#Tin and Tina Spoilers

[angstmongertina]

Caleb “Bushman” Widogast

[brunnerasposts]

"Halloween Bash" pt. 2

S.H. x Female Reader

Summary: You and Steve drop Dustin off at the snowball which leads to the mention of past lies and a revealing truth

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: st2 spoilers, best friends to lovers, sweet Dustin boi, swearing, mutual pining

Additional Notes: thank you all so much for all the love and support on the first parter to to this! I hope you all enjoy this second part as well! I kinda lost inspo halfway through writing this but tried to give it my all. Likes, comments, and reshares are always appreciated :)

Pt. 1 is linked here! :)

Tags: @onlylauraa @makepastanotwar13 @pagesfalling @loulou0101 @mrsjaderogers @frostandflamesfanfic @my-tin-can-mans @asmilinghopefullromantic

It had been two months since Tina's Halloween Bash incident and you weren't really sure where Steve had gone.

After Halloween night he had separated himself from you, not picking up any of your phone calls for almost over a week straight. He was never home either. It worried you, but you wanted to remain positive. Maybe he had gone on a spontaneous road trip with his family? Who knew?

You were worried.

Then at some point around one in the morning on November 8th, he had come knocking on your bedroom window and when you opened it, he seemed so relieved to see you.

The male hugged you tightly and you had never been more happy to hug him than in that moment. You didn't ask where he had gone, only glad that he had returned and was safe. You of course lectured him on not stating that he would be gone for a period of time and to not panic as you had been panicking all week.

He apologized, and the longer you looked at him, the more you noticed how he had seemed to have changed. Steve was different somehow. More nervous, more anxious now that he had seen you.

Almost as if something could have happened to you. It was strange yet you hugged him once more anyway.

Now as the colder season approached, you sat in the backseat of Steve's car, listening to him as he hyped up Dustin, one of the kids you had grown to love.

"Now you're gonna go in there."

"Yeah." Dustin nodded.

"You look like a million bucks." Steve continued to boost Dustin's confidence, your eyes focused on the head of hair Dustin had.

It was different than his normal curly hair, almost as though he had taken inspiration from Steve's hair and tried to make it his own.

"Yeah!" Dustin agreed, nodding once again. "And you're gonna slay 'em dead." Steve promised.

"Like a lion." Dustin then proceeded to purr with a grin on his face. You couldn't help but smile, always finding it a bit silly when he did that but also rather cute for his age. Steve, however, winced a bit.

"Yeah..don't do that, okay?" He asked, causing Dustin's smile to fall. "Okay."

Steve then held his hand out to Dustin, the boy shaking his hand as goodbye. "Be safe in there, and good luck." You told him, placing a small kiss to the boy's cheek. Dustin smiled a bit and nodded. "Yeah, good luck kid."

"I will and thanks." He nodded again before turning and removing his seat belt. He then opened the car door, and made his way out. Once he shut the door and began walking in, Steve rolled down the backseat window so you could also watch him walk inside.

"It's like sending our kid off to school," You joked, making him chuckle a bit. The both of you watched as Dustin turned his ticket into his science teacher and picked up a conversation, making you smile. Looking over at Steve you expected to see him smiling proudly as well, but he wasn't.

His face had contorted into one of slight hurt and sadness, making you confused. You looked back to where Dustin was, only to see the real problem. Behind the door that led into the gymnasium was Nancy Wheeler.

"Still hurts?" You asked, crawling into the front passenger seat. Once you were situated, the male nodded. "I still love her, but not really in the same way anymore." He shrugged his shoulders, making you arch an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, beforehand I loved her and wanted to really be with her. Now it's somehow turned itself into a friendly sort of love. I just want her to be okay." He sighed, and his answer made you smile.

"I'm proud of you Steve." You told him, the male smiling a bit in return. "Did you think I'd be miserable forever?" He questioned which made you laugh. "No, I'm just glad you managed to figure that out on your own."

"God knows how many times I had to step in when you couldn't dump a girl or tell her things weren't working out. I think I've gotten most of the Hawkins High females to somehow hate me yet love you still." While it was a joke, it was somewhat true. Anytime Steve had been too much of a high horse to break up with a girl, you'd have to do it for him. He finally was off the whole King Steve thing.

