#eddie is a brave character like he always has been even if he has that little bit of doubt

[thatbuddie]

i know we’ve been saying this for so long but like, this is almost unprecedented, y’all. normally when you want queer characters and queer relationships you have to SEARCH for them. you go into shows knowing they have lgbt+ rep and ships. especially for m/m otps. they’re planned beforehand. they are introduced with the idea of “these characters are achillean and will get together.”

but this? buck? i can assure you no one on the 911 team thought he would be introduced as bisexual at any point. but the truth is, just like it happens in real life for so many bisexual people (and queer people in general), he’s found himself. he’s found his truth, his light. he’s realizing this was always who he was even if he did not understand it before or have the words to express it properly. we’ve watched a character organically grow into one of the best (if not the best) representations of a bisexual individual there has ever been on tv.

and buddie? oh my god don’t get me started on buddie. they bloomed. they’ve happened organically. they were never ever ever supposed to be what they are. and yet here we are, 6 seasons later, knowing we are getting there. knowing they are each other’s heart and soul. knowing they will be together not because execs created them to be together but because they make sense. finally there has been a show brave enough to see the magic and beauty of what they themselves created. they’re taking a chance on them, on us, and i think there will never be anything else to top this.

we should enjoy this. we should savor it. this is special. a once in a lifetime kind of thing (just like buck and eddie are living their once in a lifetime love story.)

[lenaboskow]

i'm bored at work so here's an updated list of everything tommy kinard has ever said or done that makes him a bad person who hasn't changed/learned from his mistakes (even if he's not being inherently/explicitly racist anymore) (before you come at me for saying people can change, here's my previous pinned post from 7x05 that explains how he hasn't. i go into it more here about the back half of the season, but all of these points still stand)

season two

chimney begins

the first thing tommy says to/about chimney is "did you forget to tip the delivery driver?". if it wasn't for the fact that they had asian food delivered and chimney is asian, this could've been passed off, but instead they chose to have the first act of racism/general harassment be done by tommy, not the racist captain.

then when they return from a call and see chimney dutifully cleaning, tommy says to chimney: "you're still here?". not inherently racist, but still rude

we get some montages of chimney being left out/harrasef, and tommy is always at the forefront. it culminates in the locker room scene where tommy says "i don't think about you enough to hate you", which again isn't inherently racist but it is rude.

at the end, the only way chimney manages to earn a semblance of respect from tommy is by saving his life, which is fucked up. you shouldn't have to save someone's life to he treated with dignity. but fine, maybe tommy learned his lesson, right?

wrong

hen begins

at the beginning, tommy, chimney, gerrard, and a few others are standing up in the loft while hen walks in. gerrard says a few racist/sexist words, and chim stands up for her. tommy just stands there, not even looking like he might want to say something. not saying something when it happens is almost as bad as doing, and obviously chimney, who'd been there a shorter time, was brave enough to stand up for her.

then tommy, during a meal, tommy says about hen: "new york bitchiness is a compliment?". there's no non sexist explanation for this comment

actually that entire meal, he ignores chimney's attempts move the conversation away, which says a lot

again, general enabling of the racism and sexism

during hen's "see me" speech, tommy looks pissed off to be there, and then proceeds to look annoyed when he apologizes to her at the end of the episode (if you can even call it that)

post begins episodes

now, we don't know a whole lot about how hen and chimney interacted with tommy after the events of their begins episodes, but we do know they weren't close enough to keep in touch after. chimney loses touch for two years immediately after he leaves, and by season seven hen forgot that tommy worked at harbor. i don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like behavior for people who worked closely for ten years.

season seven

7x04

this episode was from buck's pov, so it's actually the time where tommy is the most tolerable. that doesn't mean he doesn't have his moments, though:

calling buck "kid" and "evan" is a weird way to introduce a love interest. tommy calling him "kid" shows that tommy is aware of the age difference, which as i explain here is at least the same as buck and abby's (and here why that screenshot of tim saying he's 40 is irrelevant). also, tommy calls buck "evan" with no on screen explanation, and we know that lou was explicitly told tommy isn't "allowed" to call him buck. you know the only other characters who aren't allowed to call him buck? his parents. that's all I'll say.

we don't really see much of tommy again until the basketball scene, and then it's focused on buck and eddie anyways, so the next time we see him and buck really interact is the loft scene (which is telling about who buck was trying to get the attention of, but that's a different conversation). in this scene, tommy makes a condescending remark about how "we weren't trying to make you feel left out" and "eddie can have more than one friend", which... again, brings us back to the age difference because it sounds like (in context) that tommy is reprimanding a child. having them kiss right after that was definitely an interesting choice (in terms of their relationship)

7x05

oh the date. i have so many feelings about this. we know that tommy knows buck isn't out, because buck told maddie they purposely picked an out of the way spot, and despite the face tommy made at the comment, he didn't seem surprised when buck told him it was his "first date with a dude" (it seemed more like a "i already know this, you don't have to repeat it" face). because of this, the way tommy acted when eddie showed up and freaked buck out has no excuse. the closet comment? even if tommy didn't know buck wasn't out and decided he didn't want to date someone who wasn't out, he shouldn't have made that comment knowing it could out buck to his best friend, who he clearly wasn't ready to tell. lucky for buck, eddie's an idiot (affectionate) with a one track mind (buck) and didn't register the comment.

then we have tommy leaving buck at the curb. leaving the date isn't the problem, it's the fact that he didn't tell buck until he got in the uber, which obviously upset buck (though he was admittedly more upset over lying to eddie). the rest of the episode is spent on buck coming out to eddie, and we don't see tommy again until buck is apologizing for the date, which... why should buck have to apologize for not being ready to come out? buck did nothing wrong on the date. if you just figured out you were queer and hadn't had the chance to tell your best friend before they accidentally crashed your date, you'd react the same way, don't try to tell me otherwise. it was tommy who should've apologized, plain and simple.

7x06

the bachelor party. tommy's excuse for not dressing up made no sense to me... he was obviously going to have to change anyways, so why not put in a little effort for your date? i see people saying that only eddie put effort in, but henren was dressed too, just more subtly. tommy chose not to dress up, and made a half hearted excuse of "they had henleys in the 80s" (which you would know, wouldn't you, 70s baby?)

then we have tommy leaving, which fair he's on call, and we don't see him again until the hospital kiss. this is the only time we see tommy look remotely interested in buck the entire episode (every other time he has an rbf face, even when they're hugging).

7x09

we only see tommy during the medal ceremony, and he still manages to say something to piss me off. "enjoy it while it lasts" because he can't indulge his boyfriend for two seconds. it's becoming a pattern, i'm afraid

7x10

the date scene was a weird way to end their s7 relationship. buck was opening up about his trauma, tried to find middle ground by saying "so we both have daddy issues" (nothing in the context made it seem sexual, in fact i didn't realize until tommy made the joke, so it's possible buck didn't either) and then tommy says "i don't" despite admitting that he did only a few seconds before. buck says with a slightly resigned (barely there, but still there) tone, "but you think i do" and tommy responds with "god i hope so". any other context and it would've been fine, but buck had just been talking ahout how his father figure literally died and came back to life. there's a post somewhere (pretty sure it was an ask someone sent me actually, if i can find it i'll link)that talks about how buck has a habit of going along with his love interests to avoid causing waves, and how that's exactly what buck was doing in 7x10, and it makes perfect sense. if buck had a problem with it, he wouldn't immediately say. he'd sit on it for weeks before even considering bringing it up (like natalia and death, and how he avoided taylor in s5). even if he wasn't uncomfortable, it doesn't take away from the fact that the timing was weird and buck wasn't in a good headspace to respond properly.

in conclusion

tommy is repeatedly a bad person. just because he hasn't said anything racist or sexist since season two, it doesn't negate this. you'll notice that almost all of his scenes are here, if not all. the writers have chosen to have him repeatedly look bad and like someone who only cares about himself (with the way he constantly tries to defend his actions by blaming gerrard, and how he only cares about his feelings about being out), but the bt stans are too excited at the prospect of two white men kissing (or just two men and they don't care who, thus dumping eddie, it depends on the bt) that they choose to look past it and hate on ryan/eddie instead.

these last three months in the fandom have felt so different compared to the rest. the fandom i knew pre s7 would never act this way. is it because lou is a nepo baby? i know it's not because of his looks. but either way, i'm disappointed, and hope s8 treats us (fans who actually care about the characters and don't actively want less for them) better

(if i missed anything, let me know and i'll edit the post to add it)

[911-ls-whats-your-emergency]

I am honestly so happy with Buck/Tommy. Not because I don't want Buddie endgame anymore - that's still my dream. But because the payoff will be so much richer (and honestly more believable for the casual fan) than if they go from "straight" to bi Buck to Buddie in a few episodes.

And so far, Tommy's character is GREAT! He has chemistry with both Eddie & Buck and based on his delivery of "MY attention?" he seems to be the most aware of the potential for Buddie out of the three of them. So yeah he's gonna take the opportunity to kiss Buck when it's offered (who wouldn't??) and probably a lot more than that and he's gonna be able to walk Buck through this new thing with some confidence so that if/when Buddie does come about, it can be more about the emotions.

They've honestly set him up to potentially be Eddie's queer guru as well - or even just given us someone who Eddie can talk about on screen about Buck, which has been rare in the past. And since Tommy seems aware of the Buck/Eddie of it all from the beginning, I'm hopeful he won't be the love interest who has to put on a brave face while being tossed aside for no reason in favor of the main pairing (a trope I hate) but rather he can be like "yeah I always knew this was coming but I wanted to have some fun in the meantime".

