#i can't believe we're so close to season 4

[share-the-damn-bed]

COUNTDOWN TO ST4 | Top Jancy Moments

3 — Private Goodbye (S3E8)

"As a wise man once said, we've got shared trauma." "So what's a little more, right?."

#jancy #jonathan x nancy #stranger things #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #they are so in love here #i am so weepy over this scene :( #they are in LOVE #countdown to st4 #i can't believe we're so close to season 4 #it's probably going to break my heart into a million piece #which will only be a good thing if it also mends it back together #fingers crossed...

[byers-bowlcut]

Mike’s love for El being platonic, and not romantic, and realizing it over the course of season 3 reconciles nearly every contradiction with his behaviour.

He stands like a gay scarecrow as she kisses him in front of Will’s closet. That's him realizing that when he blurted out "I love her and I can't lose her again!" he meant it platonically. But her saying "ily too” WAS CLEARLY NOT PLATONIC, so now he’s left very confused (If he was simply shocked by the fact that she overheard him, he would’ve been surprised initially, and then kissed her back, and been all emotional and happy. But he wasnt.) 

In fact he probably realized his heart fluttered when Will said “not possible” to him in the scene literally 1 minute prior, but NOT when his gf was attempting to make out with him? That’s clearly a problem! lol

This leads flawlessly into season 4.

Mike has apparently been refusing to even write the word 'love’ in his letters for 6 whole months. Why? Cause he didn't want them to look like love letters.

Meanwhile, he’s jealous of Will painting something for a girl. So he argues with Will about growing apart.

El argues with him about not saying ily. In the fight, he deflects romantic connotations with words like “care” and superhero idolization that he seems suuuper into this season.

He NODS when Will says “What if they don’t like the truth?”. That’s him thinking “Yeah, El won’t like the truth that I don't return her romantic feelings.”

In the van, he says their meeting was dumb luck and anyone could've been there for her that night. That’s hinting that he was just being a decent human. Not that it was a fated love at first sight meeting.

Then Will says, “You’re afraid of losing her”. And THAT is the true issue here.

This whole concept of ‘losing El’ (be it in relationship/daily life, or in death), is scary to Mike, because of what he went through seasons 1-2. At 12 years old, he saw another kid that he developed a bond with, die right in front of his freaking eyes. But they didn’t have a body or anything. So Mike kept getting signs and intuitive feelings that she was still alive. So he questioned his own sanity. For a WHOLE YEAR. Can you imagine how traumatic that is? And then for a kid that age?? That’s exactly why he develops an unhealthy codependency with her in Season 3. And we see it have a negative impact on the unity of the party, and on Will.

But a traumatic response doesn’t change the fact that Season 3 transitions us through the party’s puberty and growth into teenage hood. 

And because of said puberty, Mike starts to realize what actual attraction towards someone is, or in this case… isnt.

Like if we think about the first two seasons, for a 12-13 year old living in that type of society, era, and a picture perfect white suburban American family, it would’ve been really really hard to figure it out back then! Like simply becoming very close friends with the opposite gender caused everyone (cough Nancy cough Lucas) to tell him that “ooooh you must like her”. So yeah, he thinks “I really must like her”. Because he does! He just can’t separate it from actual romantic attraction at that point due to age, and strong heteronormative standards, and no role models like Jonathan telling him “it’s okay to stray from the norm bro”. So of course he acts on it? That’s the NORM. He’s like, “You’re supposed to take a girl you like to the ball”, “We're supposed like girls now”, “This is what growing up means”, “This what old people do”. Like HELLO? Mike says stuff similar to that constantly. Dustin and Lucas do not. So yeah, it can be easily be read as heteronormativity. Not romantic attraction!

And so despite wanting to spend every day in the summer with El because of copious amounts of trauma from S1-2, he can’t continue believing its romantic attraction when his hormones say otherwise. 

Like just look at their kissing scenes S3-4:

Seasons 3 starts with him pulling her hands OFF of him when kissing. He’s voluntarily kissing her instead of spending time with his friends, cause he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to do as he’s “not a kid anymore!”, yet he’s evidently not even enjoying it if he’s taking her hands off lol. Then by the end of the season he doesn’t even kiss back, and has his eyes wide open. Then six months later, when he’s way more self aware of his own feelings, this dude wears SUNGLASSES to the airport. We (and all the characters there) can’t even see his true expression when kissing her. And what’s more, he puts the bouquet of flowers between their bodies, to SEPARATE FASTER. When he could’ve very easily put that hand/arm around her, not between them (that's what he does with his other hand holding the bags).  

And all of this: all this repression, the contradictions, the unsaid things... it all culminates to the monologue. Will told Mike in the van that El really needed him. And then Will reminds him of this again when El is in the piggyback, cause Will is annoying! (jokes lol). So of course, all rationality, all of Mike's realizations or progression, goes out the window. After all, he is THE HEART. He is needed by her. He can’t go through what he went through in season 1-2 again! It doesn’t matter if it’s not totally true. He needs to tell her what she wants to hear so she won’t DIE. The stakes are extremely high. So he delivers. He even takes all his knowledge of mediocre romance stories, and blurts out that it was love at first sight. It's silly to us the audience, cause if you actually go back and watch season 1 you can see that it's not even fucking true. 

So why would he lie? Well because he doesn’t KNOW when he fell in love with El. Because he never fell in love with her. So yeah. It’s PLATONIC with a capital P.

(And to add a cherry on top, he gives his sister’s ring to her jfc) 

#mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #bi mike wheeler #btw im not trying to say 'mike isn't attracted to women period' #i'm just saying he sees EL platonically #my post can be interpreted as gay mike ofc #but i'm not trying to discount bi mike either #sexuality is a spectrum #bi kids can also confuse feelings due to heteronormativity #byler #will byers #elmike

[barzysunflower]

see it with the lights out — mat barzal

masterlist (read part 1 first!!)

ty for the love on this so far!! I hope part 3 will be out in a week and then part 4 after that :)

word count: 2k warnings: drinking/being drunk

TWO — you can feel it on the way home

october 14th

"No, it's okay. I just miss you," you told your boyfriend over the phone.

"I miss you, too. See you next weekend, though, yeah?"

"Yes. Can't wait. Love you."

"Love you, too," Lando said before hanging up. You put your phone away and tried to ignore the teasing smile Liana, Mat's sister, was giving you. She stepped back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

You were back in New York for a few days for Mat's season home opener. Liana was staying with you in your apartment for the week she was here, which their parents took a hotel room, since the two of you were also very close. She was a few years younger than you and Mat so for a while she was his annoying little sister and you both excluded her, but eventually as Mat got busier with hockey you came to love her like your own sister.

"Honestly, I'm just surprised you're still with him," she said after a few minutes, stepping back into the room. Before you had time to react to that statement though, she elaborated. "We all just thought when you moved to New York you'd both finally get over yourselves and start dating."

"Who?," you asked confused.

"Who?," she said dramatically, dropping her makeup brush from her face. "Please, (y/n). We all know you and Mat have been doing it for years."

"What?!" You almost screamed. A laugh burst out of you, but a new emotion came up as well. One you couldn't quiet put your finger on. "We're friends."

"Oh, please! As if you haven't done it. What the hell were you doing in his bedroom all these nights then?"

"Wha- We-. No! We're friends. That's it!" You had difficulty forming sentences, confused as to why she was accusing you of sleeping with her brother.

"So you've never even kissed?"

"No!" Now she was sporting the same shocked look as you. That was technically a lie. You and Mat had kissed once, but it was during a game of truth or dare when you were 15 so that hardly counted. You chalked the butterflies and electric touch you shared up to teenage hormones and alcohol and only thought about that kiss in your deepest dreams.

"Wait, who else thinks we're more than friends?"

Liana hesitated for a bit before answering. "Uh, your family, my family. Pretty much everyone who knows the two of you." Your jaw dropped. You couldn't believe it. "Yeah. We all talk about it behind your back all the time."

"Oh my god," you moaned humiliated and buried your face in your hands. "Why?"

"I don't know. You always act like you're a couple and there's a vibe."

"You're basing this off of a vibe?"

"Yeah! Especially since everyone feels it. We just thought you didn't want to do long distance, that it was just a casual thing, when he moved to Seattle and then here that's why you didn't tell us. And then when you moved here we were all just waiting for the call to tell us you were together." Your head fell in your hands again. "I'm pretty sure your dad started a pool to see how long it would take. Well, turns out we all lost."

"I assure you Mat and I are just friends! Always have been, always will be." She raised her eyebrows, shaking her head.

"I don't know girl, I'm sensing a lot of love between you. It's kind of gross actually how you energy you give off every time you look at each other."

"Well, then your senses are off. I'm in a great relationship. Lando's great. We have a lot of fun together. I... love him." You stumbled over the word 'love' as a lump in your throat formed. You were having difficulty saying and believing yourself as you started to question your relationship with Mat. You were just friends, right? Years of friendship flashed in your mind. There were times you thought about kissing him or when you thought you were attracted to him, but he was always dating girls almost the polar opposite of you so you never thought too much about it. You often cuddled on the couch while watching a movie or were affectionate with each other but a lot of your female friendships were the same so why would this one with Mat be any different just because he's a guy.

"Okay. If you say so." Liana returned to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later ready to go.

With a final few sprays of perfume you were ready to head out as well to catch the train to UBS arena. Liana sensed your mood and didn't bring the topic up again.

You met their parents and the rest of the Isles ladies and families at the arena. You went to the family area first, where they were hosting a bit of a welcome back party with lots of food and drinks for the players families. Sydney, Matt Martin's wife and your favorite life of the party, immediately came over with lots of hugs and interest about your last few months. You hadn't seen any of them since the last season ended and even before then not much since you started dating Lando.

"I still can't believe you hung out in Monaco all summer. I'm so jealous."

"I was there like a week total. But yeah, it was so much fun."

"Mat and Lando got a long?," she asked as if she already knew the answer.

"They did! Why is everyone asking me that?" She chuckled.

"Just a lot of male energy." You shook your head with a forced smile. What Liana told you not too long ago rang in the back of your mind and you felt nauseous all of the sudden. Why was the thought of you and Mat being together romantically suddenly such a big deal? You'd always seen him as a friend but now the second you thought of him your heart started pounding.

"Nope. All good." You forced another smile. "Excuse me."

When you somewhat gracefully exited the family area you purposefully chose to head to the bathrooms further away to avoid running into more people. You needed a few minutes to collect yourself and sort your mind from all of the confusion.

Again, flashbacks and memories from the years of friendship with Mat surfaced your mind. However, you were looking at them through a different lens. Every touch, every smile, every fight brought up a different emotion than it did in the moment. Your heart swelled at the thought of him and you started craving his touch.

But Lando… The guilt over your little crisis crept in and only made this whole situation worse. When you met Lando, you were done with school and were just trying to figure out what you were going to do with your life. You loved that your job offered so much flexibility and opportunity to work remotely, but you couldn’t really see yourself doing the whole mundane 9-5 thing yet. And Lando was able to give you that carefree travel lifestyle that you were craving so you jumped into a relationship. It all moved very quickly. You relationship was serious enough that you could honestly say that you loved him, but not enough to have thought about a future with him. You never indulge in the thought of where your relationship was headed so you just enjoyed the moment. You were young. Now was the time to do it.

With that conclusion in mind, you pulled yourself together in the bathroom stall and got your phone out to text Mat. He should still be able to see it before he had to get ready to step on the ice for pregame.

you: made it! score a goal for me tonight, will ya :)

mat: will do my best

mat: see you after if you don’t get too drunk

you: hey! that was one time! those cocktails are strong!!!!

mat: lmao I was told you had 5…

you: I had a bad day:/ and you were losing…

mat: won’t happen today ;)

you: good! break a skate and don’t show off too much

mat: never :)

***

The game actually did go very well and Mat scored his first goal of the season like he promised. You were sat in the lower bowl with Mat’s parents and sister and some of the other family members. While Buffalo did score first in the period, the Isles came back with three goals in the next two and won the game.

This just made the after party a lot more fun. You all met up at the players favorite bar, not too far from the arena for a chill after party. Or at least it started out chill but escalated to a club vide rather quickly as the boys were riding that first win of the season.

When Mat had joined you, things were awkward at first when you saw him, but only because you made them like that. He didn’t even notice anything was wrong. He was glowing and grinning like a champion and hugged you like that as well, spinning you around until you got dizzy.

But you remembered your little pep talk in the bathroom that solidified you decision. He was your friend. Nothing more. Because you had Lando. With the help of a few drinks, acting more natural around Mat became easier.

You danced and laughed and watched him get increasingly more drunk with each song that played. Eventually you had enough and pulled him to a private corner to talk. He never drank like that, especially not during his season. “What the hell is wrong with you?,” you yelled at him over the music.

“What?,” he slurred, leaning against the wall for support.

“That! Why are you so drunk?”

“Where’s your boyfriend tonight?,” he countered as if he didn’t hear you.

“What?” The change of topic threw you.

“Your boyfriend. London. Landon. La…” He kept mumbling random names as if he was trying to find the right one.

