#Arnolds addition was funny

[sunshineandlyrics]

Dame Judi Dench (and Arnold Schwarzenegger) recite Shakespeare (27 October 2023) x

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Julie Adams (Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bend of the River)— Her legs were declared the the most perfectly symmetrical legs in the world and were insured for $125,000, this was a publicity stunt by Universal but dang it is true she do have some nice legs

Marilyn Monroe (How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot)— Ngl I thought you all were lying about sexual attraction until I saw Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut]

Marilyn Monroe:

She's amazing!!! A classic bombshell, as well as a strong women who overcame so many obstacles. She also advocated for others, like Ella Fitzgerald.

That fucking saxophone that cuts in whenever she appears on screen in Some Like it Hot

I mean, it's Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable. She's gorgeous. She funny. She's the total package

She's the original American sex symbol, an iconic beautiful woman with eyes you could get lost in, legs for days, gorgeous hair, and a cute tummy. Her voice! Just listen to her voice!!!!!

She is considered one of THE sex symbols of the 1960s and one of the greatest actresses of all time! She HAS to be on this list!

no vintage movie woman is more iconically hot

People are most familiar with pictures of her in the white dress or the Happy Birthday Mr President one, but imo she is at her most beautiful and looks most comfortable when she is photographed by women like Eve Arnold

It’s Marilyn Monroe. If Aphrodite was an actual person, she’d be Marilyn. Do I really need to say more?

What can I say that hasn't been said? Marilyn's legacy is so much bigger than she was in life. She's a defining symbol of 50s and 60s Hollywood sex and it's obvious why. She was absolutely stunning and the camera loved her.

Julie Adams:

[humbledragon669]

S2E3 - I Know Where I'm Going Write Up P1 - up to the credits (present day)

Tiny bit of trivia about me that I’m sure nobody really cares about - as of Christmas just gone, I own my own version of Jim’s mug. It’s definitely one of the top three presents I got (one of the others is a GO themed long-sleeved t-shirt), and I absolutely have been using it to drink hot chocolate out of. I LOVE it.

Anyway, it’s Easter egg time! Yeah, that’s right, this one appears right at the beginning of the episode. And I suspect that many people will already have noted this one, but as I’ve said before, you never know. So here it is:

That’s the music instrument shop across the road from the bookshop, called “Arnolds”, presumably for the soundtrack composer for Omens - David Arnold. Obvious though it may be, it’s a bit “blink-and-you’d-miss-it”, so I felt like it was worth drawing attention to, just to reiterate the level of care and attention on display in this show that we all know and love. And whilst I have my attention-to-detail hat on, I have a brief point of speculation to make about Jim’s location in this opening shot. Given his view across the street, and the limited view we get into the room behind him (I’m thinking mostly about the lamp you can just about make out over his shoulder), this would appear to be Jim’s bedroom. In front of him is a tray with his mug and a container of hot chocolate on it. There’s even a trail of hot chocolate powder in between the mug and the container, as if someone has been a bit careless when spooning the cocoa from the pot into the cup (no judgement, I do this ALL the time). Before breaking away from this shot, we see Jim pouring boiling water into the mug from an electric kettle. All perfectly understandable actions for a set-up to show a man looking out over his neighbourhood, right? So my speculation is this, and I am jumping ahead a little. Why is it necessary for Crowley to leave the room when offering to make Jim a cup of hot chocolate in a later episode? It would seem that all the equipment required is right there in Jim’s bedroom. Sounds like another instance of scriptual convenience to me, albeit a small one. Anyway, enough pedantry, let’s move on.

It's taken me ages, but I’ve worked out what the music is playing in the background of the coffee shop. Unsurprisingly it’s another Queen tune - “Radio Ga Ga” this time. Given the lyrics, which speak of a fond farewell to a medium that no longer has relevance given more modern offerings, I wonder if this might be a reference to the state of Nina’s relationship with Lindsey at this point? Aside from that potential insight, I can’t really say there’s an awful lot about this scene that I like. Obviously Nina is still being her unlikeable self (checking her phone whilst she’s in the middle of serving someone? Not being funny, I would genuinely walk out of a coffee shop if a barista did that to me), but now we’re “introduced” to another fairly abrupt character, but this time we don’t even learn her name. Poor Mrs. Sandwich, she turns out to be an incredible likeable addition to the show, but in my opinion, she really doesn’t get to shine here. And what’s the point of this scene really? So that we can get a long shot of Muriel’s arrival and have it hammered home that their appearance is visible and noted as odd by the people in Whickber Street? If that’s the case, honestly this whole scene feels pretty unnecessary, but perhaps that’s just me.

Now. I did a little bit of digging about the way that Muriel introduces themself, because this stereotype is familiar to me, but I have no idea where it comes from. There’s a lovely bit of hive mind research been done here, which suggests the origin of the phrasing is over 100 years old but personally my money is on this being a nod to Monty Python (as detailed in that forum post), particularly as it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a Python reference in the show (NIAT RUC, I’m looking at you). I think there might be another little homage here though, and this one if a bit more niche. It’s to do with the whistling in the soundtrack, heard here:

It rang bells with me, and unlike the backing music in the coffee shop earlier, this one didn’t actually take me very long. Back in the mid-90s, there was a sit-com show here in the UK called The Thin Blue Line, which followed the personal and professional lives of a group of policemen from an English town. The policemen in question were of both the uniformed (commonly called “bobbies”, or “on-the-beat”) and non-uniformed variety. Muriel is most definitely dressed as one of the former. Here’s the theme tune from that show:

Not too dissimilar, are they? I couldn’t find any evidence for whether the theme we hear in the Omens soundtrack is an homage to the theme from The Thin Blue Line or not. Perhaps it wasn’t even a conscious thing, though I highly doubt that. I would so love it if this was an intentional reference to that little copper comedy from the 90s - it ran for only 2 seasons, but I remember watching every episode when it aired and finding the whole thing really funny. I don’t know how well it will have aged, but I do remember that (bearing in mind this was the mid-90s) its casting was progressive - an Asian woman and a gay man both playing lead roles and part of the police force, with the characters most commonly ridiculed for being wrong and unreasonable being the middle-aged white men.  It was perhaps a little slapstick in places, and intrinsically “British” in its humour, but I still feel like it was a delightful addition to our televisions, so if this is a tip-of-the-hat to the show, I feel it’s well placed. Right, time to move on, this is supposed to be a write up of a Good Omens episode, not an appreciation post for long-dead British TV shows.

It's pretty difficult to say with any certainty, but I don’t think Aziraphale recognises Muriel when they arrive. Granted, he wouldn’t have seen or spoken to them in quite some time (since his defection from Heaven at the latest, though the only time we see them interacting is in the Uz flashbacks), but given the conversation he had with them during the Job debacle, you’d think he might at least realise he’d seen their face before? Particularly given the memories he has so recently lived through. Don’t get me wrong, he clearly knows they’ve come from Heaven, but that outfit pretty much gives the game away on that front, and he has been told to expect a visit from an auditor. Doesn’t take him long to decide to play along either.

I really love this moment - I’m pretty sure that this is where he decides not only to pretend he doesn’t know Muriel is there to check up on his miracle claims, but to be gentle about his interactions with them. He's recognised the joy that Muriel is getting out of the situation and decided that the nicest thing to do will be to let them enjoy the ride, which can only happen if the pretence is maintained. Subtle as it is, I actually think this is one of Aziraphale’s clearest indications of his Good nature - faced with a similar situation, many people (Crowley included, as we’ll come to see shortly) would openly mock Muriel for their apparent lack of intelligence, and given their visit’s true purpose I don’t think anybody would have been too displeased if Aziraphale had just closed the door in their face. It’s such a selfless act of kindness, and in not shunning Muriel, we are treated to some truly beautiful comic moments throughout the rest of the season.

Oh hold up. Was I just waxing lyrical about how kind and considerate this angel is? I take it all back. I almost feel like Crowley has suggested this to him, it’s that mischievous. And not the first time he’s done it either, except the last time he tricked another angel into sullying their body with a liquid intended for human consumption, that being was suffering from complete amnesia. Vulnerable you might say. Which is actually not that dissimilar to Muriel, who is clearly in a very precarious position and not doing a particularly good job of hiding their discomfort and mild panic in trying to maintain their cover whilst staying in character. He even manages to sound as if he’s trying to coach them on proper human responses with no hidden subtext. At least he has enough of a conscience to show pity for his visitor and the position he’s put them in:

Bit of a tangent here - why doesn’t Aziraphale recognise that the fact that Crowley is bringing his plants into the bookshop gives the game away that he’s living in his car? Don’t get me wrong, I am in no doubt that the reason Crowley removes them from the car at all is because he wouldn’t trust anybody else to look after them, not even his angel, so I do understand the reason for them to be removed. As far as I can see, there are four possibilities for this:

Aziraphale doesn’t make the connection between Crowley having his plants in the car and what means for his living situation.

Aziraphale does make the connection but, perhaps due to the current awkward situation panning out in the bookshop and his plans for his Edinburgh road trip, doesn’t mention anything about.

Aziraphale already knows that Crowley is sleeping in his car.

Crowley isn’t really living in his car at all, and the plants are simply kept there to maintain the cover story.

I think Aziraphale is smarter than the first option, even with his innate inability to pick up on Crowley’s cues. And I can’t really comprehend that Aziraphale would have taken the revelation that Crowley is living and sleeping in his car without any sort of protestations (let’s not forget that Crowley openly offered Aziraphale a place to stay when they thought the bookshop was gone, and that was before their respective defections). The third possibility has legs, but it doesn’t sit right with me - I just can’t see that Aziraphale would tolerate this living situation for Crowley, even if it meant buying or renting a place somewhere else for the demon to call home. The last of those possibilities is where my head canon lives, as I think I’ve mentioned in previous write ups. We’ll see Aziraphale “reacting” to the confirmation that Crowley has been sleeping in his car in a future episode, so I’ll hammer this point home one last time when we get there. And regardless whether you agree with my ideas or not, you can’t deny that Crowley’s confident swagger when he bursts into the shop really goes to show just how comfortable he is in this environment, and that he has no qualms about asserting himself there. Almost like it was home in fact…

See? No problems asserting himself at all. The subtext here is pretty glaring - his joining Aziraphale gives a clear message to Muriel about the fact that they’re a team (a group. A group of the two of them), and despite the fact that there surely must be A LOT of body contact going on here, Aziraphale’s expression doesn’t change at all. Not a muscle moved. It feels to me as if this is the sort of close proximity contact that the two of them are very accustomed to when not in the presence of other beings that might see it for what it is. And not only is Crowley comfortable with his position, he’s really enjoying himself:

I’ve mentioned it before, about us not getting to see much of Crowley’s mischievous side in the present day in this season, but this is it on full display. I’m not sure why I love more about this interaction with Muriel - Crowley’s cheeky grin or the fact that Aziraphale does absolutely nothing to reprimand him over his behaviour. That angel is having just as much fun partaking in the mischief as Crowley is, and I find it really adorable to see him indulging his playful side, even if it does eventually result in another one of those pitiful compassionate looks he throws Muriel’s way.

There’s a potentially interesting use of pronouns in the conversation that follows in the back room:

Interesting, see? Crowley refers to Heaven as “your lot”, despite the fact that Aziraphale has openly admitted that he no longer works for them. Not only that, the angel takes the baton up with his reply, grouping himself together with his former workplace using the “we” pronoun. Perhaps it’s just the habit of the previous multiple millennia, it just strikes me as odd, not least because Crowley’s questioning of them being “in charge” would appear to imply that he feels Heaven has the upper hand in the Heaven/Hell power play. Semantics aside, there’s something about this conversation that I really love. They’re both actually listening to one another, the tone is congenial, and they’re engaging in teamwork, and it all feels so natural. There’s no emotional stress going on, no arguing, just two people working together to try and achieve a common goal. I think this is probably the closest we come to seeing them in their normal relationship state, and it feels so relatable.

Well, it looks like Crowley’s plan has changed somewhat following his streetside conversation with Nina - now it needs a “fabulous kiss” for it to be successful. Considering his previous plan was so obviously a retelling of the love story between he and Aziraphale, I find the addition of a kiss at this point to be a notable one. Yes, my head cannon has our hero couple very firmly established in a relationship in the present day, but no, I do not believe that they kissed during either of the two “shelter-under-an-awning” moments that they have shared. Not to mention that I feel like there’s an element of heartbreaking foreshadowing going on with his throwaway comment (though to be fair, I don’t think there’s anything “fabulous” about that kiss in the Final 15, but I’m getting ahead of myself). What is it that makes him add the need for a kiss for his plan to be successful? Consulting my head cannon again, I suspect there might be some further revelations to be had about when he and Aziraphale shared their first kiss, and that this might tie into his updated plan somehow, but whether we’ll get to see that in the space of our final 90 minutes, I don’t know.

Oh I love this. Like, so much. It’s such a MARRIED COUPLE mini spat. It’s so obvious that Aziraphale takes the role of the stereotypical wife - there’s no negotiation, just the thinly veiled threat of extreme rage if his wishes aren’t complied with. And just as obvious is Crowley’s adoption of the stereotypical husband role - downtrodden, with the resigned knowledge that he’s been beaten and can’t worm his way out of a situation that whilst he knows he doesn’t like, he has no logical argument to counter. It’s so lovely. Beautifully delivered and excellently timed. The more I look into the episodes for this season, the more I seem to find that feels stilted and somewhat unnecessary, but moments like these are most definitely not one of them, and in fact I think they’re probably largely responsible for our intense love of the relationship between our hero couple. There’s another one coming up, but I’ll get there in a moment.

Despite being at the tail end of a spat, and that Aziraphale is clearly both disappointed and distracted not to have put his hands on the car keys, we’re about to see a lovely example of Aziraphale and Crowley showing a sixth sense for knowing their roles in the relationship. Regardless of the fact that there is no verbal communication between them following Muriel’s entrance to the room, Crowley knows instinctively that this is his cue to step up and perform a mini rescue, and Aziraphale knows to simply let him do his own thing. He doesn’t say a word once Muriel bursts in on them, just allows Crowley to do all the talking, with the instinctive knowledge that they will be in a better position soon. Which of course leads to this OUTRAGEOUS look from Aziraphale:

There it is, another one of those moments I was just discussing! I remember the first time I caught this look from Aziraphale, it was like a bomb had gone off in my head. It’s… well it’s pure filth, isn’t it? We all thought the look Crowley drew in the Bastille was the best example of a mental undressing we would ever see, but this just blows it out of the water. And why wouldn’t Aziraphale be feeling particularly enamoured of his demon at this point in time? There he is, doing his little rescue and invoking feelings of his knowledge of love (“love”?) at the same time. It’s pretty clear to see how much Crowley’s little speech has affected him, because he barely manages to catch the keys that the demon throws to him mere seconds later. He doesn’t even argue when Crowley continues to assert that the Bentley belongs to him alone, and even manages a wink, which I can only assume is supposed to be reassuring that he’s on the same wavelength about the current situation, and that he appreciates the olive branch just offered to him by way of Crowley’s accepting of the mission he’s been given.

Apart from a quick note to say that Aziraphale’s driving looks worse than Crowley’s, and that Crowley’s reaction to seeing his beloved car driving away speaks (to me, anyway) more of boredom than it does of worry or possessiveness, I think that’s all there is for this instalment, seeing as we’ve arrived quite neatly at the opening credits. As always, questions, comments, discussion: always welcome. See you for the next one!

[lady-margaret]

bridgerton season 3 part 1 opinion (as someone who has read all the books + is kathony biased so be warned)

after sitting and stewing on what i just watched for a few hours

i’d like to start this off by saying that due to my disappointment of the writing from the last season, i was way more gracious with this one. kate and anthony were great because of simone and jonathan; i’m not sure the writers had much to do with that.

anyway, what i’m saying is that i already knew not to expect the writers to be faithful to the source material (romancing mr. bridgerton), so i was able to enjoy myself more. additionally, polin’s book isn’t exactly a favorite of mine anyway, so there wasn’t a lot to be too disappointed with in my case.

what i liked:

penelope’s wardrobe; they hyped up the “transformation” so much and i’m glad it did not disappoint.

colin’s hot 😌

eloise’ wardrobe; someone pointed out that it had a lot of philip references, so yay 😀 (it has me worried that it’ll be her story next though, we need ben first)

eloise interacting with the other ladies of the ton was really cute and refreshing; she’s learning that despite them having different interests than her, they are still people of great value. the difference is eloise was raised in a loving and supportive family, unlike most of the others.

sibling’s g&h’s personalities coming through more (they are anthony’s children, truly).

featherington sisters as comic relief.

MARRIED KATHONY CRUMBS 💕💕💕 they carried episode 1 for me.

FRANCESCA 💕💕💕 gorgeous introvert representation.

