Read This

Read this

Just anyone who sees this

Read this story.

It is everything.

Warning: emotional breakdown, passing out.

I finally managed to get around to writing something properly and finished this! Here is part 3 of Short Prompt #81!

Hope you enjoy it, everybody!

Part 1 | Previous Part

~~~~

Sparse clouds moved lazily across the sky, adding to its beauty. The sun had almost reached its peak, warming the ground and life beneath it. A groan sounded through the air as the chosen one began to awaken. They tried to remember what had happened, the feeling of smooth stone below them being their first clue.

The temple. Hero came here last night because... Why had they come here, again?

They sat up and instantly almost face-planted back onto the floor as a terrible shiver shook their entire body. A cold feeling seeped into the hero's bones, heavily contrasting with the warmth of early summer.

Additionally, they felt as if something was wrapped around their wrists, ankles..., neck...

Ah..., that's... right...

...Hero had found their... god yesterday...

...

The chosen one knew that they should return to Villain, but... they didn't want to. Perhaps that was selfish of them, but they couldn't bring themself to care.

They were never going back down there.

As soon as that thought entered their head, they slowly rose back to their feet, having made up their mind instantly. They shook a bit and had to take a moment to steady their stance. However, once they did so, their knees slammed into the stone again as a wail echoed inside their head.

"H-Hero..., please..."

The villain's familiar voice lacked its previous corruption. It sounded desperate, broken, and too human for the hero's conscience to remain unburdened by guilt.

Still, they chose to ignore it, gradually going down the grand staircase. Because of that, Hero nearly fell over a multitude of times, Villain's sobs and pleas echoing inside their mind relentlessly, their grief making the human weak.

The cries went on and on and on, and the hero had hoped that perhaps once they made it past the last step, the voice would disappear from their mind, but no.

The connection had been made, and now, no matter where the chosen one went, their god would always be with them. It didn't matter if they wanted it or not, and it was rather ironic. They had spent years wishing for their Lord to return somehow, only to regret it so severely in the end.

Deciding that they wanted to be as alone as possible, they strayed from the main gravel path and entered the forest. Hero needed to avoid other people for the time being, at least until they could function normally without falling over every time the villain cried inside their head.

"No! No! Don't think about that!" - the hero thought to themself. "Just- Just focus on other things! Focus on what's around you!"

Trying to forget about Villain, they tuned into their senses, listening as the woods brimmed with life. Birds chirped loudly, hidden in tree branches and singing their tunes. Squirrels, mice, and all kinds of tiny critters skittered through the underbrush. The dead leaves beneath Hero's feet crunched loudly as a sweet scent filled their nostrils, and soon, a small open field of flowers came into their view.

They walked among the colorful flora, letting the soft petals glide along their fingertips. A calm finally began to wash over them, and as the chosen one's body began to relax, their muscles loosening, they took a deep breath, filling their lungs with the moist, dusty air.

"Wait, wha-"

Hero's hands flew to their neck, clutching at it roughly as their throat suddenly burned with pain. Hacking aggressively, they coughed until the metallic tang of blood covered their tongue, knees giving out under their weight as they collapsed into the now sickeningly soft flowerbed.

Their body curled up into a tight ball, grass blades tickling rugged stone scratching their skin. Tears spilled from their eyes as they grasped at their head, a sob echoing through their the monster's prison. Sharp claws Blunt fingernails dug into their scalp, sending more aches through their skull.

Gruesome confusion filled the human's mind as it failed to keep up, to understand what was happening. They tried to move, to get up, to run, to anything! But Hero's Villain's chains kept them pinned to the ground, unable to even as much as stir or shift their body.

Their breathing picked up, panic overtaking their thoughts. This was too much. Too much to feel, too much to hear, to see, to experience, to-

They passed out again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

...

...H...o

...

...He...o

...

"...He...ro...!"

...

"Hero!"

Hero gasped as they jolted up, nearly falling over again. Their vision swam from the sudden movement. They snapped their eyes shut, holding their head in their hands until the dizziness had passed. Finally, with a shaky breath, they were able to get a bearing of their surroundings.

It was dark, really dark, and... cold...

S-So..., so co-ld...

"Hero!"

They jumped at the call of their name echoing in their mind. The hero - still out of it - frantically looked around for the source of the noise before registering the familiar voice.

