was helping his grandmother down the stairs, we stan a sweet GENTLEMAN
- kuroo’s grandma was the sweetest woman you'd met. she was always trying to feed you well throughout the dinner
- after you finished your plate, she was still trying to give you more, even after dessert
- “are you sure you’re full? tetsurou told me you also play volleyball, so you must burn a lot of calories and fat! you must eat!!”
- you were more surprised that your boyfriend had told them about you, instead of her persistently trying to feed you
- “o-oh, don’t worry ma’am, i’m quite alright.”
- “NO!” legit the older woman would NOT accept it
- “sweetheart, leave her alone! she doesn’t want our sons disgusting food, alright? i’m surprised she even stuck around for dessert...” kuroo’s grandpa is SASSY and we stan
- “dad!”
- kuroo was snickering too himself beside you, cue hyena laugh
- “grandma, i’m sure she appreciates it, but she’s full.”
- the rest of the night went smoothly
- kuroo and his father were snickering in the corner, watching as kuroo’s grandpa and grandma continued to tell you chemistry jokes and offer more food
- it was very fun and all the nerves had gone away easily
- you weren’t laughing at the jokes really, more so laughing at the fact that kuroo was so similar to his grandpa, and the fact that both grandparents seemed very very persistent
- now it was nearing ten in the evening, and you had to get home soon
- “HEY PLAYBOY!” came the old man, stopping kuroo from walking you out
- you couldn't help but giggle at his grandpa's name for kuroo
- “come back soon. my son and wife don't appreciate my jokes as much as you do, and it’s no fun when playboy here tries to outshine me in my own house with jokes.”
- LMAOOOOO THIS FAMILY EYE-
- “i don't think she was laughing with you, i think she was laughing at you.”
- you smacked kuroo’s back, reassuring the fuming old man that you would be back soon if everyone was happy with it, and that although you didn’t get the chemistry jokes, you enjoyed his persistance
- you had almost been out the door when....
- “TETSUROU,” kuroo’s grandma had screeched. “be a gentleman and walk her home!”
“i was going too, but i can’t seem to get out the door-”
- tbh, she really only stopped kuroo to stall him from leaving, she was still trying to give out food
- "here are some sweet treats. you can have them, they’ll just get thrown out here.”
- “ma’am, thank you, but-”
- she was stuffing your school bag with food before you could even stop her, she just kept filling it and filling it without shame
- “grandma...”
- “quiet!”
- “uh, thank you ma’am... i’ll make sure to eat these, i appreciate it.”
- as soon as you gave them each a warm smile and gentle goodbye, kuroo quickly grabbed your hand and began walking you down the street
- "sorry about that. my grandparents are very persistent, and my dad is-”
- "don’t apologize. I think you’re grandparents are the cutest, and your father is so kind, he made me feel at home.”
- "i love them already."
- kuroo may or may not have pissed his pants, out of happiness of course
- he wasn't worried about you meeting them, because they were so much like him that he knew they'd love you
- he was just very happy. you were the first girl he's taken seriously, and ever brought home to meet his folks and he felt so warm uwu
- “so... you'll be back?”
- “of course! i have to bring the tupperware back, don’t i?”
- lets just say he brought you around everyday and you had so much fun with his chaotic family
11.6.20, rayofsunas
#hq#haikyuu!!#haikyuu#kuroo tetsurou#kuroo tetsuro#kuroo#kuroo x reader#kuroo tetsuro x reader#kuroo tetsurou x reader
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THIS OR THAT!
CEREALS!
Froot Loops or Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Lucky Charms or Frosted Mini Wheats
Cheerios or Chex
Honey Bunches Oats or Honey Nut Cheerios
Rice Chex or Raisin Brand
Honey Smacks or Reese's Puffs
Rice Krispies or Great Grains
French Toast Crunch or Cap'n Crunch
Oatmeal Crisp or Cookie Crisp
Kix or Eggo Cinnamon Toast
Special K or Corn Flakes
Frosted Mini Wheats (Strawberry Delight) or Apple Jacks
Cocoa Krispies or Frosted Flakes
Oreo O's or Corn Pops
Honeycomb or Fruity Fruits
Croque Graham Dore or Croque Canelle
Nesquick or Sugar-Crisp
Trix or Life
Smorz or Fruity Pebbles
Cocoa Pebbles or Cocoa Puffs
All Bran or Weet-Bix
Nestle Milo or Coco Pops
Rice Bubbles or Crunchy Nut
Nutri-Grain or Sultana Bran
Cheerios or Frosties
DISNEY MOVIES!
Snow White and The Seven Dwarf's or Pinocchio
Dumbo or Bambi
Cinderella or Alice In Wonderland
Peter Pan or Sleeping Beauty
Lady and The Tramp or The Sword In The Stone
One Hundred and One Dalmatians or Robin Hood
The Jungle Book or The Aristocats
The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh or The Rescuers
The Fox and The Hound or The Black Couldron
The Great Mouse Detective or Oliver & Company
The Little Mermaid or Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp
Beauty and The Beast or A Goofy Movie
Aladdin or Return To Never Land
Pocahontas or Mulan
The Lion King or Coco
Monsters Inc. or The Emperors New Groove
Toy Story or Toy Story 2
A Bug's Life or Zootopia
Cars or Cars 3
Tarzan or Doug's First Movie
The Tigger Movie or Treasure Planet
Lilo and Stitch or Brave
Atlantis: The Lost Empire or Teacher's Pet
The Jungle Book 2 or Bolt
Piglet's Big Movie or Planes
Brother Bear or Home On The Range
Finding Nemo or Finding Dory
The Incredibles or The Wild
Pooh's Heffalump Movie or Meet The Robinsons
The Nightmare Before Christmas or Inside Out
Frozen or Frozen 2
The Princess and The Frog or Big Hero 6
Up or Tangled
Frankenweenie or Wreck It Ralph
Monsters University or Moana
The Good Dinosaur or Valiant
Wall-E or Ratatouille
Fantasia or Mary Poppins
Fantasia 2000 or The Rescuer's Down Under
Toy Story 3 or Hercules
Luca or The Jungle Cruise
Cruella or Cinderella 2
Winnie The Pooh or The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
The Lion King ll or Tinkerbell
James and The Giant Peach or Prince Charming
NICKELODEON SHOWS!
Angry Beavers or Catdog
Hey Arnold or Jimmy Neutron
Ren and Stimpy or Rocko's Modern Life
Spongebob Square Pants or Avatar The Last Airbender
Fairly Odd Parents or As Told By Ginger
Rugrats or Aahh Real Monsters
Clarissa Explains It All or The Amanda Show
H2O or I-Carly
Kenan and Kel or Drake and Josh
Rugrats All Grown Up or The Wild Thornberrys
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide or The Backyardigans
Zoey 101 or Danny Phantom
Blues Clues or Big Time Rush
Franklin or The Penguins of Madagascar
My Life as a Teenage Robot or All That
Invader Zim or Are You Afraid Of The Dark
The Naked Brothers Band or Rocket Power
Dora The Explorer or Go Diego, Go!
