#hence the polos

[staab]

Some drawings of the main girls, and trying to figure out how I want them to look

[aro-aizawa]

i like to think everyone has a colour associated with them, whether its just your fave colour or what you generally wear most of or what colour your bedroom walls are. i always associate the name sophie with dark blue, my mum is always a nice turquoise, i like to think my colour is a bright sunflower yellow.

if you have a specific shade pls tell me i adore when ppl have associated colours and tell me them, bc i think of them when i see that colour

[lyqiche]

sketch

[wimbledonstrawberry]

I didn't know if I should post this here or my k-pop blog but OMFG this is like my fav boy will be in my fav sports event!!!! I'm not quite sure if Mark will attend the males final but I'm pretty sure he will make it to the ladies one and this is the best thing that has ever happened to me

[xenophondraike]

One of the things that irks me the most is when someone takes the time to try and pronounce a non-english word "correctly" be it for some sort of thing like "croissant” or otherwise to show off but everytime I tell someone how to pronounce the first part of my username (Xenophon) correctly they always default to the butchered "Zeen-o-faun" immediately afterwards when literally you can look the damn name up and see and listen that it is pronounced "Zen-uh-fin" jeez. It's greek! Not English. If you're gonna have a pride thing about pronouncing non-english words "correctly" as a predominantly English speaker do it for non-english names too. Either that or drop the pride, cause the pride makes you sound like an asshole when you mispronounce non-english names.

[spicymancer]

What was the process like for designing the ActiRangers, their civilian and suited forms? Their suits look so cool, it’s definitely clear you have a lot of familiarity with the genre while also having great ideas on how to innovate and add your own unique elements! Did they go through lots of conceptual iterations, or did they come pretty naturally? Any particular teams that inspired you, like SPD or RPM with their numbered members?

So the Actirangers started out as characters designed for a private little Tokusatsu OC jam I did with some friends! The design I submitted was Pink, (hence why she's kinda the main character of the story)

(Real name and certain background elements redacted for spoiler reasons)

So Pink's suit was the first one designed, hence how she's kinda the most basic of the Rangers. I had just got done watching Birdie Wing and Love After World Domination and thought it would be kinda fun for a golf themed sentai hero.

She was originally going to be ActiRanger 5 before I thought of the "Four/Fore" golf pun.

The rest of the team was then designed from there with each of their sports in mind and some general vibes.

I don't think they went through all that much iteration, though I will say since I tend to draw them in Black and White I sometimes mix up which parts of their suits are their color and which parts are black.

I wanted to give them each some kind of Power Weapon so I stuck to stick sports and also Table Tennis. (I am still weirdly fond of the old Penny Arcade Paint the Line comics)

As far as Power Ranger teams that inspired them, Mighty Morphin' is obviously the biggest inspo. (The Dan Mora run on the Go Go Power Rangers comics is awesome.) Time Force, S.P.D. and RPM were all on my mind as well.

For the Gambit Gang I was struggling to come up with a fun villain theme and eventually figureod out that the enemy to the "Sports" team had to be the "Chess Club". (Insert joke about polycules and board games)

Gray in particular was conceived at this point when I and wanted an Evil Ranger on their side. Chess Knights having a vague horse theme, he obviously had to be Polo! His design draws pretty heavily from Mystic Force's Koragg which is still IMO one of the sickest designs Sentai has ever cooked.

Wow that got a little more long winded than I inteded but I hope y'all enjoyed this little peek behind the curtain of the ActiRanger's development!

Thank you all for enjoying my silly OC comics and doodles!

[realcube]

oh and similarly, pro hero!tenya iida is THE dilf

the hot single dad you see at kids' baseball game and ballet recitals, always cheering and clapping the loudest. sporting cargo shorts, running shoes, and polo shirt that accentuates his buff arms.. who is also a bit too overly competitive/involved in a children's activity: consantly berating the referee for their lack of attentiveness to clear foul-play, or debating with the dance contest judges about inaccurate scores. but it's okay because he's cute hence he is allowed to #pretty privilege

i just know he is raising the most well-behaved kids too. when one of them accidentally bumps into to because they were goofing off in the supermarket, he'll stand over them and demand they say sorry. which they timidly do, and it was uncomfortable to be in that position, but it's worth it for the apologetic smile tenya flashes you, before ushering his kid away.