“Lando,” you corrected him in a snappy voice.

“What kind of name is that?” He laughed, drunkenly, and almost fell over had you not caught him and pushed him back against the wall.

“Says Mat with one ‘t’.” He shrugged.

“Where is he anyway? Too busy for you?” You rolled your eyes and could feel yourself getting angry at him. While it was true Lando was busy this weekend with promo stuff for McLaren, it wasn’t a big deal.

“Yes. He’s an athlete with a busy schedule. You should understand.”

“He’s always too busy for you. You’re always gone to see him but every time I call or text you’re never with him. He always has this or that. Why are you with him?”

Here it was. What he wanted to say months ago he could finally get it out. “What is your problem with him? He’s not done a single thing to offend you. Yes, he’s busy but I don’t care. I have plenty of things to do and see while he’s doing his job. You should be happy for me.”

“How can I be happy when you’re not with me?! And I know that fucking selfish of me to say but I fucking miss you!” You grew soft at his admission, but only for a second, because he continued. “He doesn’t know you like I do. How can he make you happy when he’s never around? His job is so dangerous, he could die at any moment. Then what? If he gets fired then what? You’d still be with him?”

“Fuck, Mathew, so what? You’re job isn’t that much more reliable than his? You constantly on the go, too! You could get fired or injured at any moment, too. So what? What the hell is your issue?” You didn’t realize you started yelling. When he didn’t respond you lightly pushed him out of anger to try and force a response out of him. “So what, Mathew? Give me a real answer. I’m so sick of this. Of you being so passive aggressive for no reason. What? So what? What is your-” His eyes darkness and he pushed off the wall to stand taller.

“He doesn’t fucking love you like I do.”

#mat barzal #lando norris #siwtlo series #mat barzal imagine #mat barzal fic #mat barzal fanfiction #lando norris fic #mat barzal x reader #lando norris imagine #new york islanders #hockey x f1 #hockey fics #nhl fics #nhl imagine #f1 imagine #f1 fics

[lover-of-mine]

Yk, something about my Eddie fell first essay, I never really went like "oh this is something that could be proven right by canon" mostly because when I wrote that I was still dealing with buddie being a distant possibility not something that's so close I can taste, but then Ryan was let out of interview jail. Then I went full conspiracy theorist. (Please note everything from here on out is a conspiracy theory that will most likely never be confirmed or denied so I'll live in it forever) I had made the post about how I think Ryan is playing Eddie as in love with Buck, the question was whether he was being told to do that or he was just playing it up as much as they allowed him to because we know Ryan supports the ship, and then Ryan said the "this goes beyond friendship and I love you to the core" thing.

He said he talked to someone about what it meant for Eddie to do that, because he didn't understand it at first, and then that's the conclusion he reached. But the thing is, that line "I love you to the core" specifically means so much in the context of the season, to say I love you to Buck like that in season 4 is so MONUMENTAL, that I wanna believe one of the writers straight up told him "yo this is a love confession" and explained it to him like that, and he has been playing Eddie with that line in mind ever since, and that's why he had that locked and loaded for the interview. Because, like, I, in my most normal day, am out here arguing they casted Ryan with a plan, even more considering the way Eddie was written for Ryan, they could very much have told him "look, play with the chemistry you and Oliver have, if the audience likes with might amp it up, if we're lucky we might go there someday" because you have moments in season 2, but season 2 is still very low stakes, but then when I think about the the season 3 of it all, the there's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you, the lawsuit, and well of it all and the way they put Ryan in pr jail after Eddie begins, an episode that would retroactively be HUGE for buddie but it's pretty big for them anyway, I'm like 🤔 because we all saw Ryan talking about buddie this past month, the guy CANT SHUT UP, and if he was told something during season 3 or 4 along the line of "play it up, we are gonna fight to make this happen", putting him in pr jail would make sense, because they can't risk him saying something if they're not sure they can deliver, because how fast they dealt with Buck being bi while in a new network makes me convinced someone on fox was blocking it and nothing will convince me otherwise. But now they can, so they let Ryan run free. Because you can make a VERY strong argument that Eddie is aware of something during season 5 and 6, season 6 most of all, but you can very much make season 5 queer coded and have Eddie be like "oh I can't ignore how I feel about him anymore", because Ryan also said something about Eddie's breakdown and how that's what allowed Eddie to let Buck "know who Eddie truly is" which is interesting with the way Eddie is constructed, because if Buck is inside the last wall Eddie had up, what's actually stopping Eddie to see he's in love with Buck by the end of the season? Which would make season 6 as a pining season for Eddie make sense. Down to the way the cemetery seems to be pulling these very specific reactions from Eddie that are the same reactions we saw him have in breakups and flights with Shannon. But also things like Eddie's reaction to the lightning being something we never saw from Eddie before AND the way Oliver talked about a scene of Eddie losing his composure during in another life, not during in a flash that we didn't get to see most likely because they completely rearranged 6b because they thought they were gonna get cancelled, so they wouldn't be able to deliver what they had in mind. But now they have nothing but time, season 8 is already confirmed, and by the looks of it abc was like "go for it" with buddie in a way that fox never was, so they finally got to tell Ryan "we're doing it, go crazy" and now we are here. They could prove me right today. About Eddie not about Ryan knowing and some secret plan being in place forever. I don't think it's gonna happen. I seriously don't think it's gonna happen. I'd be more surprised to be proved right than wrong here. But the conspiracy theory is a possibility that felt very real for a second there during promo season lol

#i know this sounds crazy #but when do i know sound crazy lol #anyway #911 #911 speculation #sorta #is it spec if it's retroactive? lol #thoughts thoughts thoughts

[starsandhughes]

Penalty Box Series— Quinn Hughes Edition (Six)

23-24 Season Masterlist

previous: five

next: seven

OCTOBER 27, 2023

i’m behind so remember that these stats mentioned are accurate for the day of the game!

shorty is john, the play by play guy for the canucks if y'all forgot/didn't know his nickname!

yourusername

liked by _quinnhughes, trevorzegras, and 18,864 others

yourusername WELCOME BACK TO MY POST GAME PENALTY BOX UPDATE SHOW: MY BEST FRIEND IS HOCKEY GOD EDITION!

he was rightfully first star of the game again tonight with his two goal game! as shorty said, "hughes loves playing the blues!" the blues are now the only team that quinny has more goals scored on than assists!

and for those who are quinn's biggest supporters, a nation run by me, you'd know that one of quinn's goals is to work on his +/-! you'll be happy to know that quinn LEADS THE LEAGUE WITH A +10! that's just another piece of evidence as to why he's a hockey god, laideez!

to quinn, my favorite big brother, and my least favorite hughes, i’m so unbelievably proud of you! you've been working on shooting the puck more and you're doing so with flying colors. congrats on your third career multi-goal game! i love you way past infinity💙

p.s. shoutout to demmer for getting his fourth career shut out in this 5-0 win tonight ! i’m so proud of you! @/tdemko30

p.s.s. QUINN GOT HIS FIRST PENALTY AND I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION IT! RIP HIS 6 GAME STREAK!!

tagged _quinnhughes

view all 297 comments

_quinnhughes sissy? being mostly sweet? who are you? (i love you way past beyond)

yourusername you gave me two goals and a penalty, you could have my future CHILDREN if you wanted right now

trevorzegras @/yourusername don't... don't do that

_quinnhughes i’m okay, thanks for the offer though!

yourusername you sure? i’m feeling very generous towards you right now! i’ll give you anything!

_quinnhughes can i have a normal sister?

yourusername i cannot give you that, sorry!

user41 QUINN HUGHES NATION RISE

jackhughes i'm not your favorite big brother?!

yourusername we're twins that met at 5? do you not know how twins work?

jackhughes i’m older than you by 4 hours and 36 minutes!

yourusername you're my least favorite big brother🫶

jackhughes am i your favorite hughes????

yourusername no? i’m my favorite hughes?

colecaufield we love the self confidence

_alexturcotte queen shit!

jackhughes 🙄

tdemko35 you're too sweet, y/n! thank you!

yourusername i’ll always hype up my boys!!! i love you!!! stay golden, ponyboy

tdemko35 i love you, too😂

user57 sissy really made the "who's sissy's least favorite hughes?" game easy on us this time

user99 HIS FUCKING SMILE OH MY GOD

trevorzegras how can you be the biggest supporter of both me AND quinn?

yourusername i’m made of pure love, baby! i got lots of it to go around! and it does!

jackhughes wh*re

yourusername @/jackhughes bite me.

trevorzegras you're such a sweet girl🧡 i'm so ready to marry you, let's elope

colecaufield @/trevorzegras i'm her man of honor! don't you dare take that away from me, zegras

yourusername @/colecaufield i would never let him do that

yourusername i don't care how much i’m freaking out over a dress! we're having a wedding, zegras!

trevorzegras i feel attacked

yourusername with love <3

user78 THIS IS SISSY'S LEAST FAVORITE HUGHES'S YEAR!

yourusername and that is his preferred title!

_quinnhughes @/yourusername that's not even close to my preferred title

yourusername @_quinnhughes it literally is

user6 the blues got the blues over hughes

_alexturcotte @_quinnhughes have you gotten hit with a puck yet?

_quinnhughes nope

_alexturcotte who are you? does the c put a protective shield around you? what's happening with the balance of the universe?

yourusername somewhere, somebody is getting hit with a puck a lot more than ever before

_alexturcotte i can't believe quinn would do that to someone

yourusername some captain he is... smh

_quinnhughes @_alexturcotte @.yourusername you two are some real comedic geniuses

yourusername @_quinnhughes thanks, we know!

_alexturcotte @_quinnhughes we're here all your life!

user39 quinn hughes nation needs t-shirts, someone should get on this

lhughes_06 @_quinnhughes toques for the win!

yourusername toques for the LOSE

_quinnhughes @/yourusername win*

jackhughes @/yourusername win*

yourusername @_quinnhughes @/jackhughes @.lhughes_06 i’m burning them all. i have keys to your homes. they'll be burning in a pit by wednesday. @/trevorzegras so help me, if you ever put one on that fine head of hair of yours, i’ll burn you, too

trevorzegras @/yourusername roger that

jackhughes @/trevorzegras if we burn, you burn with us!

trevorzegras @/jackhughes hard pass

---

sorry it's short while i'm trying to play catch up! tell me what you think! <3

#penalty box series: quinn hughes edition #penalty box series #quinn hughes #quinn hughes imagine #quinn hughes insta edit #quinn hughes au #trevor zegras au #trevor zegras x reader #jack hughes #luke hughes #trevor zegras x hughes reader #quinn hughes x reader #hockey imagine #nhl imagine

[fountainpenguin]

#Riddle Watches Traffic - Secret Life Session 4 POVs - This post contains Joel, Grian, Etho, Martyn, and Scar commentary

Joel POV (My first POV for this session):

Joel, the ex-Shrek, running around dropping lines from "All Star" in conversation is everything I could have wanted.

Joel: If you were a color, what color would you be? Pearl: Red.

Can't argue with that.

Lizzie: You like my path? Joel: I do. Is it going to link up with mine? Lizzie: We've got connecting paths now. Joel: I didn't realize we were that close. Lizzie: To touch paths. Joel: I know we're married, but come on... It's getting a bit crazy now.

slkdjf Joel really does not want to be touchy-feely with anyone this season huh?

Okay I switched to Grian's POV because Joel came up to the rest of the Mounders and they were all giggling and telling him to go talk to Grian, so swapping my liveblog over:

Grian POV

?? Grian's task was to bait a yellow into believing his task was singing everything he says, that feels kinda unfair to the yellows because it doesn't give them a way to call him on it, does it? slkdjf

That is really funny he needs to get someone to call him out in order to succeed, though.

Grian's really good at like, recapping and/or giving context (like pulling up his screen to walk the audience through exactly who the Yellows on the server are). Thanks G.

sldkfjs Scar singing back to Grian... They are soulmates, your honor.

Cleo, trying not to bust up laughing: How long do you have to sing for? Grian, singing: I don't have to sing! It's a choice~!

Grian chasing people and singing while they run sdlkfjsd... Mumbo like "Please stop following me! I don't want to deal with your singing anymore!"

sldkfjsd can we make a reaction clip out of Grian sadly singing, "I am mortally wounded~"

Grian is SO GOOD at this baiting game, though. Despite needing to get a yellow to guess his task, he takes off running as soon as Joel shows up, then when Joel starts talking to him he clams up. Master of manipulation; what a deLIGHT!

sldkfjs the hilarity of Joel smugly calling Grian out and then Grian takes out his book, sighs loudly, and trots off to the Secret Keeper... and hits success instead of fail. omg.

Joel immediately adding "My world's on fire; how 'bout yours?"

Grian: "You are all terrible friends and that's what I needed <3"

lskdjfsdk Scar being like "Wait, that was your task? I thought we were just being musical." Your honor, they are soulmates.

Does... does Etho have my "reference previous seasons / fake moment from previous series" task suggestion?