TV SERIES/SHOWS
The Walking Dead or Lucifer
Riverdale or Supergirl
American Horror Story or Greys Anatomy
American Horror Stories or Supernatural
Home and Away or Gilmore Girls
Two and A Half Men or Nine Perfect Strangers
The Big Bang Theory or Young Sheldon
Friends or The Real Housewives of New York City
Good Girls or The White Lotus
Trinkets or Dead To Me
Sex and The City or The Carrie Diaries
The Hills or The City
The Good Place or Awkward
Revenge or Workin' Moms
The 100 or I-Zombie
Santa Clarita Diet or Happy Endings
Girls or Love Life
Younger or Dollface
Two Broke Girls or New Girl
Fear The Walking Dead or Top Gear
Looking or A Teacher
Bob's Burgers or Family Guy
American Dad or King Of The Hill
The Simpsons or Futurama
Outer Banks or Sex Life
NEVERTHELESS or A-Typical
The News or Late Night Talk Shows
Never Have I Ever or Ginny and Georgia
Superstore or Suits
13 Reasons Why or Shameless
The Inbetweeners or Friday Night Dinner
My Mad Fat Diary or White Gold
Outlander or Too Hot To Handle
ANIMALS!
Lion or Leopard
Tiger or Buffalo
Antelope or Zebra
Ostrich or Emu
Giraffe or Cheetah
African Wild Dog or Hyena
White Rhino or Black Rhino
Elephant or Hippopotamus
Butterfly or Stick Insect
Cat or Dog
Bunny or Guineapig
Chicken or Duck
Goat or Lamb
Lyrebird or Pigeon
Macaw or Toucan
Horse or Donkey
Turkey or Rooster
Kookaburra or Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
Scorpion or Cobra
Water Dragon or Tortoise
African Grey Parrot or Amazon Parrot
Meerkat or Tapir
Chimpanzee or Gorilla
Lorikeet or Galah
Tasmian Devils or Dingoes
Sealion or Stingray
Alpaca or Deer
Little Penguin or King Penguin
Quokka or Wallaby
Echidna or Mandrill
Baboon or Peacock
Pelican or Barn Owl
Bilby or Sloth
Black Bear or Polar Bear
Dolphin or Humpback Whale
Starfish or Clown Fish
Shark or Orca
COLOURS!
Pink or Blue
Green or Yellow
Brown or Black
White or Grey
Green or Purple
Orange or Blue
Pink or Purple
Black or Red
Yellow or Red
Orange or Pink
White or Purple
Grey or Blue
Blue or Purple
Pink or White
GAMES!
Donkey Kong or Super Mario
Yoshi's Island or Mario Party
Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros
Pokemon Let's Go Eevee or Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu
The Legend of Zelda or Skyrim
Minecraft or Fortnite
Crash Bandicoot or Croc
Spyro or PacMan
Tetris or Space Invaders
Grand Theft Auto or Street Fighter ll
Animal Crossing or Overcooked
Cooking Mama or Stardew Valley
Just Dance or Harvest Moon
Ring Fit or Snipper Clips
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As Long As We’re Together
IT 2017 - Reddie - WIP
StreetPerformer!Richie and Bookstore!Eddie
Slow Burn, Slice of Life
“When the end of high school began to gang up on the six of them, they each promised the other that the moment graduation happened they would leave Derry for good. Now each of them were 21 (Bill was 22), and so far they have kept that promise.
They had found an old Victorian Townhouse up for rent right off of Main St. They had all agreed on Portland, Maine. They all knew they would be okay as long as they’re together.”
An AU where The Losers are all roommates in a huge house just off of Main St, where they all work. Eddie is a college student working in a bookstore. Richie is a homeless street performer who relies on his guitar and Voices to make money. Trashmouth soon walks into their lives and turns everything upside down.
Chapter 2 Below Cut
Also on AO3
(((I just wanted to say real fast, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone that left a kudos and comment on Chapter 1! It means so much to me to get feedback from you guys and it made me so excited to write! So, as a reward, here is Chapter 2 already!!
I don’t have a beta so I apologize for any mistakes lol I tried to edit!
Beverly’s Song - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths
Eddie’s Song - I Want To Break Free by Queen)))
Ben Hanscom is standing on the street corner right next to Eddie’s Bookstore. He is a heavy set man with wide cheeks and an even wider belly. He was beautifully fat and his cheeks always shown a pretty pink. He was working on a beard lately, and it was growing in pretty nicely. He wore thick pants and a green hoodie that said “Save the Rainforest!” He has been standing there for nearly five hours, trying (in vain) to catch the attention of a passer by or stranger.
“Excuse me, Ma’am, would you be interested in- Okay, well, then have a nice day…”
“If you aren’t busy, Sir, I would love to go over some articles with you- Okay, have a good day then.”
He was currently volunteering for a non-profit that was based around the melting of the ice caps. Already becoming vegan with Mike, Ben had heard about the decline of habitats for polar bears and other Antarctic wildlife. After that he had almost immediately went online and hunted down for any way he could serve his time to prevent anymore loss of life. It turns out that the biggest and only reason for the loss of life is- you guessed it- global warming. Something that not many have even admitted was real.
You can see how Ben was having a very hard time getting people to donate or even just sign his petition. He tried giving out newsletters as well, but no one seemed to care about what he had to say- no matter how urgent or important he assured it was.
“Hey, guys! Could I steal your attention for a few moments? Oh? No, it’s okay. Have a good one.”
It really was starting to wear down on him, too. He had only started working for the non-profit two days ago. He hadn’t even been able to reel one person in to hear what he has to say. Having so many ignore and blatantly not make eye contact with him was having him nearly losing his faith in humanity itself. He was tired and his passion for this subject was going painfully unheard.
The only thing that has helped Ben manage to keep his sanity is the soft serenade of the Guitar Player across the street, at the other corner on Main St. Throughout the day they had both awkwardly made eye contact with each other. Everytime they did Ben gave a friendly wave while the man played his guitar, who gave an curt nod in return. They had done that almost a dozen times by the end of the night and Ben considered it to be the nicest thing to happen to him all day.
The tall stranger had only a water bottle, a large backpack, and a guitar case propped open with a little sign that said “Like what you hear? Almost shed a tear? If you want, You can donate right here!” Even his sign was a little tune, Ben thought in amusement. If Ben had literally a dollar to spare, he would definitely leave a donation of his own after listening to the Performer’s music for the past few days.
Ben suddenly realizes he is staring again and chances a look up at the Performer. The stranger is already looking back at him, a little smirk on his lips as he tunes his guitar. He gives Ben a little wink and nod. This makes Ben blush, face becoming somewhat hot, and he promptly decides that that is enough of him embarrassing himself for the day.
Turning around, Ben gets into his backpack that he has propped up against a stop sign and starts packing up his things. Before he can stow away his pens and clipboard, though, he feels a finger poke his shoulder. He hadn’t even noticed that the music had stopped across the street until he comes face to face with the music player himself.
“Uh, hi.” Ben says, eloquently.
“Hi.” The man replies. Now that he was up close Ben saw that his eyes were a dark onyx that were contrasted nicely by his light brown freckles. His black hair came down to his shoulders and his curls were nothing if not unruly. He wore a light blue dress that buttoned all the way up and fell just above his shoes, which were red vans. He also had a small beard beginning to grow on his face. He looked as outlandish as you can imagine, and the stranger’s get up made Ben try his best to resist the smile that was creeping on to his face.
“What’s your name?” The friendly stranger asks, a small smirk still playing on his lips. He was really beautiful, in a completely feminine dueling masculine way. Ben couldn’t decide truly what he thought the stranger was.
“Ben- Ben Hanscom.” He replies easily enough, trying his best to stay calm even though every part of him for some reason was completely elated that this strange person was striking up a conversation with him. Ben was going to blame it on not being able to talk to anyone else all day.
“People call me Trashmouth!” Before Ben can even react to the weird nickname, he immediately grabs Ben’s hand and lifts it to his lips, giving it a quick peck. “Nice to meet you, Ma Cherie!” Trashmouth says, in a funny and poor French accent.
This makes Ben laugh out loud and Trashmouth drops his hand just as quickly as he had kissed it. Who is this guy?