Also now that they confirmed Season 8, I want it to be slowwwww. I want everyone in the 911 universe to be rooting for them before they're even fully aware. I want every fan, not just the tumblr buddie community, to be screaming at their TV "JUST KISS ALREADY" every time Buddie is on screen. And then when they finally do, we can all die happy :) because love is love and these two deserve each other in the best way possible.

[dreamsteddie]

Who Will Catch Me When You're Gone?

Content Tags: Platonic Sobin, major character death, grief, depression, major character undeath

Inspired by this beautiful art by @tarraing

------

When they found Steve, broken and bloody and scraped raw from the bats, all Robin could think about was that Steve's favorite sweatpants were ruined. She'd never understood those things or how someone so obsessed with fashion could wear them, but he'd always loved how comfortable they were. She razzes him about it every time he wears them.

Now they're ruined. Dirty and ripped.

She can hear Nancy ordering them to help her and Eddie freaking out but it's all just white noise to her right up until the moment everything comes flooding back in and the world has never been louder. Her breathing is deafening like she's trying to breathe for both of them.

Steve isn't breathing.

Steve isn't breathing but somehow she still is.

One moment she's stuck watching Nancy Wheeler try to patch her soulmate back together the next she's doing it for her so Nancy can start CPR. Eddie has stopped freaking out, she is dimly aware of him standing behind her, hovering because he doesn't know how to help. Doesn't know if there's any way to help.

Robin knows she's talking but it doesn't matter what she's saying. She doesn't think Steve can hear her. How could anything she says matter when her best friend isn't there to hear it? But she can't make herself stop, just in case.

But Steve never hears her. Nancy pushes on his chest and forces air into his lungs until her arms are shaking and she doesn't have enough strength to move his chest anymore. Then Robin takes over even though she has no idea what she's doing. Even though Nancy and Eddie are trying to tell her it's no use, that they need to go.

Like she could leave him here.

Then she's kicking and screaming because they're trying to pull her away. She's biting down on Eddie's ringed hand and kicking out into Nancy's ribs. She's not leaving, she's not. She can't do that to Steve, would rather lie down next to him, take his hand, and let the bats find her than leave him behind.

The last thing she sees before someone knocks her in the head is Steve's eyes, open and empty and staring right at her.

------

When Robin wakes up she's surrounded by people, but no one says a thing. She sees Dustin, red-eyed and empty standing in a corner across from the couch she's been placed on. Max won't look at her, Erica is glued to her side, Eddie looks lost, Lucas is trying to keep a siff upper lip for his sister, and Nancy looks like a block of steel. Steve isn't anywhere to be found.

But then again, Robin knew that. She'd know if Steve was her because their hearts beat as one, but now her chest feels empty. It's Max, brave, scared Max, who breaks the silence. Robin doesn't hear it. Doesn't listen as people start explaining plans around them. Can't channel the righteous fury she sees in Nancy and Max, or the barely concealed fear in Eddie and Erica, or the building weight of responsibility growing in Lucas and Dustin's too old eyes. All she feels is empty.

She's going to do whatever they want her to do because she knows it's what Steve would do. Knows without a shadow of a doubt that if she was the one lying dead in the Upside Down he would be on a war path in her name, so she needs to do the same.

When she launches that last fire bomb into Vecna's ugly head, it's a hollow victory.

Everyone else survives. The Byers move back to Hawkins. The town starts to rebuild. The big bad is gone for good.

But it doesn't mean anything to her. She lies in bed most days without saying a word. She lets her parents dote on her, listens passively as they try to remind her of the college acceptance letters waiting for her on the kitchen counter. Manages to sit up and smile just a little when Eddie brings Dustin and Erica by to see her. Cries with the two of them tucked under her arms, all three of them aware of how vulnerable they feel without a strong pair of arms wrapped around their other side.

Robin asks Eddie to hang back one day and makes a request. The next day he comes by with a clean needle and a pot of ink and Robin sits motionless as he engraves a sunflower inner her wrist, somewhere she'll always be able to see it.

She always swore to Steve that she would never get a tattoo, too freaked out by the possibility of an infection, but those fears feel so distant now that the worst thing that could happen has come to pass.

She catches Eddie with one of his own to match the next week.

------

A month goes by. She doesn't leave the house, even when Dustin comes by to beg her.

Then two. She can tell her parents are starting to really worry. They've given up trying to get her to think about college and started trying to get her to think about therapy.

Then Five. She started going to work again. She puts on her Family Video vest and thinks about Steve. She walks through the door and imagines Steve leaning over the counter. Keith turns on Back to the Future and she goes home with a panic attack. She doesn't speak unless it's necessary, but she's trying to move forward. She knows it's what Steve would want for her, even on the days when it's not what she wants for herself.

And then Six months pass.

There's a tap at her window.

She ignores it, at first. She refuses to go to a shrink, there are too many things she can't say to the ones her parents recommend, and she won't accept anything from those government goons who turned her best friend into a soldier. Into cannon fodder. Instead, she writes letters.

She sits down at her desk once a day and pours her heart out to Steve. She lets herself pretend for a few moments every day that he's just been dragged away by his parents for a few months. He's out there somewhere in the world, relying on her to keep her updated on the kids and the drama at work and herself until she can go out and join him, wherever he is. Some days she writes about nothing at all, some days she rages at him for leaving her behind, sometimes she speculates about their future, where she goes to college wherever he is, and they get an apartment and two dogs. She seals every one in an envelope, tucks them in a drawer, and lets herself breathe in that perfect fantasy for just a moment. It's the best part of her day, and nothing can tear her away from it.

Except the tapping doesn't stop.

And Robin lives on the second floor.

And everyone she knows would just come through the front door.

She turns, so slowly, toward the window. The glare from her bedside lamp makes it impossible to see anything through it, but she doesn't need to.

There are fingers, claws, forcing their way under the sill. She sucks in a sharp breath as they curl upward, crashes to the ground as they start to pull.

She's scrambling back, getting ready to scream and make a run for the walkie she leaves on silent on her desk to call for help. To warn the others that their monsters are back before it mows her down.

But then the window gives way and she stops. Stops everything.

Because the thing in her window is wearing her best friend's face. It's wearing his hair and his moles and his stupid fucking sweatpants.

And at the end of the day it doesn't actually matter what he looks like. It doesn't matter if there are new hinges in his jaw to show off new, shark-like teeth. It doesn't matter mater if he can't say anything besides a hissed, garbled rendition of her name. It doesn't even matter when he latches onto her wrist, right above that little sunflower, and sucks, taking just enough blood to make her light-headed.

Because she can feel his heartbeat pounding along with her own, perfectly in sync.

Because she's not alone, anymore.

[lover-of-mine]

OK so for background to this question. I once complained to you about Tommy ditching Buck at the restaurant. You were fair and set me straight. I always credit you with that to mutuals. Don't even use it since then. This season Tommy wasn't even a character I could really not like because I actually felt sad for him. I mean the writers clearly don't care except to sort of not write great for him. They didn't even try to give him a bit of the Addison treatment from Grey's. It was clear there was so vested interest in him as being around. That brings me to the question for you because I respected your answer last time. But to preface, my pet peeve is when people change their opinions on tropes to excuse behavior. So here goes.

I was ok ignoring him. But let's be real here. If you watched your favorite show that had best friends like Buck and Eddie. Even if you viewed them as platonic and they hey maybe morey if the writers were brave?? But just best friend main characters. Absolutely if a scuzzy ex came back after one had to leave and celebrated them leaving.... Every fan of the show would riot! That actually was probably some of the most toxic writing I have seen that isn't widely acknowledged from the other side

I don't know it just bugs me. It wouldn't have flown under normal circumstances.

Hello again, darling 🫶

They are very clearly using Tommy as minimally as they can, they are giving him just enough development so that he exists. It's hard to form a full opinion on him with only the show to go on, I'm sure that without fandom, I would lowkey feel bad for him because he is kinda like a sad wet cat when you look at it without any fanon-created goggles.

A lot of things that happened in the bucktommy relationship wouldn't have flown under any other circumstances, famously Buck putting Eddie in the hospital being one of them, we all know how that would've gone if it had been Eddie (make the relationship go exactly the way it did but it's Eddie and Tommy, and dear god no one would like Tommy and there would be calls and calls to kill Eddie off), but the fact that people are overlooking the way Tommy was ready to celebrate Eddie leaving is very icky, that's for sure. Like, for me is a redux of the way Natalia thought Buck's death was cool when we spent a few episodes discussing how much that affected everyone around Buck, we spent a healthy amount of the past few episodes establishing that Eddie leaving is bad. It's something that's hurting Buck deeply, so much so that that implication actually triggers Buck. I personally don't think there's a way around it, it's not like Tommy ever explicitly brought up the fact that he was insecure about Eddie's space in Buck's life.

