#i did not expect an eddie storyline at all when we got one just last episode

[homerforsure]

TL;DR: it's not my ship, but they were done dirty

I always always always come back to that weird little reveal that when they were first floating the idea to bring Tommy back, they said it was to do a storyline with Eddie and it got switched to Buck because it was too weird or tricky to have them both break up with their LIs offscreen but only one actress could come back.

Because a stepping stone relationship makes perfect sense for Eddie. Something short and intense with angst and softness for him to get to this moment of letting himself feel joy and to taste how truly good it can be. He didn't need an endgame relationship right now. He did need to have his "first."

Buck didn't need that. Buck is absolutely ready for his forever and he has been for a while and giving him the "inviting Natalia to move in and then catching his own bad habit for once and backing out" would have been great.

But that didn't happen. Instead Eddie had to sit like a hot dog on one of those rolling warmers for a season while Buck started the queer dominos falling (and I admit this is a little bit from a Buddie endgame perspective because it doesn't feel to me like the show was deciding to explore the a character's sexuality just for exploratory purposes and I'm willing to admit I have a blind spot here.)

And honestly I think the fact that Oliver cares so much about Buck and telling this story well both for the character and everyone who sees himself in him and that Lou met that energy turned the storyline and the relationship into a more beautiful beginning than it would have been in the hands of other actors.

Which gave the show it's next problem. Because we can all see that Buck is ready for his forever love and you introduced a new love interest and then instead of sticking to a few episodes of awakening and moving on, I think they saw that people were starving for it and latched onto it and Tommy harder than they expected. So it's an easy thing to do to milk that for a little bit longer, but it was absolutely the wrong choice because people got invested in a way they wouldn't have if this had ended after the original number of episodes we expected.

And Buck and Tommy worked! I think you can nitpick relationship things if you weren't that into it and write a breakup narrative using those seeds, but their puzzle pieces absolutely fit together. So much so that they definitely had forever after potential that everyone could see and a lot of people were excited about and investing in and oops wait that wasn't the plan.

So what do you do? You either abandon the plan and embrace the accidental beauty that you discovered and let it ride or you write your way out of it. Give them some hurdles, some angst. Give them a tear-jerking breakup that respects what you built and the viewers who are invested in it and slowly work your way back to where you wanted to be.

They didn't write their way out of it.

And I so don't want to believe that after the work the actors put in and the viewer feedback that they were still viewing the relationship as a placeholder ready to be yeeted once Eddie's arc got back in position again, but I'm not sure what the alternatives are?

Either it's being talked about that this is the last season and so if they're really doing buddie then it's now or never? Or actually the internet is not a valid reflection of the viewership as a whole and someone from on high said the plug should be pulled?

Or the storyline was stumbled into and fumbled around from the beginning and never treated with as much care by the people in charge of it as it was by the people who loved it.

IDK it's just messy messy storytelling and I say that as someone who is not a multishipper but who does value a good story and a good narrative. They let the relationship go on for too long to end it so abruptly. If there was going to be a breakup, there was a better one to be had and it doesn't make me feel good that my preferred happy ending could come from one that breaks the heart of so many of my friends. And if it isn't in the service of a bigger, already in motion endgame, literally what the fuck?

[unnecessarilygrandiose]

buck really said 'she sees me' after 6x12. 'she sees me' after he showed up to eddie's to escape the rotating cast of visitors. 'she sees me' after maddie probably tried to enlist eddie too because he knew buck was getting all those visitors that wore him out but he happened not to be one of them. 'she sees me' after you died, buck. you're going to feel a lot of different ways about that. sometimes all at the same time.

'she sees me. y'know like she really sees me for who i am and what i've been through. i think she might see even more in me than i see in myself.' after eddie sees him for exactly who he is, after he expects buck not to be anything for anybdy else's sake.

like, okay.

[xiaq]

AO3 Pt. 1 Pt. 2

Pt. 3 I combined the prompts: Outsider POV, Steve Harrington is an Idiot (affectionate), Everyone is Queer Because I Said So, and @c0olness's hyper-specific Wayne's Boyfriend Owns a Gay Bar in Indianapolis and Introduces Steve to a Drag Queen. :)

Angel Reyes has loved Wayne Munson about as long as he’s loved himself. The timing is not coincidental.

Which is why he’s willing to wait for him, even when Angel’s patience is worn thin like the shirt he stole from Wayne three years ago and wears like a prayer to bed.

Some nights, when Wayne calls at the end of his shift and Angel is wiping down his own bar at closing, he’s tempted to say: we might not have much time left—shouldn’t we spend what we do have together?

But he doesn’t.

Because he already knows the answer.

Because the same reason he fell in love with Wayne is the reason Wayne won’t move to Indy. The man is loyal to a fault and when he gives himself to people he gives all of himself and there’s no force in the world that would convince Wayne to leave Hawkins if he thought Eddie still needed him there. Because Wayne loves Angel. But Wayne loved Eddie first. And Angel can hardly begrudge him of that.

So he repeats a well-worn mantra, only slightly comforting: not today, but someday. And he hangs up the phone and he checks the calendar and he looks forward to the time he is allowed. If there’s one thing he learned over the years, it’s that he can’t get greedy when he already has a good thing.

Wayne is worth the quiet agony of patience.

So when he’s locking up for the night and the phone rings, he expects the conversation to take a familiar path. 

“Evening, handsome,” he says, canting his hip against the counter. “You tell him yet?”

It’s been his standard greeting for close to a year. Why the man won’t just tell his gay nephew that he is, conveniently, also gay, is beyond Angel. But then, listening has always been Wayne’s strong suit. Talking, not so much.

“Well,” Wayne says. And that’s new.

“Well?”

“I did, actually. After I walked in on him and Steve kissin’ last night—“

“Finally!” Angel crows. The saga of Eddie and Steve and their will-they-won’t-they relationship had quickly surpassed even his favorite telenovela’s dramatic storylines. The pretty jock with hidden depths and the nerdy metalhead falling in love? Hospital vigils? Protracted pining while sharing a bed? Impeccable. 

“They’re together now,” Wayne finishes.

“Darling,” Angel says, not for the first time, “I’d like to remind you that you are not paying per word for this call.”

Wayne huffs at him, also not for the first time.

“Steve didn’t know liking both boys and girls meant he was bisexual. He thought there was some sort of…threshold he needed to pass to be queer enough to date a man. I suppose Robin set him straight––or, not so straight as the case may be––” he chuckles a little at his own joke, “And he came over to declare his love as soon as his shift ended.”

Angel takes a moment to digest that. “...Maybe they use Eddie as the sperm donor if they want kids,”  he suggests.

“Ease up, it’s not like they teach this shit in school. Bet I’d been a lot more confused too if I had the luxury of liking both.”

“Alright, I won’t pick on your future son-in-law, promise.”

“ Speaking of school,” Wayne says, sidestepping his implication. “Eddie got his diploma in the mail yesterday.”

“You going to do something to celebrate?”

“Actually, we thought we’d take a trip to Indy this weekend.”

Angel twists the phone’s cord around his finger. “…you’re supposed to come next weekend.”

“So you’d have to see me two weeks in a row, if you can bear it.”

“A trial, to be sure. When you say…” he pauses, trying to figure out how to clarify without breaking his own heart. “When you come this weekend. Would you want us—would you want me. To meet them?”

He closes his eyes and bangs a fist against his forehead because that is not the safe way to ask that question. 

“It'd be pretty weird if they didn’t meet the person hosting them.”

“Oh, I see. You’re just using me for my five star accommodations,” he says, because he’s apparently determined to dig his own grave.

“No. Wayne says, “those are nice. But mostly I just want to introduce them to my boyfriend.”

“Ah.”

“And saying shit like that makes me think you’re trying to compete with Steve in the stupid Olympics.”

Angel makes an outraged noise but Wayne talks over him which is unique enough an occurrence that Angel lets him get away with it.

“See,” Wayne says. “The boys have decided they don’t want to stay in Hawkins long-term. They figure they’ll stay another year. Save some money. Make sure the kids are settled. And then Eddie’s set on New York or California and I think Steve’s just set on Eddie, wherever he is. I thought we could at least make a case for Indy, though. ‘Cause if Eddie isn’t staying in Hawkins, I’ve got no reason to.”

“Ah,” Angel says again. “And you don’t have any interest in New York or California?”

“I sure don’t,” Wayne says levelly.

“Well,” he clears his throat. “I’ll mop the floors and clean the windows. Give them the best showing I can. Should we plan to take them to one of the…heavier… music venues? I can probably have Frank cover for me, I’d just need to ask him now.”

“Nah. I figure I’ll help you out Saturday night and let them explore on their own. Eddie’s already making a list of options. But Friday is drag night at your place, right?”

“It is.”

“We should start them with that, I think.”

Angel grins. “Their debut in queer society shall be heralded by Dolly Parton and glitter.”

“Mm.” 

Angel is familiar enough with Wayne’s thoughtful noises to know that he’s smiling.

“Enough about my boys,” Wayne says. “Tell me about your day.”

Angel does.

When Angel hangs up ten minutes later, for once, he’s grinning. He thinks, as usual, not today but someday. Only ‘someday’ suddenly feels tangible in a way it never has before.

***

Eddie Munson is exactly what Angel expected him to be when he comes tumbling out the driver’s side door of the van parked half on Angel’s driveway and half on his lawn. Angel has been hearing about him through the rosy lens of Wayne’s affection for close to five years and as a result, Angel loves him immediately upon first sight. 

Then again, he’d be difficult not to love. Eddie is a bright, frenetic, presence, all hair and chains and affected airs, who shares Wayne's smile, though he dispenses smiles much more freely than his uncle. He is unashamedly himself as he shakes Angel’s hand, tells his uncle he approves, and then asks for a tour of the house.

Steve Harrington is somehow simultaneously exactly and nothing like Angel expected.

Exactly, because he looks the part: a cropped Hawkins Varsity Basketball sweatshirt, tiny athletic shorts, and the well-built frame of someone who regularly works out. His hair is verging on ridiculous. His face is…well-suited to the body, he’ll say.

But the kid also has a hyper-awareness to him, a quick-eyed, assessing, vigilant posture, that Angel has only ever seen in war vets twice the kid’s age. He puts his back to a room’s farthest corner. He keeps doorways in sight. And he constantly, constantly, orbits Eddie like the world's most unsubtle protective detail. 

