#also i hate how in s3 he . it was about him moving on from her. away from her. over her. and she was too. and then. Season 4.....

[shopcat]

i've definitely said this before but no harm in repeating like i think... beyond what the writers intend or what they're actually attempting to aim for (if anything) i can see the stupid steve nancy "love triangle" Thing in many entirely reasonable lights and not one of them end in it actually being a love triangle. it's not a love triangle. and MAYBE!!!! i'm just tired of the steve haters of the world being like "season 4 steve sucks he's just so into nancy" FUCK OFF!!!! MAYBE YOU TRY AND HANG AROUND YOUR EX IN A STRESSFUL SITUATION AND SEE HOW YOU COPE. BITCH. anyway i think it's a testament to um character empathy and a love for their part in their narrative to view things not only kindly but ... logically and not just dismiss what could be happening either out of like panic or despair bc that's just not as fun at the end of the day and i am maybe naively hopeful. and instead it's just SO easy to contextualise and a story is only what it's telling YOU etc etc.

like how okay to me the 6 little nuggets speech coalesces all at once like, 1. steve and nancy got together in a period of their lives where the only problem in their lives was meant to be like. which college they're getting into. to each other they represent the like literal halcyon days of normalcy in an incredibly depressing twist on it where the nostalgic times they wish they could go back to was just Average Life. just Highschool. with the knowledge monsters don't exist and their friends aren't dead. in the continued battering ram of the upside down's particular brand of trauma year in and out wearing them down i think being around each other will always bring out that part of themselves that remembers what it was like When They Were Happy and i think the entire reason they seemed to revert so much to their roots this season in those little glimpses we see is because of this and this particular like, go of it the stakes were higher and their involvement was far more concentrated so um. when every move you make has weight it's not CRAZY that he wanted to let a little bit of it off and i think he sees nancy as this shining beacon of What Once Was, so YEAH in the fucking throes of the beginning of the apocalypse he latched onto her again a little. entirely understandable and not a VILLAINOUS TRAIT on either of their parts

this goes hand in hand with 2. steve himself is a notoriously avoidant incredibly actually NEUROTIC person. he wants SO badly to just cling on to what he once had he will unintentionally dig his nails in to it and we see this a LOT in the context of nancy especially during season one and like the first half of season two. he wants to Let The Bad Things Go and just go to the movies and be a couple normal kids again. whenever the upside down rears it's head again he doesn't react with like, preparedness or even fear he just goes straight to NO NO NO NO NO which is like. literally. but it's because he doesn't WANT to deal with it like at All. and i find that actually interesting juxtaposed with how nancy actively seeks out and cannot let the upside down go... maybe for what it did to her or maybe because she just feels she has to. who else is going to. and the initial reason she even bonded with jonathan or if you like to think so developed proper feelings for him is because jonathan ALSO sought it out. the upside down is a mystery to them that they want to solve and the upside down is a PROBLEM to get away from for steve and i think this is significant. so i think them experiencing something that feels bigger than it ever has in a context where it's all on them and where the kids they're taking care of are in genuine danger as well as themselves, coming right off the back of having to ESCAPE the dimensional hell they were this time not even metaphorically dragged into it's totally reasonable to look at one another and go GOD. it was so simple with you!!!!!

and while also 3. the speech itself was ... a death speech to be later quoted and reminisced upon a la "but you need to go on your rv trip!!! you can't die here!!!" and he'll go "you idiot... the six little nuggets were you guys all along" and 4. within the Literal speech itself he SAID the kids were "practice" and it was probably only ever intended to be a way to show his genuine connection to them and was never meant to be taken quite so literally as "i actually want 6 real life children that you my future wife will birth", it's also tied into 5. i am so fucking scared right now. and we used to be in love. and you're sitting next to me while my throat hurts from the ligature wounds given to me by a monster and you appreciate how i also represent a sense of typicality and grounded preparedness that you sometimes feel you need. and you're also scared. and i want to be normal and i want to be happy and i want us to be safe in the end and i want something to look forward to. and it's the simplest thing on earth -> i want to get the FUCK out of here. but we can't get the fuck out of here because we're driving towards our doom and i'm the one in the driver's seat. and i'm scared. and i want to say it because if i don't say it no one else is going to know. and she says that sounds nice because it sounds nice...

and finally 6. i think steve is like. mourning. i think he's looking at her and going i loved you once and i miss it but, integrally, it's past the point of return. we've grown and we've changed and maybe you're finally realising how much and she is so important to him and he loved her and he LOVES her but he doesn't Love her. she is the reason his life changed and maybe he never got to put to rest that he could never go back to the way it once was but he doesn't WANT to go back and he's SAYING this. he's going thank GOD you gave me the bump on the head and woke me up because i feel like i'm finally moving forwards now and i wish it could be normal but it can't and thank god for that. i am so scared of change but knowing you is what changed me and i am so happy for it. she introduced him to it all through one way or another and he never once even considered that a bad thing (though i do think he doesn't give himself enough credit etc etc). their talk in the woods before it is SO important to me because he's saying Thank you. and he's saying GOODBYE!!! he's saying yeah the person i picture next to me in this pipe dream is you because in a way it probably always will be you and because it Was always you back then. but i don't want to marry you. i want a place to settle down and have some kids even metaphorical and i know YOU don't want that. it's an acknowledgement of how much they've changed it's a conversation behind the conversation of looking into someone's eyes and telling them what you want and knowing they don't want the same and letting go of what once was even though like YEAH it's not the end of the world if there's still some sort of stirred up feelings. but it's not a love confession and it's not a man desperately trying to cling onto his ex while she (grown woman that she is) sits there and smiles at him for it and therefore turns her into a doormat and him into a creep or whatever the fuck the braindead masses are squawking about...

AND THAT IS THE REAL 6 LITTLE NUGGETS!!!! also i think to reduce two great characters independently to who they are To Each other is a disservice and there is no hidden plot within the plot dedicated to their romance in any deliberate way imo. or whatever. steve is not just Nancy's Ex and nancy is not just one half of a love interest bouncing back and forth in the worlds most tired misogyny ping pong of steve v jonathan. i think all the stuff this season it's the show's way of letting us see that nancy can see how much he's developed as a person and how even after all the hard work he himself put in for it and it's his own genuine kindness and literal body he puts in the line he still believes it's all because of her and he's grateful and while i have Low Hope i also must also have Hope that it will end... kindly. they both deserve an Ending and not just a massacre of characterisation.

#🍦 #sts #also i hate how in s3 he . it was about him moving on from her. away from her. over her. and she was too. and then. Season 4..... #but it's fine... like i said.... there's reasons.... #sometimes the narrative isn't 1 2 3 sometimes it's 1a 1b two L xyz 2 End

[farfromstrange]

Weed Cookies | Matt Murdock x F!Reader

PART 3 of The Vault

See this post for more information on my Valentine's Day Special & Follower Celebration, but these fics can be read separately!

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Summary: Karen receives a box of cookies from one of their clients. Foggy and Matt take a bite. Even with his heightened senses though, Matt doesn't realize what's wrong with the cookies before he's absolutely wasted, and you have to babysit him. Yes, they were edibles.

Warnings: Fluff, faint hints at S3 depressed!Matt and suicidal ideations, attempt at humor, crack fic, accidental drug use, for the sake of this fic we are going to pretend that the edibles were made well enough for Mister I-Know-Everything to miss it

Word Count: 3.4k

A/n: I wrote this after watching the episode of Grey's Anatomy with the Weed Cookies. I took some behaviorisms from my own experiences and exaggerated them a little to fit the vibe of this fic. I scraped parts of this and once again adjusted them because this was even more poorly written before than it is now, and I added the Nelson, Murdock & Page Season 3 narrative again because that's now the running theme of this event. Anyway, if you choose to consume edibles, stay safe! (Also, I'm just copying and pasting my usual tag lists. if anyone wants to be added for this event, do let me know)

“We just got cookies from Ms. Lebowsky next door,” Karen announces happily when she enters the office, balancing the transparent Tupperware in one hand and her handbag in the other. 

“She told me to thank you for helping her get out of that hellhole,” she says. Her eyes crinkle in the corners as a mischievous grin takes over her face. “There’s plenty for all four of us. Although she did mention Matt a few more times.”

“Ms. Lebowsky?” Foggy asks. He stands in the doorway of his office, holding a freshly brewed coffee. “Isn’t she the elderly lady we helped last week?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I think she has a crush on Matt.” 

He rolls his eyes. “Of course, she does. Who doesn’t? Not that I do, but—well, you get the gist.” The blood rushes to his cheeks, and Karen giggles in response.

From the office on the left, Matt’s voice rings out, “We just did our jobs,” he says. “She made us cookies, dude!” Foggy inspects the box on Karen’s desk. “They’re chocolate chip cookies. Our favorite. See what good looks can buy you?”

Matt chuckles, his fingers tracing the Braille indentations in the documents that are starting to form a mountain before him. “I think we got them because we’re good lawyers, Foggy.”

“Yeah, right. No way! That woman was smitten the second she came in. I really gotta get that blind thing going. I mean, she’s way too old for you, but come on! You’re in a serious committed relationship, and women still come piling at your door. It’s not fair.”

The way he whines like a little kid who has just been denied his favorite candy makes Karen laugh at his antics, and even Matt can’t help but join in. No matter how stressed he is, and how badly he wants to focus, Foggy never fails to lighten the mood.

Ever since moving offices, things have been going well for the trio. 

When Matt met you, he was at his lowest. You helped him climb out of a dark hole that was threatening to swallow him whole after losing Elektra and almost losing everything he worked so hard for to Wilson Fisk. Thanks to you, he found the will to fight again. You brought him back to life.

He wanted to die. He hated himself for the longest time after the building collapsed and forever took the first woman he ever loved down with its ruins, but then you came into his life, and you didn’t care about his baggage. You were far too good for him, but that didn’t matter to you. 

He fell for you hard and fast, and maybe the timing was a little off because what he needed was therapy and not someone new to get attached to. Still, if you hadn’t pulled him back to his feet and encouraged him to fight back against Fisk, saving his friendship with the people he cares most about in the process, he would have never made it far enough to get therapy.

Matt trusts you with his life because he feels like he owes it to you, but he also loves you more than anything. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to him. You’re his soulmate, and he couldn’t be happier.

Nelson & Murdock added Karen to their permanent repertoire. With her, things are flowing much more smoothly, and they’re actually making money now. They’re expensive, as Foggy likes to say it. Matt’s friends are just as happy as he is, giving him hope for the future.

“Hey,” Foggy snaps him out of his trance, “Earth to Murdock.”

Matt blinks behind his glasses, his fingers halting their frantic movements along the paper. “While I don’t disagree with what you’re saying,” he says, “please don’t let my girlfriend hear you say that women are piling at my door.”

Karen snorts. “Trust me, Matt. She knows,” she says.

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t remind her of that.”

“My lips are sealed. Foggy?”

He sighs, once again dramatically. “As long as you don’t sleep with them, you have nothing to fear, my friend.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” says Matt. “The one I’m sleeping with is incomparable.”

Foggy grimaces. “Oh, dude. Gross! You know, God made conscious thought as a mechanism for humans to know when to shut up.”

“To be fair, ninety percent of the population don’t know how to use that mechanism,” Karen jumps to Matt’s defense.

As he laughs, he takes a whiff of the air surrounding their new baked goods. Matt can smell the sweet chocolate of the cookies, and somewhat of a herbal essence, but he can’t quite pinpoint why the scent seems so familiar. 

Karen walks around her desk to drop her bag and her coat. “So, do guys want a cookie?” she asks, swiftly changing the subject.

“I’ll take one,” Foggy is quick to answer.

Matt nods from his desk. “I’ll try one, too.”

The innocent decision to indulge in a sweet treat soon comes back to bite them in the ass though. Heavily.

When Matt first bit into the cookie, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. It tasted like chocolate mixed with basil, sugar, honey, and the kind of flour Ms. Lebowsky used, but he didn’t find much else wrong with it. Perhaps if he hadn’t allowed himself to get distracted by his phone calling out your name and the sweetest text he could have possibly received this early in the morning from the love of his life, he would have noticed that something tasted off about these cookies. And that what he believed to have been basil as a secret ingredient was something else entirely.

When lunchtime finally rolls around, you drop everything you were doing before and make your way to Matt’s office. You always spend lunch together. It’s your favorite time of the day. For an hour, you can forget the stress of your workplace and focus on him. He’s your safe haven. Your home. You crave to memorize his features anew every day so that you will have something to carry around with you when he has to work a bit longer, or when he goes out at night and his Daredevil duties drag on beyond what he planned. 

You need to be with him as much as possible because you’re scared that your happiness will shatter on a white cloth, and you will be forced to move on—you can’t imagine losing him. You dedicated your life to loving him, and the thought of ever losing that privilege kills you. 

On your way out, your phone vibrates in your pocket. You smile, thinking that it’s Matt, but when Karen’s number pops up on your screen, you frown. 

‘We have a problem,’ she texted you. Without context. 

All the alarms in your head start blaring, and you start to walk a little faster. You start imagining all possible scenarios. When you ask Karen what’s going on, she doesn’t even reply. What if someone got hurt? What if something happened to Matt? You almost lost him once; you can’t go through that again. 

