#dustin hayes

[sinceileftyoublog]

Walter Etc. Live Show Review: 9/21, Subterranean, Chicago

Walter Etc.

BY KEITH MILLER

Last Saturday, on the downstairs stage of Chicago’s Subterranean, stood a California folk-punk band with a variety of names. As Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra, they were a traditionally acoustic outfit that, when playing live, tended to plug in. Nowadays, they haven’t broken up but fully embraced their electric side as Walter Etc. They’ve signed to SideOneDummy, toured Europe with Jeff Rosenstock, and opened for Slaughter Beach, Dog at legendary Joshua Tree honky tonk Pappy and Harriet's. Lead singer Dustin Hayes has made some seriously good connections. And now, with Pavement playing four miles south of Subterranean at Riot Fest in Douglass Park, Walter Etc. had nonetheless sold out a tight venue space in order to play 2014's Walter Mitty album Well Soon from cover to cover.

The space got tighter and more intimate as local opening bands What’s Vital and Sunday Cruise delivered their sets, thrilled to play a sold out show during Riot Fest weekend. (The latter especially took the stage with energy, humor, and stellar vocals. They were even kind enough to offer up their setlist, which reads like a poetic heartbroken letter to a meter maid.) But the audience was howling as Walter Etc. got on stage. Well Soon’s opening song, “Compersion,” didn’t exactly bring the house down, but it led into the fast-paced, existentialist “Post Graduation Oblivion,” a song that I--yes--played on repeat immediately after graduating college. Throughout the entire set, Hayes told jokes, laughed with the other band members, talked about the album's significance, and even dissed the slowest song on the album, “Chamomile”, all while keeping the show moving. After the last song came to an end, a track titled “Auntie Earth”, the band kept right on, playing tunes from Walter Mitty albums Overwhelmed and Underdressed and Cliche Definitions of Success. Though Walter Etc. played nothing from the albums released under their current name, the energy and attitude of a punk show was alive and vibrant.

I got a chance to meet Dustin Hayes briefly after the show. He and I have exchanged messages from time to time over Instagram, as we’re both fans of the author Larry McMurtry. I usually send him a message telling him about some new book I’ve read. As I wrote this review, I realized that I forgot to tell him to check out Terms of Endearment. Maybe he’s already read it. Who knows? Anyways, if you have a chance to see Walter Etc. on tour, definitely pop in and say hello. Either way, keep them on your radar. There’s talent and dedication in their sound, and they're a band you don’t want to sleep on.

Sunday Cruise setlist

[uhhyupmlb]

Part Fifteen

I’ll be posting more parts today pooks x

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Tags: @daisydunnit @wqndertwins @cypherheartnokey @kiwiwthegayone @4-6-1-3-7 @churliezamp21 @totallynotyourmomsbestie @bylertrruther @bylercertainty @hasidieeinzigwahre @audii-the-starry-eyed-wise @just-a-pot-of-frogs @cosmorom @iamanlazyartist @sofistorm7 @bylertruth3r

I’m hoping I didn’t forget anyone who asked for a tag!! Apologies if I did xx

[upsidedog]

god the scene in season one where jonathan comes home to joyce and lonnie on the couch drinking together is harrowing. it makes me want to cry just thinking about it, your brother is dead, your mom is horrible mental state and is now also introducing your abusive father back into your house. what a fucking nightmare.

[jonathanbyersphd]

At least s4 didn't try to convince us that Hawkins has an airport

[bookhouseboy1980-blog]

WCW Saturday Night June 27, 1992 (Review)

Sub to my channel for more: https://www.youtube.com/@oldschoolwrestlingrambles595/videos

[cleradinhive]

Mike somehow gets away with never commenting on any girl throughout the entire show, while Lucas and Dustin both have no problem freaking out over Jennifer Hayes, Princess Daphne, talking about how hot Phoebe Cates is, and being upset that girls don’t give them attention.

Meanwhile, Mike doesn’t talk about girls, and when he does it’s asking if they’re “cute,” while the other boys use “hot.”

This is often explained away by his relationship with El; he’s just a loyal and respectful young man. However, both Dustin and Lucas have an active girlfriend in a couple of these screenshots, and yet that doesn’t stop them from making the expected teenage-boy-esque remarks.

The only other boys who don’t make those types of comments? Will, the canonically gay character, and Mike.

Mike gets a lot of armor against speculation because of his relationship with El. When comparing his interest in girls to Lucas’ and Dustin’s though, there’s no arguing that he falls short.

I’m not arguing the gay vs bisexual point, but I do feel like this portion of his character is overlooked. If byler were to happen, this might be one of those things that the GA looks back on and thinks, “huh.”

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

I’ve read Montauk, the og script for s1 ep 1 of stranger things, back before it was called stranger things

Some highlights

Montauk is in New York, and it’s also a coastal town.

Lucas was called Lucas Conley. Mike has a birthmark (but we all knew this) and Dustin wears glasses.

“Will Byers, 12, playing as a wizard”. “Lucas Conley, 12, playing as a knight”.

Will says the “We're screwed if it's the Demogorgon” line.