and pls don't get me started on an au where you are his kids' elementary school teacher. he firmly believes educating is one of the most important, diginified and unappreciated careers there is, so he was already buying gifts for the staff throughout his kids' pre-school. however, after the first parent-teacher meeting and he sees you're their new teacher, the gifts that were previous things like candles and mugs, quickly turn into designer perfumes and luxury chocolate. (none of the chocolate ever sees the inside of your mouth though bc ppl steal it in the staff room 😔). and the gifts become far more frequent too: he used to only buy them at christmas, but you receive presents from the iida kids on new years, teachers' day, easter, your birthday, valentines in addition to chistmas.

you better believe he is signing up to be an assistant for all the extra-curriculars too. under the guise of wanting to contribute to the school, but really because he wants to spend time with you. need a parent-helper for a class field trip? iida volunteers expeditiously. looking for donations for the bake sale? iida brings in six trays of home-made cupcakes (and one for you too). struggling to direct the school play on your own? iida comes in and runs that stage like it's the goddamn military. pro-heroing essentially becomes a side hustle, while he's your full-time assistant. (and he's definitely parent council president too. and if the school doesn't have a parent council, he'll create one.)

[polarisbear]

more dweebs (Very detailed image description below.)

a drawing of grian, ethoslab, tangotek, and smallishbeans. grian is in his season 10 fishing skin and the rest are in different outfits referencing their base themes.

grian is in his fishing skin looking very tired with his fishing rod swung over his shoulder and an ear pierced with a brassy fish hook. he’s a cod hybrid with fin-ears and a stubby tail. behind him blue snail is munching on some leaves.

etho is posing with a neck sheepishly behind his neck and the other resting on his bag. he’s in the postal uniform polo with a green, canadian maple-themed yukata loosely worn and slipping off his shoulder. he has fingerless gloves on under. he is wearing dark red pleated pants and light green heeled crocs. he has a black and red messenger bag with a trellis motif. etho is an arctic fox hybrid with brown legs and streaks through his hair. doodles below show what his paws look like under the crocs and one shows him posing with a note saying “ties up sleeves.” above him another note reads “streaks bc his winter coat is shedding.”

tango is posing confidently with a wrench. he is in the postal uniform polo, with chunky brown and orange gloves and boots, topped off with red, pinstriped overalls. one strap is not around his shoulder, and on the belt around the overalls they carry a small bag, a screwdriver, and a vial of redstone. he has on brown goggles with blue lenses. tango has fire for hair and pointed ears. above him there’s a doodle of the messenger bag that’s secured on his back. it shows how the orange straps tuck over the whole outfit and lead to a dark red and pinstripe blue bag with cog detailing.

joel is giving an indignant pose like he’s complaining. he is wearing a black undershirt that fades out into his light green claws, a pink kimono with only one sleeve of cherry blossom patterns, and a dark grey vest and cherry blossom-patterned obi tie it off. the vest has a cherry blossom crest on the back. joel also has on dark pink pants with a cherry blossom motif on the bottom and on his left arm there’s a bracer with a screen built in. crawling all over the undershirt there are cybernetic patterns connecting joel’s skin through to the undershirt. joel is a tanuki, hence why he has a leaf on his head. around joel are doodles showing the crest on the back of his vest and the pattern on the sleeve.

[jack-enbyfold]

Ska 101 for DBD fans

Do you wanna add more songs to your Charles playlist that aren't Ghost Town by the Specials? Do you wanna talk about ska bands in your fics but don't know what to use?

Well, listen close motherfuckers.

Source: my Rude Girl mother and British alt upbringing

Jamaican Ska

Ska was actually first invented in the late 50s as an offshoot of R&B mixed with Jamaican calypso and was first adopted by mods and skinheads in the UK. Jamaican ska evolved into rocksteady and reggae by the late 60s

3 Notable bands: The Skatalites, Byron Lee & the Dragonaires, The Wailers

2 tone

Ska hit a revival in the late 70s with the 2 tone movement which fused classic ska with the more punk rock sound that was popular in the UK. This is the movement that Charles is a part of, with both his 2 tone patch and the rasta pin showing the more political part of his interests.