FRANNY AND JOHN 💕💕💕 (i am both ready and NOT ready to get hurt 🥹)

book references (yay! the bare minimum!)

lord debling’s dope.

i actually do like that they gave cressida a legitimate reason to want to win the competition money to unmask LW in the second part.

the music choices haven’t disappointed yet!!!!!

colin’s line for the season is def the “well are you gonna marry me or not?” line HEHEHEHEHE i ALMOST screamed as loud as i did when john entered when he said that line to pen.

as an army, plus points for dynamite 🤭 i didn’t expect to like the orchestral version and didn’t see the vision of where they would even insert it, but i actually liveddd for it.

what i don’t really have strong feelings about:

mondrich plot; alice is beautiful but the addition of their family storyline didn’t make much of a lasting impact.

the queen; she was very meh so far.

the featherington storyline: the sisters are funny, but their whole situation mixed with the humor leads me not to take it very seriously.

violet x lady danbury’s brother: 🤷‍♀️ i don’t see it.

the “lady danbury’s brother” storyline in general is very forgettable.

what i disliked:

i think nicola and luke could use more chemistry; they fall short compared to daphne&simon and kathony (HEAVY ON KATHONY THIS IS WHY THEY REMOVED THEM FROM THE REST OF THE EPISODES SIGH)

they kinda mischaracterized colin (he spent the last two seasons being selfish and putting himself above everyone else violet, what the hell are you talking about “you never place yourself over others” 🤨)

the lack of ben time?? did he go back to the academy after taking over for anthony briefly??? what did he do besides dodging debutantes all season????

they glossed over benedict running the estate so quickly; this could have been an opportunity to draw out his storyline, especially since he mentioned that he liked having a purpose: WRITERS???? DO SOMETHING WITH THAT!

i also didn’t really care for the ben x tilly arnold plot; unless sophie’s actually a maid of her’s or something, i don’t see her point in the show besides just be another one of ben’s ever changing girl of the season.

im sorry but eloise would never SHOULD NEVER have befriended her (ex?) best friend’s bully, no matter what the circumstances. that is NOT eloise.

honestly, them revealing whistledown in the first season is really screwing with the writing; in this regard, i wish they stayed more faithful to the book and how colin finds out about LW. it all just seems so messy at this point.

so s3 starts when kathony end their honeymoon… how long was this honeymoon? math isn’t mathing cuz it couldn’t have been more than a week given that kate isn’t obviously pregnant yet in the first ep.

i know that colin and pen are longtime friends, but from how they’ve interacted with each other in the past seasons, it’s a bit harder to believe that they were close CLOSE friends; close friends to the extent of helping the other find a spouse through “lessons”? i don’t see it. that’s why i was a bit ??? when i first found out about the plot they were going with for the season (in the book, colin really just starts following her around cuz she was being sus)

i hate that they had to come up with an excuse to get rid of kathony for the rest of the episodes; i get that they’ve been running their separate households alone for most of their lives and want a break but… i don’t think they would abandon their responsibilities for an “extended honeymoon”. knowing them, running the estate isn’t gonna stop them from being wh0res!! they help each other out with the estate and are still sickeningly in love and have time for each other (in the books). i was also really hoping to see kate taking over the viscountess role. i swore they would have done something like that after that cute/awkward moment when they both respond to “lady bridgerton” in episode 1.

i get that it’s established that penelope’s one goal for the season is to get a husband, but as i know her character, she would NEVER get into races (?) or run just so she can talk to a suitor before anyone else does 😭 okay but it was funny.

i am kinda sad that they couldn’t have just let a mean character or a villain character be the villain character; yea sure, i did say that i liked that cressida had a legitimate and well thought out motive for wanting the LW reward money but, idk i could’ve lived without her storyline.

one of the BIGGEST THINGS for me is that i do not think they should have released so many clips/snippets of the show days or weeks before it came out. i understand like 1 clip, but i skipped SO MANY SCENES because i have watched them at least 5 times already on tiktok or twitter.

the two part season idea is dumb.

i’m scared for how messy part 2 will be (in terms of both writing and just how stressed i will be with the revealing of LW plot HUHU poor pen) but i’m still looking forward to it 😇😇😇 and despite all the things i didn’t like, i did still enjoy it. if i do rewatch it or not is still to be decided; s1 & s2 have such high rewatch value.

franny and john were TRULY a standout though. i cannot even begin to describe how loud i screamed when he finally said his name out loud 😭💕

verdict: the writing is getting messier, get jonathan bailey in that writer’s room ASAP

[mydaddywiki]

Bob Murphy

Physique: Husky Build Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)

Robert Joseph Murphy Jr. (born February 14, 1943-) is an American professional golfer who was formerly a member of the PGA Tour and currently plays on the Champions Tour. Murphy has won 21 tournaments as a professional.

Funny. With the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus out there, it was Murphy that got me watching golf. Perfect body shape with a slight Ned Beatty look to him at times. In addition to his successful career as a pro, Murphy has a second career altogether as a CBS, ESPN, and now NBC golf commentator.

Of course he's married. What man that I like isn't? He pretty much seems to have lived and breathed golf his entire life, when he wasn't marrying his college sweetheart (awww) and having a child and grandchildren. There isn't much else I can say about him. He's lovely looking and I'd love to fuck him.

[theveriest]

A couple of weeks ago I asked about people’s favorite book or books they read this year. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and discord, I have a list of 123 books in no particular order that my friends and family loved this year. If it was a series then I listed the first book. Each star is an additional recommendation. I haven’t read all of these, they may or may not reflect my personal opinions, though my favorite books are on the list too. The most recommended books were How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler, one or all of the Murderbot books by Martha Wells, and Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, because if there’s one thing my friends have in common across platforms, it’s that you’re all nerds (affectionate). Enjoy, and I hope you find your new favorite book!

Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming

Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobes de Mez

The Soul Of An Octopus by Sy Montgomery

Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder

The Going To Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

My Hijacking by Martha Hodes

Longhand by Andy Hamilton

Babel by RF Kuang*

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff*

Lies We Sing To The Sea by Sarah Underwood

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

I Lost My Tooth! by Mo Willems

The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Spirits Abroad by Zen Cho

How Far The Light Reaches by Sabrina Imbler**

Radiant Fugitives by Nawaaz Ahmed

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

These Precious Days by Ann Patchett*

I’m Stuck by Julia Mills

Entangled Life by Martin Sheldrake

Iris by Eden Finley

Hot Vampire Next Door by Nikki St. Crowe

Devil of Dublin by BB Easton

Tied by Carian Cole

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld*

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

From Blood And Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Where I End by Sophie White

Wool by Hugh Howey

The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

Yellowface by RF Kuang

Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas

North Woods by Daniel Mason

After Sappho by Selby Wynn Schwartz

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin*

The Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

Call Your Daughter Home by Deb Spera

The English Understand Wool by Helen Dewitt

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz

Blood Like Magic by Liselle Sambury

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Love In The Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli

The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa*

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink

The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman

Gideon The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Prophet by Sin Blache and Helen MacDonald*

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki**

System Collapse by Martha Wells***

The Brutish Museums by Dan Hicks

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine*

A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine

A Psalm For The Wild Built by Becky Chambers*

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

The Lazarus Heist by Geoff White

The September House by Carissa Orlando*

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Mistletoe and Mishigas by MA Wardell

A Restless Truth by Freya Marske

The Last Smile In Sunder City by Luke Arnold

The Hidden Case of Ewan Forbes by Zoe Playden

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Manywhere by Morgan Thomas

Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby

Loot by Tania James

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Grave Expectations by Alice Bell

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake

A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske

Kiss Her Once For Me by Alison Cochrun

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

All Systems Read by Martha Wells

The Once and Future Sex by Eleanor Janega

Mort by Terry Pratchett

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner*

The Door by Magda Szabo

Fluids by May Leitz

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Lieut. John Irving, R.N. of H.M.S. "Terror" in Sir John Franklin's last expedition to the Arctic regions a memorial sketch with letters

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Raven the Pirate Princess by Jeremy Whitley

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Slewfoot by Brom

The Secret Life of Groceries by Benjamin Lorr

500 Miles From You by Jenny Colgan

O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

The Secret Lives of Country Gentleman by KJ Charles

A Line In The World by Dorthe Nors

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Glitter and Concrete by Elyssa Maxx Goodman

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

The Tragic Menagerie by Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal (translated by Jane Costlow)

The 100 Years Of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

I Have Some Questions For You by Rebecca Makkai

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow

Twisted Love by Ana Huang

Precise Oaths by Paige E. Ewing

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

A Dead Djinn In Cairo by P. Djeli Clark

[hoodedjelly]

If I can add: I also think it's because it's not particularly easy to add to a group dynamic that already works really well. Or even, introducing someone new that spices things up, but doesn't feel redundant or overreaching.

(Like Rocko, Arnold and Lincoln are all down-to-earth, mediator type characters; which works next to a rather eccentric cast, but I think Rocko melds in better than the other two imo. {Him being [another] talking animal helps him stand out a lot} Zim and Zib works the same; but in different ways. Besides being the title character, Zim is probably picked more for being "a villain that acts like he's leader, but no one takes him seriously". {But the others thinking Zib is a "rambling conspiracy theorist [who is actually secretly right]" is just as funny} Rugrats never had a rep, but I think Reptar would be a fun addition just by the imagery alone. {*And being able to fight, unlike the babies})

--And this is not even getting into the villains and their syndicate. (Which probably plays a role on who's in or not also. Gotta keep it equal on both sides.)

love this whole add on to my previous ask but you are just making me want to watch Rocko's Modern Life even more. I haven't even finished el tigre and jimmy neutron!!!! plus i want to catch up on New Wish. so many shows....

[romancomicsblog]

Where would I put Chris Pratt in the DCU?

It's no secret director and now head of the DCU James Gunn loves himself certain actors.

He continues to add additions to his DCU from past work, including Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner and brother Sean Gunn as billionaire Maxwell Lord.

While these castings are both fun and exciting for the future of the DCU, since both of these castings, a realization came upon me. Jame Gunn will likely cast many of his friends into this universe. And while most are talented, accomplished actors, there is one man who has been looming over my soul...

Chris Pratt.

No do not get me wrong, he is a talented actor. From The Lego Movie to Guardians of the Galaxy, Pratt has a way of impressing me. Granted every now and then he is a Mario or an Owen Grady, but he continues to be a big star and be a draw for financial success. Which is kind of the problem.

I worry if Chris Pratt does join this universe, due to his stardom he likely will be given a major role. Granted I don't think Gunn would make him Batman, but could Peter Safran? Could larger execs?

He's a big white guy and a big draw. By that logic, he could play The Flash, Booster Gold, Green Lantern, or really anyone he chooses.

So in order to save those for actors who I can more properly see as those characters, I put together a few roles I think Chris Pratt can play in the DCU, some more fun, some more serious, some more longterm, and some for a fun one off, ending with the one I like most.

Let's start by going over a couple of things like:

What is Chris Pratt good at?

A lot actually.

Chris is very good at playing characters who are losers. From Star-Lord, Barley Lightfoot and Emmett, Chris voices or plays lovable underdogs really well.

Chris also loves playing army guys. It's clear from the Terminal List and Tomorrow War, he likes to be a soldier. Perhaps we find something military for the guy to do

The man can do funny, but has range. Particularly in James Gunn flicks, Star-Lord has some really emotional scenes that resonate every viewing. We don't have to go silly.

Other Stipulations

No matter who we pick, Chris Pratt will be compared to Star-Lord. It may be wise to stay away from characters like Star-Lord (so you won't be seeing Adam Strange, or Booster on this list).

Chris is also a draw right now, and a busy one at that. If he is entering the DCU, it may be smart to give him a vital role, but not one that needs to be in every movie. So we're probably not looking at Hal Jordan, but Kilowog isn't off the table.

Finally Star-Lord didn't wear his helmet at all last movie. So I'm guessing we'll want to pick a character where Chris can show his face.

5. Kite Man

We're starting off our list with a bit of a joke turned icon much like Pratt himself.

Kite Man is a C list villain who is often the butt of a joke and never taken extremely seriously. Chuck Brown uses Kites to commit crimes, and while he is an excellent glider, he's rarely ever a threat. He appeared in Batman the Brave and the Bold but is mostly known as a background character in the Harley Quinn Series.

While the character is usually around Gotham City, he could absolutely be put in any city in the DCU and make just as much sense. He could be fun as a one and done Batman villain, but even more fun as a recurring villain, kind of like Turk Barrett in the Netflix Marvel shows.

He's silly, pathetic, but likable, and leaves a lot of room for Pratt to make it his own. It feels like going back to his Andy Dwyer days, which could be fresh at this point.

While this is fun and I would love it, I don't know how overall useful this is of Pratts skills, or if him being so big takes away from the fun of Kite Man. It may be too small or too frequent for the mans schedule as well, but I thought it was worth a mention.

4. The Ventriloquist

If we wanted to tap Pratt's voice work and serious acting, The Ventriloquist is a character I've been hoping to see for quite awhile.

Arnold Wesker is a crime is a meek meager man who has a psychotic break and uses a puppet, nicknamed Scarface, to execute crimes and become a mob boss.

This is a a great duel role I think a comedian can strive in, and one that can push Pratt into another level as far as acting goes. It could put him in talks with actors like Paul Dano or Heath Ledger for the greatest Batman villain.

It also wouldn't be a role Pratt would have to do for long or frequently. He could be the start of the Batman trilogy and die in the first film.

My main concern is if he can pull off the meager nature of Arnold. I think an actor like Charlie Day, Ty Burrell or even Will Ferrell might put in a performance that get people talking about it much more.

Again I wouldn't be mad at it, it would definitely be a different and weird pick. But not my first choice for the character or Pratt.

3. Jor-El

I kind of love this one.

Jor-El is a role with big potential for a star. Being played by both Marlon Brando and Russell Crowe, it may require a modern day mega star. Is Pratt that mega star?

Utilizing Pratt here would be extremely different then how we've seen him before. He would be militaristic and more dramatic than we've seen him before. Plus he's big enough to believable be Superman's dad.

It may be smart to put Pratt in an older mentor role. But will he be too distracting as Jor-El? And is his voice as iconic as Brando or Crowe?

I think it's still a role I'd be happy to give to Pratt. But I have two more I think would be more fun for his set of skills.

2. Jay Garrick

He'd look pretty good in the tin hat.

Jay Garrick is the original Flash, a speedster who is often over 100 years old and a major mentor to Barry and Wally.

Now he may be very old but is often much more spry due to the speed force. And we can age up Pratt using VFX or just give him a little gray in the temples. Depends on how old you want to make him.

Having Pratt as the original Flash Jay Garrick would hint at a larger DC Universe, one with a Justice Society, and him play a role much different than Star-Lord.

As Jay, Pratt would be crucial to the universe but not as needed in the big team ups as Wally or Barry. If he did want a prequel, we can set one in WWII similar to the Justice Society movie.

As The Flash, Pratt can be funny, charming, but now wise and mentoring, which would be a good change of pace for Pratt. This would be a lock for me, if there wasn't a role I think he may nail even better.

1. Pat Dugan - STRIPE

A sidekick. A has been. A loser. Connected to a wider DC Universe. A Mentor. An inherently silly character. Very midwest.

Chris Pratt is Pat Dugan.

Originally the driver and sidekick for the Star-Spangled Kid who eventually became Star Man, Stripesy finds himself mentoring the younger new Justice Society after his step-daughter Courtney discovers Star Mans staff and becomes Stargirl.

Due to being useless in the past, he creates a make shift Mech suit known as STRIPE and uses it to fight evil with his step-daughter, who both form a special bond.

Pratt would be hitting many of the keynotes he's great at while playing a character extremely different from Star-Lord. Unlike Peter, Pat is very human, and relatable. He was not accepted as a hero during the Justice Society days, so he has something to prove, and feels tremendous guilt for what happed to his old team.

This would be a great role for Pratt. As secondary lead, he could appear in big team up movies, or stay out of the fight and be a mentor character only. He'd have a huge impact on the universe, be a window into the past, and play a role that is dramatic, funny, and gives us something new and different from what we've ever seen from Pratt.

I don't know if he should be, but if Chris Pratt is joining the DCU, he should be our STRIPE.

Thank you so much for reading! Please consider following, and check out my socials and other sites here! And let me know: Where would you put Chris Pratt in the DCU?

[rockislandadultreads]

Libby Spotlight: New eAudiobook Additions

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy & Sierra Simone (read by Chris Brinkley)

Kallum Liebermanis the funny one. As the arguably lesser of the three former members of the boy band INK, he enjoyed his fifteen minutes of fame and then moved home where he opened a regional pizza chain called Slice, Slice, Baby! He’s living his best dad bod life, hooking up with bridesmaids at all his friends’ weddings. But after an old one-off sex tape is leaked and quickly goes viral, Kallum decides he’s ready to step into the spotlight again, starring in a sexy Santa biopic for the Hope Channel.

Winnie Baker did everything right. She married her childhood sweetheart, avoided the downfalls of adolescent stardom, and transitioned into a stable adult acting career. Hell, she even waited until marriage to have sex. But after her perfect life falls apart, Winnie is ready to redefine herself—and what better way than a steamier-than-a-steaming-hot-mug-of-cider Christmas movie?

With decade old Hollywood history between them, Winnie and Kallum are both feeling hesitant about their new situation as costars…especially Winnie who can’t seem to fake on screen pleasure she’s never experienced in real life. She’s willing to do the pleasure research—for science and artistic authenticity, of course. And there’s no better research partner than her bridesmaid sex tape hall of fame costar, Kallum. But suddenly, Kallum’s teenage crush on Winnie is bubbling to the surface and Winnie might be catching feelings herself. They say opposites attract, but is this holly jolly ever after really ready for its close-up?

This is the second volume of the "A Christmas Notch" series.

Hercule Poirot's Silent Night by Sophie Hannah (read by Julian Rhind-Tutt)

It’s 19 December 1931. Hercule Poirot and Inspector Edward Catchpool are called to investigate the murder of a man in the apparent safe haven of a Norfolk hospital ward. Catchpool’s mother, the irrepressible Cynthia, insists that Poirot stays in a crumbling mansion by the coast, so that they can all be together for the festive period while Poirot solves the case. Cynthia’s friend Arnold is soon to be admitted to that same hospital and his wife is convinced he will be the killer’s next victim, though she refuses to explain why.

Poirot has less than a week to solve the crime and prevent more murders, if he is to escape from this nightmare scenario and get home in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, someone else – someone utterly ruthless – also has ideas about what ought to happen to Hercule Poirot . . .

This is the fifth volume of the "New Hercule Poirot Mysteries" series.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren (read by Patti Murin)

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.

But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.

The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major (read by Clare Corbett)

It is an ordinary Monday and harried London literary agent Emma is flying out of the door as usual. Preoccupied with work and her ever growing to-do list, she fails to notice her lovely husband Dan seems bereft, her son can barely meet her eye, and her daughter won’t go near her. Even the dog seems sad.

