#84 years later and THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT

[cursivebloodlines]

011. in the dining room building a home: a gingerbread home! decorate the home and make it one fit for a little gingerbread man. - lydia!

🌙 * ― 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒: 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ( a collection of various settings for drabbles or prompts, or both!) | @overnightheartbeats

011. in the dining room building a home: a gingerbread home! decorate the home and make it one fit for a little gingerbread man.

The first – and last – time Lydia attempted to build a gingerbread house, it had been a catastrophe. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong: the house itself crumbling, pieces not staying together, icing smudged the whole thing and the candy pieces of decoration fell off. Honestly? It had looked like the wolf from the Three Little Pigs story huffed and puffed and blew the silly, little gingerbread house down. It was all so completely unlike Lydia, someone notorious for her perfectionistic ways and meticulous precision. The hours she spent dedicated to it and nothing to show for it. A complete waste of time. And so, she vowed she would never ever waste her time trying to make one again. Never. Ever.

That was… until Aaron suggested trying to build one. Lydia’s face must have said it all, her nose scrunched up, eyebrows furrowed. “Why on earth would I want to waste time doing that when you can buy one that already looks nice enough from the store?” she questioned, a not-so-subtle ploy of trying to wriggle her way out of it. Aaron had gave her a look that said, really? She wondered what else was running through his mind. Maybe something along the lines of, since when does Lydia turn down a challenge? In that moment, she knew there was no way she was escaping it. Even a small smile threatened to worm its way on to her lips. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He’d said. She looked at him blankly, eyes going distant as she spoke, deadpanned, “The worst thing that can happen?” A dramatic pause. “I’ll show you.” With that, she cleared her throat, picked up her phone and scrolled through until she found the photo from a good few years ago. Without saying anything else, she passed her phone to Aaron, feeling quite triumphant with herself about being determined, not going through that ordeal ever again. Her gaze fixated on him as she watched his reaction, watched as his expression swiftly changed from being puzzled, to curious and morphed into amusement. Brows arched, Lydia mirrored his face, her hands on her hips as she demanded, “What’s so funny?” Trying to conceal the laughter in her voice as she quickly cleared her throat. But she couldn’t keep a straight face for long. The sound of his laugh was contagious, his smile so wonderful and infectious. Even if she had a severe case of Resting Bitch Face, she couldn’t stop herself from cracking. So, now they were both just laughing. 

In the end, he managed to persuade her to take another shot at building a gingerbread house. “The way I see it…it can only go up from here.” Or something along those lines. Some variations of it can’t get any worse. Earning a playful roll of her eyes, but in the end, she conceded. She’d already lost some of her pride and dignity the moment she showed him her poor first attempt. But at least if this one sucked, then they would suck together. But weren’t two heads supposed to be better than one? If it had been with anyone else, she may have disagreed. Having someone under her feet whilst she was trying to concentrate on achieving perfection? Lydia would’ve ushered them away and not-so-politely told them to go away. But nope, he was persistent. They were definitely doing this.

A quick trip to the store to get everything they need, and more just because they may as well since they’re there… and there they were, diving straight into it. Lydia read out the instructions from the recipe she found on Pinterest after tons and tons of scrolling, and they took it in turns to do all that was needed to do. Getting the things out as and when they needed, she was surprised how comfortable and easy it was to adjust, shuffling around each other. It was amazing how he fit in perfectly with her. No awkwardness, no Lydia getting frustrated because something was out of place or not done to her standards - a shocker. It was all very new to her but it didn’t feel new. It was like they’d been doing this forever. Shuffling around, arms occasionally brushing against each other, smiles on their faces all around. Christmas songs faintly played from the stereo, humming along as they made the dough; humming turned into singing as they waited for the gingerbread to break, happily setting up the dining room ready for decorating. She playfully swatted Aaron’s hand when she realised he was slipping the candies meant for decorating their work-in-progress gingerbread house in for a little treat. “Enough of that, we won’t have any for the -” Until he was the one plopping a gumdrop into her mouth - she wasn’t complaining then. Another laugh tumbled from her lips as she chewed it, leaning in to kiss his cheek gently before the timer on her phone beeped. They were ready!

“Now… now is make or break,” Lydia declared when the gingerbread finally cooled. Everything already set out, ready for them to dive straight in. First, to assemble the house. Her mind cast back to her first attempt, how disastrous the whole thing went. It will be better this time. Had to be. The aroma of cinnamon and ginger filled the cosy, festive-filled atmosphere, every inhale made it all the more tempting to just give it all up and dive right in to gobbling it all up. It was like she was waiting with bated breath, any moment it could crumble and fall apart. But Aaron’s extra pair of hands made it all worthwhile. He would help her assemble the little house piece by piece, holding things in place as she brought the next part out. So far, so good. It was like they had all the time in the world, every piece fitting together felt like a gigantic milestone worth celebrating. And at some stage, Lydia definitely cracked out the bottle of wine as incentive to keep them going.

In the end, it was all worth it. She hated to admit defeat but Aaron was right; it did only go up from there. Though, the bar was pretty low to begin with. And sure, maybe it wasn’t her ideal version of perfection but the time spent with him absolutely was. Lydia placed the final piece, the marshmallow snowman outside the newly built gingerbread house before leaning back against him with a content sigh. “We did it. I can’t believe we actually did it.” A beaming smile on her face as she tilted her head to look at him adoringly, before looking right back at their little creation before them. The walls of the house were slightly uneven, a few cracks in the icing revealed glimpses of golden-brown gingerbread underneath, gumdrop windows a little askew, and licorice shingles overlapped on the roof. These imperfections which, any other time would have had Lydia fuming and threatening to smash the whole thing over the kitchen counter, were the magic and beauty of it. Perfectly imperfect. It was magical because it was theirs. It was something they built together, and it was what they had to show for it. A funky yet whimsical-looking gingerbread house. Feeling him nudge her with his elbow, a grin curved Aaron’s face as he passed her something, a brief flicker of confusion etched on to her face as she lowered her gaze to her hands, a laugh leaving her as her fingers traced the ridges of the gingerbread man - or should she say woman? - before her. “Is this supposed to be me? Wow. Impressive. And, that’s funny, actually, because…” Biting her lip to conceal a laugh or give away the reveal. She couldn’t get her head around the fact they had both been doing the same thing without the other knowing. Putting her gingerbread persona to the side, she picked up the version of Aaron she’d secretly made, laughter finally escaping as she passed it to him. “I swear I didn’t steal your idea! We just…clearly have great minds that think alike.” 

In that moment it was inevitable: this was going down as one of the best Christmases Lydia had in a long, long time.

[steddielations]

Eddie’s missing. Steve can’t form a coherent thought beyond: Eddie’s missing, find him. The last few hours, it’s been his every thought, his every action.

There’s never a smooth visit to Hawkins. Eddie’s reputation has only gotten worse in the years since they moved to Chicago. Every time they come back, something goes wrong. But Eddie wanted to spend Wayne’s birthday with him, which also happens to be his mom’s birthday. That’s why he put on Wayne’s Muddy Waters record after a few drinks too many, mumbling, “Doesn’t sound the same.”

One second, Eddie was drunkenly rocking to the music, then he went outside for a smoke and didn’t come back. 

Wayne shouldn’t be out in the cold weather, but nothing could stop him from getting in his pickup to look for Eddie.

Steve’s mind jumps to nightmare conclusions. Eddie still has enemies, maybe they’re finally taking their revenge. Or what if they hadn’t destroyed the gate afterall and something worse took Eddie? Steve’s mind skipped every small explanation, but that detail about Eddie’s mom comes back.

He’s searching backroads and the thought leads him down Philadelphia street. No one goes there anymore, convinced there’s more ‘Munson victims’ buried where Eddie’s childhood home once stood.

Steve sags with relief when he shines the headlights and sees Eddie among the piles of old burned wood.

“Eddie!” Steve’s already jumping out the car, hurrying to him, “Oh God, there you are. What are you doing out here, baby? You okay?”

Eddie doesn’t seem to realize Steve’s there, frantically digging through the rubble. Looking for something.

“Eddie?” Steve reaches him, crouching down next to him, “Hey, what’s going on? Are you hurt?”

Without looking up, Eddie mumbles something like, “Can’t find ‘em.” 

“Can’t find what?” Steve asks, keeping his tone soft despite how worried and confused he is. Eddie doesn’t answer. There’s random cuts and splinters on his hands, covered in dirt and soot but he doesn’t slow down. Steve winces at the sight and reaches for his shoulder, rubbing gently to get his attention. 

“Eddie, look at me, hey. What is it? You can’t find what?”

Finally, Eddie turns to look at him. Though, his stare is a thousand miles away, eyes wide and bloodshot. The headlights show tear tracks through the soot dirtying his face. It’s like he’s in a trance, still mumbling things Steve can’t quite make out. He can smell the beer on Eddie, but he knows this isn’t just from drinking. Eddie gets stuck in his head sometimes, like in the boathouse all those years ago. Reliving nightmares from '86, and things that happened to him long before that too. 

“Her records,” Eddie stresses, “My mom’s records. I left them right here.” 

Steve looks down where he points to nothing but charred, rotting wood. There hasn’t been a house here in years. Steve remembers the fire, everyone said Eddie did it just because he was a ‘no good Munson’. Steve didn’t learn the real story until later. Eddie told him about the records, how they burned in 84 when all his dad’s scheming backfired.

“Eddie…” 

“They were right here!” Eddie interrupts, almost like part of him knows what Steve’s going to say and he doesn’t want to hear it. “I left them right here and now I can’t find them.” 

With a half-choked sob, he turns back to scouring through the rubble.

“Hey, It’s okay.” 

“No it’s not. I gotta find them, Steve, they’re all I have of her,” Eddie strangles out, flinching when Steve’s hand slides behind his shoulders.

Steve swallows down the emotion swelling in his chest. Feeling powerless to really do anything, he says, “Okay, we’ll— we’ll find them. It’s okay.”

That’s the only thing that seems to ease Eddie. Though, the way he slumps seems like he knows it’s not true, but lets himself believe it anyway. Just for the comfort. 

He’s breathing raggedly, shivering in the cold and every sob rattles his body under Steve’s hand. Finally, he lets himself sink fully into Steve, his cold wet nose pressed to Steve’s collarbone.

“S’all I got. Momma’s music,” he keeps repeating as Steve rubs his back, so drunk and so sad, “Gotta get ‘em back. S’all I got left of her.” 