“So what are you petitioning for over here, Mr. Handsome?” Trashmouth asks, accent gone, and softly strumming the strings of his guitar now. It was as if he constantly had to be doing something with his hands, Trashmouth was almost jittery with his movements.
“Oh, uh, I have been trying to educate people on some of the issues our planet is having because of global warming. I have been wanting to talk about landfills, depleting ice caps… Stuff like that.” Ben says, ending his sentence flatly. He was still pretty discouraged from his long day of no luck.
“I’d love to listen to what you have to say, Ben Handsome. Why don’t you give me a lecture and I can sign that clipboard of yours?” Trashmouth offers, a considerate smile painted across his face.
Ben light up at the offer, his own smile growing even wider. “What, really?! You’ll be the first person I have gotten to sign! You really sure you want the whole spiel?”
“Ab-so-lutely. I’m not doing anything else of importance. Why don’t I try to help save the world with Benny over here?” Trashmouth says, patting Ben on the shoulder.
Ben quickly goes into a short lecture, obviously rehearsed, and he stumbles over his words a few times but overall gets it perfectly. He is so excited he is nearly winded by the time he is done with his short rant on the rainforests and the o-zone. Trashmouth just nods and has a serious look on his face the whole time, trying his best to indicate to Ben that, yes, this is interesting and important. Just as Ben is about to lead into another lecture, Trashmouth cuts him off.
“Nerd Alert.” He says slyly, but winks at Ben again, letting him know he is just teasing.
“Well, no… It’s actually pretty interesting.”
“Ben, in total honesty, do you know how cool this is? That you actually give enough of a shit about our planet to spend your whole day standing out here in the off-chance you can talk about it? You got my signature, for sure, Handsome.” And with that, Trashmouth takes away the pen and clipboard in Ben’s hands and goes to filling out his information.
“Honestly, thank you- Thank you so much. I was under the impression that more people would want to be educated on this, but I just have the sneaking suspicion that people think I am trying to sell them something.” Ben says, voice a little forlorn.
“Well, you don’t look like a vacuum salesman to me. People’ll come around.” Trashmouth says, handing him back his things. Next thing Ben knows, Trashmouth is walking across the street to his pile of belongings. The sun is beginning to set now, and they both should be packing up for the night.
Ben is smiling a grin that hurts and begins looking over everything that Trashmouth had filled out. He did everything perfectly, but left out a few major details.
“You forgot your phone number and your address!” Ben hollers from across the way, waving the piece of paper in the air.
“Don’t have either of those, Handsome!” Trashmouth replies easily, zipping up his guitar and throwing the case strap over his shoulder. “Sorry!” And with that, Trashmouth begins walking down Main St. and slowly disappears out of Ben’s sight.
Who is that guy? Ben thinks again, this time in awe.
Beverly’s work week, on the other hand, had passed by incredibly quickly. It was just past 7 o’clock now and she was already late for Friday Night Dinner. She wipes her flour-covered hands all over her soiled apron from the mixing she had done that day. Grabbing the broom to sweep the small shop, she begins humming to herself.
It was basically closing time and the whole bakery was deserted. It had been an overall slow day, but it always passed by in a flash for Bev just because she enjoyed her work. Baking was a science, after all, she would always say. It took brain power. She was enthralled with it all. The cookies, the cakes, especially the breads. That was her specialty. You could ask any locals and regular and they would say that her italian cheese and herb bread was to die for.
She took incredible pride in her work, as well as the shop she worked in, so staying after closing to clean and tidy up was never an issue. She let the other girls go home early while she shut everything off, sweeping as she goes along.
Right as she is about to turn the neon OPEN sign off, however, the front door bell rings and a tall figure walks on in. She turns around to see who is actually is before she gets swept up in a large hug, nearly lifted off the ground with the force of their affections.
“Trashmouth, put me down!” Bev giggled, identifying her hug-attacker immediately. The broom drops to the ground as she releases her hold to pound soft fists into Trashmouth’s shoulders.
“Sorry, Ms. Marsh, I couldn’t resists sneaking some snuggles in.” He says smoothy, setting her down. He then gives her an adorable crooked-toothed smile and scratches the back of his head bashfully. Bev just stares at him with a cheery expression, not being able to hold back the small giggles as she looks over his outfit.
“A button-up dress is trendy in men’s fashion nowadays, I’m assuming?” Beverly asks, not at all unfriendly in her questioning. This makes Trashmouth laugh as he looks down at himself, wiping invisible dirt off of the bottom of his dress.
“I think I’m the last person who would know what was trending in fashion, to be honest. Dresses are just so much more comfortable than pantaloons, you know?” Trashmouth says, giving a little twirl so that the dress billows out for a moment.
Bev gives him a big nod, “Ooh yes, I definitely know.” She says, gesturing to her own little sun dress. She is wearing little leg warmers too, of course, because of the cold weather.
“So what brings you back to my humble little shop?”
“Oh, I just wanted to see you. Say hi, walk you home. I haven’t seen you in the last few days, I was starting to think you had forgotten about little ol’ me.” he says, raising his eyebrows at her and pouting out his bottom lip. She gives him a playful shove as she rolls her eyes.
“Oh, of course not. I’ve actually just been sleeping in late before my morning shifts, I’m sorry if I haven’t been able to catch up with you lately.” Bev replies, picking up the broom again and continuing her sweeping. Trashmouth sits on top one of the small tables with his legs criss-cross so she can clean.
Trashmouth and Beverly had first met on one of her evening walks home from work. A large man had happened upon her, and had gotten extremely predatory. Long story short, Trashmouth came to the rescue. Now, whenever he gets the chance, he makes sure to stop by Beverly’s Bakery and walk her straight home from work. Her “Friendly Neighborhood Trashmouth” he once said.
“Oh, don’t be sorry. I just miss seeing my favorite little red head.” he says, running a hand through her hair, making her thick curls frizz up in an endearing way.
“Hands off the merchandise, wise guy. You break it you buy it.” She was giving him such a wide smile her cheeks were pink. Her blush plus the golden light from the sun setting hitting her freckled face made his heart nearly melt. What a sight it was. She was radiant in the sun. Her green eyes in full glory.
“Hey, I don’t know if I told you, but I work on Main St. too. At the corner on Neibolt. I play music. A guitar, mostly. You should come hang out and listen sometime.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you played! That’s fucking awesome. For sure. You should come audition at my friend Bill’s bar, it’s just a few businesses away from here actually. It’s called The Gallery. They have musicians come and play for free drinks every weekend. If you’re actually any good, that is.” She gives him a teasing wink.
“Oh, fuck off.” He chuckles. “I might have to go check it out tonight, then. If I’m actually any good, that is-”
“I’d actually love to hear you play something sometime.” She says, cutting him off softly. She finishes up her sweeping and stows the broom away.
“Why not right now? You have to sing with me though…” Trashmouth quickly unzips his guitar case and busts out his acoustic. He slings it over his shoulder, strumming a few times before pointedly looking at Beverly. “What are we singing tonight, Marsh? Give me a good one.”
Beverly is just laughing at him as she takes off her apron, throwing it in the dirty washcloth bin behind the counter. “Oooh no, you are not making me sing, absolutely not!”
“You have to do it, Marsh! This isn’t going to be my typical one man show, I need my back up singer.”
“Fine, fine. Only if we do The Smiths.” She challenges, giving him a pointed look and grinning wide with her arms crossed. She walks over to the shop doors, motioning for him to follow her outside.
They both walk out onto the sidewalk, air crisp with cold wind. She turns around and locks the doors to her bakery before finally turning back to Trashmouth. “Walk me home?”