Switching back to Joel:

slkdfjsldkjfksdl in Joel's POV, there's a bit of lag so when Joel confronts Grian, Grian suddenly bolts across the bridge at light speed and it's hilarious.

Switching to Etho because dying of curiosity:

Etho making cute benches outside his shack.

Cleo: Oh, there there... I was going to pat you, but then I realized... Etho: Pat me with a sword? Clean slice through the head?

sdklfjsdfj househusband Etho strikes again?? Cleo accidentally whacks him with a sword and he immediately spins around like "I'm sorry- I'll do the dishes, I'll do whatever you want! No more, no more!" Love that for him.

Love how Etho said "Aha" after looking at his task even though he hadn't even received that suggestion yet.

You nerds really gonna be like "Etho and I aren't romantic" and "We're besties" and then put a single bed inside your house, huh? What am I supposed to do with that.

?????? Martyn giving Etho the assignment of gaslighting someone into believing a fake moment from the previous series? Does Martyn have my suggested task or did we just same brain on that one? lol.

[More liveblogging under the cut <3 #Long post]

Switching over to Martyn POV because curious:

skdlfj wow Martyn's video is super loud after coming from Etho's. Just gonna turn my sound down there.

??? Martyn does not have my suggestion so I guess he and I just had the same brain wave. Alas. Here were some suggestions I put in Tango's Session 3 comments, for anyone curious:

Reference events from past Life series at least 4 times in conversation with other players (Ex: "This reminds me of that one boogeyman kill in Last Life; remember when X happened?") - [Some ideas that come to mind are that it would be funny to pester players who missed seasons by lightheartedly teasing them about events they weren't around for]

Alternatively: Convince at least 2 players that a falsified event happened in Secret Life or a past Life series [Ex: "Haven't you seen the fanart of this? I'll send it to you later." / "Remember, we were all there? Oh, you didn't play in that series; I guess you wouldn't know."]

?? They took the world border out of the Nether. Untapped escape routes in Hell.

I appreciate "mayor" Scar chasing the Big Dogs away and telling them he was going to send them to the pound.

(Loud sigh). Scar upset with Martyn for peeing on (dumping water on) his base. Martyn is running amok. Unrestrained.

slkdjf Martyn admitting he had read a lot of tasks in the past week and was thinking he'd probably end up taking someone else's idea. Y'know what, good enough for me. Whether we same brained or he read that, I'm satisfied. Also Etho saying "Martyn, you should write tasks because that's a great idea." I'll take it, slkdfj.

Watched a few minutes more of Martyn, he's talking with Joel and I have nothing to say atm, switching back to Joel:

Joel so sad when his cows get loose.

I appreciate how Martyn allowed Etho to buy his silence but then he runs to Joel and starts dropping hints.

slkdjfs Joel nailed his lyrics, good for him.

Joel working on his farms before pressing the success button is mildly stressing me out. (Oh, he was waiting for safe day).

sldkfj Etho giving Joel a chance to take a guess at him and Joel phrasing his words specifically as "Was your goal to bait a yellow into guessing you're saying 'Aha?'"

I always admire Joel's commitment to getting the right colored resources, especially wood. He takes so much pride in his builds even in the deathgame.

One of my other task suggestions was to break game rules for part of the session and I used the example of wearing a helmet. If Scar has that task, that will be quite funny. He's being super sus about that helmet and even talking like "I can take it off! I'll take it off right now" which would line up with my 50% of the session suggestion. I'll have to check on him next.

Gem's Yellow life heterochromia.

lskdjfslkjdf Boat Boys, my beloved...

Etho, parking a boat and making eye contact: Joel. Get in. Joel: The fandom's gonna go crazy, Etho. We can't do this. Etho: We're reliving the past, Joel, right now. Remember the good old days, just me and you? Joel: I do. The Relation ship. Etho: Riding the boats? Etho: ... Back when you cared about me.

skdjf I had to pause to start writing that and it really does just keep going, huh?

Joel: I still care, Etho. It's just... Etho: You still care? We hardly see each other anymore. Joel: I know, I know, but that's because I'm with the Mounders now. Etho: Well, this is where the relationship ends.

What is in Etho's Secret Life water; he is SO clingy and mushy with Joel every episode.

Joel calling Scar out for breaking the rules... is this my task, I am so curious.

Kind of surreal watching this play out. Definitely picking up the vibe that the players screened tasks together before putting them in and so they've got "rule breaker" as a possible option in their minds and that's why they're so quick to jump in and call Scar out on that TODAY despite the fact that he was also breaking rules in previous episodes. Very curious.

Martyn's calling a meeting, seems like a good time to pop over and check on Scar's task. Episode title is him calling himself a server villain so it might not be my task, but that's very funny anyway. Let's see.

Alas... It is not my "Break the rules for 50% of the episode" task suggestion, but the task he does have is really clever (Do the opposite of what people tell you to do).

Gonna bounce back to Joel and finish his episode and return to Scar later, but that will be a fun watch <3 Still getting the vibe that they screened my task ideas and maybe we will see it another day. We shall see.

I like the mental image of Scott looking up, covered in mud and dirt, as the Task Force comes barreling over the hill like "We caught you mud-handed!!"

Also enjoy the mental image of Joel catching Gem at the bottom of his water slide.

Joel @ Gem about The End: How come they went? I wouldn't go. Gem: idk, bunch of improv nerds. They just kept saying 'Yes.'

Yeah that tracks.

Gem: I just saved you a heart. I don't think I have to give you one.

I love how Joel is always like "Everybody likes me because I'm really popular." Like that's his actual dialogue. He's so fun to write and it's always funny to remember that he really is just Like That.

Congrats to Joel for finishing a nice fence around his base, lighting it up, and chopping down the trees to prevent skeleton spawning! He's doing pretty well this season.

MARTYN FIRST RED... He fell out of the world. what an idiot /affectionate.

Jimmy too... Jimmy. Jimmy, my man who has been out first four seasons in a row... is also on red life now... Jimmy, you are playing a DANGEROUS game.

Done with Joel's POV, switching to Grian's (after leaving a nice comment and a like on his video ofc <3)

Grian: The reds work slightly differently, but I'll explain that when we get our first red. Me: ... ah.

It's fun to see how careful and skilled Grian is. He's been a very high-heart green name for several episodes and it gives me 3rd Life vibes again.

That said, he lost a bunch in the caves... but I get why, gotta do the mining. Oh geez, zombie kid with a sword hits hard. Ouch.

Loving his dramatic music, though. It was interesting a few months ago when I went back and started binging some early Hermitcraft episodes, because you never appreciate the skill these guys have with subtle music until you compare them to their older videos which feel more awkward and empty. gg.

Holy GEEZ, Grian's dropping hearts like mad. Also watching him panic as his hunger meter drops because he's out of food is super funny. Yeah, that'll kill you.

Grian Session 4 would be a good early watch with that kind of tension... Also I love him limping into his base and devouring berry after berry.

Scar unable to take off his helmet because everyone keeps going "?? Take off your helmet!" and he can't.

The hilarity of:

Grian: Can I use your enchantment table? Scar: YES! ... Wait........ Grian: /turns around Scar: Noooo... Grian: /cracks up

Scar indicating he's okay with Grian using the table by using a sarcastic sing-songy voice to tell him it would be a bad idea to use it skldfj

Scar following Grian's instructions but doing so with a delay while Grian stands there confused sdlkfj

Grian: Scar said I could use it! How else would I know you had it? Cleo: ?? Why would Scar be in charge of our enchanter? Grian: ??? He said it was his??

Etho telling Grian to give his heart to Cleo slkdjf. Etho just really wants to be affectionate to someone.

Grian: What do I have to do to be friends? I hate living in that egg.

lskdjf obsessed with the besties roommates getting a third wheel roommate who brings them golden carrots.

Etho: You've been burning down your bases every episode. One rule: If you move into ours, you're not allowed to burn it down.

<3 Builder roommate!!

slkdfjsk they outsourced the bed shrine to Grian.

Etho: Cleo, you're really going to get along with Grian. He likes burning things too.

Obsessed with Grian asking why Etho waterlogged his chests and when Etho explains it's to prevent TNT damage, Grian just pauses and goes "I have made the right choice." sldkfj. Grian and Etho and Cleo team up! Very exciting; what will they do?

Grian asking Scar if he's okay and Scar saying "I'm neutral." skldjf. Scar is so good at this.

Loving Grian going to visit BigB for his obligatory "let's find out what weird stuff he's doing" commitment (and dragging Scar after him).

slkdjfskldj wheezing:

Grian: Why is Tango hanging around? Mumbo: ??? That's a bit rude? Someone partaking in a conversation and you're like "Why are you here?"

Watching Martyn eyeballing The End advancements in the chat while I know he's this close to dying from jumping in The End is stressing me out.

Mumbo: Grian, let's play a game. You stop. Grian: /stops Mumbo: /takes off running

And there go Martyn and Jimmy...

?? How interesting that red lives can't immediately PVP other players, but that's hilarious that they're supposed to have a never-ending chain of harmful tasks to complete. POV, you get possessed by a bunch of spirits who don't want to release your body. Time to add that to my Secret Life 'fic collection...

Grian's POV is done, going to leave him his like and comment, quickly wrap up these recaps, and sign off for the night.

Etho time:

Coming back in to Martyn's gaslighting suggestion... picking up what Etho does from here. sldkfj that really is my task he suggested, but Etho interpreted it differently. Fun to watch though. Also hilarious that Etho started claiming he came up with the Aha bit. sldkfj. Everyone in this series is nuts.

Shout out to Bdubs: "I want to be Yellow just for the barks."

slkdfj love Jimmy pointing out that in Last Life everyone was cracking up over Aha jokes but now everyone is just sighing at Etho.

Etho possessed by dead Southlander ghost :(

I like Etho asking if Grian wants a bread bridge because it really does sound like he's just bringing up "dead memes."

wheezing at Bdubs like "Wow, someone made the whole world in this short of a time?" and Scott jumps in like "Only a Bad Boy could do that." slkdfjlsdjf

Martyn: I meant something else but :'D (GG)

slkdfjsdljfskl screaming at BigB like "I forgot I was supposed to report to the Heart Foundation."

Etho: I'm a horse girl too. Cleo: I mean, that's what I call Bdubs.

lskdjfsldkjf Impulse jumpscare. Haven't seen him show up in any of my POVs yet. Will probably circle back to him later this weekend.

That wraps up Etho's POV, switching over... I have been watching Minecraft for like 3 hours straight.

Bdubs in Etho's comments launching a "formal complaint" against Etho sldkjfs. That's friendship.

Speedwatching Martyn and then Scar and then we rest.

Picking up 15 minutes into Martyn's episode:

Joel, about his wife: Oh, Lizzie. I forgot her. Not like she's an important part of my life or anything. Martyn: Old news, old news. Separation of work and life.

I do find it funny that Etho was bouncing around like "Joel, want to take a shot at me?"

The "Scar never stood trial" screen is cracking me up.

Again, RIP Scar unable to take off his helmet because everyone kept telling him too slkdjf.

I love Martyn and Pearl going back and forth like "You just told me to give my base a big butt and then walked off."

Martyn: I'm waiting to hand in my task in case I lose hearts so I can recover. Curse of knowledge: ...

<3 Pretty Heart Foundation cherry blossom heart and cool globe in the background.

sldkjf Impulse urging everyone to gift Skizz hearts. The guilt. They are BFFs, your honor.

Martyn's dramatic music while Scar takes off running slkdjf.

Big brain move by Martyn for swiping Mumbo's horse while sussing out his task.

Welp, this is as far as I got before someone came in and pulled me from my computer, which of course restarted in my absence and closed all my many incognito tabs with my videos :') Ugh. Thank goodness for auto-saved drafts though or I would have lost this after 3 hours of watching.

Posting now and if I have anything more to say about Martyn or Scar, I'll do so in another post!

#Joel Smallishbeans #Grian #Secret Life #trafficblr #EthosLab #traffic life smp #traffic soulmates #Secret Life SMP spoilers #traffic spoilers #Lizzie LDShadowLady #Long post #Riddle watches Traffic #Secret Life spoilers #desert duo #Martyn InTheLittleWood #Jimmy Solidarity #Boat Boys #GoodTimesWithScar #Cletho #The Clockers #The Mounders

[george-weasleys-girl]

North Star Series

Chapter 48 - For Now

Start here:

Summary: A night out. The rising darkness weighs heavy on Y/N's mind.

Warnings: mentions of kidnappings

~•~

A strange silence had settled over the shop. With the holiday season over, the bustling crowds that had once filled Weasley Wizard Wheezes had dwindled to only a handful of customers each day as fear tightened its grip on the magical community. Fred heaved a heavy sigh and locked the shop doors, his eyes scanning the missing person's posters that now covered the vacant storefront across the street and breathed a sigh of relief when one face in particular remained absent from the ever growing collection.

George patted his brother's shoulder but said nothing. He knew better than to broach the subject. Fred would talk about it when he was ready and not a moment before.

The older twin cleared his throat, shaking himself out of his reverie. "I can't believe we're closing so early. The sun hasn't even set."