"S-Snap out of it! P-Please!"

"V-Villain...?" - the human muttered, rubbing at their temple as a headache threatened to split their skull. They groaned quietly from the pain. "W-Wha...?"

"A-Are you okay?" - the villain asked, a concern that the chosen one wasn't used to was evident in their words. "Y-You were unconscious for a lot l-longer this time..."

...

"...Why do you care...?" - Hero whispered so quietly they weren't sure if they had even spoken. Perhaps they had only thought it, but they still felt the god flinch at their question.

"...I... I've always cared, Hero..." - Villain started, their chains clinking against one another as they moved. "You've... felt my power back then... Do you truly still believe that you had defeated me...?"

Unease settled over the hero's psyche. "W-What do you mean? O-Of course, I d-defeated you! I-"

"Ň̥o, ̓you̇͜ d͙̏i̳̕dn̜̅'t͟͝."

Hero's mouth clamped shut at the other's corrupted voice, some unknown instinct making them remain quiet as the god continued talking.

"I... couldn't bear the thought of killing you..." - they admitted, letting out a sigh. "And so, I... I let you imprison me..."

A body shivered. Whose? Neither knew. Perhaps both of them had trembled just now.

"I was so tired... I just wanted it to end already..."

A tear fell down the hero's cheek, but again, they couldn't tell if it was their own.

"Over the centuries... my anger has faded into sadness and longing..., craving for things to go back to the way they used to be..."

Hero looked around again, noting the vast open sky above them, the stars twinkling brightly beside the moon. All so free and beautiful...

"I can still hear them... I can hear them praying to me, even though they believe me to be dead..."

A frown crossed the human's lips as they stumbled to their feet and began to walk, leaving the now sleeping flowers behind.

"It would be uplifting... if it weren't for the fact that they are praying for 'The Dark Lord's well-deserved demise'... My demise... My eternal death..."

...

"...Why did you do it...?" - the hero asked softly, completely tuning out the sound of dried leaves beneath their shoes. There was nothing but their and the villain's voice. "...Why... did you start the war...?"

...

"You won't believe me if I tell you."

Feeling an odd urge, they pressed for an answer as they ducked beneath a low tree branch. "Try me."

...

The silence stretched on, uncomfortably so. The chosen one could feel the god's hesitance and doubt, how the words were at the tip of their tongue, how they wanted to spill forth all the troubles plaguing their mind.

And for a while, Hero was convinced they wouldn't respond, that they would keep the truths of the past to themself. But that was, until the human finally exited the forest, the trees moving out of their line of sight as they stood at the very bottom of the temple stairs. They looked up, taking in the massive structure as another tear soundlessly fell down their cheek.

"...They be̥͛t͇̏r͈̋ayë̟́d͎̄ me..."

Something clutched at their heart, a pang of deep emotional hurt.

"...They ab̛͓a̗̕n̮͋done͇͗d͑͜ me for another..."

The human gulped nervously, feeling the other's rising anger. The memory of running and leaving Villain behind flashed in their mind momentarily, strengthening their guilt which had also returned. Shaking their head, they asked, "B-But... who...?"

"A̺͛ fa̮̽k͖͠e." - the villain spat bitterly. However, before their emotions could fall out of control again, they took a deep breath. They were already used to the musty air of their prison, and so it didn't bother them. Hero, on the other hand, cringed at the feeling. "A stranger had come to town, saying they had 'traveled across worlds to get here.'"

"I-Is that so?" - the hero asked, half attempting to keep the conversation from falling into silence again and half genuinely curious about the past. They began walking up the stone stairs, hugging themself in an attempt to shield their body from the chilly night air. "Wh- What was t-their name?"

"V̨̋̍͢il̮͒l̟͛ȧ̬i̻̅n̹̒."

Hero froze. "V-Villain? But- But that's your name!"

"Ẹ̋x͈̍a͙͐ctlỳ̠." - the god hissed furiously, almost making the human fall over as they resumed their ascend. "The bastard stole my name! My identity!"

"TH̛͜È̞Y ̬̾D̼͂Ä̩̥́̊RE̥̓D̬̬͗̚ ̘̋C̩̝̄̈́L̡̃Ả̬͈͋I̟̙̓͠M̧͝ ̜̤̓͆Ț͡O ̪̐BȄ̩͔̇ ͇̕MË̻̯̋!"