You burst into the new office space that your friends share a few minutes later, your chest heaving and sweat dripping down your pulsating temples. You’re ready to fight whoever dared to hurt the man you love, or possibly threaten your friends, or both, but when you look up and see your darling boyfriend with his cheek pressed against one of the leaves on their gigantic office plant as if the overgrown Calathea were the coziest pillow he has ever touched, you understand why Karen texted you that you—both you and her—have a problem. A big one, too, judging by the looks of it.

“What is going on here?” you ask the dreaded question, shutting the door behind you.

Only then do you notice Karen to your right in Foggy’s office, trying to get him off of his office chair. He’s belting the chorus of Defying Gravity at the top of his lungs, and he’s got a broom clutched tightly in his right hand.

Oh boy. Your wide eyes drift to Karen’s desk in the middle of the room. As soon as you see the chocolate cookies inside the Tupperware, it slowly begins to dawn on you.

You’re not sure which is worse: Matt cradling a houseplant with his glasses discarded and the first three buttons of his dress shirt undone as he’s coated in sweat, or Foggy singing one of Broadway’s greatest ballads so off-key that the Calathea is starting to wither.

It takes Matt much longer than usual to sense your presence in the room. He calls your name, and his lips curl into a bright grin. Even completely out of it, he looks like an angel on earth. 

“Matthew,” you say. You approach him like you would approach a little kid. He’s on his knees, so the analogy isn’t far off. 

“Hi, honey. What’s going on?”

“Sweetheart,” he greets you, and you have never heard this man sound so relaxed. His hazel eyes are red-rimmed and glazed over, but the most obvious change lies in his behavior. 

“Feel that.” He reaches for your hand when you’re close enough for him to smell you, but he misses. “Where are you?” Matt pouts. “I can’t see.”

You want to laugh, but this is not the time. “You are blind, baby,” you remind him. 

“Since when?”

“Over twenty years.”

“Oh.” He finally gets a hold of your hand. The conversation seems to go right over his head. “Feel the power of nature,” he tells you. “It’s so soft.”

You want to drag him away from the potentially dangerous plant if he decides to eat it, but the sight of him is one to behold. He looks downright adorable. 

You have to focus though. You gently pat his hand. “Maybe later,” you say, and then you make your way to Karen’s desk to inspect the cookies.

Behind you, she calls your name. You twirl around. From the looks of it, she managed to get Foggy down from his chair, but he remains singing at the top of his lungs. All the signs point to one thing, and one thing only.

“Did you give my boyfriend weed cookies?” you sound a lot more condescending than you planned to. 

Karen shakes her head. Her face is pale, and she looks just as panicked as you do. “Those are not mine,” she says. 

“But you knew they were edibles?!”

“Of course, I didn’t! I started questioning it when Matt started cuddling the plant because his Braille felt like boobs and he didn't want to cheat on you, so he decided that he needed to touch some grass.” She points to him, exasperated. As if on cue, Matt lets out a happy little sigh.

Your brain struggles to process all of the information at once. “I’m sorry, what?”

“He said that his Braille feels like boobs. I don’t know! I thought he was messing with me until Foggy turned into Elphaba, and that’s when I took a bite and realized there was weed in them,” she says.

You groan, your worried eyes momentarily flicking back to your high boyfriend. High. That’s not a word you thought you would ever associate with him. “How did this happen?” you ask.

“Ms. Lebowsky, the lady next door, we helped her out the other day, and this morning, she gave me these cookies. I called her when these two started acting like idiots—more than usual, anyway. Turns out, she confused them with the ones her niece made for her birthday party tomorrow.”

“Her niece made edibles for her birthday party?”

“Please, don’t ask. I don’t have all the details. I just–”

“It’s fine,” you cut her off. “Just tell me that you’ve got Foggy under control.”

Karen peeks in through the window to his office. “More or less, yeah. You’ve got Matt?”

“Yeah, I’ve got him.”

You have to take care of him. He’s your responsibility. But as calm as he is right now, his heightened senses make the situation a lot more complex than the mere accidental consumption of edibles.

Walking over to him, you try to haul him up. He protests, at first, but then he feels the fabric of your shirt, and he slacks.

Matt wraps his arms around you, burying his face in your neck. “You’re so soft,” he coos. “You smell like honey.”

With his entire weight on you, you have to widen your stance so you won’t fall over. His usually quick reflexes are nonexistent right now; he won’t be able to catch you if you trip, and then you’re both going to get hurt.

“You know what’s even softer?” you ask.

“The plant,” he answers confidently. He sounds like a more careless version of himself. You can’t deny that it does something to you.

“No, silly,” you chuckle softly, “I meant your bed.”

“Oh. But I’m not tired.”

“You’re high.”

He pouts. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know.” You stroke his back. “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you.”

He stiffens and relaxes at the same time. You swear you can feel the electricity in his veins as his nerves respond to the feeling of your skin on his. It’s like he’s on fire. Like your touch feels a million times more intense, and he’s being crushed under the weight of it in a way that makes him crave more. 

He squeezes you tighter, trying to get swallowed by you, consumed to the point that you are the same person. The drugs are doing a number on him, and his already heightened sense of feeling has increased tenfold to the point you’re not sure if it’s pleasurable or painful or both. It must be agonizing, yet at the same time there is a high chance that the weed is calming his nerves and dampening his perception to the point he’s taking everything in without the added weight—he’s enjoying the newfound sensations in limbo, and he’s unaffected by it. You wonder how long that is going to last. 

After bidding farewell to Karen, wishing her good luck with Foggy who has now reached a point of his high where he’s lying on the floor, demanding to listen to Bohemian Rhapsody and cry over Freddie Mercury. She assures you that she has got it under control, apologizes again, and then sends you on your way.

“Bye, Karen,” Matt says. “You have very nice hair.” His hand tangles in yours, and his face lights up like a Christmas Tree. You managed to convince him to put his glasses on, at least, or he might get irritated. “Never mind,” his voice turns into a pur. 

Usually, you would shiver at his fingers in your hair, tracing the strands and sensually massaging your scalp only he knows how to, but today is not one of those days. You’re still concerned about the effects that the weed might have on him, so you want to be careful, although you’re not sure how much longer you can keep yourself from laughing. 

As you maneuver Matt through the streets of Hell’s Kitchen, his cane hovers above the ground and his arm is hooked around yours. Without you, he would have run off into traffic by now. He has absolutely no spatial awareness anymore. 

Every sound, scent, and texture seems to capture his attention, but there's one sensation in particular that he can't seem to shake: thirst. You’re not even home yet, and you had to stop by a convenience store to get him a bottle of water. He shed his coat, which you are now carrying for him while also guiding him while simultaneously trying not to attract any unwanted attention. 

You can’t help but look at him as though he is your whole world. He is. He is everything to you, even high on edibles he never meant to consume, and acting like a feral toddler. If anything, you are even prouder now that he is yours. 

“Hey,” he whispers, leaning close to you, “do you think fire hydrants taste like licorice?”

You shake your head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Matt, don’t lick the fire hydrant.” 

He pouts. For a moment, you think that you have steered off any possible disaster, but that was only wishful thinking.

Matt’s curiosity knows no bounds, and he’s soon reaching out to touch anything that catches his eye. He runs his fingers along the rough brick foundation of a building, marveling at the texture, and he stops to sniff a flower, declaring, “This is the most beautiful flower I have ever smelled.”

You pluck it for him, and he carries it in the pocket of his coat with a happy smile. 

You’re both exhausted when you finally make it to his apartment. Getting his large frame through the door is one thing, stopping him from tearing the tap off the sink as he desperately searches for liquid with the words, “Water!” is another.

“Okay, okay,” you try to calm him. You grab a bottle from the fridge, open it for him, and force him to take it. “Drink.”

One touch is enough for him to drop it. “It’s cold,” he recoils in agony.

You sigh. “Tap water it is, then.”

You have never seen him down so many glasses of water. He is severely dehydrated and sensitive to changes in temperature. It’s either too hot or too cold, and you’re so glad that Karen texted you when she did.

You manage to get him to the couch with some snacks that he devours within seconds. If he moves one more inch today, you may not be able to catch him again.

His lip twitches. “Chickens don’t have any arms.”

You pause in the process of wrapping him in a blanket, staring blankly ahead at him. “Excuse me?” you ask.

“Chickens don’t have any arms,” Matt states. “Every American citizen has the right to bear arms under the second amendment in the constitution. If an egg was fertilized on US soil, and the chicken hatched there as well, technically, that makes them a citizen of the United States of America, therefore allowing tiny creatures without arms the right to bear arms, but who gives the bears their arms?” 

You’re so flabbergasted that the absurdity of the situation eludes you. The words process only slowly in your mind, and when they do, they cause a wave of confusion to wash over you before it turns into genuine amusement, and it takes every ounce of self-control to keep yourself from laughing at him.

You can pinpoint the exact second the thought escapes his mind and something else replaces it. His hand brushes over the leather couch. “Smooth,” he observes. You haven’t even fully processed his very philosophical question about the animal kingdom before he drops his cheek down on the couch.

The man who has been carrying the weight of the world in bricks on his back for years is finally relaxed; it shouldn’t leave such a bitter aftertaste in your mouth.

You kneel in front of him, reaching out to touch his cheek. “Do you need anything?” you ask.

Matt’s gaze is filled with an odd sort of clarity. “Nah. Just you,” he mumbles.

A soft smile tugs at your lips as you brush a sweaty strand of hair away from his forehead. "I'm right here," you reassure him. 

He nods, his eyelids drooping as the effects of the edibles start to take their toll. “Good.” He searches for your hand, and you help him intertwine your fingers. A giddy smile finds its way onto his face. “You’re warm.”

You lean in to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “And you’re high,” you tease.

Matt huffs out a breathy laugh. “Mmh, yeah,” he says. “But it’s okay. ‘Cause you’re here.”

Despite the chaos and the unexpected turn of events, there’s a sense of contentment settling over you as you watch him drift off into a state of bliss. He deserves it more than anyone. 

You stay by his side, watching over him as he succumbs to the pull of sleep that you’re all too familiar with after a sudden high. 

“Note to self,” you say to yourself, “never eat a stranger’s cookies without drug testing them first.”

And love has funny ways of making even the most absurd moments feel strangely beautiful.

Matt Murdock Tag List: @littlenerdyravenclaw @yarrystyleeza @etanordoesbullsh1t @thychuvaluswife @harleycao @schneeflocky @imjustcal @pipsqueakkitten @merlinbtch @sya-skies @amberritonicole @thatonegamefish @norestfortheshelbywicked @mattkinsella @itwasthereaminuteago @linamarr @gpenguin666 @acharliecoxedfan

#matt murdock x reader #matt murdock #matt murdock x f!reader #matt murdock fluff #matt murdock x you #daredevil #daredevil x reader #reader insert #from the vault #charlie cox #weed cookies

[bsxcrxts]

out of the woods yet // Steve Harrington x librarian!reader

chapter five

Summary: Steve and reader fool around in the library after he catches reader with a trashy romance novel. 

Content Warning: this is explicit!!! DNI if you are not 18+! more specifically this fic contains: thigh-riding, groping, teasing, fingering, a hand job, dirty talk, etc. no spoilers for s4! it takes place between s3 and s4.

Word Count: 3.2k !!!!

A/N: Well shit y’all I didn’t finish it before the premiere, but I’m only three hours late! The romance novel in question that Steve reads passages from is inspired by a real book, though technically that irl novel was written after this fic takes place lol. Also, I have changed the quotes to be cringier but the inspiration is there, so credit where credit is due. *cites smut in MLA format*

BTW: you don’t have to read the other parts first to understand this, but it’d be cool if you did! Here they are:

Series Masterlist

“What’s this?” Steve asks, mischievously grabbing the book that you’d just thrust quickly onto the book cart sitting by the front desk. Something about the way you practically threw the book out of your hands when you caught a glance of him approaching has his interest piqued. Steve knows he’s accidentally startled you a few times since he started coming into Hawkins Public Library after his morning shifts end at Family Video, where he had semi-successfully secured a job working with Robin after some clever conniving on her part, but he’s never seen you react like a kid caught with their hand in a cookie jar before.

Accidentally interrupting you with his presence while you’re off in your own world is nothing new for Steve. Before the two of you started hanging out regularly, and then dating, he’d see you close your sketchbook, journal, magazines and various novels once you spotted him entering the library, often with a bit of absent-minded urgency, as if you’re nervous that if you don’t stop and pay attention to Steve, he’ll disappear. After the two of you got closer, you’d sometimes show Steve what you were reading, writing, or drawing, and he’d sit and listen to your impassioned rambles about whatever was important to you the most at the moment, even when he didn’t quite get it, which was around half the time.

In fact, Steve has learned a lot about you. He’s learned your family moved to Hawkins at the end of May because of your parent’s jobs, one year before your brother was set to graduate from high school, and that you actually went to a university halfway across the country for two semesters before dropping out (you haven’t told him why yet; he doesn’t know if you ever will, and seeing as how college is a sore spot for both of you, he doesn’t press the issue). You played volleyball in middle school, you hate licorice candy, and you prefer The Beach Boys to The Beatles. Your family only has one car and you really hate driving it. In contrast, you seem to really love making out with him in his car when he takes you on dates after your shift. You got the job at the library because you prefer how quiet the environment is, and it’s Steve’s belief that you also were hired because you read faster than should be humanly possible, but he’s not sure if that’s just his opinion because he’s never been a quick study at school work. You’ve been attempting to convince him that reading can just be for fun, but Steve’s not so sure yet.