After Karen tells Mike to wrap the campaign up, he complains that he didn’t know it would take 7 hours. Yep you read that right, not 10 like in the show, 7. (Imagine how tired we are). It was a seven.

Instead of Dustin going to Nancy’s room offering pizza (and it being a friendly, non romantic gesture), Lucas goes into her room to like, look at her. He has a crush on her.

Nancy used to wear braces?? As in, in the past, not 16 year old Nancy.

Will asks for Dustin’s X-Men Uncanny 269, instead of X-Men 134.

Will doesn’t live near the woods, but rather near the beach.

While Will is pointing the gun towards the door of the shed, instead of whatever it is that took will appearing behind him, it simply enters through the door, Will doesn’t fire cause he’s terrified, and then, AND THEN, WILL’S NOSE AND EARS BEGIN BLEEDING. WHAT THE FUCK.

“Will doesn't fire. He just stares. Paralyzed by fear. The hairs on his arms stand up again. His ears begin to drip blood. And then his nose. He fights tears.”

Hopper has a stumble not a full beard.

Joyce works two jobs, one of them is being a waitress. She wears “too much makeup” and curses a lot. She has a Long Island accent and long fingernails. Jonathan works two nights a week at a movie house. Joyce also is much more aggressive.

Jonathan goes to look for will directly after finding out he didn’t spend the night at the wheelers. As in, skips school and decides to just look for him.

James and Troy are 14, 2 years older that the party.

Mike has a crush on Jennifer Hayes??

Barb wears braces

Instead of a party at Steve’s, it’s a bonfire at the beach. And, Chrissy mention?? “There's gonna be bonfire at Turtle Cove. Chrissy'll be there,”

Terry Ives is a man??

“Florence (hopper’s secretary): And Terry Ives called again, yammering on about some more activity last night at Camp Hero.

Hopper: Tell him I've seen that Twilight Zone. No, scratch that, don't encourage him. If he calls again, cite him for wasting my time.”

Hopper wears reading glasses, and his desk is a mess of mugs, papers, and candy wrappers?

Joyce says “He [Lonnie] doesn’t give two shits about that boy [Will].” Damn.

El is actually 10 years old, 2 younger that the party.

El doesn’t steal fries. She sees the fries boiling, the oil splutters and she gets scared. She encounters a freezer, opens, and finds frozen fish inside. She never has seen fish before, she smells it, studies it. She bites into its belly. When hearing Benny approach, she just grabs as many fish in her hands as she can and runs.

Benny serves fish and chips, and he’s also Benny Henderson. At least, that’s what he tells el. He’s described as “Benny Hammond”.

Mr Clarke is hot, as the girl classmates acknowledge it. He teaches “earth and biology”

Benny makes El fish and chips. She eats it with her hands.

Hopper graduated in 1958. Scott in 1962.

Benny has a Rottweiler. El and him become friends. The agents chasing el kill him :(

Steve sexually assaults Nancy??

After Nancy doesn’t appear again, and Barb is left alone with the rest of people, she decides to call out for Nancy one last time. No answer. She grabs her car keys and goes home. Or at least tries.

All the characters are much meaner too??

This scene with hopper is so creepy

And, huh, confirmation it was Vecna who took Will?

And you can hear things from the upside down!

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every (Other) Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 28: Mike's Lack of Attraction To Women . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Have you noticed that has never shown an active liking or attraction to any woman other than El? Have you noticed that he's actually shown an active disliking of any woman put into a romantic context?

Yeah, so Mike basically gets away with never commenting on any girl's appearance.

Lucas and Dustin both have no problem freaking out over Jennifer Hayes, Princess Daphne, talking about how hot Phoebe Cates is, and being upset that girls don’t give them attention.

He's placed constantly in the same context as Will, who also does not comment on any girls. Even when Max comes along, it seems to be Will that is more interested than Mike. During Season 2, Mike has an inexplicable dislike that his friends are more interested in her than he is.

But can't this be explained away by Mike's faithfulness to El?

To me, it's kind of weird how Mike finds it annoying that his friends are more interested in Max than he is. This doesn't really indicate that Mike's rejecting her because he's in love with El. If that was the truth, then why would he be so annoyed that his friends are interested in her? His friends aren't the ones committed to El, right? We just can't ignore that this is super similar to the storyline in S3 with Will.

In Season 3, Will's annoyed that his friends are more interested in their girlfriends when he just wants to play DND.

In Season 2, Mike's annoyed that his friends are more interested in impressing this girl when he just wants to go trick or treating on Halloween.

Specifically, he's annoyed at Will, just like how Will projects all his anger in S3 onto Mike rather than all three other party members with gfs.

Mike doesn't say, "They should have checked with me", it's "You should have checked with me." Seems so unnecessarily targeted unless it's for a good reason.

Of course, we both know that Will's reason for not liking his friends being so interested in their gfs was not all for DND purposes. He felt like he was falling behind because he's actually queer. So can't the same be said for Mike?

Mike had the same storyline as Will, in fact, he had it first. He feels like he's falling behind....

Which 'coincidentally' are the lyrics that play when these frames happen.