"Yeah that won't happen anymore." He promised, though you didn't really believe him. "Yeah sure, who's next on your list? Am I gonna have to start helping girls develop feelings for you now too?" You teased, making Steve chuckle.

"No, I uh..I think I can handle this one." He spoke, your playful manner quickly dying.

"Wait, you already have eyes on another girl?" You questioned, your chest tightening a bit from the sudden painful news.

"Yeah, I've actually had my eyes on her for a while. Before Nancy actually, but then Nancy came into the picture so I figured it would be easier with her." He shrugged, glancing inside the middle school one last time to make sure Dustin got in okay before driving off.

"And you've never mentioned her to me before?" You asked, now slightly offended at having never been told about your best friend's secret crush. Your mind was spinning, going through a flip book of names. "It's not Tammy Thompson is it?" You questioned, nose wrinkling up in disgust.

"No, no, it's not Tammy. She sounds like a muppet when she sings." He huffed, the comment making you giggle. The longer you tried to figure it out, the more lost in thought you became.

Steve glanced over at you, smiling softly because of your confused expression. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to tell you because this was more entertaining for him.

He enjoyed the way your eyebrows scrunched together when you were stuck trying to figure out the answer to something; it made him enjoy keeping it from you even more.

You were beginning to give up, a small whine leaving your mouth. "Oh come on, Stevie you know I'm not good at guessing." You frowned, making him laugh again.

"I know you aren't. Thats what makes this so fun." He stuck his tongue out at you, making you huff a bit. "Harrington, don't test me." You playfully warned, waving a finger at him.

He raised a hand up in surrender, keeping his eyes on the road. "Wouldn't dream of it, babe." The nickname while commonly used still made your heart flutter. You tried to calm yourself by thinking of any other girl that would have Steve's eyes, going through the years of highschool.

"Who was that one girl in Ms. Click's class? Robin I think her name was?" You questioned and Steve shrugged his shoulders as he turned on the radio. The beginning to the song "Keep on Loving You" by REO Speedwagon played, almost a little too fitting to the conversation. "Don't know her." Steve mentioned, making you nod a little.

"Well its obviously not Carol Perkins. She and Tommy are still a thing, number one. Number two, she was down right just a bitch." You didn't have too great of a past with Carol, a past you didn't really want Steve to know about as he used to be friends with her.

"Definitely not Carol Perkins. It's not Heather Holloway either." He practically read your mind. "God, Steve! You've associated with so many chicks these past four years, how am I supposed to guess who this girl is?" You asked as he pulled up to his house.

When the car was put into park, he turned to face you, smiling softly. Confused, you arched an eyebrow at him and faced him as well. "Steve?" You questioned, unsure if he had something to say.

His eyes shifted to your lips for a moment, making you suddenly nervous. You subconsciously licked your lips, a soft smile forming on your face as you figured he was just being a goof as usual. "Steve, what's up? Have you finally caved and are gonna tell me who it is?" You questioned, meeting his eyes.

"Yeah," He let out a small breath before nodding his head up and down. "Yeah, I'll tell you." He swallowed harshly, hands fidgeting as they moved from the steering wheel and now rested in his lap. "But I have to tell you something else first." Steve practically teased you, yet you let him tell you what he had to say anyway.

"Fine, what is it that you have to tell me?" You asked him, relaxing your shoulder into the cushioned seat of the car. Steve seemed hesitant to tell you, but ultimately took a deep breath and asked, "Do you remember Halloween night?"

You sighed softly, figuring he was going to apologize for the millionth time. "Steve—"

"Do you?" He asked softly, your eyebrows furrowing as you weren't sure what he was getting at. "Yes, I do. I remember the whole night." You promised him, tilting your head slightly as you took in his figure.

Steve seemed nervous, rubbing his hands on his jeans before running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, good. Good."

You couldn't help but giggle a bit. "Is that all?" You knew it wasn't, but it was clear he needed a little assistance in getting out what he had to say. "No, um, I had a confession I wanted to make."

His words caused your smile to slowly fall, your heart beginning to beat a little faster. What could he possibly have to confess about Halloween? Was it something involving Nancy?

"Y/N," He began, "I know I kissed you."