The whole time this relationship is happening, we have been saying that Tommy knows what he's getting into when it comes to Buck and Eddie. The breakup also makes it clear that he knows he can't win this fight, if Buck had to choose, he would choose Eddie. The way that he takes this thing that's been eating at Buck as a win by default so much so that he's willing to joke about it and thinks Buck wouldn't mind is very 😬😬😬. Like, the guy kissed Buck while Buck went on and on about Eddie. He used Chris to calm him down back then. He is weirded out about the way they are in Eddie's house, and he's still going for it. While he has the right to feel insecure, he has no right to actually accuse Buck of having feelings for Eddie and imply their relationship was a competition if he didn't voice the concerns before. He made the choice to date the guy for 6 months, he could've walked away. And he did. But coming back all yay Eddie is gone and expecting Buck to be fine with it is insane behavior. Even in a scenario where you don't think there's more between Buck and Eddie, Eddie is Buck's best friend. No person who truly cared about Buck would celebrate him losing that just because it makes their life easier. I'm with you on that one, it's just another thing people are ignoring in favor of making Tommy the victim of a situation he made a very conscious choice to walk into.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  @cuips-not-cute! cuips_not_cute has six fics in the Stranger Things fandom on AO3 and all of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @cuips-not-cute:

he could be brave

blood is an aphrodisiac

honeyed affection

blinking red light

cyclical

"cuips is a master of taking the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. The amount of times I've laughed and cried at the same time reading his fics have been too numerous to count. Especially the depth of the sex scenes and the character beats and growth they portray are gorgeous to read - and also very titillating. I love Steve and Eddie in every one of cuips stories, adore the little mannerisms they are given and the way they interact with each other and other characters. Besides the inspiring prose cuips can pull off a plot like few other people I've found so far - since blinking red light is still ongoing, I'll just point to cyclical for that. I'm very thankful to cuips for writing and posting these stories and for being a very active part of this lovely fandom." -- anonymous

Below the cut, @cuips-not-cute answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

i don’t even know. i was happily in the ofmd fandom when i watched season 4 almost three years ago now (oh god) and then the characters… they got me. i fear they’ll never leave.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

god, so many. they’re all kinda the same flavor though so i’ll list out what i’m always filtering for to find a new fic: bottom/sub eddie, creature/monster eddie, post s4, canon compliant, soft dom steve, sex pollen, spit kink, rimming (perhaps my FAVORITE ever thing to read), switch eddie/switch steve… the list goes on.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

probably also rimming. there’s just something so romantic about eating ass. and i really love to stick with post s4 canon compliant aus, too, i don’t think i’ve written an actual for real au yet, though i do have an idea for one after brl.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

i don’t know if i can pick!! my ao3 bookmarks host my many all-time faves, but if you wanna go by the fic i’ve reread the most it’s probably the affliction of the feeling. it’s so fucking good.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

YES!!! i have never written omegaverse!!! which is crazy, ‘cause i like it a LOT. i have a post-s4 omegaverse au kicking around in my head currently, and i cannot wait to sink my teeth into all the messy biology and politics that come with the omegaverse.

What is your writing process like?

chaotic, in a word. usually, i’ll get a fic idea while i’m balls-deep in writing another fic so i’ll shove it to the side and let it simmer while i finish that first one, then i’ll spend a good long while planning it out in ridiculous detail, and THEN i’ll start actually drafting. i like to have a fully fleshed out outline and a couple chapters written and edited before i start posting, and once posting begins i tend to deviate quite a bit from my outline but it’s all good fun.

Do you have any writing quirks?

definitely. i don’t like pointing them out for fear of other folks seeing them in everything i do, but they’re there. one that i don’t mind so much is my absolute abuse of the word “little.” everything is “a little” of this, “a little” of that, but i try to cut my usage down significantly while i’m editing.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

i always TRY to keep a schedule but… yeah. it never works. i’m far too busy for one, but attempts are made. i’d like to one day write a fic in full before posting it, because i think it’d be a whole lot better if i let it sit for that long but lord, i sure do like getting ao3 comments on every chapter. they make the writing motivation go WAY up.

Which fic are you most proud of?

brl, definitely. that fucker is LONG and i’m barely halfway through it. i think i’ve done a lot of cool things with it and i’m going to do some more cool things and i’ve made a lot of really awesome friends in the process of writing it so it’s got some pretty insane sentimental value to me. it’s definitely going to be a fic i’ll miss writing once i finish it, but that’s what the epilogue series is for!!!

How did you get the idea for blinking red light?

from another fic!!! @racketghost is the author of one of my favorite things i’ve ever read, which is the good omens zach and miri au, closed set (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23320960/chapters/55862155 <- hyperlinked), wherein crowley has been lying about the existence of some angelic sex tapes to all of hell, and then he and aziraphale have to actually make the tapes. it’s awesome. it’s gorgeous. brl is one big giant love letter to this fic, because it means so fucking much to me and i think about it ALL the time. 

When writing honeyed affection, what was something you didn’t expect?

hmm, i don’t know? ha is, i think, a pretty easygoing fic with lots and lots of porn stuffed inside it, and that was all i intended it to be so i cannot think of anything i was surprised by!!

What inspired blood is an aphrodisiac?

i just wanted to write vampire eddie. it was july ‘22, kas theories were everywhere, i had to try it. these days i think i would change a LOT about it because my ideas and hcs surrounding the characters have evolved significantly, but i’ll write vampire eddie again and “fix” everything i no longer like about biaa.

What was your favorite part to write from he could be brave?

…the fisting. i genuinely think some of my best writing is in that scene, and while i feel the same way about this fic as i do biaa, the fisting scene will always hold a special place in my heart. i’m very, very excited to write the fisting chapter in brl because of this scene. fisting rules.

How do/did you feel writing cyclical?

i wrote cyclical during a very weird few months of my life, so writing it was sort of my way of dealing with all the insane shit going on around me, and i think it shows. in a good way, though, because cyclical is a timeloop fic so it needed to be a little angsty and insane. i’m stupidly proud of that fic. @ryeallytired actually BOUND it into a PHYSICAL BOOK and SENT IT TO ME and when i tell you that is the singular most precious object i own, i mean it.

What was the most difficult part of writing blinking red light?

PLOTTING THAT BITCH. GOD. i’m so happy to be actually WRITING it now, the planning was genuinely so brutal. my issue was that i was sticking too close to the plot of closed set (<3) which just… did not work for steddie. closed set’s premise centers around crowley lying about making sex tapes, yes, but he lied about them to PROTECT aziraphale, which is the messiest, kindest, riskiest fucking thing ever. and it’s awesome. in the early planning stages of brl, i was trying to put eddie in the crowley role of lying about having made sex tapes with steve, but it reallyyy didn’t work. there was an oc and i absolutely hated him, plus i didn’t like what that premise was doing to eddie’s character… ugh. it was a MESS. it took several rubber duck-ing conversations with my brilliant friend @lollaika and a rewatch of zach and miri to finally realize that it had to be STEVE who brings up the idea of sex tapes so that he could protect eddie, rather than eddie bringing it up to save his own hide (yikes).

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

oooh, lots. reallyyyy loved chapter 8 of cyclical with all of the pov shifts, that was super fun to write. i also really enjoyed writing the dry humping/sex tape convo in the first chapter of brl, and i’m stupidly excited to write chapters 12, 13, 15, and 17, because of specific scenes that will happen in each.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

i do!! after brl is completed i’ll have to choose from two story ideas (because i cannot have two wips at once or i’ll get SO stressed), one being a semi-realistic steddie cowboy au based off my own experiences with growing up on a farm and featuring messy, earnest cowboys and not-fully-human eddie, and the other being the omegaverse au i want to write, which will have a very fun mix of vampire eddie, dubcon bitching, and accidental mating bites!!!

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

i cannot think of anything!! this was super fun :D

Thank you to our author, @cuips-not-cute, and our anonymous nominator! See more of cuips_not_cute's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[cosmal]

red solo cup — send me an au + a character n i’ll write u a blurb ie rockstar!sirius rugby!james bartender!eddie

ooooo spidersona!eddie maybe? i've been seeing some spider-man aus recently and i'm super curious how you think eddie would b as a webslinger. 🤍

patches

summary spidey!eddie is a little too blasé about the way he treats himself on patrol.

content spidey!eddie x reader

note i loved this req pls!!! ilysm for this xxx I didn’t write it how I wanted too my writers block killed me halfway through

Eddie never had to scale a building to get inside his home. He lived in a trailer. Which was fine with him - he’s lazy sometimes and it’s all he’d ever known. Being a vigilante doesn’t pay well.

And then you and Eddie move into a 42 story apartment building in Queens, New York. So he has to swing in through the window via the fire escape. At the end of his night shift, he’s definitely lazier than he wants to admit. Why do we have to live on the 39th floor?

He’s had a regular night. A few knife fights, carjackings, and attempted muggings. Nothing out of the ordinary for New York City on a Friday night. So, despite Eddie’s super human strength and stamina, he’s tired when he lands at his window. Eddie’s idea of a regular night isn’t all that true.

He clambers in and you don’t even turn from where you’re sitting at your vanity.

“Y’know, one day it won’t be me coming in through this window.” Eddie laughs, his voice muffled by spandex.

You look at him in the reflection of your mirror, he stands back, over your shoulder, leaning on your shared wardrobe.

“Whoever it is, they won’t leave sticky webs on our windowsill,” you laugh. You have shiny patches under your eyes, your hair pushed back out of your face.

Eddie takes off his mask and his hair springs out of it. You’ve always wondered how it fits it all inside the spandex — you’re sure it’s magic, it defies physics.

Eddie’s got a black eye. You finally turn around and forget about the mess. “Ed’s,” you tut, there’s worry in your voice, but also a touch of disappointment. “What happened?”

Eddie laughs and you frown. “Some guy tried to rob the 7-Eleven down the block.”

You disappear down the hall suddenly and come back with a blue ice brick he’s become all too accustomed to. You wrap it in a wet hand towel and move Eddie to sit down on the bed. He leans back on his hands and you stand between his legs.