She is far too busy, buried deep in her phone; social media alerts pinging; clients messaging with “emergencies”; keeping track of a dozen WhatsApp groups about the kids’ sports, school, playdates, all of it. Her whole day is frantic—what else is new—and as she rushes back through the door for dinner, Dan is still upset. They fight, and he walks out, desolate, dragging their poor dog around the block. Just as she realizes it is their anniversary and she has forgotten, again, she hears the screech of brakes.

Dan is dead.

The next day Emma wakes up… and Dan is alive. And it’s Monday again. And again. And again.

Emma tries desperately to change the course of fate by doing different things each time she wakes up: leaving WhatsApp, telling her boss where to get off, writing to Dan, listening to her kids, reaching out to forgotten friends, getting drunk and buying out Prada. But will Emma have the chance to find herself again, remember what she likes about her job, reconnect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?

[ltwharfy]

“So, what is this Karate Code you keep talking about?”, she asked.

“Well, it’s very long and complicated but, the gist of it is to always use your skills to help others in need,” he said.

“Oooh, I like that!” Kaylee exclaimed. It sounded noble, like the missions of some of the heroic characters in the fantasy novels she loved to read. “So, you’re kind of like a knight?”

Arnold looked to the side briefly, like he was a little embarrassed, but he recovered quickly. “Kind of, but instead of all that dorky armor, we wear cool clothes like this.” He gestured to the gi again.

“Yeah, but the armor helps protect them. Your gi doesn’t offer any protection, does it?”

“I don’t need my clothes to protect me because I got…”, he struck what Kaylee assumed was some sort of karate posture, “My skills!”

-The Life of the Symposium (aka Party)

Thanks, Babs! I love the fact that my first "DVD Commentary" ask is about my least-read story- maybe this will lead more folks to checking it out!

So, the point of this scene, and the whole story is just establishing why it makes sense that Arnold and Kaylee would make a connection. They are minor characters, who aren't seen interacting with each other until "Ancient Misbehavin'"- they are briefly seen talking to each other walking into the classroom earlier in the episode (in addition to their dancing at the party that inspired the fic) but we don't hear their conversation. So just establishing the basis for the relationship is a challenge that doesn't exist when writing about one of the Belcher kids and one of their more common shipmates or even writing about a pair of minor characters with a canon relationship like Henry/Susmita.

But when I thought about Arnold and Kaylee, I thought that they had enough in common for a connection between them to make sense- it worked as more than just a weird background gag. They are both smart, they are both kind of outsiders (there is a whole episode about Kaylee feeling like she doesn't fit in; Arnold is the youngest kid in his class and wears his karate gi every day), they both have this mix of being serious and silly, and I think that their established interests- Arnold's in karate and Kaylee's in fantasy have some commonalities. And that's what this bit really emphasizes.

As I note at the end of the story, my Google research did not find an actual official Karate Code, so I imagine it is either something he or his teacher made up. Based on what he said in "Yes Without My Zeke", it sounds like helping other was a big part of the code, and I felt like that would likely mirror the codes that some of the heroes in Kaylee's fantasy books might have, since themes of good vs. evil and heroes who follow codes are pretty common in that genre, especially when marketed towards younger readers.

So, I thought it made sense that the Karate Code (as presented by Arnold) would appeal to Kaylee. And then I made him act a little embarrassed at being compared to a knight just because even though he likes to see/present himself as heroic, I think he might still feel a little awkward hearing that from someone else, especially an older girl. Then the bit about him saying that he thinks the gi is cooler than a knight's armor just really seems like something an 8 year old boy would think up on the spur of the moment if they had to explain why its cooler to do karate than be a knight.

Ending by having Arnold strike a pose and talk about "my skills" is just because I thought it was really funny the way he said "my skills" in "Yes Without My Zeke" and it was just fun to imagine him doing that and Kaylee being amused by it (as "Prank You For Being A Friend" establishes her as having a dorky sense of humor).

So, this bit allowed me to show commonalities between them in both being kind of serious (they are 4th graders who think about living by ethical codes) and kind of silly (because they are still an 8 year old and a 9 year old).

And Kaylee laughing at the "my skills" bit, as well as Arnold's brief embarrassment at the knight comparison, also allows me to put a lit bit of potential 4th grade-level crushing in the story. As I'm pretty clear in the notes to the story, I think it could be read as just the beginning of a friendship or the beginning of a crush, and honestly, I'm not quite sure how that will play out if a write more about them. I'm currently leaning towards the idea that Kaylee gets a crush on Arnold at some point and he's kind of oblivious (which might make sense as he is younger); but I could make it the other way around; or that they have mutual crushes or don't develop crushes until they are older. As you can tell, I do not have any sort of plan about how I am writing this pair, just the idea that I'd like to do another story about them at some point!

Thanks for asking, hope this was an interesting read!

[popculturebuffet]

Next up for Disney TVA, who is your favorite character from the cartoons in the 90s half of the Disney One Saturday Morning era: Doug (Disney seasons), Jungle Cubs, Nightmare Ned, 101 Dalmatians the Series, Recess, Pepper Ann, Hercules the Animated Series, and Mickey Mouse Works?

Okay so weeding the field, I haven't seen Jungle Cubs, Nightmare Ned, or 101 Dalmations and haven't seen herc recently enough to actually judge it. Like LMM it's just vauge memories. Thankfully I looked ahead and while there will be gaps LATER the next era i've seen pretty much everything. Can't say I'l lhave the deepest opinons or a faviorite characters, but it won't be nearly as sparse as these last two and had I realized that I woudl've had you just cram both together. For now though Disney's Doug: Not sure as I haven't rewatched these lately, but since i'm not sure I named one in the disney section , Mr Dink with Skeeetr a close second: he's funny, goofy and while advice despensing neighbor wasn't exactly new ground, he helped spice it up by being human: he's goofy as hell, up to some down to earth domestic shenanigan. He's basically the american version of red green. (The red green show is great and if you haven't heard of it.. your welcome)

I remember liking this version. While there are a bunch of changes.. none feel bad. A lot of the additions work: Doug having a little sister opens new ground, the rank up to middle school makes sense as they finished elementary last series, and continuing miss dink as mayor and having Bebe's dad become school principal. It also helps one of my faviorite episodes and the only one from this run I clearly remember is here, where Patti finds out her dad is dating her teacher and dosen't take it well. Disney's Doug isn't a super sharp upgrade, it's still pretty standard slice of life but it dosen't SEEM like the downgrade it gets painted as.

Recess: Gus. I thought this would be hard but no, my relatable pov baby boy is still my faviorite. I like Gus in part because on paper he should stop working after a bit.. but unlike other pov everyman characters there for exposition, he has enough outside it, his insecurity, panicky nature, and genuine kindness, to help. I also like the portrayal of a military kid, who his moves around a lot nature was due to that and it makes his friendship with the kids and fight to be seen not just as "the new kid" that more pognaint. They give him just enough depth to make you fully understand why, despite usually being the voice of reason, he sticks around and yet don't have him be a total stick in the mud either. He's usually all for the heists, he's just one of the first to panic about it and even then Gretchen and Mikey just as often chime in.

As you can probably guess... I love recess. It's one of Disney's best shows period, made my top 10 list for Disney TVA"s 10th annviersary (Also a reminder to not forget clerks in these asks) for a reason and is only not at the top of the pile because the network had some of the best shows in recent memory in the late 2010's early 2020's and even with that this still stacks up with the best of them.

Recess captures how it felt to be a kid well, the larger than life worlds we created, how parts of the playground were carved up, how the teachers felt useless or actively malicoius, yet grounds it in reality: both miss finster and principal prickly are slowly revealed to be people. Like Hey Arnold around the same time, but in it's own way, it provides plenty of one offs for the various other clicks and kids, while giving our main sextet a ton of depth, focus and spotlight. The series has a swiss army knife quality to it, ala batman the animated series (A comparrison I never though tof but i've been binging a lot of serum lake on youtube lately. ) but it's one that fits: like BTAS, Recess can pivot between awwkard stories of growing up like mikey's voice changing, a chilling psychological drama like the box, or a simple exploration of language or how adults take shit too seriously like the whomps or trial episodes. The series goes all the hell over the map from heists to mediations on death to using a pokemon stand in to teach economics. I can't say enough about this show. A true masterpiece like almost nothing else and I only say that because it got the perfect spiritual succcesor in craig of the creek and disney woudln't greenlight the revivial because their stupid.

Pepper Ann: Don't have a faviorite as I didn't watch the show that much but what I saw I like and I should revisit it. I got jazzed when it got added to D+ then.. forgot. Which happens often.

Mickey Mouse Works; This is a weird ask as.. iv'e never seen mickey mouse works.. but i've seen the shorts on house of mouse? As such i'll save the discussion for house of mouse for the most part but the shorts are pretty good. There's a few awful ones, the quality coudl vary wildly, but when it hits it hits

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Marpessa Dawn (Black Orpheus)—She's like. fairy tale princess etheral pretty. truly eurydice realness. AND she's a singer AND she's a dancer. she used to be a governess/nightclub dancer, which isn't hot per say i just thought it was an interesting job combination. If you want to hear her sing just look up the Black Orpheus soundtrack

Marilyn Monroe (How to Marry a Millionaire, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Some Like It Hot)— Ngl I thought you all were lying about sexual attraction until I saw Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

This is round 5 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Marilyn Monroe:

She's amazing!!! A classic bombshell, as well as a strong women who overcame so many obstacles. She also advocated for others, like Ella Fitzgerald.

That fucking saxophone that cuts in whenever she appears on screen in Some Like it Hot

I mean, it's Marilyn Monroe. She's adorable. She's gorgeous. She funny. She's the total package

She's the original American sex symbol, an iconic beautiful woman with eyes you could get lost in, legs for days, gorgeous hair, and a cute tummy. Her voice! Just listen to her voice!!!!!

She is considered one of THE sex symbols of the 1960s and one of the greatest actresses of all time! She HAS to be on this list!

no vintage movie woman is more iconically hot

People are most familiar with pictures of her in the white dress or the Happy Birthday Mr President one, but imo she is at her most beautiful and looks most comfortable when she is photographed by women like Eve Arnold

It’s Marilyn Monroe. If Aphrodite was an actual person, she’d be Marilyn. Do I really need to say more?

What can I say that hasn't been said? Marilyn's legacy is so much bigger than she was in life. She's a defining symbol of 50s and 60s Hollywood sex and it's obvious why. She was absolutely stunning and the camera loved her.

Marpessa Dawn:

Marpessa Dawn was an filipina/african american who became well known as an actress, singer and dancer in France. She is most famous for her role in 'Black Orpheus' in which she played Eurydice. It's difficult to find a picture where she and her husband, the actor Eric Vander, aren't kissing or hugging or laughing together, they are incredibly cute (and hot).

basically everyone and their mother will agree that marpessa dawn was one of THEE og vintage black women working in cinema (even if it was mostly in french cinema! the cross language barrier slay). mostly did her work in french cinema, and her smile in black orpheus is literally like the sun breaking over the sea

[heartfelttry]

i was texting a friend while doing my "needlessly anxious re-watch of all of thepandaredd compilations to make sure i didnt miss an OC or any important info before i post" (i did, i missed Arnold and also a maybe-hand-symbol of the Agents of the Reboot), and since she has also seen several bits of thepandaredd's stuff, she was sweet enough to ask me questions about my notes. like "oh, cool, what did you learn?" and "what would you like to ask since making this?" and then encouraged me to post my answers in tandem with the post in case?? any of it could be answered? (no entitlement here tho, i swear) im trying to apply more of Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture"'s bit about how, generally, the worse that will happen when you put yourself out there is a "no" and return to status quo instead of just being Very Anxious About Everything All The Time lmao

as usual, i apologize for not editing this. id rather be prompt than polished when it comes to casual stuff like this. (which like. yes, even my casual texts are long. i over-explain, i info-dump, i am not a succinct person lmao)

● "what did you learn?"

well the most shocking part i learned from keeping these notes is the realization that thepandaredd either COMPLETELY accidentally (in which case, wow, is that fucking LUCKY) or METICULOUSLY planned (which, wow, that is fucking DETAILED) made up a set of pre-reboot "Ted"s and "Alex"s that could be cassualities from Bill The Henchman's reboot, along with a set of post-reboot "Ted"s and "Alex"s to replace the previous set. because the Ted and Alex pre-reboot set are two goons that Bill circumstantially could have known (and is vaguely feasible for them to have known each other assuming thepandaredd wanted that?). this pre-reboot Ted died in a Bill The Henchman skit, where Ted got thrown off the Wayne Towers (roughly 73 stories high) by Man-Bat. this pre-reboot Alex was in the Todd The Goonion Rep skit (where Bill The Henchman was also in, though Alex and Bill did not interact/share a scene) where Alex was a Bane henchman who was a victim of wage-theft and not-up-to-code company housing via pit/sewers. and then the reboot happened. and thepandaredd just released a tiktok series about some influencer named Ted whose life is crumbling — and who, regardless on if this is a reboot-alternate-life Ted or reboot-to-prequel-into-repeating-the-same-death Ted: the henchman LinkedIn joke is especially funny and oddly so much darker— who has a co-worker friend at Ted's assumed day-job named Alex who lives in a duplex split between Penguin and Two-Face territory. how fucking wild. if they are the same set but now rebooted, i wonder if Bill will recognize them

other things ive learned: in addition to the arguably-two-or-one Ted/s, thepandaredd has three seemingly seperate OCs all with the forename Todd, and only one of them has a last name (Todd Andrews, of Superb Prowers). i also learned a speaking pattern differntations between Dr. Morton (calls patients exclusively by their villain-names) and Dr. Aaron Michaels (calls patients exclusively by their civillian-names) that i find endlessly fascinating. i also realized Bill's skeleton-growing necklace thing he got from a fan might be gone bc of the reboot (or maybe its still there, idk). and, lastly, i wrote down notes of each named OC's (a few unnamed, but not many) wardrobe and most of them are "wears all black" and, y'know, as someone with a brother as well as a best friend who wear exclusively black, that was endearingly funny to keep typing again and again, it makes sense for Gothamites lmao all cool stuff to figure out

● "do you have anything you'd want to ask?"

short answer: yeah, there's a FEW things

now, the more me (fucking long) answer:

first, if i could ask any question (other than a question about if Bill's necklace is still the skeleton-growing thing or not because we haven't seen it since the reboot), it'd actually not be a clarification question. it'd actually be entirely biased around my special interest in "conceptual processes in media (aka: pre-production, and i still remain steadfast in insisting the 'writing ideas down on a shitty napkin' phase is probably my favorite part btw)", especially anything art related (where its most obvious manifestation is a hoard of concept-art books i showed you, bc, again, i just like people showing their work): and i just wanna know how the Goonion came to be. like. sure, feel free to answer in the sense of in-story lore how it got established as a bonus, i'd love that, of course. but my actual interest is based on "hey, thepandaredd how the fuck did you come up with the idea" (which i assume they have already answered that in a panel or twitch stream but **i** havent heard the answer yet). because i would have assumed there'd be a tiktok or something about "hey what if" that **then** became an exploratory skit (bc he's done that several times, which, fair), but nah. there is just Bill The Henchman's first appearance (where he was the first henchman ever beat up by a Robin), then MANY tiktoks later is a brief tiktok talking about Marvel Comics' Taskmaster Academy, and then MANY MORE tiktoks later is Bill's second ever appearance (its the "How the Bat Boys deal with henchmen" if youre curious) where Bill is properly called "a professional goon" AND name-drops "the Goonion" for the first time and a surprsing very few tiktoks later the Goonion shirt dropped, followed THEN by like a couple more tiktoks after is Todd The Goonion Rep's first tiktok drops and so on, which i know from legit going back and scrolling through thepandaredd tiktok to see if i had just missed the tiktok + if it just wasn't added to the youtube Compilations, and i couldn't find it. and like… i like knowing concept stuff, i wanna know how the Goonion came to be

(if i could be permitted a second question, id just want to know if thepandaredd has read ask-spiderpool?? as dorky as that is? which like. i know you said is too long for YOU to wanna read, BUT STILL. maybe he's read it. idk if they have a secret tumblr (also it is in a few other places now, i think. like i know its getting cross-posted to webtoons now but i think that one is still very fucking new). maybe. you never know. it is a v popular ask-blog fan-comic about Spider-man and Deadpool. esp bc of it really takes advantage of the ask-blog side of itself (it is v fitting of deadpool's psyche, you cannot refute that) to the point it feels like a critique on the nature of the ask-blog format? plus, that shit has been p consistently running since (i just checked) 2014?? so just about ten years??? fucking WILD. and, fam, i swear, it gets really fucking good, youve read One Piece, you can do ask-spiderpool, i so highly recommend it. like, it is the slowest slow-burn romance of all time, the creator knew these two have a LOT to work through and, even now that they are finally a couple, have still a SHIT bunch to work through. it is a really excellent character-exploration, i swear youd love it if med-school gave you the fucking time in the day. and its fucking wild to me how it gets a quite a bit of ask-spiderpool-specific fan-art and fanfic. but like. it gets it for a reason. like. again, not just "it reblogs spiderpool fan-art" NAH it gets "ask-spiderpool fan-art"??? wHAT!!! i love it, but id also enjoy hearing if thepandaredd loves/hates it or if he is just "meh" about it, assuming they have read any of it. idk

(a third would be wanting to know their Jason Todd playlist, thepandaredd said there would be East Coast rap, and i would love to explore the playlist. but thats just bc i like listening to people's Jason Todd playlists a lot. but i assume the playlist is private for a reason? or maybe i just havent seen the link for it. idk)

but yeah the skele-grow one is bothering me the most, but i also know that one will be indirectly answered SOMETIME. bc the necklace does get untucked SOMETIMES so itll likely be untucked again and i can confirm if post-reboot Bill still has it or not, so id probably ask one of the other ones if i was like at a panel q&a, it depends

[ my friend who shall remain anonymous: "lol you wouldn't ask them to stop naming OCs Todd and Ted?" ]

i think it might be a bit at this point, i find it hard to believe he doesn't know he's doing this. my whining comes from how ive run out of "what todd can be short for" forenames tho so any other Todds will just have the hc name of Todd to me, i guess lol

plus, Jason is also my favorite. so. like. i get it. its a subtle nod of a tribute, fair enough. its their OCs, im just writing notes when im not too sick to pay attention lol they can do whatever. i did put in "please, consider stopping, theres three assumedly different Todds" in my notes post, but im not serious about it, i think i even wrote that "its your stuff, do whatever, im mostly complaining as a gag" in case they do read the post? (i do plan on sending it, so maybe) but it does get confusing to ensure im putting the info in the right place as someone who is dyslexic lol but its his stuff, its whatever for me, i just like his content, if his content has more Todds/Teds thats fine lmao

/end of copied texts

but yeah! if you were curious, that is my headspace around what i had fun learning and what questions i still have! i have no entitlement towards any of it being answered or replied to. this was mostly for fun because i do like learning this kind of stuff and me publishing this stuff is me getting out of my comfort-zone in a way where i can handle the discomfort lol

plus, ive been really sick and this has been a nice way to feel that "i am making progress in a project" sense of accomplishment. both towards the notes being up-to-date and towards the DC fanfic i eventually wanna write but feel too sick to do chronologically yet. maybe after classes are off my plate and i got my degree/s. but yeah. its been a very nice comfort to make this, so i am v happy with myself (and thepandaredd by extension) even without any answered questions ♡

[golfupnorth]

September 1, 2022 Newsletter

We finally made it to Treetops!