“I know, baby, we’ll find them.” Steve presses kisses into Eddie’s forehead, holding him and rubbing his back. It’s not the truth, Eddie knows that, but he doesn’t need the truth right now. So Steve says it again and again, as long as Eddie needs to hear it. “We’ll find them.”

[acowardinmordor]

I need a fic where Steve and Eddie are sorta friends after S1. He isn't talking to Tommy H, so he has to buy his own stash, and since he saw a monster, he's more in need of that stash than before. Steve is still with Nancy, there isn't anything romantic happening between Eddie and him, but they're close enough they have stopped acting like guests at each others place when they're over.

They get way too high the friday before Halloween of 84, and Eddie accidentally outs himself. Doesn't say that he likes Steve, but the pieces are there if Steve wants to connect the dots. Eddie runs for it, and Steve is confused why he ran, but thinks that he should give Eddie some space, since he obviously wants that. Enter S2.

Steve gets a little in his own head about dragging people into the Upside Down crazy. It got Bob killed this time. People die, and the closer people are to the group, the more likely it is that they'll end up in danger or dead. The best case scenario is that they have nightmares and brain damage.

So Steve takes the echoing silence between him and Eddie as a chance to keep him safe. Eddie is terrified that Steve hates him, so he's not going to say anything. Then, Steve shows up to school beaten to shit and single, and Eddie asks if he's okay, what happened, who did this, why.

Steve really wants to loop back to why Eddie ran out so fast after saying that he was 'a friend of dorothy', because he missed it entirely, but asking would encourage Eddie to stay around him, and that isn't safe. He is still a bit concussed, and convinced that if he tells Eddie about any of it, the guy will figure out all of it, and get himself killed. Brushes him off.

Its not until a year later, talking to Robin about queer culture that he understands what Eddie was saying, and why he ran. He also realizes that cutting off contact must have convinced Eddie that Steve was disgusted by him. Steve tries to reach out, tries to catch Eddie after Hellfire, shows up to his trailer a few times. It's late, but Steve wants to apologize and fix that one thing if nothing else.

It doesn't work, Steve takes the hint, and goes back to avoiding Eddie. So, the first time they talk again is in the boathouse.

[skyfallslayer]

Should We Stay or Should We Go? || Epilogue 1

-A ST Rewrite Feat. Steve Harrington x Henderson!OFC-

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist

🎲Summary: Although they’re both recovering slowly, they’re both experiencing it in different ways -- Will can’t stop seeing himself in the Upside Down and tries to drown it out with his family’s love, while Steph is plagued by nightmares and memory loss, she tries making a new friend.

🎲Pairings: Will x Platonic!OFC; Dustin x Sister!OC; Slow burn! Steve x Henderson!OFC (Ex-bestfriends to Lovers); Slow burn! Byler

🎲Rating: Teen-Mature

🎲Word Count: 4,633

🎲Date: 4/25/25

🎲Warnings: Angst; Heavy Language & Dialogue; Implied Bullying; Mental Strain/Breaking Down; Implied Mental Health Issues; Mentioning of Death/Dying; Mention of the Afterlife; Implied Drug Use; Smoking; Mention of Life Threatening Injuries; Scars; Nightmares; Implied Child Abuse; The Harrington's A+ Parenting; Stephanie & Will Deserved All The Love. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

(And let me know if I missed anything)

🎲A/N: Whoo! This was an interesting one to write. And it's only been beta once, so hopefully everything makes sense 😅 (I'll double check it later, I swear). So this is it. The last part of Season 1. A little short story to tease what is yet to come in Season 2. Enjoy!

For Will Byers returning to school wasn’t as bad as he thought. The teachers were being extra nice, his bullies Troy and James couldn’t dare look him in the eye (Thanks, Eleven), and his friends made sure he was up to date with homework and studies. Everything seemed nice, but he knows that there are still some stares. There was whispering and looks he couldn’t miss, and even though some students he barely knew were trying to be nice and welcome his return, he could tell they thought of him as a freak. Frankly, he couldn’t really blame them for thinking that. To all of them he was dead, had a funeral and a memorial at the school, only to be found alive days later and told a crazy, but believable, story by the town’s Police Chief.

The word ‘Freak’ has been told to him several times in the past, but in the present it hits different. He tries not to show it, but it’s hard not to when you’re as sensitive as he is. He just wonders if anyone has noticed yet…

“Will!” His mom’s voice calls out while he’s in the bathroom.

“Yeah?” 

“Ball’s dropping in fifteen. And the cookies are done if you want any.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a minute!” He says, zipping up his pants. He could smell the cookies she mentioned from here, and wonders if that’ll calm his jitters. I just need to relax. It’s almost the new year. 84’ is going to be a lot better.

That’s what he’s been telling himself since Christmas, since Thanksgiving if he’s being honest. Everything’s going to get better soon. The school semester will be done in a few months, Summer will soon follow, and then he moves on to another round of Middle School. He gets to do all this with his friends. What more could he ask for?

As he turned the faucet off that’s when he felt like he might have to eat his own words. Will froze as everything got dark and soon basked in that blue hue that was still embedded in his brain; The vines trickled out of the walls and crawled everywhere; The white substance fluttered around like the snow outside. He felt throat get tight as he grip the sides of the sink. 

No. He tells himself, shutting his eyes and drowning this place out. No. No. No. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not there. I’m not–

Someone shouts his name, making his eyes shoot back open to reveal that the Upside Down was gone. He looks around with caution, before a little blissful sigh leaves his lips. 

Everything’s okay. I’m okay. He makes sure his heart’s not racing before leaving the bathroom for his living room. He sees his family waiting around the TV for the New Year’s Eve Ball to drop.

“Everything okay?” Jonathan asks, scooting over for his brother to sit.

“Yeah. I was just… daydreaming.” Will replies, as his mother hands him a plate of cookies -- oatmeal raisin, his favorites. 

“Well, don’t daydream too much, or you’ll miss the drop.”

“Unless you’re daydreaming about your New Year’s resolutions?” Joyce said, taking a bite of the treat. “Do you have any this year, sweetie?”

Will ponders for a moment. “I haven’t really thought about it much.”

“Well, I’m hoping I get that promotion at work.” She smiles. “Those extra bucks could help us a lot. Maybe we can finally take that trip to the southern beaches like we wanted.”

“That’ll be awesome, Mom.”

“I’m hoping I can get a job somewhere for my photography.” Jonathan says, thinking. “That, or maybe I can try to at least work at the school paper.”

“See? That’s a good goal.” Joyce said, all proud. “You should go for it. Those papers always need a photographer.” Her son blushes at the comment just as they heard those magic words on the TV. ���Oh! It’s starting.”

The Byers Family chanted the countdown, cheering when the screen flash 1984. Their cheering abruptly stopped when they heard a loud bang outside, followed by many more.

“And there he goes.” She said, amused.

“Good ol’, Bob. Right on time as always.” Jonathan said, talking about their neighbour. He shifts his weight towards his little brother. “Do you want to go watch?”

“Yes!” Will said, eagerly nodding.

“Hey, Hey. Boys, make sure you put shoes on and a coat.” Their mother urges, as they head for the front door.

“We got it, Mom.” 

Will slips on what he needs and opens the door, a few big leaps until he’s off the porch and on the snow. He stares upwards at the midnight sky that’s starting to get bathed in all the colors of the rainbow. He hears his family standing behind him, silently watching them too as he couldn’t help but smile at this peaceful moment.

Yeah. The single word was filled with hope and pride. 84’ is going to be a good year.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

Tick. Tock.

.

.

.

Steph opens her eyes slowly, the room lighting up in front of her. Moving without thinking, her bare feet crossed the white bricks, the path getting brighter and brighter with each step. She passed some people lingering around, their presence not really a bother until someone was standing in her path. She slows her pace, pale features turning into confusion. 

“Grandma?” She said, the older woman was just as surprised to see her as she was.

“Oh, Stephanie. I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.” Her grandma frowns with pity. “I honestly thought I’d see your mother here first.”

Stephanie felt herself tense up. “Oh. Am I…?” She trailed off when she realized she really did succumb to those bats. “Oh, yeah. I guess I’m dead.”

“You were always so selfless. Of course you being here is because you saved a little boy.” Her Grandmother’s statement made her smile.

“Well, the little boy was one of Dustin’s friends.”

“Oh, Dusty-bun. I miss that kid. I wish I could have seen him grown like I did you.” The woman holds out her arm. “Come. I’ll show you to the end.”

Steph slung her arm around hers, and they began walking the path again. The closer they got towards the end, the warmer and more welcoming the light became. “Wow.” She says, memorized. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” Grandma says, smiling and locking eyes with her grandchild. “Would you like me to go over with you?”

“That’ll be great. I really want–” When Steph broke eye contact to look ahead, everything went dark. She stops, confused about where everything just went. “Grandma, what just happened?” She blinks. “Grandma?”

The teenager turned on her heels, her family member was gone and so was everyone else -- the white bricks and light trickled to the darkness as well. It took her a minute to realize what was going on, and scoffed while shaking her head.

“No… No, not again.” She grits her teeth and makes fists with her hands. “You’re not doing this to me again! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I WANT TO FUCKING REMEMBER!!”

Her words echoed in the abyss, her quiet panting turning into a loud groan of frustration. Why can’t she remember anything past this? What was causing her not to? Where was the block? And how can she undo it?

A chill ran up her spine at the sound of whispering, as she frantically looked around. The chatter was getting louder and louder by the second that it was driving her more mad than not getting an answer. 

“Jesus Fucking Christ. Whatever you are, just shut the HELL UP!!” She shouts, turning around again only to be met with a screaming Demogorgon. She finds her screaming too…

.

.

.

The screaming stopped as soon as she was awake, but her bedroom in a split second changed to the one in the Upside Down. She laid in bed, staring up at the icky ceiling as all the air in her lungs left her. She finds herself not being able to breath, and starts to choke -- her hands clawing at her throat, irritating her scars. She felt her eyes starting to sting at the lack of oxygen–

Then it all hit at once when her bedroom returned normal.

She shakingly takes in the cool air, one of her hands resting over her beating heart, waiting for herself to feel normal.

“It’s j-just a dream, it’s just a– fuck.” Steph whispers, using the bit of strength she had left to push herself to sit up. She brings her knees to her chest, giving herself another moment to process. But when she hears the sound of fireworks going off in the distance, she is forced to look at the alarm clock.