There are also the scars. Terrible, still-healing, scars. On one exposed thigh, the side of his neck, and his right forearm. On the slice of skin between his waistband and the frayed cut-off hem of his sweater. He wears them unapologetically, with the composure of someone who is neither proud nor embarrassed by them.  

Angel suspects, only a few minutes into their first meeting, that Eddie may have similar scars beneath his torn jeans and bleach-speckled band shirt. One of his arms has some sort of medical sleeve on it—the pale fabric covered in black bleed-fuzzy Sharpie drawings of bats. Angel considers the mangled half-moon-shaped lines decorating Steve’s thigh. Unless earthquakes have suddenly developed teeth, Wayne has clearly been editing his stories. 

But despite their significant aesthetic differences, the two boys are well-suited, if painfully young and unpracticed in the art of subtlety. They touch each other constantly; unthinkingly. Hands. Hips. Shoulders. Elbows. And the way they look at each other—well. They’ll need to work on that if they don’t want to accumulate more scars. Granted, they hardly have to hide their relationship in the sanctuary of his home, but he gets the feeling they don’t know how to be any other way with each other. 

It’s both sweet and more than a little heartbreaking.

“So,” he says, “ I need to get back to the bar before the opening act at 8. It’s drag night.”

“Robin is going to be furious she didn’t come,” Steve says.

“We’ll bring her next time,” Eddie says. 

They go.

***

Angel’s bar is called Innuendo. 

He can’t take credit for the name, but he can take credit for the atmosphere. It’d been a dark, sticky, hole-in-the-wall when he started working there at 21. When he’d bought it from the former owner a decade later, he’d cleaned it up, regulated the jukebox hours, and started live music, drag, and deejay nights. A few years after that, in 1984, when the mayor issued a proclamation declaring the new city policy to no longer discriminate against queers, he’d taken the boards down from all the windows. 

It’s still dark in the back where the stage and dance floor are tucked away, but the front windows with a clear view of the street are big and unashamed. He keeps the windows clean.

There’s a copy of the proclamation framed above them, along with pictures of Angel and noteworthy patrons of the establishment over the years: Wakefield Poole; Tom Higgins; Bayard Rustin; Freddie Mercury, and Jim Hutton. 

A lot has changed in the last two decades that he’s worked there, but some things, like the old oak-wood bar where all the pictures were taken, stay the same.

He brings Wayne and the boys in through the back to scattered shouts of hello from regulars. He and Wayne slide behind the bar to start helping Frank, and the boys sit on stools with wide eyes.

It’s nice, to see the place from their perspective. The magic of it is never lost on him, but sometimes he does forget exactly how magic it is: a bar that looks like most other bars but where men look and touch and kiss without concern, where there’s art and magazines and conversations that wouldn’t be permitted by common society a scant few feet outside the door.

After fifteen minutes, they get brave enough to explore—admiring the posters on the opposite wall: Bijou and Boys in the Sand; Passing Strangers, Forbidden Letters, and A Night at the Adonis.

They play a round of darts near the front windows, the boards covered in shitty black-and-white copies of Anita Bryant’s face.

They sit at a table near the stage when the show starts. They pull their chairs together. They hold hands on the tabletop. They laugh and shout and sing along and kiss when invited.

After, when they’re back at the bar, flushed with alcohol and the subtle worldview shift that Angel remembers well from his first visit to a gay bar, a few of the queens come over to introduce themselves. Leslie, currently in her Cher era, steps up to the bar, accepts her drink from Wayne with a wink, and gives Steve a clear once-over.

“Aren't you out a little late for a school night, baby?" she says in her customary baritone.

“Uh, no ma’am. I graduated last year. Sorry. Sir?”

"Sugar, do I look like a ‘sir’ to you?"

“Take it easy on him, Les,” Angel calls. “He’s new.”

“No kidding.” She purses her lips at him. “Ma’am is fine unless you meet me on the street. But here I’d prefer ‘honey. Or ‘darling.”

Steve swallows. “I promised I’d reserve pet names for my boyfriend. So. I’ll stick with Ma’am.”

“Well aren’t you a charmer. And where is this boyfriend?”

“Hi,” Eddie says.

She gives him an equally critical once-over.

“Do you know what that color bandana means in that pocket?”

Eddie glances down at his back left pocket; at the black bandana hanging against his thigh.

“Ah...that I’m into S&M but that I like to be the  submission one? Like the one getting tied up?”

“You what?” Steve says.

Angel notices that Wayne has made a hasty exit to the bathroom, which is probably for the best.

“Oh my sweet summer child,” Leslie says, “it means the opposite on that side, so maybe switch pockets.” She considers Steve’s pink face. “And also maybe talk to your boyfriend. The whole point of flagging is to find someone to meet your needs and you've got a pretty one right here who seems like he’s awfully willing.”

Steve pulls the bandana out of Eddie’s pocket and, using his teeth, tidily rips it into two. He tucks one half in Eddie’s right back pocket. He tucks the other in his left. He crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow like he's expecting Eddie to argue. Eddie does not argue. Eddie doesn't do much of anything except stare at him with wide, hungry eyes.

“Well,” Leslie says, sounding pleased, “My work here is done. Honestly, kids these days.”

She gives Steve a little pat on the shoulder as she pushes back into the crowd. “I’d dance while you have the chance, boys. Life is short and sometimes so is love. Capitalize on that shit!”

“Do you want to dance?” Steve asks.

Eddie is still watching Leslie with a bemused smile. “I don’t know how to dance to this music.”

“Well I won’t know how to dance to yours tomorrow, but I’m planning to let you show me.”

“Fair enough, King Steve." Eddie affects a curtsy, offering Steve his hand. “I suppose I can allow you to take me for a turn about the dance floor, good sir.”

Steve bows low over Eddie’s hand, pressing his lips to his knuckles, looking up at him with a grin. “An honor,” he says solemnly, and then drags Eddie, laughing, into the throng of moving bodies.

***

The next morning, Angel wakes up early for no reason he can determine. He’s not good at sitting idle, and he doesn’t want his fidgeting to wake Wayne, so he elects to take his book to the garden. Only, as he slips into the hall, careful with the door behind him, he can hear the quiet, indistinct lull of voices in the kitchen.

Angel moves down the hall on sock feet, avoiding the creaky bit of flooring where the original foundation meets the master addition he added four years back. 

The boys have opened the double doors to the patio and Steve is leaning against the jam on one side, coffee cup in hand, looking out at the garden. He’s shirtless, wearing only the shorts from the day before. Warm, tree-diluted, sunrise rays cast him in sepia, making the scars that traverse his flank to his thigh look less gruesome and more artistic. Poetic. He knows more than one photographer who would kill for a shot like this. Something about the coexistence of beauty and pain. Something about a commentary on perceptions of strength; the allure of imperfection resulting from battles survived.

Eddie joins Steve, sliding under his open arm like a habit, dragging a hand down Steve’s side to cup the puckered line of recently-stitched skin at Steve’s hip. 

Eddie is also shirtless—wearing jeans and a riot of bed head that Steve presses his face into, murmuring something low and clearly funny by the stifled laughter it produces. 

Angel wasn't wrong with his initial assumption: Eddie’s back is littered with shallow scars as well, but he also has a fair amount of tattoos, which makes the other marks less incongruous. There’s something about Steve’s otherwise flawless skin and sculpted muscles that make his injuries feel more visceral.

Or, at least, that’s what he thinks until Steve suddenly looks behind him, like he has a preternatural awareness that he’s being watched.

“Oh,” he says, “Good morning.”

Both boys turn to face him. 

And Angel realizes that Steve’s injuries pale in comparison to Eddie’s.

Because Eddie’s chest and belly is a brutal mess of scar tissue.

It looks like something tried to gut him.

It looks like whatever it was probably succeeded.

He knows he’s staring but he can’t seem to stop himself until Steve slides a proprietary hand over the worst of it, spread fingers against what has to still be an agony of healing skin.

He meets Angel's eyes and all but dares him to say anything.

“I think,” Angel says, turning abruptly to enter the kitchen, “the occasion calls for french toast. Thoughts?”

“The occasion?” Eddie asks.

His hand covers Steve’s and presses, not a dismissal but an invitation to linger. 

“Your diploma,” Angel says, “Steve’s first time making a fool of himself in front of a drag queen. Whatever excuse is sufficient for the making of said french toast.”

“See, we’re sort of trying out this new thing lately,” Eddie murmurs, looking at Steve, “where we don’t need excuses for things that make us happy.”

“No guilt in our pleasures,” Steve agrees, voice soft, expression reverent. He tucks an errant curl behind Eddie’s ear.

Angel resists the urge to sigh at them. Instead, he toasts them with a carton of eggs. “French toast for the pleasure of french toast, then. You two go sit on the bench in the garden. The sun should be hitting it right about now and that is surely a pleasurable experience. I’ll let you know when breakfast is ready.”

Steve meets his eyes again, this time less challenging, more thankful. 

His hand slides from Eddie’s belly to the small of his back, pushing him out onto the patio.

“That sounds nice,” he says.

And they go.

When Wayne shuffles out to join Angel at the stove ten minutes later, the bread is sizzling in the skillet. 

They take their time washing the egg bowl and whisk in the sink, elbow to elbow, two men sharing space for a one-man job.

They lean into each other, considering Eddie and Steve, similarly leaned into each other, on the bench under the oak tree outside.

“You think I should talk to them?” Wayne murmurs. “About the way they look at each other. And touch each other. And how they need to cut that shit out if they’re in public?”

“Probably,” Angel sighs. “But not today.”

“No,” Wayne agrees after a moment of silence. He presses a kiss to Angel’s temple. “Not today.”