Rude boys are also a mod evolution, hence the jacket, polo, smart shoes and tight trousers. This isn't really surprising as 2 tone hit its peak when racial tensions were super high in the UK and, despite the movement being more black and white focused, it resonated with a lot of the Indian immigrants in the UK at the time.

3 Notable bands: The Specials, Madness, The Selecter

3 Suggested songs for Charles: Tears of a Clown by The (English) Beat, Much Too Young by The Specials, On My Radio by The Selecter

"Oh but Jack, what about-"

Ska Punk

Third wave ska started the year Charles died as ska hit America and this is where ska punk was officially dubbed. While 2 tone did combine rock with ska, third wave added more heavy guitar riffs and cleaner brass sections to make its own sound. This is when ska became more world wide in general with Germany, Australia, Russia, Japan and Latin America all developing their own ska scenes

3 Notable bands (english speaking): Reel Big Fish, No Doubt, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones

3 Suggested songs for Charles: Here in Your Bedroom by Goldfinger, The Science of Selling Yourself Short by Less the Jake, Anger Management by Random Hand

New Tone

We're currently in the 4th wave (also dubbed New Tone). It hard to tell what defines it at the moment as New Tone is currently used to describe any ska sound post 3rd wave (which ended in the early 00s).

[facts-i-just-made-up]

tell me about the real historical figure Marco polo

Marco Polo is famous for finding his way around the world by shouting out his own name and following when distant people from unfamiliar lands called it back to him. He did so even from across land masses as he rode on horseback, hitting a ball with a hammer, and over bodies of water like oceans and pools, hence his nickname, "Water Polo." He also invented a new type shirt that could establish at a quick glance that its wearer was a rich pretentious jerk.

[firstprinceofhearts]

In looking for more HANDS content, I gave this scene in the blooper reel a little more attention than I had previously and now I have thoughts...

I'm assuming that the raspberry part wasn't scripted, hence it being a blooper and not a deleted scene (although I wouldn't be surprised if Alex actually did do that - and the reaction could just as easily be Henry's as Nick's), but regardless, Alex straddling Henry and macking on his neck presumably was part of the original script, and I'd love to know what this scene was supposed to be.

The set is quite clearly the Paris hotel room, but since it's during daylight hours, I can only assume it takes place the morning after (where there is indeed a scene omitted from the final script).

I'm guessing that Alex is about to leave for the airport (you can see his case waiting for him by the door), hence why he's dressed and Henry isn't yet, so perhaps this scene would have made up part of their farewell? Alex unable to bring himself to depart without ravishing his boyfriend one more time? In fact, I can absolutely see him stealing every last second with Henry that he can, especially when all that's standing between him and Henry's naked body is a fuzzy robe.

The thing is, though, I can't tell you how much I love that this time Henry is the one in a state of undress while Alex is fully clothed, shoes, jacket and all. (No, you still haven't got over Henry's wardrobe choices in Alex's bedroom - I mean, seriously? Jacket? Bow tie? Sort it out, Henry.)

Of course, there are a bunch of times throughout the film when Henry is somewhere private and so is a little more casual than he would ever be in public, but in general he does give off a proper-at-all-times vibe that Alex doesn't. Whether that's because Alex is actually dressed more casually in a given scene or if it's because his suits are always more fashionable and fitted, making him look less stuffy and formal (my friend's hatred of double breasted jackets has really started to rub off on me), the only scene I can actually think of where Alex is more smartly dressed than Henry is at the polo match and Henry is in his kit then, so I don't think that really counts.

Basically, I don't think Alex is ever dressed more formally than Henry, so I really, really love the reversal here. I know they're in private, so it's not all that different to the other times we see Henry dressed down in some way, but there's something about the contrast of his bathrobe opposite Alex's jacket and trousers that really does it for me.

[auras-moonstone]

Ethan Landry x reader where her family forgot her birthday so she has to spend her birthday alone until he gives her a gift with a card that says happy birthday or something like that

forget about the heartbreaks — ethan landry

word count: 2,039

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

summary: when ethan comes home to a heartbroken y/n, he does his best to make her forget about the awful birthday fiasco.

warnings: lots of fluff and cheesiness, you’ve been warned.