1:02 am. 

Thirty minutes. I got thirty minutes of sleep. Fuck. Her eyes trail to the sleep medicine next to it and picks it up. “This shit’s not helping.” She says, and throws the bottle across the room somewhere in frustration. It’s been the same shit every night since then. Every time she closes her eyes for sleep she knows she won’t get a lot. It’s…

Fucking exhausting.

Literally.

She sighs out loud, her reaction getting someone’s attention. Steph peeks to the floor, noticing a certain animal’s orange tail sticking out from under her bed. 

“Oh.” Steph reaches down and carefully picks up a frightened Mews. “Hey, there, Kitty. I forgot you don’t like the light show outside.” She holds the cat close, feeling him melt into her embrace as she lays against the headrest. “I guess you and I won’t be getting much sleep tonight.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Was this a bad idea? Probably. 

Would her mother kill her if she found out? Probably.

The idea just came to her around 4 this morning, and for some reason couldn’t shake it away or come up with an excuse on why she shouldn’t do it. She knows she shouldn’t go down this path, but she desperately needed a good eight hours (or more) worth of sleep undisturbed.

So here she was in her kitchen, throwing down the yellow pages onto the counter a lot harder than anticipated. She took a deep breath and started flipping through the phone book quickly. 

“Munson, Munson, Munson, where are you?” She whispers, blue eyes trailing up and down the pages for ‘M’. “Where is… oh.”

She spots a name that says Wayne Munson, and raises an eyebrow. Is that his dad? Or some kind of relative that has direct contact with Eddie? 

She’s hoping it’s one of the two, or it’s going to get really awkward fast. She leans forward to grab the phone off the hook, eyes darting back and forth as she types in the number. She anxiously taps her fingers against the countertop, the constant ringing making her stomach turn as her mind races with the idea of backing out. But then– 

[ ‘Munson residence.’ ]

The girl froze at the older man’s voice, lost for words on the spot.

[ ‘Um, hello? Who–’ ]

Fuck! She mentally slaps herself and says, “Um, h-hi! Uh, is Eddie Munson home?”

She heard the man briefly pause to process her question (or maybe he was reluctant to answer?).

[ ‘Who’s asking?’ ]

“Oh, s-sorry I should have started with that. Um, my name’s Stephanie Henderson, and uh, your… son has been–”

[ ‘He’s my Nephew.’ ]

“Nephew. Okay. Yeah, uh, anyway, he helped me with some school work I missed since, uh…” She swallows. “You probably saw the news? T-The kidnapping, uh–”

[ ‘Oh, yeah. Hard to forget that.’ ]

“I… guess so…”

[ ‘I’m sorry.’ ]

“Uh, don’t be. It’s… f-fine.” She moves her hand dismissively like he could see it. “Any who, Eddie left some of things behind and I’ve been meaning to give it back to him. But I seemed to keep missing him these last few days. I was wondering if he’s home so I could drop by and give it to him?”

She heard him go quiet again, making the knot recoil again. I am literally the worst liar in the world. Has he figured it out yet?

“Um, hello–”

[ ‘He’s not here right now. He’s out with his friends practicing their music. I can give you the address they’re at, if you like?’ ]

Steph smiles, and quietly sighs with relief. “Oh, yes. That’ll be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Munson.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Stephanie pulls her car up a few houses down from the correct spot. She could see Gareth Brooks’ garage was open, and she occasionally saw the group of boys moving around (Seriously, how do they have that open during winter?). Her scarred hands fidgeted against the steering before tugging on her parka collar, too nervous and uncomfortable at the situation. Should she back down? Should she wait until they start leaving? Or what if they’re staying the night? Then what? She’ll just look like a creep to the whole block. 

She takes a deep breath, fixing her beanie one last time before exiting the vehicle. She carefully maneuvers herself across the icy road, soon shifting on the snow covered sidewalk. She could hear laughter and chattered as soon as she got onto the driveway. Steph hesitated when she got close to the top, a split second away from running back to her car when she saw that they noticed her. The teenagers all stopped immediately upon seeing her, a mixture of confusion and surprise was on their faces that made her get second hand embarrassment. 

She clears her throat, nervously twitching her hands in her pockets. “Hi, uh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Um…” Her tired blue orbs shift over to the ring leader. “Your Uncle Wayne gave me this address. Um, I… I heard you… sell stuff?”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Eddie slides the van’s side door open, crawling inside before allowing her in. “Sorry for the mess.” He says, closing the door. “I didn’t expect company any time soon.”

“Sorry for crashing.” Steph says, sitting down in a clutter free spot. “And, uh, sorry in advance, I… might have lied to your Uncle about why I wanted to meet up with you.”

“Oh.” He says, intrigued as he sits on his knees catty corner from her (Giving his girl guest an appropriate amount of personal space). “How so?”

“Um…” She sighs. “I told him that you had helped with something in school and you left something behind. I told him I’ve been trying to return your stuff to you for a while. He seemed to have bought it. Hopefully...”

He snorts. “Well, my Uncle Wayne can go both ways. He’s either very perceptive or very naive.” He watches her chuckle quietly at his comment, before noticing she was playing with her hands.

A nervous tick? Possibly? He clears his throat. “Sooooo, what are you looking for?”

“Um….” She looks at her feet. “Do you have anything that could help me sleep? Or feel drowsy enough to doze off?” She shrugs. “I-I know that sounds really stupid, and you probably don’t carry stuff like that. B-But I thought I’d… st-still ask. So… yeah.”

She could feel him looking at her from head to toe before replying, “I don’t think I have anything like that. I mean, I got weed, but that’s more of a relaxer and not something to knock you out.”

Steph nods. “I… thought so.” She bites her lip as her eyes trail across the floor, coming across something that piqued her interest. “Can I have one of those?”

Eddie follows her gaze to a half a pack of cigarettes on the floor. “Uh, sure.” He quickly finds a lighter for her as she grabs a white stick after shedding her gloves off (His gaze noticing the small scars on her back hands). He waits patiently for her to take a few inhales before saying, “Don’t take this the wrong way, Henderson, but you don’t look so hot.”

She blows smoke with another nod, knowing how shitty she must look to an outsider. “I know. That’s why I need sleep. I haven’t slept since…” She tries not to shutter. “I got back.”

His brows push together. “Back? Back from where?”

“Back from the… kidnapping.”

His face falls. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” She sighs for the millionth time today. “I keep… seeing things, and it wakes me up, and I’ve only had an hour of sleep. Maybe less. I’m like barely hanging on.” She locks her tired eyes with his, making sure he understands her next words. “And… I’m trying not to take stuff every night because I don’t want to become addicted, or accidentally OD or something, but… I need sleep. Badly.” Another sigh and a long swig. “Or, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

Or, maybe I already have lost my mind. Stephanie was expecting him to look at her like she was crazy, not to be looking at her with some major concern. We don’t even know each other that well, why is he–

“Have you tried talking to someone about it?” He asks, after finding the right words to say. “Or, are you… not doing that?”

She breaks eye contact briefly, replying, “Will, the boy that was with me, and I both agreed not to talk about it. Not unless it’s been us, and us only.” She bites her lip. “The things we saw, the things we did, no one should go through that. And…” How does she explain it? “And I thought by… accepting what happened was the key to stopping all this, but… I think it’s not working because I’m missing something in my memory.”

She shakingly sighs again, finishing with, “So, I’m either torn between getting a good night’s sleep is the key to get out of this, or if remembering the missing puzzle piece is what would finally stop these nightmares. So… yeah.”

Steph takes another long drag while Eddie is processing all the information (And how does he respond to all this trauma dumping?). “So, it was… that bad, huh?” He says, as she nods.

“Yep.” She pops the ‘p’. “It was the longest week of my life. I’ve never been so exhausted, hungry, angry, and upset like I was there.” She chuckles dryly. “I mean, I don’t regret driving him, driving Will, I… I’m glad I was there with him. I’m a big sister, so it’s in my nature to protect. I mean I lost a lot sleep, I got hurt physically and emotional a lot, I even died once and–”

“Wait, wait, wait, Henderson. Back up.” Eddie says, trying to wrap his head around again at all this info. “You died?”

The color drains from her face. “Shit. I was supposed to say that.”

“So, it’s true?” He says, panicking in his tone and face. “You actually fucking died? For real? Like, not when they said that you and Byers drowned in the Quarry?”

“Y-Yes. Exactly. For real, and not in the Quarry.”

“W-Wha…”

“I was protecting Will, so…” 

Eddie took yet another moment to take everything in before mumbling, “Jesus Christ…”

“Look, Munson–” Steph locks eyes with him. “You cannot tell anyone I said that. Especially to my brother or my mom. I-I can’t…” She swallows. “That’s… that’s what I keep seeing in my dreams, and… it wasn’t exactly kid-friendly.”

“Okay.” He holds his hands up in defense. “Okay. I won’t. But, Jesus, Henderson, are you sure you don’t want to talk to someone?”

She smacks her lips and takes another puff. “No therapist can help me with what I saw. If I talk, they might send me to fucking Pennhurst.” She laughs a little louder this time. “I can see the goddamn headline now. ‘Stephanie ‘The Freak’ Henderson, who believes in other worlds, is being sent for serious treatment at Pennhurst Mental Institution’. I’m sure everyone in fucking school would love that.”

He frowns, worried again. “You’re not a Freak.”

“Oh, I am. I’ve heard ‘Freak’ plenty of times growing up.” Steph flashes him a bittersweet smile. “All because I’m not a ‘girly-girl’. I love grudge and metal music; Most days I wear all black, fishnet with some big ol’ combat boots. I rather go hunting with guns than trying out for the cheer squad or theater. I’m the complete opposite of what girls should say, do, or look in High School.”

She groans, and continues, “I have been called a lot of things over the years, and most of the time I can ignore it, but as the grades go up in school, so do the insults.” She frowns. “I even got a new one when I returned back to my classes. ‘Zombie Girl’. Now, it’s understandable, yet new. But it still… sucks. I think it only hurts worse because I know they’re calling Will, ‘Zombie Boy’, too.”

“That is worse because he’s a kid.” Eddie pointed out bitterly. “He’s twelve.”

“And bullying comes in all ages.” She quips back. “There’s nothing we can do about it. I mean, the whole town thought we drowned. Our families had funerals, the school held their own memorials, and then they come to find out days later that we’re actually alive.” She frowns. “I’m surprised you’re not staring at me like I’m a freak.”