Pt. 4 (Will's POV)

[eddiediazismyhusband]

lmao buck didnt ditch tommy last episode, he just made a pit stop before going to spend the night with tommy, like do you think he spent the whole night there? and yeah, this episode, if he does leave tommy to go help eddie, that's what friends do ?? like what do you expect him to do, just ignore his friends life completely falling apart? buck is an adult relationship and adults respect the fact that they arent always going to be no 1 first priority ALL of the time. tommy respects that, especially because eddie is actively in a spiral, and honestly it's really refreshing to see such a healthy depiction of the balance between romantic/platonic relationships. i mean how many times have other couples been interrupted by similar emergencies, this is literally the emergency show like. yeah obviously when there is an emergency, the characters are going to drop everything and go to it. I swear you people have never had adult relationships, romantic or platonic, because you see a normal healthy relationship and are incapable of enjoying it. "not anti bi buck, just anti tommy kinard" not anti bi buck, just anti any relationship buck has with a man that isn't eddie

wow what did i say?? that was quick!

if you think buck left eddie’s house after hearing eddie say the words “yeah me too” in reference to being worried about him, then you do not know buck at all.

also when have we seen tommy respecting anything with buck? you all live in these made up scenarios that lou blabs on cameo when in reality all we have seen is tommy constantly be dismissive towards buck unless buck is actively paying sole attention to him. that is not a perfect and healthy relationship.

tommy is constantly speaking down to buck, calling him “kid” and refusing to call buck by the name he chose for himself. that is not the sign of someone who cares about buck to me.

as for being against any relationship buck is in with s man…. give me a man who actually shows that he gives a flying fuck about buck. give me a man who isn’t constantly being condescending and rude. give me a man who’s whole backstory wasn’t as a tool to put hen and chimney through hell at the 118. if buck was dating literally any other guy i wouldn’t be anywhere near as fed up with this plotline; but the fact of the matter is we have BARELY seen anything between them that isn’t tommy being a dick to buck unless buck is kissing him. that doesn’t read as a positive and healthy relationship to me. you all claim to care about buck so much, but then actively defend everything tommy does that is rude and condescending to buck as if buck somehow deserves it.

i am capable of enjoying normal healthy adult relationships because i have watched this show for seven years. i have seen these characters drop things for emergencies. i have picked up on the patterns they have laid down in previous storylines. i have experience working in filmmaking and know how to read into things.

normally i look at these asks and laugh because i don’t like to give a platform to people like you who hide begind anon to try and make buddie shippers out to be monsters but the fact that that post hasn’t even been up for ten minutes and you already felt the need to type a whole anon ask about how wrong i am when none of what you’ve pointed out has any canonical evidence of living in the truth? i have to laugh.

the block button is free. filtering out the anti tags is free. if you’re one of my followers…. when have i ever posted anything that would make you think i was pro tommy in any way that got you to follow me in the first place?

since you sent the ask on anon and i have no way of doing it myself, i invite you to go to my page and press the block button… the anti tags exist for a reason and if you don’t wanna see anti tommy content, either filter out the tags or block my blog. simple as that.

[lemotmo]

Okay, I basically stalked that blog, sorry not sorry. The other answers you shared were nice but this is the answer. EVERYONE READ THIS ANSWER. You won't need a question synopsis, it will be very clear what they were asked. Also I got the sense from their blog that they're more of a fan of the show as a whole than a hard core shipper. They do clearly like Tommy but they're a Buck lover through and through if you scroll their blog. READ THIS ANSWER!

A. Hi anon, I have been very clear from the beginning that I will support whatever ship the show decides to go with. I have worked very hard at trying to maintain realistic expectations. The problem with your argument is that the show hasn't shown us anything you presented in your ask. The show hasn't indicated in any way that this is a long-term serious relationship for either of them. In fact I would argue that most of the dialogue Tommy has been given would actually indicate the opposite, at least where he's concerned. He has been given very little actual dialogue so I promise you they're being particular with the dialogue they are giving him. And I'm sorry, but no, the show absolutely did not tell us or insinuate in any way that Buck told Tommy to only call him Evan. Lou himself said in one of his cameos that the show won't 'allow' him to call him Buck. If you've been around for longer than season 7 not calling him Buck is usually a bad sign. All his previous partners called him Evan. It's an established pattern of indicating they don't really know him. So far, from the little we've been shown, they're sticking to that pattern. We do however have numerous canon scenes of Buck explaining why he doesn't associate with the name Evan. Going by Buck is a well established CHOICE for him. At this point, Tommy is being written as a plot device. The show hasn't given us anything more than that. Can that change? Sure, but I don't think it will change much. Tim himself said it was a nice introductory relationship for Buck and he didn't want anything heavy (I'm paraphrasing). Oliver said Buck was going to have to work for his next relationship. He said this having already filmed the beginning of Buck and Tommy (and at that point Tommy was only supposed to last 4 episodes but they got renewed and the storyline was slowed down) so I don't think Tommy is the relationship Oliver was referring to. I will once again stress, that's okay. Tommy can be important without being his forever. It doesn't make Tommy meaningless. But it is why, in the end, the cameo videos were a mistake. It's lovely that Lou wanted to talk with people, and I understand why he wanted to do them, but many of those fans have taken those headcanon conversations and tried to argue them as canon fact, like your ask did, and they simply aren't based on anything canon. I hope that doesn't sound mean because I get wanting them to be canon, but, at present time, they're not.

The last part of your ask is confusing to me, I won't lie. You just said yourself that making Eddie canonically queer wouldn't necessarily be a leap, but then you said, in the same sentence, that Ryan shouldn't refer to Eddie as ambiguous. Both of those things cannot be true at the same time. And I'm sorry but at no point, ever has Buck and Eddie's relationship been written as traditionally bro, as you put it. There are countless, professional articles as well as interviews by the actors and creators themselves stating how unique and special their relationship is. The audience knows that as well. It's why they're popular. You can't watch the show and honestly describe them as bros. If they make Eddie canon queer it is not a matter of if they'll put him with Buck. At that point it simply becomes a matter of when. And no, Josh will not be a realistic option. I adore Josh, lots of people do, but a romance between Josh and Eddie is not what anyone wants. Also I'm pretty sure Oliver would commit a crime if they gave Eddie to Josh instead of Buck, lol.

Love, love, love.

Another thoughtful and insightful answer from the anonymous blog.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention Nonny! :)

Once again I ask everyone to stay civil in comments or reblogs. No hate towards this person please. Thank you.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here friend and, well, yay for low expectations indeed!!! The episode was a lot more fun than I was expecting (especially on the bee front, I really expected 10 minutes of bees then everyone moves on) and I admit to getting totally surprised by the final Buck saves Gerrard scene. It will definitely be interesting to see that play out. Maddie was actually pretty involved in the rescues, we got some HenRen and Madney family time (with tension, but still...), and the firefam (minus Bobby, poor guy 🥺) was in peak form. It was definitely way more balanced than I was expecting, its gonna be hard to tamp down on my optimism going forward.

So now for the the rage, which for once isn't directed at the show. May Helena get shoved into her brand new pool the moment its complete, and its debatable at this point if water should be in it or not when she does. I do love the idea that Helena is sort of a stand-in for Shannon that Eddie will eventually have to face and I hope he will. Eddie deserves to stand in front of the people who doubt him and say with his whole heart that he is a good father, that he's made mistakes but he's trying to do better (unlike Helena herself who just moved onto a substitute son), and he deserves to be Chris' dad. And when he does I do not want to see any hint of a redemption arc for her, we've done enough of that with shitty parents on this show and it needs to stop.

Speaking of irredeemable characters, let's talk about Tommy. So after reading the interviews I think I've convinced myself that Tommy Kinard really is Taylor Kelly 2.0, but this time its going to be done right. No, Tim hasn't earned this level of trust but hear me out. So its already been noted how similar the two are (being condescending to Buck, him having to chase after them, etc), but this "baggage" storyline I find intriguing because we all know about Tommy's past behavior and its seems like the most obvious issue. So not sure if you blocked it from memory but if you remember towards the end of 5a we had to endure an episode of TayKay backstory where we learn she basically wanted to become a reporter to "tell the truth" even though in fact she was doing the same harmful BS that was done to her. And Buck just accepted that, even though his adoptive Dad was a victim of it. What if he doesn't do that this time, doesn't just let Tommy off with the "I did it because it was done to me" excuse and it doesn't take the near death of one of his teammates to make him decide to walk away. For Buck to finally say, for himself, this person and I are not going to work, we value different things and I can't overlook that (no I'm not counting Natalia as him doing this because that was a barely there relationship and she was, in fact, creepy). That would probably be too narratively satisfying, but one can hope.

And as for Buddie, well, how many times do Oliver, Ryan, and the damn showrunner have to repeat how intertwined these two are before people get it?? They've certainly demonstrated that over and over again on screen (seriously how much more co-parent does it get than Eddie begging Buck to "do what he always does" regarding Chris in the final episode of the last season??!!) and we've already said that of course Tim is never going to take that back, he planned it that way!! And I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but honestly, if its been spelled out by all involved that these men are never going to be separated, that they will always have priority in each others lives including over other, new relationships (the only ones these men ever have 🤨), its really not a stretch to imagine that turning romantic, and I'd argue makes a hell of a lot of sense. As for my crack theory for today, I saw the one interview line about there being a brief moment between Buck and Eddie that demonstrates the depth of their relationship and my brain immediately went to "oooh, but what if they have a nice supportive hug in 8x06 but as they pull away look briefly like they're going to kiss....but back away instead as Buck walks away shaking his head like he's being silly while Eddie just quietly stares out a window" moment?? I would like to see it. Not looking forward to seeing at what point in the season the wine in my fridge becomes necessary to get through an episode, but I'm happy this episode wasn't it (cheers anyway though 🥂)!!

Hiiiiiii bestie! I had family in this weekend and had fully convinced myself they would show up late Friday with sleepy kids, drop them off, and go on their anniversary get-away and I could come answer this once everyone was in bed. Cut to people being in my home until after midnight and then non-stop toddler and newborn and 8 year-old shenanigans. But it's all quieted down so I'm here now!

I was pleasantly surprised as well!! (Which is the point of low expectations! Either I'm right (which I was about some things) or I'm pleasantly surprised! All wins except when they tunnel under the bar I set in hell.) The Athena stuff took a bit of a different turn than I was expecting before the episode started and I'm cautiously optimistic about all that, and the bees managed to give us a couple different emergencies, all scary in different ways, with lots of good Encyclopedia Buck! We had Maddie working her end of the emergency with some delicious tension and a happy ending, plus the brief Bobby and Henren/Madney stuff which while brief, set up for a lot more to come on those fronts and I'm excited for it! Despite my best efforts, I feel the excitement rising!