Lyrics: "You say, go slow"

Lyrics: "I fall behind."

But instead of learning that he's okay to like some childish things...

He learns that he needs to pack that part of himself away.

Which then comes to fruition in S3 with his arc.

Now, all this is often explained away by his relationship with El; he’s just a loyal and respectful young man, right? But as I've said, his anger was toward his friends because of his own self-image. AND, both Dustin and Lucas have an active girlfriend in a couple of those earlier screenshots, and yet that doesn’t stop them from making the expected teenage-boy-esque remarks.

The only other boys who don’t make those types of comments? Will, the canonically gay character, and Mike.

[envihellbender]

Serial killer Steve Harrington, Eddie’s the only one who’s figured it out (pre-relationship?)

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington

Content: Serial killer Steve Harrington, and Eddie Munson is into it, steddie, pre relationship

—

Eddie took a long drag on his cigarette as he waited outside of the abandoned warehouse. His l chest hurt as he did, he knew he should either quit this disgusting habit or stop binding but he knew he wouldn’t. Maybe it was the cold, damp air outside the abandoned, burnt out factory. He had followed Steve there, and now he waited so that he could finally… Something. Confront him? Maybe. Although, he had to admit, he struggled to come up with a reason against what he was doing. The first one who disappeared, as far as Eddie knew, was Tommy Hayes. Eddie still couldn’t believe the fact that hardly anyone seemed to notice that Steve spent their entire ‘friendship’ nervous and constantly sporting new bruises. The second was Carol Perkins. And honestly, Eddie and the rest of Hellfire were grateful that two of them were gone. Carol tortured Ronnie, and Gareth. Tommy had zoned in on Eddie in Junior year. Those two made sense as a target from Steve, after what they’d done to Nancy and him. However, the latest string didn’t make much sense to Eddie and almost made him question his analysis that the logical killer was Steve Harrington.

The latest two potential victims were Andy Hogan and Chance Peters. The final one who hadn’t shown up to school was Jason Carver. Andy and Chance were two boring lapdogs, horrible in the sense that they were so passive and happy to mock and beat whoever Jason told them to. To them it was all about popularity and little else. Ever since they’d gone missing Jason had gotten worse, far more erratic and violent than before. Chance and Andy had harassed members of both Hellfire and Corroded Coffin, particularly fixating on the freshmen which didn’t seem fair to Eddie and he did what he could. So, he wasn’t sad that they’d disappeared, and that Jason was next… But he couldn’t think why. Steve had graduated already, and they barely knew eachother. Eddie only had one theory, but if that was the case Dustin’s disgust at the idea of his classmates disappearances and potential murder might show Steve his little plan wasn’t working.

Eddie had been watching Steve’s night time activities for a while, and knew that the warehouse he stood at the door of was one of Steve’s favourites. Eddie had seen evidence he could’ve handed over to the police, but he didn’t. He didn’t exactly trust the cops and Steve’s work actually seemed to be doing more good than anything else. When Eddie heard rummaging from inside he flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the floor and took another drag, waiting until Steve appeared.

“Fancy a smoke?” Eddie asked, as the large metal entrance door creaked open, the sudden noise caused Steve to jump from his skin as he dropped the door letting it slam behind him.

“What the hell are you doing here, Munson?” Steve snapped, he wrapped his arms around himself and looked around anxiously.

“I could ask you the same question, Harrington.” Eddie knew it was cliched and childish to throw it back at Steve, but he was amused at how startled Steve was.

“I’m not creeping around like a-” He almost visibly bit his tongue and swallowed. Eddie raised his eyebrows in surprise as Steve swallowed and forced a smile with burning red cheeks. Eddie appreciated that Steve was trying, he was changing. He didn’t let words like “freak” roll off the tongue any more. “I’m not sneaking up on people.”

“You’re pals with Henderson, right?” The sudden change in subject was visibly jarring to Steve but Eddie rolled along with it as if it was natural.

“Yeah. I guess. Kinda like a little brother or something,” Steve mumbled, his hand scratched the back of his head as he looked around nervously. Eddie looked him up and down, Steve was wearing a t-shirt despite it being cold out, and his sneakers were oddly clean.

“Is that why you chose to carve up Carver then?” When Eddie pushed Steve’s eyes widened, he swallowed and stomach turned and twisted in on itself in anxiety. Before Eddie could push further Steve bit into his hand, hard. Eddie regretted being so blunt, he recognised a tic when he saw one but never dreamed he’d seen one coming from Steve Harrington.

“Erm. I. Sorry,” Steve muttered. His cheeks burned red as he looked down at the ground as if he’d been caught stealing Eddie’s wallet.

“Sorry for… what?” Eddie knew precisely what Steve was referring to, but the memory and shame of Eddie’s verbal tics “disturbing” class and resulting in a detention filled his mind and body. Eddie would be damned if he made anyone else feel that way.

“I- Erm. Nothing. I guess.” Steve paused with narrowed eyes. He looked around then back at Eddie, confused and almost as if he was trying to size him up. “Why are you so interested in Jason Carver?”

“I’m not, dude’s a fundie freak who shits himself when he sees kosher options in the cafeteria.”