We have been so busy this summer with family and friends that golf trips we talked about did not happen. I have never been to Treetops in Gaylord; I had heard wonderful things from the guys who have had a few golf trips there. It was time for me to see what the fuss was about.

We booked a weekend with 1 round on Saturday and 1 on Sunday before we headed home. Since we were going to be getting in later on Friday than was ideal for us, we did not want Saturday too full. Saturday’s course was The Signature, and we will talk about that in a future issue.

Sunday’s course was the one I was excited to try and will tell you about in this newsletter. We played the Threetops which is a 9-hole, par 3 course with a lot of history.

I also bought a new set of clubs and have only played a few rounds with them. I am still adjusting to the lighter weight and a ½ inch shorter shaft. Played the previous weekend and thought I had figured out the adjustments I needed to make. This trip told me I still have things to work on.

History of Treetops

Threetops was designed by Rick Smith and was opened in conjunction with the Fazio-designed Premier course in 1992. Soon after opening it became the number-one ranked par-3 course in the U.S. It was a model course for many of the par-3 courses that popped up all over the country. Threetops is also one of the most recognized par-3 courses because of hosting the ESPN Par-3 Shootout for 8 years.

ESPN Par-3 Shootout

In 1999 Threetops became the home to the ESPN Par-3 Shootout. Some of the biggest names in golf have played the Threetops. Names like Jack Nicklaus, Fred Couples, Lee Trevino, Phil Mickelson, and Arnold Palmer to name a few. The last shootout at Threetops was held in 2006 with Couples, Chris DeMarco, Craig Stadler and Andy North back to defend his 2005 win. Fred Couples walked away with that honor and $300K and Andy North ended up in 4th place and only won $20K.

There have been a lot of great shots by some talented players and players who participated in the shootout have collectively won over 50 major championships. There was one swing on July 30, 2001, that is often referred to as “the shot heard ‘round the world” by Lee Trevino

Million Dollar Shot

On the 7th hole from 135 yards Lee Trevino sunk his swing for a hole in one! In addition to the million dollars, Trevino also won $10,000 on that hole for closest to pin. It is said to be the most valuable shot in the history of golf. He followed this play with a much more impressive play by donating $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

After Trevino’s ace on Hole 7 a plaque was placed on the spot where he swung his club for the million-dollar shot. Couples and Mickleson jokingly would tap the plaque for good luck before taking their shots. They never got a hole-in-one but started a superstitious tradition. Everyone needs to tap the plaque before teeing off on Hole 7.

Playing Threetops

We were excited to play Threetops, with as many times as my husband has played at Treetops, he never played the par-3 course. He had heard somewhere along the way that it was around $150 for a round and he said he could not justify paying that for 9 holes. We decided regardless of price this time we would play it and live on PBJs for a week if we had to. Happy to say that our menu that week was not affected, 9-hole round was only $45. Funny though because as I sit here writing this newsletter, I am having a crunchy peanut butter and jelly sandwich. 😊

This could be my course!

Looking over the scorecard (we grabbed one the day before) and seeing how many holes were totally within my driving range I was stoked. I just may get a birdie, definitely a few pars. This was going to my course! There are 3 sets of tees back (black), middle (white) and front (red). Longest hole from the reds was hole 3 at 137 yards.

We pull up to the starter and get checked in. My husband’s golf bag is a Michigan bag, so he first showed us some pictures from the teams visit a couple of weeks before. I am chomping at the bit, ready to get out there and kick some butt. The starter than provides us with some helpful tips (actually scared the hell out of me) and said to watch out for hole 3. Good to know. I may be scared but I know I can hit the green with my driver on most of these holes.

If only I could golf like Trevino did!

One of the fun things about this course is that they have given the holes names. As we played each hole, many of the names made sense. One of the hard things about this course is that most of the holes either have elevated tee boxes, elevated greens or both. Trying shoot over valleys can be a challenge. Staying on the cart path and climbing up to, or out of tee boxes and greens did get tiring. Halfway through your legs are feeling it from all the hill climbing.

All the pictures of this course (at least 1 picture for each hole) are posted here.

We get to the first hole called Plateau, and it is only 100 yards to the green, perfect for my driver and since I always hit straight, I may just get a hole-in-one. Of course, I hit right, damn those new clubs! Still did not do horrible considering where I landed and ended up bogeying the hole.

Hole 2 is called Double Cross because there are 2 greens, depending on which green is flagged is which tee box middle and back use. At only 114 yards from the reds another hole that my driver can easily hit the green. I fell short, not a little, but a lot. Not only did I fall short, but I ended up in a little valley that I had to hit out of. Not my finest moment, ended with a double bogey.

Devils Drop

This is the hole that the starter warned us about. With a 150-foot drop from the white tees. For the back (219 yds) and middle (207 yds) tees this was going to challenge the best of them. Fortunately for me I had less of a drop and had a 70-yard advantage over my husband. 137 yards from the reds. I swung my driver hard and saw my ball sailing towards the green, I knew I had hit it well and I would be rewarded. That drop is very deceiving, and I ended up short again. Was getting concerned we were going to see a pattern with my score.

The next few holes were not kind to me. Hole 4 got its name Deception from its hard right dogleg with sand traps lurking at the turn. Hole 5, called Valley Lo is just what it sounds like a hole down in the valley. Hole 6 is called Harry’s Way. I can only assume that someone name Harry decided water and sand was a good thing.

Hole 7 is called High Five

Now we are at hole 7, called High Five. This is the hole that Lee Trevino sank the ace for a million bucks. The tee boxes sit high and the green down below is long and narrower and has some slants that could make this a blow-up hole. From the reds, this was the second longest hole at 130 yards, I was ready for it. I learned a couple of things the last 6 holes and my driver was not necessarily the right club even though the yardage suggest it was. I started driving with my” seven is heaven” wood and having some success with distance and control (remember new clubs).

Tried for some Trevino magic

Well, folks I nailed that ball and hit it solidly on the green with a very doable 2 putt for a par or maybe a 1 putt for a birdie. This was Trevino’s hole, and I was going to at least get par. I was excited. When we got down to the green, my excitement waned a little, looking down hill was deceiving. Highly unlikely I would get a birdie on this hole, but still a chance at a par.

That first putt was just to get it close without ending up rolling off the green. Somehow the stars aligned, and I did exactly what I was trying to do.  I putted the hole for a par! To make this even better, my husband's drive ended up off the green in some rough. This was definitely going to be my hole!!! He chipped that damn ball right next to hole. Damn, he ended up with a par as well. Just could not let me have it to myself. LOL!!

Final 2 holes

After the high I was on getting par on 7, I was feeling pretty invincible until I saw hole 8 in person. The hole is called Hang Time . On the scorecard it looks pretty straight forward, but it is not. It is not really a dog leg, but from the red tees at 103 yards I needed my ball to go a little bit right to end up on the green. Otherwise, it was going to be nasty rough or sand. I ended up on the green but not in a spot that was going to prove to be easy to putt from. Another double bogey on this hole.

Hole 9 called Upward Home is just that you have to drive up toward the green over the valley. This was another deceiving hole. The yardage from the reds was only 125, but I could not get close to the green. To me, this was a par 4 hole, although my husband did get par (pure luck 😊). For me, this was my final double bogey. I mentioned this hole to a friend that lives in Gaylord and has played Threetops several times. He agreed that he thought it played more as a par 4 than a 3.

Threetops is a fun course and a must play when you visit Treetops

Overall, I did enjoy the Threetops even if I did have to climb a few mountains and only got 1 par. This course is one of those courses that you need to play a few times. First time out I got the lay of the land and now know what to expect. It was hard deciding what club to use, where to hit, how hard etc. when you are looking down at the green. Most of the holes were difficult to see how the terrain rolled. Now that I have see both sides of the hole, I think my decision making in the tee box would be smarter.

Treetops Weekend

Our weekend was surprisingly very affordable for the two of us. For under $700 we had a decent room for 2 nights with wi-fi and cable. This included breakfast buffets both mornings and 27 holes of golf for each of us. Add in dinner and alcohol and it was a little bit more. Overall, a surprisingly good deal. We will definitely be back to play the other courses and of course Threetops again.

If you get the chance, stop by and at least spend a couple of hours playing Threetops.

Follow us on Social Media

Join the discussion on Golf Up North Facebook Group

Let us know your favorite course, tips or anything golf related! We encourage golf courses to share their news and specials with our group.

You can also like and follow us on Facebook and/or Instagram where we share information on golf courses Up North and what we think are funny or interesting tidbits about golf.

Share Your Favorite Course With Us

We would love to hear about your favorite Course in the Upper Peninsula or Northern Lower Michigan. Send pictures of golfing your favorite course and a couple of sentences about why you love the course. We will share your pictures and recommendations with our readers and on our social media accounts. If you include a mailing address, we will send you some Golf Up North schwag as a thank you!! Send your pictures and comments to marisa@golfupnorth.com

Find your Up North Golf Course

If you would like to find your perfect Up North golf course visit Golf Up North and if you are looking for fun things to do after your round visit Up North Entertainment for dining, lodging and things to do Up North.

We hope you enjoyed our latest issue of The Golf Up North Newsletter.

Disclosure: We never tell a course who we are when we book and play a course. We do not ask nor will we accept free rounds to write about a course. We pay full price for our rounds for everyone in our group.

[therealsullivan3000]

HELLO FELLOW RED DWARF & THEATER NERD!!! I HAVE ADDITIONS TO YOUR ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL LIST:

You’re the Top from Anything Goes. It gives season 7 Lister and Kochanski hyping each other up. I FEED on their friendship dynamic because they’re both so good for one another. They need that healthy balance of Kochanski being a productive icon and Lister being... Lister!

Best Worst Mistake from If/Then. Need I say it? Rimster 100%.

Maybe This Time from Cabaret. This is very much Rimmer lamenting about how he’s never had anything good. On how no one ever loved him because he was never good enough and how much that hurt him, but how deep down, he still has a shred of hope that maybe someday, he’ll finally win at something.

King Herod’s Song from Jesus Christ Superstar. This one may be a bit of a random take, but hear me out: season 1 Cat. The absolute disappointment of finding out your God is just some guy. Some standard guy that can't even do cool tricks.

I’m Calm from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. ARNOLD RIMMER CODED ASF. This man being like ‘oh yeah I’m fine I’m chill’ and then screaming and crying two seconds later. Rimmer and Hysterium have the same level of mental stability fr fr (although ik Rimmer is worse off).

Put on a Happy Face from Bye Bye Birdie. Lister singing this to Rimmer to be absolutely insufferable because he wants Rimmer to stop being such a miserable bastard. Then Lister forces him to dance and Rimmer starts smiling and Lister is like 'HA I GOT YOU!'

Nothing from A Chorus Line. This is another stretch one but the whole energy of this song really screams Kryten to me. I think he'd appreciate the idea of trying to feel something that everyone else can only to find that he can't in fact. He'd sing this under the circumstances of trying to learn basic feelings back when he was first found and not being able to find anything in himself.

Something Good from the Sound Of Music. Rimster if ever I did see it! Rimmer singing this while thinking about how despite the fact that his whole life has been a series of mistakes and failures, Lister has been the one good thing in his life. Lister singing back to Rimmer about how even though he's lost everything else, he still has Rimmer. They're still there, loving each other, despite everything that has happened.

But Not for Me from An American in Paris. OHHHH WHEN I TELL YOU THIS IS SO SEASON 8 NANO-RIMMER AND KOCHANSKI DUET!!! Nano-Rimmer singing as Adam about how he's not the right Rimmer for the Lister in this universe because this Lister is still in love with the Rimmer that went off as Ace. Meanwhile, Kochanski as Milo sings for her Dave who's off in the other universe while she's stuck here, doomed to go on without him. They're both stuck with the knowledge that there are others getting happy endings out there, but neither of them will ever get the ending that they wanted.

If You Were Gay from Avenue Q. Rimster but in their canon-typical stupid fashion. Lister being like 'omg hahaha what if you were gay?' and Rimmer taking it insanely personal and being like 'WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT I AM NOT GAY I WILL NEVER BE GAY WHAT EVEN IS GAY HAHAHHA...' while knowing full well he is totally gay.

AAAA THIS WAS SO FUN TO YAP ABOUT :3 THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT OG POST BECAUSE I HAD A GRAND TIME ADDING ON!!!

Been imagining the Red Dwarf crew being in songs from musicals.

Like for example:

Waving Through a Window from Dear Evan Hansen. Basically sums Rimmer’s loneliness quiet nicely and how ignored he has been his entire life. How there’s a window between him and the rest of the crew and/or the rest of the world. And it gets worse when he becomes a hologram because there’s a barrier between the dead and the living.

There Right There from Legally Blonde is wild ride. As I imagine the Cat, Kryten, Holly and Kochanski all debating whether Rimmer is either Gay or European whilst Lister is standing in the corner waiting for his big dramatic solo at the end.

Your Fault from Into The Woods. The whole Red Dwarf crew just pointing fingers at each other for some absurd reason. Lister as Jack. Rimmer as the Baker. Cat as Little Red Riding Hood. Kryten as Cinderella. Either Kochanski or Holly as the Witch.

Tears to Shed from The Corpse Bride. Rimmer just brooding jealousy and hurt as he feels he can’t compare to an alive Kochanski for Lister. Set between series 8 and BTE. I would like Female Holly and Kryten are consoling him because they’re all electronic life forms. The Cat wouldn’t be involved since he wouldn’t care.

Anything You Can Do from Annie Get Your Gun. Just a whole funny singsong argument of Rimmer and Lister trying to one up each other. As they always do of course.

I have plenty more examples cus I find it fun trying to fit the Red Dwarf crew in any musical song.

[spideyanakin]

10 Things I Hate about you - Chapter 3

Eddie Munson x Harrington! reader

Synopsis - A new rule strikes the Harrington household: if Steve wishes to date ever again, his sister needs to find a boyfriend first. As Steve becomes desperate and thinks of everything in his power to set her up, only one guy comes to mind that will take up a challenge such as that: Eddie Munson.

warnings - still season 1 Steve sry and he’s getting worst, underage drinking, angst at it's finnest

word count - 16k

proof read by the amazing @inknopewetrust

series masterlist 🌻

Monday arrived at the pace of a sloth. 

In addition to the “no dating” rule, your parents had put Steve under house arrest for the next three weekends––which quickly backfired on everyone in the house that wasn't him. You never thought you would be grateful that Steve had spent every weekend with his friends. Since middle school, his absence always meant the house was quiet, peaceful, for a short period of time. 

The entire weekend, your family endured Steve's constant complaining over his homework and the fact he was home instead of at Tommy’s or with any other of the popular douchebag boys. It only became intolerable when your mother ordered you to tutor him in order to 'make him shut up.’

It only resulted in you giving him all the answers or him copying your work, and no quiet reprieve was gifted in return. 

You had fought Steve over the TV like the two of you were toddlers. You battled for the last of the leftover cupcakes you had baked with Dustin, and then Steve threw the Monopoly board in your face when you won. He always became too competitive when it came to games. When you suggested a “truce” game of Clue,  he ripped the Mrs. Scarelt card when she had been the murderer you were searching for and not Professor Plum whom he had accused. It got to the point where you were debating drowning yourself in the pool that had just been cleaned from the debris winter had left behind.

"What did you say for the question on scene three?" Barb wondered as she reread through the text in question. Her eyebrows knitted together as she skimmed through the words carefully in an attempt to decipher the man’s prose. 

"About the nurse?" You questioned and placed some of your textbooks into your locker. "I talked about how her role in the play is explicitly for Juliet's happiness, and I tied it in with what Mr. Arnold said about older women in Shakespeare being shown in a different light than the younger ones."

"Oh yeah…” She thought on the analysis,  “that's good," Barb nodded and closed the book and looked blankly at the white cover and red writing. 

"Barb," you spoke her name with a desperate tone as your locker door closed with an echoing bang and your palm met the metal. 

"What?"

"Kill me now…” You groaned dramatically, perhaps with more emotion than she had ever seen you emit before. “I have to walk into class and sit next to Steve." Your words made her chuckle. "It's not funny!" You whined, hitting your forehead against the locker door. "This weekend was hell with him not leaving the house. I did half of his homework for him. Half!" 