“I don’t know if you recall, but ‘The Freak’ is literally my middle name at this point.” He says, crossing his arms. “And yeah, maybe me and the boys were kind of staring at you like that when you walked into Gareth’s garage, and I’m sorry about that, but if anyone in the school knows what you’re going through, is us.” He flashes a warm smile, which she returns. “And us Freaks gotta stick together sometimes.”

“Thanks, Eddie.” She replies, truthfully. “Honestly, I’ve just been hanging out with my brother and his friends for lunch. It’s kind of sad, and I hate that I keep crashing their party.” 

“Well, you could always hang out with us, if you like? We don’t mind.”

“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother. I just–” She pauses when she notices something peeking out of his heavy jacket. “Is that a D&D reference on your shirt?”

“Huh?” He looks down and pulls his jacket open for her to see his club T-Shirt. “Oh, yeah. Made it myself for our club.” He tilts his head out of curiosity. “You play D&D?”

She holds her hand up at his excitement. “Hold your horses, I’m still pretty new. Will kind of chatted to me about it when it was just the two of us. Then when we’re in the hospital, his friends brought the game over. I’ve only played two– no, three games– sorry, campaigns.”

“Well, that’s still pretty cool.” He grins. “What’s your character?”

“A Ranger. I mostly did it to spite Lucas who says they’re boring, so…”

“You got a name?”

“Steph the Courageous. Will gave it to me.”

“How’d you earn that?”

Steph smirks proudly. “I killed the Demogorgon. First try.”

He laughs. “Well ain’t that something.” He says, popping up to his feet. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to the gang.”

“Sure you want me to crash your guys’ little hangout?” She asks, as he offers his hand to help her up.

“I insist.” Eddie says, pulling her to her feet and cracking the door back open. “Besides, I think we could use a little… ‘feminine’ energy.”

Steph scoffs once outside, facing him and gesturing to herself. “Might want to keep looking. Have you seen the way I dress?” Her response gets another laugh out of him. “What are you guys playing? An original?”

“Nah, today we’re kind of just messing around. We’re playing some Dío today.”

She perks up at the news. “I love Dío.”

“Really?” He says, as they start walking. 

“Yeah. I love that type of music.”

“You know, that would explain why you were at our show. Harrington mentioned you went to our Lover’s Lake concert.” Eddie says, getting her to shrug. 

“Yeah, I did. It was raining cats and dogs out there, but I still enjoyed it.” She takes one last puff of the cigarette before putting it on the ground. “You guys have a very… Metallica and Van Halen kind of sound.” She pauses. “If that makes sense.”

“Well, that’s quite the compliment.” His grin grows. “Did you know I was actually named after Eddie Van Halen?”

“Shut up. Really?” She says, as he nods eagerly. “That explains the hair now.”

He laughs again and fiddles with the ends of his chocolate locks. “Oh, yeah. Gotta keep up with my name sake.”

“I kind of wish I was named after an idol like that.” Steph admits, forgetting how exhausted she was just moments ago (I guess talking to someone does help). “I’m glad we have a lot in common. Are we sure we’re not related, Munson?”

“Maybe.” He hums. “My Dad’s Alan. You?”

“Walter. Your Mom?”

“Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth?” Steph says, surprised. “That’s my middle name.”

“Really?” He asks, in the same tone as her. 

“Yeah.” She replies, smiling. “What a small world. I just found out I have a doppelgänger in Hawkins.”

He snorts, excitement growing at her words. “Doppelgänger. I like it! Hey, guys!” He called out as they got closer to the garage. “I found my doppelgänger!” Steph finds herself laughing now, as he suddenly slings his arm around her shoulder like she was one of the guys. “Welcome to Hellfire, Steph The Courageous.”

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Steve tugged on his sweater as he slipped out the back door of his home, his parents screaming becoming muffled when he closed it. The cut on his lip and forehead stung at the cold air, the twitching under his eye indicated that a bruise was going to form anytime soon if he didn’t apply ice. But, tending to his injuries was the least of his worries right now. They told him that they wanted him out of the house as soon as possible, and frankly he didn’t want to stick around long enough for them to decide to change their crazy minds.

He already stuffed a few of his valuables in his car, and all he needed was a box or a suitcase of some sort to put a good portion of his clothes in. Hence why he’s outside wandering around the covered pool and towards the shed, his icy hands fiddling with the combination on the pad lock. 

Once inside he flips the switch on over head, squinting in the terrible lighting as he tries to find something. He’s ninety-nine percent sure that his grandpa’s suitcase is in here somewhere. It might be the most busted up thing he’s ever seen, hell, not even the wheels or one of the handles work properly, but hey, he’ll take what he can get.

He shifts a few things around, almost grabbing an empty tote when his hopes started to fade, but there it was. Tucked in a far corner and underneath a few other things he finally finds the suitcase. He sighs with relief, his breath seen in the air as he pulls it out and holds it close. He back tracks out, and locks the shed, bracing himself to go back inside the madhouse.

I just need to get in and get out while they’re arguing. Do it quickly before they decide they change their mind and give me another black eye. He starts stepping back on the concrete around the pool–

.

*CRACK!!*

.

Steve froze at the sound of the tree branch, carefully turning around to see what it was. There in the fading sunlight was the familiar bald headed girl still dressed in the outfit she had on when he left her in that gym that fateful day. 

His eyes widened in shock, completely lost for words until he said, “Holy shit…”

(TBC)

A/N: See you Season 2!

-Taglist is Open-

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[fraddit]

This is the fourth post in a series of four. It covers the spaces that we've never seen on the show and other miscellany.

The other posts in this series: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

My other floor plans: Diaz House | Buck's Loft | Madney House

They're also on my Ao3

The Bunk Room

I’ve had more than one person ask me where I think the bunk room is, and 84 years later, I’m finally answering. First off, since we’ve never seen it, I clearly don’t have an objective answer. So feel free to take everything I’m about to say with a grain of salt. You can imagine the bunk room and everything else I’m about to discuss however you want. But I’ll tell you what I imagine and why I picture it like that, and you can feel free to do with that as you wish.

The practical reality answer is that the bunk room doesn’t exist and there’s not really anywhere in the existing building that it could exist or that I think would make sense for it to exist. The only area large enough to hold such a space is the section we’ve never seen inside of, in the bottom left corner of all the floor plans. That doesn’t work for me because it’s so far from the kitchen, living, dining etc areas and because of all the doors that go into that space which indicates that area is carved up into several smaller spaces somehow and because of the giant glass wall which feels like a weird design choice for a place where people need to sleep at potentially all hours of the day.

So, I imagine something different. The magical firehouse in my mind occupies part of the building next door. I’ve highlighted the nebulous section I’m discussing below. There’s nothing exact about any of this, hence the gradient. Imagine it taking up as much space as you wish.

When I picture the bunk room, I picture it upstairs in this adjacent section, accessed through a doorway in the big blank wall over by the stairs and fire poles. I tried to create a visual example that was still vague and ended up with The Void. Sorry it’s horrifying. It made me laugh though, so it’s what you’re all getting.

To me, this location makes the most sense, since it’s close to the LDK, and I always thought it was weird how much egress is in that corner with both the wide stairs and the poles and it’s not really a highly occupied space. But if the bunk room is also right there, that would make sense for them to have so many ways down right there.

Additionally, fire code in the US requires two modes of egress for sleeping quarters. This is usually a door and a window. And, it makes sense for there to be windows on that exterior wall toward the bottom of the image above. And therefore, that makes sense to me as a location for sleeping quarters.

This solution also solves a few other issues for me, namely the roof stuff. The roofs of the adjacent buildings are flat. Although, this is all imaginary, so even if they weren’t flat, I could picture them that way. But this allows me to reconcile the not at all flat roof of the firehouse and all the hanging out on the flat roof scenes. In my mind, that all happens on the this other roof section. Boom. Solved.

And, since we’ve never seen the roof access from downstairs, because it doesn’t exist, I also picture the stairs up to the roof in this wonderful pretend place.

I also picture some more bathroom facilities here. If I’m picturing the imaginary bunk room over here, well, they deserve at least one imaginary bathroom upstairs too.

Downstairs, I picture part of the same section of building also being annexed into the firehouse off the locker room as the showers, accessed through a doorway in the little nook that’s over by the stairs and poles.

I picture it this way because I feel like there’s not really enough room for full shower/bathroom facilities in that top right section that connects to the locker room through the red door, since there’s three doors off there, that again, imply several smaller spaces. Where’s the water heater live? Where’s the bathroom? So for me, it’s just easier to picture another area where the showers live. Perhaps there even exists, in this imaginary shower room, private changing areas that make the glass walled locker room make at least a little more sense.

The Firehouse Location

This is a map of approximate locations of various places in the show.

Over on the left, there are three tiny, colored rectangles. Pink is Chimney and Maddie’s apartment neighborhood (not their new house). Purple is Eddie and Chris’s neighborhood. Red is Athena and Bobby’s neighborhood.

The large swaths of green are where most of the craftsman style homes are located, so Hen and Karen live somewhere in there. Alternatively, I've been told that Hen's LAFD separation paperwork in s6e06 puts their address in Altadena, near JPL. Which also makes sense.

The blue rectangle over on the right is where Buck’s apartment is. The orange marker in the blue rectangle is Michael’s apartment.

The yellow marker in Koreatown is Bobby’s church.

So, given all of that. If we’re assuming that Bobby went to that church because it was near his apartment. Which, I do, because I don’t think s1 Bobby was driving out of his way to go to the prettiest church he could find. And if we assume that Bobby rented an apartment reasonably close to the station he would soon be captain of. And if we assume that when Buck got his apartment in s2, he chose a place that was reasonably close to the station as well, and that everyone else also lives kind of close to the station, then the station is probably kind of in the middle of all those places.

So my guess is that the station is somewhere near that red house icon in the middle. I just put it at that major road and highway crossroad because why not?

And that's everything! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. I hope it's helpful or useful in some way. Happy weewooing!

The other posts in this series: Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

My other floor plans: Diaz House | Buck's Loft | Madney House

They're also on my Ao3

[nauticaltrain]

what's your favourite thing about stex and what you got you into it? (i.e the music, costumes, characters) i discovered stex when i was in my first college 3 years ago, and in '23 is when i actually started looking into the wiki and the '84 soundtrack (which im so glad i did- i've seen wembley live last year on the 27th of september and it was so- so fun- love this train musical so much)

I first heard about stex probably about nine years ago from a tumblr post, completely by accident. It detailed the general plot and music but I didn't think much of it. Thought it was cool since I had only a cursory interest in trains at the time. Promptly forgot about it.

