#balloon burst

[carolperkinsexgirlfriend]

Steddie Upside-Down AU Part 97

Part 1 Part 96

Perkins and Barb are already there when Eddie wakes up. Perkins hushed laugh grates at his brain, shredding it like cheese until he has no choice but to open his eyes. 

“What the fuck?” Eddie murmurs, rubbing dust bunnies from his eyes.

They’re sitting huddled together at the side of Steve’s bed, Wayne at their side in his own chair. 

“Mornin’, boy,” he says, sipping at his shitty cup of free hospital coffee as he looks down his nose at Eddie’s prone form. “You done hogging your friend's sick bed?” He puts a weird inflection on the word ‘friend’ that has Eddie’s cheeks blooming.

“Shut up, old man,” he hisses. 

The bed’s a tight enough fit that he can feel Steve’s warmth radiating all up his back and up his ribs where his arm’s partially wrapped around Eddie. He tries to shuffle free, movements slow and furtive so as not to interrupt his sleep. 

It doesn’t work. Steve’s arm tightens, the metal splint on finger painfully into Eddie’s ribs as he mutters, “where you going Eddie?” but he slurs it altogether and trails off so it comes out more like, “wherego, Ed.” 

Eddie smiles, helpless and aching with it as he settles back onto the hospital's shitty cardboard mattress.

“You’ve got visitors, angel.”

Steve’s hand leaving his waist feels like a loss. His elbow digs into Eddie’s back as he props himself up enough to be able to see past Eddie’s wild hair to who’s sitting beside his bed. 

“What the fuck?” 

Wayne huffs. “Mornin, kid, reaching past Eddie to ruffle Steve’s hair. “How ya feelin’?”

“I’m fine,” Steve lies, voice turning distant and small as he asks,  “Carol?”

Unable to stand not seeing Steve’s face for a second longer, Eddie shuffles within tight quarters to lever himself up, back plastered to what passes as the bed’s headboard. Steve’s still propped up on his elbows, arms shaking as he tries to hold himself up.

Eddie reaches over, pulling with all his strength until Steve’s settled upright beside him. Steve doesn’t turn his way, but he reaches over and takes Eddie’s hand like it’s instinct, and that’s even better.

Steve’s eyes are big as he looks over at his best friend. “What–” he starts, word cracking dryly in his throat.  “What are you doing here?”

Eddie reaches over to grab the pitcher of water on Steve’s bedside table, glowering when Barb beats him to it. She pours it into one of the hospital's flimsy paper cups, holding it out to Steve like an offering.

He takes it, gulps it down, doesn’t look away from Perkinsl’ washed-out face. 

She’s not wearing any make-up, and her hair’s gone all greasy and flat. Most damning, she’s wearing one of Steve’s Hawkins swim team hoodies that Eddie knows for a fact was folded up in his own dresser at home. It swallows her, hanging past her hips until she’s shapeless.

She looks worn down and tired. Still, she rolls her eyes as Barb settles back down beside her. “What, you think I was gonna miss the show?” she asks. Her lips are quirked up playfully, eyes glossy.  “It was like King Steve all over again” 

Eddie looks away from her to watch that land on Steve. Steve who has always somehow been more and less than those around him make him out to be. Steve who’s always been more than a simple high school king. He furrows his brows the way he does when he knows there was a joke but the punchline hasn’t landed for him. 

“Wha–”

“You know because you were out of your mind and lost control?”

Eddie whips his head around, ready to strangle and snarl, rend flesh from bone. Barb sighs, dropping her face in her hand. Perkinss just sitting there, biting her lip on a laugh as she keeps her gaze trained on Steve. Like she hadn’t just said the most insensitive fucking thing Eddie’d ever heard come out of her mouth. 

Eddie feels Steve’s whole body tremble where their pressed hip to overlapping hip in the small bed. The rage boils inside Eddie until he’s shaking with it.

Behind him, Steve Harrington laughs. Eddie turns. Steve’s shoulders are shaking as he bites his own lip against his own helpless laughter, eyes shining as he looks over at his morbid, fucking up best friend. 

“Personally, I think this is an upgrade,” Steve says because even in this, these two are fucking freaks about everything.

“Beer pong to dropping bodies?” Perkins asks.

Eddie can’t help the way he gasps, clutching at his chest like he’s a suburban Mom that just caught sight of some ruffian in the grocery store. Perkins shifts her eyes over to Eddie, and somehow looking at his beat up face is what gets her crying.