He’s bruised and scraped. The top layer of skin broken, blood beads from start to finish. You hold the pack to his face and he winces. You wrinkle your face up with a sadness and Eddie reaches forward to grab your hip. Your pyjama top bunches under his hold, he decides to slip his thumb into the waistband of your pants.

“You’re too reckless,” you murmur.

“No, I’m not.” Eddie doesn’t know why he says it.

“Eddie.”

“Baby.”

You sigh. "You're bleeding, and you're all bruised up." These all feel like repeated words that always fall on deaf ears. "You want me to sew your suit up?"

There's a tear in his suit over his collarbone. "I can do it." Eddie has sewn up countless holes in his jackets, he thinks he's a bit of an expert now.

You tie his hair back out of his face with a hairtie from your wrist. "Did you kick some ass?"

Eddie admires how brave you are, a lot. "So much ass," he says.

"If your hop in the shower, I'll wash your suit and heat up your dinner," you tell him. Eddie turns his head and kisses the palm of your hand where it rests on his face.

"I'll wash my stuff, baby." He starts to take off his suit. It's stuck to his ribs with dried up blood. "I'm not that hungry, don't worry about me."

"Even superheroes need to eat," you tell him. "I've made meatballs."

Eddie's stomach grumbles. "Okay. I'll shower and then get my patches out."

"Patches? Eddie you can't stick a Metallica logo on your suit."

"Watch me."

[rebelangelwings]

Thank you so much for the request Sparrow <3

It's a little open ended but I hope you like it!

____________________________________

could i please request a buddie/reader getting together fic? i dont mind the specifics but maybe reader thinks buck and eddie are already dating (even though they arent) so when one of them confesses, reader is really confused and it ends up with all of them tgt?

______________________________________

Y/n had been introduced to the 118 family through Maddie and her work at Dispatch. The two had clicked instantly, sharing knowing looks about particularly arrogant members of staff or stifling giggles in the breakroom. Relatively new to the area, y/n didn't have any friends or many family members she could regularly see other than her cousin and their kid who she doted on. 

Chimney had been her first encounter with an official member of Firehouse 118, when he kindly picked up a tipsy Maddie and y/n from a Dispatch work Christmas party, and chatted along with her before dropping her to her small apartment. 

"So, y/n do you have any family in the area?" Chimney looked at her in the rear view mirror.

"My cousin Lola doesn't live far. She has a kid, Joey. I adore her." She replied with a smile on her face at the mention of Joey. 

Maddie tuned into the conversation, sitting up and exclaiming, "oh she is so adorable, Chim! She's got this wheelchair with all these Disney characters painted on it that y/n did by hand!"

Y/n smiled but ducked and shook her head slightly at Maddie bragging on her behalf. "We've actually been having a bit of trouble recently…trying to find or get Joey into a school that is accessible. There aren't as many around as you might like to think." 

Chim looked thoughtful, "my pal, Eddie, he's another firefighter at the 118, his son Christopher has CP. I could ask him if he'd be willing to speak with you about how he got Chris into his school?"

Not one to naturally ask for help, y/n felt awkward, "do you think he would mind? I don't want to put people out, especially as he's never even met me."

"Come meet him then!," Maddie chirped, spinning in her seat, "Bobby is having a BBQ tomorrow afternoon. You should come, right Chim?"

"Absolutely. Bobby always says, 'the merrier' and there are always so many leftovers. We can pick you up if you want?" 

And so the next afternoon, y/n found herself in the garden of the captain of the 118, someone who she had spoken to plenty of times over the Dispatch radios, but never met.

Everyone in the extended 118 family was kind and welcoming, not thrown off at all at an outsider joining them.

Maddie had gone round giving introductions, most memorably for y/n were two tall and effortlessly handsome men who were seemingly teasing each other, shoulder and thighs pressed together and beers in hand. 

Buck and Eddie. 

Y/n would have been enamored with them, had she not taken note of the way Eddie's hand rested on Buck's shoulder, or Buck teased Eddie about his cooking catastrophes, or the looks of sheer devotion both of them had for each other. 

Of course these two gorgeous, kind, selfless, brave, firefighters were already spoken for. 

Y/n did get an opportunity to speak to Eddie about little Joey, and he was more than happy to speak about Christopher's school and his struggle and eventual success with getting him enrolled. 

"It's really sweet of you to care so much for your cousin's kid," Eddie smiled at her. 

"Me and my cousin are close. More like best friends, and we have a bit of a rocky relationship with the rest of the family so it was just pretty natural to step in and be a part of Joey's life."

Eddie nodded appreciatively. 

Later, Buck found y/n trying to find a drink in the kitchen, "hey, y/n, I forgot to say earlier how great it is to finally meet you - Maddie talks about you a lot." 

Y/n looked up from the fridge and beamed, "naaw that is really sweet and I am most definitely going to tease her about that later…what sort of stuff has she said about me, exactly?" She becomes suspicious. 

Buck looked mischievous as he said conspiratorially, "Uh… does blue vomit right a bell?"

Y/n gasped, "she didn't?!"

Buck nodded, repressing a laugh, "mhm. An unfortunate incident with a hot glue gun? Oh! My favourite has to be the one with the LEGO."

Y/n had her head in her hands whilst Buck laughed at her embarrassment. Finally  she lifted her head and raised an eyebrow, "Laugh it up Buckley. Go ahead. But Maddie talks to me too and I know a fair amount of your greatest hits."

"You're bluffing."

"Am I? Am I really…Firehose?" 

Buck's mouth dropped open as his ears turned pink, "wha- how did she…dammit Chim!" 

"Not to mention the bread that landed you in hospital, or your unfortunate boy-band blond frosted tips phase."

"Hey, that was fashionable when I was in Peru!" Buck tried to defend himself. 

"Baby, that has never been fashionable anywhere on the globe." 

At that moment, Eddie joined them in the kitchen area. He was overcome with an emotion he didn't often feel, which confused him to no end. Because, jealousy was not completely foreign to him, however, confusion over who he was jealous of in this situation, was a foreign concept to Eddie Diaz. 

__________________________________

Weeks went by following y/n's first introduction to the 118, and many encounters had followed, either as a big group, or as quiet nights drinking wine with the Buckley siblings, or a meeting at a coffee shop with Eddie to talk about the bureaucracy of the American education system. 

Whilst y/n enjoyed the company of Buck and Eddie very much so, she didn't allow her feelings to be anything more than friendship, knowing they were unavailable on several levels. 

The boys however, had found themselves conflicted for a while now. 

Firstly, Eddie was still ruminating over his feelings of jealousy that occurred that day, hearing and seeing the almost flirty conversation between his best friend and the beautiful woman that cared so deeply about her family. 

Buck, in a slightly different position, was far more in tune with her sexuality that Eddie. Buck had explored other options on his travels, he knew that he was not straight although he had yet to place a label on himself, and he had even been in a poly relationship whilst in South America. It hadn't lasted long and was mostly about sex rather than feelings, but it had opened his eyes to other options. Buck was also painfully aware of how in love with Eddie Diaz he was. Had been for a while now. But he had yet to make any moves, giving Eddie space to come to terms with his own identity and feelings. 

And, unbeknown to Buck, Eddie had realised his feelings towards his best friend were not strictly platonic. He was talking with his therapist, Frank, and slowly coming to his own conclusions. 

So, when y/n arrived, all yellow energy and wit, that really threw a spanner into the works for Eddie. 

Unknowingly, both men experienced the same "oh" moment about their feelings towards y/n at the same moment. They had arranged a playmate between Chrisopher and Joey, the three adults first taking them to the zoo, and then returning to Eddie's house for snacks. The two children were crowded around y/n as they recounted their favourite animals from their trip, and she proceeded to illustrate them in a sketchbook. 

The children were amazed at her accuracy, as were Buck and Eddie when they saw her work. 

"You're an incredible artist, y/n," Buck told her.

"Don't be silly, they're just doodles, Buck" She rolled her eyes.  

"Not like any doodle that I've ever seen," Eddie chipped in. 

"Well then I'll take the title of Doodle Queen if it's up for grabs," she joked, not looking up from her paper. 

Both men glanced at each other, smiling fondly. 

__________________________________

Things started to evolve from there, at least for Buck and Eddie. 

Eddie began to feel a low level of animosity towards Buck, thinking that he would make a move on y/n. 

And Buck, whilst he was open to ideas of polyamory, did not think Eddie or y/n would be, and thus felt anxious at the prospect of becoming a third wheel. 

The other members of the 118 started to sense the different dynamic between the two, having expected them to finally realise and admit their feelings for each other by now. 

Everything changed when the 118 were dispatched to multiple vehicle pile ups.

"Alright Team," Bobby directed as they exited the engine. Each member took stock of the several damaged cars, a small fire already forming from one and a lorry pressing a small Toyota precariously onto the edge of the bridge. "Hen, Chim, you're on triage, work your way through the casualties. Buck, Eddie, I want you harnessed up and working on that Toyota, I'll assist from up top. Let's go!" 

As they got closer to the teetering vehicle, Buck turned to Eddie, "isn't that… is that y/n?"

"Shit. Y/n!" Eddie began running, joined immediately by Buck. 

Y/n was just coming round to consciousness, confused why she had fallen asleep upright. When she finally managed to peel her eyes open, being stuck together by something, she could see a clear view of LA. 

Looking around frantically, she started to remember the moments before she had fallen asleep: horns honking, crashed from behind her, her leg hurting with the force she applied the car brakes, it not making a different because a lorry slammed into the rear of her tiny car and propelled it through the bridge barriers. Pain. Airbags. Nothing. 

The moment before she felt her heart was going pound right out of her chest, she heard two familiar voices. 