Then I rediscovered it a few months later, joined the original discord server (that is now resting in peace), and it proceeded to occupy a space in my head for nearly a decade. I've taken breaks from it here and there, namely between 2018-2020, but I got back into it in college (around the same time as you discovered it lol) and just really fell back in love with it.

My favorite thing about Starlight Express is how much there is to dive into with it. You can really just go down rabbit holes and find so many things. Costume bibles, forgotten tv spots, 30 year old bootlegs, backstage footage, paper ephemera, etc. Not to mention, the amount of versions the show has. One could make a whole career out of being a dramaturg for just this show alone.

Also, anyone that knows me, knows I am a complete nerd about the design. I could go on and on about the minutia of John Napier's work for stex. Really really wonderful stuff to pick through and study, especially as an artist. Unashamed to say, I have become very good at drawing the costumes. only took me 8 years lmao

Anyways, I love Starlight Express, like a lot. It's hard for me to pick out a single thing that draws me to it because the whole of it really just slots well into my brain. It pains me that I'll never be able to see it live in it's prime (80s-90s), but I'm determined to make it to Bochum at some point before I die!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Noah Lanard at Mother Jones:

Two weeks after the election, I met Dianela Rosario in Huntington Park, California—an almost entirely Latino city that swung hard to the right this year. A 51-year-old Dominican American shopkeeper, Rosario told me that before this year she had never voted for a Republican presidential candidate. But, in 2024, inflation and the prices of groceries were front of mind. President Joe Biden and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris were not fully responsible for the cost of living crisis, she said, but she still wanted someone new.

“If she’s been vice president and there’s been no change, then I wasn’t sure she was going to be able to change things as president,” Rosario, who identifies as Afro-Latina, explained in Spanish about why she had not voted for Harris. “That’s what influenced me the most—that things might stay the same as they are now.” Earlier that afternoon, a Guatemalan shopkeeper shared a similar perspective. She told me she missed the lower prices of Trump’s first term and that she hoped the incoming president would deport people she saw as causing problems in the area. Unlike Rosario, though, she hadn’t been able to cast a vote. “Soy ilegal,” the shopkeeper explained of her own immigration status. In 2016, stories like these would have been hard to find in cities in Southeast Los Angeles like Huntington Park, where 97 percent of residents are Latino. That year, Trump lost by huge margins. In 2016, Hillary Clinton received 84 percent of votes in the area, compared to only 8 percent for Trump. Sometimes, Trump even came in third; in several precincts, Jill Stein was the runner-up to Clinton.

Eight years later, a Mother Jones analysis of precinct-level voting data shows that Democrats have lost more support in Southeast Los Angeles than any other part of Los Angeles County. Democrats’ combined margin of victory in nine cities in the area, which are more than 90 percent Latino on average, has declined by nearly 40 percent since 2016. Trump has gone from getting less than 10 percent of votes to nearly 30 percent. This is not just a function of Democrats staying home. Trump received more than three times as many votes this year in Southeast Los Angeles than he did during his first presidential run. While the data makes clear that voters in largely working-class Latino areas have moved right, the results do not reveal how individual Latinos who live in more mixed (and often richer) parts of Los Angeles voted. Compared to Southeast Los Angeles, Democrats’ have lost less support since 2016 in more middle-class majority-Latino cities, although those cities remain more conservative overall.

Still, a national trend—working-class Asian and Latino voters shifting to Republicans, and upper-class voters choosing Democrats—can be seen in miniature in Los Angeles County.

The results in Southeast Los Angeles mirror the dramatic drops in Democratic support in heavily Asian and Latino areas across the country, ranging from the border counties of Texas' Rio Grande Valley to the rural towns of California's Central Valley to urban areas of New York and New Jersey. While some of these losses have been offset by gains among affluent college graduates who once voted Republican, it was not enough for Harris to win. The voting records analyzed by Mother Jones include results for roughly 170 communities. Since 2016, Democrats’ margin of victory has dropped by at least 25 points in about 40 of those places, which is well above the countywide shift of about 17 points during the period. In nearly every single community with that large of a drop, Latinos and Asians comprise a majority of residents. The main exception is Beverly Hills, a famously affluent area with a large Jewish population. (Most of the shift in Beverly Hills happened between 2016 and 2020—meaning that it was not primarily a reaction to how Democrats discussed October 7 and Israel's military campaign in Gaza.) Karina Macias, the mayor of Huntington Park, said in a phone interview that the shift to the right among her constituents reflected concerns with issues that voters across the country prioritized: price increases, crime, and immigration. Macias noted a significant uptick in the number of families in Huntington Park who rely on food distributions, including among residents who probably would have never considered seeking help in the past.

“I think a lot of people were looking at their current economic situation, and [were] pissed off about it," Macias said. "Can you blame them? No, right? Especially in a community like Huntington Park, they feel it. They’re paying a lot more for things and are not necessarily being paid a lot more. If they work two jobs, maybe somebody in the household needs to go and get another job, right? We have a lot of families here that are doubling up in an apartment, and that’s how they get by."

The nearly 40-point shift in Southeast Los Angeles is far different from what has happened in some of the wealthier communities in Los Angeles. In the affluent coastal cities of Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach, Democrats have maintained or slightly improved their margin of victory since 2016. But these voters did not necessarily back Democratic candidates all the way down the ballot. In 2020, Los Angeles County voters elected George Gascón, a progressive Cuban-American district attorney defeated his more moderate opponent by seven points. After the win, a backlash began almost immediately. This year, Gascón still managed to secure the endorsement of the Los Angeles Times. But he ended up losing to Nathan Hochman, a comparatively tough-on-crime challenger who became an independent after running as a Republican for California attorney general office in 2022. Hochman won by 20 points—a 27 point swing from 2020. Wealthier cities like Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica moved harder against Gascón than most of the county, despite being the areas where Democrats had some of their best results at the top of the ticket. Santa Monica residents went from supporting Gascón by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in 2020 to backing Hochman. In Manhattan Beach, Gascón lost by about 50 points—nearly 40 points worse than he did there four years ago. It meant that there was an almost 80-point gap in the city between Harris and Gascón, even though both are Democrats.

[...] Another dynamic is a belief among some Latino voters that Venezuelans, who crossed the border in record numbers in recent years, and other people arriving today are different from them and their ancestors. Gustavo Arellano, a Los Angeles Times writer who covered the recent political history of Southeast Los Angeles earlier this year, told me before the election about how his cousins objected to "these new immigrants" and were turning Venezuelans into scapegoats. "Venezuelans they get free everything," Arellano said, paraphrasing his cousins. "Our parents, when they came here illegally, didn't get anything at all. They did it on their own." Arellano tells his relatives that "these immigrants are just like our parents" but they insist otherwise. Macias didn't hear this perspective too often, but did recall someone saying about recent arrivals: "They're demanding things, and we work for them." It also doesn't help that Democrats—largely as a result of Republican opposition—have been unable to deliver on their promises to provide legal status to family members of some of the voters now turning against them. An undocumented Salvadoran immigrant named Sam made that clear when we spoke in Huntington Park—even though he was one of the strongest Kamala Harris supporters I interviewed. "The Democrats had the opportunity to help us," Sam explained in Spanish. "They didn't do it. As a result, all the Hispanics that are scattered throughout the United States, who are now citizens, who can now vote, are making them pay."

While Los Angeles County, California provided hefty winning margins for the Democratic Party this election, there are blinking red lights that the Democrats ought to be concerned about: Heavily Hispanic and Asian areas, especially lower-income ones, swung hard to the right. Example: Voted handsomely for Hillary in 2016, modestly for Biden in 2020, and either narrowly for Harris or flipped to Trump in 2024.

[mamawasatesttube]

Reread Midnight Sun and I love that you write TimKon as competent characters.

My favorite fics are hurt/comfort but that genre of fic tends to “woobify” them into wet noodles, specifically Tim. You write him going through it without taking away that he is competent and doesn’t cry at every little thing.

Also your love for Kon is clear in the way you write him like the badass he is and thank you for carrying the Kon tag on your back. I hope you feel better soon! Sending well wishes <3

wahoo thank you for rereading!!! always the highest compliment ♥

and YEAH. i love hurt/comfort but i don't care for woobification or declawing or whatever - i want to read about competent characters genuinely trying their hardest and doing their best in insurmountably challenging situations, not about a wet pathetic paper bag who constantly makes bad decisions and isn't capable of doing anything on their own. (like, the occasional bad decisions and needing help are good! when it's all the character does i just kinda start hating the character.) so i hear you Loud And Clear!!!

tim especially is like. he's soooo... not any of the wet wooby Whatever The Fuck is going on in the tim drake tag. he's repressed as hell and really good at putting his feelings on the top shelf to deal with Later, whenever he's in a situation. frankly, writing midnight sun with the prompts "it's okay, they won't touch you again" and "i'm going to pick you up now, okay?" was actively a challenge, because i was like what the hell would actually make tim "repression" drake so panicked that kon would need to be that gentle with him???? and the answer of course was "being drugged and therefore unable to trust his body to do what his mind wants" because he's a control freak, but like... it takes special circumstances to freak him out, man.

and YESSS kon being badass and competent is very important to me. i am forever jumping up and down and yelling about sb94 #84 and #87-90 and just. aough. he's silly and goofy but also ttk goes hard as hell!!! and he gets knocked around when fighting superpowered opponents but against regular dudes with guns??? oh they are sooooooooo outclassed. (this is also inspired by the superman issue mentioned in the authors notes, where superman shows up in gotham and just fucking obliterates some guys. ruins their whole MONTH if not YEAR. really funny tho)

and wauhh thank you!!! i have yet another doctors appointment tomorrow so 💪 we shall persevere!!!

[distorted59]

I need Danish Gremlin Lars headcanons so bad right now plsssss

Hi!!! first of all, I'm sorry it took a little while, hope you enjoy!! <3 and again, thanks for asking!

Loves it when you play with his hands! we all know this man has incredible hands, esp with all that tape around his fingers, lord have mercy.

Would absolutely love to teach you to play the drums

He WOULD tease you with his drumsticks, i fucking know it, this man is a kinky mf.