Y/N HAD BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO HER 20TH BIRTHDAY DINNER FOR WEEKS. She had invited her parents for dinner at her apartment, and she was beyond excited. They hadn’t seen each other for months, as Y/N moved to New York to study and they stayed in California.

Starting in a new city alone, at such a young age was very hard for Y/N. She had made an amazing group of friends, yes, but she couldn’t help but feel homesick. She missed her mother’s warm hugs and her father’s calming smile. Hence why she had been counting the days until the day came.

She felt her roommate’s gaze on her when she walked out of her room. “Hey, Eth.”

“Hi. I was just about to head to Chad’s. I wanted to see you before I go.”

“Sorry I’m kicking you out of the dorm.” she said guiltily.

“You didn’t kick me. I was the one who suggest you invite your parents for dinner. And it’s only for a couple of hours, Y/N/N. It’s no big deal.” he assured her. “You look beautiful, by the way. I told you red was your color.”

Y/N laughed, remembering Ethan’s look of relief when she got out of the dressing rom with a satisfying smile on her face, letting him know they had finally found the right dress—which was the one he had chosen. “I still can believe you picked up this one.”

“What does that mean?!” he asked offended.

“Eth, you have the same polo shirts in different colors. And you wear flannel jackets.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Ethan crossed his arms.

“You have no sense of style, Eth.” Y/N said, and he put his hands on his chest dramatically, as if she had just wounded him. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean you don’t pull off polo shirts. You look amazing in them.”

“That actually makes me feel better.” he said, trying not to let her know how much he liked being complimented by her. “Anyways, I better go. Your parents should be here at any moment.”

“Thank you so much, Ethan. Really. For helping me cook, for going shopping with me, for baking the cake with me.” she hugged him tightly, enjoying the way she could hear his heartbeats accelerating as he hugged her back.

“Anything for you” he mumbled against her hair. “Save me some cake, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Have fun.” he shouted right before the door shut close.

Once she finished setting the table, Y/N pulled out her phone to check on her parents. She noticed the texts she had sent that afternoon hadn’t been answered yet. She supposed it had been because they had been on the plane, but they should’ve landed hours ago. So she decided to call.

“Hi, mom. Finally. I sent you and dad lots of texts. What happened?” Y/N said as her mother picked up.

“Oh, I’m sorry, honey. We just landed.” the sweet voice of her mother said.

“Just now? I thought you were flying in the morning.” Y/N said confused.

“We did! It’s a long flight, honey. You know that.”

Y/N furrowed her brows. “Mom, what are you talking about?” she laughed confused. “It’s only five hours by plane.”

“What?“ she bursted out laughing. Y/N heard the sound of her father’s voice asking his wife what was wrong with her. “Your daughter is being funny.”

“You are being funny, mom. Where are you both?” Y/N asked, losing her patience.

“London, honey. Your father has a business trip, I thought we told you.” the woman said.

Y/N’s body went still. She must have misheard her, or her mother must have been joking. “Very funny, mom. Cut it.”

“Are you okay? You’re acting weird.” the sound of a car horn was heard. “Oh, the cab just arrived. Honey, I’m sorry but we have to get to the hotel.”

“Come on, mom. Stop it. It isn’t funny anymore.” Y/N said, her voice broke a bit. She held onto the hope that it was all just one twisted joke, that her parents were actually about to burst through the door, with a ‘Baby, we’re right here’ smile, and she would be so happy.

“Are you about to cry? What’s wrong?” the concern on her mother’s voice made Y/N angry.

“Oh, it’s no big deal. Just that my parents forgot they were supposed to be here with me, for my birthday.” she said bitterly.

A gasp of realization followed by heavy breathing was heard on the line. No words were muttered. “Y/N…”

“I told you how much I needed you both to be here. I don’t even care that it was my birthday. It was just an excuse to make you both come to New York, because I know that only a special occasion can make you two take a break from work. I clearly overestimated you.”

“I’m sorry… we’re sorry” her dad sighed. Y/N assumed she had been on speaker.

“I’m sorry too. Hope you have fun in London.” she ended the call and the tears fell down like a cascade. She looked around the room, seeing the plates perfectly arranged around the vase containing roses, and felt a pang in her heart.