Your stomach dropped. "What?" You blinked a few times as you weren't even sure you heard him correctly.

"That night? I was drunk, but I know what happened. I kissed you, and I'm so sorry." He apologized, making you shake your head. "You have nothing to apologize for. Why are you even apologizing, Steve?" You asked, seeing as that was literally two months ago.

The high school senior's lips parted, and yet no words left his mouth. After a moment, you called his name.

"Steve."

"I wanted to apologize for kissing you that night. And I'm apologizing now because I want to kiss you again."

At first, you thought it had been a joke. Payback for Halloween was what you assumed. And yet it was very real. Steve's cheeks were flushed from embarrassment, his eyes frantically searching yours for some sort of sign of comprehension to what he had told you.

Slowly, you reached forward and grabbed Steve's hands. "Steve, listen." It was clear that just from those two words, Steve began to panic. He was worried you didn't feel that way too. "Halloween night wasn't just you. You may have initiated the kiss but I didn't necessarily stop it right away." You admitted, eyes focused on his hands.

It was hard to confess that while looking him in the eye. "Why not?" He asked nervously, making you smile. "Because I've been in love with you for a while Harrington." Your eyes finally met, and a smile was quick to grow on his face. "Really?" He asked, making you nod shyly.

"Thank god," He leaned forward, hands stretching outward to cup your face in them. Once he had, he met you halfway and pressed his lips against yours. The kiss was slow and gentle, despite the adrenaline boost you both had gotten beforehand.

It was like a dream. If it was, you never wanted to wake up. Your hands slowly inched their way up and around his neck, leaning into him as the kiss continued into multiple passionate ones.

"Steve," You mumbled against his lips, making him groan softly. "God, I really do love it when you say my name." He mentioned, making you tense suddenly. Slowly, you pulled away from the kiss and gave him a confused look.

It wasn't the first time you heard those words leave his mouth.

"Exactly how much of Halloween do you remember?" You asked him, making him chuckle a bit. "All of it?" He seemed nervous to tell you.

Your cheeks burned from embarrassment, you quickly hiding your face in your hands. His hands moved to your arms which he rubbed sympathetically. "Oh my God, you mean to tell me that for the last two months you've known I had feelings for you?" You questioned, Steve shrugging his shoulders.

"I was worried it wasn't true." He admitted, making you sigh and reveal your face once again. "Steve, you make me so frustrated sometimes." You couldn't help but laugh a bit in shock from the whole ordeal. He chuckled as well before gently intertwining your hands.

"I know." Was all he said before you both leaned in again. As you kissed, you felt completely and entirely whole. Nothing could ruin this chance you had with Steve. No one could, not even Nancy.

Once you both parted for air, Steve continued to grin like a fool. "What do you say we go inside and watch some Christmas movies?" He asked, your smile matching his own.

"How could I possibly say no?" You questioned, unbuckling your seatbelt. "Y/N?" Steve asked as you both exited the car, you looking over to him as you shut the car door.

"Yeah?" You let out a small breath, a cloud of air revealing itself on the chilly and snowy night.

"I love you."

Steve had never said that before. Not to you anyway. By the puppy dog look on his face, you knew it was a true statement.

"I love you too." You told him, sprinting over before hugging him tightly. He brought you into his arms, holding you just as close.

The ground beneath you both didn't seem to support the hug as Steve began to slip and slide a bit on the thin sheet of ice that covered his driveway. "You okay?" You giggled before screaming as you both ended up falling into the snow covered lawn.

Looking to each other, you proceeded to bust out laughing and stayed laying in the snow for a bit longer to simply enjoy the moment together.

"You're such a dork." You giggled, leaning in to press your lips against his. He pressed your body closer to his, practically melting under your touch.

"I'm your dork." He corrected you, gently brushing your hair out of your face. It was like you were living life inside a holiday romance movie.

And honestly? It's a movie you'll never forget.

THE END.

[veronicamarsconfessions]

I was hugely excited by the announcement that a fourth season of teen noir show Veronica Mars was going to be made, nearly fifteen years after the show’s initial air date (and cancellation after three seasons), and five years after the crowdfunded movie came out. As soon as the show dropped on Hulu (or Stan, if you’re in Australia like me) – a week earlier than initially slated, I rushed to watch it. And I was so distraught by the ending that it genuinely took two days for my mood to return to something even vaguely resembling ‘okay’.