Or at least, he wasn’t sure before.

When he looks at the novel you’d scrambled to place on the book cart and he looks at the cover, Steve has to resist the urge to laugh. Not because he wants to make fun of you, but because the art on this book has got to be one of the cheesiest things he’s ever seen. There’s no way this thing has any academic merit. A scantily clad, muscular man with long, flowing locks clings onto the legs of a woman who is perched on a bed, her head thrown back in pleasure, her dress slipping off her shoulders, her breasts almost spilling out of her corset. The title is scrawled out in loopy, mock-elegant typeface in a bright, gaudy pink, and the tagline proclaims something about conquest and surrendering to love. He’d recognize one of these anywhere; a trashy romance novel, something grandmothers and aunts everywhere yank away from prying eyes and hide in their bedroom dressers.

Steve looks up, raises his eyebrows and smirks at you. “Scandalous,” he starts, unable to even get another word out before you start fumbling for an excuse.

“Someone just returned it,” you offer, folding your arms in front of you.

“Really?” Steve laughs.

“Mhm,” you affirm.

“Because I’m pretty sure I just saw you reading this.”

“I was not,” you say, mock offended.

“Then you won’t mind if I read some of it,” Steve taunts, “and see what all the fuss is about?” He starts to walk backwards, putting distance between himself and the front desk where you sat. He begins flipping through the novel, looking for any specific passages that might be more likely to make you blush.

You brace yourself and lean forward on the desk, obviously watching his every move. Good, Steve thinks, exactly how he likes it.

“Come back here with that,” you instruct, “I have to catalog it.”

“Is that what they call it these days?” Steve jokes.

“Steve,” you whine.

“Come get it then,” Steve calls, already halfway across the room, “if you want it so bad.” He’s not sure he’s still talking about the book as he runs off deeper into the library. He’s fairly certain there’s no one else in the library anyway, because it’s near minutes to closing time, and the only sounds he’s heard are the banter between you and him; still he chooses to duck into one of the more secluded aisles. Steve waits a beat or two before he starts scanning the book more seriously, not ready to give up the game yet, identifying and turning to a dog-eared page that he hoped wouldn’t lead him astray just as you rounded the corner.

“What took you so long?” he asks playfully.

“I locked the door,” you answer matter-of-factly. Steve’s heartbeat kicks up, knowing that’s as good as your unofficial blessing to continue his shenanigans. “Are you gonna give it back now?” you ask. 

“Nope. Good that you locked the door though,” Steve continues. “Wouldn’t want anyone else hearing what you were reading in this naughty little book, I guess.”

“Steve–”

“Let’s see, here’s a good part. ‘He tore off the rest of his clothing, his gaze on his wife all the while–’” Steve starts. You lunge at him and swipe at the book, but Steve dodges and turns his body away, too fast for you. He watches the flush on your face grow even when you laugh as you miss your chance to snatch the book from his hands.

“Or how about this paragraph?” Steve teases, turning the page. “‘He thrust into her over and over, mindless now to everything but finding his peak. The bed rocked with his powerful thrusts.’”

You practically pin Steve to the shelf behind him with your body, pressing against him and grabbing at the wrist of his hand that held the book, though he easily breaks free. Steve’s already worked up at the idea of his girlfriend reading explicit romance novels, but with your body is firmly up against his own, and the way you’ve almost turned the tables on him, he’s halfway to hard as he wonders who’s actually in charge of the situation at hand. You’re still reaching for the romance novel that he’s now holding above his head to avoid letting you grab it. He glances up at the pages and keeps reading.

‘She knew she was falling apart in his embrace. She didn’t care. She called his name as ache after ache of pleasure washed over h–’ ohh” Steve cuts himself off with a moan. You’ve unexpectedly started kissing him, sucking a hickey into the junction of his jawline and neck, gently biting at the skin there. Between the friction of your body against his, and the feeling of your mouth on him, Steve’s brain short circuits, and he practically forgets instantly he’s trying to keep anything away from you at all. You stop kissing him when Steve relaxes, bringing his hands down to run along your arms. Steve is blindsided when you gently grab the book from him and stop your motions.

“There’s more than one way to get what you want,” you smugly murmur against his ear, tapping him on the chest with your newly-won prize. 

“That’s not fair,” Steve insists.

“Oh? You want me to stop?” you ask.

“Absolutely not,” Steve mutters against your lips as he pulls you in for a kiss, hands grasping at your ass as you press even further into him, rolling your hips against his hardness, before you begin sliding a hand in between your two bodies, surprising him as you lightly squeeze the hard outline of his cock through his jeans.

“You’re fucking filthy, you know that?” Steve says to mask a whine, doubling down on tormenting you. “Reading a book so dirty at your job.” His jeans are so tight that he’s actually uncomfortably trapped in them, and he feels his cock twitch against your hand.

“I’m filthy?” you laugh, “You’re the one getting off on the thought of me reading those novels. That’s so perverted, baby.”

“Yeah, well, you’re getting off to the thought of me, getting off on you,” Steve says, even though it hardly makes sense, even to him. He’s struggling to maintain conversation with you, and he quickly maneuvers the two of you to sit down at one of the tables next to the shelf so that he can get a second to breathe. You straddle his lap, perched on one of his legs. Once you’re settled, you kiss him passionately and rock on his thigh a little bit. Steve groans, feeling your warmth and wetness even through your clothing and his jeans.

“Condom?” you ask as Steve divulges you of your sweater, running his hands up your shirt and under your bra. He’s so distracted with touching your tits that he barely registers the question. When he does, he kicks himself for not thinking of bringing something like that with him at all times anymore. He blames his stupid dry spell internally, then shakes his head.

“Oh well,” you say, running a hand along his still-clothed erection, “you’re so big, anyways. Don’t know if I could even take it all unless you played with me first.”

It goes straight to his cock. You’re serious even though your tone has a teasing lilt, and Steve moans, partly out of surprise, but also because you’re really, really turning him on. His cock twitches embarrassingly violent in your cupped hand, and you unzip his jeans, rubbing him over his boxers as you grind your pussy into this thigh.

“You liked that, didn’t you? Wanna hear about how I daydream about your cock? So big, Stevie. I can tell.”

Steve’s had enough. He has to take charge of this situation before he creams his pants, and he’s rapidly approaching the reality of that being a possibility. 

“You daydream about a lot, apparently,” Steve snarks, batting your hand away from his dick. “I can feel how wet you are, did the book get you like this, princess?” He’s fishing for compliments now and he knows it, a tiny seed of doubt in his mind that maybe you’re not as into him as he thinks if you’re wasting your time on horny novels.

You shake your head. It’s not enough. He wants to hear it.

“Who makes you this wet?” he pushes you to answer as he grabs a hold of your hips and roughly guides you, forcing your clit to rub hard against his thigh. 

“You do,” you gasp. The admission makes Steve go crazy. He needs more, more, more, wants to hear every little dirty secret you have and then some. He never thought about the possibility you read cheesy, trashy romance novels, and now he wonders what else he’s never thought of that you’re into.

“So why don’t you sit there and grind on my thigh and prove it?” he smirks, leaning back into the chair and taking you with him. He pushes his boxers down, pulling out his cock with one hand and stroking it slowly, making a show of touching himself in front of you. His other hand wanders back and forth between touching your tits and guiding your hips. You lean forward to touch him, looking positively feral, your eyes blown and mouth open, but as tempting as you are, Steve doesn’t want you to touch him yet. He thinks he’ll spill in seconds if you do. 

Your body moves in sinuous rolls as you drag yourself along Steve’s thigh. He can’t see it, but he can feel that his jeans are ruined, you’ve soaked through your panties and are basically dripping on his thigh. He has no clue how he’s going to leave the building like this, but he isn’t thinking about that now.

“Better than your book?”

“Yes, fuck,” you swear. “Steve, please. I-I can’t– ”

Steve takes a moment to tease you. “What’s wrong? Can’t come like this? You need me, princess?”

“Fuck!” you cry out, grinding your cunt against him especially hard. Steve is playing with you, but you’re rapidly approaching the point of no return. “More, please, I need you.”

Steve finds that’s exactly what he needed to hear. He abandons his throbbing cock and uses both of his hands to assist your grinding motions, moaning as he watches your face screw up with pleasure.

Steve’s own heart is pounding in his ears, but he knows you have to be closer than him. Just to see what would happen, he bounces his thigh a little bit, leaning into you and sucking kisses into your skin.

“Jesus,” you choke out.

“You liked that, didn’t you?” Steve echoes your words from earlier.

You’re too far gone to quip back. Instead, you delve into more whimpers and moans as Steve speeds up, bouncing his leg at rate that’s almost causing vibrations through your body. Steve watches as you get increasingly more desperate.

“Don’t stop, don’t you dare fucking stop, oh, oh, oh!” you almost shout, and Steve can feel you clench around nothing as your climax hits you and you finish all over his thigh. It makes his cock leak, and he bites his lip to keep from coming himself. He lets you ride your orgasm out, falling forward into his arms, but then he can’t stop himself before he’s picking you up and laying you down on the tabletop. 

Steve leans over, kissing down your neck, before he strips your skirt and panties off completely. You’re still blissed out, clinging to him and sighing at every bit of stimulation he gives you. Steve can’t help but admire you, pushing your shirt and bra up as he runs his hands down your body and gropes at you. He thinks you’re maybe the most gorgeous thing he’s ever seen like this, relaxed, but still needy, as you grab at him to pull him in for a kiss.

The way you lick into his mouth has him groaning. 

“You’re beautiful,” Steve says against your mouth when he takes a moment to breathe. He has to tell you. It’s a matter of the utmost urgency. You pull him in for another kiss, this time much sweeter than the last, and Steve knows you’re thanking him for his words.

“Think you can give me one more?” he asks when you pull away, already running a finger through your sopping folds.

“Mph! Yes!” you gasp, the stimulation sending shocks throughout your body.

“God,” Steve almost whimpers, “you’re being so loud. Can you imagine what would happen if someone walked in right now?”

He knows, logically, that can’t happen, since you locked the door. But the idea thrills him, and his cock is throbbing where it rests against your stomach, leaking pre and he’s maybe the hardest he’s ever been. The eroticism of the fact that the two of you have basically made it to third base at your workplace does not escape him as he pushes a finger inside of you and begins slowly thrusting. Your previous orgasm has you open and dripping on his hand, and he adds another finger almost right away.

“You wanna share me?” you ask, tentatively.

No, no Steve does not. He wants you all to himself, but he doesn’t think the idea of others catching a glimpse of you strung out on his fingers is too bad, especially if the point is to prove to everyone how much you’re into him. He shakes his head.

"Just want everyone to know you’re mine,” he growls.

“That’s hot,” you whine.

“Yeah?”

“Definitely.”

He speeds up his thrusts. The sound of your pussy around his fingers is pure debauchery, and you clench around him as his mouth comes down to kiss and suckle at your breasts. Steve is lost to giving you pleasure; he doesn’t know how he’s managed to ignore how painful his dick is becoming as he’s denied himself in favor of chasing your orgasm, but the only thing on his mind is the urge to see you coming around his fingers.

He re-positions his hand to allow himself to rub at your clit and you tense up and bear down on his hand, grinding on him as he gives one, two, three swipes across your sensitive spot. This time he feels you fluttering around his fingers, imagining how you’d feel around his cock. Your nails dig into his shoulders as you finish, and the slight, stinging pain and marks he knows you’ll leave behind push him impossibly closer to the edge.

The moment you recover, he can’t help but begin to beg.

“Touch me, please,” Steve vocalizes his need, “I’m so, I-I need you to touch me.”

Steve nearly goes cross-eyed watching as you spit in your hand (he can hardly imagine you need to, he’s been practically dripping for a half hour, but it’s really fucking hot) and reach down to touch him. He’s leaning over you now as you lay on the table, stroking his hard cock above you and looking up at him adoringly.

“Been so good to me,” you coo, “I really wanna see you come on me, baby.”

That’s all it takes. Steve gasps and lets his eyes roll back, his cock twitching in your hand as he finishes across your stomach and chest, narrowly missing your blouse and bra. He’s not sure he’s ever come this hard as he practically sees stars; you keep touching him until he taps your hand away, signalling he’s had enough. He lets the aftershocks take over his body, almost collapsing on top of you before realizing he should let himself down beside you to avoid getting his own spend all over his shirt. A few moments later he notices you slowly sit up and cast your gaze towards him.

When the two of you make eye contact, he notices you stifling a giggle. 

“What’s funny?” he asks, smiling gently.

“I can’t believe we did that,” you laugh.

“Hey, you’re the one who started it by reading the dirty novel,” Steve winks at you.

“Mmm no,” you say playfully as Steve positions himself next to you, “I hadn’t even gotten to the explicit part yet. That is all you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Of course it is,” you say, leaning in and kissing him softly. Steve throws an arm around you and kisses the top of your head.

“Speaking of,” Steve mutters. “Where did the book even go?”

The two of you glance back at the romance novel, lying not even a foot away on the table, its cover torn, and a suspicious wet spot painting half the pages.

“Shit,” Steve says.

You both burst into laughter.