I am fully stretched, gloved up, and ready to fight Helena in a Denny's parking lot!! At least in the cases of Toni and Ramon we got some kind of acknowledgement that their actions hurt their kids and they felt bad about that (vs the Buckley parent's "I'm sorry you felt that way" kinda vibe where the play the victim), but Helena's actions have NEVER been brought up by anyone and i NEED it to be addressed!! I have also seen the posts about her being a Shannon stand-in for Eddie to confront which is about a million times better than some doppelganger plot no one wanted, needed, or asked for and that did not actually address the thing they kept teasing that it would, namely, that Eddie was looking at that relationship with rose colored glasses and not actually talking with his son about the reality they all lived now that Chris is old enough to start putting some pieces together and addressing his own hurt and abandonment. ANYWAY. i need Eddie to realize he IS a good dad, and go get his kid, even if Chris is still mad because what the FUCK they can't just keep him for months? What about his special school he had to fight to get Chris into? What about fucking TAXES because THAT can become an issue if given enough time. What about established doctors and insurance networks outside of the state? Like, this has made so many plot holes that it had better be fucking WORTH IT with some good Eddie scenes, taking Helena DOWN, and some good Diaz boys scenes of actually talking and addressing the Shannon of it all. Bonus points if we get Buck having his boy's backs!

I'm actually cackling quite often about the BT parallels because they are just SO many and SO loud like, ???? what are we even doing here? Especially after that fucking "hamster wheel" comment last season (when Oliver still had light and hope in his eyes because they were filming karaoke stuff) only for him to be in literally a mirror to his longest and worst relationship. SO, it actually would be so satisfying, as well as on brand for petty Tim, to do the story he wanted to do, and do it right this time when he found out it was going to be Buck not Eddie doing this storyline (people make me laugh believing Tim that L was supposed to come back when we know Eddie was the planned story at first and also 911 got canceled for the show AK is on right now so she was never available and after that marketing flop they were never going to bring her back but I digress). At this point I'm just hoping for SOMETHING narratively satisfying, and at LEAST hearing from Hen and Chim because GOOD GOD. No one in the firefam has ever once minded their own business and kept their mouths shut except when the show is trying to push a shitty LI and hope the audience forgot their actions, or when trying to redeem shitty parents without putting in the work. So I need the gag order to be lifted! I need them to be allowed to speak!

The Buddie stuff is...well....it's....sure a lot of very interesting things happening! Some interesting trends, and attitudes, and choices being made. And knowing that FOX was the thing standing in the way....Well. Where is my Night Vale Quote I use for these situations?

I'm all on board for your crack theory, or literally anything that gives us some delicious pining Buddie!! I'm not gonna lie friend, I'm feeling hopeful! In that way where I feel a little sick? But hopeful! So cheers, and here's hoping Eddie (and consequently Ryan, and Buck, and Oliver, and Buddie) finally gets out and we can all be insufferable forever and ever together! Yay!

I haven't been writing because, life, but I got a tiny tablet and keyboard to sneak into work so we'll see! Also, I was supposed to be out of the state on vacation this week but my mom messed up her back so we might not be going in which case I will try and do some writing enough to share a little something! If we do go, I'll likely be late watching the episode so we'll see! But I have *goals* to actually work on this fic because the 12.5k words I have are good and I want to share!!! May the show continue to provide good vibes instead of sucking the life out of my creative soul, amen!

[ohfallingdisco]

@cluelessbees I didn’t wanna take over your whole post, but you said we don’t know how long the final fight with Vecna actually was and I needed to think about it for a minute, if that’s okay. You got me curious lol.

I think the best cautious measurements we have are probably Master of Puppets and Max’s possession.

Master of Puppets is 8 minutes and 35 seconds long in the Metallica recording, and assuming Eddie playing it would take a bit longer—due to things like sneaking into position, receiving the all-clear to start, live performance tweaks and differences—I’m going to allow a hesitant 10 minutes for Dustin and Eddie to get on the roof and Steve-Robin-Nancy to get themselves stuck, and 20 more minutes for Eddie and Dustin to finish playing the song live. Not including the events that happened after—being chased inside by the bats, Eddie’s misplaced heroism, etc. I think these events probably occurred at the same time as Nancy shooting Vecna and Stobin setting him on fire, which creates an interesting parallel because—well, Eddie’s choice here ended in a loss. Like Mike told Hop in s2, you can’t just expect guns to work.

Max’s possession is trickier to nail down precisely, but we have at least three concurrent storylines to double-check with here. The attic with Lucas, Jason, and Erica, the Surfer Boy with Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle, and Vecna’s mindscape with Max and El.

Assuming the stopwatch starts the moment Max and Lucas first cross the threshold of the Creel House, we’ll assume this prequel stretch lasts for roughly the same amount of time it takes Will and Jonathan to make a salt bath out of the pizza dough freezer (or at least, I think, until Will and Jon’s talk was over). I’ll give both storylines about 15 minutes to get past these milestones, crossing off Lumax’s movie plans and Mileven’s fruit-on-pizza talk.

Now assuming Max got into place and said her piece about Billy around the same time Jonathan was reminiscing with Will, that kickstarts the Vecna plot and sets Max aside for a minute. Lucas is alone in the attic for what seems like a relatively short period of time before Jason gets there, but I’ll assume it was about 10-15 minutes since that seems like about how long it might have taken for El to get into place and start the piggyback. Mike’s monologue and El getting stuck in the vines probably took place within this time frame, too, or at least very soon after Jason arrived.

Because then Max found the Snow Ball memory, and she hid in the light for maybe 5 minutes before things started rotting. El and Vecna showed up very soon after, and they were there for maybe 10 minutes altogether. Then Vecna got ahold of Max, and things started to collectively spiral. I’d bet this was when Nancy shot his body, and Eddie started biking away from Dustin with the bats.

So, all in all, I guess I’d guess the Upside Down crew was actually in the UD for about 45-ish minutes? Max’s possession seems to take up more time, so I’d give it about an hour. I think the Cali Crew is our best canon chance at actually having noticed the time. An hour seems pretty insanely short, but Rome was burnt overnight, or whatever. One last thing: according to sunrise-sunset.org, twilight in Indiana on March 24, 1986 (if we’re assuming two days have passed since Rink-O-Mania and Max’s first Vecna’ing), ended at 6:30 pm Central time. Since it was already pitch-dark for a while for the Cali Crew, and they would be in Pacific time in Nevada (a couple hours earlier—and the sun would go down earlier there), I think it’s safe to assume it’s around 8pm for the Hawkins crew when it all starts. Leaving them done at 9pm…when they did the Sauna Test on Billy. And then another 2-day skip. Are we going to drop right into something big in s5?

Thoughts, comments, or concerns??

[matan4il]

Great Meta once again!!!! Thank you!

Such an interesting epsidoe. 2 themes struck me and would love your thoughts.

I withheld my opinion on how long this storyline was in Bucks character Bible based on how long Conor stuck around. I'm more then convinced now that yeah it was probably always gonna lead here when they originally introduced him in 4. Bucks story arc has been consistent and now I'm just really fascinated to see how it will play out.

Also loving that they are leaning still into Hen and Buck because one they have always had a strong bond, but it really was those 2 together last season. It doesn't take away from Eddie and Chim at all. But again like above it sort of shows a continuation that the storyline was always gonna land here.

And just a bonus but JHC is the lack of Buddie talking is so blaring, its loud AF. This show knows it's bread and butter is Buddie. If they wanted to capitalize they would be using them like buddy cops or work husband tropes. However no, they are ratcheting up the tension so high and I can't wait for the explosion you know. They are due for a knock out drag out kiss and make up scenario lol

Hi lovely Nonnie! Awwwww, thank you so much, I’m so happy you liked my 607 meta, you’re so kind to let me know you did! ^u^

I honestly don’t know if when they introduced in 405 the (then still unnamed in the dialogue itself) Connor, they already planned to use him in s6. I tend to think TV shows usually plan repeated guest appearances for later in a season or for a following season. If it’s about a vital part from the initial background of a character, they might plan two (or more) seasons ahead, but my impression is that it’s not that common. From the little we know (and if we believe Tim), they didn’t plan on doing a Buck Begins, because they felt we already got that when we saw Bobby’s. So the Daniel reveal, it was presumably not a part of the character “bible” until right before s4. But TBH, I don’t expect too much consistency from the Begins eps, I think almost all of them ended up contradicting something else. When 405 aired, I believe I tried to calculate Buck’s timeline and came to the conclusion that it doesn’t add up (for example, that what we see in Buck Begins contradicts some of the stuff about the Navy SEALs he told Bobby in 102). But it doesn’t bother me that much, I choose to suspend my disbelief, if you will. ;) And I’m with you, I can’t wait to see how everything will unfold! :D

I also agree with you on Buck & Hen, I love their friendship ever since s1, and I kinda once made a lame edit (accompanied by a ficlet) to celebrate it. XD *hides under a chair*

Oh yeah, Buddie not speaking was loud enough in 604, where Eddie literally called Buck out on not talking to him about what Chris was going through, while we witness Buck suffering in silence without telling Eddie anything about his real secret, it’s even louder now that Buck’s secret was spilled. I do expect that we’ll see them talking soon enough, because yeah. This show has intentionally built Buddie up, brick by brick. They even made sure to include the lasagna scene in the s6 premiere to let us know they didn’t forget about this little family unit Buddie have with Chris. I can’t see how they can proceed with Buck’s storyline this season without letting him talk to Eddie about it. “kiss and make up” NGL, I wish the kiss were a literal one. XD

Have a great day, hon! And as always, here is my ask tag! xoxox

[danwhobrowses]

My Highlights of ROH Death Before Dishonor 2023

In spite of injuries and other companies borrowing talent, Honor is still real

Death Before Dishonor's card has been subject to a lot of change, in part to injuries and Eddie being in the G1, but there's still the potential of a lot of good matches, as well as a couple of storylines established by ROH tapings. So let's see if the show could exceed expectations

Positive stuff only though

Spoilers for the PPV

Zero Hour

Woods' springboard suplex was pretty cool

I never heard that Nese was in a car crash saving a dog, props to him then and glad he's healthy

Workhorsemen got a good pop-up powerbomb combo

Action landing on Drake's back and backflipping off of it to his feet is still mighty impressive

A good match against the Workhorsemen will help soften the blow of losing to Bullet Club Gold on Collision

Clever little trick with Leyla stepping on Trish's foot

Gotta give props to those kids in the crowd they are making the noise

It was a great idea to finish the Zero Hour with AR Fox having a hard hitting win over Shane Taylor, got the crowd pumped for the main card

And really this should be what a Pre-Show should do, each match led into further implications either for ROH feuds, building to title matches or to Collision

Main Card

Gravity with the spacewalk entrance XD and the Buzz Lightyear colours

Commentary did sell the conclusion well, because Gravity won because he was going for substance over style