Weeks of anticipation and hours of preparation went to waste. She never would’ve guessed she would end up on the floor of her living room, all alone, crying because the ones who meant the most to her didn’t show to her birthday.

Y/N didn’t know how long she had spent crying her heart out, but she guessed it had been too long because the tears stopped falling and she felt completely exhausted and weak, her head hurt and her eyes felt tired. And she also heard the front door open, meaning Ethan had arrived.

She hid her face in the pillow, not wanting him to see what a mess she was.

“Is the birthday girl tired from one dinner? I think my grandma has more energy than you” he joked. She still didn’t look up. “I know you’re not sleeping, dork. I saw you hiding your face.” after a few seconds of silence, Ethan pulled the pillow away and his teasing smile fell at the sight of her puffy red eyes, the dry tears on her cheeks and her saddened gaze. “Y/N/N…“

The tears were streaming down her face again before she could even open her mouth. Ethan instantly pulled her into his arms, and it wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she needed that.

The feeling of his arms made her heart warm up a bit, the familiarity of his sweet cologne calmed her down, which allowed her to finally speak, “They forgot, Eth.”

Ethan’s body went still, and the only reason why he didn’t grab her phone and dial Y/N’s parents number to scream at them for having hurt her, was because that was the last thing Y/N needed right now.

“I know that no matter what I do, I won’t be able to make this the best birthday you ever had. But I want you to at least enjoy the last hours of your day, so I promise I’ll try my best to make you a little bit happier.” he said before running to his room. He came back a couple of seconds later, hands behind his back. “I know you have been wanting one of these for a long time.”

Ethan sat next to her again, handing her the wrapped box. She gave him a little smile, and took the card that was attached to the ribbon.

so you can capture the things you like :)

happy birthday to the best friend (and roommate) in the world!

love, eth x

The tidy handwriting and the three little hearts scribbled at the very corner of the note made her want to cry of cuteness. If she had any more tears in her system, she would have done it.

“You’re the sweetest, Eth.” she kissed his cheek and he became a whole blushing mess. She saw the mark she left on his skin and laughed. “Oops, I forgot I was wearing red lipstick.”

“It’s okay… now open it. You’re killing me!” Ethan said excitingly.

Laughing at his excitement, she opened the box and her wide-eyed gaze fell on him. “Holy shit, Ethan!”

“You like it?” Ethan asked with a huge grin. He was happy by her change of mood. Seeing her in such devastating state literally broke his heart into a million pieces.

“I love it. Thank you so much.” she placed the Instant Camera he gifted her on the box to pull him into a long and warm hug. “Not only for the camera, but for everything. You make me really happy, and I’m glad I got to spend my birthday with you.”

He smiled at her and then leaned in to whisper “Happy birthday, Y/N/N.”

“Thank you, Eth.” she answered softly.

“Now, let’s test your camera” his smile even bigger than before. Y/N couldn’t help but break into one too—it was impossible not to, Ethan had the most contagious and beautiful smile in the world. It was so breathtaking and heartwarming that it needed to be captured. So she did. “I didn’t mean test it on me!” he laughed.

Y/N looked at the polaroid on her hand. Her attention wasn’t caught by Ethan’s perfect white and straight teeth, or by his gorgeous brown eyes that reflected happiness, or by his adorable wrinkles in the corner of his eyes. It was caught by the scarlet mark on his cheek, with the shape of her lips. A swarm of butterflies invaded her stomach, she liked him so much it hurt.

“The note said I should capture the things I like… so I did.” he looked at Y/N in complete shock for a moment, and then his face lit up like a christmas tree, and Y/N could sense the lingering question. “I mean it. I like you, Eth. As more than a best friend.”

Ethan reached his arm out to take her hand and pulled her into him. “I like you too.” he said right before pressing his soft lips against her crimson ones. “Let me see the picture.” Ethan said when they got out of the dizzying state that the consuming kisses left them in.

“You’re so gorgeous, did I ever tell you that?” Y/N asked as she watched him observe the polaroid.

“No, you didn’t” Ethan’s blood rushed into his cheeks.

“Well, you are. And if you blush that prettily every time I compliment you, then I’m never stopping.” she whispered, pressing kisses all over his face, leaving red marks everywhere. She took another picture. “I’m also never going to stop taking pictures of you, just so you know.”