Trashmouth doesn’t reply, only follows behind her while he begins strumming his guitar, starting to sing right in the middle of the song. His singing voice is strangely high compared to his talking voice, so replicating Morrisey’s deep tone strains his vocals in a few places.
Driving in your car
I never never want to go home
Because I haven’t got one…
Anymore.
Beverly laughs out loud, shaking her head at him. He just keeps strumming the same tune, nodding along, before he raises his eyebrows at her as if to say Well? Your turn. Beverly obliges and continues into the next verse.
Take me out tonight.
Where there’s music and there’s people,
And they’re young and alive!
The sun is almost completely set now, the only thing illuminating the both of them is the lamp posts shining down on the sidewalk as they stroll. They continue to sing and skip and dance next to one another, serenading each other all the way to Beverly’s home.
Right as they are about to walk up The House’s porch, they finish their song pretty poorly. Neither of them can reach the deep and low tones of Morrisey’s voice, so when they sing their voices crack and give way. It doesn’t stop them from singing their hearts out, though.
If a double-decker bus,
Crashes into us,
To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die!
They break off there poor rendition of the classic song with their laughter. Both of them are nearly gasping with the effort and rever that they put into their performance, and he gives her some applause. She bows a few times, her hair wild and tangled.
Before she leaves, Bev pulls him into a firm hug, smooshing the guitar in between the two of them. It is kind of painful, but neither of them complain one bit.
Beverly waves at him and begins to walk up her porch steps before she stops and turns again, running back over to him.
“Oh, T, I almost forgot! I snagged these out of our pantry before I closed up. They are for you.” She gingerly hands him a little box. Trashmouth opens it, and it is full of beautifully decorated pastries and breads.
“Made em myself.” His mouth waters just looking at them, some of the small granules of sugar glimmering in the moonlight. They looks delicious.
“Aw, Marsh! You didn’t have to do this for ol’ Trashmouth!” He nearly yells, slinging one arm over her shoulder. “I’m honored. I can not wait to eat the artistry that is Beverly Marsh’s baking. Thank you.” he says earnestly, tossing around her amber hair around again. She wiggles out from under his arm and shrugs.
“Don’t sweat it, T. If you ever find yourself in a crunch and are looking for some food, you just let me know. I know sleeping in a tent is your preferred resting place, but you don’t ever have to go hungry. Just let me know.” She says casually, like its nothing. Because it isn’t for her. She is just helping out a friend. A friend who just so happens to be homeless, but a friend nonetheless.
She squeezes his arm one last time before walking away again, vanishing into The House.
Trashmouth smiles his entire walk back to his campsite.
Beverly pushes open the front door to the Losers’ home and walks straight into the dining room. She can already hear bickering going on in the kitchen, yelling and the tossing of kitchen utensils. Their usual goofball debauchery. Suddenly, Ben is being shoved out of the kitchen doorway by Mike’s strong hands while Stan stands behind him, sassily telling Ben how poor his cooking skills really are.
“Ben, you’re never going to work in this town again! Did you seriously just dump a cup of fucking SUGAR instead of FLOUR into that bowl?!” Stan’s critical voice came, followed by a dramatic sigh.
“Yeah, well, that’s why I keep Bev around! So I don’t have to do stuff like this!” Ben hollers back, pulling a chair out so he can sit at the dining table.
“Oh yeah, THAT’S why you keep me around, Ben? To do the cooking?” Beverly pipes up, finally catching all the boys attention. Ben whirls around to face her, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“N-no! Of course not, Beverly! I was just- Stan had just- They kicked me out and I just-” Ben stutters and fumbles over his words. It wasn’t the first time he was caught putting his foot in his mouth.
“Hey Bev!” Greeted Stan and Mike, before they both strategically avoided the confrontation by going back to the kitchen.
Beverly can’t pretend to be mad at Ben for long, though. He looks absolutely mortified and affronted. His cheeks are a three shades darker pink than they usually are, and she feels bad for putting him on the spot.
She finally relents and lets out a chuckle at his expense. She walks over, resting a hand on his shoulder and giving him a fat smooch on the cheek.
“I’m just giving you shit, Benny. I’m sorry. I love you, too. How was your day on the corner?” Bev says, running her hands through his hair reassuringly before she takes a seat at the table herself.
He talks a little bit more about the non-profit, global awareness, all the shit Ben normally talks about. Difference is, even though he has repeated the same facts and studies to her a thousand times, she didn’t mind hearing him repeat himself. She lets him ramble on and on, and just smiles at the passion that pours out of him.
While they are quietly talking and the other boys are getting dinner prepared, Eddie finally makes his appearance. It wasn’t normal for him to come home last, especially not after the sun has down. Beverly looks over at him and he looks completely deflated. Back hunched, hair falling in his face, and a big frown plastered on his lips.
He definitely seems irritable, Ben notices. Ben gets up out of his seat, takes Eddie’s bags out of his hands and sets them on the couch beside them. He leans down and gives the top of Eddie’s head a kiss, motioning for him to join Bev and him.
“Hey sweets, what’s up? Something happen?” Beverly asks, opening her arms. Eddie doesn’t fight it and walks right into her waiting embrace, sitting on her lap and leaning his head on top of hers.
Eddie opens his mouth to speak, but he is interrupted immediately by Stan yelling abruptly and throwing something loudly in the kitchen. This is followed by obnoxious laughter, mainly from Mikey.
“I’ll go tell them to pipe down.” Ben says sweetly, patting Eddie’s hand and getting up from the table.
Eddie and Beverly speak in hushed tones. The boys had quieted down in the kitchen, but they whispered. Even when they were just having a simple conversation they always acted as if they were trading secrets. Maybe they were. They imitated a pair of twins closeness with ease.
“I talked to my mom today.” Eddie says simply. This makes Beverly raise her eyes, turning her head to look at him directly.
“Was she nice to you?” She asks. Eddie just shrugs, looking down at the floor where both of their feet are touching.
“She told me what she always tells me. That I shouldn’t be so far from my true home, that I am wasting my time and money with school. That I need to come back to her. That I’m took delicate to take care of myself.” The more Eddie speaks his eyebrows furrow deeper and deeper. He is almost hot in the face by the end of his small rant. He looks back to Beverly, a look of determination in his eyes.
“I don’t need her.”
“You don’t need her.”
“I’m not delicate.”
“You’re not.”
“And I can take care myself. I don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do anymore.” He says with finality. Ever since the shackles of being a minor were released, he finally felt freedom. He could speak his mind. Make his own money. Set his own rules. He didn’t think he could ever let it go.
Beverly just nods reassuringly, hugging him a little tighter. It wasn’t often that Sonia Kaspbrak called Eddie, but when she did, it was always to undermine him. Beverly, as well as the rest of the Losers, thought that her bi-monthly calls always just set Eddie back a step or two. His self esteem was fragile already, he didn’t need the extra help from his mother to send him into a whirlpool of insecurity and uncertainty. His anxiety helped do that for him.
Eddie doesn’t tell Beverly everything, though. Of course he doesn’t. He keeps the deepest of his feelings to himself.
In all honesty, it wasn’t just the phone call from his mom that had upset him. It was his whole day. It was unbearably slow, he had no homework he could work on, and it was a beautiful day out. He was stuck inside organizing books and relabeling the shelves.
Eddie also felt incredibly lonely. So much of his time was spent alone, and it was getting harder and harder to take. But he needed this job. They all needed him to have this job. He had thought about quitting multiple times this past year, but no other positions across Main St. had opened up. What he really wanted was to work for the Flower Shop next door to Bev’s bakery. But they were an even small building than his bookstore, and he knew that if they needed an extra hand the position could be filled quickly.