Plus 'I'm sure Gravity has not forgotten PAC' is a great comment

Dalton Castle has IT, we need him on TV more, put him against Christian, MJF or Bullet Club Gold, see who is more manic between him and Juice

I do like how we're continuing this storyline of Joe bullying Stoke to his advantage

Mike sporting the DEM BOYS shirt

Even though it was put together quickly, all four of these teams should realistically be tag champions, but you can say that a lot about TK-brand tag teams, I still hold hope for Butcher & The Blade, Iron Savages, Dark Order, The Infantry, Top Flight, 2point0 and Santana & Ortiz

Chuck passing Maria's hug to hug Trent is a most Best Friends thing to do

Mark Davis' deadlift piledriver is a work of art

Fénix exuding catlike energy of 'blame the person nearest to you'

Surprised but not upset to see Aussie Open win either, I expected them to win the ladder match, maybe we'll use it to cross paths with FTR too

Stu with white paint for his allegiance is a good small detail

'I still don't know your name!' crowds can be funny sometimes

Abnormally Large William watching Brian Cage? They did have magic together as a team, but Swerve eliminated him at Royal Rampage...intrigue glands increased

I should try to watch more NJPW, because Master Wato's growth has impressed me. And that does feel unbelievable to say given that this is a bowl cut boy in blue working under a non-Gunn Ass man XD

Traded 619s from Cage and Taguchi

I said it on Forbidden Door I'll say it again; how Garcia got that stupid dance over needs to be studied

Also it needs to be studied on how it works as an assertion of dominance

'ARMBARR!' again, crowds can be funny sometimes

I snickered through the whole act of Garcia dancing around the 100% done Shibata

Almost spat my drink when he danced into a sitdown, fucking brilliant

Btw there has been a lot of good wrestling happening do not get it twisted, I've talked often about how I struggle to get into Pure rules matches but all of Shibata's matches have been winners

Garcia had one last dance in him but he proved himself in defeat, soon enough he has to accept he's a wrestler

Commentary has been stellar too throughout I just gotta drop it in there

Reynolds and Silver wearing their old Dark Order masks

Table spot in like the first couple of minutes!?

Dutch's tongue thing, he must be popular with his wife

Alongside Davis' piledriver, Dutch's Bossman Slam is a work of art, you can hang it either end of Dustin Rhodes' powerslam

LEGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODT

Stu did well to cover for Vincent's missed swanton

A thumbtack shin pad!?

You know you're doing Extreme right when the crowd chant E-C-Dub

Dark Order got their killer edge back in this match, we could've had this intensity for Anarchy in the Arena or Blood and Guts, but honestly, now I want the Righteous to join the Dark Order. It sounds odd I know but, Stu left because they weren't vicious enough, now they proved him wrong, they can still be The Righteous but Dark Order can absorb them into their group, regain the numbers they lost and that way we get now 2 trios or 3 tag teams who can mix it up for both companies, we don't have to split Stu and Uno up, and then all there is left is what the Dark Order have needed for a while: the main event leader. Hangman was that guy in Brodie's stead, but now they need another who can be charismatic but also vicious; Miro, Athena, Christian, maybe even Lance Archer or Powerhouse Hobbs with enough build

Seeing PAC and Claudio made me happy, albeit physically conscious because these guys are chiseled, because it meant one thing: Willow/Athena main event!

The energy for the match was apt for the short build, it is heated like a fresh wound

Swing on the stage

Gravity did indeed not forget as he watched PAC on the tv screen

Also appreciate that it's not the WWE angle of watching tv monitors

Gorilla press into a table!

Flipping flapjack was cool too, especially to roll into a Gotch Neutralizer

Reminder these two put on a banger 2 days after Blood & Guts

Death Triangle vs BCC?

Death Triangle vs BCC vs Best Friends??

Riccaboni's Willow rap just works so well

Athena came out with proper wings too

There have been some solid nearfalls in this bout

It was a good finish as well, it took 2 O-Faces and a Crossface but Willow never submitted, never relented. It's a shame she didn't win because the crowd were ready for it, but Athena is the Ace of Khan's ROH, they earned that main event spot

Conclusion

If you were considering skipping this show because of the minimal build, reconsider.

TK delivered a great night of pro wrestling variety regardless; it was entertaining, brutal, funny and dramatic, even the weakest match on the card was still fun. We set up more stuff for the future too and it is definitely worth the price of admission.

Match of the Night: Difficult pick but I'm giving it to Willow vs Athena Best Attire: Dalton Castle is often hard to beat when he's on the card but dammit Gravity did it with Buzz Lightyear gear Best Performance: Athena and Willow again for the tie, Evil Uno and Daniel Garcia are close seconds though they brought it, commentary probably up there too they were great this evening Spot of the Night: I'm not even joking it's Daniel Garcia's aggressive dancing, Dark Order/Righteous had some extreme and creative spots for sure but Garcia's dancing is just an enigma that cannot be ignored.

[steveharrington]

Could you talk more about the issues you have with s4? I’m only asking bc I think you’re very sensible when writing about ST!

yessss i love to whine and complain <3 plus ive had a lot of time to Reflect and Marinate on the season so i think these thoughts will be more coherent than some of the stuff i was posting directly after it came out. here we go <3

biggest overall complaint is steve's storyline taking a sharp left turn back into stancy territory. before anyone sends me a why dont you like stancy ask: stancy itself isn't even the reason i disliked this storyline! (also they arent compatible and want different things and its canonically stated like 5 different times in the show) but the Main reason i disliked steve's writing this season was that it largely undermined the value of his relationships with other people. season two established that steve would willingly put himself in harm's way for the kids both against billy and in the tunnels, and season three went on to establish that steve feels the most comfortable when he's hanging out with robin and dustin and just being himself, free from social expectations. all of these discoveries that we worked up to since season one were basically just forgotten in this season. steve is annoyed with dustin, annoyed about staying with the kids, gets injured and only has a meaningful interaction with nancy while robin just walks off screen, doesn't get a single emotional interaction with dustin about the danger they're in or the trauma they're undergoing even after eddie fuckin DIES and overall i just felt like he wasn't acting like himself in terms of his relationships with other people, and this to me seems like an issue with the duffers wanting to prioritize a love triangle once again

i also just have issues with the plot writing as a whole. soooooo many glaring mistakes that just do not seem typical of a stranger things season! ive seen people say "well what did we expect" NOT THIS?? idk from small details like will's birthday and hopper apparently just lying on the floor completely unscathed to larger overall bad writing like eddie's death being absolutely pointless and no one talking about it afterwards, the season somehow feels rushed? even though it was 2x as long as any other season and they had three years to write it? how do you have a 2 hr 30 min episode and not a single scene where the people who spent all season protecting eddie don't get together and talk about his death. that's just...unfathomable to me

out of the four storylines in volume one, two of them were like unbearably boring to me. im so sorry. it got to the point where every time it cut away from hawkins i would text em "FUCKKK" because they were far and away the most compelling story. i always predicted the russia plotline would be boring like the second s3 ended i said oh boy thats gonna be boring. but the HNL storyline......was somehow even more boring. and i love el! i liked venry as a villain! i LOVE JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER but jesus christ is brenner a redundant boring ass character who's always entering the frame sneakily and saying some shit like "eleven......the virus inside you is spreading.....you are an evil evil little girl" like JESUS dude we get it. idk ive never found his character nearly as interesting as the show seems to think he is, and i think spending this much time with him this season was honestly a mistake! so glad he's dead rip. i also wasn't a fan of the stretched out bullying plotline because it was very cartoonish to me and also just like. not necessary. we already know el feels alienated. watching her get shoved to the ground and have a milkshake spilled on her precious little dress just felt like kicking her while she was down

anyways theres a lot this season did well! quite honestly, it all falls apart in the last episode. without the mistakes made there, it would have been so much stronger. but alas i fear it's my least favorite season of stranger things so far because of these issues </3 to me there were times where i was like "am i really watching stranger things right now??" because the writing choices were just so bizarre and uncharacteristic of the show as a whole. praying season 5 is better but i have a strong feeling season 2 will always reign supreme

[okashiras]

wrote a long-ass embarrassing semi-incoherent draft that i’m just gonna summarize for everyone’s (mostly my own) sake. 

this is the first season where the writing didn’t have an intent to make us root against steve as nancy’s love interest. 

season 1: the last scene with steve begins with a shot of the ever useless ted wheeler dozing on a couch then the camera pans to reveal steve waiting on the other couch for nancy, with the intent of making them mirror each other (which doesn’t even make sense but anyway). and nancy staying with him reinforces what is repeatedly said about her in s1 (and 2? idr) about her need to retreat to safety, and the audience is expected to groan at this and to stay tuned for the next part of the story where she can finally get with the other guy.

season 2: rushed (and badly written and much debated in fandom) breakup. the writing made steve call himself a “pretty shitty boyfriend” so nancy can finally get with jonathan. he gives one last lingering look at nancy -- probably regret, probably longing, probably moving on. maybe we’ll pick this storyline up again. who knows! we don’t really know what to do with steve anymore so we’re just putting him in these side storylines. what do you mean he got popular?

season 3: steve loser era! working minimum wage and couldn’t get chicks. also said he didn’t love nancy anymore, so that’s over! but the new girl he finds himself liking turns out to be gay so who knows! we didn’t really mean for him to get this far. that’s why he’s in these little side quests. we can’t really make him interact with nancy because how will that even go down? wait, he got even more popular? even with the ridiculous outfit? anyway, jonathan/nancy is a great partnership, right? a relationship built on “shared trauma” is good and not weird.

season 4: steve has finally beat the loser allegation and is ready for love now. nancy pretends to be fine but is having relationship troubles. they team up and the sparks are still there. a few important characters hint that maybe they should get back together. moreover, eddie tells steve he is a good guy, that dustin thinks he’s a badass, and that nancy loves him. 

coming into s4, i’ve posted about my suspicion that the writers have been doing retcons and course corrections in order to set up the final season. and that includes cutting their losses and refocusing on what actually works in the series. and because steve is arguably the breakout character of the show, it seems to me like they finally allowed steve to take his place as a central part of the story. that entails tackling his original tie to the story in the first place: nancy. which means the writers had to take his feelings for nancy seriously this time. 

i think the resistance to make steve a proper contender for love interest is that the duffers did not even intend to keep him alive past season 1. (sidebar: i remember in beyond stranger things, when the cast members were saying which ship they’re rooting for, millie bobby brown said “stancy, all the way” then i think one of the brothers replied “bold”?? lol!) but this interview also suggests they’re open to allowing the story evolve as informed by the characters’ journey, etc. i think it’s very telling that they mentioned steve as the perfect example here and even called him a “lead” in season 4, supporting what i said about them maybe taking steve more seriously this season lol.

there are definitely pros and cons to sticking to an original vision vs adapting according to what’s happening in the story. but i’m not here to let myself get bothered about that!! i’m just here to sit like a hunched little gargoyle and eat my meal!!!! 🖕😜🖕

[glitt3r-litt3r]

hey! love ur writing, ur so talented. could u do a robin buckley x reader where reader is friends with eddie and the gang and corroded coffin is performing at a local bar and eddie hurt his arm and needs a sub-in for guitar so the reader does it? eyes without a face by bill idol? and maybe u can relate the storyline to the lyrics? confessional?? thx love!!!

