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moonflowerdamie · 2 years

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i’m super bored so i’m gonna rate stranger things ships! buckle in folks, let’s get into it😎

•mileven—4/10•

it’s ok ig. i’m not like a hater of it? but it’s definitely not a great ship. no hate to mileven stans, it’s just not for me. i liked them in season 1 and 2, but it got toxic and weird in season 3 and season 4 solidified my disdain for it. i think mike needs to do some self-reflection (maybe discover a few things about himself—michael wheeler i know what you are) and i think el needs to become her own person outside of her relationship with him. i wholeheartedly support the el/mike exes-to-besties agenda though!

•jopper—8/10•

they’re so cute oml, i shipped them since season 1 and their build-up and eventual payoff was immaculate! i loved their early season tension and their kiss in season 4 was so so good. they fit so well together. they don’t get 10/10 only because a) i LOVED bob and joyce in season 2 more than life and will forever mourn that joyous man and b) i kinda loved the whole single grumpy father figure/lonely teenage daughter dynamic el and hop had.

•lumax—10/10•

this ship. this goddamn ship. the hurt/comfort. the angst. the teasing. the SOULMATISM of it all. seriously, these two are meant for each other. lucas is max’s safe place, her happiest memory and her favourite escape. max is lucas’ sunshine, his wake-up call, his reason to try. i didn’t use to love them, in fact it was only since season 4 that i’ve been such an avid shipper of them but god. they really are the softest. ‘i like talking with you, mad max’ and ‘i’m still here’ and ‘lucas!’ and the notes and the snowball and holy shit i love them sm.

•byler—7/10•

this is with the exception of season 2 byler, which gets 10/10 (‘crazy together’ oh my god). apart from that, i get the hype for it, but i also want the best for my lil ball of fruity sunshine will byers. he is my baby boy and i will protect him. and i just think that mike needs to do some growing up before he’s ready to be with will. also, i’ve never loved mike as a character (again, with the exception of s1 and 2 mike, he was a sweetie) and i think he’d end up hurting will if they got together at this point. in the future, if mike can prove that he’s matured and grown into himself, i will wholeheartedly support this relationship.

•jancy—6/10•

again, it’s ok. i did love them in season 2, but season 1 jonathan was a creep, and season 3 jancy just didn’t do it for me. jonny boy has grown on me over the seasons, but i think everybody moved on from him taking nakey nakey pictures of nancy without her knowledge wayyyyy too quickly. also, they just want different things in life and that’s ok! i do prefer them over stancy, but if i’m honest, i am absolutely a lesbian nancy supporter. the comphet on that woman is insane. so again, like mileven, i am a nancy/jonathan exes-to-besties advocate!

•stancy—4/10•

they were not it in season 4. like, it made me angry that the duffers tried to push it on us again. i did sort of like them in the early seasons, but steve was a jerk and nancy needed to grow into herself and they went their separate ways for the better. steve became a good person and nancy became the strong, independent badass woman we all know and love. i love them as friends and co-babysitters of the kids, but not as lovers. their arcs wouldn’t have happened without their break-up, and they’re both so different as people that getting back together would’ve been like going backwards. steve’s speech about kids in the van made me physically ill with how a) out of character it was and b) how the duffer brothers tried to make it seem like pushing out 6 kids and living the suburban american dream (read: nightmare) was something nancy would want, when she’s spent 3 seasons displaying an obvious disgust for that kind of life. if they get back together in s5 i’ll be throwing something at the tv.

•elmax—9/10•

they. are. so. cute. i love this ship sm, it’s so wholesome and soft. it just works as well—el allows max to explore her own kindness, her own vulnerability, her own ability to care, and max allows el to explore her own identity, what makes her happy, how to be independent. season 3 elmax was superior, but that scene in s4 where they reunite is utterly breathtaking—‘if you touch her again, i will kill you again’ protective gfs!! honestly, if i wasn’t such a lumax shipper i’d be all in for them. as it is, my motto is currently this: max has two hands! one for el and one for lucas :)

•madwheeler—1/10•

no. just no. these two actively dislike each other lmao. max is perpetually annoyed by mike’s existence and mike thinks max is like, the worst. they couldn’t even do enemies to lovers because max would steal mike’s gf in a heartbeat and would probably rather eat glass than kiss michael wheeler. they only get 1 point because finn and sadie have a sweet friendship.

•eddsy—6/10•

they would’ve been cute tbh. and since it’s been discovered that chrissy is actually 18 instead of 16, it’s not a weird one either. when i thought she was 16 i was put off, but now i’m sort of neutral on it. that scene in the woods was very sweet and her and eddie totally could have had the whole popular cheerleader gf/metalhead nerdy bf thing going on. however, it was only one episode they were in together and the ship was never one i was like ‘oh my god i love this’ so. i will say that grace van dien does not deserve the hate she gets for shipping them, especially when joseph quinn gets none of it for the same thing. other than that, it’s not massively awesome but it’s pretty cute.

•willel—0/10•

if you ship this, seek help. they are siblings.

•henclair—4/10•

they could be cute ig, but i just see them as besties. add in the fact that lumax is one of my fav ships and dustin and suzie are super cute and this ship is just sort of meh to me.

•duzie—7/10•

very sweet. nerd gf/geek bf. ‘never-ending story’ was a cultural reset and they’re both icons for it. honestly, not a ship that rocked my world but they are super cute so. 7 points.

•rockie—7/10•

at this point i just want robin to have a gf. just let maya hawke kiss a woman on this show. at first, i was super excited for these 2, but then i saw the way miss buckley looked at nancy wheeler and i was like ‘vickie who?’ (i see you duffer brothers). also, vickie’s whole character felt like a diversity box tick. like she had no originality whatsoever, they just made her a carbon copy of robin which pissed me off. however, i see the potential. i would not be unhappy if they had a fleshed out, well-developed relationship in s5. especially since vickie, a bi girl, is being played by amybeth mcnulty, a bi queen.

•steddie—5/10•

ok. so. i don’t hate this ship. i really don’t. in fact, i’ve written them in some of my ronance fics. i think they could’ve been cute. however. they hype for these two was so overdone and the way people treated them in comparison to more fleshed out, developed dynamics like ronance was really annoying. especially because the majority of steddie shippers are straight women who then deny that ronance could ever happen. the ship itself was ok, but if i’m being realistic, they didn’t have that many scenes together and the fandom of this ship ruined it for me. the fact that the majority of fics in the ronance tag on ao3 are steddie with background ronance really grinds my fucking gears, and the amount of people who are fetishising steddie because they’re both attractive men is just so fucking irritating. overall, not a bad ship but a fairly toxic fandom (not all of you, of course—chill steddie shippers are cool, but some of y’all, jesus christ)

•harringrove—1/10•

awful, awful ship. no. don’t ship steve with the racist abuser just because they’re both semi-attractive white men. only gets a point because of joe keery’s fruity (not assuming his sexuality, just joking about his actions) behaviour towards dacre montgomery.

•stobin—0/10•

robin buckley. is. a LESBIAN. she’s GAY. SHE LIKES WOMEN AND WOMEN ONLY. if you ship these two romantically, i can only assume you’re a homophobic asshole who deserves sand thrown in their eyes. unapologetically, if you ship steve and robin as a couple, i hope you slip in the shower, motherfucker.

•stonathan—2/10•

i mean, it’s not the worst??? but again, i think it’s people shipping them just because they’re two white men who talked to each other. like, did y’all forget that steve literally called jonathan a slur? and that they tried to beat the shit out of each other? i don’t hate it the way i hate harringrove, but it’s so so unlikely and i’d be so puzzled if it ever was even hinted at.