"Yeah, I know..." George sighed. "It's getting crazy out there, though, with people vanishing into thin air every five minutes. Nobody wants to take the risk anymore. Especially at night."

"Good thing the mail orders are picking up," Fred commented as they ascended the stairs.

"Yeah," George agreed. "Not sure we could stay afloat otherwise."

~•~

Y/N glanced at the clock.

4:37.

Time to start wrapping it up for the day. The boys would be closing up soon, and they'd mentioned something earlier about wanting to go to The Leaky Cauldron for dinner tonight. A thrill of excitement trickled down her spine. It'd been nearly two months since her and George's wedding, and the only place she'd been was to the Burrow and occasionally to Gringotts with her husband.

Y/N sighed and gazed out the window at the desolate street below. Once a busy, bustling hub, Diagon Alley now stood dark and abandoned. Only the distant glow from the old pub broke through the bleak winter evening, calling out to her like a siren song. She needed a night out somewhere other than her husband's childhood home. And she knew the boys did too...

A sudden movement caught her eye, drawing her out of her thoughts and pulling her attention to some poor soul hurrying along, hunched over against the frigid winds and unseen figures that no doubt lurked in the shadows. She couldn't help but wonder who this lone person might be. Hardly anyone traveled alone these days unless they were a Death Eater. Y/N leaned forward, keeping her eyes trained on him. It was only when he slipped through the door into the light of the pub that she slumped back in her chair. Safe, she thought. For now.

~•~

People took what happiness they could get these days.

A pint of beer.

A hearty dinner.

The company of those they hold dearest.

Rather than The Leaky Cauldron, the trio ended up at little muggle restaurant a few blocks away. No magic, no whispers of kidnappings, no fearful glances every time the door opened. Just people enjoying an evening out.

With the warm haze of alcohol and good food strumming through her veins, Y/N could almost forget the maelstrom swirling around them.

Almost.

She gazed out the window, people watching and wishing they could be amongst those happy muggles whose minds weren't troubled by the prospect of Death Eaters and dark lords.

"What do you think, love?" George asked.

"Hmm?" Y/N turned to her husband, a questioning smile tinging her face.

"Fred's thinking we could buy Zonko's."

"Zonko's?" She repeated, looking at Fred. "In Hogsmede?"

"Of course," Fred laughed. "Where else? There was only the one last I checked."

"Oh - right... sorry. My mind was a million miles away," Y/N gave a sheepish grin. "So, um, yeah, that sounds good, except that most of our business is mail-order right now. Do you think you could turn a profit?"

"Well, it was always Hogwarts go-to place for joke and prank supplies," George explained. "And Ron wrote that students are really upset that it'd closed down. So, we'd be in high demand."

"Good point," Y/N replied thoughtfully. "The place was always packed when we went there."

"Yep, the money will just roll in," Fred added, taking a swig of beer.

"Ok then," Y/N smiled at George. "Go for it."

George grinned wide and slid his arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before turning his focus back to Fred.

Y/N snuggled into his warmth and let her gaze and her mind wander again.

~•~

"You were too quiet tonight," George asked that night as they spooned in bed. "Everything ok, love?"

"Yeah... mostly," Y/N sighed, turning to face her husband. "I had a really lovely time tonight. It was good to get out for a while. Especially out of the magical world, you know?"

George nodded. He did know. Weary of all the gloom and doom, he was the one to suggest venturing out into muggle London "for a change of scenery."

"And it did help," she continued. "For a little while, at least. But then I started watching the muggles all around us and saw how carefree and lighthearted they seemed. Then, I remembered earlier today watching some poor fellow hurrying down the alley to The Leaky Cauldron. He looked so small and afraid. No one should have to live like that, George. No one should have to live in fear."

George pulled her closer. "Are you afraid, love?"

"Sometimes," she gave a half shrug. "When I let my thoughts run wild. Mostly, I just try not to think about it."

"You know you're safe here, right?" He reassured her. "Fred and I have put enough wards on this place that it would fry a deatheater to a crisp if they tried anything. Probably fry Voldy himself."

Y/N chuckled at the thought. "Maybe Harry should spend his summers here instead of his aunt and uncle's."

"Maybe," George grinned before rolling onto his back and settling her head on his chest, his fingers caressing the back of her neck.

Y/N hummed at the sensation. The gentle massage and the sound of his steady heartbeat calmed her own as she melted into his embrace. He was right. They were safe here.

~•~

For now.

@milivanili99 @slytherclaw1978 @quackitysdrugdealer @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @fancy-pantaloons @samberriejams @totalwitch2 @aslanvez @mrsgweasley @morally-grey-obsessed @asuperconfusedgirl @hmisa11 @superduckmilkshake @junerprsh @wolfkill16 @kaysau2510 @planetkt @thankyouforanonymity @thatonepersonwhocantwrite @Smallsweetvanillabean @hanne-montana @greenapplegrass @yoursarahg @marvelgirlstories @ceehance @whotfskai @sierraluvzz @now-that-we-dontalk @moonatician @lillisummers

#george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley x fem!reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley x you #north star series #hp fandom #hp universe

[darcylightninglewis]

Good morning!!! Sorry to bother but since you are the most knowledgeable person I know about Hellcheer can I ask you if you have ever read a fic where Chrissy survives Vecna and then joins the group to defeat him? Thanks in advance and have a great day!!!

Okay, first off, you're never a bother, ever.

Secondly, I am honored by your ask. Sorry for the delayed response, it's...it's been a weird emotional exhausting few days but we're back!

Where my brain immediately went to

Chrissy and Eddie’s Infinite Mixtape by @little-scribblers-heart

What may be (to my reading knowledge) the most epic rewrite of S4, really can't recommend LovelyThings enough.

(sooner or later it comes down to fate) i might as well be the one by @majicmarker

Another great one and one of the best stream of conscious Eddie writers I've ever come across. Their fics always make me laugh.

someone reaching back for me by @enoughtotemptme

Okay, this one is gonna make you sad, but eventually very happy too! It was the first groundhog style fix its fics I read for season 4 and introduced me to the writer's work who I also can't rec enough.

EDIT

OMFG, I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T INCLUDE @hangon-silvergirl!! Thank you for pointing out my mistake, @majicmarker <33

Bonus Tracks by @hangon-silvergirl

Everything by her is amazing and this is no exception. I love it when folks use things we learn from con's in fic (like Chrissy's would be Vecna song), superb. A WIP, but off to a killer start.

Now below these are ones that have been on my Marked for Later list because I'm just in need of pure uncut fluff these days but come highly recommended.

the pleasure, the privilege, is mine. by melodicvinyl

I just love the starting premise of this one, I can see it being a thing Eddie does to make her smile or it's actually his mundane superpower that finally comes in handy. Also love their other fics too.

Linger by CircusBones

Hawkin's High 10 Year Reunion! Class of 86! Chrissy Cunningham has built a life in California, far from the demons of her youth, from her mother to Vecna. There's people who were always good to her, though. Healing might have taken her away from them, and coming back has its own challenges. This story moves between the events of 1986, and Chrissy experiencing Hawkins ten years later.

I've read their shieldshock fics and love them so I'm sure I'll love this too.

like hands that tick on a clock by theredhoodie

What if Chrissy Cunningham wasn't Vecna's first victim, but she survived instead? How would that have changed things for everyone? A ST4 shippy rewrite.

aesthetic chills by sloelimbs

"aesthetic chills" is the literal translation of frisson, which is the feeling you get when listening to a really good piece of music.

put your lips close to mine, as long as they don't touch by Percyjacksonfan3

Here's the thing about Chrissy Cunningham: she actually is the straight laced dependable good girl that everyone thinks she is. She's also, until she starts having these weird visions that make her feel like she's going out of her mind, insanely bored. Or, alternatively, the fix-it AU where Chrissy doesn't die and she and Eddie try and figure out what the hell is going on with her. And with them. Also, the usual gang is there. Eventually. Because these two need some serious help fighting demons and figuring out that they are not just friends.

If I missed an author's tumblr name please forgive me, I'm preeeetty brain dead. If I missed any fellow Hellcheerios, please drop them in the comments as I'm sure this isn't an exhaustive list. But hopefully enough to get you started babes!!

Hellcheer to canon:

#fic rec #hellcheer #eddissy #st au fic #otp: you're a freak

[rythmicjea]

Archie's Dream 5x04

Should I be finishing up my chapter for Narwals? Yes. Am I? No. Instead, I can't get Archie's dream out of my head. Season 5 is considered to be "the worst" season. That's because the majority of people don't understand it. There are so many layers to this season. It's like a 14 hour long episode of the X-Files. If you take episodes 1-3 to really be the end of season 4 (and we all should) it's the shortest season out of all of them.

The show needed to get everyone back together in Riverdale. That's how shows like this work. The impetus is Archie's dream. On the surface it's a warning that Riverdale is in trouble. The soul of Riverdale is on the verge of collapse. And yes, that is true. Get closer though, and you start to see the shadows underneath.

The dream opens in the boys locker room of Riverdale High. Archie Andrews is giving his team a pep talk before the game. His voice is darker, deeper, it's that of a drill sergeant. He prepares them saying it's not going to be easy. That they have never faced anything like it but they cannot be afraid. He barks, "Do you know why?" And they answer "Because we're Bulldogs!"

The camera lingers on Reggie. Why Reggie? Here's the thing most people don't recognize about Mantle the Magnificent. He may not like you, but if you go to Riverdale, you're a Bulldog. And he will defend any Bulldog for any reason. That's why he's so offended and incensed that Jughead wears his Serpent's jacket. Because to him, Jughead is spitting in Riverdale's face. Jughead is one of Riverdale's sons and that should mean more.

We see the General tell them that their mission is to save their fallen brother. The next shot is of a football field as No Man's Land (the stretch of land between two trenches in war). There are football players in the background running plays. There are bombs going off and artillery fire whizzing by. I am an avid football fan. I grew up on Ohio State football. A football game is often referred to as a "battle". You'll hear phrases like "Battle on the Grid Iron". Each game is life or death for the players and the fans. But this is more than just a football game. This is actual life or death.

Reggie goes down. Shot in the chest from enemy fire. This is representative of how Reggie is on the "wrong" side in the season. He's aligned himself with Hiram. He doesn't care for the town and the school that he once loved so deeply.

Archie is then flown into the air by a bomb. He doesn't want to go further. He doesn't think he can. You would think that he would look at his target. Instead, he sees Cheryl. She's in her Vixens uniform. And while you can hear the squad cheering, Cheryl isn't speaking. She smiles at him, with tears in her eyes, nodding at him to go forward. Why is she here? They weren't particularly close. Why would she care about his mission? Because Cheryl has lost a brother. She knows that pain of not being able to help and the guilt that comes with surviving. She can't let Archie go through that.

Then we see the fallen soldier. We don't know his identity until Archie gets to him. It's Jughead. A chest wound pouring out blood. His heart was broken by his first love and his best friend. Jughead only says one line and it is "I just need a little help". We come to learn in the season that Jughead has become an alcoholic. His line is one that many addicts say. It's so simple to believe that with just a little help they can overcome their affliction. A lot of times it's said to get a fix. Just a tiny one to help get through the withdrawal.

On the sidelines is everyone who loves Jughead. The Serpents, Betty, Veronica, and Pop. They're all cheering for Archie to do what needs to be done. And at the last moment we see Hiram standing with a gun pointed at Archie. In the first four seasons it was always about Archie vs Hiram. But everyone forgets that the actual thorn in Hiram's side was Jughead. It's Jughead that exposes him. It's Jughead that picks up the pieces of his parental duties for Veronica. It's Jughead who is willing to risk everything to see Hiram exposed for all of his corruption and evil deeds. And Hiram knows it. But Hiram can't do anything to Jughead without exposing himself. That's why he willingly lets Jughead take himself to the slaughter against the ghoulies. Hiram was behind riot night. And that gunshot wound in Jughead's chest? Who's to say it wasn't Hiram who pulled the trigger?

Archie's dream tells the story of season 5. There's many reasons for him to come home. He declares that Riverdale is "dying" and they need to save it. But it's not Riverdale that he has to save, it's Jughead. He hasn't spoken to Jughead in seven years. When he calls his three friends, Betty and Veronica drop what they are doing immediately to answer. Jughead is the only one who hesitates. We never see him answer. Jughead is the most reluctant to stay.

NO ONE on the show knows how to handle an addiction. Not even Jughead. He knows how to take care of his father but it was never his responsibility to save his father. And FP? FP gets sober cold turkey. He falls off the wagon at his retirement party. He is magically able to handle alcohol responsibly. That's not how addiction works.

Archie offers Jughead a place to stay and a teaching position at the school. Archie lets him go when he needs to go back to New York without any questions asked. Archie is the subliminal support system that was taken from Jughead at the end of high school. He doesn't know what to do exactly (and he has his own issues - PTSD) but he can do the passive things to help his brother.