Hi!!! Of course I can. I know my Robin girlies are starving so I'm happy to contribute where I can.

Pairing: Robin Buckley x Fem!reader

Summary: Request pretty much says it all

Warnings: some swearing, kissing, Steddie subplot, robin being cool and knowing French. 

Tuesday morning rolls around and you're not absolutely dreading it as you usually would. Tuesdays meant failing biology with you're friends, not that you weren't trying but it just never clicked. Especially since they made the mistake of transferring Robin to the table with you and Eddie. You three were hopeless together but at least you weren't alone. You spent most of that class arguing with Eddie over his next campaign while Robin tried to score tiny paper football field goals between your fingers.

Excitedly you got dressed for the day running around your room plucking things from drawers and hangers trying to make an outfit that wasn't a repeat. It was only the second month of school and you already found yourself wearing the same boring combination too much.

Once you were dressed you began to apply some mascara to your long lashes and some blush to your cheeks. Steve promised to drive you to school today so you waited out front of your house for him bopping your head along to the song playing on your cassette player. He pulls up exactly on time as usual with Robin sitting in the passenger seat with one arm out of the window. She was smiling, maybe at something Steve said but when the car came to a stop before you she was still laughing lightly. You noticed the curve of her lips and how the color on her lips matched the color of her bomber jacket.

She keeps eye contact for a second before breaking it and staring down at her hands. Her chipped blue polish is starting to seem very interesting all of a sudden.

You blinked trying to clear your head in order to focus on the question Steve just asked.

"What?" you asked head cocking to get a better view of him

"I said are you just going to stand there or?"

"Oh right! Sorry"

Once you got in and put your seatbelt on Robin began rambling about how annoying band was. You nodded along, you had quit band last year because of all the assholes and decided to take up guitar on your own instead.

"We ready to blow this popsicle stand?" Steve asked in the rearview mirror

"God Harrington you're turning into my mother more and more each day" you said

"Yeah well would your mom let you take her car to that bar tonight? The one where they play nothing but heavy metal and is full of drunks?" He asked sassily pulling away

"No way! You're letting me drive the car? Who are you and where has my Steve gone?"

"Whatever just don't make a big deal out of it, I might not even let you drive it back."

"Oh so you're coming? To the Hideout?" Robin asks Steve incredulously.

"Yeah I mean, what kind of person would I be if I just dropped off two teenage girls at a bar like that? I mean come on guys use you're heads"

You don't buy that for a second. As caring as he is he cannot expect you to believe this has anything to do with either of you. Robin turns to look at you as you both try to hide your laughter. The rest of the ride goes smoothly.

As you approach the building you notice a familiar mop of brown hair walking toward the doors. Rolling down the window you yell out.

"Hey Munson!"

He whips around and that's when you notice his wrist is wrapped in gauze.

He walks over tucking his arm inside the other side of his jacket.

"Dude did you try to walk and chew gum at the same time?" Robin asks leaning over Steve.

"Ha ha very funny. Nah just ran into some trouble last night" He says shaking his head.

"Who knew you had some fight in you" You reply getting out of the car.

"I don't, hence the injury but if anyone asks I beat that guys ass" He replies.

He looks over at Steve who's been staring straight ahead since you guys pulled up.

"Sup Harrington."

"Hey Munson. So I guess tonight's show is cancelled? Bummer" He tries to say it sarcastically but from where you're standing his eyes are actually a little disappointed. Robin gets out and goes to stand next to you. You lock eyes trying to decipher the weird energy being exchanged.

"Boys" she mouths eyes wide in entertainment. You bite your lip with a quiet laugh.

"You knew about that?" Eddie asks leaning one arm onto the side window of the car.

"Duh, these two talk about you non-stop" Steve says trying to divert Eddie's attention to the both of you. Unfortunately it works and he stands up straight again smiling at the two of you.

"AWWW-"

"Yeah well anyways, Girls I'll be here after school to pick you up"

And with that he drives off speeding out of the parking lot and down the road.

You exchange looks with with your friends before deciding to head in.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

At lunch Eddie trails behind you as you walk over to where Robin is sat.

"Please please please? You said you've been practicing and I know you know at least two of our song because I forced you to listen to them it won't even be a full set!" He begs

"No way Munson, you're out of your mind. I haven't even played for a crowd before." You set your tray down opposite to Robin as Eddie sits next to her.

"So what? It doesn't even have to be good but we already paid for the time at the bar" He whines making puppy dog eyes.

"Wait is he really trying to get you to play in the band he holds above all else? What an honor" Robin says

"See! She's right, it's a huge honor to play in Corroded Coffin"

"Don't encourage him!" You chide taking a bite of an apple. She laughs lightly and you notice the way her bangs move above her eyes.

"I think you should do it, help out our pal. Plus I haven't seen you play since you won't let me not that I don't respect your choice but it'll be fun, promise we won't laugh if you completely freeze up and embarrass yourself on stage." She says looking completely sincere.

"I cannot believe you just said that, I mean really we need to get you a little cue card that says stop talking. Don't listen to her, you won't choke on stage because barely anyone shows up okay?"

You take another look at her pleading blue eyes and feel yourself melt a little despite your original apprehension.

"Fine!" you say watching as Eddie does a little fist pump

"But I'm only playing a couple songs, you're buying me drinks Munson and then I'm leaving" you say

"Yeah sure whatever you want I need to go find the guys," He says as he stands up from the table, "isn't she the best?" He asks to Robin.

"definitely" Robin replies.

Eddie leaves you two alone, just how you like it. Not to say that his presence isn’t appreciated but you two just click. No one else in her life really rambles like she does but when you’re together you can’t stop. You’ll talk and talk back and fourth for hours about anything you want. It’s mostly movie analyzing or conspiracy theories. That doesn’t mean you’re gonna let go of the topic of her watching you play guitar later. 

“You’re only saying that to try an make up for the fact that you just said you think I'll choke later” you say 

“Thaaat is so not what I meant! I just mean if you happen to look out into the crowd and see all these eyes staring back at you and you feel those fries you’re eating coming back up the pipes and decide it isn’t worth it, I’ll understand” She’s full on laughing now as you stare in shock. After a couple of seconds you laugh took shaking your head. 

“I’ll just focus on one person instead” You smile hoping she catches what you mean. Her cheeks turn scarlet as she looks around the caf to see if anyone else heard what you said. They didn’t obviously, and even if they did it’s not like they’d know. She peers over at you with her piercing eyes and you feel yourself blush in return. 

These moments, the hidden ones are the ones you think about when you’re alone. Moments where there’s no one else in the world but you two, that’s what makes your heart soar. Tonight as you play you’ll think about that time her hand brushed yours by accident in Steves pool as the moon shone bightly overhead. About her converse and how on the back you wrote your initials and she let you. You’ll be thinking about the million disjointed memories that have convinced you that Robin Buckley is the love of your life even if you can’t kiss her in the street or hold her hand at school. You’ll hold onto her eyes, her finger nails, the back of her neck, the curve of her nose, the way her hair falls and the smell of her on your clothes after you’ve hugged. 

There’s only a lunch tables distance between you two but it feels like miles and miles, the only thing you can do is sit here and not touch. You focus on keeping your hands on your side but let your mind wander as she talks through lunch. 

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Later in your room as you get dressed for the second time today you start to feel the nerves. Steve, Robin, and Eddie wait in the car downstairs as you shimmy into a long layered white dress. It dips low on your chest accentuating your sun necklace that hangs right in the middle of your chest. You shake your hair out and add some blue liner to your eyes. Slipping on your beaded bracelet and a couple rings you spray yourself with some perfume before you grab your guitar and you’re out the door again. 

Your friends conversations come to a halt as they see you coming through the open mouth of the house door. 

“Why is no one talking?” You ask as you walk to the driver seat which has been abandoned. 

Their mouths close, Eddie faces forward playing with his hair. Steve coughs before shifting away from Eddie in the backseat. Robin shrugs and opens the mirror to reapply some mascara. 

You get yourself adjusted in the seat before starting to drive. 

“So what songs am I playing tonight?” You ask Eddie peeking back in the rearview trying to break the tension.

“What songs do you know?” He leans up and pops his head in between the middle seats

You think for a minute before replying.

“Edge of Seventeen, Eyes without a face, Smoke on the water, and as a joke happy birthday” 

He sit’s back and sighs. This was going to be painful for everyone involved.

“Oh sorry I don’t learn heavy metal on my free time Munson. Would you rather I turn this car around?” You ask

“Now look who’s turning into a mom” Steve mumbles under his breath.

“Shut it Harrington, unless you want to join Eddie in having a broken wrist” you smile brightly as your knuckles squeeze the steering wheel.

“Okayyy everyone just chill out. She’ll play the song she can do best and Eddie you can give her the notes for one of your songs and she’ll learn it on the spot, easy.” Robin says brightly trying to calm you down. It was not working but you tried to remain calm as you continue to drive. 

“Someone put on some music please” You say. Immediately Robin shoves on into the car stereo and hits play before anyone else can say anything. You make eye contact with her and mouth ‘thank you’ before focusing on the road again. 

The drive helped relax you some because you could only focus on the drive itself. making sure you were following all the rules. Heaven forbid you get a ticket which driving Steve’s car you’ll never hear the end of it. You were driving for a while before pulling into the parking lot. Eddie hops out and grabs stuff from the trunk and with Steve’s help drags it inside.