Like, he would slide one over the inside of your thigh and the other one over your neck and breasts. 

THE TAPE AROUND HIS FINGERS STAYS ON!!! (need i say more)

He’d whisper sweet things to you in Danish, whenever he’s proud of you or when he tells you he loves you. 

ALSO, during sex???? and he’d go all crazy cus it all just feels so, so good???

I feel like he’s quite dominant, maybe in his early years (‘81-‘84) he’d be a little bendable (not literally, but who knows?). But, in the 90’s he’d be FERAL.

Like I said earlier, I feel like he’s a kinky mf. Exhibitionism, he likes to get freaky in public. He loves getting praised, he wants to hear how good he is at something. Pleasing you, playing drums, cooking, mowing the fucking lawn. He doesn’t mind, please fulfill his ego.

Small dick, but the energy is BIG.

Has stamina for DAYZZZZ!!!

He would fuck you on his drumset, i can just imagine him eating you out and hitting the kickdrum while doing so. (IM SORRY I HAD TO)

I feel like early 80’s Lars is a real sweetheart, maybe still a little shy but definitely runs his mouth. 90’s Lars has no fucking filter, he’s cocky, arrogant, gets whatever he wants and takes whatever he wants. 

Loves to just be around you, showing you he’s here. You’d watch him and the boys rehearse and he would squeeze your hand or your thigh, flashing you small smiles and giving you kisses here and there. 

“You still with us, darling?” He squeezes your thigh, smiling with those adorable dimples of his. 

"Hm?" You dozed off a little, but his fingers sliding to the inside of your thigh keep you very awake. 

“Are you enjoying watching us, babe?” Lars grins.

“Oh, yeah.” You nod. “You’re doing great, baby.” 

“You think so?” He smirks proudly, his fingers tracing circles over your soft skin. “You like watching me play?” 

“Mhm.” You hum and smile down at his hand. Already knowing what you two will be doing later. 

He would take you to Denmark, showing you his hometown and places he went to as a kid. His childhood home (which is now a fertility clinic I believe, lol) and his school, where he played tennis as a boy. 

He loves art so he would take you on little museum trips and years later to these auctions where he would sell the pieces from his home for millions of dollars, (SKOM docu).

Loves bragging to people about you. “My girl is great, she’s the prettiest woman i know.” and "Well, my girl loves playing the drums with me." <3

You know those bandanas he wore in the 80’s? Yeah, tying your wrists up with them or putting it in your mouth to prevent you from moaning too loud <3.

He is a little fruity tho. (so threesome with Kirk maybe? yes/no?)

Load/Reload era, this man wore some heavy eyeliner. I can see him asking you for a little help.

He’s in the bathroom, trying to figure out what the fuck to do here.

“Babe, could you help me out here?” He holds up the pencil and gives you puppy dog eyes. 

“With what, baby?” you walk into the bathroom and look at him, slight confusion written over your face. “Is that my eyeliner?” 

“It’s for the new album!” He protests. “We got a new look, ya know?”

“What, cutting your hair wasn’t enough?” You tease him and sit on the sink counter. 

You take the eyeliner from his hands and pull him closer by his shirt, you wrap your legs around his waist and make him look at you by holding his chin. 

“Okay, close your eyes.” 

He obliges and you softly apply the liner just above his lash line. He squints a little and breathes out through his nose. 

“Don’t move, baby.” You scold him. 

“Sorry, It feels a little weird.” a wide smile spreads on his face. 

“Look up for me.” 

He does what he tells you, looking at you before he looks up entirely. You apply some under his waterline, smudging the edges gently with your fingers. 

“All done, babe.” You kiss his lips softly. 

He smiles into the kiss and murmurs a “thank you” against your lips. He checks himself out in the mirror behind you and grins. 

“Wow, I look sexy!” 

“Larzy Poo” - James Hetfield, 2023

[intoedvin]

Why The Next Prince Series is going to be the BEST BL OF THE YEAR! (a chaotic thread because we waited so long for this)

I might or might not finish this today...depends on my ADHD brain.

EDIT: i decided to finish it now so if you are ready to read a long a** yap then be my guest.

Like, listen. We’ve waited 84 years (okay, like two) for The Next Prince, and at this point, it’s not just a series—it’s a spiritual experience in the making (you cant argue otherwise) So my crazy, unorganized, bl induced mind decided to come up with this list.

The typos are for added jazz. 🤭

1. The Return of the Kings

I'm not even being overly dramatic which tells a lot because IM ALWAYS DRAMATIC WHEN IT COMES TO ZEENUNEW.

I mean, let’s be real. When these two first graced our screens in Cutie Pie, we were all hooked.

Their chemistry was palpable, their performances were stellar, and their fanbase was born overnight. Which also explained why everyone was SOOOO hyped when TNP was announced. Then it got delayed, again and again. So just imagine how starved we were, right?

And we're ready to actually eat good (or like rewatch Cutie Pie until first ep actually airs but whose complaining? Not me)

For this one, the stakes are higher, the emotions are deeper, and the characters they’re playing are royal. I mean, can we even process how hot they look in royal attire (i'll yap about this later. I swear).

So basically, TNP brings back Zee and NuNew in the roles that couldn’t be more different, yet have one of the most exciting dynamics in the upcoming BL universe. This dynamic, the classic is something fans have been craving.

And nope, they’re not just here to look pretty (though they do that very well), they’re here to deliver an emotionally charged, character-driven narrative.

And let’s not even get started on the fan reactions. Fans have already built an entire world around these two—posts, fan fiction, theories, the list goes on. And the anticipation? CRAZY!

It’s undeniable that TNP is going to build on the already rock-solid foundation of ZeeNuNew’s chemistry. We’re in for a treat, and it’s a good thing we’ve had some time to mentally prepare for the emotional rollercoaster this series will undoubtedly take us on. If their previous performances were any indication, we’re going to be crying, screaming, and swooning in no time.

2. A Production Fit for Royalty

Here’s where TNP really takes it to the next level.

Forget what you know about typical BL production; this isn’t a quick, low-budget, two-camera setup filmed in a small studio. No, no, no. This series is a cinematic masterpiece that looks like it’s been ripped straight from a high-budget period drama (which explains all the delays y'all).

Think of it as a BL show that meets historical epic. We’re talking about lavish sets, royal costumes, intricate props, and everything down to the lighting and camera angles being meticulously planned to give the show a larger-than-life feel. I mean, have you seen the post from their official X account? Everything looks EXPENSIVE!!

The production value of TNP is off the charts. And understandably so.

The series is set in the fictional kingdom of Emmaly, and it looks like the creators didn’t spare any expense to bring this world to life. From the grand palace halls to the opulent royal chambers, everything about the series screams high budget. The lavish sets aren’t just for show—they actually enhance the story. The setting feels like another character, with the palace serving as both a prison and a sanctuary for Prince Khanin. And then there’s the wardrobe...oh my gosh, the wardrobe.

Imagine Prince Khanin in royal robes fit for a king, draped in intricate fabrics that shimmer under the light, and Charan, the loyal bodyguard, dressed in military-inspired attire that screams "I will protect you at all costs."

Like mark my word, the costumes will be nothing short of breathtaking. Even Nunew mentioned multiple times his costumes are stunning.

These outfits aren’t just there to look pretty (although they will); they’re there to tell a story. Every stitch, every piece of jewelry, and every fabric choice is designed to reflect the political tension, personal struggles, and emotional growth of these characters. This is the kind of detail we’re not used to seeing in BL series, but it’s exactly what The Next Prince will deliver.

3. Delays That Built Anticipation

Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room—the delays.

At first, the news that The Next Prince would be delayed was a tough pill to swallow. After all, we had been teased with trailers, teasers, and behind-the-scenes footage that got us all hyped up, only to be met with an indefinite wait. But now that we look back, those delays were actually a blessing in disguise.

Think about it: as we waited, the anticipation only grew. We had time to think about the potential of this series, to dissect every bit of information released, and to theorize about what the plot might bring. The longer we waited, the more we *wanted* it. And with each update, each snippet of news, the fanbase grew even more ravenous. It was like a long, slow burn that only made the payoff sweeter.

In fact, the delays allowed the team to ensure the highest quality for the series. A lot of times in the entertainment industry, things get rushed—projects are rushed into production to meet deadlines, and corners are cut to save time and money. But with TNP we can see the effort that went into every detail. The longer production took, the more careful they were in making sure everything was perfect. The delays gave the series a chance to breathe and evolve into the **masterpiece** that it’s shaping up to be.

And let's be honest: the delays only made the excitement more intense. Fans have been counting down the days until the premiere, and each new update feels like a **reward** for our patience. Now that the series is finally approaching release, the anticipation is at an all-time high. It’s no longer just about “seeing the show”; it’s about experiencing something historic. Every delay added fuel to the fire, and now we’re all sitting on the edge of our seats, ready for the explosive debut.

4. A Fresh Take on Classic Tropes

At this point, we’re all familiar with the usual BL tropes: the shy guy and the bold guy, the school setting, the forbidden love, and so on.

While these are still beloved tropes, * TNP dares to take things to a whole new level with its royalty setting and the Bodyguard romance trope. There’s just something about that dynamic that never fails to hit hard. A prince who is expected to rule but has no interest in the throne? Genius. A loyal bodyguard who is sworn to protect him no matter the cost? Epic. It’s a twist on the typical power dynamic that makes everything feel bigger and more intense.

The royalty AU has always been popular in fan fiction. I mean, I dont know how many ao3 fanfics with the same trope that I actually read and pretty much got addicted to but this series brings it to life in a way that feels fresh, modern, and cinematic.

Prince Khanin is not your typical prince—he’s a young man burdened by expectations, but with a heart that longs for freedom. And Charan, his bodyguard, is not just an instrument of protection; he is a man who will have to confront his own feelings as he becomes more involved with his charge. Their journey will be one of personal discovery, as both characters navigate the treacherous waters of palace politics, duty, and, of course, their growing feelings for each other.

This dynamic adds a layer of depth that is rare in many BL series. The stakes are higher because they’re not just two teenagers falling in love in high school—they’re two individuals caught up in a complex web of political intrigue, family pressure, and societal expectations. It’s the perfect recipe for an emotional rollercoaster that fans will be living for.

5. Costumes That Slay

One of the most exciting aspects of The Next Prince is the incredible attention to costume design.