After seven years of silence, Archie has a dream that tells him his best friend and brother is in danger and he's the only one who can help. And if that's being an invitation back to a safe place and a warm bed then he does it without hesitation. To many Archie IS Riverdale. He is the heart of the town. But, Jughead put Riverdale on the map. Jughead is the town's conscience. To Archie, Jughead is Riverdale.

#riverdale #jughead jones #archie andrews #cheryl blossom #jarchie #Not a Jarchie post but celebrating this friendship #long post #very long post #long reads #character analysis #media analysis

[russian-spider]

you know what pisses me off the most? the fact that i watched 2 seasons of wwdits and i didn't ship nandermo because it didn't feel like they were going there, like you could ship it because there were plenty of great moments between them and the dynamic was great but i could tell their closeness wasn't meant to be romantic, or the romantic undertones weren't meant to be taken seriously. Until season 3. the shift was so obvious! guillermo canonically had a crush on nandor! they can't deny that. it was then that i started shipping it because suddenly this dynamic i loved was something more and it had the potential to be incredible. paul simms can say whatever he wants but he made nandermo canon, at least one sided nandermo. and then he... got bored of it? changed his mind? never meant for it to be more than the joke of the season? i couldn't believe they would do that, i thought nandermo was now The Plan, i was so sure of it! and the end of s3 only reasured me. but now i feel like a fool. there was another shift in season 4, guillermo was over his crush like nadja was over her club in s5. for the longest time i couldn't understand the choices made in s4, it didn't make any sense with what came before, why would they waste the cliffhanger? why would they get separated for a year and not try to find each other? why would guillermo get a bf if not to make nandor jealous and bring them closer? and season 5 was so good and it did bring them closer but as friends... nandor has called guillermo his friend so many times already and it sounds so much like the way other shows queerbait (it doesn't apply here as both are queer but yk what i mean, shipbaiting, wtv) and i didn't want to see it. but i guess i was stuck on the s3 narrative, i was looking at everything that came after with what i knew from s3 in mind, but i see now nandermo was a one season plot that ended with the cliffhanger, that the year apart was their way to finish it, to get a clean slate. i see now that for the writers guillermo's crush is barely more than nandor's crush on meg or the guide's crush on guillermo, another thing that gets discarded from season to season. and since then they've given us just enough to string us along. and i'm pissed off because i fell for it, because they made it canon but not canon enough and now i have to read paul simms call the ship he wrote as romantic "problematic", like we're bad for liking it, like the whole show and characters aren't "problematic", like we're dumb for not taking guillermo's word for it when he said it was over bc we thought this show would give a fuck about arcs and themes and continuity. and yeah we can ship it even if it never becomes canon but it was supposed to, that's why i let myself become invested, because they gave us hope, because it was already happening! and just like guillermo becoming a vampire, it's been undone.

#nandermo #wwdits #tldr: nandermo was canon in s3 and i got invested bc it was the real deal but it's been undone like guillermo's turning #and now i feel stupid #i didn't want to believe they would do that to us but they did #time to face the truth #also fuck u paul

[shit-before-the-shovel]

ok, things are about to get really bad

at first i thought roman would never actually follow up with gerri's firing since logan is dead right? right??

but now i realize that what gerri is saying in this teaser trailer for season 4:

...isn't about roman's items. it's about, as roman put it, “logan being unhappy with how long it took for you to settle with the DOJ” (lol) and “you can go legal if you want but we're gonna stuff your mouth with so much gold--”.

and here's gerri saying, fuck you, i will sue and i will go public (i don't believe she will, i don't even believe she has a choice tbh, she'll get murderdered by the whole company if she does so cos nothing's fair in the world of waystar, is it).

but what's fucking with me the most is, yesterday someone posted about roman feeling guilty about “killing dad” and becoming this closed off robot of a person and i have to agree? we see it in the promo for 4x04:

i don't think he's fucking with her just for the fun of it here. i think he's genuinely thinking that this is what he has to do but he's really awkward about it, because it's not coming from a professional or objective point of view. it's coming from hurt about logan's death and gerri's betrayal for the lack of a better word.

and then gerri's like:

she sees right through him and she knows what this is about and quite tragically she tells him that logan has his paws all over them, even in his death. you cannot win. he'll wash all of you away in a sense. now, do i agree with her? not sure, i guess we'll have to see.

and then we go to gerri completely losing her shit like never before:

these three words are filled with so much meaning in the context of their relationship that i'm getting light headed even thinking about it.

in a way this is the first time their connection is acknowledged openly and seriously. knowing gerri's personality she would never go off on someone like this in a professional setting. now, if this was shiv or even logan saying this, yes, she'd get angry, but she wouldn't be like this with any of them. so her saying we're over is her acknowledging that they were more than colleagues, they were more than mentor/mentee.

now, it's pointless to define their relationship, because as we've seen in kieran and j's interviews, even the actors are confused about it. they try to make sense of it but always come up short. so let's just call it a connection.

so, gerri saying we're over in the promo really tells us that roman just will keep fucking up because he's hurt. and she's gonna have none of it, because she's hurt too. and i don't think they can come back from this.

an interviewer asked j is gerri in a place that she would have chosen for her to end up by the end of the season? does it feel like an ending that’s suitable for the journey that she’s been on? and j answers:

i know the actors can't reveal anything and in a normal world j's answer doesn't mean anything much, but this isn't a normal world, this is war and j replying with “it makes sense” not “yes” makes me absolutely feral. she could've gone with “yes”. but she went with “it makes sense”. those two are completely different things.

anyway,

#succession #succession hbo #succession spoilers #romangerri #roman roy #gerri kellman

[lollipopsub]

Hey!! I was wondering if you knew the timeline of season 2 of my beautiful man? I'm kind of confused. Is it supposed to be that hira and kiyoi have been together all through college? Or am I wrong about the timeline of the first season, because I thought that the finale of season 1 was during hira's first year of college. I'm just surprised that they seem still so unsure of their relationship if they've been a couple for years? Hopefully I'm making sense 😅 thank you so much if you take the time to read this 💖

Hi! Thanks for the ask. So compared to the timeline of the book, they're jumbling things up a little. The story with the party and the model hitting on Hira happens at the end of book 1 as a little sidestory, so canon they're still very young and just started dating.

In the series, supposing they get together at the end of Hira's year 1, and now he's halfway through year 4, they've been dating for close to 3 years I guess? Though I do reckon the decision to skip to this point in time (both novel and show) was made because of the life decisions they're going to have to make at this point in their lives, so maybe not too much thought have been put into the fact that it means they've been dating for so long.

If we expect this relationship to develop the way most relationships do, we're probably not gonna like what we'll be getting. These two emotionally constipated babes both have way too complicated perceptions of human relationships for this to have ever been an option. It's like asking a spoon to be a fork, it just ain't happening.

My point is, I don't think they are unsure of the relationship; they each know that they only have eyes for one another, but the balance in the relationship is just so completely off still. And this is basically what this season is gonna revolve around :)

!!!! POSSIBLE SPOILER !!!!!!

aka my interpretation of what the story might possibly revolve around based on the book 2 synopsis and 1st novel

I think it's hard to say much yet, but the synopsis for the show revolves around how their ways of loving each other is clashing terribly.

Hira lives in a world that is very hierarchy based and very black/white. He is at the bottom of the pyramid and Kiyoi is at the top. Their worlds are different and they can never truly co-exist on an even level; this world that Hira lives in is almost completely static, and he has no desire to move further up the social pyramid, which in his mind would be the only way for him to deserve Kiyoi.

He does not even see the possibility that Kiyoi chooses to go against this pyramid system Hira's made up. This reality does not occur to him because it simply is not an option. He never thought of it as one, so it genuinely is unfathomable to him. If you went back in time and met someone from the 60s, you wouldn't expect them to be able to explain the internet to you because it doesn't exist in their world and their reality. It's the same idea. It's not that he doesn't want to; he genuinely can't and he also is not aware that he is "lacking" something.

I feel like he still believes Kiyoi is with him as a sort of act of pity or sheer boredom. Hira's purpose is to worship Kiyoi and to be this close to him, even being intimate with him, is making Hira into a sinner committing a mortal, unforgivable sin. He should not be doing what he is doing; he does not deserve it qua his position in the hierarchy of the world. He would need to change everything about himself in order to be a deserving mate for Kiyoi; which I think is what he means when he says he needs to do better. He needs to be better; being himself the way he is now will never be someone who could ever deserve anything good.

ON THE OTHER HAND... Kiyoi may also not have a healthy relationship with love and commitment, but he truly, innerly and deeply wants to be loved. He wants to be the most important one to someone, he wants to be wanted more than anything and anyone else. He initially yearned for the kind of blind fiery, almost violent love that fans give to their idols, because he just wanted to be seen by anyone at all. He grew up feeling like an after-thought and a second choice; his mom was too busy with work, then his younger siblings came around and they were more important than him, so no one paid any mind to him and he was important to no one. Now, with time passing, he knows to himself that he doesn't want just anyone, he wants Hira and Hira only. He tries to navigate the world that Hira lives in, but Kiyoi's person and his free will does not exist in it; how is one supposed to exist in a world where you are not even perceived as a human with feelings and flaws and wants and desires?

I think this show is going to challenge even more how unreliable a narrator Hira has been for the viewer: I personally think that the sole reason some view this show as toxic is because they do not realize that Hira is a terrible narrator. We are not by any means given the whole picture and the whole truth, which is what is shown in the last two episodes of season 1, and I believe it will be shown even more in this show because of a less narrow POV.

Anyways, I might very well be wrong - haven't read the second novel yet, so I'm just based it all off of ~vibes~ and a synopsis.

#utsukushii kare #my beautiful man season 2 #utsukare #hirakiyo #hira x kiyoi #美しい彼

[misspoetree]

Presenting: The Great KinnPorsche Fashion Showdown (nobody asked for)

A few weeks ago, I made a poll about the best dressed KinnPorsche character. Tankhun won that one, followed by Vegas and Tay. Legitimate results - but the tags had some really interesting arguments for a bunch of different contenders. So why don't we take a closer look? Why don't we go through all the characters and their outfits one by one, choose the best one for each of them and repeat the initial poll at the end?

Sooo...that's exactly what we're doing right now.

*For the characters with more than 10 outfits - like Porsche here - I'm going to make multiple polls and put the best voted ones into a final one

Tankhun - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE CAPE 🎉🎉🎉

Vegas - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: THE WITCHY SHIRT*TM 🎉🎉🎉

Kim - Part 1 | Part 2 | FINAL CONTENDERS (CLOSED) - WINNER: BLACK TANK TOP (OF DEATH)

Porsche - Part 1 (CLOSED) | Part 2 (closes April 12th) | Part 4 coming soon | FINAL CONTENDERS (BLACK TITS OUT SHIRT vs. ???) coming soon

You can find the links to all the polls (as I gradually post them) HERE (pinned on my profile).

LET'S GET VOTING! 🎉

#okay i'll admit it #there's a good change I counted some of Porsche's outfits twice #because he owns that t-shirt in five different colours and combines them with his multitude of pants #and I miiight lost count a little bit #(didn't expect Porsche's fashion to be the most confusing of all people 😂💀) #anyways - hope you have fun voting! 😊 #(Porsche's second poll ends tomorrow btw!) #kinnporche the series #the great kinnporsche fashion showdown #kinnporsche polls #porsche kittisawasd #kinnporsche fashion #kinnporsche outfits #kinnporsche costumes

[itsdappleagain]

THIS WEEK'S THE WEEK, FOLKS hopefully

IM GOING TO TRY TO CATHC UP ON CS WEEKLY AW YEAH!! ALRIGHT YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS

IT'S TIME FOR THE CHASING PAPER CAPER!