“Okay. And what does he have to do with me?”

“I think he’s why you’re hanging out here in the middle of the night.”

“No… I don’t…”

“Steve. I know.” When Eddie said this Steve looked more baffled than anything else. They were both silent before Steve gave in and asked,

“Know what?”

“You’re getting rid of the Hawkins assholes,” Eddie began matter of factly as if he was telling Steve what his basketball game strategy was. “First it was your ex and his new chick, that makes sense. I mean, no offence but he was clearly as shitty to you as he was to everyone else. But. Why the latest brand of shitty jocks? You’ve gotten out of the hellhole that is Hawkins High.”

“What are you accusing me of here?” Steve responded sharply. “Do you- you think I’m-”

“The Hawkins Strangler is the name the press are using, right?”

“You’re crazy, Munson.”

“Absolutely yes, but irrelevant.”

“I don’t-”

“Is it because of Henderson?” Eddie interrupted, ignoring Steve’s denial as a distraction they couldn’t afford. “Is that why you’re going after Carver, and why you killed his friends before?”

“No. I didn’t-”

“Look. I get it.” This time when he raised a hand to silence Steve and spoke over him, Eddie felt frustrated and uncomfortable. “You don’t want to tell me, maybe you think I’m wearing a wire, which no, dude. So let me be real, you’re taking out people who deserve it. Who hurt you and those you care about. So I don’t care. So if I’m right, just… you don’t have to admit it. Just blink once for no twice for yes.”

“I’m- this is stupid.” Steve swallowed, he looked around nervously, then blinked twice deliberately.

“Fuck. Knew it.” Eddie had a wide, shit-eating grin across his face as he couldn’t suppress his delight.

“And? Are you going to turn me in?”

“Steve, dude. You’re kind of my hero, now,” Eddie grinned. He didn’t expect it but a strange sense of worship and joy filled him.

“Wh- why?” Steve looked startled and as if he’d just discovered Eddie had been killing off the town’s bullies.

“I mean, you got rid of the guy who pissed in my locker, or because you got rid of the girl who sexually harassed me when-” Eddie frowned and looked away. The awkward moments in public bathrooms as a trans person wasn’t something he wanted to bring up again. “Assholes who deserved it. Just. Is it Henderson? Is that why you’re taking the jocks down?”

“Not just Henderson. I mean, sure, that’s part of it. But…” Steve paused and frowned, he looked away in this awkward and vulnerable moment he’d never expected. “I was picking him up after your board game Hellfire thing and I saw the bastards hanging around outside of it. You guys were so stoked and then they ruined it. Shouting abuse and shit at you, Carver throwing his beer can at your head cutting you open. If I hadn’t have intervened,.."

“Dude. Are you- you killed a guy for me?” Eddie spoke slowly, his eyes wide and his voice a quiet gasp.

“I- I guess so.” Steve stammered his response, and wrapped his arms around his body.

“Shit. Dude that’s hot as hell.”

“Hot? Really?”

“The fact you didn’t cringe and run for the hills then is pretty encouraging.” Eddie grinned, his face lighting up as he saw Steve be a little flustered.

“Are you flirting with me, Munson?”

“Do you want me to be flirting with you?”

“One second you’re exposing my secrets and the next you’re trying to get in my pants… It’s a weird turn.”

“I’m a weird guy.”

[gayofthefae]

Lucas' reaction to Jennifer Hayes when Dustin mentions it:

Mike's:

[alwaysmoncheri]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 | 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐨𝐧

summary: in which best friends, y/n henderson and steve harrington get caught up in their feelings while paranormal activities occur in the small town of hawkins, indiana

cw: fem!reader, I wrote this a long time ago(I apologize for everything cringe), shit writing, first person pov, will’s funeral, mentions of guns, mentions of trauma/family issues, mentions of blood/dying deer, 2.4k

<3

I stand next to Nancy, my brother and his friends in front of us as we watch Will's funeral service. A solemn atmosphere surrounds us as we stand around the casket that holds Will's body.

"Just wait 'till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral," Dustin snickers to his friends, pointing at the crying girl.

"Shut up, Dustin," I whisper kicking his foot lightly before turning my attention back to the man speaking.

"Ow!" Dustin whines, bringing his leg up to rub it, stumbling in the process.

"Shhhh." Mrs. Wheeler leans down to shush my brother.

I drop my white rose into the ground where Will's casket lies and embrace Jonathan to offer my support.

"Hey," I give the boy a gentle smile after pulling away from our hug.

"Hi, thanks for coming." He says softly before shoving his hands in his suit pockets.

"Of course." I say as I move over to Joyce and gently rub her shoulder lovingly, noticing she wouldn't appreciate a hug at the moment.

"Hey, Joyce." I say, "I'm always here if you need anything, okay?" She only offers a small nod in return.

Nancy slowly approaches Jonathan and I and we silently walk together, sitting by a near fence where headstones sit within.

|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆|

This is where we know for sure it's been, right?" Jonathan says, showing Nancy and I a map of Hawkins.

"So that's..." I say pointing at the x on the paper in front of us.