#Steve Harrington smut #Steve Harrington x reader #out of the woods yet #becca's bs

[unclewaynemunson]

Jeff is one of my favorite characters and I think we should start a post of all our favorite Jeff headcanons. He and Freak get left out in almost every Eddie-centric fic I read, with his "best friend" being either Gareth or Chrissy, and I'm tired of it. Jeff is wonderful. Here's my hc's:

- Jeff and Eddie have been best friends since middle school. They started CC and Hellfire together.

- they went to the Snowball together and rigged the bubble machine to spew bubbles during the slow dance songs. The dance had to end early and Jeff and Eddie never got caught

- Jeff's parents loves Eddie. They used to have sleepovers at each other's place almost every weekend.

- Jeff was the first person Eddie came out to. Jeff tried to be surprised and "that's great, man, thanks for telling me!" But Eddie saw right through that.

- Eddie is afraid of geese and spiders. Jeff thinks this is fucking hilarious.

- post-Vecna, Jeff is the one Eddie reconnects with first. Eddie tells him everything, despite the NDAs and Steve's warnings. Jeff believes him, because he knows there's wacky shit going on in Hawkins, and he's seen Eddie's wounds.

- they have that kind of friendship that nothing can break. Even if they don't see or talk to each other for years, because Life Happens and people lose touch, they'll always have part of themselves carved out for their best friend.

Ok, that's all I got for now, and sorry for the long ask! I just love Jeff so much and he (and Freak, too, because Freak gets ignored because of fatphobia) deserves just as much love and attention as Gareth gets.

What are your Jeff and Eddie headcanons?

I am loving this Jeff love and your headcanons, thank you so much for sending this to me!!! <3

I think with Unnamed Freak things are a bit different bc, yaknow, he doesn't have a name. For me at least that makes me hesitant to write about him so I don't wanna go as far as to say it's all bc he's fat (even though I'm not gonna deny that that probably also plays a part in how popular he is in this fandom urgh). Anyway, yes this fandom certainly does Jeff dirty. I think it's this gross combination of racism and people copying a lot from already existing stories, characterizations and headcanons without much critical thinking of their own (which baffles me, if you're creative enough to write a story please use that creativity for some originality ffs). Anyway, this is gonna turn into a rant again can you tell I'm still annoyed? so let's turn to something more positive now, like my headcanons for our beloved Jeff:

He was the first person in Hawkins (after Wayne obviously) that Eddie got close to. For Jeff it was kinda the same, being a black, nerdy boy in this town had been very isolating for him and Eddie was his first real friend.

Unnamed Freak made their duo into a trio a bit later. All the others in the group (including Gareth) were Eddie's "lost little sheepies" who he sought out to protect. This means that Jeff and Unnamed Freak are the only people who don't borderline worship Eddie but see him (and love him) for who he is including all his flaws. They're also the only ones not afraid to call him out on his bullshit.

Jeff's mom is really cool. Her name is Pauline and she's not like Jeff at all (she was a cheerleader in high school). Despite their differences they love each other a lot. (Jeff's mom is actually heavily featured in one of the fics I wrote so I got her all fleshed out lmao)

He has two little twin sisters. They're friends with Erica, one of them is one of her friends we meet in the mall in s3. He has this typical hate-love relationship with his sisters: they fight a lot, but at the end of the day, he would die for them.

HE'S BISEXUAL

While he can't wait to get out of Hawkins and to a place that'll be more accepting of him, he doesn't want to move too far away from his family.

He's the most loyal friend in the world, 100% a ride-or-die kinda guy

While he does love metal a lot, his guilty pleasure is Tina Turner

Tell me all your Jeff headcanons i wanna hear more about him!

#don't mind me rambling about stranger things #jeff stranger things #corroded coffin #stranger things

[blindmagdalena]

Maybe I never picked up on it well but were Maeve and Homelander in like a real real relationship? Like was Maeve ever actually into him? She's part of his shrine and he wanted to have kids with her but I feel lost on her side of things lol

in the s3 finale, Maeve said to Homelander in no uncertain terms "From the start, I hated you." interestingly though, she follows that up with, "But what's more, I fucking pitied you." and i always wonder how much Maeve really knew about Homelander. whether she knew about the lab, the bad room, Madelyn, Vogelbaum...

it could be that their relationship was always some kind of publicity move. it might have even been baked into Maeve's contract that she was coming on to play a character, and that character is dating The Homelander. it's entirely possible she wouldn't realize what all that really entailed until it was too late. she started off as a naive and optimistic girl from the south, just like Starlight.

aside from that we really don't get a lot of detail on their relationship. Homelander claims she only started to "pull away" from him 6 years prior to the start of the show, but we also have no idea when Maeve joind the Seven. Homelander tells her that she's the one he's known the longest, but that also conflicts with a lot of other information we have. according to canon, it should be Noir he's known the longest.

as for Homelander, he's never been good at making a distinction between fiction and reality. even if she did start off as his "pretend" girlfriend, his entire life has been a performance. of course he would take it to heart and want to make that fantasy real.

we see the same thing happen when he traps Starlight in a fake dating plot. he has a moment of vulnerability and takes her hand to tell her, "I'm really glad you're here," as if she really is his girlfriend.

realistically, it probably went exactly like this with a young Maeve. she disliked him off the bat, but she played her part. she gained her fame and her success all while Homelander chewed away more and more of her. eventually she grew into an accessory to his violence and cruelty, and with that she became deeply cynical and miserable. she resented him, but she was also deeply afraid of him. we know that Homelander has done horrible things to stake his claim over her, and it wouldn't surprise me if she was afraid he would do worse to her family. maybe with the breakup, she just finally reached a point she felt she had nothing left that he could take from her.

Homelander loved Maeve in the only way he knew how to: he possessed her. even after she broke up with him, he still thought of her as his. so really, it depends who you ask. It was real to Homelander, and it was a living nightmare for Maeve.

#homelander #queen maeve #darling anon #ask and you shall receive #homelander meta #the boys meta #sorry i rambled so much i've been drinking fghjkl; #very maeve-coded of me #the boys season 4 #the boys spoilers #tentatively tagging for the shrine mention lol

[bigdumbbambieyes]

because I adore the possibility of a Billy & Chrissy friendship and believe that they deserve to heal together, in all aspects

hurt/comfort and mentions of ED below

I want a post-S3 Billy who is moved out of the ICU once he stabilizes from his Mindflayer injuries and moves into a regular inpatient room, where he finds out that he’s going to be sharing it with none other than Chrissy Cunningham for the next few weeks.

It’s awkward between them, at first. She’s a pretty girl and Billy instinctively wants to peacock, to make her want him because that’s what he’s conditioned himself to do, but the ugly truth is that he looks and feels like utter shit, so he doesn’t bother.

He says that he knows of her from school. He knows that she’s a cheerleader and that he hates her annoying boyfriend, Jason, because he’s a total asswipe. She mentions hearing about Billy and his reputation, about how he’s gone out with a couple of her friends, and that she’s sorry to hear about what happened at Starcourt. She’s sorry. As if she had anything to do with it.

Billy figures that she’s too kind for her own good. Too soft. He doesn’t know why she’s with Jason in the first place and she agrees, much to his surprise. They cheers their water cups when Chrissy tells him that she broke up with Jason a few weeks ago, when school was out, but she doesn’t say why.

She doesn’t even say why she’s there. There’s no casts, no injuries, no stitches. But, he sees her and there’s no hiding the truth. He sees the bags under her eyes, the thinness of her body, the IV drip at her bedside. He doesn’t ask about the tube in her nose that hooks over her ear to pump nutrition into her stomach. Doesn’t ask about why her hair looks so thin and dull. Doesn’t ask about her sharp cheekbones. Doesn’t ask about why she can’t just eat. Eating’s easy.

Eventually, after a few days, he lets his guard down around her - this soft-spoken girl who trembles like a leaf in the wind when she’s cold. With Chrissy, there is no threat. No need to put on a mask and pretend to be someone else, and she feels the same way.

He doesn’t understand her struggle until she tells him, one cool night in August, a few weeks after he was first wheeled into the room. The hospital is chillier than usual and she has at least five blankets on, along with the Hawkins Cheer cardigan she’s bundled up in - the thing almost swallowing her whole. The nurse is down the hall so it’s just the two of them, the curtain between their beds pulled back so Billy can hear and see her perfectly. She tells him about her mother. About the comments she’s endured her whole life. About the competitiveness of her sport. About the expectations that are literally killing her to live up to.

She has big, fat crocodile tears in those doe eyes of hers and Billy’s stomach twists with unease.

Because he’s burned up a lot of his anger during his time under the Mindflayer’s control. That thing used his rage like coal in a fire, made him push himself further and harder, no matter how much he wanted to give up and stop. And now that the emotion he’s used to is gone, diminished, it leaves room for others. Things like empathy. And he feels it for Chrissy, burning like his rage used to.

He isn’t sure why he tells her about Neil. Mumbles that his father is a piece of shit, like her mother. Tells her that his mom left when he was a kid, that she never came back for him, no matter how hard he cried and begged over the phone. He says that maybe his dad is worse than her mom, thinking it would make her feel a little better.

But she tells him that it’s not a competition, that there was no comfort in hearing of other people’s misery, and he likes that. Likes that she’s gentle despite the harshness in her brain. Sorta like how Billy didn’t want to hurt anyone when there was a monster in his. He also likes that Chrissy won’t take shit, in her own way - she can speak up for herself when the other person is being unfair, even if her voice is quiet.

And she’s right, he realizes. He finally has someone who understands what it’s like to be uneasy in the places that are meant to be safe. That shared empathy breaks down their walls - fast. They stay up late and have quiet conversations, about any and everything. How Billy wants to fix shit with his little sister. How Chrissy wants to feel in control of herself. How they’ve wanted to run away and never look back, but never did.

They get visitors, too. Sometimes. Chrissy receives flowers from her cheer squad, ‘get well’ cards from her teachers, balloons from her cousin. What is most surprising, though, is Eddie Munson. He shows up a few times, saying hi to Billy in passing before pulling the curtain shut. Billy tries not to overhear but it’s hard not to. Chrissy and Eddie talk quietly and happily, like they’ve been friends for a long time.

When he asks about it later, she reveals that they reconnected not long ago. Before she got admitted to the hospital, in fact. She’d been desperate to escape her own mind and knew that Eddie dealt, so they met in the woods behind the school and, well…Billy wasn’t one for romance but he thinks it’s sweet. The drug dealing freak with the cheerleader? Yeah, that was perfect. Like something out of a goddamn movie.

The blush on her face says it all, but she’s quick to point out the way Billy would fix his hair whenever Max came in with a quiet Steve Harrington behind her. He tells her to shut up, that it means nothing, but she promises that she doesn’t judge him for it. He denies and denies because it’s complicated, okay? He and Steve weren’t on good terms and probably would never be now that Harrington graduated. Chrissy tells him that it’s not too late and he tugs the curtain shut, not wanting to talk about it anymore. No, instead, he thinks well into the morning - feels the fear and anger and guilt of that night at the Byers all over again. The next morning, he tries to apologize and Chrissy is understanding, as she always is. Sweet and smiling in that special way she does, and it soothes his anxiety like nothing else.

Eventually, they get better. Chrissy gets her refeeding tube removed and begins to eat small meals, which Billy supports her through. They take bites at the same time and chew carefully, because he knows she needs this, that she appreciates it. And he knows she does because the first time they’d shared a meal like that, she reached over to grab and hold his hand tightly as they chewed a piece of toast.

And as he helps and supports her, Chrissy does the same for him. His physical therapy is hell - he sweats and curses as he does his exercises in his hospital bed, the movements slow and meaningful. Chrissy quietly cheers him on from her own bed, clapping with a smile when he finishes his reps. He jokes that this is nothing, that he has weights to lift at home, and realizes that it won’t be like this for much longer. It makes him anxious.

Chrissy goes home first, a week before Billy does. The night before, he gets up and goes to sit on her bed, catching sight of her pale face in the moonlight. She’s scared. Doesn’t want to go. And he holds her hand as he watches her quietly, trying to think of something to say to Chrissy - his friend. Comforting someone is new to him, so it takes him a while, but when he does think of something, he mutters it: “I’ll see you at school. You won’t be alone.”

And that makes her smile.

When he’s out of the hospital, Max and Steve are there to pick him up. He’s not sure why Harrington has become Max’s personal chauffeur, and asks him that as he climbs into the passenger seat of the red Beamer. Steve shrugs, Max from the back seat saying something about him not being that for much longer, and Billy’s confused - until they’re driving up Cherry Lane and his Camaro is sitting out front, fixed with noticeable paint scratches and dents, but it roars to life just like before. Just like him.

He doesn’t know what to say. Doesn’t know why Steve would do this, until Harrington mutters ‘Starcourt’ and yeah, that would explain it. He can recall that accident outside the mall, when he’d been deep under the Mindflayer’s control, and a pretty boy in a pretty car had smashed into the side of his Camaro. Maybe Billy’s guilt isn’t misplaced, maybe Steve felt it, too, in his own way. Because Billy had sacrificed himself for these people, thinking it would be the last thing he ever did, some sort of fucking repentance.

And maybe it was. Now they’re on equal footing again. So, he mutters his thanks. And Steve gives him a small, tight smile that makes his chest ache.