•murray/alexei—6/10•

these two would’ve been cute. and i do think murray is gay, and probably did have a little thing for alexei. i don’t know about alexei but they were definitely cute friends. and i was so betrayed and upset by his death. a fairly good ship, no complaints from me.

and finally…

•ronance—1284028/10😌🥹😍•

the best ship. for nancy, for robin, for the show, for ever. they mean the world to me. they are the world to me. if i had one wish, it would be for ronance to be canon. they make me so fucking emotional because i want what they have. as someone who so heavily relates to robin (chaotic lonely lesbian who is desperate for love but feels she may never be loved as much as she loves, possibly autistic and feels destined to be an annoyance to those around her) i want a nancy. i want to be loved in my entirety. and those two, they get each other. sure, robin irritated nancy at first and they didn’t get on, but they grew. nancy, who’s never had anyone listen to her and believe in her with such intent, finds robin, who is more than willing to, who thinks ‘nancy’s a genius’ and would follow her anywhere. robin, who thinks all she can ever be is helpless and annoying, finds nancy, who trusts her with her life, who picks her and picks her and keeps picking her, who thinks she’s just as smart as she actually is, who understands her needs and her vulnerabilities and validates her, tells her ‘it’s ok’ and ‘you got this’. these two work in a way no other ship does and they are so undeniably soulmates. they need each other. they want each other. they deserve each other. there’s a reason i write about them so much—holy shit honestly i love them so fucking much.

anyways, that got a lot longer than i thought it would! i hope you guys enjoyed my ramblings haha :)

#stranger things #ronance #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #stranger things s4 #robin buckley x nancy wheeler #robin x nancy #stancy #jancy #mileven #byler #lumax #elmax #jopper #steddie #rockie #eddsy

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tbmunson · 2 years

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Pumpkin Patch - Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Day 3 of 31

Summary: You and Steve take the kids to the pumpkin patch and he ends up asking you on a date

Warnings: Mentions of a knife. Kids being shitheads

WC: 2.2K

October Masterlist

You had Max and El in your car while Steve had the boys in his. Neither of your cars were big enough to fit you all and Eddie trusted neither of you with his van. To be fair, neither of you trusted him with your cars either.

"Has he made a move yet?" Max asked, resting her chin on the top of your seat next to the headrest.

You glanced at her through the rear view mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

She rolled her eyes and looked at El who giggled back at her. "Steve? Who else?"

"I don't know. Maybe someone who actually likes me?" You reply, shaking your head in disbelief that the two are still on this. If only you knew what was happening on the BMW in front of you.

"Steve you're an idiot." Mike stated from the back seat.

"She's not into me! She only talks to me when we're talking about you little shits!" He replied, his hair bouncing as he explained.

"Max says it's because she thinks you only talk to her because of us." Lucas stated, tilting his head to the side, as if that would prove his point.

"She's not into me." Steve stated firmly as he flipped the blinker on pressed the brake.

Five minutes later you were parked behind him, watching the boys exit the car. "Don't run off too far, okay? I need to try and keep a visual." You stated, looking back at the girls who nodded. "And make sure your boyfriends and their friends don't do anything dumb."

"I will try." El said, smiling as Mike walked over to open her door, Lucas doing the same for Max.

Surprisingly enough, Steve stood at your door, reaching for your handle. "You give them the speech?" He asked, arms resting on the roof of your car and top of the door as he looked down at you.

You smiled and nodded. "Oh yeah, stay in eyesight and keep the boys from hurting themselves. The whole thing." You giggled a bit, taking in his figure that left little to the imagination.

The blue polo shirt was fitting to say the least, tucked into slightly tighter jeans. He looked at you through the dark lenses of his sunglasses for a moment, looking at your own figure covered in skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a too big flannel. He blushed and averted his gaze from your chest as he stepped back, offering you a hand up.

You took it and stood from the car, momentarily forgetting about the group of six watching you closely. "Thank you." You smiled before turning around and locking the door.

"She doesn't like me. He doesn't like me." Will mocked under his breath, making the group laugh loudly.

Your head snapped to them, ready to reprimand them but Steve was already doing it.

"Just, go. Pick some pumpkins. Get some cottony candy. Just-" he waved his hand, gently shooing them away, which caused you to laugh.

"I love 'em but they seriously get annoying." You sighed, tucking your keys into your flannel pocket.

"I know. I have a feeling I'm going to regret sending them off on their own. But they're old enough, right? Like responsible?" He pushed his hands into his pockets, his elbow bumping your arm lightly as you walked towards the arched entryway.

You looped your arm through his and sighed. "Old enough yes. Responsible... that's questionable." You patted his bicep gently as you laughed, wasting no time in dragging him towards the pumpkin field. "As long as no one dies, we're fine. If they get covered in dirt they can ride in my car. Wouldn't wanna mess up that pretty BMW." You joked, walking down one of the rows.

"You don't wanna mess up your car either, though. It'll be okay." He assured you, stopping at one of the pumpkins.

"Steve, my car has about had it. I'm not worried about some dirt." You assured him, releasing your loose hold as you bent down to examine the orange blob.

"Oh, thank god. I love those kids but... my car." He sighed dramatically, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed.

You laughed and looked up at him, swatting his thigh lightly. "Asshole." You joked, grabbing the decently shaped pumpkin from the dirt.

"I would have done it if you didn't want to. I'm not an asshole I'm just relieved." He reached out, grabbing the pumpkin for you in one hand and helping you up with the other.

You smiled and squeezed his hand. "I must be your hero then, huh?" You laughed before pulling him down the row a little further.

"Definitely a savior for my car." He replied, following your lead with absolutely no protest. He tried not to think about how much he loved the way your hand felt in his. It felt normal, like it should have always been there.

You blushed as his thumb ran over the skin on the back of your hand before stopping in front of another pumpkin. You dropped his hand and bent down to inspect it, immediately missing the warmth he provided against the cool autumn wind. "Oh, no, I don't like that one." You said, looking up at him.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked, sinking down next to you.

You pointed to a small cut on the face of the pumpkin. "Someone was going to take it, but they nicked it and left it. It was just about perfect." You pouted, skimming the wounded skin.

Steve nodded like he understood, though he had no idea why it would matter. You were going to carve them anyways. "That's such a shame. And for them to just leave it for some unsuspecting person to pick... Criminal really." He stood, grabbing your hand instinctively.

"You making fun of me, Harrington?" You quirked a brow, knowing full well he hadn't been. You just wanted to see him panic a bit. Though you couldn't see his eyes, the way his eyebrows shot up told you they'd gone wide.

"I- no. No way. Maybe I was dramatic but, not making fun of you at all." He rushed out, but you weren't able to tease him back because behind his head you saw Dustin wielding a knife.

"Dustin Henderson! Absolutely not!" You shouted, dropping Steve's hand and making a B-line to the boy. "Where did you get that?" You asked, holding your hand out expectantly.

"Uh, you have to cut the pumpkin from the vine. I brought it from home so we could pick them." He put the closed pocket knife in your hand and raised his own in surrender.

"I told you she would get onto you." Mike said, rolling his eyes like he always did.

"Yeah, you made her leave her boyfriend." Max chuckled, a small smirk.

"Max." You gave her a pointed look, telling her to drop it.

"Steve looks mad. I think he's mad you left to come deal with him." Will said, looking back at the man with a pumpkin in one hand and his other on his hip.

"Any other weapons I should be made aware of?" You glared towards the boys, choosing to ignore Will's comment in favor of not arguing with children.

"No. I swear. The only other thing in the backpack is snacks and the walkie." He said, offering it to you.

You were debating handing it back when you heard Steve approach you from behind. "A knife? Really dude?"

"How else are we supposed to get the pumpkin from the vine?" Dustin sounded exasperated as he flung his arms to prove his point.

"Snap it at a thinner part." You stated, glancing at the six in front of you. "Just, don't lose any fingers. Dustin and Max are the only ones that get to hold the knife."

"That's not fair!" Mike more or less whined, drawing the attention of both you and Steve.

"Dustin and Max, or no one." Steve rested his hand on your lower back, confirming his stance.

You knew your face flushed and you knew Will, Max, and El saw it due to the looks the exchanged.

"That's fine. Dustin and Max." Will said, shooing at the two of you very conspicuously. You could tell they were about to talk about what just happened.

You sighed and turned, grabbing Steve's forearm and walking away. "They really get on my nerves." You mumbled, choosing to ignore the giggles from behind you.

The afternoon sun was beginning to set and the cool autumn breeze was turning into chilly night air. Once you and the others had all the pumpkins you needed, you made your way to the car to put them in the trunk. Steve grabbed his jacket as well, decided the thin polo was not fit for this weather, before the eight of you were lined up to go on the hayride.

"Nine, ten, eleven, twelve." The guy stuck his arm out between you and Steve and the kids, them being ahead of you.

"That's too bad." Max fake pouted before turning to get onto the trailer covered with stacks of hay.

"No, hey, you all listen up first. When it's over you wait right where it drops you off." You said, looking each of them in the eye.

"And stay together." Steve added, dragging his finger to point at each of them.

"Got it. Geeze." Dustin said dramatically before they went to board.

Once the group was out of your vision you sighed. "It feels good for them to be someone else's problem, I think." You chuckled, crossing your arms over your chest

Steve laughed and put an arm over your shoulders as he noticed your shiver. "You know, I thought the same thing when they met you."

You clutched onto the wool of the coat lightly. "Yeah, well, I babysat for Hop on the wrong night I guess."

The next trailer rolled to a stop and you and Steve got on before he spoke again. "I think everything happens for a reason, you know? Like you were supposed to be there and meet these kids. Just like I was." He pulled your body closer to him, trying to keep you warm.