(look how cool these stars are they actually are sharp!! i folded a few of them, look!)

highly recommend- super easy to do with just sticky notes

ANYWAY here we go!!! notes under the cut as usual <3

MAN i am late on this episode but i am soo excited for it!!!

maelstrom wins for worst eyebags

sdjjfd mael's like yeah 💅 perhaps I am a little deranged

mael's va put his pussy into saying "intellect"

everyone and their mother has made vile presentation power point jokes already so im not going to beat a dead horse but. yeah. thats so fucking funny

CLEO ROLLS HER EYES AT BRUNT TOO HAHAHA

this bitch i stg

the way she smacks that table when she says darn right. i do believe her. she is texas proud. she would hate abortion

i also like that the show uses brunt as a vessel for the american seven year olds watching this who also have no idea what the magna carta is. its cool

i had no idea there were seventeen original copies of the magna carta. i guess i should have guessed but i think im used to the constitu- never mind there are 13 copies of that too. okay well we're learning today

okay so i think the museum the magna cartas is in is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya?? it looks very similar

in style, if a little changed for the show. really cool! i guess they didnt want to have to try to pronounce the name though

law and disorder (svu theme chime)

stealing paper, yes. but have you considered that paper star also. folds and throws and destroys with that paper and is generally NOT great at keeping it intact

bark bark i love watching season 1 through a post-shadowsan reveal lens. he knows paper star IS a threat, unlike most of the other operatives, so he opposes the idea,,

love maelstrom just cutting shadowsan off with a vote. he's stealing the symbols of democracy so his colleagues cant keep skipping out on majority rules

there actually is a cafe on the museum grounds that isnt EXACTLY where carmen is sitting but is pretty close. cs team did their research with this one

some guy named john is so funny

player jumped from the very general "you can't be arrested for no reason" to "YOU CANT HAVE YOUR HORSE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU" very quickly

well there isnt actually any "of the liberties" in the direct translation but alright

love how they have the english article "the" in the title of the magna cartas while talking about how its latin wheeze

rest in piece 3/4 turn views of the face. the carmen sandiego artstyle is beautiful until it has to neogotiate carmen not having a nose

interesting that the museum gets subtly lighted in green. we alll know what that means

i like the dramatic reveal of paper star but i also think. how did player not notice the security cams were already down

she had a lil choker

i love paper star so much. she's fantastic

she does make horse noises when she skips though, which is why jo likes her so much

yeah. paper star is so cool

hmmm

THEY HAVE NEVER WRITTEN A BETTER AND MORE DEFINING LINE IN THIS SHOW THAN "RED IS A SMART COLOR FOR YOU. IT WILL HIDE THE STAINS." WHAT THE FUCK THEY POPPED OFFF ON THAT LINE

SHE SAYS IT AND CARMEN CANT DO SHIT SHE JUST RUNS. CARMEN IS LITERALLY ON THE DEFENSIVE ALWAYS IN THIS FIGHT KSHFDSH ITS SO GOOD

you know shit is real when someone protects the face

i love how carmen puts her fists up to fight like a normal operative v carmen fight and then ps just pulls out the stars its so funny. its like the indiana jones scene when he just pulls out a gun

YES this fight is a challenge for carmen and i LOVE IT

LITERALLY WHAT COULD BE BETTER CARMEN ALMOST GETS STABBED IN THE NECK ITS GREAT. PAPER STAR IS A GREAT VILLAIN. YEAH

so glad kimiko glenn could voice her god she does such a good job

paper star used up the smear frame budget in this one scene alone

i love how carmen tries her quip and fight formula again and AGAIN paper star is like. no <3 i am going to rip you to shreds with this terrible pun i made up and carmen is SO OVER IT JSDHGHS

love how carmen didnt move like girlie what did you think she was going to do with those pamphlets

papertiger fans go wild

no way did that fucking tiger decapitate a stone statue what the fuck does she put in there knives??? paper star gives children razors in their halloween candy i guess

once again carmen's love for saving things that she has mostly already ruined causes her to have a disadvantage! it sure would suck if another falling statue at some point was weaponized. that would suck

LOOK AT THE GOUGES THOSE PAMPHLET STARS MADE WHAT THE FUCK

the cut hat staying there is so funny to me for some reason

dont try to be sneaky, carmen. just walk right up the center

the transitions with the tapestry and paperstar's folds are cool as fuck

HOW DID SHE GET UP THERE

also she disappears behind that second tapestry which means she was clinging onto the back of the fabric like a koala. good image

paper star: wraps carmen in a tapestry s4 evil carmen in the finale: hey that was a good idea. julia come here

paper star is the queerest bitch on the map at all times and i love her so much for that

laughing so hard imagining how many takes gina had to do of carmen's pained moaning as she struggles in the paper wrap

yeah. paper star. okay as if i haven't gushed about her enough she is. so good. the little mm-mm-mm! as carmen struggles. going against all of vile's ideals as she leaves traces EVERYWHERE and then pulls the fire alarm, not hiding in plain sight at all. she leaves carmen wrapped up for the cops. yeah. god. yeah

least favorite part of this episode of carmen being more upset about her hat than she is about losing The Fucking Magna Cartas and GOOD GRAVY SHE MOANS ABOUT THE HAT FOR SO LONG CARMEN YOU HAVE LIKE FIFTEEN

i love seeing the remains of the fight when acme steps in the next day!! you can track where paper star shot at carmen and then wrapped her up, where she was firing on the first floor, the different types of paper..

where did paper star put that glass circle she cut out

chase just randomly picks up evidence barehanded and then tosses it to the floor 2. fuck him fuck him straight to hell. so glad this is a pro-julia episode jhfashgdfa

all she does is romanticize the scoundrel it is all she CAN do

yeah acme is secret and not even their families know about it. but also every cop ever knows about it too okay

chase. thats it thats the post (i dont actually hate him. hes funny. but also insufferable at times. that is our wife you are slandering, sir)

i cant tell if i want to make a joke or a serious comment about how she's doing a finger gun at the image of carmen so i'll just leave it here

FULL OF LOVE AND AUTISM

chase: the only agent who has been face to face with her the train scene: i am about to ruin this whole man's career

HAH. says player. next on the news

(eda voice) look its an outdated human reference

why was le chevre up there. did he come down from the cliff face just for fun. or scale it just for fun. nevermind that checks out

the people in this show have ankles of steel they be dropping 20-30 feet and just fine with it

everyone tries to banter with paper star and she just. no

the shifty glance around from le chevre shdgkjsghd

the drop in her tone and face when she says he looks like he would get caught is so good

PIPPI PUNKSTOCKINGS

she is straight up torturing this guy how did paper star get past the censors

its like he was swinging his dick around in her face and going NOO NOT MY DICK PLEASE NOT MY DICK you are literally offering them as targets sir they are the closest thing to her

and from that day on fanfiction writers across the globe only called her tammy again

rOLL CREDITS /ref

oh i havent mentioned the music in this episode yet. its so good. yeah

the animation also is beautiful. the train is very nice w/ the reflections in the water

and then chase showed up to ruin her day

THE LITTLE tsk. ugh. SHE DOES IS SO FUNNY

i love how she's just humoring him he's not even in the realm of worth her full attention

honestly impressed by how chill chase is in the conversation? last time he was on a train with "her" he whipped off "her" hat and screamed in "her" face. then with ivy he jumped her snowmobile and triumphantly yelled at her again

he's just kind of like. yeah cool. im around carmen sandiego. we should have a lovely chat and then i shall get her to lead me calmly to the magna cartas. this could not possibly go wrong

love chase where did he think she was hiding them

awww theyre holding hands

criminal of this show to not show her kicking his ass in the tunnel it would have been soo funny

i love the little fakeout they do in the tunnel too. like omg did he cuff her??? no she used an uno reverse card

ALSO the little details of this show. before carmen says "or what? you'll cuff me?" she glances out the train window. she already has this scene so perfectly choreographed in her mind that she can just time the tunnel and make her escape its so good

acme keycard!!!! little did carmen know that pickpocketing that card would lead to coach brunt most of the way murdering her in a basement a few weeks from now

HERE WE GO YOU GUYS THE GAY SCENE OF ALL TIME

AGAIN julia is on her tablet gosh i dont know why i dont ever think of her as tech savvy but she is ALWAYS tapping on that thing

julia is so nice to her carmen just. sits dsgjagkdsh

THE WAY SORRY CAN YOU IMAGINE IF SOME RANDO HOT LADY SAT DOWN ACROSS FROM YOU WITH NO PERMISSION AND THEN JUST WENT PARTNER 🤨🤨🤨🤨???? AT YOU WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE WORD LIKE SHE WAS DOING HER MAKEUP (so it seemed) AND SHE JUST. DROPPED EVERYTHING

is the plausible reason that "partner" set off cop warnings in carmen's head? yes. but is the gay reason that she wanted to make sure she wasn't about to flirt with some poor married woman? also yes is the gay response to this gay reason julia canonically going "NO GOD IM NOT WITH HIM WITH HIM"? yes and yes!!

THE IMMEDIATE JULES GOD

julia puts down her tablet and gives her FULL attention to carmen to talk about the taj mahal,,, yeahh....

ALSO i enjoy how carmen maneuvers the conversation. she asks julia's name and then immediately asks an engaging question afterward so that julia doesn't think to ask for HER name...

love how julia leans forward to talk to carmen augh...she is so engaged and relaxed

that line is so fucking iconic. the Eyes she's giving. the lean. she loves history even more. the fucking setup for way down in season 4

HAHAAAA JULIA PICKS UP ON THAT LITTTLE TINY CLUE CARMEN DROPS HER SO FAST AND I LOVE THAT SO MUCH...THE WAY SHE JUST IMMEDIATELY SITS UP AND HER BRAIN GOES wait a minute something about that remark wasn't right YEAH...YEAH YEAH YEAH

AND THEN SHE JUST STANDS UP OUT OF SHOCK ONCE SHE REALIZES WHO SHE JUST CHATTED WITH HEHEHE

god i honestly think that if chase hadn't been putting her down and scoffing at her interests and making her stay behind at crime scenes she would have gone after carmen. can you IMAGINE how different the episode would have been if she'd gone after her???? GOD (i can imagine....i have imagined....the polycule has done....a LOT of imagining...)

that liiiittle glance behind that carmen does to see if julia is following her before she starts focusing on paper star..

man i NEVER used to be able to figure out how paper star sensed carmen peeking around the corner but i realized about a year ago that she saw her reflection in the window...AUGH the little details of this show are so good

THE WAY CARMEN JUST POUNCES ON HER IS SO FUNNY

that gay little roll. paper star makes every fight just a little gay actually. now kiss

those shoes must have hurt so bad to get kicked with ow

second toilet paper joke of the episode. laugh.

i love the pro-environment message this episode was halfheartedly trying to juggle. it did not come across fantastically

the way paper star's eyes light up when she sees new paper is great

PAPER STAR'S THEME IS SO GOOOD....HOW SHE JUST. she just goes. "you should run." somehow she's the most campy villain and the most down-to-earth serious threat could and would kill you villain in the show and she rocks both at once

paper star is vaccuming her

you also know shit gets real when the background turns into a mass of colored streaks

i ALSO love about paper star that she can and does hold her own in hand-to-hand. yeah she's bet with her stars but she can pack a punch or a kick

TELL ME HOW CARMEN NABBED THAT CASE IN THE MILLISECOND BETWEEN PAPER STAR GRABBING THE PAPERS AND DRAWING BACK

carmen: yes i do think i will run now

i also like this fight because we don't often get to see carmen fighting when she's not in her trench coat. it gives it a much more sporadic, caught-off-guard feel to the whole thing somehow- which is again a trademark of paper star!! she doesn't do things like everyone else

something about the way carmen sprints to the end of the train and then turns around is so fucking funny. yes that is the last car! congratulations! its a good thing you came up here instead of trapping yourself in the interior of the last car I guess

rock paper scissors wind

THE FLIP OVER THE SHOULDER GAY STARE IS ALSO ICONIC AND SUCH A GOOD MOVE. carmen initiated it but fuck if she knows what she's going to do afterwards

ill say it again and a fcuking gain how much i like how much of a threat paper star is. yes girl. fling her off the train not once (sort of) but twice. carmen was an inch away from falling headfirst off that train and she knew it

i am not sure how exactly carmen pulled herself up from a lean by grabbing paper star's boobs and pulling her towards her but im good with it. also look at this animation she is desperate!! yess!!!!!! EMOTION!!!!

AND LEGO HANDS!!!!

now KISS

OBSESSED WITH HOW STRONG PAPER STAR IS WHEEZE SHE JUST F L I N G S CARMEN OFF THE SIDE. HER FEET ARE OFF THE FLOOR. BYE

the couple not even looking up from the newspaper is so funny

i love the broken physics of that vent(?) cover (?) throw its extremely entertaining to watch

carmen's triumph motif playing and then cutting to paper star just hanging there while a crow squawks at her is very funny. she just looks at it. i would like to think she makes friends with it. she does like murder

"agent devineaux??" "mnyeh.."

AND SHE DELIVERS THE MAGNA CARTAS TO HERRRR

good hands :))))

i love that she doesn't even need to say anything. we are just left to understand that paper star did end up one-upping her here in the end, and its this moment that nearly kills both her and chase

sassypants

i like the contrast of brunt and cleo shielding themselves when she throws the card, versus maelstrom standing and not flinching. he knows her better than they do

damn

i thought that was a vase theyre just his pants

HEHEE GOD THATS A GOOD EPISODE. yeah. yeah. okay

thats all i have to say for this one. other than the french connections caper this is my favorite episode in season 1!!

#carmen sandiego #cs weekly #csweekly

[triflesandparsnips]

So here's a theory I'm just going to toss into the pot to see how it changes the flavor of the soup--

Izzy Hands, current on-the-spot villain, sweating homophobia, and ruining everybody's lives in the pursuit of some kind of unattainable piratical perfection... what if.

What if Izzy is nonbinary.

(he/his, but gender is First Mate)

WHERE'S THIS COMING FROM? I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED.

Let me first rewind a bit. (And if you need a refresher, may I interest you in this scene pack that was very enlightening.)

At the top of season 1, when we first get introduced to Izzy, he's a lot more, well, playful (in his Izzy way) before he and Stede became mortal fuckin enemies or whatever.

"We're just humble wanderers, passing through"

"Dibs, y'say?"