The following Monday, Billy picks Chrissy up from her place and drives them to school. She has a smile as she walks down to the Camaro, her cheeks flushed with health, and she tells him that she had a full bowl of Cheerios for breakfast. And a banana. He’s proud of her and tells her so with a small smile.

When they pull into the parking lot, people stare. They whisper and gossip, because they all know that they had been in the hospital. Word spreads fast around Hawkins when it had nothing to do with secret government experiments and otherworldly monsters. But, two sick kids? Missing out on their entire summer and showing up together on the first day of school? Sure. Let them talk.

Chrissy worries and Billy tells her not to, because fuck them. They know what they’ve been through, nobody else does, and it’s nobody’s goddamn business but their own.

She agrees and glances over at the entrance, sees Eddie there with his little black lunchbox. She smiles and straightens her back as she says that ‘86 is going to be her year. And Billy believes it. A whole year to start fresh. Mend what’s been broken, like how the wounds on his torso have scarred over, his skin thicker than before.

He thinks that maybe it’ll be his year, too, when he sees Steve dropping off Robin and they share a small smile.

#harringrove #eddissy #hellcheer #billy hargrove #chrissy cunningham #ficlet #tw ed recovery #bambiwrites #best friends chrissy and billy

[lunar-years]

Roy’s been so obsessed with Jamie the whole time, actually. Keeley ‘s a little bit weird about him too.

- While flirting with Keeley in the press room, trying to get her to give him a second chance “Because I like you more than I hate him”

- Keeley being turned on by Jamie offering an inkling of vulnerability after showing up at her door

- “Every time I wanna kiss my girlfriend, I can’t stop thinking about Jamie fucking Tartt”

- In the middle of making out with Keeley, literally on top of her after he’s just walked in on her masturbating, “What did you tell the prince prick of all pricks about going back to Richmond?”

- Jamie thinking Roy and Keeley started dating just to make him jealous which. Well. Keeley technically had sex with Jamie to get back at Roy in Season 1

I’m probably missing some moments but They Are Just So Weird About Each Other. And in retrospect, the love triangle angle could’ve been done soooo much better. I hate that Jamie’s apology for the video leak is diminished when he tells Roy about it in the bar, but I do understand it shows their character regression and serves a greater purpose for Roy’s arc. And maybe it’s an unpopular opinion, but it would’ve been more interesting if Keeley and Jamie had sex after he apologized in S3 (although the hug was really sweet).

idk why but the way you worded it "Keeley's a little bit weird about him too" actually made me laugh out loud lmao. Thank you for that anon. I think Keeley ALSO being unhinged about Jamie is something that is underrated!

I think my favorite is the scene where Keeley masturbates to Roy's retirement presser because the whole thing is SO 'Jamie is the third person in the room right now even though he is not actually here in the room.' Like. Let's compile the Evidence in that scene alone:

Keeley's vulnerability kink is activated so hard by Jamie having traced her to her coffee shop to seek her advice specifically that she immediately goes home to have a wank about it. Except she can't wank to Jamie can she? That would be bad because she's In a Committed Relationship. So she pulls out her old reliable Roy vulnerability video to wank to that instead. (Already it's pretty crazy.)

But then Roy comes home and Keeley tells him how hot she finds him when he's vulnerable, suggests again he take a chance on the pundit job and then uses JAMIE AS THE COMPARISON. literally fully well knowing how Roy can Get about Jamie Tartt, she's on about 'Jamie is brave.' 'At least Jamie is trying to get better.' 'YOU'RE JUST LIKE JAMIE.' i mean, GIRL?? insane. this is all after being walked in on mid-wank mind you.

In midst of all that, let's queue up another super sexy roykeeley kiss. at this point the conversation has MOVED ON. only for roy to BRING JAMIE UP AGAIN. 'what did you tell the prince prick of all pricks?' WOULDN'T YOU LIKE TO KNOW ROY. whyyy are you still thinking about him. unbidden. as you are right in the midst of foreplay with your girlfriend.

Insanity on all sides of the triangle ❤️

But all of your examples are spot on and I fully think the weirdness about one another started even before any of that and got FAR WEIRDER from s3 and beyond. For instance, Keeley in the season one bar scene openly getting turned on by Roy with Jamie right there... one could argue that she was already leaning towards trading in Jamie for a nicer model but frankly. I think girl was angling for a threesome even then. And good for her!

Keeley and Jamie sleeping together after he came to apologize would've been a MESS. I would love to read a fic of that!

Part of what is so fun to me about the three of them canonically ending the series single is that the possibilities and configurations for smooshing them all together remain endless. maybe they all three figured it out at the same time and got together in a very romantic and cute and non-angsty way. BUT. if you want to be messy. roykeeley or jamiekeeley or royjamie can get together first, and whichever one is left out can just absolutely without a doubt be Going Through It. Meanwhile things aren't going fully well for the couple, and it's far from bad but they still can't get it RIGHT because it still feels like something (hint: someone) is missing. The someone who is currently off to the side thinking they aren't good enough aren't lovable aren't ever going to be okay again but at least their favorite two people are happy :( without them :( :( glorious

#royjamiekeeley #asks #ted lasso

[inkstainedhandswithrings]

TBB s3 ep4 Thoughts!!!

Oooohh starting off strong

Omega immediately wanting to go back because “it’s right”

Crosshair wanting to keep moving, not because he’s scared of going back but because he understands that he can’t help anyone if he’s dead

Ah there he is. The bitch. The Hemcock.

I wanna say Nala Sa deserves to be in prison but idk I’m starting to feel for her

Pretty sure she won’t survive the season though

IM SORRY THAT SHOT WHERE THE COAT IS HANGING OVER THAT POWER LINE???

is that,,,, a reference to yanno,,, shoes hanging from a power line?

hahahahahahah poncho stormtroopers

“You’re the one who wanted to bring… the hound.”

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

YOUR HONOUR I LOVE THEM

best duo this show has given us

If Hunter was the hesitant but willing dad, Crosshair is the exasperated older brother that was forced to bring his younger sister to the party he was invited to an now has to spent all night watching her

Ey not cool Omega. Someone was using that jacket to advertise their business

“See, isn’t this better?” “No.” “Ugh.”

HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHHA

“I could take out half of them before they even know what happened” 😳😳

Yeah, I believe you sir

Damn fuck how many more clone crushes will I have to be burdened with

Jesus Christ

“That went well” “Stow it”

THEM

YOUR HONOUR

THEM!!!

Scottish Robot ahhahahahahaha

Say what you will about Crosshair, when that dude sat down across from Omega he was ready for a FIGHT

big ol’ softie <3

“You or your dad”

Glad Hunter wasn’t there to hear that

Or Crosshair for that matter

Both would’ve blown their cover

Tbh Crosshair makes a fair point about leaving while they can. The planet is filled with Empirials and they are running out of time

But he also hasn’t been part of a team in a while and maybe he’s forgotten some of what that entails too

Either way, loving how “selfless” and “selfish” are meeting in this ep

“I’ll do it your way BUT I WOULD LIKE THE RECORD TO REFECT THAT I DONT WIKE IT!”

Crosshair giving Omega a boost to get over the wall I’m crying

“Shouldn’t we free the other animals too?” “Don’t push it.”

HE IS MY SOULMATE (based on sarcasm. I am vegetarian and I would free those animal friendos in a heartbeat)

The extra head shake and eye roll at that question too, he is already so done I can’t hahahahahahahah

“I hope your take-offs are better than your landings” “we’re about to find out”

Aaaaaaand that just reminded me that Tech was the one who taught her to fly

🥲🥲🥲🥲

That fucking shriek when the stormtrooper got blasted by the engine hahahahahaha

Ohohoh altered batch theme after take off? Okayokayokay I see you👀

Jesus Christ, Crosshair trying to prepare Omega for the very real possibility that Hunter and Wrecker are dead?

Like I know it seems cruel and defeatist but it’s actually kind in a way

Managing expectations in order to save her from a worse fall out

FUCK I THOUGHT I’D HAVE TO WAIT TILL NEXT EPISODE FOR THEM REUNION

JESUS

AAAAAAHHHHH

“We crossed the galaxy four times looking for you”

SIR

I AM QUACKING

why did Hunter’s appearance suddenly piss me off

Like Wrecker had a cute line and Hunter had to walk up like

“Um, five actually”

Like idk it felt like he was taking over the moment (which makes sense because he’s her dad but still it just sounded awkward)

EXCUSE ME??? I BEG YOUR BIGGEST PARDON??

Omega just explained that she only got off that planet AND survived so far thanks to Crosshair and all they can do is look all bitchy butt-hurt

Like I expected this from Hunter but why isn’t Wrecker hugging him?

Bc they went looking for Cross before, I thought we were past the straight up hate?

Love how stoically Cross is taking it though

I have to admit, so far this is one of my all time favourites. The comedic timing, the very real story line, the confrontation of previously opposed characters? Wonderful. But the pièce de résistance? Crosshair’s character description rings true again. “Severe and unyielding” Tech had said. I’ve rambled about this a lot recently, but the boiled down version is that when Crosshair commits to something, he commits all the way. Like how he committed to the Empire so hard that he hunted down his brothers. Or when he finally decided the Empire was a bunch of shitbags and shot officer shitbag (I forget his name) in the face. He has now decided to commit to Omega, for whatever reason. And it shows. Because even when she tells him to go, he’s literally only a minute behind her. He lets her employ her own strategies despite his preference and experience. He’s ready to beat up Captain Dickhead (did they even give him a name?) for sitting down across from her. He tells her to get into the ship first while he lays down cover fire.

Crosshair’s next “severe and unyielding” decision is Omega’s safety. And I couldn’t be more excited to see where it goes!

AND I cannot believe how much I suddenly like his character. I was so disinterested in him for like s1 and maybe 90% of s2 but now I am more interested in what becomes of him than I am in what the deal is with Omega’s M-count.

I’m saying it now. These seasons hyper focuses are: Rex, Echo and Crosshair (in that order) (for now, we’ll see)

Thanks to everyone who sat through that, have a good day/night/whatever, friend!

#THIS EPISODE #HOOOOOO BOY #gah this was good #honestly made me so happy #I am hanging out with people all day today but if that wasn’t the case there probably would be a new chapter of when we bleed today as wel #but you can’t have everything I guess #star wars #the bad batch #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb omega #sw tbb #tbb #tbb s3 #tbb s3 spoilers #tbb spoilers

[wibble-wobbegong]

no im being taken over by the demon that is nancy wheeler. the way she treats other people’s problems is so blatantly derived from karen that it makes me insane

she so often fails to account for the issues people around her face when these issues aren’t putting them in immediate danger and we see this specifically with jonathan and mike. nancy was scared for mike in S1 because he was being hunted by the lab and he was in the pinnacle of danger, but as the seasons move on and mike is moved away from being the direct, most obvious victim nancy begins to redirect her attention.

if mike were to come to her directly about some of his issues, it’s a solid 50/50 as to whether or not she would see them as important enough to really address and we know that because of the way she never addressed her fault in the argument with jonathan in S3!! in her mind, her issues took priority because she doesn’t understand jonathan’s perspective and there isn’t a chance for her to delve into that because the giant flesh eating monster becomes another, higher priority

nancy faces a level of egocentricity but it’s not an intentional ignorance of other people’s problems or because she doesn’t care. she cares so much, and we see it with how she treats max even though she barely knows her because she wants max to be safe! she goes out and she protects jonathan from the demogorgon! nancy cares about people, she doesn’t want to watch anyone get hurt, but the household she was raised in didn’t foster a care that runs deeper than Keeping People Alive

like obviously she loves jonathan and she’s affectionate with him and has a whole speech about why she loves him. obviously (not really) she loves her brother. but, when it comes to needing to be the one to reach out, she doesn’t do it. she wasn’t raised to rely on others or let others rely on her for the small things. her idea of love comes from parents who barely care, and when they do it’s after break downs when she’s on the verge of tears or something.

jonathan and mike have also been raised to be independent people for different reasons, but they’ve also had people to connect with on a deeper level. the only person nancy really had like that died. when she tried to express her grief, she was shut down by steve and karen. karen only ever talked to her about issues she could personally relate to, and we see that reflected in nancy’s behavior

and of course it isn’t okay for her to treat people the way she does, but it’s not malicious or intentional. it’s a blindness she was raised to have and has yet to learn to overcome. in the same way el shouldn’t be smashing people’s faces in and mike shouldn’t have said what he said in the rain fight and will shouldn’t have shouldered the disconnect between him and mike entirely on mike’s shoulders, nancy shouldn’t only be valuing life threatening problems — but all of those actions have reasons. none of that is superficial or a flaw for the sake of flaws. it’s something to grow from and create a captivating arc with

n e way i actually love nancy and my hating in the past was very mike focused. her character is so interesting to me and i desperately want to put her under a microscope

#the WHEELERS bro #such fascinating creatures #forever and always gonna wanna smack her for the way she treats mike but that’s just integral to being a mike fan #whenever he suffers i feel it in my bones and need to swaddle him and carey him away #nancy can have mike privileges when she can care about more than just the fact that he is Alive lmao #nancy wheeler #preparing to be torn apart but thats ok <3 #she’s such a creature

[brookitty]

Okay sooo let's get this straight. Marinette, along with others, withholding information from Adrien about HIS life is WRONG. The show knows this.