"Hey,” Barb stood straighter as she leaned on the locker beside your own. Her books held tightly against her chest, the red-headed girl gave a kind smile and hopeful eyes. “Look on the bright side! You only have a few hours and then the day’s over, you can go home and lock yourself away in your room."

"That long? I might pick up some ideas from the end of the book by then." As if on cue, the bell rang. You wanted to melt in your spot; become a puddle like the glob of spilled soda that threatened student’s pristine shoes right outside the lunchroom. 

But your luck wouldn't have it. You had to sit in your usual seat, in the same boring English classroom, with Steve at your side. 

However, who you hadn’t expected to see, was Eddie sitting next to Gareth as they chatted their spare minutes away. Your eyes went a little wide as you looked at him; your gaze fixed on his head of waves as you passed by his seat and sat a few rows behind and to the side from him. 

Eddie turned around to look at you once he had finished speaking to Gareth, your gaze still fixed on him.

And then he winked. 

You couldn’t fight the way a grin plastered itself onto your face.  

You felt like a madman. As though the events of the last week had changed you completely from the stone-cold bitch everyone was afraid of to a gooey, romantic lead in some cheesy B-film. Eddie Munson winked at you. It shouldn’t have felt like the world had chosen you to be the main character of a romantic subplot of life but it did. He winked, smiling himself as he turned his attention back to Gareth and laughed about something his younger friend said. 

Thinking about that wink, you didn’t realize the look that had stilled on your face as Steve took his spot beside you.

"Did Munson just wink at you?" Steve blinked in disbelief as he put a folder down on his desktop.  

Steve did not know you could smile like that. Steve did not know that you could get flustered like that. Steve did not know that Eddie, the “freak” who had a work ethic so unlike your own yet shared the same interests, could make you feel that way.

"Yes and…?"

"I’ve never seen you speak to him before?" He had to stop the smile that was threatening to spread across his lips. Was his plan working?

"So? Now you watch who I talk to and what I do in your spare time?" You raised an eyebrow.

"No,” He huffed. “I just have never seen you talk with Munson. That’s all."

You shrugged at him to play it off. A part of you wanted Steve to suffer from the “no dating” rule. He was an asshole. Self-centered and mean; a boy who would peak in high school and be stuck selling cars until the end of his days because at some point, Steve decided being the popular kid was his only mission. But you had to stop lying to yourself about what you may want out of life too. 

Maybe it isn’t a date or relationship with Eddie Munson—maybe it is. But if you were going to keep Eddie as a friend if it doesn’t plan out like a fantasy novel, then Steve had to know that if he saw Eddie talk to you, wink at you, or give you a smile, that there was a reason for it. 

You unzipped your pencil case and retrieved a black pen from the bag. 

"We went to The Hideout together last Friday."

"WHAT?" His shriek was a mix of everything Steve was feeling at once. 

Shock that his plan was working and you had actually accepted to go out with Eddie; jealousy that you had gone out and he wasn't able to; surprise that you had sneaked out of the house without him noticing; mad that you hadn't actually been in the house and therefore hadn't fulfilled your duty as his emotional support for house arrest; and seriously pissed off at the fact that if your parents had known you were out, then maybe, just maybe they would have let Steve meet his friends too.

"You're telling me you were on a date while I was on house arrest?"

“Can you please,” you hissed at him, “scream it a little louder so the rest of Hawkins High can hear this conversation?” Your gritted teeth and harsh whisper told him it was indeed a type of date. “It wasn't a date," your whispers were calmer as you eyed the teacher standing up to close the door. "I just went with him to see his band play."

"So, it was a date."

"No––"

"You're dating!" He smiled, jumping up and down in his seat like a kid who had too much sugar. Steve was in high school, not an elementary student. 

"I'm not!” You defended. “Stop… insinuating things! It wasn't just him, his band was there too."

"Hmm," he said as if he wasn't listening. "I totally believe you."

"You should."

"Morning class," Mr. Arnold greeted with the same two words he had been using for years on end. "I hope you all had a good weekend," his eyes lifted to scan the room, stopping when his gaze landed upon the one student he never expected to be here. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Good to see you, Mr. Munson."

"Same here Mr. Arnold," Eddie gave him his best angelic smile.

"Well, I have this for you," Mr. Arnold turned around to take the white book from his desk, placing it in front of Eddie. "We are at Act one, scene four." Eddie took a second to comprehend the system as he flipped through the pages. Plays weren't his thing.

But when Act 1, Scene 4 was written in bold on top of the page, he gave a thumbs up to the older man.

"I will collect your homework, and then we can read together."

"Steve, where's your book?" You whispered as you examined his desk. The homework you had done for him was in the middle, his pencil case resting on the top corner––but no Romeo and Juliet.

"I don't know where I put it," he lied.

"Are you serious?" You already knew how this was going to end. You'd have to share the book for the rest of the semester, and worse, you knew this would lead to Steve happily copying all your homework and ideas for the assessment later on. 

He just shrugged it off as though it were not moot. Those were the facts, you’d just have to accept it as it was because he was the “King of Hawkins High” afterall… Steve Harrington just didn’t fail because he was stupid, he played the long game and that always meant one thing:

Stealing your work. 

~

"Hey! Party at my place on Friday!" Tina cheered as she handed Nancy and Barb a neon orange piece of paper each. ‘Tina's Spring party’ was written in big, black bubble letters with her address at the bottom.

"Y/n didn't get one," Nancy told Tina with an innocent smile with her hand extended to receive another. Tina looked from Nancy to you and back to Nancy as her eyes went blank.

"Oh! I'm sorry!” Tina was not sorry. “That's right," she played dumb as she reluctantly licked the tip of her finger to whisk another paper from the pile she was holding, handing it to Nancy who passed it to you. Taking it with a fake smile, you thanked her before continuing on with the only two girls you’d consider to be friends.

"You didn't have to do that,” you mumbled to Nancy as the paper between the tips of your fingers began to feel like a brick rather than a feather. 

"Are you kidding?" Nancy's eyes went wide. "I wasn't going to let her get away with that."

What? Blatant disregard for your existence? Pure dislike for your perfectly penurious outlook on this thing called life? 

"It's fine, seriously. I won’t go anyways," you looked down at the page, your nose scrunching up at the idea.

"You won't?" Nancy was almost pouting while Barb had already stressed with her eyes that it was nothing but a burden. 

"No… Don't count me in to go to this dumb… mating ritual," you crumpled the paper and threw it in the first trash that crossed your way.

"I don't think I'll go either," Barb shrugged her shoulders. The only way that Barbara Holland would go to a party was with the assurance that Nancy wouldn’t let her pout away in the corner for being a third wheel––but she knew it was going to be her sitting in a corner all evening, making sure Nancy was alright before she would disappear somewhere, or be drunk enough for Barb to leave without her noticing.

"But you have to come with me!" Nancy protested.

"No! You know I don't like parties!"

"But it will be fun!" You scoffed at her, shaking your head at her insistence. 

“Stop bothering, Nance!” You smiled as Barb backed you up. “If she doesn't want to go, then let her stay at home.” 

“I’m sure the new episode of Little house on the Prairie will be much more interesting than this,” you flicked the invitation still sitting between Barb’s hand. 

“Whatever,” Nancy rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll just have to go alone.”

“I’m afraid so,” you pouted, the look on her face making you chuckle.

Eddie watched with a smile on his face as you passed right beside his locker, almost melting at the little smile and wave you gave him when you passed his way. 

Oh, fuck him. His sanity was burning to a crisp along the very path you walked. A simple smile, a tiny, little wave that looked like something out of a stranger danger VHS and he was jittery. The money in his pocket––even if not physically there––weighed it all back to reality. The reminder that the smile was based on a lie bled just as quickly as it skimmed.

“Did you just smile at Munson?” He could hear Nancy squeak as your head turned back around.

“Yeah, and?” Your voice snapped back, but unfortunately, you had disappeared down a different hall before he could snoop on the rest.  

“I heard you went out with my sister last Friday,” Steve’s voice broke Eddie’s day dreaming.

“I did,” Eddie nodded, straightening his back in pride.

“I can’t believe you’ve actually convinced her to go out with you,” Steve chuckled in disbelief before placing a hand in one of the pockets of his jacket. “Here,” Steve stuffed a new fifty dollar bill in Eddie’s hand before he even had the time to protest, “as promised.”

 Steve was still laughing to himself. “Just make sure that I actually know about it this time.”

“Alright,” Eddie stuffed the bill in his pocket without taking a second glance at it.

“Like take her to the movies or something.”

“Noted.”

“Good,” Steve nodded before walking away.

As Eddie watched Steve disappear down the hall you had moments before, the money in his pocket was no longer imaginary. The weight was heavy, it was physically there and jesting him like a foe. Here it was, it cried to him as Shakespearan as an enemy could. A prize.  

And it made him sick thinking that he ever agreed to such a deal. 

But then he remembered your smile, that little wave. In his mind, Eddie could recall the innocence of it. How he felt, and how you felt––but the money kept rolling in. 

~

“Y/n,” Steve jumped on the couch next to you. Your eyes lifted up from the episode of Dallas playing to see his big smile creeping only inches away from you. “You’re coming to the party on Friday, right?”

“No, I’m not.”

“What do you mean you’re not?” His smile fell. “You have to go!”

“No, I don’t,” you rolled your eyes before looking back at the TV to see a close up of Larry Hagman’s face. 

“But you have to go! You’re the only way I can convince mom and dad to let me go! Pretend I’ll be your… protector or something.”

The fact that had spewed from his lips made you want to chuck him out of a window. 

“My protector?” 

“Yes! Make sure drunk boys don’t cling to you or laugh at you or try anything with you.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “You mean half of the guy you are when you get drunk? I’m sorry, Steve,” you drawled his name out like he was a child being scolded by a parent, “but I specifically remember the halloween party freshman year where you got so drunk you—” 

“We don’t need to talk about that!” He pointed a finger, cutting you off with the slap of the back of his hand to your shoulder. 

“You are literally those guys! You wouldn’t be protecting me from anything!” 

“Other guys! Not me, just… other guys! And they don’t need to know about me… just how their precious little daughter is going to be looked after by her precious brother.” 

“I’m not going,” you stated definitively. “Convince them yourself.”

“Y/n!” 

“Steeeeve!” you mimicked his whining. 

“Is your brother bothering you again?” Your mother walked into the room when she heard the commotion. It was like a dog answering a silent whistle—she heard it, she came. A motherly instinct, if you will. 

“He is!”

“I’m not!”

She shook her head, pushing the reply as unimportant, not bothering to care about your sibling banter before grabbing a book from the shelves next to the TV.

“Diner’s in five,” she gave both of you pointed looks and you scrambled up off the couch, leaving Steve behind.

As you disappeared behind the doorway, your mothers gaze was kept on your brother. She raised an eyebrow when he simply grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels with a soured expression painted on his face. 

“Steve?”

“Hmm?” He barely looked up.

“Go help your sister set up the table,” Steve’s face fell even further when the words registered.

Chores. Expectations. The rules of the house for every evening since he was old enough to remember them. 

“Oh, right.”

And after ten minutes of fighting Steve over which side of the plate the forks were placed on and which glasses were the ones for water rather than all else, the family sat around the diner table with a meal whisking up into the air and filling each nose with a delicious scent. 

The food was comforting. The stress that you accumulated throughout the day shedding away as you enjoyed the meal. For a second, you pretended you were transported to a time where you and Steve still got along. A time where the two of you had the same interests and he didn’t make every second of your life miserable.

One where he wasn’t the ‘King of Hawkins High’ and you weren’t the sibling who was a little too far on the side of strange. 

“Mom, dad,” Steve lifted his eyes from the potatoes in his plate, “I wanted to ask you something.” Of course he had to quickly ruin the moment. 

Your dream shattered with the sound of his sweet voice.

“What is it?” Your mother brought her glass of sparkling water towards her lips.

“Well… there’s this party on Friday—”

“Don’t even think about it.” Your father’s voice cut him off before he could really begin. 

“But—”

“Steve,” he lamented, “you need to focus on your work! When you show us that your grades are improving, only then will we trust you enough to go out again. It’s simple.”

“But that’s unfair!”

“How is this unfair?” He asked, letting the question hang in the air. When your father didn’t receive a reply, he continued; “Is your sister going?” His eyes landed on you like a target being breached. 

Mayday, mayday! Abandon ship before Steve sinks you with his conniving pea-brained ideas.

“No.” 

For once, Steve had told the truth. 

“Then you won’t go. Take an example from her,” your father pointed at you with his fork. “She has nearly perfect grades and still has a social life––”

“That's a lie,” Steve snorted to himself.

“Your sister is doing fine. She’s proof that you can get good grades too and have a life while doing so.”

“That’s not fair! I want to enjoy my life as a teenager, and she doesn’t!” Your father sighed as he listened to Steve. “You can’t keep me on house arrest forever!”

“No, but––” he stopped mid sentence, the same look that had lit up his features last Monday coming back. This was bad for Steve, you thought to yourself as you watched your father search for the right words. “Not forever.”

“Ok! Then when!?”

“When your sister goes out.”

“WHAT?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “You can take this as a new addition to the dating rule. Forget the house arrest stopping in three weeks, from now on, you follow your sister’s footsteps.” You almost spat your drink onto the ornate tablecloth your mother had set for spring. Oh my god. The three weekend house arrest had turned into this? Steve was just digging himself a bigger hole and it made your evening all the more entertaining.

But that also meant that Steve would make your life a living hell.

“BUT THAT’S SO UNFAIR!”

“It’s not. You’re being too careless with your work, she isn’t. When she goes out, you can too. End of story.”

“DAD! I–– YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!” The plates flew as Steve’s fist collided with the table. “UGH!” He stood up, frustration taking the best of him. “I can’t stand another minute of this,” he mumbled, his face red in anger. You could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears as he walked around the table, his feet stomping up the stairs before his bedroom door slammed shut and he made the house rumble with it. 

“Do you plan on going out any time soon?” Your father turned to you.

“Nope,” you spoke, your face half hidden by your glass of water.

“Too bad for your brother then.”

~

“I can’t believe you’re also on house arrest,” Tommy snickered as he watched the soccer scrimmage with Steve. He opened his water bottle, bringing it to his lips as he was still thirsty and sore from ten minutes of light exercise that morning. 

“Shut up, please,” Steve groaned and lifted his head to the sky. “I need to go to this party.”

“Have you thought about trying to have Eddie convince her to go? Maybe he can do it if you can’t. Hell, he’s managed to get this far without being found dead in a ditch.” 

“It’s impossible… even for Eddie Munson,” Steve shook his head as he grabbed his Peanut Butter Kudos bar from his bag––elated Carol had called in sick that morning so he could have it all to himself. “Nothing in this world will get her to that party.”

“Even if you raise him? Pay him double?” Tommy shrugged.

“I could try,” Steve placed the wrapper of the bar between his teeth, taking the other end of it with his fingers to rip it open. “I’m going to have to take from my savings from now on.”

“You mean the savings you promised yourself you wouldn’t touch til you were out of high school?” Tommy’s eyes went wide. “What do you have in there? Like six hundred?” He knew how much the savings he’d been collecting since he was twelve meant to him.

It was a way out. It was an opportunity to take the girl of his dreams on an ice cream date. The money sat idle waiting to be clinched and spent on Steve’s dreams and unrealistic plans of his future––maybe a cute house and six little munchkins that he loved yet despised at the same time. But it was his. He had saved it, he had scoured hot summer days mowing neighbors lawns and shoveling their driveways during freezing winter mornings for something he could call his. 

“Mhm,” Steve hummed an answer.

"I can’t believe you’ve already spent a hundred on this."

“You’re the one telling me to spend more!”

“Yeah! Because you look like a lost puppy and can’t stop complaining.”

"You don't understand! This party is my shot to ask Nancy out. We chat a bit, make out, and boom! She's my girlfriend! So, you’re right… I will pay him double," Steve explained his plan as he scribbled down the amount of money he already spent on Eddie yesterday, right next to the $1 Kit-Kat he swiped. 

"Do you really have to write down everything you spend?" He raised an eyebrow and Steve sighed as he continued his writing.

"Yeah. You'll see when you're broke and I'm not."

"Well I don't spend my money for a stupid cause. Plus, isn’t that just proof that Eddie’s faking it? The fucking world will go up in flames if your sister ever gets her hands on that."

"She won’t and this isn't stupid," Steve dropped his pencil. "It's me trying to get the girl of my dreams.”

"The girl of your dreams?" Tommy gagged. "What kind of drug are you on? Did you let Munson finally convince you into buying from him or something?" 

"You’re hopeless, Tommy." he shook his head as he closed his planner and placed it back into his bag.

"Says the one who gave away a hundred dollars and is about to spend more on a guy just so you can start dating again. Are you sure Munson is even invited to this party?”

Valid question. 

But Steve knew one thing about the parties in Hawkins: they all needed a supplier of something… booze, weed, a little pick-me-up… and he’d be damned if Eddie Munson wasn’t the first person everyone thought of when they needed something that would make Jim Hopper turn red. 

“Doesn't’ hurt to ask…”

~

Eddie was pulling a chaotic stunt in the halls of Hawkins High when Steve noticed him for the first time that day.

Your brother had been losing himself in the maze of hallways that he should have recalled like the back of his hand in an attempt to find Eddie when he didn’t find him at his usual spot in the drama room. After what felt like hours of searching, Steve hadn’t expected to find Eddie sprinting across the empty hallway with one of the big, black clocks from the cafeteria gripped between his hands.

“For your game?” Steve wondered as a breathless Eddie sprinted past him. 

“You bet!” He nodded before disappearing into another hallway, heading straight for the drama room.

“Did Munson just pass by here?” Mrs. Jinkles arrived in front of Steve barely a few seconds later. The older woman was on the verge of sixty, huffing as though she had smoked three packs of cigarettes in a row. 

“He went that way,” Steve pointed in the opposite direction to where Eddie had gone. 