"Steve's house." Jonathan confirms with a nod, "And that's the woods where they found Will's bike and... that's my house." Jonathan continues, pointing at the paper.

"It's all so close." Nancy comments and I shift nervously on the ground, looking towards the woods surrounding us.

"Yeah. Exactly." Jonathan says.

"I mean, that's gotta be all within a mile or something." I say, glancing back at the two.

"Whatever this thing is, it's not traveling far." Jonathan finishes with a determined expression as he glances at Nancy and I.

"You want to go out there." Nancy concludes looking back at Jonathan.

"We might not find anything." Jonathan replies with a sigh.

"We found something." I say gesturing between Nancy and I and Jonathan nods.

"And if we do see it..." Nancy adds, "Then what?”

"We kill it."

|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆|

Jonathan leads Nancy and I over to a car, opens the passenger side door and starts picking the lock of the glove box.

"What are you doing?" I ask confused, crossing my arms nervously.

"Just give me a second..." Jonathan says as Nancy and I look around uncomfortably.

Jonathan successfully picks the lock, pulling out a gun, checking at the components and stuffing the extra bullets into his pockets.

"Are you serious?" Nancy asks, looking around again to make sure nobody can see us.

"What? You want to find this thing and take another picture?" Jonathan asks sarcastically, "Yell at it?" He gets out of the car, shutting the door behind him.

"This is a terrible idea." Nancy says, tugging her jacket tighter.

"Yeah, well, it's the best we've got." Jonathan replies shoving the gun in his jacket pocket and Nancy rolls her eyes, "What? You can tell someone, but they're not gonna believe you." He adds.

"You know that."

"Your mom would." I pipe up, trying to break the tension between the two.

"She's been through enough, (Y/n)." Jonathan says sadly.

"She deserves to know." I continue and Nancy glances at me, nodding her head in agreement.

"Yeah, and I'll tell her..." Jonathan says determinedly.

"When this thing is dead.”

|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆|

Standing alongside Jonathan in the woods, gun in hand, I aim at the cans in front of me. With a click and a loud shot, I hit three cans dead center. I turn to Jonathan a smug look on my face, and he chuckles before checking his watch for the fifth time.

"Calm down, lover boy." I say, crossing my arms, "She's on her way." Jonathan shakes his head with a chuckle and takes the gun from me, walking up to where I just stood.

Taking aim at the cans, Jonathan fires off multiple shots, only to miss each one. He lowers the gun with a sigh, frustrated with his failure.

"You're supposed to hit the cans, right?" Nancy says, walking over to Jonathan and I with a baseball bat in hand.

"No, actually, you see the spaces in between the cans?" Jonathan says sarcastically, "I'm aiming for those."

"Ah," Nancy replies, setting down her bag and bat.

"You ever shot a gun before?" Jonathan asks.

Nancy scoffs.

"Have you met my parents?" Nancy asks jokingly and Jonathan laughs.

"Yeah, I haven't shot one since I was ten. My dad took me hunting on my birthday." Jonathan explains, "He made me kill a rabbit."

"A rabbit?" I ask softly, kicking the dirt beneath my feet.

"Yeah. I guess he thought it would make me more of a man or something." Jonathan says, "I cried for a week."

"Jesus." Nancy whispers, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket.

"What? I'm a fan of Thumper." Jonathan says, shrugging and I chuckle lightly.

"I meant your father." Nancy says, looking at Jonathan sadly.

"Yeah..." Jonathan replies, "I guess he and my mother loved each other at some point, but..." He cocks the gun, "I wasn't around for that part."

"Welcome to the club." I sigh, glancing at the ground.

Nancy gestures towards the gun in Jonathan's hand, eager to take her turn shooting at the cans.

"Um, yeah" Jonathan says and gently hands her the gun, "Just, uh, point and shoot. (Y/n) caught on pretty quickly."

"You could say I'm a natural," I comment with a light smile.

"Of course," Nancy returns my smile and adjusts her grip on the gun, "I don't think my parents ever loved each other." She adds returning to Jonathan's previous point.

"They must've married for some reason." Jonathan says, looking at the girl with all too familiar eyes.

There's something there.

"My mom was young. My dad was older," Nancy begins, aiming the gun, "But he had a cushy job, money, came from a good family. So they bought a nice house at the end of the cul-de-sac and started their nuclear family." She finishes, gripping the gun tightly.

"Screw that." I say crossing the arms.

"Yeah, screw that." Nancy agrees before releasing the trigger, hitting the can dead on.

|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆|

Nancy, Jonathan, and I walk through the forest, each of us carrying our weapon of choice. Jonathan grasps the baseball bat that Nancy had brought, while Nancy held the gun. And I carried a crowbar I found in the top shelf in my garage.

"You never said what I was saying." Nancy says quietly as we're walking.

"What?" Jonathan exhales.

"Yesterday." Nancy replies casually, "You said we were saying something and that's why you took our pictures."

"Oh uh, I don't know," Jonathan mutters to the ground before Nancy turns to glance at the boy, urging him to go on.