You nodded, tentatively resting your head on his shoulder. "Yeah, without them I wouldn't be here and happy right now." You smiled before taking a deep breath.

Steve smiled down at you, squeezing you gently. "So you're happy here, with me?" He teased, ready to let it go as a joke if it backfired.

You nodded, arm snaking around his back. "I'm always happy around you, Steve. The kids just push my buttons so it doesn't seem like it." You weren't sure why you were making confessions. Maybe it was because you thought if he rejected you the kids would finally stop the teasing, Maybe it was because deep in your mind you thought maybe he liked you back. Either way it was too late to stop now.

"Yeah? I thought you hated me, you know. Only put up with me because the kids loved us both. I'm happy around you too. Like stupidly happy." He grinned, resting his chin on the top of your head as his hand slid up and down your side.

Neither of you spoke for the rest of the ride. You spent the time reflecting on the sweet words the other had said. Once the ride was over you and Steve were back on the ground, rouding the kids and hearding them to the cars. "I can take Lucas since he's on my way home from El's." You offered, grabbing Steve's pinky with yours and holding it.

"That would be great." He smiled as the cars came into view.

"Max, El, and Lucas, my car. The rest of you with Steve." You called as the started running towards the cars.

"Since when is it Steve and not Harrington?" Max said to the group, earning a few laughs.

The two of your separated and unlocked your cars so the kids could get in. You were just about to open your door when a hand grabbed your arm, making you jump slightly.

"Sorry. I just, I had a good time today." Steve poked his tongue out of his lips and bouced a bit on his feet. "I was wondering if maybe you would want to hang out sometime? Like just you and me? Without the kids."

Your eyes were wide, shocked slightly. Ecstatic for sure.

"You don't have to. I just thought, maybe-"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd love that Steve. Call me when you get home." You reached out, rested a hand on his arm to calm him a bit.

He smiled wide, nodding. "Yeah. Absolutely. I'll talk to your later." His gaze flicked to your lips then back up before he turned to walk away.

You nodded back, smiling as he walked a few steps. "Hey, Steve?" You called, making him stop and turn. "Next time you want something, go for it." You stated, resting your hands on the back of his neck and pulling him to you gently.

His hands rested on your hips and his lips met yours in a soft slow kiss. He'd been waiting on that since you stepped out of the bus with him, ready to face the demodogs by his side.

The moment was of course shattered by the yells of the kids watching it unfold.

"Instead of me calling, you could come over and watch a movie?" Steve suggested, hands resting on yout sides.

You nodded back. "Yeah, I'll be there in an hour. I'll pick up some pizza if you grab some beers."

"A woman after my heart." His laugh was interrupted by Dustin hanging his head out of the window and yelling.

"I'd let to get home at some point tonight! Quit sucking face!"

You rolled your eyes and patted Steve's shoulder. "That's all you. See you later." With one last quick kiss to his cheek you were in your car, catching hell from Max as you took them home.

#steve harrington fluff #steve harrington #stranger things #stranger things fluff #flufftober #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader

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gayofthefae · 1 year

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Mike has to be queer. It doesn’t make sense for the theme of the show otherwise. Everyone is bullied but they all have something else too.

Will: bullied for being gay and he actually is

Lucas: bullied for being black, which he is

Dustin: bullied and only has his friend group but feels a bit excluded/last choice there too

Mike doesn’t have anything else.

Mike: bullied which makes him insecure about not having a girlfriend so he...gets...one?

In the real world I think romantic ElMike actually does work as long as they communicate more they can have a great, sweet basis and be lasting. But it isn’t the real world. It’s a narrative work - one with arcs and themes. And Mike’s being with El in the context of the og party’s arcs and themes in relation to bullying specifically...just doesn’t fit.

Dustin’s arc is to get other friends so he can feel loved and not dependent on his one group and understand that their behaviour isn’t always because of him. He can take them for what they are to him and have his needs met.

Lucas’ arc is coming into his own as a black man who can still be individual and attractive. For this one, him having a girlfriend makes total sense because it negates what the bullies would say about him.

Will’s arc is one of self-acceptance DESPITE the bullies being right about him. (His arc is very similar to Lucas’ in that he is specifically bullied for something he is, so a boyfriend would also be nice...)

Mike’s can’t be to disprove the bullies by becoming “normal”. It just can’t. He claims being a freak but he also sought out a girlfriend out of a bully-sourced insecurity with no “I can get a girlfriend anyways” like Lucas has. Unlike Lucas, getting a girlfriend is a) in reaction to the bullying, despite the relationship also being sweet and personal, and b) changing a part of himself that the bullies didn’t like. Whether he’s queer or not, getting a girlfriend narratively proves his heterosexuality and “normalcy” TO nay-sayers. Finn Wolfhard himself said that Mike is trying to be normal in season 4. That’s bad!

He should not be trying to appease his bullies. He claims to be a proud freak in spite of them and even would to their face but in private, he shares with Will that he actually is insecure - similar to Dustin, in this regard - about being to nerdy and too much of a freak and all the things that bullies have said about him -not being enough- for El. He feels inadequate in his personal relationships as an effect of bullying and narratively, the nature of him expressing a want to keep his girlfriend by convincing her he’s cool shows the real difference between his real love for her, El and his love for her role as his girlfriend. What she represents as his girlfriend is someone who can fix him simply by wanting him, who can prove that he ISN’T a freak. But that’s not what he needs. He needs to be a freak and be loved and wanted anyways. He’s been trying to appease her so she won’t leave him. That’s what he tells Will in the van, essentially.

It’s also why there are pieces of the “I love you” speech that are vulnerable. The problem is he’s stealing other people’s words to hide behind. He IS scared of losing her. But he’s taking those words from Will not himself so he doesn’t have to truly voice them to the same extent. He’s still scared of vulnerability. That whole speech was him using other people’s words as a means to continue to avoid it. He was unable to avoid being vulnerable without losing her any longer but he was scared that if he truly was vulnerable, he still would, so he falsified vulnerability by drawing from others’.

Going out of order a bit, all of this also explains his behaviour with El in season 3, especially early season 3. The entire point was that he didn’t know what to do for his GIRLFRIEND. He would be fine if he just saw her as El - and he WAS! As soon as they were broken up, he treated her like a person again and they got loads closer. She was no longer a symbol of his lovability that he had too maintain, she was just a person. That’s also why prior to his speech, he was unable to say “I love you” to her aside from that one time: because he loves HER. But it quickly shot through the room a common misunderstanding of him wanting her back, which it wasn’t - not to comment on his sexuality in terms of attraction to women or whether he wanted to get back together or not, just to say that that isn’t what he meant by that line. He loves her as El. If he could get to a point of seeing her just as El within his relationship with her that would be fantastic! But that still isn’t where he’s at. Not only are Will and El mutually exclusive in his life, but El and “girlfriend” seem to be mutually exclusive as well.

As I said, though, it would work in real life to solve this by viewing her as El while she’s his girlfriend, but it doesn’t work narratively. You can work really hard and show his transition to being more secure in himself in their relationship and directly address it but the sourcing fact remains: Mike views having a girlfriend as proof of his worth. The way to counteract this in real life...is to go to therapy and consequently become more secure in yourself and less insecure in your relationship by making it less fragile by separating your worth from it...but we only have one more season. That is a RELATIONSHIP solution - which is different from a NARRATIVE solution.

The narrative solution to him having a girlfriend representing his worth to him is very simple: find worth outside of the relationship. This could also be done by them separating, him finding his worth outside of the relationship, and then coming back to her because he wants her rather than being dependent on a relationship. Again, though, there is only one season left. So that is a very sweet hypothetical and nothing more. The other option for this to be done is even more simple: have a relationship with her without her serving the purpose of that symbol. You can have him view her as a person and not a fragile symbol of his worth and you can have him find his worth outside of having a girlfriend.

That’s why he narratively can’t end up with El but why does he have to be queer? Because once again, he needs something else. They’ve contextualized him with it as shown in the list of the other party members’ more specific issues than just being bullied for being nerdy. I’ll recap it, though:

- Will is bullied for being gay and he has to deal with actually being gay

- Lucas is bullied for being black and is actually black

- Dustin is bullied for his cleidocranial dysplasia but on top of that, the people who comfort him for this have a tendency to leave him behind a bit

Mike is only bullied - not that that isn’t “enough” to be bad, it just doesn’t add up to the same thing in relation to his friends narratively. He needs something else. He is the only one who doesn’t seem to be personally targeted for any part of his identity outside of generally being a nerd. He needs an identity that stays with him. Like Lucas, his interests could change and he wouldn’t be as much of an outsider anymore. People grow up, they change. Dustin’s arc from insecure to “needs to get his ego in check” has been a great example of a personality-based arc that represented it as his identity, not to be changed. Mike doesn’t have an identity that he’s insecure about. He has features that he’s insecure about - the same features that all four of them were bullied for. He needs to still be an outsider what you subtract it all. And when you add back in his unique insecurity about girls that doesn’t extend to his friends with as much focus (Lucas dates Max because he likes her not because she’s a girl, Dustin doesn’t put his worth on Suzie). It’s been focus since season 1, too, which makes it even more pertinent because it makes it the setup to his arc from the very get-go. Lucas getting a girlfriend is good representation that he is attractive even as a black man and Dustin getting a girlfriend by being himself at a nerdy camp is good messaging too.