Figure 1. Legendary swordfighter cuts tit window in stranger's shirt for shits, giggles

He's, like, annoyed about following Stede on Ed's orders, but largely because Ed's poking him about it ("And he bested you at swordplay") and making him do stupid errands ("Oh, Edward, can't I just send the boys?") -- but he's still cool and vaguely flirty in the noncommittal way That All Pirates (Named Blackbeard) Do when he finds Stede at Spanish Jackie's.

Leaning against the wall, having a cool line to say as an intro ("I've a few colleagues in there")

Sauntering forward while providing non-relevant info that could, in fact, be interpreted as flattery if Stede had wanted to see it that way -- specifically, Izzy saying he fuckin hates Spanish Jackie's while also getting close to Stede, which could be read as 'but I came anyway to see you'

Figure 2. Walls: Are You Leaning Back Against Enough of Them? Meet the pirate who's vowed to pose against them all, probably while doing something interesting off-camera with his hips

At this point in the conversation, Izzy still has plenty of time to tell Stede who his boss is, that it is in fact Blackbeard who's looking for his attention, and Izzy could continue getting into Stede's personal space and subtly lean on things and talk shit about Jackie's... but then Stede calls him Iggy.

And that's when Izzy actually gets pissed off. From that point on, we're in Dread Enemy territory, because Izzy Hands has a thing about names and titles and identity -- as I've said in previous meta:

What he calls people, and in what context, has meaning to him, and I suspect what people call him has meaning that he may believe everyone else is aware of when, in fact, nobody fucking is.

(Izzy's pronouns are also fuck/off)

SO WHAT CHANGES

Izzy's whole fucking deal starts with Stede misnaming him. Stede, once again, is a catalyst for change -- Izzy hasn't had to deal with people being shit to him for years. I mean, even at his angriest in their actual stand-off just the episode before, he didn't have the sheer rage popping through that we get at Spanish Jackie's.

Figure 3. A tense annoyance transmogrified into annoyed acceptance (with aid of released breath and delicately applied pointy thing).

Figure 4. Overwhelming tension and coiled violence. Application of pointy thing unlikely to provide much assistance in this scenario.

Suddenly Izzy has to, like, deal with that. This is the start of things getting immeasurably messier in Izzy's previously tidy mindscape.

Because the thing. The thing is. The thing. Is that the SHEER NARRATIVE GLARE of Ed and Stede's romance makes it hard to see that Izzy Hands is, to be honest, spending season 1 here taking a trip on the Issues Express.

Prior to Stede fuckin Bonnet misnaming him, Izzy Hands is living a pretty okay life!

He appears to have regular duties, including light investigation into the new pirate everyone's talking about

Evidently has a reasonable enough relationship with the native population that he can casually buy English officers off of them

Has a standard for reporting to Ed that doesn't involve poking his fingies into candles and lying badly

Doesn't have shit to say about messy ships, what with the Hot Topic store that vomited over the deck of the Queen Anne with malice aforethought

With Stede poking at him, though... he's suddenly thinking about things, and crucially, not wanting to think about things. A whole lot of Izzy's whole fucking Deal is a result of him having to think about and process through shit that he hasn't had to deal with in years, if ever, in an attempt to both course-correct and maintain his sense of status quo. We see this play out in a couple of ways --

the way he addresses Ed (and how the forms of address Izzy's "okay" with using with Ed changes to meet Izzy's needs -- see @mikimeiko's supercut for a review)

his own no-longer-playful attitude toward stuff -- the last of which, I would hazard, actually appears when he just wanders into the stores with his cup of coffee to lean and drink while waiting for Pete and Lucius to notice he's there (and from which he's thrown off when first Lucius and Pete are... not particularly bothered by it, and then when Izzy tries to compensate, it goes even more poorly, and then--)

Figure 5. Upon being misnamed "Iggy" a second time, local Angry Ball of Emotions decides to once again forget that his weapon of choice requires several feet of working room to actually be effective

The "solutions" Izzy comes up with to deal with all this Everything happening around him (and to him) are both intentional and unintentional on his part -- most of them are devoted to returning to a status quo, the place where he was not in turmoil.

Stede Bonnet made him feel bad about his name; okay, lie to Ed about Bonnet so they never have to see him again and/or maybe Ed kills Bonnet for being mean. (About Ed. Not about Izzy. Izzy does not tell Ed about the name thing, and gosh that's interesting.)

Now Ed and Bonnet are on the same ship and Ed's not being the ship captain Izzy is familiar with, which must be because... Bonnet's around? Makes sense, fine, sure, so get rid of Bonnet, this is clearly the solution once again. How to do that? Logic about Ed's own pet policy? Doesn't work. Duel? Also doesn't work. Calico Jack? Kind of a long-shot, still doesn't work. The English? Against all odds somehow still doesn't work.

And then finally, though, Bonnet is gone! Hooray status quo! So that means we're all set here, everything back to nor-- nope. Nope. Um. Ed is still changing, getting more gender nonconforming, wanting to talk things out? And Izzy can't even blame it on Stede being around? Nope, fuck that, too much thinking there, too much wondering what it means to be GNC and also talking is terrible, let's just go back to when things were normal, pre-Bonnet, pre-boyfriends, yup, yup, I only serve Blackbeard, yeah THIS'LL fix things, okay babe sure.

(Concept: Edward "Blackbeard" Teach as the man on which Izzy Hands modeled masculinity because he himself didn't have a good innate understanding of his own gender outside of whatever biological bits seemed to match up, resulting in the fracturing of Izzy's sense of self when Ed starts experimenting with his own presentation -- even though perhaps Izzy latched onto Ed in the first place because Ed himself is already nonconforming, and also god, let Ed live his life, Izzy, jfc, not everything is about you.)

(Additional note: It is very hard to not be a self-centered asshole when your entire sense of self is a trainwreck and you can barely piece together why. Also, therapy hadn't been invented yet, and even top-of-the-line medical theory was pretty sure sad feelings came from Animal Spirits in your brain and/or spleen, so honestly it's a goddamn miracle any of these characters made it all the way to the end of the season, I don't actually blame any of them for being goddamn disasters in this regard.)

All this drive toward the status quo, btw, is an excellent bit of motivation to have in contrast/conversation with both Stede's and Ed's motivations -- because they're trying to escape their status quo, and only return to it when they find themselves in danger and scared. Izzy, on the other hand, feels in danger and scared when out of the status quo. They all try to get back to the status quo, and they all make increasingly poor decisions in their attempts to do so, but their motivations are diametrically opposed, and their personal timelines are out of step (Izzy starts very early on; Stede starts around the time he finds out he's been declared dead but really when Chauncey shoots himself; Ed starts with Izzy's threat against him).

Figure 6. A bullshit illustration of a poorly explained theory.

The need to move with/against the tide of change is sufficiently strong in all three of them to create narrative momentum. Specifically, with regard to moving toward change:

Stede incites change to escape the suicidal-ideation-inducing trap of his heteroconforming life;

through Stede, Ed discovers the possibility of change to escape the suicidal-ideation-inducing endless rat-race of piracy;

in this case, Izzy is not a willing participant in change, and feels threatened by it.

When the climax of the season approaches, we see the build of tension happening through all their actions against change:

Izzy incites multiple returns to status quo to escape the (suicidal-ideation-inducing?) changes appearing in his life without, he feels, his consent -- he seeks safety;

Stede backtracks in order to return to status quo and escape (what he perceives to be) the negative consequences of his actions toward change -- he seeks safety;

Ed backtracks to match what he believes to be Izzy's status quo (the caricature of Blackbeard, itself already an over-compensation on Izzy's part), done in response to the threat from Izzy -- he, you guessed it, seeks safety.

They're all doing such similar things, and they're all doing it for such wildly different -- but related -- reasons. Which brings me to...

WHAT IS IZZY HIDING FROM?

Well, I already said it before, but: Izzy Hands. Might be nonbinary.

(Izzy's gender is None Of Your Fucking Business)

Why am I aiming my theory in that direction? Let's start with how this show really likes its parallels. So what's the deal with these three?

Stede: Is already accepting of his nonconformity; he needs to discover the joy of queer attraction

Ed: Is already accepting of his queer attractions; he needs to discover the joy of queer nonconformity

Izzy: Hasn't accepted any of that in himself, which is why he's the most scared perhaps -- he needs to discover the joy of queer attraction and queer nonconformity, which in turn will bring him (as well as Stede and Ed, in their quests) to queer identity

So outside of his many many issues with Stede and Ed in particular, how do we see Izzy's need for queer attraction/nonconformity/identity reflected in the narrative? Well:

Actors can't be trusted and the story isn't "real" until we see it on-screen, but: Con has mentioned that the two people that really knock Izzy on his head are Lucius (definitely the attraction one) and Jim (??? perhaps... nonconformity?)

Speaking of Jim, and why I'm intrigued by this nonbinary theory, Izzy "let me be as insulting as possible to the openly queer people on board" Hands still uses Jim's goddamn pronouns

Figure 7. The absolute most surprising character moment in the entire show, I'm pretty sure.

Back to how you can't trust actors worth a damn: Vico Ortiz fucking loves cosplaying as Izzy and evidently has whole theories about how the two characters would vibe together. You know how the queer folk tend to find one another? Yeah, that.

If Izzy's whole thing about Ed's nonconforming can be considered a blow to the masculinity that Izzy has mirrored his own on... what's up with Jim, then? Jim's got all the masculine traits that Izzy admires. Ruthlessness. Competence. Knives. And yet-- Jim is... Jim? Jim doesn't identify as a man. Jim doesn't identify as a woman. Jim identifies as a goddamn threat.

What does Izzy want to be?

What could Izzy be?

Listen: figuring out your shit? Is hard. And if you think you've got it figured out -- or that it's the best it's going to be -- then why rock the boat?

Izzy's gender is a total non-issue at the start of the show. Why would it be? He's got an identity: it's "Izzy Hands, Blackbeard's First Mate." He doesn't need anything else, and we get a pretty decent opportunity to at least see how he was prior to all this shit going down -- he was playful. He was the sort of person that maybe you could see being fun enough for Ed to want to point neat shit out to him.

Until Stede fucking Bonnet calls him Iggy.

Until Blackbeard starts being more Ed than Blackbeard.

Until he's not even on the crew anymore, he's not a first mate, he's nothing--

Izzy has his chosen identity broken down to nothing. And he makes terrible decisions to try and regain it. Get rid of Stede and frighten everyone else; now his name is his own again. Sell out to the English and then acquiesce to Ed returning as captain; now he's back to crew and first mate. The last thing left... is Blackbeard. And good golly, he definitely does something about that too.

The thing is, identity is... malleable. You change. Izzy didn't want that, but guess what, buddy, the tide doesn't stop just because you want your sandcastles to stay pristine. He does everything he can -- above and beyond what's reasonable or moral -- to get back to where he started, but everyone's too changed in the interim to reset exactly. And that includes Izzy Hands himself.

WHICH BRINGS US TO SEASON 2

I don't make the rules, but with regard to the story:

Even if you disagree with my overall theory here, pirate data science says that Izzy is, for whatever reason, important in this narrative, and that's unlikely to stop in season 2

David Jenkins is fascinated by Izzy, and you know how writers get about characters they're fascinated with

At the start of season 2, I bet Izzy has had a lot of time to think about a lot of different things now that everything's back to "status quo" and everything is also, not coincidentally, fucking terrible. So wouldn't it be interesting if Izzy finds himself:

taking care of and keeping secret a waterlogged Lucius -- and Definitely Not Asking Questions about being gay for dudes

(Lucius asks "who cares if it makes you happy?")

taking care of and working with Jim -- and Definitely Not Asking Questions about gender and labels

(Jim asks "whose opinion matters more than your own?")

ALL WHILE dealing with his role -- and culpability -- in the creation of the whole Kraken / Stede A-plot

(at night, when Izzy is alone and frightened in the dark, he whispers, "who are you, Izzy Hands, when there's nothing left to lose?")

(and it may be some time -- maybe a whole 'nother season -- before he can manage to ask and answer the real question...)

"who could I be, if I let myself?"

#our flag means death #whoops #izzy hands #meta #tw mentions of suicidal ideation #I'm not dying on this hill I'm just really into hiking #taking your trans Izzy characterizations for a spin down Nonbinary Lane #it's completely possible to be queer and an absolute asshole #let queers be awful 2k22 #lgbtqa #nonbinary

[strangerquinns]

'86 Baby!: Chapter Twelve

Eddie Munson x Female Reader

A Stranger Things Season 4 Rewrite: It’s Senior Year for Hawkins High School Class of '86. But while most are dealing with the pressure of finales, the threat of the Upside Down looms over you and your friends. But an old friend is soon pulled into the darkness, and all you hope to do is save him while pushing away old feelings.

story warning: dark themes like; death, blood, violence, descriptions of dead bodies + other Stranger Things related warnings. themes: fluff w/ angst + smut

word count: 2.9k+ // ’86 Baby! masterlist

stranger things masterlist

Chapter Twelve: Grand Theft Auto

"Are we really thinking that Eddie walking around with Micheal Myers mask isn't going to draw attention to him?" You asked as you watched Eddie put on the mask, shoving his long dark curls into the rubber face.