S2, Syren: Chat Noir is upset that Ladybug is keeping secrets from him (about Master Fu). This is resolved bc Chat Noir is granted an introduction with Master Fu.

S3, Chameleon: Adrien tells Lila he is happy to be her friend, on one condition, she doesn't lie to him.

S3, Backwarder: Marinette and her friends debate on how Marinette should interject herself between Adrien and Kagami. Someone suggests she disguise herself as a celebrity to woo Adrien, but the idea is shot down bc "Adrien hates lying"

S3, Puppeteer 2: Chat Noir tells Ladybug that the more important something is, is precisely more the reason you have to say it. No matter what.

S4, Lies: Adrien is personally very hurt and guilt ridden when Kagami accuses him of being untruthful.

S4, Rocketear: Adrien is upset that Ladybug allowed for Alya and Nino to know eachother's identity bc it contradicts everything she has told him thus far.

S4, Hack-San: Adrien is beyond angry and betrayed that Ladybug would lend her Miraculous to someone and not inform him on it before hand.

S4, Ephemeral: Adrien confesses how heavy of a weight his secret identity has been on him. As well as feeling like he has been dishonest with Ladybug.

S4, Kuro Neko: Adrien questions his identity and is unsure who his authentic self is. This causes him some distress until Plagg provides him with a satisfying answer. He is both Adrien and Chat Noir, therefore, he is not being inauthentic.

S4, Strikeback: Adrien is upset that Ladybug had kept Rena Furtive a secret from him. Ladybug realizes that, although she meant well, she had been keeping Chat Noir out of the loop and it was wrong. ** She realizes this with Chat Noir not Adrien.

S5, Jubilation: Both Ladybug and Chat Noir are upset after having lost their marriage and four children. Chat Noir is noticeably more enraged than Ladybug. He goes on to emphasize his contempt for having his feelings played with. He attempts to kill Darker Owl.

S5, Passion: Marinette asks Adrien if he is alright. He says that's he's fine, but then decides to tell Marinette the truth that he is worried about Natalie.

S5, Elation: Chat Noir feels wrong for kissing Marinette bc he knows who she is, but she doesn't know who he is. He feels that he is taking advantage of her unawareness (him being Adrien). It's dishonest.

S5, Emotion: Adrien tells Marinette that he couldn't tell her about the Diamond Dance bc his father had ordered him not to. This admission comes from Adrien without Marinette having to ask him.

S5, Revolution: Adrien is tormented with guilt about not telling Marinette about him moving to London. Although, last minute, Adrien is able to work up the courage to tell Marinette before Chloé could.

Miraculous: Rise of the Sphinx, the video game: Adrien's character bio in Marinette's scrapbook includes his likes and dislikes. His like...... Ladybug, of course. His dislike........ dishonesty. Marinette's bio in comparison states she dislikes, "bullies and liars". Which I think is a compelling difference. Adrien doesn't just dislike liars; he dislikes dishonesty.

Dishonesty is a much more broad and grey area than lying. It's why Adrien is uncomfortable with secret identities. It's why he feels uneasy about his own identity as Chat Noir. It's why he was so upset over Ladybug allowing Alya and Nino to know eachothers identities. Ladybug didn't lie to him, but she was being dishonest. It's also why he didn't feel comfortable pursuing a relationship with Marinette as Chat Noir because it would be dishonest. He recognized that he held information on her (as her classmate and friend) that she did not willingly give him. It would not only be unfair, but dishonest.

This characteristic of Adrien's isn't some fandom conceived trait. It's been a very prominent feature of who Adrien is as a person throughout the entire series. There has always been a very strong narrative regarding Adrien's dislike for secrets, lies, illusions, disingenuinity, dishonesty...

The finale was NOT the show justifying Gabriel's actions nor the lie Adrien was told about his father's role.

The way I see it is that because Adrien is the deuterogonist of the show his discovery of all these secrets can not be fully resolved in ONE season finale. Now that the Monarch situation has been dealt with. Now that the kwamis have been rescued. Now that Marinette is dating Adrien. There really isn't any other conflict our protagonist has other than the secret she is withholding from the boy she loves. The writers of Miraculous get a lot of undeserved flak in my opinion. I trust them, and I trust the direction of the story.

Ideally, I would hope this conclusion is meant to lead into an Adrien focused season 6. I would hope that ultimately Marinette will come forward and tell Adrien herself. However, I understand before we get there we're gonna need to marinate in this icky resolution for the sake of drama. It is a show after all, we're here to be entertained.

#long post for no one but myself #ml spoilers #ml s5 spoilers #miraculous ladybug #ml recreation spoilers #ml recreation #recreation spoilers #adrien agreste #chat noir #cat noir #gabriel agreste #marinette dupain cheng #marinette dupain-cheng #ladybug #ml #ml s5

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

Just say you hate Eleven don’t beat around the bush with listing all the reasons Will deserves a prize. “deserves the boy he loves” right and where does Mikes feelings coming into that exactly? So far I’ve learned there two sets of fans the ones who fancy finn and want to see him kiss boys as some weird fantasy and the others who adore Will and feel he deserves what he wants without thinking of the other party.

Only in the ST fandom can someone take a reasonable sentence like, “After four seasons of trauma, Will deserves a happy ending” and utterly twist it to mean, “I hate El and want her to be alone and miserable grrr.” It’s also wild how you can glean “Will deserves a prize” from my words when that’s not at all what I said. I don’t see Mike as a “prize” for Will. That’d be ridiculous. I see them as equals- because that’s what they are: lifelong best friends who’ve been through so much, consistently put each other first, and have made multiple beautiful promises to each other.

“But you said, ‘Will has suffered so much and deserves a happy ending with the boy he loves.’ How is that not proving my point?” Yes, I did say that, and I would say it again in a heartbeat. Will has suffered so much. Here’s a refresher on just some of his trauma. Given the context of everything, given the significance of Will’s sexuality to both his coming-of-age journey and the 80s, it would be genuinely cruel to not give him a happy ending. And it’s not Byler shippers on the Internet, but the show itself, that has consistently tied this happy ending to Mike. It’s been reinforced in every season, and the writers and filmmakers doubled-down on it in Season 4 through the van scene and through aggressively inserting Will into every Milkvan scene so that he’s always on your mind. S3 brought up their hypothetical question of the future through the rain fight, and it also had Will very specifically saying, “I’m not gonna fall in love.” This was not placed in the show so he could be proven right in S5 when Mike iNeViTaBlY rejects him. Be serious.

As I said in my post, this has nothing to do with thinking unreciprocated storylines don’t serve a purpose in media. Obviously they do! Stranger Things has given us a few: Dustin and Max, Steve and Robin, and Steve and Nancy (after they broke up). It is also given us another which I will talk about in a second, although this one comes with a twist. Dustin was crushing on the attractive new girl in school, as was Lucas. Max chose Lucas and fell for him. Dustin was sad about it, sure. The Snowball dance emphasized his general sadness as well as his unluckiness with girls at the time. Narratively, dancing with Nancy was the healing moment he needed to move on. It propelled his character to his Season 3 glow up, where he surprises his friends with news that he is dating Suzie. Dustin liked Max, but he wasn’t in love with Max, built upon a lifelong friendship. The situation is just structurally different.

Steve and Robin? Well, you know the story. Steve developed feelings for Robin (after Dustin pushed him in that direction, I might add) over the course of S3. But Robin was like, “Psyche! I’m a lesbian. Let’s be best friends,” and platonic Stobin was born. Notice there was no grief on Steve’s part. Steve was shocked, sure, but he wasn’t heartbroken. He bounced back in a heartbeat and fully accepted her sexuality. And then the season ends with their friendship shenanigans at the video store. Again, this was a crush. And it had a very interesting plot twist at the end of it. And it served a very specific purpose in Steve’s journey.

In terms of Steve and Nancy, there was more heartbreak involved, since they were actually dating. And in S4, it’s clear that Steve has never fully gotten over Nancy, or at least he thinks he hasn’t gotten over her. But narratively, this just serves a fundamentally different purpose than the situation between Mike and Will. Steve believes he needs romantic love to be happy, so his arc is accepting that he doesn’t. Also, as a presumed straight character (even though I love the bi Steve HCs), he doesn’t have the same kind of existential crisis that Will, a sad gay boy in the 80s, does.

The fourth unreciprocated storyline is an interesting one cause it’s not actually unreciprocated at all. It just seems that way. And of course, I’m talking about Robin and Vickie. Robin has feelings for Vickie, but when she sees Vickie with her boyfriend Dan, she assumes all hope is lost. But alas, all hope is not lost! Vickie is queer too and has feelings for Robin as well. You just have to take off your heteronormative glasses to recognize it. Sound similar to something else?

I bring this up because while Byler shares surface-level similarities to these other unrequited storylines, it visually parallels the situation with Robin and Vickie. So don’t be surprised when Mike, like Vickie, turns out not to be straight. And character wise, it’s deeper than all the other examples by miles. Dustin got over Max, Steve got over Robin, Steve is just looking for any girlfriend tbh, and S4 showed Robin getting over Vickie before the plot twist. Will and Mike are lifelong best friends, and a slow-burn rejection arc would not only make no sense, in-universe it would structurally derail Byler’s powerful connection and interrupt key plots already in motion during the apocalypse.

You forget that these aren’t real people. They are characters. In real life, sure, sometimes you don’t get what you want. Sometimes gay kids fall in love with their lifelong straight best friends, get gently rejected, and then life goes on eventually. In real life, saying, “But I have suffered, so you must love me back,” would be insane. And Will agrees. The homewrecker allegations need to stop. In the context of the show, Will doesn’t think that Mike loves him back. He doesn’t think love can be for boys like him. It rips him apart and tears him inside for sure, but all throughout S4 he’s the one trying to repair his bestie’s relationship while being madly in love with him. Will thinks he will be forever alone, and your argument is that he should be proven right?

Of course, I adore Will. He’s my favorite character, and I’m a proud member of the Willuminati. The shoe fits, and I will wear it. But I saw this Tweet today that I had to screenshot, and it applies directly to the subtext of your ask:

No one should find it strange or delusional or creepy that people ship Will with the boy he’s into. Calling it a “weird fantasy” in any context is inherently homophobic and weird behavior. You simply would not say that about any other ship in the show. Admit that you find queerness icky. Don’t hide behind faux concern for El.

Lastly, I must directly respond to your question,“Where do Mike’s feelings come into that exactly? Why do Bylers feel Will deserves what he wants without thinking of the other party?”

What are you even saying? Accusing Bylers of not thinking about Mike is the strangest accusation considering there are 50 essays per day posted on this app diving into the psychology of Mike. Mike’s feelings are powerful. Mike’s feelings are important. I could just as easily have written a post that said, “After everything Mike has been through, he deserves a happy ending with the boy he loves” because Mike clearly loves Will. It is overflowing out of him. If you analyze and “think of the other party” as you put it, it becomes crystal-clear where Mike’s feelings come into play and what his happy ending is. Hint: it’s not with the girl he can’t even write ILY to.

I could have written about Mike, but my post was about Will, who is canonically gay, deeply traumatized, and whose sexuality is not in doubt. Will deserves a happy ending. “But El is also traumatized, and she deserves a happy ending as well.” Agreed, but her happy ending and the overall trajectory of her character arc simply do not center Mike. El’s arc is rooted in her independence, and I could do a deep-dive analysis comparing and contrasting Will and El and explaining why romantic love is central to Will’s endgame but not to El’s. But I’m sure there are fifty of those already on this platform. I want Mike, Will, and El to all have happy endings.

Anyway, Byler endgame.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #el hopper #stranger things

[findafight]

With the whole "Munson doctrine" bs. Eddie wasn't just against the jocks and the bullies (and there's no proof that he was seriously bullied? Just a bit of an outcast?). He was against anyone that was a part of what he called conformity. In that stupid speech on the table he called out people in band and those who like science for forced conformity. Other outcasts, other people that would have been bullied. Because they liked something he didn't.

It wasn't about self defense, it was an I'm right, you're wrong mentality, that his interests were the only valid interests.

Also, this is why I *hate* the idea of Eddie and Robin being friends or having some sort of alliance pre-s4 (or even pre-s3) because she's in band and likes band and he canonically criticized being in band as forced conformity. Why would she be friends with someone who is so vocally against something she enjoyed?

Oh yes I think Eddie has a bee in his bonnet about people who don't......conform.....to his brand of nonconformity. But I do think part of it is self preservation, or at least started out that way but grew into something else? Eddie is an outcast, has a non-nuclear family, and is poor, and all that shapes his view, but it also doesn't stop him from ostracizing people who he thinks aren't outcast enough or in the correct way (Subconsciously, at least.) Eddie thinks the only way to be a weirdo and a freak is to be loud about it, to be purposely obnoxious, to not even consider the normie hobbies or interests as something worth your time.

But as you've said band geeks and science nerds would also be in the crossfire. Heck, the party are all science nerds! I guess that didn't actually interfere with Eddie's interests though. Until inevitably a big county/state science fair or something would be on Hellfire night, and then it might have (except the Duffers would not have done that because they want to continue the nerd v jock thing happening that's just so stupid). He left Lucas out to dry, what's to say he wouldn't do the same to the other boys?