"I guess, I saw this girl, you know, trying to be someone else," Jonathan says to Nancy sincerely, "But for that moment, it was like you were alone, or you thought you were. And you know, you could just be yourself." He finishes glancing at Nancy for her reaction.

"That is such bullshit." She replies.

"What?" Jonathan says, stopping, Nancy walks ahead before turning back around to face us.

"I am not trying to be someone else." She says taking a couple steps towards Jonathan and I, "Just because I'm dating Steve and you don't like him—"

"You know what? Forget it." Jonathan comments, walking ahead, "I just thought it was a good picture." He adds.

"He's actually a good guy." Nancy says, trying to defend herself. She didn't need to but she did anyway.

"Okay," Jonathan stammers.

"Yesterday with the camera... He's not like that, at all." Nancy says walking inline with Jonathan now, "He was just being protective." She shrugs.

"Yeah, I've been friends with him all my life. He's always been a good guy." I say and Nancy gestures in me direction sending a pointed look a Jonathan almost to say 'see', "He just gets in with the wrong people sometimes." I mumble, kicking the leaves beneath my feet again.

"Yeah, that's one way to put it," Jonathan sasses.

"Oh, and I guess what you did was okay?" Nancy retorts.

"No, I never said that." Jonathan says quickly.

"He had every right to be pissed—" Nancy starts, frustrated. I stay back letting them work out their differences. Even if I did have opinions.

"Okay, alright," Jonathan cuts her off frantically, "Does that mean I have to like him?" He asks turning to look at her again.

"No." She replies.

"Listen, don't take it so personally, okay?" Jonathan says angrily, "I don't like most people. He's in the vast majority." He shrugs before walking ahead again.

"You know, I was actually starting to think that you were okay." Nancy says stopping in place.

"Yeah?" Jonathan says back.

"Yeah." Nancy confirms, "Yeah, I was thinking, "Jonathan Byers" maybe he's not the pretentious creep everyone says he is."

"Guys..." I whisper, being ignored, I shove my hands in my pockets and let the argument play out.

"Well, I was just starting to think you were okay." Jonathan replies walking back towards Nancy again, who's mouth turns into an "o" shape, egging the boy on, "I was thinking, "Nancy Wheeler" she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does. Until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock, who now works sales, and they live out a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing, but now, hey, they get it." Jonathan breaths out before scoffing and walking away for the last time.

I cast one last sympathetic look towards Nancy before jogging up to Jonathan. Together, we walk in silence, Nancy not far behind us.

"What was I saying?" I whisper curiously, "In my picture?"

Jonathan looks up at me in question and I nod confirming I would like to know.

"Uh, you were saying that you wanted nothing more than to be with this guy, but you can't, so you hide away. But it was like, that moment, made you realize that when you're next to him it feels so right." He says truthfully, trudging along beside me.

"Oh..." I felt exposed, Jonathan knew exactly what and who he was talking about. Which made me feel like he saw straight through me, the rough exterior easily cracked with a single picture.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, (Y/n)," Jonathan says sincerely, "I shouldn't have taken that."

"Hey, it's okay. And don't worry," I say glancing back at Nancy, "She'll come around."

|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆|

As the sun set, casting a dark blanket over the woods, the three of us walk in-line with each other. However, the tension between Jonathan and Nancy is still so thick, you could probably cut it with a knife.

Just as we thought all was quiet, a noise suddenly comes from afar, causing me to flinch lightly. Nancy and I exchange a glance and come to a halt, looking around. Jonathan unaware, continues walking until he notices the two of us are stopped.

"What are you tired?" Jonathan turns, asking sarcastically.

"Shut up." Nancy responds, looking around the forest.

"What?" Jonathan says, confused with our actions.

"I heard something..." Nancy whispers.

We hear a whimpering noise, slow and distant, causing us to head cautiously in it's direction until we discover its source. We find an injured, bloodied dear lying on the ground in front of us. It's labored breathing and pained cries makes my heart sink.

"Oh my god..." I whisper, clasping my hand over my mouth.

Nancy has a distraught look on her face before her kneels down in front of the deer. Jonathan sighs and glances towards my teary eyes, touching my shoulder lightly, before bringing his hand back to his side.

"It's been hit by a car," Nancy says softly. The deer lifts it's head slightly before continuing to whimper, "We can't just leave it." Nancy whispers as she slowly holds up the gun.

"I'll do it." Jonathan says confidently.

A few silent tears run down my cheeks.

"I thought you said—" Nancy starts, hesitant.

"I'm not nine anymore." Jonathan replies as Nancy slowly hands him the gun and stands up next to me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

As Jonathan cocks the gun, ready to end the deer's suffering, Nancy and I cling to each other tightly, not wanting to witness the violence. Just as Jonathan prepares to pull the trigger, the deer is violently dragged away, leaving us to stumble backward as we stare at the empty spot where the deer once lay.

"What was that?" I ask breathlessly, clutching my crowbar tight.

"I don't know..." Nancy replies, just as breathless. She starts walking forward, flashlight in hand, following the trail of blood and Jonathan and I trail close behind her.

The trail of blood suddenly stops in an opening in the woods. The three of us looking around frantically, searching for the thing that snatched the deer.