"Y/n, is that you?!"

"Y/n?!"

"Buck! Eddie!" She clarified her identity. As she turned to get a better look at them, there was a wobbling sensation that had her freezing. 

"Woah woah! Don't move, y/n. Y/n, do not move, okay?" That was Buck. 

"You're going to be just fine, but we need you to stay really still, okay? Just let us do all the work, y/n." Eddie that time.

For the next few minutes she could hear them speaking in low voices to each other, could hear shouting from the rest of the scene, and the occasional radio crackle. The lack of distraction from her view of impending doom wasn't serving her well. 

"Uh…guys. I don't mean to be any trouble and I know you're doing your best out there, but I'm really freaking out. Like, about to have a panic attack kind of freak out." She called. 

A pause. And then Eddie spoke, "That's okay, mi amor. You're doing great, y/n, handling this like a champ. We've secured the bumper of the car to our engine so we've got you a little more secure. Still need you to stay nice and still though, got it?"

Y/n nodded to herself, "Thank you for updating me. However, I've been driving this car for years now and I'm well aware of it falling to pieces. I don't know how confident I feel about it being secured to the engine."

"That's why Buck and I are putting on harnesses right now and are going to get you out. Don't you worry, you're going great, just keep taking deep breaths."

Buck was next to speak, "Eddie's right, you're going great, y/n. We're on our way to you now, okay?"

Buck didn't lie. Within minutes she could hear movement at the rear door of the vehicle. The rear of the vehicle had been squashed like an accordion in the collision with the lorry, and so they were going to use jaws on the back door to access her. 

She was instructed to cover her eyes if she could and keep her back to the machinery. 

Soon, she felt the door being removed, and the unforgiving movement that alerted her to someone else entering the car. 

"Hey, mi amor, how are we doing?" Eddie. 

Eddie was with her. She allowed herself to breathe a little easier just knowing he was close. 

"Try not to move, okay, I'm going to access you real quick and then pop this C-collar on you just as a precaution." Eddie proceeded to feel her neck from behind her, getting her rapid pulse, then placing the hard plastic around her neck, forcing her gaze upwards. "Can you tell me where you're hurt, y/n?" 

"My head. Think I passed out. And my chest…probably the airbags." 

"Okay, good job, and can you wiggle your toes? No numbness anywhere?" Eddie asked while moving about doing something. 

"No numbness I don't think. I don't know, Eddie, I really want to get out now please." Her voice broke as her resolve started to crumble. 

"I know, mi amor, we're working on it."

"Eddie." She heard Buck. He sounded serious, almost like a warning. Then she heard the metallic grinding. 

"Okay, okay. Y/n this is what's going to happen, I'm going to cut your seat belt off and on the count of three I'm going to pull you through the middle of the seat and pass you over to Buck. We're going to be quick and we're going to be careful." 

She could hear the barely stifled panic in Eddie's voice.

The belt was cut and she made an effort not to move. 

"Okay, one…" Eddie had his arms around her waist, putting uncomfortable pressure on a sore spot, "two…" he moved causing the car to wobble precariously, "three!" Eddie heaved her body through the gap, ignoring the cry of pain. Y/n could barely make out what was happening before she was face to face with Buck who was reaching out for her. 

She moved her arms out too until she cast her eyes downward and noticed there was nothing but a sheer drop and water below them. If her head wound wasn't already making her queasy, that view certainly had done it. 

Eddie was gently guiding her to Buck as the car became less stable as a result of their abrupt movements, "y/n, you have to go. Buck had you, okay? He won't let you go. We won't let you go," he murmured in her ear whilst making eye contact with Buck. They seemed to be having another of their silent conversations. 

Buck nodded at her, getting a proper grip on her as the car shrieked, "I've got you sweetheart, we've got you. Just close your eyes."

She did as suggested and closed her eyes, and let herself be handed over, limbs automatically grasping at whatever they could, which happened to be Buck as she wrapped around him like a koala to a tree. 

She could still hear the metallic creaking growing louder and louder, and then a crack and she felt more than heard Buck gasp. 

"Eddie! Eddie, you okay?" Buck called somewhere stirring panic in y/n. 

"I'm good! Let's get her up here." Eddie was safe. 

Next thing she knew, she was being gently laid on the ground, although her limbs were reluctant to unfreeze from their terrified position. 

She could feel movement around her. 

"Hey," that was Buck. "Hey, sweetheart, you can open your eyes now. You're safe, y/n. 

Slowly, she peeled her eyes open and unbleached her arms and legs, relaxing onto the pavement below her. 

Buck was smiling down at her. 

"Eddie?" She asked. 

"Right here." She couldn't turn her head, but she could hear that he was to her side and feel something wrapped tightly around her arm. 

Buck didn't fully disappear from her view but he did move to lightly pressing on her sides, assessing her ribs and noting when she hissed in pain. 

Eddie appeared directly in front of her, "just going to shine this light in your eyes, just look straight ahead…Hey," he began softly, seeing the distress in her face, "You're doing really well. We'll get you out of here soon and to the hospital."

At Eddie's soft voice reminding her of an impending hospital stay where she was bound to be alone and uncomfortable, she couldn't help the burning tears that rolled fiercely down her face and tickled her ears. 

Eddie started to catch some of the tears with the back of his fingers, making concerned eye contact with Buck who leaned into y/n's line of vision. 

"Hey, hey, sweetheart. None of that, you're safe. We'll get you checked out at the hospital and you'll be back to normal in no time."

"I- I don't want-" she struggled to get her words out.

"Take a breath. That's it. What don't you want?"

"I don't want…to be a-alone. I'll be…all alone in the h-hospital. Like al-always." She stuttered. 

"You're not going to be alone. We won't let you be alone, okay mi amor?"

"Yeah, we'll stay with you, I know how much hospitals can suck without someone to distract you."

Y/n appreciated the sentiment but if anything, having Buck and Eddie sit vigil at her bedside only made it more apparent to her that she was alone whilst they had each other. 

"I don't want you wasting your time babysitting me. You have a life together. You have Chris. Plus, no offense, but you two being sickeningly cute and in love won't make me feel any less shit about being alone."

At that moment, Buck and Eddie shared a look over her form. Confusion at her assumption, turning to shock that she could see their inner feelings for the other, then settling into something that looked like contentment and understanding.

It was clear to both men that they shared the same affection for y/n and would do anything to stop her hurting. It was also apparent that both Buck and Eddie were willing - no not just willing, but that they yearned to share this role with y/n. 

Eddie was the first to make his move. He reached over across y/n, extending his fingers to his partner. Buck, surprised, but eyes full of contentment, wrapped his own fingers around Eddie's.

"Let's get you to the hospital and home. I think we have lots to talk about." 

[hainethehero]

No hate, genuine question. Why do yous think bucktommy was such a good relationship? Tommy bought him tickets to basketball when its established he doesn't like basketball and buck didn't even know if Tommy was gay or bi after 6 months like that doesn't seem like they knew each other at all what makes it seem like they have such a good relationship?

Genuine answer, I liked that Buck finally had someone that was upfront with him and really interested. Before then, it was mostly him chasing interests.

As for the basketball tickets etc., it was terrible writing. The writers clearly got direction from whoever (showrunner, execs etc) to just half-ass it. The writing was just terrible bc Tommy up until then was very in love with Buck, and even Oliver said, they were in the early stages of learning/exploring each other.

And again, there was clearly a miscommunication between the show & the interviews that Tim and Oliver did.

Tim said he liked Lou a lot and felt like Tommy was the perfect guy to set up Buck's queer storyline and relationship with. He also said he wanted to give the relationship respect and didn't want to make a big deal about it because a lot of shows do that, when queer couples should be treated not as something gratuitous and showy, but as something natural. He also said that he wanted to change up the fact that Buck has always been on a rollercoaster of relationships and has never quite settled and he wanted the opposite of that to happen with Tommy.

Oliver said that he wanted to do the same and be respectful of showing a genuine queer relationship. He even said that Buck and Tommy were taking things slow and getting to know each other and exploring this new territory for Buck. He even said he wanted a slow burn where the desire just builds etc.

Then, in the show, after season 7, there were barely any Buck and Tommy scenes. Yes, Buck and Tommy were there for Christopher's birthday, but that was more about Eddie. There was no genuine effort to develop their relationship. Most of season 8 was about Bathena & Henren, (not even Eddie or Chimney got enough screentime tbh). But they clearly showed through the writing and the pacing that the Buck/Tommy relationship was no longer something they wanted to spend time and energy on. The discrepancies then, are the difference in the interviews and then the show. People genuinely thought they were going to do what they said (see interview above & Google the rest of interviews bc there were a lot with the same sentiment expressed about being respectful about Buck and Tommy.) But they clearly didn't and went with the, "oh we were tricking you and rly just going to break them up so that Buck can kick off his yt boy angst" arc.

Honestly I'm still confused af:

Why did they dive into this plot if Tim and Oliver knew they were just going to half-ass it?

Did Oliver just not like Lou and ask Tim to end it abruptly?

If Oliver/the cast didn't like Lou, why did they keep him on?

If they did like Lou, why did no one defend him when he was getting sent death threats, petitions to get him off the show, degrading comments about his looks, name-calling etc?

And if Tim and Buck were genuinely truthful, that they wanted to be respectful in developing and building this queer relationship, why did they let it get railroaded by sloppy writing, bullying from stans, no promotion of the relationship ship whatsoever and minute long scenes where there's no deep conversations or focus on their dynamic?