"We don't really have much else of a choice, we can't exactly have him walking around." Steve shrugged

"He has a bandanna hanging out of his back pocket!" You shouted pointing to the skull and barbwire printed cloth swinging from his back jean pocket.

"I think even with the bandanna tied across his face, people will still know it's Eddie," Dustin spoke up, moving to stand beside you. "He's not exactly hard to miss nor forget."

You sighed softly knowing that Dustin was slightly right. Eddie was the type of person you could pick out of a large crowd of people. He stuck out, and he made sure of it on purpose. Everyone started gathering their things before moving quickly out of Max's trailer. Eddie led the front of the pack, using other trailers as cover to hide behind as you all slowly made your way.

You stood toward the back with Robin as you saw it come into view. The RV that was stationed at the back of the park where a middle-aged couple lived. You remember them from when you used to live in Forest Hills, a part of you couldn't believe that were still here. And as you stared at the large, worn-down yellow, vehicle - Eddie's plan clicked into place.

We're gonna carjack an RV, you thought to yourself. Suddenly your adrenaline spiked up even higher as you all quickly and quietly made your way to the back of it. Eddie reached up and slid the back window open before hoisting himself inside. He struggled for only a few passing seconds before soon his long legs disappeared through the window.

"Alright, one by one, let's go," Steve spoke, turning around and threading his fingers together. "Nancy, you're next."

One by one people started to follow Eddie's lead and crawl in through the window with a boost from Steve. You were one of the last and crawled in with ease, even with a wound on your leg. Which was, honestly, not hurting as much as it was before. Not sure if it was due to you not really having time to think about it, or it just truly didn't hurt. Either way, you weren't complaining.

Once you were securely inside, you reached a handout and helped pull Steve through, the two of you falling against the bench the moment he pulled through. You rolled over and stood up from the bench and looked to see Eddie, already in the driver seat, already cutting through wired. From behind you, Steve followed close behind, moving around to lean over Eddie slightly.

"Where'd you learn to do this?" Steve asked with a slightly confused look on his face and in his tone.

Eddie let out a dry chuckle as he started to twist and expose some of the wires needed to start the car. "Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids to fish or play ball...my old man was teaching me how to hot wire." Eddie started rubbing two of them together to create a spark, "Now, I swore to myself that I wouldn't wind up like he did. But...I'm wanted for murder and soon grand theft auto, so...really living up to that Munson name."

That last sentence brought a frown to your lips. But before you could say anything, Robin came up behind you and pushed slightly against your back.

"Uh...Eddie, I don't know how comfortable I am with you driving this thing."

Eddie turned around with a smirk, the same smirk from before. The same smirk that let you know that he was up to something and that something was going to get you into trouble.

"Oh, I'm starting this sucker, Harrington's got 'er...don't ya big boy." Eddie chuckled before twisting the last wires together and soon the RV started with a roar of the engine.

Almost immediately from outside you could hear the shouts and screams of the couple outside, the two of them working to get the door opened. But turning around, you saw that it was locked.

Smart, Eddie.

"Go! Go! Go!" You screamed, pushing on Steve's shoulder and nearly pushing him into Eddie as he tried to get up from the driver's seat. Steve stumbled around him and got in behind the wheel, the RV erupting in chaos and slight panic.

"Everyone, grab a seat!" Steve shouted, shifting the RV into drive and pressing his foot down on the gas.

He didn't give anyone much time to find a seat and hold on. Soon your body went flying down the small aisle way and slammed into Eddie's chest, his arms wrapping around your waist. Steve drove down through the trailer park at full speed, the RV rocking from side to side throwing a few of you around with it. Robin let out a scream as she slid across the bench she was sitting on. You reached a hand out and grabbed tightly to the leg of the table as you felt your body slide forward to the two front seats.

But just as quickly as the chaos started, everything calmed down, the RV smoothing out as Steve drove down the main road. You groaned as you slowly moved to sit up, feeling some tension in your back.

"Smooth, Harrington, smooth," You stood up to everyone else behind you moving to find more comfortable seating. "Draw all the curtains closed. Don't need anyone looking in while we're driving down the road."

At the back bench, Dustin pulled the curtain closed while Robin did the same with the one beside her. You slid into the chair that was behind the driver-side seat, Eddie moving to stand from the ground.

"Room in that chair for me?" He asked causing you to nod your head with a soft smirk. You stood up to allow him to sit down, before moving to sit in his lap. He wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you down into him tightly. His head rested right on your shoulder.

The RV seemed to fall into silence as everyone started to come down from their adrenaline rush. Also, it seemed the realization of what they were truly getting ready to do was starting to dawn on a few people. Your arm wrapped around Eddie's should and rested against him, your fingers moving up and down along his neck, playing with his curls every once and a while.

"Do we truly think this is going to work?" Robin asked, turning slightly in her seat to face you. "Do you really think that we can defeat Vecna?"

"I trust that we can damn well try," You spoke up, "We don't really have much else of a choice. We don't have Eleven and even if we did, she doesn't have her powers. It's coming down to us."

"We've done this before," Dustin spoke up from the back bench. "And we're going to have a plan. We already know we're getting him when he's weak. When he's remote traveling."

"We need to come up with the distracting part. To get the bats away from the Creel house in the Upside Down."

Everyone fell into silence again before Steve spoke up from the front. "Those things pull away from any kind of noise or threat right?"

"Yeah, hive mind." You replied, "Once it…Vecna sensed something or heard something he'd send them right for the source."

"We need something to create a loud enough noise to pull them in that direction," Dustin spoke up.

"Like a guitar playing through an AMP? That kind of loud?" Eddie questioned, causing you to look down at him. "Always would get complaints during band practice cause it would be too loud in Gareth's garage."

"Eddie...you're a fucking genius. That's perfect!" Dustin smiled and perked up slightly, "We can have Eddie's guitar pull the bats far enough away that a group could sneak into Vecna's lair."

"Would you have your guitar and AMP at the trailer in '83?" Nancy asked from her spot at the front.

Eddie nodded his head, "My Uncle got it for me in '81 for Christmas. Always have her hanging in the same spot since, right on the mirror in my bedroom. AMP is in my closet."

"Sounds like we've got a plan coming together nicely," Steve said, turning the RV down another road.

~.~

"They shouldn't be taking this long, what are they doing? Buying the whole goddamn store?" You asked, leaning forward and rubbing your hand over your face.

When Steve had pulled up to War Zone the first thing he did was park at the back. The last thing anyone needed was, one, someone noticing a stolen RV sitting in the parking lot. Or, two, getting close and seeing either you are Eddie inside said stolen RV. Eddie sat slouched and nearly folded in on himself in the chair the two of you were sitting in before. You were getting too antsy and felt like your body was becoming restless.

"I mean would that be a bad thing? We need as many weapons as we can get." Dustin spoke from his spot at the table. It was decided that he would stay behind too along with Lucas since Hellfire Club was now added to the list of people to look out for.

"Maybe I should go in after them? Sure there is something in here I can use to disguise myself," You spoke with worry clear in your voice. Your speech is slightly studdered from the nerves racking through your body.

But Eddie stood quickly before you could even get close to the door of the RV, his hands holding out in front of him to stop you. Your eyes snapped up towards him, he could quickly see the pleading behind them. "You're not going in there. If anyone from town is in that store, it will only be seconds before something happens. They have it ok? Nancy and Steve aren't gonna let anything happen."

Eddie moved his hands to cup your face as you looked up at him. You sagged slightly against his touch and nodded your head, stepping forward and wrapping your arms around him. "I can't help but worry when I can't see them, and know they are ok."

"I know, sweetheart, I know," Eddie spoke with his mouth against your forehead, his hand moving to rub along your back.

“This is still...so weird to see and understand." Dustin said as he stared at you and Eddie. The two of you stepped back from each other and looked down at the younger teen. "Like you, two grew up together?"

"Uh...yeah. I used to live across the street from his trailer. The one next to Max's actually." You shrugged "Eddie was the only other kid in the park...well only kid that actually would play with me."

"How come we never heard of this? Even when we joined Hellfire Club?" Lucas asked

"Well...w-we haven't really hung out much till now. I mean...not for like two years." You explained, "After the whole thing with the gate and then Star Court mall, i-...things just...changed."

"But we're good now," Eddie nodded his head and smiled encouragingly down at you.

"Still weird," Dustin whispered

"Hey, I was and still am a nerd like you guys ok. I may be on the cheerleading squad and whatnot but I still play D&D with you guys and Erica."

"I guess if Eddie was gonna have a girlfriend, we're glad that it's you and not some other annoying girl." Lucas shrugged

"Thank you?" You questioned as you stared down at him.

The door of the RV flew open and quickly the others started rushing into the small space each holding bags, guns, or other weapon-like items.

"What? What's going on?" You could tell by all their body language that something was wrong.

"All your friends are here," Erica spoke up as she shoved a bag into Lucas's hands.

"Jason?" You whispered softly and Robin nodded her head, throwing a jacket at you before taking a seat. Everyone took their seats and held on tightly as Steve pulled out of the parking lot quickly. When you look back you could see a figure through the thin curtain that was across the back window. Your heart lurched knowing exactly who it was and it made you more afraid than knowing you were all gonna face Vecna.

~.~

"Is that a machete?" You asked sitting beside Robin as she filled up bottles with Steve. After leaving War Zone Steve had driven the RV off to a secluded empty field that was right outside of Hawkins. Everyone split off into their own groups as they prepared.

Dustin and Eddie were nailing long nails into the top of trash cans.

Nancy was off with Max as she sawed off the shotgun she'd gotten from the store.

Erica and Lucas were making spears with long pieces of wood they'd found and tieing knives to the tops.

You, Robin, and Steve were creating the Molotov cocktails.

"Uh, yeah, we kinda went crazy and grabbed just about everything." Robin chuckled dryly. "You want it?"

"I'll take anything I can get if we're going back into that place." You sighed heavily.

"Do you guys really think that this is going to be possible?" Robin asked with shakiness in her voice. "I mean...the world is ending...a-and we're the ones that have to stop it? I just have this...strong feeling that we're all not going to make it out of this."

"We can't think like that," You spoke up quickly.

"Do you think we shouldn't be doing this?" Steve asked

"No. Cause if we don't...who will? But...there is still that fear. This is bigger and worse than any of us have dealt with before." Robin shrugged "I don't know maybe it's me being all doom and gloom. But I look around and see everyone...and can't help this sickening feeling that someone is going to get hurt."

"I have it too," You shook your head "I keep telling Eddie that we're going to be fine and that everything is going to work out. But I can't tell if I am trying to convince myself or him more. It's like the moment any of you are out of my sight I am filled with panic."

"We have to stick to the plan and not go off playing hero," Steve spoke up and set down the cocktail in his hand. "Because we're killing this son of a bitch."

"I second that, want nothing more than to drive this knife through that fuckers heart."

~.~

"So Lucas, Max, and Erica will head to Creel house, we'll drop them off first to get into place. We don't make a move till we know that their stage is complete." Steve started "Dustin and Eddie will draw the bats away next. Robin, Y/N, Nancy, and I will head to Creel House to set him on fire. We don't go off doing our own thing, we don't make a single step out of the plan."

Everyone nodded their heads as they listened to Steve. You looked around and could see the serious and determined looks on everyone's faces. Everyone in their own attire was picked out from the store. Steve was wearing a leather Top Gun pilot's jacket adorned with patches. Robin was wearing a war barret and jacket similar to Steves. The one that she'd tossed off to you earlier was exactly the same.

Nancy held tightly to her sawed-off shotgun and a hardened look on her face. Dustin had his hood up over his head and bandanna tied tightly around it. He looked similar to a knight. But beside him, Eddie stood with his hand tightly holding to one of the spears that Erica and Lucas had created. His bandanna was tied around his head. Steve had given him back his DIO denim jacket which just completed the look. Everyone looked like they were preparing for war.

"No one moves onto the next stage till the last one has been cleared." You instructed, tightening the strap across your chest, the sheath you had thrown across your back with the machete inside. "Each group will have its own walkie so that we know when the stage has been cleared and we can move on."

"We get in, we get out." Nancy moved to stand beside you. "We want everyone coming out of this alive. If you run into an issue, let us know before doing anything if possible."

Everyone nodded their heads as they listened to you, Steve and Nancy.

"Alright, let's go." Steve sighed heavily before moving to the front of the RV. Everyone was silent as he pulled off down the road, the sun acting as a timer as it started to go down. There wasn't a second you didn't feel like your heart wasn't sitting in your throat. You took the back bench with Dustin and Eddie, reaching down and threading your fingers through his. His head popped up and looked at you, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips. But even as he tried to mask it, you could see the fear swimming around in his eyes.

You couldn't bring yourself to say that everything was going to be ok this time. Because even you weren't honestly sure. Robin's words echo in your mind.

"What if one of us doesn't make it out of this?"

The battle is near!!!! what is going to happen? will Robin's fears come true? will someone play hero? will eddie and reader go on their date Friday?

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