"Where'd it go?" I ask whipping my flashlight around to shine through the trees.

"I don't know," Jonathan replies, confused, "Do you guys see anymore blood?" He asks, pointing his gun.

"No." Nancy and I reply at the same time.

My eyes suddenly spot a drop of blood trailing onto a nearby tree branch. Curious, I wander off in that direction, and discover a tree with an opening covered in a gooey substance. Kneeling down to get a closer look, I reach out and touch it, only for the substance to stick between my fingers. Stretching as I pull them apart.

"Ew..." I whisper to myself. I then notice the trail of blood leading into the tree.

"Nancy?" I call out and look behind me, where my friends once were, "Jonathan?"

"Shit... Here goes nothing." I say, before slowly crawling into the tree.

After squeezing my way out of the opening, slime covers my skin. With my crowbar firmly in hand, I raise it nervously at the sound of a disturbing noise nearby. Hesitantly moving forward, my eyes land on a horrifying scene, so unexpected that I draw in a sharp breath.

"Holy shit."

<3

next chapter . masterlist . steve harrington masterlist . taglist

thank you for reading, my darling! remember to like! reblog! and comment! i’ll give you a smooch if you do, ily! send requests to my inbox!

alwaysmoncheri © ─ all rights reserved. please do not repost/translate/copy any of my work.

[mike-wheeler-ik-what-you-are]

I’m bored so here’s a bunch of hcs about my current fic!

el picked up knitting after her therapist recommended so. she had to learn through books though because Joyce doesn’t know how to knit.

mike and will sometimes watch low budget slasher movies together and make fun of them. mike is secretly scared of some of them.

robin works at a bookstore because she’s a literature nerd.

el loves to paint her nails, sometimes she paints every single nail a different color because she wants to

dustin likes fishing. everyone thinks it’s lame but he loves it.

lucas draws little hearts over max’s arm and since she doesn’t see he doesn’t reply when she asks “what did you do”. she secretly knows but pretends not to.

mike wrote the letter stealing holly’s pen. the day they find out it’s him they are never letting it go. especially max.

mike is in theater club because he likes to act. jennifer hayes is too, but her friends rarely go see her.

one time joyce went away for a week and el got a blood stain. nobody knew how to clean one so hopper panicked and used bleach. ever since then, joyce has lectured everyone on how to clean blood stains just to make sure.

[bylerpolls]

I'm curious. How did people interpret Dustin's line, "Just wait till we tell Will that Jennifer Hayes was crying at his funeral" when you first watched S1?

A) I was blinded by heteronormativity and fully believed this was implying that Jennifer Hayes was a girl Will had a crush on. I didn't know Will was gay at the time and thought he was just bullied for it because bullies are bullies.

B) I assumed Jennifer Hayes was "the hot girl" that everyone had a crush on, and so Dustin was operating from heteronormativity and assuming Will did too. But I knew or suspected Will was gay.

C) I noticed Will's potential queerness, but I also interpreted Dustin's line at face-value and meant that it was implying that Will (along with everyone else) had a crush on her. Those two things aren't mutually exclusive tho, and if I had thought about it harder, maybe I would've thought Will was bi? But I was really just along for the ride and didn't have any specific thoughts about it.

D) I didn't even really notice the line or think anything about it when watching for the first time, tbh. Everything was still so new, and I was just taking everything in with no specific thoughts.

E) A secret fifth thing

[oldfashionedmorphine]

happy sunday! it’s time for another preview of…

on the same frequency!

PS: the reason i’m doing these this way is because i kept making all these chapter moodboards but i didn’t know what to do with them because the fic is being released all at once, BUT since i planned to share some wips of each chapter anyway, i just decided to make them extra fancy! oh and sunday because the fic releases on a sunday… and seven in total because it was a seven (there’s seven chapters lol) 😈

-.-. .... .- .--. - . .-. / ..---

December 23, 1995

“And what’s that?” Holly points to a gray box with numerous dials and switches.

“That’s a transceiver. It’s part of my old ham radio.”

“What’s a ham radio?”

“Well, uh, it’s kinda like any radio—only you connect to specific radio frequencies used for non-commercial broadcasting… like it’s meant for personal communication and you can even communicate with people across the globe, although unlike a walkie-talkie, you need a license in order to transmit anything—I still have my license too—actually renewed it last year even though I haven’t touched a ham radio in years…”

December 23, 1985

Will checks his watch again, it was 10:23 am—What’s taking him so damn long?

Another three and a half minutes go by and then Dustin’s mother’s car comes into view and he watches him exit the vehicle and quickly hurry up the driveway. But before Dustin even has a chance to knock, Will opens the door and huffs, “You’re late.”

“Yeah, sorry. My mom kept arguing with me about not wanting me to go anywhere by myself anymore because of Jennifer Hayes—apparently she’s been missing since Friday—”

“Jennifer’s missing?”