If the 911 cast didn't like Lou so much, whyd they keep him on? Why did they continue the storyline? Why lie in interviews and say things like slow burn, instead of being brave and saying, well, i don't like the direction my character is going in, so we're scrapping Buck and Tommy?

It all just seems like blatant cowardice to me, from the entire cast, but specifically Tim and Oliver. And now that they broke up, Oliver's brilliant response is, "i want Buck to fuck this guy and that girl, and that girl and this guy and this girl..." like, CLEARLY he did not give a f--k about the relationship, so he should've expressed that earlier, instead of making stuff up about slow burn and desires, and getting over hurdles together.

So to answer your question, we were expecting what Tim and Oliver alluded to, (and up until 8x05 they seemed smitten with each other, even with boils on Buck's face- and then immediately broken up next ep) and instead got shitty pacing, little to no development of the relationship, and weak, half-assed writing that seemed more from a middle-schooler than an actual writer.

[ar3s-r4t-qu33n]

Idfc if he's real or not, he's still worse written than Eddie. Also the problem is in his fans that are making him no guilty, innocent baby and always refering that Coyle/Eddie/Everybody else im outlast are the same. And if you think it'll work, try to compare Walker (with PTSD after war) with Franco (who is just a sicko). Anyway Barbi's simps are way more agressive than any other fans when you say something bad, what's a fact, about a grown ass man. I feel like those people are just little kids who are getting upset after school and shouldn't play the game ;) When I see all those comments with "He'S mY PoOkIE" I'm getting sick... Ya'll should get a brain

Guys look!! I got one!!

You don't deserve a response, because if you were old enough to be playing Outlast, you would be able to figure out that shaming people for (checks notes) liking a fictional character in a horror series? Is plain stupid.

It would also serve you well to maybe do some spell check before you come into my asks like this. I'd take you more seriously if you maybe drafted this one more time, but here we go:

First of all, you don't know me. You can check out my like, five posts and see that only two of em are Franco related and none of them baby him. In fact, I don't think I've seen a post yet by anyone who says "Franco is a sweet, innocent baby who did no wrong" because... That's the point. He's interesting BECAUSE he's done shit wrong. We are playing Outlast. Everyone is complex and awful and interesting. Just because not every post is marked with a little footnote that says "oh by the way everyone, Franco is a bad, bad man 🥺 I don't support his actions, I'm not a Franco defender, I just wanted to draw him being silly 🥺" doesn't mean we're all out here claiming he's a saint. The fact that he's a fucked up lil guy is why we like him. I feel like that's a given with all Outlast characters? But that's just me after being a fan of this franchise for years now, idk, being able to step back and analyse a community to see what they enjoy about something is quite a fun and easy task, I recommend giving it a try instead of coming into "loser nobody who has been on Tumblr for like a week's" asks to complain to me like I can put all the Franco fans in the corner until they learn to interpret characters the way you have decided is objectively correct.

But even if they are "babying" him and apparently ignoring that this is the Outlast series and Franco is a character from Outlast... Oh no! What horror! Someone is misinterpreting a VIDEO GAME CHARACTER what a terrible and unique crime!

Franco "just a sicko" Barbi was abused and neglected by his father, his mother was murdered, and he only ever received affection after he killed someone. But yeah, he was just born fucked up whereas every other Outlast character earned their trauma and the right to kill the player. What a senseless and just untrue take and I'm sure you know that, you just want to complain because that's all you people like to do. You want to feel morally superior over someone because you don't understand why they feel the way they do instead of just moving on and ignoring them like any other sensible adult would. Because who's actually getting hurt if some people think Franco is their lil Pookie? Is it you? Does it cause you psychic damage? Because last I checked, this is the internet. We are responsible for ourselves, so unless somebody is actually hurting anyone...

Block the Franco tag. You are brave enough to type out this whole message to a stranger online and act morally superior because comparing which video game character deserves the right to kill you is THE most mature thing in the world, so you're definitely brave enough to block the tag and move on.

You are responsible for what you see online, but ESPECIALLY on Tumblr, it is so so easy to hide content you don't want to see, and mind your own business. Quite frankly, I don't care if I come across as aggressive here. You came into my asks about a tag/fandom you clearly aren't in trying to act like you're better than the rest of us. That's pretty damn aggressive, wouldn't you say?

This is Outlast. A game about fucked up guys doing fucked up shit, and we love them for it. If that is too much for you, if the mommy issues gangster is too crazy for you but Eddie and Trager and Knoth and Coyle are completely fine, no questions asked? I don't think this series is for you. Sexual horror is a staple of Outlast. Childhood trauma is a staple of Outlast. You can't be shocked when people respond to a new character in a video game they like.

YOU are not better than me because you like Chris Walker and I like Franco Barbi. I can't believe you need to be told this, we are all in the same uncomfortable freakshow cesspit that is The Outlast Fandom, no one is morally good. No one is better than anyone else. You cannot claim moral superiority over any character because at the end of the day, I can point to Wernicke and say with my full chest that he is objectively the worst because he's a literal nazi, and what then? Are you going to tell me that Franco is worse than a nazi? The debate is over, in the list of "who is the worst of these awful people", Wernicke wins hands DOWN. The point is null because EVERYONE SUCKS HERE!!! THAT'S THE POINT!!!!

Is that enough for you? Or are you gonna keep harassing people through your alts or getting your friends to do it? I can go alllllll day, baby, you ain't making me feel bad about my interests in the O U T L A S T fandom, dear GOD, this is ridiculous. Don't fucking condescend me, telling me to "get a brain" you don't KNOW ME, I am a stranger to you, why do you feel comfortable coming onto my blog harassing me about a video game character? That's not a good look for you and now it is immortalised here. Anonymous or not, you still did this. Whoever you are, you typed that out and sent it to a random person you do not know and felt comfortable enough to do so.

That's weird.

[fmajorenthusiast]

Rocky Horror characters are having a barbecue

Who:

Buys all the food

Cooks the meat

Makes dessert

Makes drinks

Makes sides

Cleans up the mess?

OMG YES I LOVE IT SM CQRJRFQIQ4FIQ4F

Buys all the food: At first, they try to send Brad and then this operation fails MISERABLY!!! On his own, Brad gets lost and afraid in the grocery store!!! He calls Janet for help no less than nine times until Eddie is sent out to help him, and the presence of an even less capable person suddenly makes Brad brave enough to figure shit out on his own! The power of Eddie's helplessness turns Brad into a competent shopper!!! Together, they figure things out like it's a game!!! They treat every word they don't understand as if it's a puzzle to be solved!!! One time they realized that what they were looking for was a brand and they got really excited and high fived as they ran over to the cracker isle!!! Why? Well because Rocky wanted his favorite crackers, that's why!!! But yeah these two wound up, against all odds, having an absolutely fantastic time together!!! Hell, it might have been more fun than the barbecue itself at the end of the day!!! Seeing the chip isle and getting to pick THAT many bags of chips??? Together, it took them three hours and a lot of minutes to find what they were looking for, but it was a FANTASTIC time and they bonded a great deal!!!

Cooks the meat: Magenta is absolutely PHENOMENAL at cooking and so she decides that grilling meet can't be much different (well actually Frank decides that for her which- side note- he is trying his absolute best to be of NO help or service whatsoever) and that could not be farther from the truth!!! Magenta tries her VERY best to figure out how before the barbecue actually begins and winds up calling in Doctor Scott for help so that she doesn't accidentally burn everything to the ground in the biggest "Do not tell Frankenfurter about this EVER" moment of either of their lives!!! He helps her figure out how and everything goes smoothly when cooking the meat when the time comes!!! She gives him a few thankful glances when she's sure that no one is looking and she of course thanks him directly before anyone else gets there!!! Nobody ever suspects a thing!!! Magenta can now cook in multiple different ways like the champ that she is!!! She went above and beyond and learned how to grill EVERYTHING!!! Well not everything, but she can do steak, burgers, chicken, ribs, hotdogs, pork, sausages- you name it!!! She's really that amazing!!!

Makes dessert: Columbia, Magenta (she wanted to do this as well as the grilling), and Janet work together on this!!! The three of them have ALWAYS loved to make desserts and they wind up making LOTS!!! Everybody gets to take a considerable amount home at the end of it!!! Their original plan was to just do marble cake, some kind of cupcakes that they'd decide at the time (they chose fun fetti,) and red velvet cake! But when they got started, they realized that they just had cake ideas!!! Instead of deciding which cake thing to bake and coming up with two other ideas, they just made them all AND added more ideas!!! Three more ideas, that is!!! They all picked one more!!! At the end of the day, have Janet's idea for chocolate chip cookies, Columbia's idea for brownies, and Magenta's idea for cinnamon rolls (probably because she's working with two cinnamon rolls already!!!) Also, Eddie and Brad just come home unprompted with boxes of chocolates, fortune cookies, mint chocolate chip milkshakes that they saw on sale on the way home prompting them to stop at the Walmart right next to that sale and grab some ice cream, whipped cream, and popsicles!!! To say that Rocky has a FIELD DAY would be the absolute understatement of the universe!!! It really is amazing!!! They're all SO skilled!!!

Makes drinks: Columbia is the TOTAL maker of the drinks!!! She's AMAZING at making fun drinks and she's also able to make mocktails for the people who aren't up for alcohol!!! Which is a HUGE green flag and Doctor Scott, Brad, Janet, and Rocky (on everyone else's decision. We CANNOT see what happens if Rocky gets drunk-) are REALLY happy with that and that makes a HUGE difference to them!!! Riff Raff wanted to help in making drinks, but even he had to admit that the drinks that he makes are... not things that most people want to intake!!! His stuff is a bit too strong!!! Everything has multiple shots of multiple things mixed into it!!! He stands down on that one!!! Columbia is objectively the best choice!!! She takes the time to learn what everybody likes and then she makes them GOOD!!! She really is awesome at this!!! EVERYBODY is really happy with what she does in a HUGE way!!!