Mike wasn’t so radically open and vulnerable before getting with El, though, that his relationship promotes the same, and when you put his lack of insecure identity with the way his view of a girlfriend as a role in his life to serve a purpose of proving he’s lovable and normal together, it adds up. It’s a simple equation. The solution to his primary insecurity is to have a girlfriend. His primary driving insecurity has to be an identity. This is textbook heteronormativity.

Beyond this, for a quick honorable mention: both Dustin and Lucas found people to complete their arcs, so it only makes sense that Will would too - and it only makes that it be the person he wants, and it only makes that Mike find someone as well for the same reason as just outlined.

So let’s rewrite it so it all fits:

- Will’s issue: he’s conditioned to believe he can’t have a happy ending as a gay man Failed solution: trying to at least make the boy he loves happy in his relationship Solution: getting the happy ending he wants (to be with Mike)

- Lucas’ issue: he doesn’t think he can be popular or attractive as a black man Failed solution: gaining popularity Solution: Achieving popularity only to reject it himself for multiple reasons including the sake of his girlfriend (Max)

- Dustin’s issue: he feels like the people in his safe space even choose him last Failed solution: (attempting) to “win” a love triangle Solution: forming other friendships so he can have his needs met enough to understand that their behaviour isn’t necessarily because of him and they still do love him

- Mike’s issue: he’s insecure about not being wanted if he’s queer Failed solution: getting a girlfriend to “prove” his straightness and therefore value Solution: being wanted in the way that he wants to be by a boy(Will)

#mike wheeler analysis #narrative analysis #elmike analysis #ily speech #byler analysis #character arcs #the party

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sleepy-moron · 2 years

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Mike is going to be instrumental in defeating Vecna for good in season five and here’s why:

So I already wrote a post on how I came up with the whole connection to the apocalypse that starts at the end of season four and the book of revelations which you can read here if you’re interested

https://sleepy-moron.tumblr.com/post/693703154343231488/second-post-about-the-st-tarot-deck-making-mike

Tl;dr Mike in Will’s painting is potentially meant to represent the archangel Michael (leader of heavens army who was often an important figure of chivalrous codes and orders of knights in general in real life) who is the one to kill satan (who is in the form of a dragon/ serpent with multiple heads) and is typically portrayed as holding either a spear or a sword and shield (in some cases the shield has a cross on it) as well. Mike has been consistently leading people in working against the upside down and in that case the most logical satan figure is vecna/the mind flayer. And then I remembered that victor creel brings up music being the voice of the angels and thinks his family was killed by some kind of demon and the parallel becomes really blatant. So who else do we know that has saved someone from the “devil” with their voice? Mike obviously.

He breaks some of the mind flayers hold on Will in season two with his speech, and attempts to do something similar with El in season four (Which notably isn’t how she escapes from vecna: it’s her memories of Max that saves her) which ultimately fails. But in the painting Mike’s shield has a heart on it and we know Will painted this because he views Mike as someone he’s always going to need and because Will is in love with him. Will painting this and giving the van speech means that he is the most likely candidate for Mike to be protecting.

Remember how Nancy going to save Steve is called an “Unambiguous act of true love”? What character do we see jump into a body of water, and specifically a body of water a dear companion was in danger in? Oh yeah Mike jumps into the quarry, where Will’s fake body was discovered earlier…. So if “sacrificing” yourself to protect a loved one is a sign of true love Mike will manage to protect Will at some point with such an act in season five and this is going to lead to Vecna’s defeat.

This doesn’t necessarily require for Mike to also be in love with Will (Mike just has to love him which is absolutely true) in a romantic sense but I think it fits in really neatly with how the show handles religion in season four. The people who view hellfire as being satanic and are the ones trying to hunt down Eddie are most likely some denomination of Christian, and are very much presented as the “bad guys” in the show. We as the audience are meant to view the idea that being different is not equivalent to being bad or wrong, and because of this the people who do think being different are wrong are basically always antagonists . Even the pineapple pizza bit involves Mike calling it blasphemous before actually eating the pizza and agreeing it’s pretty good fits this idea very well. So what else would people like Jason view as being different and therefore bad? Being queer of course.

The idea of a show who’s whole ethos is the idea that people who don’t fit in are good actually and love is the most powerful thing having (arguably) its hero be queer and literally winning against the bad guy because of it while also having this character potentially represent an archangel is too perfect for a show like Stranger things.

#byler tumblr #byler #stranger things 4 #stranger things #stranger things theory #arguably not a ton of byler but it does come up in this #this is just me mentally preparing to read paradise lost for the first time this semester #be prepared for a lot of Shakespeare talk as well I’m literally taking a class dedicated to his works

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featherssideblog · 2 years

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Feathers Reacts: Motorcity - Episode 9 - Ride of the Fantasy Vans

Forsooth, this episode is as an arrow set to pierce a target - that target being an audience, of which I find myself a member.

Episode 9 Thoughts

Uh oh some larpers just walked into a horror movie.

!!! The murals! On these vans! Can you imagine?? If I saw this driving down the road I would know in a heartbeat that I had to meet the person behind the wheel.

CHUCK I AM IN LOVE WITH YOUR HOBBIES AND YOUR FRIEND GROUP, PLEASE LET THE BURNERS LEARN THE MAGIC OF FANTASY ROLEPLAYING GAMES

"Huzzah!" - fun fact I use this exclamation in real life too often, and one time when a lady was fitting me for glasses she asked me if I was a "rennie" or Ren Fair enthusiast. Alas, I have only been to one.

The random medieval music interludes are killing me, I love this so much :)

Chuck is giving a pep talk!! I wonder if he models this after Mike? :)

. . . have we seen Chuck make a glowing green slingshot out of nothing before? Did I miss that?

Okay but the kneeling and ritualistic swearing of oaths . . . I'm sorry it's just getting to me, even if it's played for comedy a bit. This is my jam. This is my bread and butter. This is the good stuff. AAAHHH

Chuck, honey, we have gotta work on your self esteem.

WHAT AGE IS ANYBODY IN THIS SHOW?? Are the larpers younger than most of the Burners? Are they just less experienced fighters in real life actual combat? Maybe the two kids that got lost are younger? But Ruby and Thurman oughta be about Chuck's age, right?

Jacob is "a wizard." Perfect! XD

Oh he named his bot Applesauce??? That's adorable!!

Young Kane looks SUPER strange without his facial hair and ponytail; holy cow, it changes his whole vibe.

I'm really liking how the frames that are supposed to look like a horror movie have this darkening effect around the edges. :D

Chuck's inspiring speech is killing me ahhhhhh

So the dragon bot thing is an AI as well? I guess it just doesn't speak except to the little Applesauce bots? I wonder if ROTH could communicate with it . . .

So many of the machines in this world are weirdly organic.

!!!!!! AAHHHHHH MORE KNEELING AND RITUALISTIC SWEARING OF OATHS HELP

Mike, you are such a good egg. Just, such a good egg.

Concluding Thoughts

I have been Perceived. This episode is a critical hit to my soul. I love love love the larpers, and I love that the Burners did, in fact, get to learn the magic of fantasy roleplaying games at the end of the episode.

Also, Mike and Chuck, be still my heart! The way Chuck peeks out from behind his bangs with a slightly embarrassed smile as Mike is swearing fealty just about killed me. I am deceased. I have no more thoughts to write.

#ritualistic swearing of oaths!!!#send help #why am I like this #motorcity #mike chilton #chuck motorcity #ruby the darkslayer #motorcity episode 9 ride of the fantasy vans

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allaboardtheussharringrove · 3 years

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So I went to this^ the Stranger Things Drive-Into Experience recently, and it was..... totally awesome!!! (in my opinion, but I’m very easily entertained though so🤷‍♀️) Here’s my run-through/review for anyone that can’t go to the dang thing🤗

But I will be spoiling some things from the experience/possible hints they gave about s4, so if you’re planning to go before it closes out or just not into spoilers *scroll awaayyyyy my friend*

~Long Post Alert~

********************************************

Alrighty then! So, when you scan you’re ticket they tune you in to a radio station that is broadcasting the show. And first thing you see after you get ushered into the numerous lanes is the CAMARO😱

Complete with tire smoke and conveniently placed in front of the Scoops Ahoy sign🤔😏 But this is supposed to be like you’re driving up to the mall with all the shit going on at the end of s3

Except when you pull up to their actual “mall” they have this (kinda goofy) pre-show deal hosted by a Mr. Clarke lookalike and some very enthusiastic Jazzercise people. And since you’re supposed to be at Starcourt, they have this little menu of themed concessions (mostly Scoops stuff🍦) that you can have delivered to the car.