He wished that he had someone. He felt the aching sadness for it all day.
He did have Beverly. But Beverly also had Ben. Eddie didn’t have someone like that, someone to hold him when he cried at night. Someone to kiss his eyelids in the morning. Someone to tangle limbs with. He just wanted intimacy. And while he had the Losers, and a long-time crush on Bill he only recently got over, he just never got the butterflies for any of them like he knew he could have. He was in love with them… But they didn’t fill that romantic gap like he needed. Sure, he had had a few ‘boyfriends’ before, but they were mostly used for his sexual awakening more than for settling down.
Eddie wanted someone to call his.
Just then, Big Bill come bounding down the stairs. He is in a red button up and dark jeans. He is finishing up tying a skinny black tie around his neck when he smiles over at Bev and Eddie, little hearts dancing in his eyes as he sees his friends for the first time today.
“Good morning.” Bill says, patting his tie against his chest.
“Bill, it is eight at night.” Beverly giggles, patting his arm while he gives a quick hug to a pouting Eddie.
“Well, it’s my morning! These overnight shifts have been killing me lately. I hate not being able to see any of you, and I have to go to work literally right now .” Bill sighs.
This makes Stan crane his long neck around the kitchen doorway, giving Bill a disbelieving look.
“You’re not staying for Friday Night Dinner?!” He asks snappily.
“Nope, sorry Stanny, not tonight. I got called in early because Shelly couldn’t make her shift. And to top it all off, tonight is the big 80s dance party, it it is going to get fucking crazy. I have to get there early before everyone shows up to the bar to prepare.” Bill is already walking towards the door, grabbing his jacket off of their coat rack.
“But please do save me a plate, Stan. I wouldn’t miss your cooking for the world.” Bill says, giving Stan a cute little smirk and Stan just smiles right back at him. “Okay, Billy.”
Before Bill puts his hand on the doorknob, however, Beverly basically lights up like a Christmas tree, throwing her hands up in and air and yelling an “AHA!”
Eddie jumps, putting his small hand over his heart before glaring over at her. “Jesus, Bev, you are going to give me a heart attack, what is it?”
“Eddie! Sweets! Let’s go the fuck out tonight! That will cheer you up, right?!” She says the statement like its a question but Eddie knows she isn’t looking for an answer. Her mind is completely made up. They’re going.
“Ugh, Bev, no. I’m really not in the mood. I feel like I had the life sucked out of me by an energy vampire or something.” Eddie pleads, his head hung low. The literal last thing that Eddie wanted to do right now was go see other people have fun while he wallowed in his loneliness and drank a vodka tonic.
“AS SOON AS WE ARE DONE WITH DINNER WE ARE GOING OUT, BIITCH!” Beverly yelled. “HEY, BOYS, ARE YOU COMING TOO OR WHAT?”
Bill’s face split open into an incredibly large smile. He would get to hang out with his best friends after all. He knew they would just loiter around the counter while he bartends, like they always do.
“Nope!” “Me either!” Come the voices of Stan and Mike, both of them obviously wrapped up in whatever tomfoolery they were usually pulling together. “It’s Saturday tomorrow, we have to open the tea shop early anyway!”
Ben finally comes walking back out of the kitchen, setting a few plates of food on the dining room table. “I’m in. I’d love to come with you guys, Beverly.”
“Alright, it’s final! Ben, Eddie, and Bev out on the town. It isn’t going to know what hit it.” She cheered, spinning around to shoot Eddie a gorgeous full-toothed smile. He couldn’t resist her.
“Okay, Bev. But only or a few hours-”
“Victory! Stan, Mike, hurry up with the grub so I can get Eddie’s gay ass to The Gallery!”
Eddie was definitely in over his head. Definitely.
After dinner, Eddie and Beverly took a few minutes trying on different outfits, and then the three of them were walking down Main St towards Bill’s bar. Eddie was wearing tight black jeans and a white polo. Inconspicuous, simple, and would hopefully help him blend into the background. The last thing he need tonight was unwanted attention.
Beverly and Ben were holding hands, swinging their arms in between one another. Eddie smiles at them, walking a little bit slower and trailing just behind.
Ben and Bev’s relationship was a strange one. She knew how much Ben adored her. Loved her, even. And more than the usual Loser Love for one another. He had since he was 13 years old. His love was endlessly deep and ragefully romantic. She knew. But it never stopped her from dating other men, or women, and keeping an open invitation for anyone who wished to flirt with her.
And Ben let her. Sure, they shared a room and bed together, but Ben grew up with Beverly and knew just how stifling and abusive her father was. Ben wasn’t here to keep Beverly on a leash, and certainly didn’t want to smother any of the radiance she exuded. She always came home to him, and that is what mattered to him. That he was the favorite. (And he was.)
Their relationship just worked, and that is what mattered to them. They were both incredibly happy.
It made Eddie only half jealous.
They eventually made it to The Gallery, and Eddie quickly took a seat right smack center of the bar counter. Bill walked over to him immediately, giving him a large smile.
“What’ll it be tonight, Kaspbrak?” He teased.
“Vodka soda, Bill, you already know my order, you dork.” Eddie laughs, his eyes and nose crinkling. Ben and Bev walk up behind him, giving their orders to the other bartender.
“I know, I just love asking.” Bill slides the drink over to him and winks. Ben and Bev receive their drinks and immediately hit the dance floor. The bar is pumping Heart of Glass by Blondie and the crowd it singing along.
“Aren’t you going to do dance?” Bill asks, wiping up a spill on the counter.
“No. I really didn’t feel like coming, but you know Beverly. Once she thinks she comes up with a great idea…”
“… She sticks to it.” Bill finishes knowingly. “Well alright, sweetheart. Let me know if you need anything.” And with that, Bill walks to the other end of the bar counter.
Eddie spends the few half hour just people watching. A lot of the people dancing had dressed for the occasion and were dressed in ridiculous neon clothing and legwarmers. 80s music blasted from the speakers, and Eddie could barely hear himself speak. It was the exact opposite of his entire work day earlier that evening, and he felt like he was almost getting whiplash.
He eventually finishes his drink and gets another from Bill. Just as he is about to get his drink handed to him, another body walks up to the counter, their arm brushing Eddie’s.
And what Eddie sees nearly takes his breathe away.
Just in front of him is a tall man with unruly black curls tied up into a loose bun on the top of his head. His thick eyebrows perfectly match a pair of dark black irises. The man is wearing a long blue button-up dress that had small little white flowers all over it. It rested just above his shoes.
Eddie had never seen anyone who looked so peculiar, yet so undeniably beautiful. The man’s jaw was strict and square, but it was matched perfectly with a feminine and full pair of lips. Lips that were talking.
To him.
“Uh- w-what?” Eddie says, blinking a few times before looking up to meet the man’s eyes.
“I said, hi! What’re you doing here all on your own, gorgeous?” The stranger asks, voice nearly yelling over the music from the dance floor.
“W-what?” Was Eddie hearing this gorgeous creature correctly?
“I said, you’re quite a sight for sore eyes. I was wondering if I could keep you company?” The man flirted, lowering his head so that he was at eye-level with Eddie.
“If… You want to…” Eddie was at a loss for words at first, but quickly caught back up with himself. He couldn’t stop the nervous twitch of his hands around his drink, however.
“What’s your name, Stranger?” He flirted. Was this flirting? Was he doing this right?
“Richie.” He says, taking a quick sip of his drink, not breaking eye-contact with Eddie. “What’s yours, jitterbug?”
“E-Eddie. Eddie Kaspbrak.”
“Eddie, huh? Well, Eddie Spaghetti, what do you say to dancing with me? I have been watching you, and you haven’t gotten up from this stool. Are you with anyone?” Richie asks, quirking his head to the side while his eyes smoldered into Eddie’s.