For those of you who haven’t seen it *SPOILERS FROM HERE ON*,

season four has Veronica (Kristen Bell) chasing down a serial bomber who seems to be trying to destroy the Spring Break business in Neptune. It turns out that the first bomb was set by property developer ‘Big’ Dick Casablancas, trying to destroy the Spring Break business in order to buy the waterfront properties cheaply, and the subsequent bombs were set by a pizza delivery man, Penn Epner (Patton Oswalt), who fancies himself a detective and is out to find glory after he is initially ridiculed for his public accusation of an incorrect suspect. The season itself had several issues (one of them being some seriously murky motivations behind Epner’s behaviour, like, if he really was that much of a genius, why was he a pizza delivery man?, and that the people ultimately behind the crimes are more or less ‘hidden in plain sight’ all along, which is a disappointing departure from the way the initial seasons cleverly hid the villain until quite late in proceedings). However, the issue for which there is not enough therapy in the world to appease me is the season’s last-minute killing off of reformed bad-boy and Veronica’s long-time boyfriend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring), right after they finally got married.

Series creator and showrunner, Rob Thomas, justified this decision by saying ‘I know this seems crazy or harsh but Veronica is at her best when she’s an underdog and I don’t know that there’s much to root for if she’s now got a perfect relationship. I need to keep her fighting and I need to keep her a little bit uncomfortable in order to have a show. There’s nothing funny or interesting about perfection.’

Except that’s a deeply flawed understanding of how relationships function, and a deeply messed up thing to push on to people.

It’s fair to acknowledge that once the ‘will-they-won’t-they’ is resolved, TV shows often decline in quality, or at the very least, significantly depart from the original formula which made them into such beloved hits at their beginning. But there are two significant issues with this: First, the assumption that TV shows must remain the same in order to be good. There are some interesting observations that the job of the sitcom episode (in particular) is to return all characters to more or less their original starting points. While that is broadly true, TV shows, like life, need to evolve in order to stay interesting, and as across seasons, audiences grow alongside the characters they watch evolve and mature.

Nevertheless, it was fair for Thomas to note that the characterisation of Veronica is someone who is embittered and cynical about people’s fidelity and inherent goodness  – after all, when we first meet her at the age of sixteen, her best friend has been brutally murdered, she’s been raped, her alcoholic mother has upped and left, and her adored father and moral compass has been socially ostracised for a) doing his job and b) being not super wealthy. It’s a lot. Veronica’s very understandable trust issues are compounded by the moonlighting she does as a P.I where, to she regularly sees people cheating on one another and generally behaving in unpleasant ways. So it’s reasonable to point out that for Veronica, the notion of the ‘happily ever after’ is a deeply uncomfortable one. But to keep her in the same mindset as she was at aged 16 is to deny her the capacity to grow as a character.

It’s fair that there was a desire to avoid repeating the pattern previously established (withdrawn/bitter etc), but – and here is my ultimate point – that could have been avoided.

Some of the most complex and interesting storylines come from couples who get together and have to navigate relationships; compromising to fit together, find a way to make it work. Think about the evolution of Niles and Daphne’s relationship in Frasier (and leave aside some of the aspects to his earlier infatuation with her that seem distinctly distasteful in a post-#metoo world). While much of the humour between them in earlier seasons was because of his unrealised ardour for her, after they became a couple, the hardships they navigated through being a couple, and the deepening richness of their relationship that was both romantic and based in friendship, produced some truly hilarious moments. Similarly, one of my (and our fabulous Chief Nerd, Elise’s) favourite TV shows, Chuck, *SPOILER* has the two leads get together in season 3. The show was no lesser for that fact because as Chuck and Sarah’s relationship deepened, they explored facets of themselves that they hadn’t previously shown – it provided more material for the writers, not less.

One of my favourite articles on the ending of Veronica Mars, season four, pointed out that Logan has the most interesting character development because he works to better himself – he has come a long way from the miscreant teenager who organised ‘bum fights’, and he had the potential to become an even more interesting character. How this interacted with Veronica’s cynicism could have provided significant fodder for more story.