Anyway, the show is cute- they’ve got Will, Mike, Lucas, El and Max talking to Mr. Clarke and doing trivia for the audience. Not to mention that the kids come out and interact with the cars. Max waved awkwardly at us and it was great lol

THEN when you get the go ahead, you tune into another radio station with Murray telling you what’s up. Basically, Russians have infiltrated Hawkins and Starcourt Mall, opened a gate and the gang (basically just Scoops Troop) is trying to fix things.

You drive up through a parking garage, and the first level you stop at is the Russian lab.🚨

Then Steve and Robin come out and try to shut down the big machine or whatever and have to hide from the Russian soldiers. Dustin drives a little cart around in circles yelling wildly, a demogorgon comes out and starts terrorising cars.....

I actually didn’t pay that much attention cause a Russian guard dude was teasing me for having a snack while I watched the show, tried to get the demogorgon to come scare me specifically, and it ended up chasing him away😂

And STEVE HARRINGTON FLIRTED WITH ME!!😫😭😍 it was great, before they closed out this part of the show his voiceover did the “ahoy ladies” bit and the guy playing Steve was all winking at me and did the ‘call me’🤙 thing~ I was honestly distracted the rest of the show cause all I could think was I FLIRTED WITH STEVE HARRINGTON😱💖🤯

NEXT you drive into the upside dooowwwnn *spooky* they’ve got the black vines, blue lighting, and fake snow acting as those little white floaties😯

They direct you to pull up in front of a big screen where you watch a montage of Will being lost in the upside down and possesed by the mind flayer (a recap of the upsetting parts of seasons 1 & 2)

Then everything turns RED, they start playing the haunting synth theme of the flayed in season 3 and there’s another shorter montage of Billy getting flayed and people melting into the flesh monster (I think? again, I’m already distracted by what happened with Steve and I was mostly trying to focus on every little deta about Billy at this point lol)

And for the finale, you pull up on the roof of this parking garage which is decked out to look like the inside of Brimborn Steelworks😳

Since we were the last car in the whole fucking crowd we missed the first half of Billy’s monologue😒 but it was when he was talking to El, the “we built this for you” speech which is just extra haunting when it’s blaring through your car speakers...

Then Eleven rises through the air and spins down, like she was falling through the void⬛️ (it was awesome) and you watch another montage all about El’s story: her captivity at the lab and with Brenner, escaping and meeting the boys, everything with the gate- it’s really just a recap of the show but it’s cool cause they act a lot of it out in front of the screens.

There’s this cute bit where there’s several different sets of actors playing Hopper & El, and they act out all the things they did while cleaning up and then living in the cabin~🧹🕺👻

Then Billy comes back all fully possesed and with a vengeance, and here’s where I freaked a little, it looks like they have a battle of powers !!!!!!! Like, Billy has his hand outstretched towards El and she gets pushed down to the ground by an unseen force, until she gathers her strength and fights back.

I was distracted by Billy having telekinesis there for a minute so the next thing I knew, he was floating up in the air and we had to watch him die😞 and Max came out sobbing, and there was hugging and scoops troop came out to comfort the kids- and I think Billy just disappeared(? which, rude)

Then Dustin and Suzie performed never ending story ah aah ahh ah aah ahh ah aah aaaaahhh✨😐

And the cars start to exit, but there was this video playing that looked like security camera footage of the “LYNX mall delivery guys” aka Russians loading an unconscious Hopper into a van in the mall parking lot🚐 😲

Also worth noting that the exit song was Enola Gay by Orchestral Manouvers in the Dark, and the VIBE of that song just fit stranger things so well ohmygod I’m still floored it was so good🎶

On your way out you go buy merch and it gets delivered to your car, I got an authentic scoops hat which is honestly super comfortable🤓⚓️ and then you can (kinda anticlimactically) take a picture of the stranger things logo (which we did and got yelled at for taking too long trying to get our lopsided Polaroid oops😬📸)

And that was my experience👍 If anyone else went and has points/details I missed PLEASE share cause ya know...Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington fried my brain, so 😅

#stranger things #stranger things drive into experience #st spoilers #st4 spoilers #steve harrington #billy hargrove #chief hopper #sorry that was so long y’all #it was just a really amazing time for me lol #also worth mentioning for my good harringrove people that Steve flirted with me while I was wearing my Billy shirt #so that was fun #I really was thinking ‘ohmygod so this is what Billy feels like’😂😂😂#AND YO billys *powers*?! they may have just been the mind flayer but whew it was intense #and we all knew hoppers alive but yes he was collected by Russians straight from the mall #lets get season 4 now right?#😬#alright I’ll see my delusional ass out now BYEEEE

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safflowerseason · 5 years

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veep rewatch 2.03

Season Two, Episode Three - Hostages

aka - The One With the Robust Response

“You got donut on you, Mike.”

I love the expanded foreign policy thread of season two, and especially how it elevates Amy over all the men in the office. As chief of staff, she’d have a higher security clearance than Dan or Mike, and Selina clearly relies on her more in that area. She begins the episode in the West Wing with Ben and Kent, arguing about the hostage situation. I wish the show had explored that element more explicitly, since it’s kind of presented without comment (although there is a power in not dwelling on it either).

Amy: Why are we talking about noodles? Ben: Let me rephrase that: why the fuck are we talking about noodles?! This line is in my personal list of top-ten all-time Veep lines.

“You just timed out that whole shit analogy for your little ding?! That is fucking pathetic!” Ben on fire in this episode.

Dan trying to become Selina’s politically-savvy Gary. Notably, he’s no longer trying to accomplish this by reducing Amy’s influence with Selina.

“There speaketh a pricketh…”

Dan literally having a fit of the diabolical giggles over Selina successfully shooting a gun.

Selina: Well, I pulled that string out of my ass. Gary: You were born for that moment.

“Your efficiency hearing isn’t very efficient.”

Dan: My speech is a face-melter, these buzz-cuts are going to flip… Mike: It’s not your speech, my fingerprints are all over that sucker. Dan: They’re sticky and they’re on the back, Mike.

“Get your own ear, Van Gogh!”

“Did you see that photo of me in Politico?! My god, I look constipated!”

This might be Sue’s most developed storyline in the whole series? She’s a bit inscrutable as a character, which is part of the point of Sue, but it makes her motivations here a bit hard to read.

“Get-the-vice-president-over-here-right-now-we’re-having-a-fucking-meeting. It’s all one word, hyphenated.”

“Amy, this is like explaining gravity to a chicken!” Poor Cliff.

“CLASSIFIED!!!!!!”

“Oh great, my secure video tele-conference with history.”

“This is the worst small-talk I’ve ever heard, and I’m including mine in that.” This line seems a bit strange because Dan definitively does not have the self-awareness to realize when his small-talk is bad. Plus, he loves schmoozing and networking, which is like eighty percent small-talk.

Selina: No, you’re not needed in here, Gary, this is men’s work. Dan: What about me, ma’am?! Selina: Same goes for you, Dan, no!

I love this—Selina and Amy dealing with high-powered classified foreign policy matters behind closed doors and NO MEN from her team can be in the room. It’s just such a powerful moment, and it’s so significant to see a door shutting in the face of a bunch of white dudes. (I know Jonah’s there and shuts the door, but whatever, okay, he’s not really on Selina’s team and therefore doesn’t count.) David Mandel did at least lean into the fact that foreign policy was always something that Selina was particularly interested in and even talented at.

“In your fucking face, eggs!”

Amazing work from JLD as Selina realizes the consequences of making difficult military decisions. It’s interesting that as a result of that unpleasant epiphany, she’s suddenly got no time for Dan’s shallow scheming about her image. This is one of the rare moments where she actually smacks him down. How quaint—Selina with principles.

#veep #veeprewatch #veep season two #2.03 #selina and amy running the world (kind of)#why the fuck are we talking about noodles #dan egan #amy brookheimer #selina meyer #gary walsh #mike mclintock #jonah ryan #sue wilson #ben cafferty #kent davison

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pluckyredhead · 6 years

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So @werelibrarian suggested a round of WIP amnesty where we post things we’re not going to finish, and y’all, I’ve got quite a graveyard. This one was inspired by the safecracking scene in DD S2, which made me desperately want Matt in a tuxedo as a gentleman thief/modern-day Robin Hood.