It hadn’t registered in his mind that if it were any other day, under any other circumstance, he would have sold Eddie out just to gain the favor of the teachers––to skip out on assignments, of course.

Steve watched as Mrs. Jinkles rolled her shoulders back and marched in the direction of his finger. He sighed in his own right before making his way toward the drama room. The familiar posters greeted him before he opened the door. 

Eddie was hunched over the clock he had stolen. He had already opened it, its contents spilling onto the already messy table. 

“Harrington,” Eddie did not look up at him, “ if you’re here to tell me to hurry up and get your sister on that date, know that you only asked me yesterday–”

“I’m not here for that,” Steve shook his head before walking towards Eddie, dropping a crisp, new fifty dollar bill beside the clock. 

“That’s to get her to Tina’s party,” he paused. “You’re invited, right?”

“Believe it or not, Harrington, but I do get invited to parties,” he looked from the bill to Steve with a look the latter was all too familiar with. It was the kind where someone more intelligent challenged Steve to see the stupidity of his question.. “I thought you already paid me?”

“Not for the party,” Steve explained. “I need her to go or else I won’t be able to. You’ll need that extra cash for luck because she has a thing against parties that I don’t really understand… somethin’ about ‘radical feminism’ or was it ‘toxic social spheres’?” 

“What?” Eddie snickered.” You’re also on house arrest?” Steve Harrington, the King of Hawkins High, not allowed to date and under house arrest, was paying him to take his sister out so he could magically remove all of these new rules. It felt so much like a popular kid tantrum that he had to laugh.

Eddie felt like a goldfish out of the bowl on many occasions but Steve treating him as though he was a main character in a film he wouldn’t be caught dead watching, a proverbial fish inside of the bowl, was jarring. 

“Kind of,” Steve muttered embarrassed. “You get why I need her to be there?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie shook his head, tuning out Steve’s words as he tried to remove a screw from the clock.

“Get her to that party,” Steve pointed a finger at him. 

“I will.”

But Eddie knew he had a challenge. He liked it, the game of it all, yet Eddie enjoyed the chase so much that the money unraveling beside his hand next to the clock felt like a fire ready to set him ablaze.

~

Since the second Steve Harrington had approached Eddie Munson on that fateful day, the boys of Hellfire had seen a change. He watched, perhaps unintentionally, everything you did. The way you sat with friends and scoffed at their perspectives and laughed at their jokes; the headphones you wore were falling apart on the top but you pulled them out every day to listen to a tape he surely would have enjoyed too. 

It was consuming him—you. A jewel in a sea of so much… bland, grainy sand and Oliver had uncovered Eddie’s mission with spite. He hated watching his friend peek over the edge of his locker just to glimpse at you, he sneered at the way Eddie pocketed that change only to act like a fool in love when you passed by without a glance. 

A Pertruchio to a Katherina; the taming of Hawkins very own shrew.

“I think I found a new beat for a song,” Gareth shook Eddie out of his thoughts as his focus broke. The younger man watched from the corner of his eye as Oliver’s expression changed as his gaze lifted off of Eddie and to the discussion.

“Oh, that’s good,” Eddie nodded, taking another pretzel from the plastic bag tucked in his lunch box before letting his gaze fly back to you like a magnet being called home.

“I think it could go well with the lyrics you came up with the other day!” Gareth tried to catch him back, but Eddie was as good as a fish who didn’t like the bait Gareth was throwing.

“Eddie?” Jeff attempted to grab his attention to support Gareth.

“Hm?” The boy in question turned his head to face his friend as if Gareth’s comment had flown over his head and the conversation was no longer important. 

“Are you going to Tina’s party?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded as he chewed on the remnants of the pretzel.

“I don’t get how easily it is for you to get invited,” another boy from the table chimed in. That kid was a freshman and wasn’t ever going to be invited to a party if he continued to hang out with Hellfire but if he sold drugs, that would give incentive to those looking for a fix. 

“It’s a house party, everyone is invited. Just if you haven’t personally received the paper for it, Tina probably doesn’t want you there.” Jeff stated, licking his lips from the previous sip of coke he had just taken. “And Eddie is invited because he deals and that’s cool at parties.”

“Indeed,” Eddie confirmed, his finger tapping a random beat on the table. His reply still felt as though he was far off into space which drew the entire table’s focus to him.

“Is your girlfriend going?” Oliver asked before opening his box of strawberry Nerds only to  pretend like he hadn’t just said something triggering or hadn’t been thinking about it the entire period.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

There. They had Eddie’s full attention.

“Not yet,” Oliver clarified. “But you’re getting paid to become her boyfriend.” The small candies made a big sound similar to a rainstick as Oliver shook the box and a few dropped into his palm.

“Well, I’m also paid to get her to the party so… yeah,” Eddie looked down at his mini pretzels resting at the bottom of his lunchbox. 

They didn’t look as appetizing as they did last week and even the sandwich he’d made in a rush that morning made his stomach turn. The peanut butter oozing from the sides, its slices could have been paper and its contents pencil shavings and Eddie would dislike it all the same. He thought that maybe he could use some of Steve’s money or leftover cash from dealing to buy something from the cafeteria tomorrow to fight the feeling that had sunk in his stomach every lunch period since Steve’s proposal. Maybe Eddie would find whatever was on the lunch menu good enough that he could finally get something in his stomach. 

However, deep down, he knew it wasn’t the food. He knew very well it was the weight he was feeling in the pit of his stomach growing bigger every time his eyes landed on you and he caught himself thinking all the things he shouldn’t have been. 

You looked good that afternoon. Well, you did every afternoon. You were listening to Barb as though she was telling the most intriguing story—which he fathomed could not have been the case yet he was amazed by your enthusiasm. The hard shell you wore wasn’t so hard when people truly looked. 

It was as though he was seeing you for the first time, every time. A new, funny feeling rising within him that made him nervous as the money sat lumped in his jeans. 

“Are you guys going?” Eddie flipped the question around, wishing to give his mind a break from his sulking. 

“Your brother is acting suspicious.” 

On the other side of the cafeteria, where Eddie’s gaze had previously been fixed, Barb couldn’t help voice her worries. It was not a story that Barb had eclipsed your attention with, but a comment. One singular comment that made things feel as though the ground you walked on was ice. 

“What do you mean?” You frowned before bringing your fork full of food up to your lips.

“He asked me stuff about you… like to be a better brother… which Steve has never, ever, put the effort into being.’”

"Steve? Wanting to be a better brother?" The idea made you laugh. “What did he ask?”

“Stuff about you. What you like, what you do on weekends…” You stopped your fork mid flight towards your mouth, both eyebrows raised.

“Why?” You dropped your fork back on your plate and the food splattered like a painting.

“I told you! He said it was to ‘be a better brother.’” 

“Maybe he actually wants to be a better brother,” Nancy chimed in, making your gaze turn to her. A sympathetic smile tugged on your lips.

“Nance, I know you like him but he definitely does not want to put any effort in making my life easier,” you snorted and Nancy suddenly became all flustered when you talked openly about her feelings. “Do you have an idea why he would ask you that?” You turned your attention back towards Barb.

“No,” she shook her head. “But just look out for anything suspicious.”

“That will be hard. Anything Steve does is suspicious.”

“Did you really need to crush on him out of all the boys in Hawkins?” Barb turned her head towards Nancy. The poor girl was hunched over her lunch in embarrassment, focusing all her attention on getting her blush to stomp out as she poked the peas around on her plastic tray..

“I guess my brother is his own kind of special…” You sighed as you moved your own food. “I’ll just have to sleep with both eyes open now… you know, it was getting real hard trying to keep one from closing.”

Barb laughed, Nancy’s blush diminished. Neither of them knew you were able to make a joke out of something that had you on the edge on the inside. 

—

When Tuesday came to an end, the joy that bubbled from your stomach made the day feel less aggravating than it had been. The warm spring air made everyone’s spirits brighter; students laughed as they slid into their cars and people shed their coats and sweaters to celebrate as much sunlight as they possibly could after winter deprived them of it for so long.

You opened your car’s back door, swinging your bag in the backseat before closing it again and checking your watch. Dustin should be there any minute now. 

“Hey.” 

You could have picked that voice out from a crowd––a week ago you wouldn’t have said the same. 

“Hey,” you matched Eddie’s tone and gave a small smile as he approached your car, sliding up to lean against the door you had just shut. “Didn’t expect to see you in class today. I think Mr. Arnold nearly shit his pants..”

“He’d never live it down if he did,” he laughed. “But I said I’d show up, didn’t I?” 

“You did,” you picked at your bracelet in an attempt to distract yourself from the way your heart fluttered at Eddie. Perhaps it was the way he stood confidently against a crowd, or maybe it was the way his eyes made you feel as though you were the only person he could ever focus on––but the feeling made you uneasy because it was new. 

At the same time, you were searching for a distraction to quell the feeling. A group of cheerleaders passed by; all holding the neon orange papers for Tina’s party and grinning like they were the happiest people to ever exist. 

"Are you going?" You leaned opposite him, crossing your arms as you waited for his reply. “To Tina’s party, I mean.” 

"Yeah,” Eddie nodded, “she asked me to deal. Parties are usually where I make the most profit so… can’t pass that up when I’ve got you to impress.” 

You tipped your head to look at your shoes. White, slightly grimey sneakers staring back at you as you fought the heat. All consuming, Eddie Munson was. And he made you feel like jelly when he said stupid, ridiculous things like that. 

“How about you?" You needn’t look at him to see the smile on his face. You could hear the difference in tone. 

You shook your head. Rising to see him again, he was hopeful when your answer was the furthest from it. “No,” you admitted. “Not a party person.” 

“No?” He had a flirtatious inflection to it. “Got a reason?” 

“I find them dumb and pointless. An excuse for all the girls who take sips of church wine to act like complete airheads and get plastered off one can of PBR.”

If he was being honest he couldn’t agree more. He never had the conventional “blast” teens were supposed to have at parties. Eddie only liked them because it made his sales blow. But he remembered he had to convince you to go. You had to go. He wouldn’t step foot on Tina’s lawn without you. 

Neither of you heard the bell that signaled the end of the middle school day. 

Dustin, who had been waddling his way over on the sidewalk that connected the two schools, hadn’t noticed Eddie when he suddenly decided to run his way over and tackle you into a hug.

“Y/n!” The second he and his screaming of your name appeared out of nowhere, Eddie took a step back. A light shock in his eyes when he spotted a pre-teen being so affectionate around you when the girl he knew was far from a “caretaking” type. You didn’t have a little brother? For as long as he could recall, there had only ever been two Harrington siblings: you, and the idiot with the good hair.

A big “oof” escaped your lips before you wrapped your arms around him, tightening the hug as much as he’d allow before letting go.

“How was your weekend?”

“AMAZING! You will never guess what happened! Mike’s campaign is INSANE! There were golden dragons and evil fairies that wanted to steal Will’s wizard staff and the only way we could fight them was with this unknown crystal––” Dustin rambled so fast that you caught none of it but Eddie had. He’d always recognize when someone spoke the language he loved. 

“Campaign?” Eddie’s voice broke off Dustin’s jittery talk. “You play D and D?” He questioned you first as though you had been the one admitting it; grinning from ear to ear at the possibility.

“Sadly, no,” you breathed, your words a bit desperate. “But he does! And he promised to teach me but he’s always busy.”

“Who is this?” Dustin snapped his head from you to Eddie. 

A wave washed over the young boy at that moment. Eddie wasn’t Steve. He wasn’t a guy who tried to ask Nancy out nor was he a cookie-cutter mold of the jocks everyone loved. He was edgy; he was cool with an immediate draw because like Dustin, Eddie didn’t fit a mold. He smelt of cigarette smoke and a cheap cologne––a scent Dustin knew he had to copy because if he could be cool like this guy, maybe others would find him just as intriguing in his grade.  

 “Y/n,” his voice was flat, serious, “why were you hiding your awesome friend from me?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” you giggled at Dustin’s dramatic words, Eddie loved the sound of it. “Dustin, this is Eddie. Eddie, this is Dustin, the boy I babysit.” 

Awesome. The kid Eddie had never once seen in his life had called him awesome without speaking a word to him. No one had ever said that about him before. 

Eddie extended his hand like a real adult toward the kid. Dustin took it and with soft, baby-like hands, tried to return a handshake that would impress his awesome new acquaintance. 

“What grade are you in?” Eddie asked. 

“Seventh/”

“Ah,” he nodded in reflection. “Well, hopefully I’ll be out of high school by the time you’re a freshman, but when you do get here, tell whichever awesome Dungeon Master is running hellfire that you know me and they’ll take you without question.”

“Hellfire?” His eyes lit up like spotlights on a stage. It sounded dangerous, cool. Dungeon Master had slipped under his radar because the name was so sick. 

“It’s the name of our party.”

“Wait, Hellfire is a D and D party?” Your own eyes grew wide because truthfully, you hadn’t any idea what in the world it was. You had seen the recruiting posters that the football team defaced but how were you supposed to know what a devil mascot was supposed to represent? 

“Yeah,” Eddie looked as though it were obvious. “What did you think it was?” Eddie crossed his own arms, his expression questioning.

“I don’t know, actually. People say so many different things about it, I really didn’t know.”

“Well, I’ll invite you to a campaign if you want to learn. We play every Friday and sometimes Tuesdays in the drama room when it’s free.” 

“I would love to.” 

Dustin was not sure what he was watching as he looked up at the one person he loved like a sister giving heart eyes to a boy he found to be his new idol. 

“I just have to finish my character sheet.”

“Oh, that’s no problem, I’ll help you.” 

Dustin lifted his gaze from you to Eddie like he would at a tennis match. The interaction brought sparks to his eyes. The two of you liked each other. The heart eyes were mutual; they were nervous and giddy and he had seen Lucas give them to Shelley Windsor from across the lunchroom six weeks ago only to be spurred by her accidentally spilling milk on his favorite t-shirt three days later. 

“Sounds perfect.” 

“Not this Friday because of Tina’s party, but how about the one after? We can go to The Hideout right after, we have a gig then.” The mention of The Hideout made Dustin’s smile even wider.

A date. A real date. 

“Sounds like a date.” 

The word echoed in Eddie’s mind like a beautiful melody. The keys drawing the most beautiful sound that even Motzart was envious but the second a finger slipped and the keys turned sour, the weight of the money sitting in his pocket squandered the joy. 

“Yeah,” he wished he could have replied to it with a full smile and without the lump in his throat or the pit in the bottom of his stomach.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” You asked, titling your head with a hope he had begun the conversation with but ended without. 

“Yeah.”

Eddie nodded as you both said goodbye before walking away to his van on the other end of the parking lot. 

“You all set?” You turned to Dustin, a dumb smile still plastered on his features as he adjusted the straps of his backpack. 

“Mhm,” He hummed yes, walking around the car to access the passenger seat.

“You listened to me,” he spoke again when the door was closed and both seat belts were on.

“What?”

“About meeting people at The Hideout.”

“How––”

“He literally said he played at The Hideout.” You closed your mouth instead of replying, narrowing your eyes. 

“I’m glad you finally found someone,” Dustin grinned, a toothless, adorable grin that could always make you feel happy.

“I didn’t––Eddie isn’t––”

“Oh it’s a date then!” He mimicked your voice, but not in a mocking way. 

“Alright, I did say that,” you rolled your eyes. “But it doesn’t mean he’s my boyfriend or anything.”

“Not yet!”

“Dustin––”

“Y/n, what more can you ask for! He plays D and D which probably makes him a nerd like us! He plays guitar and is in a band, he looks like a rock star and like he’s the coolest person on earth… plus he definitely likes you.”

“I am not having this conversation with you,” you chuckled, turning your eyes back to your steering wheel and finally starting the car. “Eddie is… just… Eddie.” You hadn’t noticed, but even saying his name made you smile. 

“Fine, then I hope you enjoy your date with just Eddie.”

“I will, thank you.”

~

“Boo!”

 Your soul nearly left your body as the quiet solitude of browsing the store’s tape selection was interrupted. Led Zeppelin's cover art shaking as your hand clutched it tightly, the plastic nearly cracking under your grip.

Turning around, you met those big brown eyes and familiar curls that had filled your thoughts every second of every day. 

“You followin’ me, Munson?” You raised an eyebrow, questioning him with a teasing tone. “I swear you’ve been popping up everywhere I have been lately.” 

“Just a coincidence, I guess…” Eddie grinned as he looked at the tape in his own hand. A flustered, small blush painting his cheeks. “I came to get Bark at the Moon,” he showed you the familiar tape. “I accidentally ruined it while cleaning my room. Stepped on it and it cracked into a million little pieces.”

“Eddie Munson cleans his bedroom?” You laughed as he rolled his eyes. “I never would have thought.” 

“Well,” he tapped the tape with his fingers, “I guess I’m just full of surprises then.” 

A small lull passed over the two of you as conversation settled. He looked, like he always did, at you with so much curiosity and fondness that you weren’t sure it could have evolved as quickly as it did. A crush that swallowed him whole, all he wanted to do was be in your presence––for a second, for an hour, for an entire lifetime, Eddie Munson was chasing a high that was brought on by all the wrong reasons. 

“What are you doin’ here?” He questioned, gazing around the store when looking at you reminded him too much of the funds supplying his purchase. “I thought you were babysitting?”

“Just finished actually. This store is on my way home and I can’t keep money in my pockets long when I know there is something I want,” you scanned the shelf again, grabbing the Fleetwood Mac tape that had been on your wishlist forever.

“He seems like a nice kid.”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Dustin is the best,” smiling as your eyes fell back to Eddie. “I think the two of you would get along.”

“I’m sure we would. The kid plays D and D for Christ’s sake!” He laughed, walking with you towards the counter to check out. 

Before you could set the tapes down, Eddie put out his hand. 

“Let me see them?” 