But, giving full credit to Rob Thomas for a moment here, the show is called Veronica Mars, not Logan Echolls. So the decision to axe Logan was made to push Veronica’s character development forward, especially given the shows position as a gender-flipped noir which so often has the embittered, cynical detective dealing with the ongoing pain of a tragically killed love.

But the problem is that I can’t actually see how this is going to do anything but ossify Veronica’s primary characteristics: bitter, a hardnosed and reckless desire to catch the bad guy at any cost. Moreover, in most of the noir detective stories, this love has died before we meet the hard-bitten detective.

Thomas said to The Hollywood Reporter, “Moving forward, we’re going to really build around [the idea that] the case is the thing and less of the soap opera of Veronica’s life.” Except Veronica Mars is all about character. Her interactions with her father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni) and the genuine bond of affection between them evokes some of the show’s most poignant interactions. Her internal struggle when the pursuit of justice comes up against questions of morality is inherent grounded in her character. One of its most interest aspects across the years is that Veronica is often wrong. She falsely accuses people (including Logan himself), she behaves badly, she takes her friends for granted, and she can be reckless to the point where she endangers herself and someone has to come in and rescue her (case in point: wandering into the base of an Irish gang that had a particular grudge against her father). So to strip away the elements to the story that allow for depiction and consideration of those complexities would be to lose much of the show’s point.

There’s also a part of me that feels the way in which Logan was killed feels personal. Logan and Veronica were never initially meant to get together, but in the first episodes, the chemistry between the characters, and Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring was so profound that it was written in. I might be putting on my tin foil hat to say this, but it feels as though Thomas resented the manner in which LoVe became such a pivotal part of the Veronica Mars ‘brand’. What really underpins that for me is that the way the series sent off other characters was considered, and gave them a certain ‘exit’. The way in which Logan was killed off feels almost like an afterthought, made more so by some of the questions that arise from the manner. How did he know that she would be in it when it actually blew up? Moreover, the convenience of him leaving a voicemail for his therapist about why he wanted to marry Veronica (why exactly would he call his therapist to tell him about his epiphany? Who has that kind of relationship with their therapist?), and this woman’s decision to keep it from Veronica for a year seems weirdly contrived. Because it was.

However, to be fair, one could claim that the season mistreated some of its other characters, too. Tina Majorino who plays Cindy ‘Mac’ Mackenzie specifically noted that she did not want to return because she did not want her character to be sidelined. Similarly, the complexity to Eli ‘Weevil’ Navaro’s character was stripped away, as was the depth of his relationship with Veronica. What’s worse is that this could have been a really interesting storyline; why he decided to walk away from the court case which would have seen him awarded with compensation for what happened to him in the movie. While we are told that his wife left him along with his child, prompting him to return to his old gang-running ways, the depth of his grief and the reputable life he lost were never really portrayed. Honestly, I would have preferred that rather than the convoluted storyline that involved Mexican cartel hitmen.

But beyond my argument as a writer as to why Logan’s death was a totally unnecessary element to bring in, it also feels like a real slap in the face to fans. I’ve previously talked about the relationship this show has with its fans. Realistically, season 4…hell, the movie, only existed because of the love and support fans showed the show.

Any narrative material exists to interact with fans. Obviously, there is a fine line that can cross into blatant pandering, and there is also a trend that offers a ‘gritty’ or ‘sad’ end (ie the tragic death of the lover), but it’s a balance.

The Veronica Mars movie was very much fan service – it was, after all, fan funded. Much of the movie’s contents and storyline were determined by what Thomas was seeing from fan comments on social media, noting “I did have an idea of things people wanted to see, characters I wanted to get an appearance in, whether it felt extraneous or not.” He added, “there’s no way in the world we would have had a fan-funded movie and I would have killed Logan,” he added.

In the same interview, he said, “I fear that leaning into the high school soap that the show started out as is a losing proposition, that it will start feeling nostalgic rather than vital. If Kristen [Bell] and I want to make more of these Veronica Mars mysteries, I think it’s going to survive best as a true mystery show with a badass PI at the center of it, and I think that works better if the PI doesn’t have a boyfriend.”

Yet for a show whose who schtick was challenging the noir detective genre, it seems the prospect that someone fundamentally gritty and damaged can also have a relationship that the struggle to be healthy was simply a bridge too far.