“You’re so cheesy.” Ethan rolled his eyes, but the corners of his lips went up.

“It’s actually your fault, you know?”

“How?”

“First of all, you are so amazing that you leave me no choice but to fall for you. And then, you gift me a camera. You brought it on yourself.” she shrugged and his sweet laugh invaded her ears, making her heart go wild.

“Cheesy.” he repeated. “Come here and cuddle me.”

When Y/N settled her head on his chest, Ethan stretched the arm that wasn’t wrapped around her waist and grabbed the camera. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head and they both smiled.

“I bet that was awful, you have the worst pulse.” Y/N said, raising her head to see the picture he had just taken, but Ethan wouldn’t let her. “Eth!”

“Wait a second” he searched for the pen on his pocket and started writing something on the polaroid.

“Why do you have a pen on your pocket?” Y/N laughed.

“So I can write my number when girls ask for it.” Ethan replied, trying not to laugh when Y/N sent him a glare. “I’m kidding” he chuckled.

“You’re the worst.” she scoffed.

The curly-haired boy pressed a kiss on her shoulder before handing her the polaroid. On the white frame, the words in black ink read ‘Be my gf, Y/N/N?’

‘I’d love to, Eth’, she replied underneath.

She showed him the polaroid and they both smiled at each other “Cheesy” she repeated his words.

“We’re a match made in heaven.” Ethan said.

“We really are.”

[luveline]

for shy fri, bodygaurd!james with a shy reader whose a crystal girl and hides crystals in his pockets to keep him safe like he does for them and he brings it up and reader gets all flustered pls🥺🥺

ty for your request! I hope this is okay <3 fem!reader

James can feel your hand in his pocket. He doesn't say a word, fighting to keep still, and to keep his eyebrows set in place when they want to jump halfway up his forehead. You drop something into his pocket with a small weight to it and then pull back your hand. You don't move away from him, the two of you patiently waiting for the car to arrive. 

With you safely seatbelted and locked into the backseat, he rounds the car to the passenger side and inconspicuously pulls the weight from his pocket. It's a small pink stone, a crystal, smooth to the touch. James thinks he knows you well by now, he knows all about your collections and your interests, but he doesn't know what this means. Not this particular stone. 

He finds himself with his hand in his pocket through your entire event. You dazzle without meaning to, shy and quiet but remarkably sweet smiled. You have to support all your father's events, it looks bad if you don't, and the only person who could ever tell how much they scare you is him. Him and your father, hence the bodyguard. 

"Hey," he says, when you've been left alone, a flute of champagne in your trembling hand. "Tired, angel?" 

You pass it to him and he pretends to take a sip before passing it back. 

"You know I can't drink that, I'm working." 

"I know," you say, smiling.

You shift from one foot and then the other. Your heels are hurting. He holds out an arm for you to lean on, and thankfully you take it. 

"So what's the rock?" 

Your hand is warm against his bicep, fingers curling tighter at his question. 

"It's a piece of rose quartz," you choke out.

"What's it do? Make me happier?" 

You look to the sea of people in front, refusing to meet his eye. "It's going to keep you safe. Hopefully." 

He pictures how the two of you look together. Your weight against his arm, your nice dress and his smart uniform, the one he wears for events like this, a mixed blend fabric that doesn't look as shabby as a polo but can withstand some extra stretching. You're dolled up and jewelled, he's kitted out with his radio, his fold out baton, and his emergency phone. You don't match one another, not one bit. 

He could say, oh, sweetheart, don't worry. And he could say, hey, it's not for you to worry about. But he says, "Thank you. I don't have one for you. A talisman to keep you safe." 

"You are my talisman, Jamie." 

He would give anything to kiss you on the cheek right now, just to see that shy scrunched up face you make. 

"Damn straight," he murmurs. 

Your cheek presses to his arm for a split second, a warm touch. 

[chibigrimmreaper]

*perking up and swiveling my ears* picrew chain?!?! :3333

soft mentions! @amyinmyheart @chemistry-sherlock-whatever @flowercrown-bard @lamoorgalore and again @halflostindreams

@ilexdiapason tagged me in a picrew chain!! i don't know picrew etiquette so i guess i am also making my own post :P

i like pretending i'm not allergic to cats and pretending i have wavy hair. in a better world, maybe...

tagging. um. wow i have mutuals!! @tmgstudios-main, @rainerhammond, and @jadejemdoesstuff. feel free to not do it if you don't want to!