It’s less that she stands up and more than she tries to stand, lunges forward, knees hitting the metal edge of the bed with a thwack as she crawls over the safety railing and falls partially on top of both their mangled bodies. 

Eddie tries to squirm out and away, but she’s got her face buried in Steve’s shoulder, arms wrapped around both of their necks. “I’m sorry I got lover boy's face beat in!” she warbles.

Steve snorts, snotty and wet. “That was you?”

They’re both messy, crying and laughing, refusing to let Eddie off this fucking bed and away from whatever the hell has infected it. He raises his head in desolation to meet Barb’s resigned gaze. 

She shrugs at him, chin cradled in the palm of her hand as she watches the two idiots in the bed lose their shit over something that should’ve never been funny. 

Eddie squints at her. She looks so ready to accept fate, like of course Perkins would be like this, and of course she’ll stay anyway. Somehow, after such a short time, they’re already a package deal.

Well, she could do worse. They both could 

“Carol, you–” Eddie starts before stalling, staring with wide eyes at Barb’s amused face. He clears his throat, starts over even though it’s too late. Names hold power, and now Carol’s gonna have ownership of his soul. Or however it goes. “Perkins, you’re a fucking freak.”

Carol sniffles and snorts, like a pig in a bog before lifting her head from Steve’s neck. Her face is covered in snot and saltwater, eyes puffy and ruined, but she’s smiling when she flings her arms around Eddie, rubbing her face into his own shirts despite his protests.

“Takes one to know one, darling,” she says, hugging him tight. 

Taglist: @deany-baby @estrellami-1 @altocumulustranslucidus @evillittleguy @carlprocastinator1000 @hallucinatedjosten @goodolefashionedloverboi @newtstabber @lunabyrd @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @manda-panda-monium @disrespectedgoatman @finntheehumaneater @ive-been-bamboozled @harringrieve @grimmfitzz @is-emily-real @dontstealmycake @angeldreamsoffanfic @a-couchpotato @5ammi90 @mac-attack19 @genderless-spoon @kas-eddie-munson @louismeds @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @pansexuality-activated @ellietheasexylibrarian @nebulainajar @mightbeasleep @neonfruitbowl @beth--b @silenzioperso @best-selling-show @v3lv3tf0x @bookworm0690 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @wonderland-girl143-blog @nerdsconquerall @sharingisntkaren @canmargesimpson @bananahoneycomb @rainwaterapothecary @practicallybegging

Part 98

[respectthepetty]

Warning: I'm about to be real crazy about Wandee Goodday's eighth episode.

BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING WITH THE COLORS?!

I knew love was coming because of pink = 💕love💕 but they are framed in purple

Because their colors are purple and yellow!*

Yak's color is yellow.

Not brown.

YELLOW!

And Dee's color is purple

So why do I keep getting attacked by this damn blue!

It's purple, Dee!

It's yellow, Yak!

So why can y'all not get your shit together?!

Why am I seeing these fake colors?!

Why can we not figure this out?!

WHAT IS WITH THIS FUCKING BLUE?!

And that damn brown?!

Next week, Dee is going to call out Yak for not being himself.

And they are going to end up in a space that fits both of them

So after that, can we please stop with these fake colors?

Yak already said that he loves Dee, so it is about damn time for him to put on Yak's purple!

If the colors do not color the exact way I think they should, I will not enjoy this show any less because I am greatly enjoying it so far, but . . . either I see purple on Yak's body the next time they kiss on the lips or in the finale because if not, I'm going to turn into Miley Ray Cyrus and come in like a motherfucking wrecking ball to destroy EVERYTHING!

AHHHHHH!!!!!!

*I could be wrong. Their colors could be brown and blue. They could be bi-colored. Yeah, and Bojangles Bo-Berry Biscuit could not be the best biscuit that ever existed at any chicken joint. I'm always open to the possibility that I'm wrong about stuff. I don't think I have everything right all the time. I've been wrong before. This could be another instance of that. But if I'm wrong, then the whole team is wrong, and that seems . . . wrong.

We can't ALL be wrong?

[sahnejungsliebhaber]

💥

„Junge, wenn du weiterhin dich mit süßem kalorienreichen Gebäck vollstopfst wirst du eines Tages platzen.“ Er hielt die Warnung seiner Mutter für ein Ammenmärchen und mampfte fröhlich weiter. Bis er schließlich ein seltsames prickeln an der Oberfläche seines sphärischen Bauches spürte. Er rief noch „Oh nein! Bitte nicht!“ Dann machte es „peng“. Der Junge war mit einem lauten Knall verpufft.