It was going to be just a glimpse of that universe, ending with a “Who was that masked man?” moment from Foggy, but then I started trying to figure out how I could have Matt and Elektra in on it together, and that would have required completely scrapping what I already had, and I didn’t want to do that because I really liked the dynamic between Foggy, Elektra, and Marci. So I just put it in a drawer and sulked about it, basically.

Anyway I might return to the idea of Matt as Robin Hood, but in the meantime...

“Excuse me,” Foggy says for the third time. “Excuse me.”

The bartender finally looks over at him. “Did you need a soda, kid?”

Foggy feels his jaw set. “Macallan, neat. Also tequila, mezcal preferably, and a vodka martini, very dry.”

“You got an ID?”

He does, and it’s even legal these days, but Foggy hasn’t noticed this tightass carding any of his fellow students. So Foggy might not look like the upper crust, no matter how much Rosalind - his mother - Rosalind spent on this suit. He’s still a guest. The open bar’s for him as much as it is for anyone else.

“It’s in my wallet, along with your tip,” Foggy says. “Miss Natchios is holding it for me. I could go get it, but I think her father, the ambassador, will vouch for me. He’s right over there.” He points, and gives Elektra’s dad a little wave.

Luckily, Elektra’s dad waves back, looking only vaguely confused. Foggy’s not sure if Mr. Natchios actually recognizes him, or is just being polite, but either way the bartender glowers and pours the drinks Foggy’s ordered. “Thanks so much,” Foggy says and, carefully juggling the three glasses, makes his way back across the room to Elektra and Marci. He feels gross about throwing his weight around like that - weight that he doesn’t have, not really - but Elektra and Marci say it’s the only way to get what he wants in these circles, and so far that seems to be true.

“Foggy Bear!” Marci cries as he approaches, and carefully plucks the martini from his grasp. Elektra holds out a languid hand for her tequila. “You’re the greatest.”

“I am, it’s true,” Foggy agrees, and perches on the end of the tiny loveseat she’s occupying. It’s uncomfortable. Why is all rich people furniture uncomfortable?

“You look terribly cranky,” Elektra says. “What happened? Who was mean to our darling Foggy?”

Foggy rolls his eyes. “I’m fine. The bartender is a douche.”

Elektra actually looks irked, which is touching. “I’ll have him fired for you.”

“God, no, don’t do that. I’m sure he needs the job,” Foggy says quickly.

“The job is sucking up to rich people.”

“I’m not a rich people, remember?”

Marci pats his knee. “Don’t worry, you will be. A couple years at your mother’s firm and you’ll be able to get bartenders fired all on your own.”

“And they say dreams don’t come true.” Foggy takes a sip of his scotch and nearly chokes on it as a hand lands on his shoulder.

“Careful with that, Nelson. It’s meant to be sipped, not chugged. This isn’t a frat party.”

Foggy coughs and cranes his neck to see Larry Cranston smirking down at him. “You’re the one in the frat, Cranston, not me.”

“Yes, well, some of us are legacies,” Larry says. His hand is still on Foggy’s shoulder. “And some of us barely know who our parents are.”

Elektra eyes Cranston’s hand. “You know, if someone put their hand on me that long without my permission, I would break their fingers,” she says cheerfully. “Foggy, darling, would you like me to show you how it’s done?”

“Relax, Elektra,” Cranston says. He does move his hand, but not without tugging a lock of Foggy’s hair on the way. “Call off your dog, would you, Nelson?”

“Call her a name again and I’ll punch you in the face,” Foggy retorts cheerfully. “No, worse - I’ll let her do it.”

Cranston just smiles at him, unruffled. “Threats of violence might be par for the course in Hell’s Kitchen, but this is civilization. You might want to learn the ropes if you’re going to keep letting your mommy trot you out at these parties. Then again, why bother? If you’re only gonna crash and burn when you take the bar, you might as well save the brain capacity for remembering which buttons to push on your dad’s cash register down at the ol’ hardware store.”

Foggy feels a flush crawling up the back of his neck. Marci opens her mouth to retort, but Foggy beats her to it. “Wow, Larry, have you been practicing that speech since the last time I kicked your ass in debate? It's pretty good. Of course, if you'd ever worked that hard on a debate, you might actually beat me for once.” He pauses for a split second. “Nah, probably not.”

Cranston glares, and starts to say something, but Marci talks over him. “Go away,” she orders, and Cranston does, but not before Foggy hears him mutter, “Fatass charity case,” under his breath.

Marci watches him go. “Wow, he wants you,” she says.

Foggy almost chokes on his drink for the second time. “What?”

Elektra nods sagely. “He wants to sleep with you and he's furious about it. It's rather funny.”

“Well, I don't want to sleep with him,” Foggy protests.

“Of course not. You dated me. You have taste,” Marci says. “Which is a matter of personal discernment and not how many zeroes are on your parents’ bank statement, no matter what Larry Cranston thinks.”

“Sure.” Foggy stands. “I need some air.”

“Foggy. Don't be cross,” Elektra coos. “He's nothing.”

“Yeah. I know. I'm fine. I just need to take a little walk.” Foggy levers himself up off the loveseat and makes his way out of the crowded living room. He can't tell if it's actually overly warm and stuffy in there, or if he's still flushed. Probably both. Either way, he needs some air.

This is all Rosalind’s fault.

He always knew, growing up, that the woman he called “Mom” wasn't actually his mother. His biological mother, Rosalind Sharpe, had walked out on Foggy and his dad before Foggy's first birthday. She wandered in and out of Foggy's life at random for the next two decades, showing up on the Nelsons’ doorstep for a fraught dinner when she remembered she had a son, and vanishing into the night when she remembered he was a disappointment.

That is, until Foggy got accepted to Columbia Law. Suddenly Rosalind’s quirky, easygoing, unathletic son - who, she never hesitated to remind him, could stand to lose a few pounds - was her heir, a future attorney cut from the same Sharpe cloth. She jumped in to pay Foggy's tuition, advise him on course schedules, and, most importantly, introduce him to all her rich and influential friends.

Thus, parties like this, which just make Foggy painfully aware of how little he belongs in this world. He's lucky that Marci Stahl and Elektra Natchios took him under their collective wing so quickly. They've shown him the ropes, even if they're not exactly nurturing. He's positive that if they ever ended up stranded on a desert island together they'd eat him first - but they'd be very complimentary about how good a meal he made while they did it.

And then there are dicks like Larry Cranston.

Foggy shakes his head and looks for someplace to hide out until he's on more of an even keel. It's too cold to actually step outside for some air, so he finds himself wandering down a hall, further and further away from the party, until a peek into a cracked doorway tells him he's found the study. He slips inside.

He's not alone.

There's a guy his age sitting behind the desk who looks up, startled, as Foggy slips in. “Hello?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone else was in here,” Foggy says. “I was just looking for somewhere quiet to clear my head, I can go if you want.”

“That's okay,” the guy says, and smiles, and...wow. Wow, that's a hell of a smile. It's a hell of an everything, actually; even while inexplicably wearing sunglasses indoors, at night, the dude is all cheekbones and broad shoulders and sharply-cut suit. He's scruffy-jawed but he still looks more at home in this mansion than Foggy does. Foggy supposes that makes sense; their host is supposed to have quite the art collection, and this guy is very definitely art.

“I had something similar in mind,” the guy says. “Unfortunately Mr. Van Lunt doesn't seem to have much by way of reading material that I can enjoy.” He thumbs at the messy stack of newspaper on the desk in front of him and Foggy suddenly connects “sunglasses” with “blind” and feels like an idiot.

“That sucks,” Foggy says. “I'm Foggy, by the way.”

The guy smiles again. That smile is doing stupid things to Foggy. “Mike,” he says. “So what were you hiding out from?”

Foggy takes a sip of his drink. “Oh, just the party in general. I don't exactly fit in with this crowd, and I find that too much time with the rich and beautiful does a number on my head. Present company excepted, of course.”

Mike actually laughs at that, throws his head back and guffaws like Foggy's said something incredibly witty. Foggy grins, ridiculously proud of coaxing that big a laugh out of someone that gorgeous. “What makes you think I'm rich and beautiful?”

“Well, you're here, so you're rich,” Foggy points out. “And, uh, no offense, but I can see you.”

Mike beams, pink and pleased. “So why on Earth wouldn't you fit in?” he asks, leaning forward. “I mean, I can't see you, but you really sound like you should.”