You furrowed your brows but let him take them. Eddie may have loved music, but Fleetwood Mac wasn’t a cup of tea he sipped from often, if ever. He’d admit “I’m So Afraid” was sick but only in the comfort of someone who wouldn’t expose him for enjoying something that wasn’t hard metal. 

“Why?” You asked as he piled the ones you had collected on top of his own. He set them on the counter and the man behind it began ringing them up. 

“Eddie––” The protests left your mouth quickly but he shook his head. 

“I wanna get them for you.” 

“What? No!” In an attempt to grab one back, he pushed your hand away from the counter. “I have the money for them. I literally just got paid!” 

“Didn’t say you had no money, sweetheart.” 

The Fleetwood Mac tape rang up to six-fifty. Far too much for him to pay for something like that. 

“You can’t pay for those,” you huffed. “They’re not your tapes.” 

“You ever heard of something called a gift? Or better yet, maybe chivalry? You take a lot of English classes, I think that word has popped up a time or two.”

You looked at him with a flat face but he challenged it as he pulled bills from his pocket. As you gave him a glare, he slid the money across the counter and the guy took it without you tearing your eyes away from Eddie. 

“I can’t let you do that.” 

“Little late for that, sweetheart,” that goddamn name again. He tipped his head to the side, scrunching his nose as your annoyance was built from an unearthed appreciation of his motivations. 

“Let me pay you back,” you breathed out. 

“No.” 

“Eddie, come on.” 

“No!” He laughed as the man handed him the change and pushed the tapes back out toward the two of you. Eddie split the tapes, one for him, two for you, and made for the door. 

“Why did you do that?” You trailed behind him like a puppy. 

“You know, a ‘thank you’ would suffice.”

“Th-thank you,” you stumbled on your words as you looked from the tapes that had come back to your hand to Eddie. “But––”

“I just wanted to be nice, give you a gift. Is that so bad?”

“No…. Thank you,” you smiled as the door’s bell had silence, the cars on the road beside the shop filled the air and Eddie halted beside his van that was parked beside your car. 

“I was wondering,” he squinted as the spring sun caught his eye, “would you come to Tina’s party with me?” You really didn’t mean to laugh, but you couldn’t help yourself. You had been adamant that you weren’t going. Parties were not your “thing.” Only when you turned your head to side to watch the almost heartbreaking look in his eyes did you stop.

“I’m sorry,” you sucked in a breath. “I’m not laughing at you. I just… I don’t go to parties,” you shook your head. “The thought of me going makes me laugh.”

“Even if I’ll be at the party?”

“Eddie, Axl Rose could be at that stupid party and I still wouldn’t go.”

“You wouldn’t even do it for Axl!?” Eddie put a hand to his heart as if that had offended him.

“Not even for Axl.”

“Well,” he countered, “how about Kirk?”

“Still no,” you giggled. “All of Metallica could be there and I would be at home watching reruns of that Ewok show or the new episode of Little House on the Prairie instead.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You really think I want to attend a party where everyone just gets drunk and makes out and then people throw up everywhere because they get even more drunk––”

“And high,” he added.

“And high! Plus the music is fucking… awful.”

“Ok, I agree with you,” Eddie nodded in agreement. “Nevermind then. You’re right.” 

“Thank you, I know I’m right,” He liked the confidence he saw. The way you tipped your chin to the sky and your head bobbled. Eddie was disappointed he couldn’t get you to go but he wouldn’t trade seconds with you for anything. 

You walked past his van and opened the door to the front seat of yours.

 “I’ll see you tomorrow?” You didn’t know why it came out as more of a question.

“Yeah,” his car keys jingled in his hand. “See you tomorrow.”

The second you settled into your car, you slipped in the tape and putting the Metallica one that had filled its spot in the empty case. 

You sighed as your hands fell on the wheel; the leather of the material familiar and growing warm under the sun. You watched as Eddie entered his van, giving you a small wave before firing up his engine and driving opposite the direction you were headed. 

Two lives separated by a town yet brought together by simple interests.  

“Pull yourself together,” you sighed, melting in your seat as the first few notes of Rhiannon started playing.

You never felt like this. The ache in your heart, the butterflies fluttering in the pit of your stomach… These unfamiliar feelings were almost painful as you tried to fight them, trying to run far away from them. You felt like one of those toys you and Steve would fight over as toddlers and ended up splitting in two by pulling too hard. Instead of the forces being two chaotic children, it was your head and your heart.

~

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” Eddie beamed beside you.

He had caught you in the hall as you made your way toward the gym the next day. Persistent is what he was, when you thought of how he pestered in a respectful, yet interested manner. You never had a guy chase after you before––want to spend time with you or treat you like you were the apple of his eye. 

“I told you already,” you fixed your discolored sports bag on your shoulder. “I’m not going, Eddie. No one could convince me to go.”

“But I’ll feel lonely without you.” He gave you sad eyes and fuck, it made you waver for a milisecond. 

“You’ll be fine,” you rolled your eyes instead. “There are plenty of others to talk to or make fun of, I am sure of it.” 

“No, there won’t be. I need you for moral support.”

“Moral support?”

“Yes,” he furiously nodded with conviction. 

“I’m not going.” 

“Please?”

“No,” you shook your head, a smile dancing over your lips as you saw his brown eyes peering at you with want. 

“Fine,” he scoffed. “If I die, it’s your fault.”

“Die? Dramatic much?” You giggled. “You mean to guilt trip me into doing something I don’t want to do? Sounds like a you problem, Eddie.” 

“No. I’m extremely realistic. I will fucking die if you aren’t there to save me.” 

“Hmm,” you hummed, nodding as if you were believing his fallacies. “Totally believe you right now.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me, Y/n,” he shook his head in disbelief. 

“You’ll be fine,” He was making a disparate face, pouting and looking at you like a sad, stray animal. “You never give up, do you?”

“Was that a yes?”

“I’m not going, Eddie,” you said one last time, rolling your eyes before going on your way, heading towards the inside gym that was fitted for volleyball every afternoon. Eddie sighed as he watched you disappear, his shoulders slumping in defeat. 

At least he tried.

But then, he went to Steve.

"I tried, she said she won't go."

“Well, will you convince her for another fifty!?” Steve pulled out his wallet and started sifting through the money. Eddie held out his hands and forced Steve’s hands closed, the wallet slamming shut with a force.

“Steve, you’re not an ATM machine! Put your goddamn money away.”

“I know!” Steve frustratingly screeched. “ButI need her to be there!”

“I can try again,” Eddie faltered because he felt deep down, you’d never agree to go. “She really doesn’t want to fucking go to this thing so if I can’t get to her to, that’s not on me.” 

~

Friday ended with no progress for either Steve or Eddie. Convincing you to attend Tina’s party had been a failure––for both of them and truthfully, neither could blame the other for not being successful in their mission. Your mind was fixed. Parties were dumb and stupid and absolutely useless. You had better things to do with your time. 

Like putting on pajamas and watching the new episodes of the last season of Little House or finish reading act 1 of Romeo and Juliet for Monday.

“I don’t understand you,” Steve narrowed his eyes as he watched you from across the room. You were snuggled up on the far end of the couch, eating yogurt while mindlessly watching commercials as you waited for your show to begin.

“What do you mean?” You licked the end of your spoon before dipping it into the carton again.

“Why do you not want to go to this party?” 

“I just don’t want to,” you looked back at the TV. “Why does everyone want me to go?” You muttered to yourself as you took another spoonful of yogurt.

“Why can’t you be normal?”

“Define ‘normal’?”

“Tina’s party is normal. Wanting to go to the party is normal. Having friends who want you to be at the party is normal.”

“Tina’s party is just a pathetic excuse for all the idiots in our school to drink beer and rub up against each other in hopes of distracting themselves from the pathetic emptiness of their meaningless––”

“––Consumer–driven lives. I KNOW!” Steve groaned, tugging at his hair in frustration. “Can you, just for one night, forget that you’re totally wretched and act like we're actually siblings with the same interests?”

“No. I told you parties are–”

“Dumb? Stupid? I got that! Y/n, why can’t you just do this for me?”

“I already do everything for you!” You made frantic movements, pointing at him with your empty spoon. “This time, deal with the consequences of your actions yourself!” You huffed, fully turning your stare back to the TV, silently telling him you were done with the conversation.

“You’re being a bitch!”

“Excuse me?” You snapped your head back to only be met by a serious expression.

“You heard me! You’re being a heinous bitch and ruining my life right now!” He leaned away from the doorframe he had been watching you from. “And then you wonder why you barely can get any friends! Maybe you just say you don’t want to be in a relationship because you know you can’t keep a guy. You’re too mean and selfish!” Your mouth remained wide open as the words escaped him. “You’re just a loser! A freak who knows no one will want her at that stupid party! That’s why you’d rather stay home and watch that dumb ‘house in the fields show.’” 

As if on cue the commercials stopped and the familiar theme song that was normally comforting was ringing through the living room. 

“You just want to make my life miserable because yours is!” Your ears were buzzing, and the pang in your chest that he had started just the week before came back full force.

"FINE!" You screamed over his voice and the noise of the TV. Maybe louder than you expected, but you couldn’t even hear your own thoughts. Your hands were trembling as you grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, bringing quiet to the room. The tension bubbled up like froth on a hot drink once the welcoming melody had gone quiet. 

“I’ll go to your stupid fucking party,” you mumbled the words out as you walked passed him and headed straight up to your room. You struck his shoulder with yours, hard, when you passed him. 

You wiped the stray tear you hadn’t noticed had fallen before changing. Fumbling with your shirts and pants as if you didn’t even know your own closet; shell shocked from the perceptions Steve had expressed. You grabbed your shoes and spotted Eddie’s sweatshirt spread out on your chair. 

You took it without a second thought before flying down the stairs. 

"Where are you going?" Your father appeared in the doorway of the entry hall with a cup of coffee in his hands. It was far too late for one and he’d be up all night working because of it.  

"To a party,” you bit back, your father taking a step back in surprise.

"A party?"

"Yeah, Tina's spring party," you grumbled, not making eye contact with him as he continued asking questions. You loudly dropped your shoes on the floor before sitting down next to them to slip them on.

Steve came not long after with a beaming smile plastered on his face. His hair was even more perfect than before, he was dressed in his version of perfect. The polished rich kid coming out in his baby blue polo tucked into his light brown pants. Steve grabbed his navy jacket from the coat rack by the door. 

“Steve–” your father wanted to deny Steve from leaving the home. 

“That’s the rule right?” Steve turned to the mirror over the shoe rack. “She goes, I go!” He looked at himself one last time before clapping his hands together. "We'll be back by two!" Steve turned back to you just as you were standing back up.

"Is that a new sweater?" He wondered, a grin still plastered on his face as he eyed the black hoodie you were wearing. It looked worn out and smelled funny, suspicion rising in the back of his mind that Eddie Munson had been doing his job after all. 

"It's none of your business," you walked past him and out through the front door to get to your car.

~

The party was everything you expected it to be. 

People making out in every corner, beer keg competitions that your brother jumped on the second you arrived, and awful flirting skills as boys finally got the courage to make their move with a little liquid courage. 

The whole house became a mess of sweaty bodies and spilled drinks topped off with loud, annoying music. Stuffy air from the weed and cigarette smoke mixed with the intoxicating chemical smell of different flavored Teen Spirit deodorants paired with cheap perfume and hairspray.

 It was everything you hated.

You spotted Nancy out of the corner of your eye not ten minutes after you slammed the car door closed. She was wearing a flashy shirt, her hair done differently than how she always wore it. She was admiring Steve the ‘King of the Party’ as he won yet again another round of whatever drinking game currently had his attention.

“Sweet,” you barely stepped into the crowded living room when Tommy’s voice made your entire body tense up. “Looking fresh tonight, Harrington,” he smirked, Carol giggling at his side.

Tommy Hagen never failed in making your skin crawl––no––making it want to completely shed itself from your body and run as far away as it could from Hawkins. He was a creep. A pimpled, doughboy creep that thought he was the shit for being friends with Steve and bagged a girl he thought was hot, Carol. 

“Did Y/n finally decide to make an appearance?” She snickered. 

“Jesus Christ,” you narrowed your eyes as they gathered around you. A pack of wolves on the hunt, a lamb too stubborn to quit centered in their gaze. 

You took a step closer to her, “is that lipstick on your teeth?” 

Her eyes went wide as her hand reached up to her lips. You took this as an opportunity to walk the other way, quickly getting lost in the sea of bodies again.

The hallway was more crowded. A guy with a tray of shots he was desperate not to spill made his way from the kitchen to the living room, lifting the tray towards you.

“You want one?” The range of shots, from blue to bright pink, looked as unappetizing as dirt. You grabbed the one closest to you without even hesitating. A strange green color that made you more motivated to use it as a way to forget you were at the stupid, fucking party.

To forget the whole fiasco Steve had ruined your weekend with.

That you were a bitch. 

That people didn’t want to be your friend. 

That no boy would ever want to date you because you were awful. 

As the sour liquid slid down your throat, you knew it would help you pretend like Steve hadn’t thrown all of your insecurities at your face. Pretend like you hadn’t gone with him just to prove a point. To prove to him that you were welcomed at this party or that you did have friends. 

But maybe it was to prove all of this to yourself.

However, that meant you also needed to forget the pain and the burning feeling in the back of your mind that maybe he was right.

“Hey!” His voice was jovial that he had found you first. 

Eddie saw the shot glass in your hand, the blank, nearly heartless look on your face as the scene around you changed from happy to glum. 

“What are you doing here? I had to hear from dipshit Tommy Hagen that you actually showed up.” He appeared next to you, concern written all over his face.

If Steve was right, you wished Eddie didn’t give you those looks. You wished he didn’t make you feel like you had a friend in him. You wished he didn’t make your heart thump out of its chest like if he were to disappear tomorrow, you’d have to go too. 

“I’m getting trashed, isn’t that what you’re supposed to do at parties?” You bit back, your anger from Steve’s scorching rumble mixed with your words. “And Tommy Hagen? He lies… a lot. You’re just on the lucky end that finally a truth came tumbling out of his lips.” 

“Your brother likes to make his presence known too,” Eddie put a hand on your shoulder, smiling to himself when he noticed you were wearing his hoodie.

“Ah,” another guy with a tray of random alcohol filled glasses walked right by you, you snatched one away before turning back to Eddie. “Later.”

And his hand slipped from your shoulder as you walked away from him. 

He felt scorned. 

“Hey!” Eddie called after you. “Where are you going?” 

“I’m off to be ‘normal!’” You made air quotes as you said the word.

Eddie didn’t know why he stood there like an idiot as he watched you disappear into the crowd again. The word normal rang through his mind like poison. You hated normal, he hates normal––and you were both too far into your own worlds to ever be normal. 

He quickly regretted his decision to stand there like a tree when it forced him to spend a half an hour running through the maze of Tina’s house trying to find you again. Eddie felt like he was in a haunted corn maze held outside of Hawkins every Halloween. Instead of having zombies or jump scares at every corner, it was drunk students making the way around the house impossibly hard.

The breath that was stuck in his throat only released when he spotted you at the crossroad between the living room and the dinning room; a glass half full of rum in your hand. You were stumbling your way around. A half an hour later and his hoodie was missing the strings around the neck, your hair was a mess, and the nailpolish was chipping quickly. 

Your expression was a mix between a smile and a frown which Eddie thought to be impossible until he witnessed it on you.

“Hey,” Eddie called out when the music allowed. He attempted to reach for the glass as a way to help you because just looking at you made him realize no one was looking out for you. Drunk, a bit angry, and alone. 

“Y/n, maybe you should give me that––” he reached for the glass again. Eddie’s only thought was to get you away from here and make sure you didn’t swallow one more drop of alcohol. 

“No!” You whined like a toddler. “It’s mine! MINE!” You rattled out of his grip before scrambling out to the other room. Eddie blinked as he watched you run away. For a second, he felt like he was back in his trailer, reading The Lord of the Rings as his mind created the image of Bilbo holding the one ring and calling it his just like you did with the drink. 

“MY MAN!” Steve appeared out of thin air, beaming at him with his brightest smile, pupils blown wide as the drinks had gotten to him as well. Eddie knew Steve wasn’t a smoker but he definitely had a second-hand high. “How did you get her to do it?”

“Do what?”

“Act like a human!” He laughed to himself.

Eddie wanted to protest. To say something about how this wasn’t normal behavior coming from you, and he had a right to be worried. Instead, Steve’s attention was captured by a girl calling his name. Eddie thought he recognised Nancy’s voice over the music but everything was blurred out.

When his gaze turned back around to land on what was going inside the dining room,  his eyes went wide.You were dancing on top of the table, if it wasn’t clear that you were drunk out of your mind, it certainly was now. 

Tommy and the rest of the crowd that had formed around the table were all cheering for you to continue. You threw the empty beer can into the crowd as you continued to dance; Eddie questioned for a second how you had changed drinks so fast before quickly pushing past students to reach you.

“What are you doing!? Get down!” He tried to grab your leg but you swatted his hands away.

“NO!” You screamed, giggling to yourself as you swung your body from side to side.

You wanted to twirl to the beat of the music. Sober you was already not very good at twirls, meaning that drunk you’s sense of balance was completely nonexistent. You tripped on your own feet, making you fall right off the table and luckily for you, right into Eddie’s arms.

If you were sober, you would have felt as though it was straight of a fairytale.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine!” You scoffed, scrambling away from him to stand up. The second you were standing on your own and Eddie removed his hand from your back, you stumbled backwards again. 

“You’re not fine,” his tone became serious, a frown painted his features as he fully took in your state. He could see the way your limbs fell limp and lazy, how your alcohol filled eyes looked around the room. “C’mon,” he grabbed your shoulders to help you move through the crowd.

You made movements to get away from him, making you turn around in his arms and face him. “I don’t need your help,” you whined as you lightly hit his chest, the impact doing absolutely nothing to stop him.