Makes sides: Now THIS is something that Riff Raff CAN do and he does it VERY well!!! He knows that people might underestimate him here, so he goes all out!!! He sees how wild his sister is going with the meat, so he goes in another direction!!! First, he makes corn muffins!!! He also makes sure that butter and knives are adequately provided so everyone can butter them as they wish!!! He's also experiencing a craving for corn bread, so this is a way to deal with that!!! He likes the fact that, if he makes the food, he gets to decide what the food is!!! He also makes one of those fruit salads that's a carved out watermelon as a big animal mouth!!! He DEFINITELY likes to show off!!! People tend to think that he can't do it so he does!!! He also figures out how to make fries!!! He organizes a bunch of vegetables all nice as well!!! He finds that he actually has a great time!!! He likes being in control of something and he likes being right!!! Also, it's just a much more peaceful job compared to a lot of the others, and he is in DESPERATE need of that!!! But he truly does do a PHENOMENAL job!!! He really does!!!

Cleans up the mess: Here we have Rocky's task!!! It's the one chore he can do and that's how he helps!!! In a big way!!! The problem is that Rocky absolutely has no IDEA where a whole lot of this stuff goes!!! Riff Raff, Magenta, and Columbia, figure this out and see an opportunity!!! Said opportunity is the chance to sneak away and make Frank actually help with something!!! Frank eventually has no choice but to help Rocky clean up the mess himself!!! And it is GLORIOUS!!! Frank struggles to stay mad at Rocky, so they all know that he isn't really in any danger at all from this!!! It's so much fun for them to watch on security cameras as Frank says, "No! That stuff is not supposed to be refrigerated! No! Wait! Rocky! I didn't mean that!" And SO much more!!! It's a highlight of the day!!! And everyone laughs and has a great time and makes sure that the cameras are recording this to be saved for later!!! And hey, Rocky is loving his job, too!!! He thinks that it's so much fun to clean!!! And also, Frank is SO proud of Rocky and thrilled that he's working at all, so he's far from devastated to be there!!! Everyone is REALLY happy with how the barbecue went!!! It was a FANTASTIC time!!!

[lillie98]

I headcannon Mike Wheeler as autistic (because we share the exact same strain) and I have a theory regarding Season 5. Many autistic people, including myself, have a warped sense of inherent danger. We will throw ourselves into dangerous situations not fully understanding the risks involved. It’s a dangerous situation, sure, but not so dangerous we should avoid it. Mike also has this problem, what with him diving head-first into every fight. He wants desperately to be a hero, to prove his worth and might as a person—to be remembered. If that means doing something stupid like getting himself killed, then that’s what it takes. It’s heartbreaking, but that’s the world he lives in. Hopper, Eleven, Will, they’ve all sacrificed their lives in some capacity to save the world, now it’s his turn.

Eddie touched on this concept with his “Don’t try to be heroes, not today. There is no shame in running,” but Mike doesn’t see it that way. In his mind, those who run are cowards, afraid to face their fears and fight for what they believe in. Has Mike been a bit cowardly these past two seasons by avoiding his feelings for Will? Yes, absolutely. But that’s his arc. Mike has to understand his actions, why he’s hiding, and the serious danger everyone is in. He has to face the music. Where does this lack of inherent danger come in? Glad you asked.

We all know Mike wants to be a hero. He wants to go down in history as someone good, someone who put others before themselves and saves the world. The Brave Knight, The Paladin. Paladins swear an oath of bravery and loyalty, vowing to avenge any threat that dares harm their allegiance (Byler anyone?). Something will threaten to harm/kill Will in Season 5, and Mike will have none of it. They’re not doing this again. Thus, Mike will throw himself in front of Vecna/Demogorgon/Brenner, etc. to protect Will, not fully comprehending the danger of the situation. He’ll be a hero. Unfortunately, this risky act will most likely cost him his life (temporarily). He doesn’t have to die. He’s the heart.

Lucas says, in the Season 4 hospital, that Max’s heart stopped for over a minute, but it miraculously started again. She is alive. El’s love for her conquered death itself. If we go on the “Will Has Powers” theory, then his love for Mike will conquer death and revive him. Mike only needs to be presumed dead, to be out long enough for Will and El to feel the effects of his death and consider joining Vecna. Because without their HEART, they’d fall apart. Both of them.

Back to what Eddie said, there really is no shame in running. Will doesn’t need Mike to do some egregious, knightly act of sacrifice to prove his love for him. His love is already enough. Will loves Mike for EXACTLY WHO HE IS. He always has, and THAT is the real heart of this story. Mike is not a hero because of what he does, but because of who he is. The way he loves, the way he stands up for what he believes in, the way he treasures his friends and protects them. The way he makes Will feel safe just by being there. That’s what Will fell in love with, not some fantastical DnD character that never actually existed.

Like Mike said in Season 2, “this isn’t DnD, this is real life.” DnD characters are fun, and it’s exciting to dream about slaying dragons or exploding orcs with your Magic Missiles, but that’s not real. It’s a game and it will end. Hit Points don’t magically restore you after a Long Rest and Healing Potions don’t deal 2d4+2 Healing. Actions have consequences and danger is real, even if your brain tells you it’s not. Paladins, Clerics, Bards, Rangers, they’re not real people. But Mike Wheeler is (in this context) and Mike Wheeler is enough. He is so enough. It’s time he wakes up and realizes he doesn’t have to be the Hero, slay the dragon, and make everything better, because it was NEVER HIS FAULT. Bad things happen and, sometimes, we can’t fix them. All we can do is stand beside our partner, hold their hand, and fight along with them—to remind them they are never alone. That, in and of itself, is truly heroic.

[sevensoulmates]

I wanted to say something to address some other posts I've been seeing about why some people would be "disappointed" that Buck getting with another man (causally or seriously) before Eddie would be the same as him getting with "another woman" and therefore remaining "on the hamster wheel". (I fucking hate that phrase now).

Anyway, this is SPECULATION because Bucktommy having any sort of romantic relationship is not confirmed yet.

BUT if Buck were to get with Tommy in any capacity I, personally, do NOT see it as Buck backsliding or returning back to Buck 1.0 (if he and Tommy are casual) or "not choosing himself" (ie. choosing Eddie immediately as his one true love).

First I want to address if Bucktommy are casual and if Buck just has a casual sexual relationship with Tommy that doesn't evolve into a full on long-term relationship. I would not see this as Buck reverting back to his Buck 1.0 ways. Because you guys are forgetting that Buck 1.0 wasn't just sleeping around to sleep around because he couldn't go a day without getting his dick wet. That's part of the reason why I didn't like in 7x01 that they were calling Buck a playboy because it, unfortunately, did not hit the truth of WHY Buck was sleeping around so much. Buck was sleeping with any pretty consenting girl he came across because he thought that was the only way he could get them to love him because he inherently believed that who he was would never be enough for anyone and that the only thing he could offer people was sex.

But sleeping casually with a man has a whole different layer to it that's inherently different than sleeping with a woman at this point in Buck's character arc.

He learned a lot in his relationships with Abby, Ali, Taylor and Natalia. Why wouldn't the same come from a relationship (of any kind) with Tommy? And him discovering that he's attracted to men and actually ACTING ON IT???? That IS choosing himself!!!

It is, unfortunately, a common bisexual/queer experience that sometimes people will realize that they do have a same-sex or nb/trans attraction AND opposite-sex attraction and they will CHOOSE not to act on their queerness because unfortunately, it is easier and safer to stick with the heterosexually perceived choice. This doesn't even have to be a conscious choice either. That's where comphet lives and thrives.

If Tommy is actually the catalyst that FORCES Buck to realize he has a real attraction to men (because again, it seems to me like Buck is not CONSCIOUSLY aware of his attraction to men and therefore was NOT sleeping casually with men in his 1.0 days or previous) then him actually choosing to act on it is MONUMENTOUS. We don't know how far that will go, if they will end up sleeping together or developing a bit of a relationship, or if Buck will actually be depicted on screen coming out. I don't know!

But sleeping casually with a man this time does not inherently have to mean that he's making the same old mistakes. It's possible we could finally see Buck setting firm boundaries, or it's possible Tommy says hey this is causal to me and Buck (as the GROWN MATURE SERIOUS ADULT y'all so badly want him to be) is able to accept that without being insecure about himself. There's so much we don't know that could happen as part of this relationship.

In my opinion, Buck allowing himself to actually go the tough route of exploring his sexuality IS choosing himself, opening himself up to a world of future possibility. And if he manages to actually be open about it with his friends and team too? Oh my goodness.

The circumstances are already LEAGUES different from where he was in season 1. If Buck is able to accept that he's into men, able to act on it and be open about it too? That IS accepting himself which was always the issue he had for many years. If he believes in himself to be enough to be brave and open about queerness as he discovers it? That IS "getting off the hamster wheel". It is breaking the pattern of self-destruction, of self-harm, of self-denial.

As for the possibility of it being a long term relationship, we already saw that Tim doesn't currently have plans for Tommy to stick around too long so I'm not really worried about that.