Flirting, Foggy registers. The best-looking guy he's ever seen is flirting with him. He feels guiltily grateful that Mike can't see his blush. “Well, you're right that I'm exceptionally beautiful, of course,” he says, and Mike laughs again. Score. “Heads turning as I walk by, cars driving into fire hydrants, poets throwing themselves into the sea over their failure to describe my radiance, the whole nine yards.” He perches on the edge of the desk. “I am also, however, dirt broke.”

#daredevil #i write things

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listening-through-the-lens · 6 years

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What were our very best live shows throughout 2017?

photo Jim Jacob

By Rob Dickens

Smoke On The Water

I had seen only a few shows on water before – the North Mississippi Allstars on the Steamboat Natchez paddling up the Mississippi River off New Orleans. It was when bassist Chris Chew was in the band. Man they funked it up. (I loved that era of the band – check out Hernando (2006)).

Another musica nautica adventure featured the wonderful English guitarist and songwriter Martin Simpson. On a flat watercraft along the upper reaches of the Thames near Windsor, he, along with master player Andy Cutting, gave us a wondrous insight into the best English folk. (The set proceeded while the boat went through a few river locks and paused when, on the captain’s orders due to passing under a VERY low bridge, the entire assembly sat on the floor as the vessel’s roof descended to our heads).

I mention this because my shows at sea experience have been blown out of the water (pardon the pun) by not one music cruise but two, back to back, in 2017 – same port, same ship, same cabin even.

The Big Four

The Cayamo and Outlaw Country Cruises were spiritual revelations in February. So much great music, at such close quarters, with a bunch of music-loving colleagues. The bar therefore was set very high early in the year. The other two great sources of live shows were AmericanaFest in Nashville in September and The Festy Experience near Arrington Virginia just after.

Back To The Well

Our Total Tennessee Tour dug deep into music roots this year and provided a timely reminder of where some of this wonderful stuff that we love came from. We stayed on in Nashville to go to The Opry and Music City Roots, visited Memphis (Gracelands, Stax, Sun Studio, Ardent Studio), Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, Clarksdale (Red’s Lounge, Ground Zero, Delta Blues Museum) and deep into The Blue Ridge Mountains heritage trail (Bristol, Galax, Abingdon) – hell, we even stopped off in Chattanooga. This provided me with a re-education, a re-positioning of where all this fits. It enhanced what I saw even more.

What was I thinking?!

It was the last evening of The Festy Experience. I had a writing deadline and a monster trip home the next day (30+ hours). It was raining steadily – there were acts on that I had seen before for the next three hours, at the end of which Billy Strings was due. I packed up early – big mistake!

Sound Advice

There were a couple of exceptions – once at The High Watt and twice at the Cannery Ballroom, but the sound at AmericanaFest was again remarkably good, sound engineers seemingly invisible moving from one set to the next with aplomb.

Some disappointments

Wanda Jackson on the Outlaw Cruise demonstrated that it best we all concentrate and rejoice in her legacy and that further live appearances, based on the ship performances, are not necessary. Amanda Shires‘ set at the Station Inn during AmericanaFest 2017 was meandering. Jason Eady‘s show at the aforementioned Cannery Ballroom was absolutely ruined by the sound no matter where I stood. Buddy Miller and Rodney Crowell were both absent from the Americana Honors and Awards Show due to illness. Van Morrison‘s acceptance of his Americana Honor (I won’t use the term ‘speech’ as that would be misleading) was awkward and frigid. Steve Earle kept checking his watch during one show even while he was playing the guitar – it broke the spell.

The loudest

Easy. Deke Harp at Levon’s Bar and Grill in Clarksdale. Even the food covered its ears!

The best story-teller

Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) had some great stories – early band, War Of The Worls soundtrack and touring with Cream.

Honorable mentions

Hard to fit everyone into twenty, as some wise person once said. Here are some terrific shows that got edged out:

Tim O’Brien Caravan Music Club Melbourne Aus

Rosie Flores (with Sophia Johnson), Outlaw Country Cruise

Lucinda Williams, Outlaw Country Cruise

Teskey Brothers, Music On The Hill Melbourne Aus

Doug Seegers, The Mercy Lounge Nashville TN (AmericanaFest)

Nick Forster and Danny Barnes, The Festy Experience

Carl Anderson, The Festy Experience

Robbie Fulks, The Caravan Club Melbourne

Christian Lopez, Cayamo Cruise

All photos Rob Dickens except where noted

The BEST

20. Paul Thorn Band – Cayamo Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 22 Feb

I’ve seen Thorn play quite a few times. Always love his enthusiasm, his folksy rock and blues vibe, no pretensions, nothing but uplifting messages. So embraceable. On the Cayamo Cruise, we attended the Stardust Theatre waiting patiently for the long-drop red velvet curtains to let go of their embrace and see beyond. Finally they parted like the Red Sea and we were greeted by a screen and engrossing mini-doco featuring Thorn and focussing on his pre-music, accomplished boxing career. He then appeared in person and announced that his permanent break with The Ring led him to his debut Hammer and Nail which he, in order to celebrate its twentieth anniversary, would perform the entire album front-to-back, with the whole set recorded. It was a celebration for him and, without a shred of doubt, everyone in that room.

19. Lori McKenna – 3rd & Lindsley Nashville TN @ AmericanaFest – 14 Sep

Now here’s a songwriter! Ten albums to her name, she has remained in Stoughton, Massachusetts despite the amount of time she spends in Nashville, so grounded is she with her extensive family and possibly being able to captures insights afresh living away from ‘the business’. That has not stopped her garnering considerable success – her songs covered by Alison Krauss, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Keith Urban. Number one Billboard hits, a CMA Award, a National Songwriter Association International gong and her first Grammy attest to her craft.

Her latest album The Bird & The Wire is highly acclaimed and adds to her already impressive set of achievements. This night she was humble, engaging and warm, with plenty of banter that provided context to her evocative stories.

18. Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen – Fern Tree Gully Bowls Club, Melbourne Aus – 21 Nov

Frank Solivan with Caleb Klauder in Nashville – photo Jim Jacob

A Grammy-nominated, twice IBMA-award winning (for the coveted Best Instrumental Band) outfit from Washington DC. As well as being a super group of musicians, their repertoire extends way beyond traditional bluegrass, mixing pop, rock and other standard fare effortlessly. I have seen them live a few times now, both in Raleigh NC and Nashville TN but tonight had a little edge to it. Perhaps it was the modest setting, the small but adoring audience, the collaborative willingness to share the stage with the support act and other musicians or their sheer joy of travelling around Australia for the first time and ending their tour this night. Whatever the reason, it was special.

17, Big Star and Friends – Cannery Ballroom, Nashville TN @ AmericanaFest – 12 Sep

Big Star drummer Jody Stephens at Ardent Studio in Memphis, a few days after the AmericanaFest show

In 2010 an all-star band unearthed the original scores, assembled an orchestra and performed fabled cult band Big Star’s album Third. Following the death of front man Chilton just before a scheduled SXSW performance in 2010, performer friends came to play the gig in his honor. A concert documentary film Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live…And More followed and screened at AmericanaFest 2017.

The day following the film, the concert at the Cannery Ballroom was performed in its entirety, featuring the original Third conductor Carl Marsh and core players including sole surviving Big Star member Jody Stephens along with Mike Mills (REM), Mitch Easter (Let’s Active), Chris Stamey (the dB’s) and Pat Sansone (Wilco) to name a few. The Third performance was followed by a set of Big Star hits with many special musical guests. Two hours of magic.

16. Joe Ely Band – Outlaw Country Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 26 Feb

‘Twas a breezy night on the ship’s deck. The Joe Ely Band members were in cracking form. This Texas legend with his distinctive chants and unique blend of Texas country, honky tonk, rock and Tex-Mex held our attention with ease. Ely’s long-time band cohorts were tight, prancing around the stage ready to pounce (well, except for the drummer). It had been a while since I caught him at Antone’s in Austin TX. Absence DOES make the heart grow fonder!

15. Jerry Douglas Band – The Festy Experience, Infinity Downs Farm Virginia – 8 Oct

Jerry Douglas – photo Rob Dickens

A new album (out just in the latter part of this year) What If represents another significant departure and music adventure for the redoubtable musician, producer and collaborator extraordinaire. The Jerry Douglas Band contains some of finest players in the land which reminded me of the sheer unadulterated virtuosity of Punch Brothers. Jerry was plugged in and a far cry from his more well-known bluegrass/country contributions. Tonight he was channelling his early influences Weather Report and Chick Corea. There was jazz fusion, Douglas’ party vocals and some highly inventive covers. For the record, the other band members are Doug Belote (drums), bassist Daniel Kimbro, violinist Christian Sedelmyer, Mike Seal electric guitarist. Spell-binding!