“Yeah, you do,” he looked down at you, trying not to get lost in the galaxy of your eyes as you peered up at him with your drunken glare. “Let’s get you out of here, ok?” He almost whispered, his tone soft and soothing as his thumb rubbed circles on your shoulder.

The air outside was cold; a stark contrast to the oppressing and sauna-like temperature inside the house. The quiet, cool nature felt nice as the music muffled into barely recognizable lyrics when the door closed behind the two of you. 

A few people had taken the party outside. Some smoking on the grass or chatting as they sat on the hood of their cars, enjoying the quieter parts of the evening.

Eddie’s hand secured on your hip as he helped you walk in a straight line towards the other side of the garden to a small patio far off from the noise and commotion the night had to offer.

“This is so patronizing,” you complained as he continued to hold you.

“Leave it to you to use big words when you’re blitzed,” he laughed.

You made a sudden move to walk faster, making you tumble out of his hand and onto the grass, giggling to yourself as you did. 

Eddie grabbed your waist, lifting you back up to sit you down on one of the dark green iron garden chairs, and only when he was sat down next to you that he realized how romantic the scene was.

The table was placed at the center of a wooden pergola, wisteria twisting with its pillars and in between the planks of the ceiling. Everything was so quiet. The party barely a whisper in the vast, beautiful garden. The outdoor lights lit your features just enough for him to see and defined the color of your eyes.

Eddie sighed to himself. In any other circumstance, he would have died to stand there with a girl like you.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” You giggled as you fully rested your head against the palm of your hand.

“Like what?” Eddie tweaked his head to the side. Maybe he was staring at you for a bit too long.

“Like that!” You pointed out again, smiling to yourself.

“Because you’re pretty,” he knew you wouldn’t remember this, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

You laughed, a sweet sound that dripped from your lips like honey and made Eddie’s heart melt.

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself,” he watched the look in your eyes change as you scanned his features. Drunken you remembering the curve of his nose, to the way his lips hooked into a smile. "You have very pretty eyes, you know? They look a bit like doe,” you blurted out, smiling at him with a gooey grin.

Suddenly you felt all the alcohol begin to surge. The rapid onslaught of nausea confused you, furrowing your brows and causing immediate concern. Before you knew it, you were leaning down, throwing up onto his black converse.

"Jesus!" Eddie abruptly stood up, sighing when he realized no words he could say would change the state you were in. His hand found a way to your hair, gently rubbing your scalp in poor attempts to hold it away from your face as you continued throwing up. 

"Hmm," You groaned once you lifted yourself back up, resting your head against your palm. 

It hadn’t even phased you––what you had just done. 

"I think it's time to take you home," Eddie stood up, chuckling when another protesting groan left your lips. "C'mon, party girl," he hooked his arm around your torso, wrapping your arm over his shoulders. 

“I don’t want to go home,” you said sadly, taking Eddie by surprise when he felt you melt into his embrace; your arms fully wrapping themselves around him.

“I don’t want to go home,” you pleaded again, your tone more desperate as you looked up at him, your chin resting on his torso. “Please, don’t bring me back there.” 

Going home would make your fight with Steve too real and you couldn’t handle that right now. 

Eddie managed to walk you back to his van, patting your knee once he had buckled your seat belt.

“Wait!” You called out when he was about to close the passenger door. “Don’t leave me alone!”

“I’m not leaving you, sweetheart,” the nickname rolling off his lips would have made your heart leap in your chest if your mind wasn’t so fuzzy. “I’m going to get in the car from the other side, ok?”

“Mhm,” your voice fell quiet, your gaze falling down to your hands where you toyed with the sleeves of his hoodie.

When Eddie was in his seat, he felt your eyes on him. With every movement he made, you watched. The way he  lifted his arm to buckle his seatbelt, his hand turning the key to start the van… he saw from the corner of his eye as you viewed him with all your focus. 

“Who’s watching who now?” He smirked as he started the engine, carefully driving through the maze of sloppily parked cars before he was back on the main road.

“I wasn’t,” you turned your gaze away like a cat pretending they hadn’t just pushed a glass off a table, letting your focus be busy with something else from the decor in an old maid’s kitchen.

Eddie chuckled at your reaction. 

“How about we go pick somethin’ up to eat? Get some food in your system so you sober up?”

“Works with me,” you molded in the seat, toying with the hoodie strings that had gone uneven. You closed your eyes as you let yourself get swayed by the vehicle, humming a familiar tune when the silence became too much. 

His breath caught in his throat the second he recognized it.

Eddie knew that song.

In fact he knew it very well––he was the one who wrote it.

He smiled as your angel voice filled the car. Eddie thought he was going to collapse at the thought of someone other than Corroded Coffin members knowing this song. Even better, the thought of you knowing it sent him to paradise.

The bright colors of the fast food restaurant lit up the whole car. The neon 24/7 sign standing tall on top of the square building, Eddie scanned the menu as he broke the van beside the machine.

“What do you want?”

“Fries please,” you murmured, blinking softly at the bright lights.

“Alright,” you closed your eyes at the sound of his voice. Your foggy mind barely understood what else he had ordered beside a fry and a coke.

You were coming in and out of sleep by the time Eddie had parked in a quiet street on the heights of Hawkins. It wasn’t much of a view but it was the prettiest one you had around here. 

“You alright?” He chuckled as he watched you open your eyes again, struggling to blink sleep away.

“Yeah,” you nodded, and before you could fall back asleep Eddie was handing you a coke and your fries. You struggled to remove your seat belt before shifting in your seat and grabbing the food.

“Thank you,” you sighed before taking a sip, the sweet fizzing drink waking you up instantly.

“No problem,” he smiled as he watched you. You seemed like you were in your own little bubble; still very drunk but better than minutes prior.

“I really didn’t take you for a ‘getting absolutely trashed’ type of girl.”

“I’m not,” you mumbled as you chewed on a fry.

“Then why did you do it?” He crossed his arms.

“Because it’s normal,” you spat the word out like venom. “It’s what people expect of me apparently.”

“Since when do you do anything that people expect you to do?” Eddie turned his body to fully face you.

You shrugged before looking down at your food, “since my own brother thinks I'm a terrible person…" 

Ah.

There. 

He had hit the bullseye. Steve had gotten to you. And it seemed like he hadn’t been kind because Eddie saw the way your eyes dimmed at the mention of Steve.

"I don’t think you are,” he shook his head. “But I thought you liked being perceived as mean and scary?"

"I do," you hiccuped, placing the coke in the cupholder of the van’s door. "At least I did until Steve was an ass and called me a bitch and well… he made it known how he feels about me. I’m just a thorn in his side." Eddie could see your eyes starting to water as you stared down at your fries. All the filters that being sober you may have put up came tumbling down with your tears.

It was hard to be vulnerable when you spent years perfecting invulnerability. 

You sniffed and a small sob escaped your lips. Eddie's heart shattered with it. 

"Wh–what I said in the car last time, about feeling confident," you wiped your cheek with the sleeve of the sweatshirt. "I think he took it and crushed the last of it these past few weeks. This tonight… it was just the icing on the goddamn cake."

"Is that why you were so surprised I asked you out?" He didn't know why he said it, but he felt his heart ache as he did. 

You nodded.

And you took his heart in your hands as you did. Smothering it, crushing it with the knowledge he held and nourished that could only harm you more.

"Yeah," your voice came out hoarse. "Most guys are scared of me or just want to be friends with Steve… He’s just so… great. Steve is so perfect. I'm just the loser who scares people off," Eddie frowned at what you said. Watching you close your eyes, biting your bottom lip to stop it from wobbling. "It's so stupid," you whispered.

"What do you mean?" He asked, careful with his words.

"Tommy Hagan…" Eddie's frown deepened at the name. "Freshman year," you sniffed as you crossed your arms, "we dated for a month until I realized he only did it to get close to Steve. He was cheating on me with Carol." Eddie's eyes widened. "No one really knows though," you frowned too. "He wanted to keep it a secret and just hang out as friends. Should have known." You sighed, blinking a few times before placing your fries on the side and wiping both your eyes with your sleeves.

"Is that why you started that shell?"

"Yeah," you nodded, your head still feeling dizzy from the alcohol and the tension from the tears.

"Well, he and your brother are assholes."

"Tell me about it," you smiled, turning around so the side of your head rested against the headrest. Your glossy eyes met his as the shallow light from Hawkins eked into the van.

High above the town, in a beat up, poorly kept van that smelt of weed, nothing felt vulnerable in that moment. 

You didn't know if it was the feeling of the alcohol still coursing through your veins, or the way Eddie was looking at you––his doe eyes holding in so much softness and compassion––much more than you had ever felt in years. 

Before you knew it, words left your lips, mumbling into the short silence:

"You're pretty,” the way his features changed as he smiled made you smile too. It's as if his eyes sparkled every time he did, the way he slowly registered the meaning of it when a short laugh tumbled out. Eddie was happy the car was barely lit because a blush had spread its way across his nose.

"And you're drunk."

"Not that drunk" you stated, a tear filled giggle echoing through the space.

“I said it earlier, but you’re pretty too.”

“Thank you,” you smiled, and Eddie liked it ten times better than the frown you had seconds prior.

You sighed before grabbing your coke and taking a new sip, the drink washing the bare minimum of your pain and sadness away. 

You spent the next hour talking about nothing and everything as you finished the rest of your order. The more you spoke the more he could see the tension washing away from you, and the alcohol slowly dissipating from your system.

He could see that by the end, you were trying not to fall asleep on him. The night had already been long and emotional enough that your eyes were closing without your consent.

"C'mon, let's get you home, Harrington."

“Hmm,” you barely had the strength to nod, Eddie smiling when a yawn escaped you, making him yawn just seconds after.

The engine starting broke the quiet of the empty streets, like a familiar melody that was stuck replay until the van would come to a halt. The green dragon proudly standing on the dash nodding his head up and down as the van moved along the road.

The stars were bright, with not a cloud to hide them, and Eddie could see the moon in the distance of the road. It was the perfect setting, and for a fleeting moment he actually imagined what it would be like to be with you. 

Actually be in a relationship with you. With no stupid deals made over a popular rich kid’s tantrum. 

He imagined what it would feel like to hold your hand without the burning reminder that this was never meant to be real; or Imagined what it would feel like to cup your cheek and run his thumb across it before locking your lips into a kiss.

He wondered what it would feel like to have you in his arms, laying across his chest as he read you The Fellowship of the Ring––his favorite of the trilogy.. Reading the pages that were so dear to him until your eyes closed and your breath became shallow. Until you fell into the dream world and escaped the chaotic mess that life could be in this little town.

All the sudden he wanted to dance with you to his favorite ballads, take you on roadtrips that lead to festivals and golden moments where you got to see your favorite artists live. He wanted to see the sparks in your eyes when Axl Rose started singing and Slash took over with his guitar solo; or how you would scream with him when Angus Young and the rest of AC/DC entered the stage and would take you to another planet for the evening. 

But at the end of the day, the money was still buried at the bottom of his jean pocket.

The green bills he swore had morphed into poisonous objects worthy of the worst fantasy villain. Money was Sauron. Money was plaguing the land that wished to be enriched by kindness and goodness and love. Steve’s never-ending funds had become a curse to that sacred land––himself––and now broiled in its controversy, Eddie knew not how to return to normal or understand how good could ever come from something so ridiculous. 

The faces of the founding fathers turned into monsters like the ones he wrote about for his campaigns. 

The familiar forest road that led to your house was more of a reminder that this wasn’t supposed to be real and never would be; that this was just a stupid deal made over a greedy whim.

Eddie was greeted by the same trees that stood tall along the edges and the same fences to define property lines. The van came to a halt at the same spot he had parked in exactly one week prior. Before the headlights turned off with the engine and darkness washed over the scene, he caught a glimpse of the neighbor's cat perched high up at the exact spot he saw him last. His large yellow eyes mocking Eddie before the faint light source coming from your neighbors driveway made him become only but a shadow.

He could barely see your closed eyes and even breaths when he turned to you, yet his heart twisted in his chest again.

Eddie was falling in love and he knew that was bad. Terrible even.

Eddie had taken the deal for money. 

Extra cash to afford things he hadn’t had the privilege to buy in the past. Eddie jumped into the deal with no other thoughts or possible outcomes. He just knew you as that one hot girl who fought anyone who tried to drag her into the neat boxes people created for themselves due to the fear of being different, and never in the entire time that he had passed you in Hawkin’s middle or high school had he labeled you anything more.

Eddie did not take the deal to meet the girl he never even knew could exist. He never knew it actually existed right there in front of him the entire time. He didn’t take the deal to suddenly feel empty at the thought of you not being by his side, or feel doomed at the thought of you knowing the reasons why he came to talk to you on that random Tuesday afternoon. Eddie never expected that the girl the Hellfire club had labeled as ‘hot but aggressive’ would steal his heart.

A heart that was never on the market in the first place. 

A deep sigh escaped Eddie’s lips as he scanned your figure. Trying to remember the most he could in the dim light peering from outside the car’s windows.

You looked like an angel. 

And the butterflies lodged in his stomach went crazy the more he stared. Eddie never wanted to forget the way your hair fell, any attempts to groom it gone with the night’s adventures. You looked so peaceful, with his hoodie comfortably wrapped around you, he had never known someone could look so comfortable in the seat of his shitty van.

What he was feeling was overwhelming. It made him want to throw the money out of the window and scream the ache away. Curse the skies as to why he had never noticed you before.

But he didn’t do any of that. Instead, he took a breath and leaned in. He didn’t want to wake you but he didn’t have a choice. The peaceful bubble had to be popped. Sleeping beauty had to be awakened from her curse.

But instead of her prince, it was a messy metalhead teenager who was only sitting beside her because of a deal. A deal Eddie had made with your brother––who hurt you with cutting words he knew not to be true. 

With the  pads of his fingers, calloused from years of playing guitar, Eddie delicately reached to move a strand of hair away from your face. 

Maybe the touch was too gentle because it didn’t do anything to wake you. 

“Hey,” his voice was careful, his hand reaching your shoulder and gently rubbing circles on it. 

“Hmm,” you hummed, slightly moving as his hand jostled you carefully. 

“Y/n, we're here,” Eddie gently squeezed your shoulder and this time you made a bigger movement. Your eyes squeezing tightly before you opened them to be met with Eddie’s eyes peering out to you in the darkness. 

“Hmmm,” it was a hum that accompanied a stretch. “ Where are we?” You blinked, rubbing your eyes with the knuckles of your index fingers. 

“At your house.”

“Already?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “Already.”

“Okay,” you said it quietly. A world of emotions swept back under the carpet as you stretched your arms and yawned, Eddie admiring each of your movements. 

“I’ll walk you home.”

“What a gentleman,” you smirked tiredly before pulling the sleeves of his sweatshirt, already bracing yourself from the cold that would meet you once you opened the door. 

Eddie strutted around the front of the car to get to you. The second he was close you leaned in, stuffing your head in the crook of his neck and groaned in an attempt to voice your frustration. 

“I’m dreading going back,” you mumbled against his shirt. It didn’t take Eddie long to wrap his arms around your shoulders. 

“It will be alright.”

“I hope so…” the thought of seeing Steve at breakfast tomorrow haunted you. 

You didn’t know how long you stayed like this. Leaning into Eddie, your hands around his torso as you tried to ease your pain away. 

You were tired. Really tired, and already felt the hints of the hangover you’d have the next morning. 

That’s probably why you needed his comfort. These odd emotions that came fluttering back started to become comforting. Being in Eddie’s arms made you forget that it was the middle of the night and you were standing in front of his beat up van parked at the crossroad between your home and your neighbor’s. All you could think of was that a sense of comfort you had never gotten the chance to feel before was filling every bit of you. As if just the feeling of his arms around you was enough to make your pain disappear. 

“We should get you home,” of course he had to break the silence. 

You nodded and felt his hands gently rub your back before they fell back at his side. You instantly missed his warmth, the hoodie becoming all you had left of him on you. 

The gravel passage was still the same as Eddie remembered from a week before. Nothing but maybe a few new flowers and leaves scattered on the earth’s floor. He dodged the same branches, passed by the same rose bush he had stolen from until the fence of your house changed from tall, strong wood to soft wires that could bend with barely any force. 

“Thank you,” you turned around to face him. Only the moon lighting up his features through the trees. “For everything,” you looked away, almost ashamed. “I was an idiot tonight.”

“Don’t worry about it… Every teenager has at least one stupid night under their belt,” he smiled.

Time stood still. You didn’t want to go back to the walls that still held Steve’s words. You didn’t want to leave the comfort of the boy standing in front of you. 

You took a step closer, a hand making its way to his cheek. Your thumb gliding through it the same way Eddie had imagined doing to you. 

The touch of your soft hand was almost too much to take in;  the fire that accompanied it burning Eddie like the fires of Mount Doom. 

You were leaning in and he was too despite what his head was telling him; his whole body caving in without his mind’s knowledge––his heart taking over now. 

"Can I kiss you?" There. The dagger had been planted right to his heart. 

His mind jolted to your state of mind. 

His mind jolted to the chill of the early morning. 

His mind jolted to the money that burned a hole through his body. 

"Not tonight, princess," he whispered, hoping you wouldn't catch the strain in his voice as he said it. Hoping that in these three words you wouldn't cause a tumble of emotions to lead you down a worse path in self-love. Eddie did not want you to figure out how conflicted he was feeling, nor did he want you to think Steve was somehow right. 

He watched as your face changed. Confusion written in your eyes before it changed to something he didn’t know how to decipher. 

Your hand fell from his cheek, Eddie instantly felt lost again. 

“Well… I’ll see you later, I guess,” your words were as cold as ice and hard as stone. 

Eddie’s entire being screamed to reach out for you. To climb the fence with you and chase you through the maze of trees until he could fix what he had done and kiss you. 

Kiss you like he had dreamed of only minutes prior.

But life wasn’t as simple. 

And Eddie knew he couldn’t let his heart decide this time because the green paper monsters were still screaming in his pocket.