“O-oh. Yeah, I’m here with my friends Ben and Be-” Just as Eddie is about to finish his sentence, a song comes on slowly over the speakers.
Richie’s eyes go wide, and an enormous grin takes over his features. He grabs Eddie’s hand away from his vodka soda and pulls him off of his stool.
“What are you doing?!” Eddie nearly shrieks, his anxiety through the roof despite the two drinks in his system. Richie was pulling him towards the dance floor.
Richie took him towards the crowd, but didn’t take them into the ocean of bodies. He stopped just short of the actual dance floor and took both of Eddie’s hands in his. Richie started swaying his arms, happy to dance just outside of the gaggle of people.
“I love this song! Dance with me, Eddie!” Queen’s I Want To Break Free was absolutely blasting through the speakers, and Richie looked elated.
Eddie had never actually danced before. I mean, he had, but not really. He would bob his head up and down to a song he liked, or shimmy his shoulders while he sat in one place, but he had never actually… Gotten up and danced before.
Richie’s long hair quickly escaped from its hair-tie capture so that when he moved his head back and forth it swished and swayed under the powerful and colorful lights. Eddie was simply captivated.
“Dance, Eddie Spaghetti! Like this!” Richie released his hands then, and began to dance wildly all on his own. His chest was heaving with the effort, and in Eddie’s opinion, he looked absolutely adorable and ridiculous. This guy didn’t have one actual dancer bone in his body and he was going bananas. His blue dress swished around as he moved. Eddie laughed out loud at him, and it just made Richie smile wider.
“You look crazy!” Eddie yells. Eddie still doesn’t dance though, only awkwardly keeping his arms cross against his stomach as he looks around nervously. Richie was going to have to use another tactic.
“I want to break free! I want to breaaakkk freee!” Richie sings at him, grabbing both of his hands again and looking him deep in the eyes. “Sing with me instead, Eds!”
Eddie looks around sheepishly again, still very self conscious. He does start to relax though, because even after Richie did his strange and hilarious dance performance, nobody was looking at them or paying them any mind. Eddie let a little smile play on his lips before he finally gives into Richie entirely, and belts out the next few lines with him as the lights dance on their faces.
“I have got to break freee! God knows, God knows I want to break free! ” Eddie really loved this song too know, if he was being honest. Richie laughs out loud, and they both sing to each other with huge smiles on their faces as they lightly swing their arms back and forth, not unlike Ben and Beverly did on their walk here.
I Want To Break Free slowly melts into the next song, Talking Head’s This Must Be The Place. Eddie thinks that now the song is finished that Richie will pull away, but he does the opposite. He pulls Eddie close and places his hands on his hips. Eddie reciprocates by placing both of his arms on Richie’s shoulders, lightly swaying back and forth as the music plays.
“Have I met you before? I’m getting crazy deja vu. Like I was meant to meet you here.” Richie admits, a playful dance in his eyes and a crooked-toothed grin glued to his face.
“Well, I work at Eddie’s Bookstore on the end of Main…” Eddie begins, still a little bashful.
“That’s it! I work on Main St. too! Right across the street from there!” Richie says brightly, like this is the best news he has ever heard.
They don’t talk for almost the entirety of the song, just glancing at each other while the music continues to play boomingly around them. Richie sings along to a few of the more ridiculous lines, and Eddie can’t help but keep laughing at his absurdity. Eventually though, the music ends, and Eddie comes back to reality
“I have to be getting home now, Eddie Spaghetti.” Richie says, lightly pulling away from Eddie’s embrace. But Eddie doesn’t want him to go yet.
Eddie pulls him closer for a moment longer, putting his lips up to Richie’s ear.
“I want to see you again.” He says urgently and breathlessly, hoping that he whispered it loud enough in the taller man’s ear.
“I’m sure you’ll see me around, Spaghetti Man.” Richie says with a grin. Just then, Richie smooshes a soft kiss to his cheek and unwraps himself out of Eddie’s arms.
Eddie is almost disappointed, watching Richie’s back walk away from him. Before finally coming back to his wits.
“Hey, Richie! Don’t call me that!” He yells, cupping his mouth with his hands.
Richie just laughs, giving Eddie a little wave and salute, and then he is out the bar doors.
Notes:
Poor Eddie is already so fond of Rich and its like,,,, buddy,,, ily buddy but seriously
A few headcannons:
-Bill is literally head over heels for each of the Losers and kisses them at any given opportunity like a lovesick dad
-Ben is the most understanding and giving and is relentlessly picking up after the other Losers messes around the house and never complains he just wants to help ugh
-Beverly is the glue to the group. She holds them all together, she is the absolute center of attention. Shes like the Sun to their Solar System and I love her
-Richie is honestly the weirdest little shit and I can’t believe he is real
-Without Richie growing up with him, I imagine it took Eddie much much longer to stand up to his mother and his other bullies. I feel like Richie’s constant compliments and bickering with Eddie really helped him get a backbone and grow a self esteem, so without Rich, Eddie is just a little bubble of self conscious anxiety
-Without growing up with Eds though, Rich is this honest to god weirdo that just can’t figure out how to fit into society (hence the homelessness and overall tomfoolery)
#my writing#reddie#as long as we're together#chapter 2#reddie fanfic#reddie fanfiction#reddie fic#richie tozier#edward kaspbrak#it 2017#it (2017)#it stephen king
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Another entry for Fat Bear Friday takes us back to the Oregon Zoo where polar bear sisters Nora and Amelia Gray are making a big splash.
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That time I felt pretty damn good
I am not a girl who has EVER felt comfortable in her own skin. Perhaps that’s because I’ve always been a little bigger than most girls. I’m not fat. I’ve never called myself fat. I’m merely... curvy. I like that term. It makes me feel less awkward. But that’s just it. I’ve always been awkward. So lately I’ve been working on that. Since January I’ve been doing things alone. I’ve gone to the movies. I’ve gone to the bar. I’ve even gone to a hockey game. Alone. Surprisingly, I enjoy being alone in these settings. Sometimes I strike up conversation, sometimes I don’t. Last summer I travelled to Montana (three flights and a two hour drive each way) for a wedding but did it on my own. I’m just getting comfortable in my own skin. But as I found out, that wasn’t all that was bothering me. One bad photo from the Polar Bear Plunge in February had me staring at myself saying “I look like that!?”
So just over a month ago (the last week of April) I challenged myself. I bought and stepped on a scale for the first time in years and almost cried. I hated the number staring at me. According to charts I was overweight. I knew this, but I’d never actually weighed myself and chalked my size up to the fact that I’m broad and a lot of muscle (this is true, though. I wasn’t lying to myself). I never looked at the doctor’s offices and avoided knowing that number. I figured if I liked myself, who cares? But as I quickly found out, maybe that was what I was feeling. I wasn’t liking myself. So I started to do something about it.
I went to the gym four, sometimes five, times a week this past month. I’ve paid attention to the things I’ve eaten, making more conscious choices. I’m not saying I’m depriving myself. In fact, I’m eating more than I used to. It’s just more fruits/vegetables/lean meats. A lot of chicken. A lot of turkey. A lot of tacos (okay they’re my favorite). I indulge once in a while. Fries. Pizza. A few drinks when I go out. Something I really want. I’ve been checking in every Friday to see where I’m at and stay on track.