So liebe Kinder fresst Euch nicht so dick und voll!

“Boy, if you keep stuffing yourself with sweet, high-calorie pastries, you'll burst one day.” He thought his mother's warning was an old wives' tale and continued munching happily. Until he finally felt a strange tingling sensation on the surface of his spherical gut. He cried out, “Oh no! Please don't!” Then it went “bang”. The boy fizzled out with a loud bang. So dear children, don't gorge yourselves so fat and full!

[utilitycaster]

re: the term parasocial, specifically because it's come up in my notes a few times after I reblogged the post about dropout: I'm extremely guilty of this and should work on being better but "parasocial" on its own is a neutral term. It just serves to describe relationships where you know about someone but do not personally know them.

The issue is really that unhealthy aspect of it, which in my experience usually boils down to when people feel entitled to the responses of someone they know socially from someone with whom their relationship is only parasocial. It's feeling like someone you don't know is obligated to agree with you or validate you or, frankly, to acknowledge you exist. Parasocial relationships are inevitable unless you never hear of or see people without engaging with them socially. It's not bad to relate to or feel a connection to a celebrity especially if they share personal stuff; in fact it can be really positive! It is a problem when you expect them to have a specific response (or tbh any response) to you.

[beachballgirl]

“Laying an Egg” 🥚

-A new phrase, thanks to my friend! She came over, and after a few drinks I tried to pop this beach ball by bouncing on it super hard. When I got up from sitting on it, this is what it looked like. She said, “when you stood up it looked like you just laid an egg” 😂

That would be a fun game, try to get the egg-looking shape without it exploding underneath you. It’s not often they bulge and stretch like this, many times it will pop at a seam.

Whoever “lays an egg” wins and whoever makes theirs pop loses.

[mlm-blues]

why my boobs so big. deflate please

[destructive-delight]

my mood can swing any which direction multiple times an hour, so 2pm is definitely too early to be making such bold proclamations, but i am contemplating posting art today…………..

[sasterisk]

Why do you love Suitloon so much? Also can you make more art of them thank you...

I am SO GLAD YOU ASKED I will now be explaining why I adore Suitloon. (This is gonna get long)

During my first viewing of Season 2, I was absolutely hooked on Suitcase! I related to her a lot, being in middle school at the time I was figuring out life, and being a student with ADHD made me feel out of place and like others were taking advantage of me at times. I also related a lot to Balloon, as I was trying to prove myself to a strictly education-focused mother, it felt like I was nothing but a slacker in her mind, much like how Nickel views Balloon during season 2.

Besides my own relation to these characters, I'd like to talk about what happens in the show itself to solidify my adoration of Suitloon as a ship both platonic and romantic: (I know that Balloon is on the aro-ace spectrum, but I was shipping them before that was said. Objects in object shows having "sexualities" involving sex is a debatable thing as these are kids shows and I've had many debates with online friends on if objects would even have the... ahem... anatomy, let alone a sex drive OR the social idea of gender and sex existing within the object show universes. Do what you will, I see Balloon as demiromantic and Suitloon is bi4bi.)

Name a pair of characters in this show that are more devoted to each other and willing to sacrifice themselves for the other, I can't think of any, I find that Suitcase and Balloon are so intertwined with each other and that they truly and deeply care about each other.

Evidence of this devotion and sacrifice? I gotcha...

The elimination scene of Episode 11: Balloon knew how everyone would vote, seeing Suitcase being fed up with how Nickel treated them, and voted for himself to make it look like he voted for Nickel, and Suitcase voted for him, protecting her place in the alliance while sacrificing his place in the game. Suitcase, however, finally stands up for herself, calling out Nickels unjust behavior towards the both of them and sacrificing her place in the alliance to vouch for Balloons good character.

It's important to remember that Suitcase was friends with Balloon throughout the whole of the show! I don't see her being too socially unaware, she knew that everyone thought Balloon was a horrible person, especially two of her other friends Nickel and Baseball. She also expressed some skepticism of Balloon in Episode 6, over his previous manipulation in season 1, which they HEALTHILY COMMUNICATE ABOUT *cough* Nickel learn something here pls *cough*, and in Episode 10 her anxiety/hallucinations question which of her bonds are solid or hollow. Despite this, she CHOOSES to be close with Balloon because she genuinely cares about him, sacrificing her social stance to the other contestants AND taking a risk in trusting him at first, before they form a very solid bond.