The hero did fall over this time, catching themself on their hands. They winced as the stone tore the skin of their palms. The villain suddenly fell silent, their presence growing small and meek as if they had curled in on themself.

"...I'm sorry... Are you...?"

"I'm fine." - the chosen one reassured, putting on a small smile. They shook their hands and quickly healed the minuscule wounds with their powers before continuing up the steps. "Please, carry on."

Villain took another breath. "The stranger's real name was Superhero. They had a multitude of powers, something that was very rare back then,"

"Super strength, mind reading, shape-shifting, control over the elements... I'm not sure how they had so many."

"They... sound pretty strong." - Hero said, not sure what else to do as they made it past the first half of the staircase.

"For a human back then? Incredibly strong, and... easy to mistake for a god if you don't know what you're looking for,"

"Then again..., I had told them the newcomer was a liar... But they refused to listen, too charmed by the bastard showing off their powers, bragging at every chance they could."

The human's curiosity awoke once more. They couldn't help but wonder how strong the ancient superhero was when compared to them. So, they inquired, "How long did your battle with them last?"

Amidst the somber tones of their conversation, the hero still sensed how the villain grinned in amusement.

"Oh? Want to know if your jealousy of them is valid or not?"

A blush colored their face as they protested, "I-I'm not jealous!"

"Tsk, tsk, Hero. To be s͟͠i͔̽nn̨̄i̗̕ng̳̈́ in front of your god like this... And over someone who died in less than the blink of an eye too..."

They tried to ignore the way their cheeks heated up more at the playful scolding. "I am not- W-Wait, they- T-They died... how q-quickly...?"

The monster's grin widened, pleased with the human's sudden realization and fear. While Villain had always preferred respect over fear, it still felt... satisfying to have a mortal realize just how helpless they were against them, that they were always at the villain's mercy.

The chosen one gulped, feeling an odd sense of submission wash over them as their head bowed and their body slouched forward out of primal instinct. They hadn't even realized that they had stopped walking and instead stood frozen under the god's unseen gaze.

They tried to say something but found that they couldn't even open their mouth, as if their lips were glued to one another. Hero tried to move or at least blink, but their sudden terror kept them petrified, stopped them from potentially showing disobedience. They felt like a puppet on a string, forced to bend to their puppeteer's will, unable to do anything but await their master's command and-

"Hero! Hero, you're spiraling again!"

The villain's voice snapped them out of the unpleasant trance. They shook their head, taking a few deep breaths. "W-What was t-that?"

"I apologize. That was... my fault." - the being sighed, a tinge of regret entering their voice. "I've... forgotten over the years just how much that idea affects and terrifies mortals."

The chosen one wasn't sure if they wanted to press for more, but they did anyway. "T-The idea that...?"

"The idea that I can vanish you from existence with a mere thought."

Hero trembled again, tightly holding their arms around their own waist.

"Like I have explained earlier... I could've killed you at any point, but... I do not enjoy abusing my power in such ways."

Involuntary doubt crept into the hero's thoughts, but they didn't even have the time to voice it as Villain answered immediately.

"True, I enjoy seeing your kind bow to me. Relishing in my... superiority to you is part of my nature... I cannot get rid of it...,"

"And yes, what I have done over the centuries... The... The death and pain I had caused... I... used to believe it was all for a good reason... That I had an explanation for it..."

The human made their way up the last couple of steps, making it to the top. They took a moment to look behind themself and at the city off in the distance.

"I realize now that I had become the very thing I swore to protect your people from... A monster blinded by power, careless of how I affect the lives of those around me... Of those at my mercy..."

The city glowed brightly in the darkness of night. The civilians were no doubt still celebrating the end of the war.

"I wish I could take it all back, but even I cannot change the past..."

The chosen one's vision blurred, and they blinked as the villain's tears fell from their eyes. They expected the god to break down again, for their weeps to bounce inside their skull once more. They could have never predicted what happened next.

Something stirred inside their chest, a need to be there beside Villain. They felt as if the being... needed them, needed their help. Their heroic soul couldn't bear to leave someone in need, and the sensation soon turned into an irresistible urge. And so, they ran.

The temple doors were still open, and they sprinted inside the dark, a ball of light materializing into existence beside them and following after them, lighting their way. They jumped over anything that got in their way, nearly tripping a multitude of times as they took every corner as sharply as they could.