14. Bottle Rockets – Outlaw Country Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 21 Feb

The Bottle Rockets make their music sound simple. Almost hay seed primal. Maybe that is the attraction. It is anthemic, lyrically cut-to-the-bone and contains a wave of sound that picks you up and dumps you if you’re not on your mettle. Pleasing us since the early 90’s, this St Louis, Missouri-based power four piece has been a stalwart of the thumping roots rock movement for a long time, well before it came into fashion in fact. This was my first viewing and after many attempts of travelling across the Pacific. ‘1000 Dollar Car’, ‘Welfare Music’ and, most of all, ‘Dog’. I must see them again – it was too much to take in.

13. David Luning – Music City Roots, Franklin TN 19 Sep

David Who? Former American Idol contestant? Hmmm. Well, consider me blown away by this unique rocking storyteller from California’s Sonoma County. Covering fast and slower material with aplomb, he has that knack that the best comedians have when telling a joke – using space and timing to gripping effect. The thundering ‘Bet It On Black’, the pleading ‘Danger’ and the reflective and majestic ‘Be Like Gold’. Go see him or buy his album Restless – or do both.

12. Larry Cordle, Carl Jackson with Val Storey and others, The Station Inn Nashville TN – 11 Sep

A wonderful band steeped in country, gospel and just about anything good. Larry Cordle is an acclaimed songwriter, singer, stalwart – Carl Jackson the same with guitar sidekick and close friend to Glen Campbell to add to his bio. Many guests including Campbell’s daughter Ashley (god-daughter to Jackson), the honeyed voice of Val Storey, even a visiting Irishman got up and sang a love song to his wife in the crowd (I admit it wasn’t a musical highlight of the night, but a glorious example of community and song). When someone sang Glen’s last release ‘Adios’ with Ashley in the crowd, it proved to be one of the heightened emotional moments of the year. AND this core outfit does this show EVERY MONDAY NIGHT.

11. Courtney Marie Andrews and Joe Pug, The Spotted Mallard Melbourne Aus – 13 July

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I’m not sure why this tour pairing was arranged and how. Joe Pug, the Austin Texas troubadour who has graced these shores a considerable number of times before returning on the back of his release last year Windfall. The younger Courtney Marie Andrews, hailing from Phoenix Arizona, whose debut album in 2016 Honest Life was a serious eye opener. Tonight was the fifth stop on an eight-date tour of Australia, with both artists largely in solo acoustic guitar mode, except for Pug on keyboards for a spell. Eminently good vocals and songwriting through the night with not a dip in excellence to be seen.

10. Old 97’s Outlaw Country Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 27 Feb

The next set after The Bottle Rockets (see above) in The Stardust Theatre. The new album from Old 97‘s released almost to the day – we got a wonderful opportunity to hear just about all the new material plus plenty of the old stuff too. Energy, passion, songwriting with messages crystal clear and highly agreeable. Much of it delivered at their renowned breakneck tempo but their sensitive side shone through as well. I heard that their later show on the pool deck was even better! Holy cowpunk!

9. Infamous Stringsdusters – The Festy Experience, Infinity Downs Farm Virginia – 6 Oct

The Infamous Stringdusters were from around these parts but have since spread themselves a little, with Brevard North Carolina now their base. But they are hometown picks for sure. In fact, they formed the backbone of the festival schedule. Members comprise guitarist Andy Falco, banjo man Chris Pandolfi, Andy Hall (dobro), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle) and Travis Book (double bass) and together they are formidable. Roving around the stage with ease, they break out of any restrictions that other bluegrass outfits may feel hidebound by. A set list with plenty of covers, all of them distinctive and cleverly chosen. The band’s jamming was spectacular.

8. The Mavericks – Outlaw Country Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 26 Feb

This one’s easy. The sail-away show of the Outlaw Cruise. Shots of something or other handed out to every passenger before it started. The large ship moved, as if propelled by the irresistible sounds of The Mavericks, gliding through the air and now across the water. What they do is make every moment a joyous one. If you can’t get uplifted when The Mavericks are playing, you need medical help or give up music. Funnily enough, the band mis-timed the set and walked off thinking they were done but plenty more was to come. They called a team huddle (see above) and proceeded with nary a scratch. A guest appearance from Steve Earle didn’t hurt either.

7. Lee Roy Parnell – Music City Roots, Franklin TN – 19 Sep

Texas country rocker Lee Roy Parnell looked the goods. His interview prior to the set was informative and gave me the impression that he doesn’t like being messed around. He carried that onto the set., fiery guitar perfectly attuned to that unique Texas take on many genres of which I never tire. His new CD Midnight Believer was on display with pride and it was a joyous opportunity to set my eyes and ears on someone who surprisingly is not a little (or a lot) more well-known.

6. Son Volt – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne Aus – 12 Oct

Jay Farrar – photo Jim Jacob

My first time with Jay Farrar in band mode. I had enjoyed a couple of acoustic shows over the years but this was revelatory. This night I made a decision to leave my notebook behind – determined not to write anything down as it would prove to be a distraction. It was a prudent call at the time as the band’s power interplay was astoundingly good but doesn’t help me now as I write this with only my memory to guide me. I have a lot of friends that were there or saw the band at Out On The Weekend festival just before who rate this as one of their best concerts EVER. If you want any information about the set list or other details, leave a comment and I’ll get my expert buddies onto the job (they know who they are).

5. Patty Griffin and Friends – Cayamo Cruise, Somewhere At Sea – 24 Feb

The ‘Patty Griffin and Friends’ session included Griffin, Buddy Miller, Rodney Crowell, Lee Ann Womack, Emmylou Harris and Jedd Hughes (crack Australian guitarist). In the round, sharing songs, stories, emotions. I was in the front row (thanks Sixthman!) and it seemed like the shortest set possible. More more!

4. Americana Honors and Awards – Ryman Auditorium @ Americanafest, Nashville TN – 13 Sep

Again, a magnificent cornerstone for AmericanaFest, held on the Wednesday night. After five of these in a row, you can get a little picky (I rate the 2014 Show with Ry Cooder in the All-Star band as my favourite). Performers on this star-studded night were: Old Crow Medicine Show, Jim Lauderdale, Brent Cobb, Lori McKenna, Iris Dement, John Prine, Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives, Sam Outlaw, Amanda Shires, Billy Bragg/Joe Henry, Graham Nash with the Milk Carton Kids, Drive-By Truckers, Aaron Lee Tasjan, The Lumineers, Robert Cray, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Margo Price, Jason Isbell and Van Morrison.

There was more but the list above is enough to justify a special night’s work.

3. Guy Clark Tribute – Cayamo Cruise – Somewhere At Sea – 21 Feb

Melody Duncan of The Mulligan Brothers during the Tribute

I had just finished reading Without Getting Killed or Caught: The Story of Guy Clark (Tamara Saviano) and his departure became raw again. The tribute set was stunning and emotional – contributions both musical and personal from Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Sarah Jarosz, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Brian Wright, Angaleena Presley, Paul Thorn and others. Another of the seemingly shortest sets of the year but it actually stretched to ninety minutes. A wonderful emotional farewell to a legend.

2. Drive-by Truckers – The Festy Experience, Infinity Downs Farm Virginia – 7 Oct

A ninety minute blast that ended my busy festival day. I had seen Drive-By Truckers at the Cannery Ballroom as part of AmericanaFest just three weeks earlier (it seemed much longer) but tonight surpassed that one by a home stretch. Perhaps due to the beautiful setting here and my proximity to the stage hence the ‘immersion factor’. The light rain started almost at the same time as their opening greeting. They were pretty angry in the lead up to the release of their last album, the elegantly simple titled American Band and that was BEFORE the US Presidential election and its aftermath, not to mention a number of controversies and incidents down South during 2017. Tonight they really wanted to make a statement – ‘Black Lives Matter’ prominently displayed with pride. And so they did. Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley strode the stage with a Southern Rock majesty. This correspondent spent most of the time in the photography pit. A recent song “This Perilous Ride” was potent, a blistering version of one of my favourites “Ronnie and Neil”, the driving “Ever South”, “Tom Petty’s “The Waiting” and the closing protest “Hell No I Ain’t Happy”.

Brian Wright – Fond Objects @ Americanafest, Nashville TN – 17 Sep

Not many words required for this. Brian Wright, guitarist for Aaron Lee Tasjan, solo artist and co-founder of Cafe Rooster Records at just about the last set of AmericanaFest 2017 – see below:

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What ya reckon? Tell me if you were at these shows and what you think

How ’bout your own faves of 2017?

What were our very best live shows throughout 2017?

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Best Live Shows 2017 What were our very best live shows throughout 2017?

#Best Gigs #best live shows 2017

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