You sit with your head on the steering wheel breathing deeply. Robin watches you unsure of what to say before reaching over to place her hand on yours. The action startles you until you’re alone in the car, it’s nighttime, and the place is practically empty. She doesn’t say something which is unlike her. You look over, head still on the wheel. She gives you a small smile and you want to tuck the stray hairs covering her face behind her ear. The warmth of her hand over yours pulls all your focus, it radiates up your arms giving you goosebumps. She gives it a small squeeze before leaving the car. You take three more deep breaths before leaving the car to help them set up. 

The Hideout never had much of a crowd on weekdays thankfully. The lighting was low coming from a couple lamps and sets of string lights. Smelling beer and wood as you walked in you made your way to your friends as they set up. You said hi to the other members of Corroded Coffin with a wave. 

After you all set up Eddie introduces the band and then explains about his wrist motioning that you’ll be filling in on guitar for a couple songs. He hands you the sheet music for one of his most played songs and you follow along easy enough. Luckily you had been practicing a lot, and Eddie wasn’t Van Halen so you could stumble your way through. You could feel the sweat running down your back as you played trying to locate Robins piercing eyes through the lights on stage. 

You found her halfway through the first song but it was hard to play and keep eye contact so you opted for staring down at your own fingers as they played. That was 3 songs ago and when you looked up to find her again you couldn’t. 

“Okay and this next song is a cover of Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol. My wonderful guitarist has been killing it so let’s throw her a bone folks” He laughs 

Thank fucking god because you were butchering the other songs and it was getting shameful and he knew it. 

The first notes started playing as you try to relocate Robin in the dimly lit room.

You find her, closer to the stage just as Eddie pulls you up to sing with him. Trying to get over your nerves you smile gently.

“I'm so out of hope One more bad break And I might fall When I'm far from home Don't call me on the phone To tell me you're alone”

You harmonize pretty well with him especially because now you can actually play your instrument correctly. Robin stands close to the stage standing next to Steve her head nodding along to the beat. She loves this song and you know it. You find yourself singing to her as you say the next words

“You see it's so easy to deceive It's easy to tease But hard to get release

eyes without a face (Les yeux sans visage) eyes without a face (Les yeux sans visage) eyes without a face They got no human grace They're eyes without a face”

You’re picturing her room. The walls covered in different movie posters, ones you’ve seen and some you haven’t. Her lamp illuminating the French textbook splayed open between the two of you. She had been trying to get you to learn French so you guys could talk to each other in school or just in general. In an attempt to be a good friend you said yes. You had managed maybe two minutes of French lessons before losing focus instead studying the room around you. The messy desk covered in notes and sharpies. The sneakers lined up by her door were once in a line but are now a jumbled pile of laces and tongues. You start counting the glow in the dark stars on her celling and the way her hair smells. She’s speaking in full sentences by the time you tune back in and she can totally tell you’re not listening. 

“tu as de la chance tu es jolie” She says with a smile. (You’re lucky you’re pretty)

You shove her as you try to find the definition to that. You never did because that was the night your parents called you home early, upset that you didn’t go to church with them. As you said goodbye she hugged you, like really grabbed you and hugged you. It was so quick you had only a second to meet eyes as she brought you in before the door was being closed and the porch light was turned off. Those milliseconds were burned into your head, you could feel her breathing beating heart against yours and it was just as wild. You had found the mirror image of your affection and she was beautiful. 

You were pulled back into the bright stage lights to sing the next lines.

“I spent all my time Believing all the lies To keep my dreams alive Yes, it makes me sad It makes you mad at truth For loving what was your eyes without a face”

Despite all these longing stares and accidental not accidental hand bumping you two had never found the confidence to say the words. Even if you were positive she liked girls, how could you be positive she liked you? There were times when she barely even spoke to you let alone smiled or tried to teach you French. And in this town it’s not like you could just tell her, not with what feels like everyone watching. That’s the problem with living in a fishbowl, there’s only so much room to breathe and there’s always a kid pounding on the glass. You spend your days in class thinking up imaginary tales to coddle your lonely heart. Hours listening to songs she might like and days hoping she’ll give you another smile or another flutter of her pretty lashes. You’re so furious the first time something almost happens, because it doesn’t. The first almost is always the worst and then after your life becomes a never ending parade of almosts and could haves until you get sick of it. You’re getting sick of here and now on this stage. 

Eddie takes lead on this next part and let’s you stand center stage to play the guitar. It’s the loudest part of the song right now and you work out your frustrations as your fingers move to the song. You’re sweating and breathing heavy as you whip your hair from side to side. Robin stands in awe air playing her own guitar to match. 

“When you hear the music, you make a dip Into someone else's pocket then make a slip Steal a car and go to Las Vegas Oh, the gigolo pool Hanging out by the state line Turning holy water into wine Drinking it down, oh I'm on a bus on a psychedelic trip Reading murder books, trying to stay hip I'm thinking of you and you're out there, so Say your prayers Say your prayers Say your prayers”

You play fiercely until you join Eddie to sing again bringing it back in. The song is ending soon and you find yourself anxious to be off the stage so you can talk to Robin. It’s got to be now, or you’ll lose the courage come tomorrow. 

“Now I close my eyes And I wonder why I don't despise Now all I can do Is love what was once So alive and new But it's gone from your eyes I'd better realize You want that, the kind of love you’re singing about. The love that’s alive and new. And maybe one day you’ll realize she isn’t the one. Maybe you’ll wake up and not want to see her face lying next to you. But today isn’t that day and you aren’t that girl. You are alive here with her in this dingy bar in this small town. You are burning so bright you can feel the red hot heat coming from your cheeks. Everything will be new, every second of time with her will be like seeing the world for the first time and you are so desperate to see something new. To feel something other than want and empty longing.  You finish strong singing the French while Eddie sings the English. Robins eye’s haven’t left yours since the start and now as she realizes it’s almost over she breaks the contact to fix her tie.  (Les yeux sans visage) Eyes without a face (Les yeux sans visage) Eyes without a face (Les yeux sans visage) Eyes without a face Got no human grace You're eyes without a face Such a human waste You're eyes without a face”

Eddie closes out and thanks the 12 people watching before stepping off. You don’t even hear the congratulations before you’re grabbing Robins hand and pulling her off to the ladies room. Making sure you lock the door as you enter, you immediately turn and gently pull her towards you. 

“If you don’t want me, tell me to stop and I'll walk out that door and we’ll never talk about this again” You say breathing heavily looking between her eyes and her lips. 

“I- I want-” She stutters trying to find the words 

“Robin, tell me what you want. Anything, and it’s yours” You reply stroking her cheek. 

“Kiss me” she whispers it like she’s afraid it’s going to hurt. And it kind of does. 

The way wanting something so bad and finally getting it kind of hurts, the way loving someone so much it kind of kills you hurts. The way it feels to cry out of happiness or to laugh in the saddest moments in your life. It hurts because you’ll probably never kiss her outside of dirty bars and locked doors. IT hurts because you know you’ll never be able to get the taste of her out of your mouth. Her lips on yours cause real electricity to run up your spine and you feel the urge to pull away and check for burning. You are on fire like live wires are melting into your skin and you want to keep kissing her in the filth bar bathroom forever. Her mouth is on yours and its hot as she breaths into you. Her hands come up to meet your waist as she holds you in place slipping her tongue into your mouth before quickly pulling away. 

You both stare in bewilderment, like two animals caught in a trap. She can’t believe that just happened and neither can you. It’s so not like her to kiss people spontaneously but as the shock wears off you both realize this was anything but random. 

All those moments of buildup, all the times you wish you kissed her but didn’t, all the words scribbled on pages and pages of your diary led to that kiss. 

“I’m so sorry! Oh my god if that’s not what you meant then I cannot believe I just did that and we should go they’re probably waiting for us oh my god” She practically screams as she pulls away from you. Tears sprung out in her eyes immediately.

“Are you apologizing for giving me the best kiss I've ever had in my life right now? You cannot be that out of touch with social cues,” You reply laughing as you clap your hands together, “I wanted you to kiss me. And you wanted to kiss me right?” You ask suddenly afraid that you were the pushy one. 

She nods her head almost immediately. 

“That was a lot and it was sudden and we can take it as slow as you want from now on but when I was on that stage the only thing I was thinking about was you. You and you’re beautiful eyes and how badly I've wanted you since you made me watch Eyes Without a Face in French even though I couldn’t understand it. I knew I had to play that song and I’m so happy I did” You said in one long burst. 

She laughed lightly wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her hand shook as she reached out for yours. 

“I’m happy too. Thank god for Eddie not being able to walk and chew gum at the same time” She said making you laugh. You stand there for a moment.

“I know, right now, we can’t be together out there and that kills me everyday. But in here, where it’s just us, will you be my girlfriend?” You ask bringing her hands up to your mouth and kissing them gently. The action makes her squirm with love. 

“You want to date me in here?” She says finally looking around toward the disgusting scenery. You blink at her trying to tell if she’s being sincere or not. 

“No, not in this filthy bathroom. What I mean is, whenever we’re together we can live in our own little world. When it’s just you and me we can do whatever we want and I like it that way. You look at me with those eyed and I know I'm home. So will you be with me, in here?” you point to your heart and then hers. Her face breaks into a wide smile before she pulls you in to hug you. 

“yes yes yes a million times yes” Her voice reverberates into your shoulder and you let your hands come around her. You’re surrounded by her smell, her soft skin, the feel of her hair tickling your nose and neck, the way she is swaying from side to side, the feel of her heart on yours and you think to yourself, 

iloveyouiloveyouiloveyouiloveyou.