They were desperate to get there as soon as possible, and it wasn't long before the familiar massive room greeted them once more. Hero dashed to the center where the villain was and-

Villain was on their knees, with their body bent forward. The human failed to utter a word as the villain looked up at them. Their gaze was full of sadness and regret, their entire appearance and presence somber. Tears were still falling down both their faces and as the god's eyes returned to the floor, they-

They bowed.

Villain moved slowly, showing exhaustion that went back hundreds of years. The palms of their hands came to rest flat against the cold ground alongside their forehead as they positioned themself into a prostrate bow. Their chains clinked with their movements before silence befell the two. Then, the god spoke.

"...I'm so sorry... Please..., forgive me..."

Short Prompt #1005

(Version without glitchy text is under the read more)

The door closes behind you with a soft click, your body slumping under the weight of reality. A sigh leaves your lips as you walk further into the room, throwing your clothes off and nearly shredding them with your claws.

Great relief washes over your form once you remove your bindings and stretch out the nubs that used to be your wings. Being forced to hide them every day for the sake of the family’s image was exhausting, but it’s not like you had a say in the matter.

The bedsheets embrace you upon lying down, the soft silk feeling pleasant against your skin, giving you something else to focus on aside from the discomfort in your stiff, unused wings. But still, try as you might; you can’t help but whine as every little movement brings a jolt of pain to your muscles, making you wish for reprieve.

“Y̼͂o̠͒u c̣̈a͟͡l͔̄l̹̋ed̳̏~?”

The dark, familiar voice rumbles from beneath your bed, deep and enticing as always. You groan in annoyance and hide your face in the pillows, not wanting to deal with the demon.

“Dḛ͋mõ͙n̖̾? Ó̰h̺͛…, w̭̿hy͓̋ mu̟̇s̭̅t̥̓ y̛̟o̖͡u̼̎ w͍̌ọ̕u̟͒nd m̜͡e̽͜ so…~?” the beast sulks playfully, taking great amusement in your displeasure.

“Yo̼̓u k̳̎n̨͡ô̮ẃ͢ I c͂ͅoǔ̦l̖̈́d ḥ͆eḻ̕p̼͊, d͓͘ar͎̆li̝͆ng̡̀~.”

You feel the mattress dip down on either side of you as the monster looms over you, trying to get a rise out of you. It barely even registers in your head that you’re only in your underwear, having to deal with the annoying creature for weeks now. You’ve simply stopped caring at some point.

Silently, you question whether you have the energy to argue with the beast today, and with a grimace realize that the answer is ‘no’.

And so, you slowly turn to lie on your stomach, grumbling under your breath as the monster begins to purr above you.

“T̠͑ha̳̓t͙͒ wã͇ş͞ń̜'̝͝t̟͐ s̉ͅo h̙̿ạ͌r̺͛d̛, n͉̐o̲̚w̛͚ w̍͢a̺͌s͇̈́ î̜t̹̆~?” it asks, not expecting an answer as it begins to massage your sore muscles, and you can’t help how your face heats up with a flush. The monster happily serves you as your mind begins to drift in and out of sleep beneath its touch.

You know well what kind of game the creature is playing, trying to get on your good side, so you’ll free it from its prison. And damn it all, the proposal of eternal power and comfort is starting to feel more alluring every day.

(Version without glitchy text)

“You called~?”

The dark, familiar voice rumbles from beneath your bed, deep and enticing as always. You groan in annoyance and hide your face in the pillows, not wanting to deal with the demon.

“Demon? Oh…, why must you wound me so…~?” the beast sulks playfully, taking great amusement in your displeasure.

“You know I could help, darling~.”

Silently, you question whether you have the energy to argue with the beast today, and with a grimace realize that the answer is ‘no’.

And so, you slowly turn to lie on your stomach, grumbling under your breath as the monster begins to purr above you.

“That wasn't so hard, now was it~?” it asks, not expecting an answer as it begins to massage your sore muscles, and you can’t help how your face heats up with a flush. The monster happily serves you as your mind begins to drift in and out of sleep beneath its touch.

The fathers of Stranger Things: (narrative analysis)

This analysis will discuss all the dads in st. But will mostly focus on the parallels between Brenner, Lonnie, Neil,and Hopper. And the ramifications on their kids.And no i’m not saying Hopper is necessarily as bad as these other fathers/doesn’t have his reasons. But i think the parallels are worth mentioning.