[strangersteddierthings]

Porcelain Steve - Part 3

Part One🦇Part Two🦇Part Three🦇Part Four🦇Part Five🦇Part Six🦇Part Seven🦇Part Eight🦇Part Nine

Eddie hasn't moved from his spot on the Harrington's living room floor since El placed Steve back in his hands two hours ago except to switch his weight from side to side, depending on which buttcheek is currently numb. The mass exodus from the Byers-Hopper house to the Harringtons had taken less than 15 minutes and there has not been peace since, hence the remaining-on-the-floorness of it all for Eddie.

People stop by his stop in the living room to talk to Steve, looming over Eddie in their uncertainty. He stopped offering for people to take Steve after the third rejection because Eddie gets it; he's still the most chill about this (except Argyle, but Argyle is currently high, and Eddie is exceptionally sober and perhaps resenting that fact a bit) but he gets it. The situation is fucking freaky and maybe the thought of holding their transformed babysitter slash older brother figure slash hero might be a bit harrowing.

Of course, there's always an exception, so when Max lowers herself to the living room floor next to him, cane set down between them, and says, "Give him here." Eddie obeys, instructing her to hold her hands out so he can place Steve in them upright and facing her. Max's bones had healed alright, but she'd never get her vision back.

"Am I looking at his face?" She asks, gripping him around the waist with two hands like he's a messy hamburger.

Eddie can't actually tell from this angle if she's looking at his face but it's got to be close enough, so he says, "Yeah."

"Hey Steve," Max starts. "Everyone else is too much of a wuss to hold you but don't worry. They'll get over it. Not going to lie to you, though, this is pretty weird, but, like, mostly because I expected your body to be squishy, like a stuffed toy or those babydolls Holly drags around and forces us to take care of when we all hang out at the Wheeler's house. You know, the ones that are like soft with the plastic head, hands, and feet? That's what I expected." She runs one thumb up and down on his torso before tacking on, "ugh, this feels like a polo. Eddie, is he wearing a polo?"

"Yeah. I think he's in the outfit he was wearing when whatever happened happened. The polo was tucked into his jeans but Robin untucked it to check if there were scars on his lil' porcelain tummy."

"Are there?"

"Yeah. Painted on, Robin says. It's pretty accurate."

"Like, chest hair and all?"

"I... don't know? You'll have to ask Robin. She was the one holding him like two inches from her face."

Max's attention goes back to Steve. "I bet your tiny polo looks cute, simply because it's tiny. Only way a polo could be cute, Steve. I still can't believe you dress this way because you like it. And worse, I can't believe you actually pull off the look."

Eddie looks on, amused, as Max rambles from there. Which is an experience. Max isn't quiet by any means, but she's not a talk to fill the silence type, which is what this seems like. The topics are mundane, like how summer school is going, and about her plans to try and teach El how to skateboard using only verbal directions, and debating the pros and cons of trying to convince her mom to let her get a seeing-eye dog. Then, they make a turn Eddie didn't expect.

"I think I'm going to be mostly on babysitting duty instead of active research and rescue. You know, on account of the blindness and all. So, like, I hope you're going be okay just hanging out with me and listening to Kate Bush for hours."

He should not be feeling a twist in his gut of jealousy at the fact Max wants to take Porcelain Steve from him, and yet. "You gonna look after him, Max?"

She shrugs, turns her face towards Eddie, "I figured we'd all take turns babysitting. Might get boring for him otherwise. He'd drop everything to watch us, if this had happened to us. He has done that. We have to do the same for him. Plus, Steve likes to check in on us, don't you Steve? What better way than to give you, like, a day with everyone in rotation."

"Always the savior, never the saved, huh?" Eddie is trying to joke but Max's face twists into a frown and her arms lower for the first time, lower so Steve's little porcelain face stares up at the ceiling.

"No. Not always."

"Oh?"

"I saved him, once. From Billy. It was my fault he was even in danger," Max says, voice sad.