And at the crux of it, what really frustrates me – as a fan, and as a writer – is that for Thomas, it simply felt too hard to give Logan and Veronica an enduring relationship, and it if wasn’t too difficult, then he perceived it destroyed some fundamental part of the show by making it emotionally sappy. If that’s the dichotomy in which Thomas thinks, then Veronica Mars is no longer the show which attracted its die-hard following of fans and may as well be a different show with a similar premise.

[yeahhiyellow]

Pick 5 shows, then answer the following questions, don’t cheat. Tag 10 (or however many) people.

Okay so I'm actually going to do this with videogames because I only watch 1 fictional show 😂

Detroit: Become Human

The Sims 4

Life Is Strange

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm

Life Is Strange 2

1. Who is your favourite character in 2? Morgan Fyres, she's adorable and deserves more recognitionnnn

2. Who is your least favourite character in 1? Either Zlatko or Perkins I HATE THEM

3. What is your favourite chapter of 4? Brave New World, you really get to see Rachel and Chloe's relationship grow and I love them sm

4. What is your favourite chapter of 5 (so far)? Roads, that one has sooooooo many important messages about social issues

5. Who is your favourite couple in 3? MAX AND CHLOE LET'S GO

6. Who is your favourite couple in 2? Okay so in no way is this canon whatsoever but whatevs. Cassandra Goth and Yuki Behr.

7. What is your favourite episode of 1? My number 1 has to go to Battle for Detroit, but god all the chapters are SO GOOD

8. What is your favourite episode of 5? I mean for shows it was originally seasons and episodes but for videogames you don't have this so same as 4

9. What is your favourite chapter of 2? Uh well it's Sims? I guess I'll just put my favorite expansion pack, which is Seasons (Cats and Dogs comes in at a VERY close second).

10. How long have you watched/played 1? Originally, back when it came out, I saw DBH on one of the YouTube channels I watch, EnglishSimmer. Back then, I was still kind of brainwashed by my mom's dislike of "violent videogames" (which I think is soooooo stupid now), so I didn't watch it. However, after a couple weeks, I finally decided to give it a chance. Since I watched ALL of her videos and kept seeing the series pop up, I had to give in at some point. I fell in love with the game immediately, and have now hyperfixated on it for more than a year (I have problems, we all know this). I saved up enough money to get DBH and the ps4 shortly after my birthday in February, and OH MY GOD I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN HAPPIER THAT WAS ONE OF MY LIFE'S PEAKS AHHHHHHHHHH

11. How did you become interested in 3? EnglishSimmer on YouTube, again. Please go check out her channel, she's awesome!

12. Who is your favourite actor in 4? Uh, I don't know, they're all really cool and I like them all lol

13. Which do you prefer, 1, 2, or 5? Sorry Sims and LIS, I love you too, but we all know how obsessed with DBH I am.

14. Which show have you seen more episodes of, 1 or 3? 1, I still haven't mustered up the courage to watch the last chapter of LIS (lol, also I don't have the game so I have to watch it on YouTube)

15. If you could be anyone from 4, who would you be? Probably Rachel Amber, she's gay as fuck. She also has a secret bad home life and is into the theater, like me. Additionally, she has a 4.0 GPA (although tbh I have all A's/4.0 GPA so I'm not even jealous of her lol... yep, I'm a major nerd don't judge me). However, she dies, so, um, yeah. Btw that's not a spoiler, don't worry.

16. Would a crossover between 3 and 4 work? I mean, they already are crossovers so yeah?

17. Pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but strangely okay couple? Reed900. That is all I have to say. But also Tina and Chloe, that ship is really cute.

18. Overall, which show has the better storyline, 3 or 5? How tf am i supposed to choose? They are both so amazingggggggg ahhhhhhhh

19. Which has the better theme music, 2 or 4? Idk since the music for 4 is copyrighted and I've only watched it on YouTube, but I've heard it's really good

And I'll tag @mia-bean @phckingandroids @dbh-and-rdr2-are-life @bluebloodedsweater @sonic-fairyspell @tin-a-can @abbeyplusultra @pug-bean @xultraviolxnce @robojesusislife but only if you want to as always!