Cycles of Ab*se & internalizing your father’s teachings

Baseball-We see in s2 the cycle of abuse is there- Billy mimics Neil, and then Max mimics Billy. And uses violence to stand up for herself- which earlier she said she was trying to combat … explaining she can be angry like Billy sometimes but she never wants to be like him (her nickname symbolizing this: aka ‘mad max’).

We see in s3 Neil taught Billy baseball and bullied him and called him a “p*ssy” so Billy as a child bullied others and calls them a “p*ssy” (internalizing his father’s teachings and probably venting his anger towards his father on to others). We also see Billy in s2 antagonizes max and demands “say it. say it!”And later Max yells at Billy “say it! say it” and attacks him with a bat. Showing that even Neil has influenced her to a certain extent (via Billy’s ab*se of Max).

We also see in s3 when Will is frustrated he destroys cb (a symbol of his artistic ambition/the day his father left) and destroys it with a baseball bat (and then we see the mf officially return) . We also see in s2, Will has a baseball next to the mf drawing (in his room). This is noteworthy due to the fact Jonathan in s1 asks if Will even likes baseball or is just doing it to appease his father. in s1, Will admits he isn’t a fan of baseball -showing how this ‘interest’ in baseball in later seasons just reflects his desire to win his father’s approval (through more sterotypically masculine hobbies). And we see how both Neil & Lonnie taught both their sons baseball- who are both named William -and who they would call “f*gs”. We also see in s1 Jonathan lugs around a baseball bat & his father’s gun -however neither tool is used by him in the end successfully. However, in s3 we see Jonathan using an axe (like Joyce) showing by this point he’s mostly taken on Joyce’s influence.

El’s spying , fighting the Russians, and lack of care for her safety shows she internalized Brenner’s teachings- We know in s1 El was trained to be a spy/weapon against the soviets (by Brenner). And in later seasons when it comes to her interpersonal relationships- she continues to spy on everyone around her. she spies on Mike despite his vocal discomfort in s3. Brenner specifically tells her to spy and repeat the words the guys are saying back to him- which is exactly what she does to Lucas and Mike (spying on them and repeating their words back to Max). And when Mike is concerned for her safety we also have El mimic Brenner’s words (from s1) . in s1 she is also said to be taken by Brenner to be a “weapon to fight the commies” and in s3 that’s exactly what she did! She does literally everything Brenner ever wanted from her!!!!!!!

Jonathan & Billy’s fights with Steve (reflect their father issues… which Steve accidentally triggered)- We see Billy and Jonathan both shoved into walls by their father’s . For Billy this is in a direct consequence of Max running away and for Jonathan- Will’s disappeareance. Billy first shoves Lucas into the wall similarly to Neil. And both Jonathan and Billy are told to “STOP”.

Billy also breaks a plate over Steve’s head. What’s interesting to note is in s3 we see Billy’s mother threw a plate at Billy’s father (so he was mimicking the dysfunction he saw as a child). kind of like how in s3 he backhands max (mirroring how neil backhanded his mother in the s3 flashback).

When it comes to jonathan we see jonathan tell nancy to leave and it’s “not worth it” to argue with Steve. However he stops in his tracks when Steve says he’s “like his father”. Then Steve proceeds to insult his family. And eventually Jonathan who throughout every season is generally portrayed as non confrontational attacks steve. similarly when Billy and Jonathan are beating Steve (who is laying on the ground)-multiple people are yelling for them to stop.But both are in too much of a triggered daze to stop themselves. Even when the cops come- Jonathan elbows the cop in the face and kicks steve with handcuffs on and even says handcuffed for the cop to “get off’ (like he told Lonnie earlier).

Both would rather do this to their own fathers-but Steve (and the cops) were used as their proxy instead. The fights might reflect what the boys have been taught by their fathers-aka vi*lence. Also on some subconscious level jonathan may have been like-oh you think i’m like my dad? I’ll show you what my dad is like (beats steve with no mercy).

***also, tw se*ual ab*se (you can skip)-during the jonathan fight they also bring up the “pervy photo sesh”- which jonathan took right after seeing his father. in the movies said to inspire s4 they often had a se*ually ab*sive dad/relative who would take innaproriate pics of his kids.uuuuugh. So jonathan may have just been mimicking that past behavior of his father. ugh.***