"I doubt it was your fault-"

"It was my brother trying to beat him to death," Max snaps and it shuts Eddie up quick. "And the only reason he was in the house, beating Steve to death, was because I couldn't follow the simple instruction of 'stay away from the window'. Steve could probably have gotten Billy to leave if I had. But I didn't listen, and Billy got in, and then he was threatening Lucas. He'd said 'you're dead, Sinclair' and then Steve had to be super lame but super cool at the same time by saying 'no, you are' and decking Billy in the face with, like, the full force of his body."

"That is a very lame thing to say."

"Right? Anyway, he was winning that fight until Billy cracked him over the head with a plate. Then it just went downhill so fast for Steve, and I was so sure I was about to watch my stepbrother murder someone. I-I don't even know what came over me, really. I'd never stood up to Billy before. I just knew I had to do something. There were these syringes filled with something that put you to sleep and I grabbed it and then I stabbed Billy with one and then threatening him with Steve's nailbat to never touch any of my friends again."

"Holy shit, Red. Metal as hell!"

She gives a small smile at that. "Well, the boys were basically useless so." She gives a shrug that suggests that sentence should have ended with what can you do?

"True. I've seen you girls in action. Scary and deadly."

Max looks down, then, back to Steve. "Alright, Steve. This is enough floor time for me. I'll yack your ears off later."

She holds Steve back out to Eddie, and he returns Steve to the place in his lap. She gathers her cane and pulls herself from the floor, calling out to see where El is, then presumably going off to find her.

"You really do have a tit-for-tat thing going on with these kids, don't ya?" Eddie chuckles, falling back into the quiet.

His mind does go back to Max and her story. Saving Steve from Billy. He's heard that story but never that part. Steve had given him a watered-down version that left out the fact Billy had threatened Lucas, and that Max had come to his rescue. He wonders if Steve even knows that part.

Had they told him? In Steve's version he's getting his ass beat, and then he's coming to in the back of Billy's car with Max at the wheel. It seems out of character for Steve to not take the time to brag about the kids.

Given the events of spring break of last year, and Max's complicated feelings towards Billy, maybe Steve does know the full story and it was left out intentionally. A thing left up to Max to tell or not, to have to relive. She's been better, doesn't bottle up the hard things anymore, even though it's not Eddie she talks to.

It's Steve.

Eddie feels a bit worse about his jealousy earlier. Of course, Max wants to spend time with Steve even if he can't talk back. He's been the stable male figure in her life for years, just like he's been for Dustin.

He looks up, really taking in the people around him. All the people that have gathered because they care about Steve. All the kids, their peers, Joyce, and Hopper, and some guy Eddie's never even heard of before named Murray.

Does Steve even know how much he means to everyone here?

He's going to ask Steve just that but Robin shouts from the dining area at the same time he opens his mouth, so he snaps his jaw shut and focuses in on that.

"Absolutely not! Those assholes dealt with StarCourt by burning it to the ground and that's it! What do you think they'll try and do to Steve!?" Robin's back is to Eddie, so he can't see her face, but he can see Nancy's, who she seems to be yelling at. Nancy looks determined.

"I'm not saying we go asking the shady government for help immediately! I just brought it up as an option for if we hit a dead end, or can't figure this out, or-" Nancy argues back, and Robin cuts her off.

"Shut up! We'll figure it out! We have before."

Nancy's face softens, looks sadder. "I know, Robin. I do. But how long do we try ourselves? How many days, weeks, months, do we just keep trying ourselves while Steve is stuck? We don't even have a starting point for fixing this, the least we can do is plan a time to ask for help."

"Nancy's right," Hopper says, even if he sounds upsetting about admitting it out loud. "We can trust Owens at least. He helped us."

"No, I'm with Freckles there. You cannot trust anyone in the government, Jim. How many times do you need to learn that lesson?" Murray says in a condescending tone (though Eddie hasn't heard any other tone from him, so maybe that's just his voice?).

Eddie finally stands from the floor. This feels like an argument he should join.

[tiresomespaceplant]

these fuckers said it was an ugly sweater party

last post of the year! happy holidays! :D + additional doodle under the cut

i dont draw oli as often as i should 😭 i gotta change that

(he often wears polo shirts from like outlet malls hence the tito outfit)