[NOT CANON] Meanwhile, Balloon is also not socially unaware, he knows everyone hates him, and while being friends with Suitcase, I like to imagine he would think "I should stop associating with her so that she doesn't suffer the other contestants judgement."

Rain On Your Charade. That whole scene, enough said.

5. Mazed and Confused, especially this scene:

6. Mazed and Confused part 2:

Theres many other instances that show their devotion to each other as well, but these are a few of the most important and my favorite ones!

Overall, the main reason why I love Suitloon is the raw devotion they have for each other in the face of adversity. Suitcases story is one of overcoming social pressure and anxiety, learning when and how to stand up for both herself and for someone she cares about. Balloons story is learning when the approval and judgement of others matters, as well as finding people who genuinely care about him and learning how important these people are. These stories intertwine in a very natural and believable way and make these two feel destined to be together in the end, whether that's platonic or romantic.

I also find it important to bring up this chart:

Basically, Nickel is the ringleader, Baseball is a reinforcer/outsider, Suitcase is a defender, and Balloon is the target. The rest of the II cast fall between reinforcers, outsiders, and assistants. The way Nickel treats Balloon is textbook bullying, not one other person stands up for Balloon publicly, and Suitcase is doing the right thing standing up for him.

Theres also A BUNCH of other reasons I love this ship that have to do with my own preferences,

Friends to Lovers > Enemies to Lovers sorry Nickloon fans.

Its got a "Romeo and Juliet" kind of dynamic with how Nickel and Baseball play into the situation

The Nickel-Suitcase-Balloon dynamic reeks of "overprotective father hating his daughters boyfriend" as well (like hotel transylvania type shit)

Their dynamic is sickly sweet they are so cute oh my god

While on Instagram and Wattpad in yee olden days (2017-2020) I got a bit of a reputation for being a Suitloon fanatic and played into it, I was dubbed "The Queen of Suitloon" for a moment. It gave me a place in the fandom, and I cherish my time there greatly.

TLDR: Suitcase and Balloon are devoted to each other and that's why I love them so much.

And yes I will make more art with them eventually :P

[noradoctor]

I have deflated the creature

[plaidpyjamas]

astarion gives me such cuteness agression good god

[chanse-mccrary]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN HECOX

[t3tr0m1n0]

i'm so good at creating open-ended story ideas for other people to work with me on but when that's put towards Trying to quickly & efficiently make prefabricated characters to make beta testing my rpg run more smoothly it truly feels exactly like running on a treadmill. miserable

[your-local-painting-girl]

Finished Impel Down this week and that's my fave saga. Here you have the queen of clowns.

Those on the background are the lyrics of Hermit the Frog by Marina bc he really put on the crown of clowns and melted slowly to the ground.

[sasterisk]

Chapter +25+ of BURST is published

Eat up babes, finally resolving a cliffhanger after 11 months yippee

Wattpad Link | AO3 Link

Enjoy!!! :)

[sahnejungsliebhaber]

💥

„Stich bloß nicht mit einer Nadel in seinen Bauch!“ „Wieso?“ „Sonst macht es peng und der junge Herr ist geplatzt.“ Gute Idee, dachte ich mir. Jetzt weiß ich wie ich ihn loswerde.

“Don't prick his stomach with a needle!” “Why?” “Otherwise it'll go bang and the young gentleman will burst.” Good idea, I thought to myself. Now I know how to get rid of him.

[citrine-elephant]

(edit) the replies have answers!

so... leon losing his family and being orphaned is canon? his family having mob ties and him being the only survivor because of a cop...?

this is pure speculation and stream of consciousness cuz idk where to find that info- (if u know where pls tell)

was he a bad kid cuz of it? hold old was he? (is... this why he has that mafia outfit...?)

was leon adopted by the cop or something? did he even have anywhere to go? did he pick up drinking way early on to cope?

is that why he was so fucking protective of sherry and (i think canonically) became a hostage of the state to keep her safe and alive? was he fuckin cut off from her since he didn't see her for 15 years??? did they make him work with the threat of her safety and intentionally prevent him from seeing her? i thought claire was in contact with her, tho, so im vry much confused and missing a chunk of lore but assumed bcuz leon was already a (rookie) cop and all that's why *he* was forced into it-

im gonna explode i need lore

chris and claire, too. they seem very very reflective of leon with the whole aliven't family, but they got each other and leon sounds like he's always been so alone and sad-