[backhurtyy]

penny for your thoughts on stranger things season 4 (specifically volume 2)?

alright i wrote out an entire essay last night and tumblr deleted it, so i’m going to try this again and hope it actually works 😭

spoilers and rambling under the cut!

so for the most part i really enjoyed volume two. i loved the cinematography, particularly the part when nancy was shooting vecna and hop was fighting the demogorgon while the remix of running up that hill played. i also loved how it showed the three groups managing to come together, even as spread out as they all were. like! theres my bad ass crew of characters that i love so much, finding ways to win even from three different places!!! and of course we FINALLY got the jopper kiss…. i have been thinking about ‘use your imagination’ ‘who needs imagination?’ for two days straight. no one is doing it like them. just so many little interactions and moments that i loved— el and hopper reunion, lucas and max talking on their pads, lucas holding maxs body 😭, dustin and eddie’s relationship, eddie’s guitar solo, all the robin and steve bestie moments, the way the threads of the story all came together, the little jokes and beats of humor, el piggybacking and saving max… there was a lot i liked.

however. the things that i didn’t like were kind of big sticking points to me, and made it so that i didn’t enjoy it as much as i’d hoped to.

first of all, the episodes were simply too long. like for a complicated storyline, with so many moving parts, the episodes were just…. really dense. during episode nine i kept going ‘is it done yet? is it done yet? is it done yet?’ because i got overstimulated and tired. and i suppose i could have just paused it, but i find stopping in the middle of an episode very difficult. id have rather them be shorter episodes that i could pause at the end of and come back to when i was ready. and that’s kind of sad because like. i KNOW i missed things, but it’s such a big task to go back and rewatch it all that idk if i will anytime soon.

second of all…. eddie. stranger things has such a problem with introducing side characters just to kill then off, and eddie is just another in a long line (robin, murray, and erica being the main exceptions). which is interesting to me, because everyone was talking about how there was going to be this huge emotional character death this season, and like… i sobbed like a baby when he died, because i loved him, but it was almost expected. it would have been much more shocking and devastating if it was nancy or steve (who i thought was going to die). the fact that they did kill of eddie was also just so painful because 1) he was so loveable and i would have loved to see him grow and become part of the group, looking after the kids with nancy and steve and robin and jonathan, and also getting to have that sense of family when he’d only ever had his dad before. 2) the dialogue with dustin…. god that was heart wrenching. that was the one part of his death that i liked. i was sobbing i was shaking i was a fucking mess over it. 3) i can’t help but see eddie as a gay man— his entire story with being a freak, an outsider, unwelcome, and unknown by anyone but hated by everyone was very reminiscent of the gay experience to me. and so the fact that he died…. it was like okay yeah of course the queer coded side character died. of course he did.

and finally… will. i don’t even know where to start. they did him so dirty. this main character, around whom the entire over arching plot of the show has revolved, was treated like a side character. will, who has a connection to the upside down unlike anyone else, barely had any screen time that wasn’t him just setting up mike and el. literally without him there wouldn’t BE stranger things, and yet they just. tossed him aside. the only times he was around was when his own pain and suffering and feelings were used to deepen mike and el’s relationship— which had already had three prior seasons to develop!!! it just felt awful to have this character— who is clearly gay, clearly in love with his best friend, clearly already feeling like an outsider— tossed aside and disregarded. like not a single person except jonathan seemed to notice or care about him the entire season, and it’s like…. it’s just frustrating. like i wish they weren’t using his pain and love and feelings to elevate the heterosexual ship. idk.

so overall, it was good, but those are really big things that i didn’t like and so i don’t feel like i enjoyed it as much as i wanted to.

[woodchoc-magnum]

911 5x03 "Desperate Measures" uh...

I mean the last ten minutes were pretty good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm gonna skip Athena's whole storyline because... I'm just not that into it.

Although quick sidenote - the people living in the "no police" zone or whatever it was, did they all just go home when the power came back on?

I like how it takes less than a week of no power for LA to descend into anarchy, lol

I also feel like if they don't pick the hacker storyline up again at some point... it's a missed opportunity? Because right now the door is open for the hacker to make a dramatic return at the end of the season.

Anyway let's get into the important stuff!

I mean I was kinda feeling sorry for Ana last week but now I'm like... girl. You fucking knew and you were clinging desperately to a relationship that wasn't working.

I mean, I get why she threw the panic attacks in his face - like, who expects her to be perfect when she's getting dumped - but... it's not that. It's the fact that she knew he was having panic attacks about her, and that she didn't even feel comfortable talking to him about it... The writing was on the wall and she could've been the one to walk away with her head held high, but no.

Maybe I would've disliked Ana less if they'd actually taken the time to flesh out her character? Or we understood why she was in the relationship as well? I mean, I know Eddie's hot af, but I just kinda wish... I knew why she hung around as long as she did. Maybe Eddie getting shot prolonged it.

Nice to see that Eddie took Buck's advice - he obviously needed to take the time to think about it, but then he realised Buck was right and he didn't drag it out any longer. Literally 😅

Idk, I've seen some hot takes with people calling Eddie an asshole and I'm like - until Buck called him out on it, he didn't realise what he was doing. Like, Carla gave him a moment of doubt, but then he got shot and that dragged things on longer, and it took actually physically having panic attacks and for Buck to tell him that it wasn't right for him to be able to see the light.

I mean, it takes two to tango, and she was right there with Eddie until the end.

But I mean - any goodwill I had towards her character after the last two weeks was gone in an instant with the grabby hands and the "Adios, Edmundo" - ugh, fucking shut up. Just shut up and fuck off.

I bet Ryan was happy to see the last of Gabrielle 😅

Idk. I wish this episode had been better; I wish that Eddie and Christopher had a conversation? But that's why I wrote a fic where they did, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

NO MORE ANA FLORES!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

[lemotmo]

https://x.com/fionaswhvre/status/1832063203687432350

Curious to hear your thoughts on this (And Ali’s as well if you feel like asking her but no biggie if not)

I have to admit that I still do kinda think he’ll be back if just briefly to wrap that storyline with Buck (or I guess maybe part of me hopes so just so the narrative doesn’t suffer maybe?) but.. this is a good point. Like there is zero reason to not mention him at this point. And they did mention Marisol and hell even Natalia last season.

So idk. I guess I’m conflicted lol. But my expectations of seeing him are very rapidly decreasing these days. And I know people will say well the insta account is still following him but I don’t think that holds as much weight as some people think it does. We all know they are very aware of the state of things these days, Tim included, so I really don’t expect them to unfollow him (if they do) until after season 8 finishes just to avoid the drama it would cause if they did so now.

I got a bunch of asks in the same vein, so I'm just answering them all in this post.

Ali and I did talk about this synopsis earlier. We kinda came to the consensus that fandom has probably made Lou into a much bigger thing than he really was in the first place. He wasn't a part of recurring cast. He was a guest star and a pretty unimportant one at that, because we hardly saw him in 7b. So, he was never important enough to mention in that synopsis in the first place.

Those cameos certainly did a number on the fans. It made Tommy seem so much more important than he really was. While Lou was talking about how BT was 'thriving', the cold reality was that Buck and Tommy hardly shared the screen together and when they did, there was no substance to their interactions.

We're still waiting on a more extensive trailer and whether or not he'll be in it. If he isn't anywhere to be seen? We both agree that there might be a good chance that he is gone.

And let's not forget: no promo, no interaction, no mention of his character or the relationship anywhere...

Also, that link you sent me was very interesting Nonny. It's true, Marisol was mentioned. Articles were written about her and Eddie's relationship and where it would go. They haven't at all done that with Tommy and BT.

It's blatant and certainly in your face. So yeah... 👀

I'm always cautious to say that he really is gone with 100% certainty, because the truth is that we probably won't know for sure until we start watching the episodes.

But yeah, red flags everywhere Nonny! I agree.

[lovecolibri]

I just hope that tomorrow apart from the " do more" we' ll have some eddie scenes, because the way they're underusing him in s6 it's criminal, ofc since kr hates him and likes to keep him far away from buck the moment he'll start to date again we'll see him 20 min for episodes because no homo, like there wasn't really any other sl for him but dating again right?

I know that whatever we get from all the cast tomorrow is gonna be soooo good, but I'm not gonna lie, I'm trying to keep my expectations for how much Eddie we're getting low, just so I'm not overly disappointed. I wouldn't necessarily say KR hates him (that argument could be made of Oliver too since Buck's personal storylines outside the firefam have been trash since she took over), which we know isn't true, she's just....bad a coming up with storylines in general across the board 🤷🏻‍♀️ Honestly I think that's what him dating again is about too.

A) TPTB haven't fully pulled the Buddie trigger (I expect that Tim wants to be around to get the credit for that and also she's....not the one anyone would pick to head that train), and these guys can only have so many scenes screaming each other's names while single before they gotta wedge some woman in there to "prove" there's nothing to see. 🙄

B) KR is bad at coming up with ideas and while I don't think she hates Ryan/Eddie, I DO think that she just doesn't find the character interesting so she doesn't know what to do with him. It's the same with Chim who is getting the first storyline centered on him since season THREE when Albert showed up. Everything else has been about Madney and he was written off the show for most of that, and their breakup AND resolution/working things out happened off screen. JLH has negotiated for limited time on set apparently but they continued to squander the majority of the time she DID have on random stuff instead of making sure she was included in firefam stuff like being the one at dispatch on big calls which she could film separately from the team to fit her schedule. Bobby has this WHOLE arc with Wendall, and yet KR didn't think that name needed to come up a single time before 6x09 and Bobby spent the previous 8 episodes being a background character with nothing going on. Ravi is supposed to be back with a big episode and his name hasn't been mentioned a single time in 10 episodes. Hen was apparently going to officially leave the 118 to continue med school and it wasn't ever mentioned until suddenly there was a going away party. There was no Chim being nostalgic on calls that "this could be the last time you have to hold the vomit bag in the back of the ambulance" or anything. Honestly, I didn't even KNOW she was resigning, until that party because everything was about her passing the test to move on, it never came up that moving on would necessitate her leaving which SHOULD have been a huge plot point. Chim was going to lose his partner and we didn't hear anything about it until we were watching her going away party! Yet another of the things KR had in her notes that she didn't think needed to make it on screen so the audience knows what's going on. And it's not like there wasn't time for all that ins 6a because nothing much else happened.

Point is, we've got some GOOD writers and directors back, and the cast is really excited about the work they've been doing (though it's good to remember what an actor finds exciting to DO and a fun experience for them ACTING, doesn't necessarily translate perfectly to what the audience prefers to SEE on our end), but at the end of the day the same person is still making the decisions and planning the arcs. And unless someone higher up steps in (as they did with the L mess and what appears to have happened with the sperm donor arc given that the interviews are showing distinctly opposite answers to what they were after 6x09), we're still stuck with someone who has proven since taking over partway through s4, that she fundamentally doesn't understand the characters or what motivates them, or what the audience wants from the show. The tone of the seasons has swung wildly all over the place and been horribly inconsistent, and either nothing is happening or they're trying to pack too much in to an episode.

So for my personal edification and to make my experience as enjoyable for me personally as possible, I'm working on managing my expectations so I'm either right, or pleasantly surprised and delighted by what's delivered. And as I said, at the very least, whatever we DO get, from Ryan or any of the rest of the cast, is gonna be GOLD.