🎶 a song from chapter two 🎶

rating: mature

tags: alternate universe, not canon compliant, major character death, grief/mourning, ptsd, blood and injury, supernatural elements, time shenanigans, butterfly effect, thriller, angst with a happy ending

release date: 11/26/2023

✨ previous chapter preview ✨

ch1

tagging:

@kaiminluu @greenfiend @total-serene560 @across-thestars @boahey @magentamee @daydreams-in-the-moonlight @soyboystan @foodiewithdahoodie @booksandpaperss @likegoldintheair @mandycantdecide @hazmatazz @sparks-olivarpente @1-tehe-1 @lucasvenkman @rebellius @maru-chu @septembr-moon @kamomillatea

(if you’d like to be tagged/untagged for the next preview, please let me know!)

[lboogie1906]

Jamar Clark (May 3, 1991 - November 15, 2015) was killed by two Minneapolis, Minnesota police officers, Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze. He was born in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He was adopted by Wilma and James Clark when he was four. He remained in a close relationship with his biological parents and his fourteen siblings. Not much is known about Clark’s early life. He was employed at Copeland Trucking and he hoped to attend college.

He attended Nekelia Sharp’s birthday party at her apartment on the 1500 block of Plymouth Avenue North in Minneapolis. Sharp and her husband began arguing when his girlfriend, RayAnn Hayes, attempted to break up a fight between Sharp and her husband. He grabbed Hayes in an attempt to prevent her from intervening in the fight. Hayes began fighting him and broke her ankle in that struggle. Paramedics were called to treat Hayes’s injured ankle. Police arrived on the scene at the same time, they asked him to step away from the ambulance. They attempted to arrest him, wrestling him to the ground. An EMS supervisor placed a knee on his chest and he was shot by police.

There were widely differing accounts of why he was killed. One account described him as getting into a confrontation with paramedics which led police officers to respond, generating the struggle where he was killed. Another account claimed that he grabbed a police officer’s gun, prompting the other officer to shoot him. Hennepin County District Attorney Mike Freeman explained that he was resisting arrest but was not handcuffed while Nekelia Sharp described the shooting as occurring while he was handcuffed and not resisting. Other witnesses claimed he lay still on the ground when he was shot, that he had his hands behind his back, or that his hands were up in the air when police shot him.

His death was protested by the NAACP and Black Lives Matter. The two officers who were responsible for his death were placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation was ongoing. Hennepin County Attorney announced that no charges would be filed against the officers. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #blm

[shefanispeculator]

Blake Shelton And His Wife, Gwen Stefani To Drop Heartfelt Duet, 'Purple Irises,' Ahead Of Valentine’s Day - Country Now

Love is in full bloom for Blake Shelton and his wife, Gwen Stefani who just announced that they have a new love-filled duet coming this Friday, February 9.

Taking to social media on Monday (Feb. 5), the couple revealed that the romantic tune titled “Purple Irises” will be released just in time for Valentine’s Day. Their recent joint post included the cover photo which boasts a retro theme as Stefani and Shelton both sport all-denim looks while looking giddy in the brightly colored living room setting. The country star appears to be plucking his guitar while his other half admires him from the bright yellow striped couch. The background décor features hanging wall art of purple irises to match the name of the song. 

Stefani Shares A Teaser of The New Tune

Fans got to hear a sneak peek of the mid-tempo tune through a several clips posted to Stefani’s TikTok account. The pair are seen in the studio, and building out a string of effortless harmonies while celebrating how strong their love is for one another.

“If someone comes along and tries to love you like I love you/ Don’t know what I’d do/ Don’t want to lose you/ If someone comes along and tries to take you, tries to make you/ Don’t let them change your mind/ Wonder why you took a risk/ On a broken heart you cannot fix/ No I never knew a love like this/ Now we’re picking purple irises,” Stefani and Shelton sing on the chorus. 

In her caption, she simply wrote “… now we’re picking purple irises 🪻,” while in the comment section added, “we love u guys so excited to share w u 💜💜💜💜💜 gx.”

The pop star was not included in the 2024 panel of coaches, however, fans will have the chance to see her on the stage of several festival this year including Cali Vibes, Coachella, Lovers & Friends and more. Plus, in January, she teased plans to reunite with her former bandmates of the rock band, No Doubt, for an upcoming show. Stefani has yet to share when or where this performance will take

As for Shelton, he’s gearing up to embark on his highly anticipated Back To The Honky Tonk Tour. The 17-date trek launches on February 22 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and will run through March 29 in Wichita, Kansas. The upcoming tour is the follow-up to his 2023 run of the same name.

This year, Shelton will be joined on the tour by Dustin Lynch and Emily Ann Roberts.

Shelton To Return To Oklahoma For Hometown Show

Following the final date of the tour, the Oklahoma native will return to his home state on Saturday, March 30 for a supersized concert to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum and its education programs.

Shelton will bring his live show to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the star-studded All for the Hall concert. Joining the Grand Ole Opry member will be Country Music Hall of Fame member Ronnie Dunn, Tony and Emmy Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth, ACM and CMA nominee Wade Hayes and fan-favorite songwriters/performers The Swon Brothers. Additional artists will be added to the lineup in the coming weeks.   

All proceeds from the show will go to the nonprofit museum’s education initiatives, which directly served more than 230,000 people through in-person and virtual programs in 2023.