Part of what makes Eddie a fun and interesting character is that we get a glimpse of him starting to realize the strict us vs them, jocks vs nerds, conformity vs nonconformity binaries he's built around himself are not so clear-cut when he talks to Steve in the upside down. But it took him seeing Steve being a chill and kind guy, as opposed to Lucas who was in Hellfire since the beginning of the year to make him see that. Maybe he viewed Lucas as betraying them by joining basketball, but Steve, moving in the """opposite direction""" away from ""jockdom"" was what made it click for him. Eddie has a lot of issues to work through regarding expectations and nonconformity.

Oh. Yes I don't think, in canon, Eddie and Robin would be friends pre S4. Like I think aus that show us how he works through things (or at least tells us he did) can be fun. But when there's just the assumption that they'd be friends pre S4 or even pre S3 without either of them changing from how we were introduced to them? Uhg. Robin thinks Eddie is an annoying weirdo who stepped on her lunch one time :( and said the band uniforms were stupid and she took offense to that because he acted like it was their fault and not the school's. Eddie thinks Robin is some boring band dweeb and never thinks about her unless it's a vauge sort of "oh she's talking to Dustin" way.

It's also frustrating because Steve is often left behind in these AUs, and Eddie replaces him as Robin's best friend [at least at the start] One of the reasons stobin is so powerful is because they were both lonely losers who happened to find their forever friend in scoops ahoy. Robin having a close friend she's out to before that doesn't make sense, especially since it's heavily implied Steve is the first person she's told, which is why that scene means so much!

#eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things meta #findaanswers #anonasaurus #steve robin and eddie being friends is fun but one must remember that steve is a key component of that #without him idk if robin and eddie would work out haha

[daily-crowley]

TELL ME ABT YOUR OTHER HYPERFIXATIONS!! Mine are currently Loki, ofmd, good omens, and Hozier :D

THANK YOU FOR ASKING, THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG!

There’s a few hyperfixations of mine I’m always talking about but right now there’s 3 main ones.

1. The Boys

2. Invincible

3. Peacemaker

The Boys is the main one; I loved it since it came out back in 2019. I moved on sometime after S3 ended and I found another hyperfixation but now new content is coming out with S4 so I’m back on my The Boys bullshit. I’m a Butchlander shipper, BILLY BUTCHER AND HOMELANDER CONSUME MY THOUGHTS. I AM BEYOND OBSESSED WITH THOSE TWO! I need them to kiss…. And-and more. Anthony Starr and Karl Urban are my current celebrity crushes that I’m only able to think about. If you follow me in insta it’s just been The Boys 24/7 that I’ve talked about since new content started dropping thanks to S4. HOMELANDER IS MY BABYGIRL I WILL DEFEND HIM I DON’T CARE FOR HIS CRIMES I DON’T CARE IF I’M SUPPOSE TO HATE HIM, I LOVE HIM. BILLY BUTCHER MY GOTH BOYFRIEND I WILL DIE IF YOU DIE. HE CANT DIE, HE JUST CAN’T. S4 teaser was insane, so much was going on, Black Noir is back?! And Jeffrey Dean Morgan is joining the cast! AND TEAMING UP WITH BUTCHER?! They said that trailer was just a scratch on the surface of what happens, wasn’t even a trailer just a teaser but it had so much going on WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT’T JUST A SMALL TASTE OF S4?! I’m scared but excited. I’m nervous but excited (Billy if you fucking die on me- that’s what I’m most worried about)

Invincible is my other current hyperfixation, S1 was so good and I can’t wait for S2 to continue. They should’ve dropped all the episodes at once that way I don’t have to wait but whatever. Vigilante is my little meow meow from Peacemaker. I love Adrian so much, hate that I gotta wait till like 2025-2026 for S2 possibly.

My other interests that I talk about all the time (not currently much though thanks to The Boys) are:

• NATM/JedTavius

• Venom/SymBrock

• SamBucky/Marvel in general

• FNAF

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit

• Maleficent

• The Simpsons

Night at The Museum came out when I was 7, I’m 24 now, I haven’t moved on. It was my first hyperfixation and ship before I even knew what that all meant. I’ve written like 30 JedTavius fics. I’m a Venom fan first and a Spider-Man hater second. I will defend Venom at all times and Eddie and him are definitely in love. When the FNAF film came out it brought me back to my FNAF phase, Foxy’s my favourite with Bonnie being second. I watched the film about 20 times. Then in November I started a personal rewatch challenge on Insta where I watched it all month long. Meaning I’ve probably watched it at least 50 times and I still haven’t gotten sick of it (also I love the Josh Hutcherson whistle meme. I don’t care how much people hate it I think it’s funny.) I’m a huge Marvel fan, I literally grew up with the comics, I’m not kidding those were read to me as my bedtime stories. My favourite characters are Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as a result I ship them. I never shipped Stucky, that never made sense to me whilst Sam and Bucky have so much chemistry. Sam Wilson is everything to me, I adore SamCap he’s MY Captain America (still love Steve though!) Roger Rabbit is my favourite fictional character of all time, my biggest comfort character. Growing up I really tried to base my personality off of him, the world might be obsessed with Jessica Rabbit but I’m obsessed with Roger. People need to draw, edit, and cosplay him as much as they do Jessica. I’ve been a huge Simpsons fan since I was like 10 and my mother dropped me off at my aunts house and she left leaving me alone with my cousin who was watching The Simpsons and it took off from there. Nelson Muntz is my funky little son and they need to make Nelisa canon. Maleficent is my favourite Disney character (actually like quite a bit of Disney, second favourite character being Donald Duck) I based a lot of my style around her, and I have a lot of Maleficent collectibles. I absolutely love the Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent films (totally ship her with Diaval).

There’s a few other things that I really, really love. I’m also a huge horror fan my favourite being Chucky/Child’s Play as well as Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (not 3D), Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc. Sanrio, Kuromi is my favourite second is Pochacco, I really love animated films and cartoons. IT, Monster High, and more. I’m also a collector of all these things.

So there you have it. Those are all my hyperfixation and fandom’s that I’m in. Right now especially those first 3 that I talked about (seriously can you tell I really like The Boys? Lol)

#got a little carried away at the end there and started talking about some other stuff that I love #you probably know a lot more about me than you wanted to I’m not sorry

[lialovesstuff]

It's so interesting to me, as I grow older to see how some of the reactions these kids have are very mild considering that they go through the most traumatising experiences.

I was listening to the anubis backwards podcast interview with Brad Kavanagh (which if you are an anubis fan I highly recommend you go check out because it is super interesting), and he did mention something about how the reactions had to fall in line with the fact that it is still a kid's show. So the reactions could never be too strong.

Taking this, it makes me think about how mentally distressed these students are but they could never really express that because of the PG nature of the show. Having recently rewatched the show I realised how traumatising the things that happen to these kids are and how irl these things would affect a person mentally, but sometimes it makes you angry that these things are sort of just brushed under the carpet.

I want to start off by talking about my girl Patricia. She was gaslit by everyone around her, kidnapped, betrayed by the people whom she trusted would take care of her, has no memory of what we can assume is weeks of her life, and based on the whole Piper situation we can possibly assume she feels neglected or overshadowed. I think this is what leads her to not be vulnerable in front of anyone. Yet, we don't see her express her PTSD at any point after the whole nightmare situation with Rufus. I would have really liked to have seen her PTSD or trauma addressed in some form. For example, how her and Eddie becoming a couple helped her with her nightmares because she finally felt safe with someone and she finally feels like someone believes her and loves her unconditionally.

Then there's Joy. There is so much to talk about when it comes to Joy and I will forever be mad about how the writers address istg maybe 4 times since she came back. She was kidnapped by her own father, betrayed by her teachers, almost sacrificed to some Egyptian cult, had no contact with the outside world, had her education, friends and freedom taken from her at the young age of 16 (I assume), and after all of this still being forced to go back to school and be taught and associate with the people who caused all of this. I really hate how when she came back no one even asked how she feels to be back or just generally checking on her mental health. I’m surprised she went back to that school at all tbh. It was all business as usual and even she didn’t exhibit any ptsd symptoms. I think something as simple as just showing her being terrified of being left in the same room as these teachers would make for an interesting plot point, or talking to Patricia about how she feels scared going back to school. The only time when Joy does exhibit any form of PTSD is when they are forced to wear the robes in S3 and the poor girl literally looks terrified. There’s so much to unpack with Joy, so the last thing I will say is that in S2 I feel like one of her arcs could be learning to deal with the trauma and overcome it. Also it makes me so mad that none of the adults apologised to her.

Moving on to Eddie Miller. This boy has probably dealt with abandonment issues his whole life from his dad leaving. His whole 'rebel' persona probably came about from him not having a male figure in his life and was almost trying to fill that void or not being able to cope with his dad leaving. This is probably why Eddie finds it hard to open up to people, with the first person he truly trusts (besides his mum probably) is Patricia as he says multiple times that he trusts her and he tells her directly that he likes her, which he says himself was not easy for him. He does start to build a relationship with his dad but once again it is something that gets resolved in like 5 minutes and from there they seem to have the building blocks to start building a relationship. This is nice, don't get me wrong, but given that Eddie's dad has been out of his life for years and all it took was a 5-minute convo to get their relationship rolling seems unrealistic. In the conversation, Eddie does say "you didn't want me then, and you don't want me know", which I think is a very deep line for a nick show but still I think irl a boy in Eddie's position would have had a lot more of his true feelings and emotions flow out.

Jerome is a similar case to Eddie. A boy who struggles to reconnect with his father after years. I will say I always thought this arc was really deep for a nick show. A boy finds out his father is in prison and tries to rebuild a connection with him. I do have to say that arc of Jerome rebuilding his relationship with his father has a better pace in comparison to Eddie and his dad, but still, I do imagine a boy discovering his estranged father is in prison would cause a bigger reaction, but once again going back to the idea that it is a kid's show they had to keep his reaction relatively 'neutral'. Also considering that Eugene Simon is a great actor I think he would be able to represent those emotions really well.

Of course, there is still so much to say about all of the characters in the show, but I do find this an interesting observation also in line with what Brad said on the podcast.

#house of anubis #hoa #hoa rewatch #patricia williamson #eddie miller #joy mercer #jerome clarke #brad kavanagh #anubis backwards #nickelodeon #teen nick

[ellewritesandrants]

I was inspired to write some Billy and Max wingmanning for each other because of this post from @11willgrahamseyes11 because why not?

Imagine it’s post S3 where Billy survived and Max just found out that Neil had left Hawkins. She heads to the hospital to tell her brother, because that’s what he was, that his dad had just skipped town to avoid paying medical bills he wasn’t even going to be charged for.

“Neil left?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Billy.”

“Figures he got sick of having a queer disabled freak for a son.” Billy scoffed.

Max slapped his shoulder, confident enough to do so after months of proper communication, bonding and actually getting to be siblings and not each other’s burdens to bear.

“Hey! Don’t talk about my brother that way, asshole. And anyway, Neil would have eventually realized he had two queer kids and he’d probably have run even faster.”

Billy eyes snapped to hers.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

A peaceful moment of silence passed before Billy broke it.

“Is it that psychic chick, the one that’s dating Wheeler?”

Max immediately bristled.

“How’d you know?”

“Let’s just say I know what it feels like to pine after someone who’s in love with a Wheeler.”

Max took a good minute to think before it finally clicked.

“Steve? You like Steve?”

“Don’t be so loud, Maxie! But, yeah, I like Steve. Anything wrong with that?”

“A lot. Steve’s a dumbass, Billy.”

“Hey! I think it’s cute. Anyway, that El girl isn’t the most talkative girl in the world.”

“But I like that about her.”

“Well, I guess we’re both saps for people who’ll never like us back.”

“I don’t know. I think I might have a chance if I can convince her to break up with her boyfriend.”

“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Lucas? I broke up with him months ago after he didn’t even try to give you a chance to apologize. If he wanted to get me back, he knew what he should have done and if he doesn’t want to, then good riddance.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. After all, it’s me and you against the world, right, Kill Bill?”

“It’s me and you against the world, Mad Max.”

Since Billy wanted at least one of them to get their happy ending, he gets Max to ask El if she was willing to visit Billy so they could talk about the memories she’s seen and of course, El agrees.

Billy hasn't really had any visitors outside of Max ever since he was admitted into the hospital due to him being in the PICU for the first three months and only allowing a limited number of people inside to visit him. It's been another three months since he was moved to a regular room and the doctors had just cleared Billy to receive more visitors but to keep them to 2-4 people to avoid overcrowding.

None of his so-called friends actually visited but he had somewhat expected it. Tommy had promised to visit after sending a letter checking in but he and Carol were busy at the college their dads bought them into so it left the basketball team who stopped by after practice once to tell him how badly they were doing without him and how they couldn't wait to have him on the court again.

None of Max's friends have been by either but Billy heard from Max about a big fight they'd had regarding Billy and how the boys refused to think that Billy was anything but evil, forcing Max, El and Will to branch away because Will was hurt since he'd also been possessed and therefore, just as evil and El hated how they treated Billy as a monster when he was just as much a victim as she was.

Hopper doesn't really trust Billy but after he allows it on the condition that Max stays in the room which Billy doesn't fight. They have a nice chat about the memories, most of which Max wasn't aware of but it actually helps them since Billy's willing to trust Max enough to bare his soul to her willingly.

After they have an emotional talk about bad fathers who need to be kept out of their lives as well as absent mothers who tried, Billy shifts the conversation more to school because he's been helping Max keep on top of her classes so he offered the same to El.