If there’s one thing this series is going to do right, it’s fashion. From the first sneak peeks of the characters in their royal attire, we knew this show was going to **slay** when it came to fashion. The costumes in TNP are not just about looking fabulous; they tell a story (i cant emphasized this any further).

Prince Khanin’s regal robes speak to his position and royal lineage, but they also reflect his personal struggle with his identity as the heir to the throne. His wardrobe will evolve throughout the series, subtly mirroring his emotional journey and his complex relationship with his responsibilities. Charan’s military-inspired

Also, Nunew looks so good. Like really really good.

Even Zee. I mean that guy is handsome but with his bodyguard uniform? Just another level and hotness.

And don't even get me started with Nunew's hair. I LOVE HIS HAIR COLOR.

I think its a pretty good decision to actually dye his hair different color. Like, it adds another layer to the 'royal blood' plot. I dont know but everything about the styling, I AM OBSESSED.

Anyway there you have it. My head is fried at this point but let me know what you think????

[krakenbait]

bragging rights bracket update #5

g'day, bracketeers!

there's been quite a bit of action, not like i missed updating for all of round 2 or anything... let's just say i wanted to make sure i had the best quips ready to sling at my lovely participants. commissioner's duty and all.

anyway, while i was gone, we got our final four. first, the oilers and the canes made quick work of the golden knights and the capitals, respectively. i know a lot of folks were pulling for the caps for narrative purposes, but i doubt many are upset to see vegas get bounced again. then, also in the west, the jets fell victim to ye olde presidents trophy curse... or at least the curse of dallas stars hat tricks. and speaking of curses, who is more laden with misfortune than the good old toronto maple leafs? at least that's what leafs fans would like to believe, since they essentially imploded, losing their game 7 to the panthers by a cool score of 6-1.

you know what's also cool? roasts and commentary! less cool? collapsing swingsets, but prepare for a lot of those!

176 points

here we go again :| ( @morganfrost) - "i would've had a perfect bracket if it weren't for those meddling sens!"

161 points

Djoker's bracket - seems you have some luck yet. one of only four unbusted brackets!

148 points

@andreisvechnikov's bracket - as some consolation for your team's performance, it's looking pretty likely that you'll be on the podium.

135 points

ki's confusion

colorado sports are having a very unfortunate spring.

116 points

the mcstrome agenda

at least you haven't hit your points ceiling yet?

94 points

Do it for Stromer ( @stromesquad)

well, at least this sunday is Big Day of Motorsports?

93 points

so that's a nope ( @shea-theodore)

ah, the wasted potential of a unique winner pick.

88 points

Baracket ( @donnorcewar)

this warrants a deep sigh.

85 points

@builthebobder's bracket - given your history, this isn't a terrible result.

84 points

MLE's bracket

good thing we have the pwhl for actually interesting playoff hockey!

83 points

deepest desire - you're not busted yet, somehow. interesting that your entire top half is cooked, but you got the oilers and canes.

70 points

witchmarner ( @connordewar)

and now we enter the pit of despair!

68 points

Infinite Jets

tied for 13th place, talk about unlucky.

ottawa state of mind ( @arsonandhockey) - didn't even get the satisfaction of 69 points.

63 points

jt's kombucha tap ( @assistantcaptainmitchmarner)

there is such great schadenfreude in the leafs shitting the bed.

59 points

define insanity ( @tavaresfucker)

as much as i take joy in leafs fans' sorrow, i dislike having to see the florida panthers again.

53 points

abeja's bracket - the general brag-cket mediocrity of the avs server continues.

NewJerseyNates ( @puck--off)

you deal with worse outcomes in just one day of teaching.

46 points

nat 2 serious ( @natashastarkk) - you any good with woodworking? we have a lot of broken swings around here.

33 points

Blasphemy! Heresy! ( @circle--of--confusion) - despite your own misfortune, your commitment to being charlotte's good luck charm is laudable.

Carpe_history's bracket - perhaps your anonymity is warranted with your poor performance.

one lost bruins fan ( @patron-saint-of-boston-hockey)

here we go again... wait, that's the winner's bracket! doesn't belong down here.

30 points

i want this. yes. ( @dabeautyleague) - unfortunate showing for a first time bracketeer, hopefully this doesn't deter you from coming back next year!

several "hey"s later (me) - it's a good thing i never do well. it would be hard to be funny if i was winning.

20 points

brackeT, t stylez ( @imperatorrrrr) - as disappointing as this result is, you are not the worst performer in brag-cket history. that dubious honor belongs to AJ's 13 point bracket in 2023... so it could be worse!

[thelambliesdown1974]

I posted this is comedy yaoi but actually I need everyone to see it because I’m an educator. In lieu of the mass grief following the recent US election here’s my complete unabridged opinion piece on both the RPF and character-based SCTV yaoi-verse✊

Okay so here’s my introduction paragraph for those now in the know — second city television was a sketch comedy show that ran from ‘76-84 originally in syndication, later on CBC and NBC. It was basically the Canadian ‘underground’ version of SNL except the framing for all the skits was a fictitious dysfunctional television station (SCTV) run by a handful of recurring characters and starring Dave Thomas, John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andria Martin, Rick Moranis, and Martin Short though in various combinations over the years. Oh and also Harold Ramis but only for the first two seasons so no comment.

I’d say Flaherty was kind of the big brother for everyone else in the operation— he was in the original theatre troupe and part of the show since day one. That’s not to say he was at all authoritarian though, Joe was definitely a soft spoken democratic leader. Maybe like Woodrow Wilson. Or Dumbledore, if that’s more relevant to you personally. I wouldn’t say he has any particularly strong yaoi ties to anyone else in the cast except I guess Eugene Levy since they were kind of each other’s creative muses. HOWEVER…. in terms of SCTV characters their respective newscaster personas Floyd and Earl are undoubtedly boning in a toxic nasty way on station property and probably are also the #1 SCTV couple in a Stefon and Seth sort of way (see below)

I almost forgot they also play classic 70s talk show hosts and there’s a lot of fan-fiction about them getting each other pregnant okay that’s all.

NEXT. John Candy was also one of the original members and while he wasn’t necessarily involved in either type of yaoi, his characters were integral in giving especially season 1 a very homoerotic flair. It was mostly his washed up actor-sona Johnny LaRue constantly and publicly struggling against the gay allegations since his segment in the very first episode. While trying to find that clip I actually instead found this SCTV Reddit image with a poorly overlaid huge Ariel caption that I like better. (See below)

I don’t have a whole lot to say about Catherine O’Hara, I think she was too self respecting both on screen and irl to get involved but I love her. She wrote a lot with Joe and Eugene so they were kind of like a platonic power throuple in my awesome mind. Andria Martin…. I am less sure about. She played the butch lesbian A LOT and I think has confirmed actually had sex with another woman (YURI) but I won’t say anything……. See below. Also interesting photo to use for that particular article.

NEXT….. Okay Dave Thomas, I really am not even sure where to begin with him but he was also one of the chief writers and original troupe members who ended up meeting Rick Moranis and bringing him on in season 3. The whole thing was partly his brainchild and he did author a book on the group’s history however I don’t see Dave as being as serious as Levy or Flaherty writing and production-wise. He’s kind of very theatre guy goofy silly on screen but also has an aura of sociopolitical jadedness that starts coming through in his Bill Needle sketches (a fictional miserable entertainment critic slash commentator I’ll discuss later) but especially once Dave started doing Doug McKenzie after Moranis joined.

They met at some comedy-based party in Canada (the gayest place you can meet) and really hit it off and immediately preformed as a musical duo that night (the gayest activity you can partake in. It’s like Simon and Garfunkel). Rick was kind of the new kid of the group after he was brought on but since Dave was a senior member they ended up working together a lot. The Great White North AKA the McKenzie brother skits are for sure no question what made SCTV anywhere near as well known as it is today and that was Thomas and Moranis’ comedy child. Okay and you might be thinking ‘how are they the most real life yaoiful couple on the cast but also are famous for playing brothers’ — that’s a good question and the answer is just don’t think about it too hard. I think Bob and Doug are more a testament to Dave and Rick’s day 1 original pure beautiful friendship that then laid the path for more later on. Like in this except from Dave’s book ⬇️

Anyway yes they’re 70 year old best friends now and still talk on the phone all the time and it’s awesome. But they were probably the closest out of anyone and both had to simultaneously deal with their sudden and overwhelming joint fame after Great White North blew up, which was unpleasant for both of them and involved a lot of travel and hotel rooms. (See below: an interview photo, their radio appearance promoting their comedy album, and whatever’s happening in the last one. Also notice how Dave’s face is a perfect circle he’s so cute)

Okay circling back to Bill Needle — he was a character Dave started doing in early on that went on until he left the show and he’s kind of irrelevant except for a few yaoiful details. He’s constantly having marital problems and has a weird friendship with the sleazy semi-creepy SCTV station president Guy Caballero whom Flaherty plays, and would I say they’re OFFICIALLY a yaoi couple not really but it’s there.

But yeah anyway in conclusion Rick and Dave show up in a bunch of each others sketches throughout the series and they write together and talk together and have play dates together and kiss and everyone else on SCTV absorbs their faggotry either by free will or by association and I think that’s what’s really important to remember and also I love them and I love you too. Oh and also Martin Short’s there near the end but he’s irrelevant except for inventing Ed Grimly and being Steve Martin’s de facto wife later in life. THE END

[love-byers]

How do you think the timeskip for season 5 is going to work? (I forgot how many years, is it two or three??) Is The Crawl going to begin (after the flashback ofc) in 1988-9 or is it going to start in 1986 and later on do the timeskip?