Every week I watched that number go down. Some weeks it was only half a pound. One week it was five. I’ve lost a total of 17.4 pounds. I’m not going to give you my weight because, like I said, I’m a broad/muscular female so I’m probably more than you think anyway. But I was finally at a point that I needed to get a new set of pants (1. because I love colored jeans 2. because the ones I had didn’t fit right). Just for giggles, I ordered an 8 and a 10. I knew the 10 would fit because that was what I was wearing anyway. It was a little loose, but I figured it was going to be the winner.
Low and behold... the 8 fit. I am not keeping them, though. I’m just not at a place where I’m comfortable in them yet. I’m basically right on the border between a 10 and an 8 (as you can see in the photos I didn’t need to include but did for myself). Most of you don’t understand how or why this is something I’m losing my mind over. Well... I’ve never worn a single digit size. In my life. Even as a kid I was bigger. I almost started crying just standing there in them.
I like to think I’m at a great place in my life, but who knows. I’m happy with my job. I’m comfortable being me. I’m happy doing things. I’m not depending on someone for my happiness. I’m not changing to make someone else happy. I’m just... happy. It’s something I don’t know that I’ve ever truly been.
If you’ve read this far, thanks for indulging me. I really just needed to get some legit feelings out into the open.
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Can’t even tell you how much this page means to me. Like Thursday night I wept because the next day was gonna be fat bear Friday and I was gonna get to see some wide bois
💙
Here is a wide polar boi because for you friend, it can be Fat Polar Bear Sunday
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The Disc One Nuke - 2.01
<<Part 1 <Previous Next> Part 3>>
The bird looked like a quail, but it was the size of a turkey. It was a plump tan, grey, and brown bird with it's head bobbing about three feet off the ground and the silly plume of feathers shooting up and forward from its forehead adding another six inches.
It had wandered off from the rest of its covey and was coming enticingly close to David's trap as it probed and pecked and scratched at the ground in search of the inch-long ants that had a colony nearby.
'Just a bit more', he thought, careful not to even breathe and startle the thing. His new net could easily support his weight from any single strand. Back home it could probably hold a bear. Which was good, because the quail was probably at least as strong as a polar bear from back home.
If he was lucky, it'd tangle up this bird long enough for him to get his hands on the thing without risking the thing tearing him open with its claws.
Food was easy. For now anyway. He was losing weight, and he'd probably wear his teeth down to nubbins on the tough, fibrous leaves and tubers that were the easily acquired bulk of his diet. But his belly was full enough, and he didn't seem to be getting weaker or running out of energy.
20-30 pounds of quail would be a wonderful addition to his diet for the next month or so. His qualms about eating mons were just one more thing he'd decided he couldn't afford after Friday... But that wasn't why he was lying in the dirt, hiding under a crappy homemade ghillie suit, with his hand on the pull rope to trigger his trap as soon as the quail took three more steps.
He'd thought he'd known already just how much he'd depended on Friday before. But in the five days since she'd died, he'd had a half-dozen close calls already. Things he wouldn't have even noticed before she taught him how to see danger.
And on top of that, he was covered in the bruises, blisters, scratches, and sunburns to prove that just by being around she'd somehow kept him from being hurt by a whole host of things beyond the monsters that infested this world.
If only she'd let the sky rat keep attacking him, and chosen her time to strike a killing blow, they'd have both probably been fine. But neither of them had known about the protection she was giving him. And there was no way of knowing if it would have held for more than the one strike it saved him from.
For all he knew, his taking that attack might have been why it was able to hurt her so badly. Maybe she'd given up her own protection to shield him.
He wasn't going to survive unless he could somehow bond with another mon. And this was looking like it might be his first real chance.
The quail was in position, or maybe just a half step off. He slowly, carefully, took up some of the slack on his rope. Then a bit of motion caught his eye. It was just the flick of an ear, but now he could see a coyote hunching down and inching closer and closer to the covey of quail.
Damned dog'll scare them all off, or steal mine if I trap it first.
Fuck it.
He pulled the cord with all of his strength and jumped to his feet. The peg holding the trap still came free, and close to a hundred pounds of stone dropped, lifting the rope he'd weaved through the perimeter of the net.
The quail turned to look at him. Everything did. That's why it didn't notice the net rising up around it until it was almost enclosed and by then it couldn't react before it was lifted clear off its feet. The covey exploded into chaotic mass of flapping wings and flailing legs. And the coyote, after flinching at his sudden appearance, sprinted right into the mass of birds.
Everything looked like it had worked perfectly. The bird was tangled up and off its feet where it couldn't get any purchase or leverage to break free. The coyote was off doing its own thing, and he was free to walk right up to what would hopefully be his new partner.
That hope lasted until he was ten feet away. He didn't quite see what gave first, but after he heard the first tear it was followed quickly by a quick sequence of popping noises and the quail spilled out onto the ground.
Thankfully, it didn't even consider fighting. It was too stupid to realize that his size didn't come with any real strength.
Aside from the spray of grit he got blasted with as it flew away, he was fine. Out close to a full day's labor. But fine.
He looked over to the side and spotted the coyote, a fat little chick hanging limp in its jaws.
"At least one of us got what we came for."
It was probably his imagination that made the coyote's shoulders seem to shake like it was laughing at him.
<<Part 1 <Previous Next> Part 3>>
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Glacier mice have no feet, but they still move in herds
Glacier moss balls in Alaska (Tim Bartholomaus/)
At a science-themed happy hour in a bar located in between the University of Idaho and Washington State University, glaciologist Scott Hotaling was talking about his research on ice worms. It was a late Friday afternoon in 2018. Sophie Gilbert, a wildlife ecologist, and Tim Bartholomaus, a glaciologist and geophysicist, both professors at the University of Idaho, sat at the bar, surrounded by graduate students, postdocs, and professors.
Gilbert and Bartholomaus, who have been married since 2012, first met at an undergraduate research program in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska in 2006. One day while hiking on Root Glacier, they came across a herd of soft, pillowy clumps of moss—these glacier moss balls, made of moss usually wrapped around dust or sediment, live in small herds on glaciers. After a year of extensive research in 2009, followed by return trips to the glacier for the next three summers, during which they tracked the movements of 30 individual balls using color-coded bracelets, the couple discovered that the ‘glacier mice’ moved in a slow, herd-like motion, traveling around 2.5 centimeters each day. But six years later, that data was still unpublished, lingering in the back of their minds. They still didn’t know why these moss balls in synchronized motion.
Amidst the bar chatter, Bartholomaus and Gilbert decided to take a chance and bring glacier moss balls into the conversation. They asked if Hotaling had ever heard of them. He had— the first scientist they’d met who had prior knowledge of the balls.
More glacier moss balls (Tim Bartholomaus/)
That’s when this scientific trio formed. “We just needed to push this project across the finish line but we didn’t have the time and energy to do that ourselves,” Bartholomaus says. Hotaling, who works at Washington State University, brought new energy to the project, and for the next two years they collectively put their noses together. “It was serendipity to meet him,” Gilbert says. The trio published the study in Polar Biology in late April this year.
The study brings to light the mechanisms behind the movement of each individual moss ball. “They block the ice below them, form a pedestal of ice, and they roll off the pedestal,” explains Hotaling. More questions than answers bubbled to the surface—their synchronous motion still remained unsolved. The first possibilities that came to mind were differing angles of solar radiation throughout the day, wind patterns, and gravitational pull downhill. These were all rapidly ruled out after the scientists analyzed weather reports and measured the downhill slope of the glacier. “Now we’re scratching our heads about it,” says Gilbert.