Max quickly corrects Billy and tells him that El was homeschooled due to her not being allowed to study because of the lab. Billy has the bright idea of tutoring El during the day since he wasn't really doing anything and he was bored out of his mind and running out of books to read that Max would borrow from the library for him.

It would not only give him something to do but also a way to see if Max actually had a chance that didn't involve Max getting hurt. He could also help El who seemed like she really did need help, just like he did.

Of course, they ran it past Hopper who initially wanted nothing to do with Billy Hargrove until Max told him the truth about Neil. Hopper was eventually worn down by El who was tired of being stuck at the cabin with no one to talk to and he agreed under the condition that he'd be there during the first few sessions.

Once Hopper was there, he took the sessions as a chance to confirm what El said and when he really, truly looked at Billy, he saw a reflection of the kid he used to be, abused and alone and he realized why El had wanted to get to know Billy and to be his friend.

It also didn't hurt that Billy was an honors student who used to tutor in California during the weekdays for extra cash and he was used to being a tutor and helping students with their studies.

Hopper worked out a deal with Billy that El would come over three times a week when she was supposed to have school and he would help her for a daily rate.

She progressed in leaps and bounds under someone who was used to working around certain hang-ups and Billy was able to help El, whom he commonly called Jane or Janie to find a way of studying that worked for her that wasn't just reading books and answering worksheets.

Her progress astounded the newly together Joyce and Hopper, leading to her asking if Billy could do the same for Will since he wasn't really talking to the other boys.

Soon, Billy's hospital room became the trio's common hang-out spot after school, with Will and Max either biking, skating or walking together so that they could get help on their homework from Billy after he and El were done with their lessons for the day.

The entire time that Billy had been tutoring the kids, he'd been observing the interactions between El and Max and it really did seem like his little sister had a chance. Of course, there was still the tiny hang-up in the form of Mike Wheeler and Lucas Sinclair who apparently still didn't get the hint that their respective relationships were over.

Since El, Max and Will were all comfortable with Billy, once they were done with their homework and lessons, they usually talked about anything under the sun to help El be more familiar with popular culture and how the world worked so one day, Billy slyly got the conversation to head towards gender expression and sexuality.

He'd learned a lot in California that he couldn't really put into practice in Hawkins but he was reasonably sure that these three kids in particular would be able to accept him and would actually benefit from what he said.

Billy had ended up coming out of the closet to the kids who swore to keep it a secret and he answered any and all questions they had. El was surprised that women could be with other women and men could be with other men or with multiple people because all Hopper and Mike had ever told her was that boys went with girls and vice versa.

This led to Will and El to question their sexualities and to realize that maybe they weren't as straight as they assumed. Will was definitely getting a case of hero worship for the older teen and it showed when he got home, enough that Joyce was able to paint a clear picture of Billy's life which she didn't like.

She came to visit him once without El to confirm her assumptions and she made sure to tell him that he was always welcome at their house after everything he's done for them. Billy had teared up and he'd gotten his first hug from a mom in months since Susan had ended up falling into a pit of alcoholism again.

Joyce had reamed Hopper afterwards for not being able to help Billy beforehand and how Hopper would have to make things up to Billy after he was discharged. Joyce would keep visiting Billy, often bringing food to share and occasionally, bringing Hopper along with her to help the bigger man to see Billy as she saw him, a lonely kid in need of parental guidance.

Almost a whole school year passed with an increase in the tension between Max and El but no action on either side of the pair. Will was El's confidant and he was slowly going crazy about how El ranted and raved about how pretty and smart Max was without doing anything about it.

Billy, on the other hand, was tired about hearing all about how cute and adorable El was from his little sister and while he had partially caused this to happen, he also didn't want to keep hearing about it.

So, Billy made plans. He was getting discharged pretty soon and his physical therapy was going pretty well, enough that he was looking to be in shape and back to peak condition in a few months and that he was being allowed behind the wheel.

Truth be told, Billy had fully recovered by the time he started tutoring the kids but the doctors and scientists still couldn't understand why he was still alive and how he had survived. The past few months were heavily focused on physical and mental therapy to help him get over the ordeal and to be able to live a normal life.

Billy would be forced to take his senior year a year late but he didn't mind since it would allow him to be able to watch the kids for their first year in high school, enough to at least protect them from the worst of it after hearing how badly Will had been bullied before.

The first thing Billy did after getting out of the hospital was to get Hopper to take him to his fully repaired car so he could get over the mental block of being behind the wheel and actually being in control.

After going around town with Joyce in the front seat, cheering him on, he went to pick up the kids on their last day of middle school so they could celebrate.

The entirety of Hawkins was shocked to find Billy Hargrove driving his signature Camaro, thinner and more lithe than before but happier than they had ever seen him, picking up his little sister and spinning her in a hug and immediately pulling Will "the Fairy" Byers into an other hug after.

The rest of the party watched in awe and shock at the scene, not knowing that Will had even talked to Billy after everything. Steve was also equally in shock but it also felt like the first time he had ever seen Billy Hargrove.

After, Billy stopped by the new Byers-Hopper house to pick up El and he invited Jonathan to come with them for dinner at the diner where Joyce and Hopper would meet them. He and Jonathan had had a few conversations since he'd come to the hospital to pick up and drop off Will, El or both of the teens and they'd come to bond over shitty fathers and the small overlap of the musicians they liked.

Weirdly enough, it was the exact same diner that Steve had brought the other boys to celebrate their last day of school since it was beside the arcade. Billy had been half tempted to leave but having Max by his side made him brave enough to brave the stares that followed him.

He hadn't let their glares get in the way of his first real meal outside of the hospital and he enjoyed dinner for the first time in a long time surrounded by people who cared about him.

After he paid using some of the government’s compensation, Max managed to convince him to show El the ropes in the arcade because he had been the one who had taught her most of the tricks that she used to get the high score.

The boys and Steve couldn't help their curiosity once Billy and the rest of the kids entered the arcade and they watched from a distance as Billy blew all of the high scores on all of the machines out of the water without even breaking a sweat.

Max saw this as the perfect time to set her brother up with his crush so she tricked Steve into agreeing into a competition on the basketball shooting game with Billy. Having them play side-by-side ignited the adrenaline rush that Steve used to feel when he was playing against Billy but this time, he was happy and excited and not angry.

By the end of 5 rounds, Billy had trounced him completely but Steve took his defeat graciously, even offering a rematch in swimming in his heated pool.

While the boys were having their friendly competition, the rest of the party, namely Dustin, Lucas and Mike were apologizing to Will, Max and El about not believing them when it came to Billy. It was obvious to see that he had changed a lot from the person he used to be and they wanted their friends back.

Max and subsequently El refused to accept their apology until Billy accepted their apology but Will quickly forgave his childhood best friends. Will had missed playing D&D with his friends and being able to talk them and not just to his family, including his new sister and her crush.

As soon as the friendly competition between Billy and Steve was over, the boys apologized to Billy who decided to be the bigger person and accept it while also apologizing for how he used to be.

Billy's made leaps and bounds of progress in therapy as to why he was the way he was and he was well on his way to become the person he wanted to be which meant forgiveness and understanding on both sides of the party.

The next weekend, Billy got permission from Joyce and Hopper to take El and Max to the mall in the next town over so he could finally get them to go on a date. Of course, Max hijacked his plans by subtly inviting Will to get the boys to watch a movie and of course, have Steve drive them.

While the boys were watching a movie, Steve was wandering aimlessly just as Billy was and in a small mall in Indiana, they were bound to cross paths. Steve couldn't help but want to get to know this new Billy so they ate a snack together at the food court and they passed a few hours getting to know each other.

The mall trip was a success on both ends because Max was finally brave enough to ask El to be her girlfriend while Steve was brave enough to set a date on the swimming rematch they planned to have.

It took a few months of summer loving before Steve finally worked the courage to kiss Billy and ask him to be his boyfriend but he eventually got there even if he had needed the intervention of the party because they were tired of his pining.

The Mayfield-Hargrove siblings were good wingmen to each other and they had a 100% success rate in stealing partners from the Wheelers.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove au #billy and max #billy hargrove is good with kids #max mayfield & billy hargrove #max mayfield #billy deserved better #billy hargrove deserved better #harringrove #steve harrington #billy x steve #billy hargrove redemption #stranger things rewrite #ellewritesandrants #elmax #el hopper #billy and will #will byers #el and will #joyce x hopper #joyce byers #jim hopper

[imthepunchlord]

Honestly, the thing I’m saltiest about in Tales of Arcadia is how they handled the redeemed villains. Angor Rot? Dead. Strickler? Dead. Nomura? Dead. Tronos Madu? Dead. Literally every redeemed villain doesn’t get a happy ending. It’s especially egregious when it comes to Angor Rot and Tronos, who were redeemed for all of five seconds before getting killed. Like, why even bother going through the trouble of giving that development if they’re going to die anyway? Redemption Equals Death is an incredibly stupid trope, and I really hate how liberally Tales of Arcadia uses it.

The trope does have purpose to serve, but it does depend on the characters. Cause sometimes that finality is the only way, and there is peace in moving on. One of the best examples can technically be Darth Vader, though that can be up for debate on his redemption. I wouldn't say he's fully redeemed, but has a redeeming death, saving his child over his dark service, felt like a good end for him.

So, the trope of Redemption Equals Death, it does have it's purpose and use, it just comes down to the character it will be applying to and their situations and set up. But the big issue with ToA is that they overused it. I would've top that trope at 2 characters max cause not every character will apply to that trope.

Like, I don't see the point of killing Strickler, narrative wise it didn't feel fitting. To me, it always felt that he was set up for a redemption and a happy ending.

Before he revealed himself a villain, you got to see that he loved teaching, and he worked off Jim well and on some level did still care for him. Like, you can also see the alarm/horror in his expression when he saw that Jim was the new Trollhunter and that Jim his student was now his enemy.

And even afterwards, able to accept that Jim IS his enemy, for a trained assassin who can easily kill this kid who just started out and would get stronger as he performed more, he didn't go out of his way to kill Jim, he first wanted to try and just steal the Amulet without causing Jim's death. I could be wrong, but, as antagonistic as he got, I felt he did always care for Jim on some level and was reluctant to see him dead, especially the first half of s1.

Also he did come to really care for Barbara (though it didn't stop his villainy, I feel those smacks in s3 should've happened in s2 but I guess they didn't want to explore Barbara in the know which is a weak choice to me). But, with her, his love of teaching, and his soft spot for Jim, Strickler was always set up for a redemption and a future ally and mentor. And with this, I always felt that Strickler's end was going to be him and Barbara marrying and he'd be Jim's stepfather, which would've led to more of their fun dynamic, where they do care but also can't help but be a little antagonistic and that it would improve as the years went on. Death didn't feel like a fitting end for him.

Angor Rot though I did see as a potential redeemed character and still fated for death and finding peace through it. This is a troll that had his soul taken from him, got forced into servitude to a human mage commanding him to hunt down his own people who were fighting his enemies, and through the years became hollow, bitter, and ruthless. Also, mindful the show is kinda up in the air about troll life expectancy, but there could be in the realm of possibility that Angor is also much longer lived than he should be given that he is tie to that ring. He's a villain that got put into a situation outside of his control, and he's forced into a service he didn't want to be in. By set up, that leaves him open for a redemption, and the possibility that death could finally bring him some peace, give him true freedom. Which I'm sure was the idea for s3 but I also had different ideas of what s3 was going to go, and it was so weird seeing Angor think highly of Morgana like, didn't you hate her?

Did, did you get some amnesia with your revival? Or was there some brainwashing with your revival? What's going on there, buddy?

Anyway, when s2 ended, I predicted that we were going to see a Claire and Angor dynamic explored, cause for Trollhunters, the first 2 seasons was really good about giving us different dynamics that actually came out to be a lot of fun to watch. Like Jim and Strickler and their antagonistic rivalry + Strickler falling for Jim's mom. And we got Claire and NotEnrique that was a lot of fun. And then we got Steve and Eli and gosh those two were hilarious.

So at the end of s2, I was anticipating that Claire was going to be trapped in Morgana's service with the revived Angor Rot and that they were going to be forced to work together and do as Morgana wills, and it was going to be intense and fascinating as Claire, next to Jim, had the biggest clash with Angor; she even thought that Jim should have kept that ring and wore it and forced Angor to work for him. And then lo and behold, she's now in a forced servitude and is working with a hostile and bitter Angor and what starts out as hostility becomes them becoming reluctant frienemies cause they're enemies stuck together serving something more dangerous than them and holds all the strings and the enemy of my enemy is my friend and those scenarios are always so fun to watch. And once free of Morgana, because he hates her far more than he hates Jim and co, he helps in that fight, and would pass on more at peace in contrast to his first end.

So, that's what I would've expected and that's what would've been my ideals on the paths for redeemed characters. Not every redeemed character needs to live on happily cause sometimes, there is that peace in death and moving on. But not every redeemed character should die either. And this series just took it waaaay to far, to a point it feels more for angst and shock value than something fitting to the character and story. But I also felt that s3 of Trollhunters was the start of this series starting to go downhill and made weird choices that clashed with what was initially set up so I'm not too surprised.

#ask Punchie #toa salt #toa trollhunters #trollhunters #tales of arcadia #walter strickler #angor rot