I personally believe that both Buck and Eddie require baby steps before they can get together romantically. Sorry to the people that just want them to confess and boom. I don't think that's satisfactory for myself and for a lot of other people and I don't think the writers would be satisfied with it too. I think we all want to see the nitty-gritty process of both of them realizing their queerness, the growing pains that come along with it, and the eventual step-by-step active choosing of each other.

Buck being able to accept himself and his queerness with another man is the perfect step to him eventually discovering that the place where his deepest love lives is in Eddie. You have to understand that Buck and Eddie have been STAGNANT in their relationship since season 4. They NEED something to come in and show them that their relationship CAN and SHOULD evolve and in order to do that they NEED to be BRAVE and take LEAPS. Buck with Tommy could be the first big leap. After that, it's Eddie's turn.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Why did Mike cut his hair? Let's look at the possible reasons put forth by myself and others in the fandom so far.

He would see Eddie whenever he looked in the mirror. I can see this being part of it, especially when combined with him wearing the sort of clothes he wore before meeting Eddie.

He and/or his family don't want him to be associated with Eddie/Hellfire. Fear is a powerful motivator, and the desecration of Eddie's grave make it clear that people still blame him for what happened. However, this would seem to fly in the face of Mike being the brave leader. Perhaps a setup for him to fully step into the role?

He's reverting to who he really is after trying hard to be someone else the past two seasons. It's normal for adolescents to experiment with identity expression. This can include copying the clothing and mannerisms of those they look up to. Ultimately, though, they will have to decide if any part of that identity is who they are. In terms of appearance, Mike may have decided it's not who he is (though Eddie's values may have still rang true to him).

Season 1/2 Mike is coming back. This is similar to #3, but it ties into what has been said about season 5 bringing the show full circle and season 2 being important.

Mike is trying to be more adult by cutting his hair and wearing more "mature" clothing. It's a serious time in Hawkins, and Mike has always seen himself as the leader of the Party. Surrounded by dynamic, action-oriented people like Hopper and Nancy, he may feel tremendous pressure to "step up" and be the inspirational knight that Will told him he is.

Mike has sort of struggled with who he is throughout the show, which can be expected in a show where we watch kids go through adolescence. I don't think it's a coincidence that we started watching these kids grow up starting at age 12. While it'd be frustrating to see him again go through an identity crisis, this time rejecting everything he did last season and reverting to an earlier stage, it could be satisfying if done right.

If #5 is right, then Mike has the right idea, but the wrong execution. He'd be treating everything Will said as another role to play, as opposed to the person Will thinks he already is.

That said, I don't want a season where Mike screws up, yet again, even if it would fit his overall series arc. Several episodes where Mike tells his friends to grow up or acts haughty? No thanks, not again.

I'd rather it be Mike slowly, but surely, growing into his own as a leader. I want to see Mike becoming his own person, being friends with people who have grown in their own ways without feeling the need for everyone to be the same. There's now a preppy-ish nerd, a brooding artist, a quirky mad-scientist, a kind athlete, a tomboy skater, and a sweet badass.

At the end of the day, I'm hoping Mike's change in appearance is a positive because everything seems to have been pointing towards the Party growing in their own directions while remaining ride-or-die friends. It'd be disappointing if it was just another character flaw for him to overcome.

[ellajfox]

Episode 5 starts as it means to go on. A brave and interesting shift of focus to Eddie and how she’s forging ahead to tie up the painful issues she’s facing.

Finally letting go of the pub, her mother surfaces with her fashion scarves to sell, she’s trying everything she can to get an abortion and still pushes Maggie away as her anger only increases. For the one who’s always together she’s dangerously close to having a nervous breakdown herself.

We feel the absence of Maggie as much as Eddie does. Her own family show they don’t care, her options are to find a sugar daddy or… well that’s it.

The times punctuated by Maggie appearing really show how much we (the audience) need to know she’s ok. We worry. Wanting to check in and for things to be ok between them leaves us on tender hooks the whole time. But it’s played in a way that leaves you feeling for both Eddie and Maggie. We empathise completely and feel the awkward moments we do get between them.

As her life spirals even further with each misstep, Eddie shows her range and how similar to Maggie she is but in her own rigid way. We see her mums influence (vacuous and disinterested) and how she and her brother have dealt with it so differently. Mum seems to have NPD, Eddie has learnt to be hyper independent and her brother is showing symptoms of OCD with his bomb shelter plans, a seemingly desperate reach for some control.

We get the conclusion we were hoping for but with a definite shadow - Maggie pushes aside her very serious hallucinations in a brave attempt to be there for her best friend. Eddie admits how much she needs her and she’s not going to let her down. For a comedy this show has stretched my emotions to the limit. I’ve never wanted to crawl into my tv more in my life to comfort characters.

And I think this is why I’m having trouble. I know this show is a comedy and I LOVE the comedy. But it’s piqued my emotions so drastically (I’m normally logical) I’m more affected by the drama. I feel wrong laughing when I’m trying to understand the feelings.

On that note onto the last episode. Oh poor brave Maggie. If only the timing had been better.

I love that there was at least some sweet moments before our duo are again ripped apart. Their plans for LA teasing us just out of reach. We know it. It can’t come true.

Eddie and Maggie’s timelines being out of sync was masterful. The moments we see where Maggie loses time and knows it are horrible. To not have that grip on your conscious mind with the worry of what you actually did in that time - did you murder someone? Were you naked in public? Did you say anything remotely controversial? - all valid questions you don’t need on top of the worry.

Eddie’s experience at Borsh without her bff and the disappointment were crushing. Having to rely on Will instead when it’s a time for your girls. (Side note: Will’s a ‘nice guy’ right? He’s got his other motive? I’m not liking it)

Maggie had no way of knowing she’d been lying on her bed for so long. It wouldn’t occur to anyone to check the date. We rely so much on our internal clock without even thinking, how would you tell?

Visiting her friend under the guise of research, she’s now worried she has full on schizophrenia. Her friends mother is a gem, she knew there was something up. She also seems to realise having agency in your own condition is important yet I still wish she’d dragged Maggie to hospital anyway.

Ok, funny break, I commend the dark humour. When watching it gives some much needed relief. The sharp objects out the window hitting a random man, conversations with hallucinations and crossed wires with a Good Samaritan also fearing for his life 😚👌

But we finally face the fact Maggie’s efforts to get back in time are all for naught. She finds herself a day late to be there for Eddie and she’s devastated. So are we. We know it’s not because she doesn’t care, Eddie does not. And so we’re left heartbroken as Eddie leaves (obviously hurt) for America and Maggie stays behind. We don’t even know if she’s going to get the help she needs.

Sitting with this ending not knowing if we’ll get a Series 2 was excruciating.

I can’t wait to see where this goes but I am concerned my emotions won’t be able to take it. We shall have to see. Maybe this is good for me? Feeling stuff? I don’t know…

I love these characters. I love this show. I’m sat.

[castlebyersafterdark]

As people discuss the ending and a possible teaser drop tomorrow (march 22), what do you think of all the big character deaths so far?

I've always been distantly confused at people who are angry at the writing for killing Barb, Bob, Billy, and Eddie. To me, they were all written to die. Not that I predicted how it would happen, but rather the tone of writing for each of them was done at more of an arm's length in a way that didnt allow us to get as attached to them as we were to our main core heroes. For example, Bob was never gonna beat Hopper to win Joyce's love. You could tell from the moment they were sat on the bench eating lunch together; Joyce was preoccupied and not entirely happy with him. Eddie was entertaining, but he was also larger than life in a way that felt volatile and like he wouldn't be able to stay long term because there was no equilibrium in the tone of the show and nature likes a balance. Eddie was an unstable electron haha!

Billy... well, I think the power of max's s4 storyline was in the fact that her regret and pain could never be fixed, not because billy was dead, but because even if he was alive, they would still never be able to be friends. its the grief of the living, where you are optimistic and graceful to the dead, even if it's misplaced. I think max, like will, represents all the victims who extend too much sympathy to their abusers, simply because its the only way to cope with the pain. Billy's unlikeability in s3 was only just balanced out by his final act of saving them all after all.

And as for barb, it was an exciting enough story beat that i never regretted it happening. Without these deaths and tragedies, there's no story, and nancy has clearly been struggling with Barb's death ever since. Hopefully she'll achieve final closure in s5. I don't know what viewers want to actually happen in the show if theyre not willing for dramatic plot points like this to occur?

I think all the deaths we've gotten so far have served the narrative perfectly.

There's nothing wrong with not killing off all your main characters. I think it's different, brave story-telling. Maybe the stakes don't need to be "raised" cheaply just to seem gritty and hard. Watching HOW these character survive is more rewarding I feel, for this show, this specific setting. Sometimes I feel deaths are written in when a show/movie doesn't know how to write real emotion. I think it's the easy way out of a plot point.

The deaths in the show have served the survivors in the show, our main cast. They've happened to give them the emotional beat, and thus, us from there. Develop the characters enough to matter, to be impactful. That's why they developed Chrissy in the first episode of season 4 - we cared that she was killed, but it took the sacrifice instead of our leads. And that's totally fine. "Stranger Things is scared to kill of it's characters" - no, Stranger Things is a different type of show, about how these characters, the misfits and the outcasts, get to survive and what they've endured to get there.

Your summation of what each season's big death served is perfect, very accurate. There's no need for fans to be angry - some characters do have to die for the genre itself. And these have all been fitting, not gratuitous, not cheap.

It's interesting because some fans are so up in arms about these secondary character deaths - but others think the show is a failure if it doesn't blood bath half the cast in the final season. Either side of this - unsure why they like the show or what they're looking for...