If it's the first option, would they say Vecna is dormant/recharging/healing during those years? How could the military cover up a town broken in four for so long? I don't think they could force a sense of normalcy onto the people who'll remain in Hawkins. I say that bc of the bts pics and clips that show the Party at the school hallways and at the cafeteria -they're obvs there because Hawkins High continued to be an emergency shelter, right? not because they'll have been forced to pretend everything's "normal" and continue to attend school in the middle of a dimensional clash, right?? (that'd be both too sad and hilarious fr 😭)

The second option is also wonky to imagine, but then again, the episode length might allow something ike that. What do you think?

oh man i literally have no idea

i saw people saying it must be fall 1989 since one of those cds from a set came out in august 1989 but if it was fall 1989 the kids would be graduated

their senior year is 88-89. if it was fall 89 they'd be graduated and we've clearly seen them at school

i remember seeing people say the first 2 eps pick up immediately after the end of s4 but i don't think there's any proof for that

and i'm assuming since they've been big on saying s5 will have s1 vibes that it'll take place in fall/november, but i doubt it'll be fall 1986

then there's that leaked hospital report about karen saying it happened in summer 1987, so s5 being fall 1987 would make the most sense since every other season has had a 1 year change

83 -> 84 -> 85 -> 86 -> ?87?

and nah i'm pretty sure they're going to school like normal since we've gotten bts of them with their back packs and students everywhere + cafeteria. i'm assuming it was under control enough that they could go back to school since..yknow...kids have to be in school

i think part of the reason s5 will have the s1 small town vibes again is because so many people left town at the end of s4

but i really can't be sure

[sevasey51]

It’s the first beautiful spring day of the year. No clouds in the sky, 70 degrees and just sunny enough to be warm. y/n for once is actually feeling good with no signs of her illness for the first time in months. She decides to meet up with a couple friends at the local Pilates studio and do a morning class. Connor had work that day. She shows up to med to say hi to Connor after in a cute workout set with the cute matching workout jacket. Iced coffee or juice in hand.

Sunshine & Savasana

Summary: On the first perfect spring day of the year, Y/N wakes up feeling unusually good—no flare-ups, no pain, no warning signs of a crash. For the first time in months, she feels like herself again. Taking full advantage, she joins her friends for a late morning Pilates class at their favorite local studio. After the class, energized and glowing in her matching workout set and jacket, she stops by Med to surprise Connor with a visit—and a kiss—iced coffee in hand and sunshine written all over her.

The sunlight streamed through the bedroom window, golden and warm, gently nudging Y/N awake. She blinked slowly, expecting the usual symptoms: heaviness in her limbs, the dizzy haze of POTS, that telltale nausea. But none of it came.

Instead, she felt light. Clear. Like her body was finally giving her a break.

She lay still for a moment, hardly daring to believe it—then smiled softly. A real, quiet smile that came from deep within.

No symptoms. No fog. Just… okay.

Connor had already left for his early morning surgery, having kissed her temple before leaving. She’d barely stirred at the time, still curled under the covers in her oversized t-shirt.

Now, hours later, she had energy. Not manic or forced, but steady and true. She got dressed slowly, slipping into a soft sage green workout set and matching cropped jacket. The set hugged her just right—comfortable and flattering. She pulled her hair into a loose braid, applied a touch of tinted moisturizer and gloss, and grabbed her mat.

The Pilates studio was a five-minute walk through her favorite tree-lined street, the cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom, petals falling like soft confetti in the breeze. Her friends were already there, waving at her through the glass doors.

The class was bliss—gentle but effective, full of stretches and slow movements that made her feel even more grounded in her body. By the end, her muscles ached in that satisfying way that meant she’d worked but not pushed too far.

Outside the studio, she grabbed a cold-pressed juice—carrot, ginger, apple—and texted Connor:

“Headed to Med. Don’t worry, I’m not crashing. Just glowing.”

He replied almost instantly:

“Can’t wait to see you. I’m in between consults. Come to the ED.”

She arrived fifteen minutes later, breezing through the main entrance of Med with her badge and a little extra pep in her step. Heads turned—not just because she looked amazing in her workout gear, but because it wasn’t often she radiated this kind of energy after what had been a brutal winter for her health.

Connor was standing near the nurse’s station when he spotted her. His eyebrows lifted, surprise quickly morphing into the softest smile.

“Look at you,” he said, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her waist. “You’re sunshine in motion.”

She laughed, lifting her iced coffee. “That’s because I finally feel good. No nausea. No dizziness. I even made it through a full class.”

He gave her a once-over, eyes warm but clinically trained. “You’re flushed—but not pale. Heart rate okay?”

She let him check her radial pulse with two fingers. “Resting at 84.”

“God, I missed this version of you,” he murmured, brushing a stray hair from her cheek.

She leaned into his touch. “So did I.”

He leaned down and kissed her gently, not caring that they were in the middle of a very public hallway. She tasted like ginger and springtime. When he pulled back, his hand stayed at the small of her back.

“Wanna grab lunch after my last consult?” he asked.

“Only if we can eat outside in the sun.”

“Deal,” he said, already pulling out his phone to shift his schedule.

And just like that, the hospital—always buzzing, always chaotic—faded into the background for a while. Because sometimes, the best medicine wasn’t medicine at all. It was movement, sunshine, and the quiet magic of a day without pain.

[f1dumpsterobssesion]

Episode 4

It's frustrating how many times different insiders have to come back to the coward comment, but Ron's commentary might be the best one

It doesn't matter how many times Monaco 84 it's gonna be brough up because of Ayrton or Alain's half point, I'll always remember it because poor Jacky lckx was in an unwinnable position, it was going to be seen as fixing anyway

" a little magical in my history "

"one of my favorite photos" mine too

I really appreciate how it shows the points in the WDC

Senna was the youngest current World Champion at the time (between the ones not retired or dead, the record overall at the time was Emerson Fittipaldi who won it at 25)

Now seeing the side-to-side speed difference. Between them, I do not fault Alain for believing that there were different engines. But this was the same man who was famous for giving just enough for the Championship

Like, it could have been just the guys at Honda liking Ayrton more, Jo Ramirez did suffer because of this nonsense

That Honda issue became bigger thing in the media that I expected

  Imola 89

Jo might have been the only one giving good advise

They watched the footage!

I don't believe the media have been any drivers ally, always making it worse somehow

"he didn't talk to me again"

"how can i compete with someone so protected?" 

yeah, in the rivalry is easy to forget the injustice that is Alain having to loose time with his wife and son because Ayrton didn't want to leave Brazil for the testing that corresponded him, like how the overworked man was the one framed as petty for seeing The imbalance at Mclaren

I honestly don't know what was Ron expecting offering Alain a contract in that atmosphere

That tifosi entrance is 10/10, mine favorite cinematic moment of the series

the whole trophy sequence is hilarious, everybody looking at the trophy go and Gerhard with his in the air, Ron getting closer to Alain realizing what he is doing Balestre watching everything go down

Poor Jo Ramirez, the only sane one at Mclaren

" it wasn't normal, it was against our contract" but Alain it was petty and fun, have you thought about that?

suzuka 89, always though that Alain did it a little but in a Chronicle of announce Death kind of way, and with better results! Both cars were kind of fine

not the french commentary being homers, it was their job but at this point I wasn't expecting it

Again, Jo demonstrating he is the sane one in this situation

like i was expecting something else but those 2 mistakes he pointed out are reasonable, like him laughing all this years later because Alain didn´t do the thing right is funny

"We believe that you cannot win by taking all the risks" JMB could you not, how more obvious can you get

It's funny how Alain Prost's relationship with Ferrari is overall in his Top 2 best teams he has worked for, Mclaren just fucked him over too much

90's the best year I had with a team and it was ruined by the accident with Ayrton in Japan, jfc  couldn't catch a break

Is good that the doc doesn't entertain the reasons why the crash happened, because when you see the whole picture it might have been revenge but Alain was made to be the scapegoat. He was barely in the Top 3 reasons it happened

that honda engineer going to Alain after the crash with the telemetry is such an interesting character for me, want to know who he is

"This is typical Ferrari, good at one moment bad at the next", Mr. Maurice Hamilton I´m beginning to like you more than I should

not the truck comment being a joke about a bended stirring wheel being taken out of context, got him fired anyways

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 13

Link for Seasons  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11 12

You know the drill by now, I’ll judge whether an episode has all the qualities of a canon one, or is it just shameless filler. S13E1 The Ring is CANON

Most of the plot is a one-off, however Mickey Mouse will stay as a prominent enough character that his introduction can't be 200. S13E2 The Coon is CANON

Yes, the bold, new superhero of the town is here to stay. So is the Coon. Continuation of the previously established Professor Chaos storyline. S13E3 Margaritaville is FILLER

However, as a retelling of the Bible, I'd gladly present this as my number one choice in my rankings of New Testament adaptations. S13E4 Eat, Pray, Queef is FILLER

A feminist dismissing the episode on feminism. Shocking? Whatever, the Queef sisters are part of the Terrance and Phillip lore now, but I'd argue you won't need that context. S13E5 Fishsticks is FILLER

I do these recaps season-by-season and sometimes this includes me having to have enough foresight to know if a later episode that references to an otherwise filler episode would be considered a filler or not. You'll miss South Park's greatest song and the character based on Ye, however this annual Jimmy episode is also a filler. S13E6 Pinewood Derby is FILLER

Great concept with a big consequence, which seems to be forgotten as the show goes on. S13E7 Fatbeard is FILLER

Eric plays pirates with Clyde, Butters, Kevin and Ike. Great spotlight episode for all of them. S13E8 Dead Celebrities is FILLER

You'll get fairly enough Michael Jackson without this both before and after. S13E9 Butters' Bottom Bitch is FILLER

Timeline wise it doesn't even make sense with Harris Yates spending a year away, except if this one episode actually takes place in third grade, which would also fix the Butters had never been kissed plothole. Do you know what I am saying? S13E10 W.T.F. is FILLER

The boys wrestle now. Only this one time. S13E11 Whale Whores is FILLER

Stan has a birthday. He somehow has 3 different birthdays in the same year. S13E12 The F Word is FILLER

It's a filler in the South Park world, but IRL it should be very much taken as canon. S13E13 Dances with Smurfs is FILLER

Wendy-Eric rivalry episode. Good one at that. S13E14 Pee is CANON

We're getting out of an almost season-long filler arc with this one and for what, Mr. Pi-Pi? Shall we even call this as good news?

SPOILER-FREE RUNDOWN

S13E1 The Ring is CANON S13E2 The Coon is CANON S13E3 Margaritaville is FILLER S13E4 Eat, Pray, Queef is FILLER S13E5 Fishsticks is FILLER S13E6 Pinewood Derby is FILLER S13E7 Fatbeard is FILLER S13E8 Dead Celebrities is FILLER S13E9 Butters' Bottom Bitch is FILLER S13E10 W.T.F. is FILLER S13E11 Whale Whores is FILLER S13E12 The F Word is FILLER S13E13 Dances with Smurfs is FILLER S13E14 Pee is CANON

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14 S10: 4 out of 14 S11: 4 out of 14 S12: 8 out of 14 S13: 3 out of 14

Overall: 84 out of 196