After an NPR news story on these moss balls caught fire on Twitter, the trio started receiving barrages of emails with suggestions from interested citizens and fellow scientists. “It’s been pretty charming,” says Bartholomaus. “So many people are keying in on this mystery.” Bartholomaus and Gilbert have started a running Google Doc full of these suggestions, the most popular of which has been the ‘sunflower effect.’ “Some plants like sunflowers turn their faces toward the sun over the course of the day,” explains Bartholomaus. “Folks are curious if moss balls might do that, and lean towards the sun until they tumble.” As enticing as this explanation might be, Bartholomaus thinks the moss balls are too heavy and squat for the tumbling to happen, and moss growth occurs far too slowly. On Twitter, others have posited their own suggestions—one user retweeting the NPR article with the caption, “Well played, Disney. The live action version of Frozen is just what the public needs now.” Other users referenced tribbles, a fuzzy alien species from the television series Star Trek.
A cross section of a glacier moss ball (Tim Bartholomaus/)
When asked about his own hypotheses on the coordinated movement, he wondered aloud about the uneven shape of the moss balls. “The moss balls aren’t perfectly round,” says Bartholomaus. “I wonder if they have a fat end and a skinny end, and roll always to the right or left.”
While research plans have been put on pause due to COVID-19, Gilbert and Hotaling anticipate timelapse videos, to be compared to broader weather pattern data, as the next step. Bartholomaus also hopes to work with a volcanologist to investigate the dark sediment that covers Root Glacier, which he thinks might be volcanic ash. This may help explain why glacier moss balls exist only in Alaska and parts of Iceland—where volcanoes are still active. “I’m wondering if there’s some kind of combination of volcanic ash and glaciers that enables moss ball clusters,” says Bartholomaus.
One of the glacier mice (Tim Bartholomaus/)
For now, these moss balls remain a mystery. But even as we’re still figuring them out, Hotaling thinks the research and buzz surrounding these glacial life forms is essential for raising awareness of glacial ecosystems, which are among the most rapidly disappearing places on earth. Although glaciers may seem like gleaming expanses of ice, devoid of life, glaciers are hubs of activity and may have a deeper impact on global climate than we think. These moss balls are just a narrow glimpse into the richness of these ecosystems. Each sphere is teeming with invertebrate life, hosting creatures such as tardigrades, commonly known as water bears. Spiders crawl over the moss balls, feeding on the invertebrates, according to Gilbert. And Hotaling says there are still more questions to answer: “Are there birds that feed on invertebrates? What’s the broader ecosystem doing?”
Each year, glaciers around the world grow thinner by a foot and half. “Every time a glacier is lost, I wonder, what cool stuff was living there?” says Hotaling. “What went away with that? Were there ice worms? Moss balls? What biology was also present and wasn’t even studied? It’s like when an acre of rainforest is cut down and we wonder about what was lost.”
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Text
Glacier mice have no feet, but they still move in herds
Glacier moss balls in Alaska (Tim Bartholomaus/)
At a science-themed happy hour in a bar located in between the University of Idaho and Washington State University, glaciologist Scott Hotaling was talking about his research on ice worms. It was a late Friday afternoon in 2018. Sophie Gilbert, a wildlife ecologist, and Tim Bartholomaus, a glaciologist and geophysicist, both professors at the University of Idaho, sat at the bar, surrounded by graduate students, postdocs, and professors.
Gilbert and Bartholomaus, who have been married since 2012, first met at an undergraduate research program in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska in 2006. One day while hiking on Root Glacier, they came across a herd of soft, pillowy clumps of moss—these glacier moss balls, made of moss usually wrapped around dust or sediment, live in small herds on glaciers. After a year of extensive research in 2009, followed by return trips to the glacier for the next three summers, during which they tracked the movements of 30 individual balls using color-coded bracelets, the couple discovered that the ‘glacier mice’ moved in a slow, herd-like motion, traveling around 2.5 centimeters each day. But six years later, that data was still unpublished, lingering in the back of their minds. They still didn’t know why these moss balls in synchronized motion.
Amidst the bar chatter, Bartholomaus and Gilbert decided to take a chance and bring glacier moss balls into the conversation. They asked if Hotaling had ever heard of them. He had— the first scientist they’d met who had prior knowledge of the balls.
More glacier moss balls (Tim Bartholomaus/)
That’s when this scientific trio formed. “We just needed to push this project across the finish line but we didn’t have the time and energy to do that ourselves,” Bartholomaus says. Hotaling, who works at Washington State University, brought new energy to the project, and for the next two years they collectively put their noses together. “It was serendipity to meet him,” Gilbert says. The trio published the study in Polar Biology in late April this year.
The study brings to light the mechanisms behind the movement of each individual moss ball. “They block the ice below them, form a pedestal of ice, and they roll off the pedestal,” explains Hotaling. More questions than answers bubbled to the surface—their synchronous motion still remained unsolved. The first possibilities that came to mind were differing angles of solar radiation throughout the day, wind patterns, and gravitational pull downhill. These were all rapidly ruled out after the scientists analyzed weather reports and measured the downhill slope of the glacier. “Now we’re scratching our heads about it,” says Gilbert.
After an NPR news story on these moss balls caught fire on Twitter, the trio started receiving barrages of emails with suggestions from interested citizens and fellow scientists. “It’s been pretty charming,” says Bartholomaus. “So many people are keying in on this mystery.” Bartholomaus and Gilbert have started a running Google Doc full of these suggestions, the most popular of which has been the ‘sunflower effect.’ “Some plants like sunflowers turn their faces toward the sun over the course of the day,” explains Bartholomaus. “Folks are curious if moss balls might do that, and lean towards the sun until they tumble.” As enticing as this explanation might be, Bartholomaus thinks the moss balls are too heavy and squat for the tumbling to happen, and moss growth occurs far too slowly. On Twitter, others have posited their own suggestions—one user retweeting the NPR article with the caption, “Well played, Disney. The live action version of Frozen is just what the public needs now.” Other users referenced tribbles, a fuzzy alien species from the television series Star Trek.
A cross section of a glacier moss ball (Tim Bartholomaus/)
When asked about his own hypotheses on the coordinated movement, he wondered aloud about the uneven shape of the moss balls. “The moss balls aren’t perfectly round,” says Bartholomaus. “I wonder if they have a fat end and a skinny end, and roll always to the right or left.”
While research plans have been put on pause due to COVID-19, Gilbert and Hotaling anticipate timelapse videos, to be compared to broader weather pattern data, as the next step. Bartholomaus also hopes to work with a volcanologist to investigate the dark sediment that covers Root Glacier, which he thinks might be volcanic ash. This may help explain why glacier moss balls exist only in Alaska and parts of Iceland—where volcanoes are still active. “I’m wondering if there’s some kind of combination of volcanic ash and glaciers that enables moss ball clusters,” says Bartholomaus.
One of the glacier mice (Tim Bartholomaus/)
For now, these moss balls remain a mystery. But even as we’re still figuring them out, Hotaling thinks the research and buzz surrounding these glacial life forms is essential for raising awareness of glacial ecosystems, which are among the most rapidly disappearing places on earth. Although glaciers may seem like gleaming expanses of ice, devoid of life, glaciers are hubs of activity and may have a deeper impact on global climate than we think. These moss balls are just a narrow glimpse into the richness of these ecosystems. Each sphere is teeming with invertebrate life, hosting creatures such as tardigrades, commonly known as water bears. Spiders crawl over the moss balls, feeding on the invertebrates, according to Gilbert. And Hotaling says there are still more questions to answer: “Are there birds that feed on invertebrates? What’s the broader ecosystem doing?”
Each year, glaciers around the world grow thinner by a foot and half. “Every time a glacier is lost, I wonder, what cool stuff was living there?” says Hotaling. “What went away with that? Were there ice worms? Moss balls? What biology was also present and wasn’t even studied? It’s like when an acre of rainforest is cut down and we wonder about what was lost.”
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