#i just got to s2 and holy fuck

[but-i-still-want-you-875]

taxi driver's such a good k-drama holy shit

[funtheysaid]

That’s got to be the best, most insane, most satisfying, MOST FASCINATING season finale I’ve ever watched in my life. Holy fuck.

[aroacee-of-spades]

^ face of someone (me) who just finished the arcane finale

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Me and my friend watching Chucky S2 so far really has us like this with the show's treatment of Nica:

[biillys]

yes i know we all hate karen here but heres the thing. i got a crush on cara from her part in person of interest and i refuse to let the duffer brothers shitty storylines and fucked up attempts at romance take her character away from me. anyway EYE get to pick and choose what the characters i like would actually do and u know what? she would not do that shit. thanku

[narwhalandchill]

good news: ruan mei actual sigma giga buff in newest beta update to like almost all aspects of her kit but Most importantly her sp positivity is now at e0 (thank GOD)

bad news: ur now gonna be stuck building 123% break effect from substats only in order max out the reworked dmg bonus shes giving to the team 😭

[iamthepulta]

my field roommate talked so much at the end of the day I lost an hour of writing time in the hotel room and now it's time for sleep, but god- I just got into the mood. :(

[naiadic]

I have so many emotions about the finale but I also have thoughts

~~~~~~~SPOILERS~~~~~~~

First off, AAAA HES SO BABYGIRL, but more importantly he implies he was with Eve, too

Now admittedly, what he "had to offer" could have just been free will and the fruit of knowledge, but given the sexual vibe here I really want to believe this man got busy with Eve as well

But that also raises the question..

...we know Lilith is Charlie's mother, but was Lilith really the one that raised her? In almost every mention of Lilith we see her horns, but not in those family photos (or her finale scene, come to think of it...)

Plus I mean we have this whole hair thing going on, Lilith is usually shown to have swooped back hair, like a lil pompadour deal, while Eve has straight unstyled hair. Idk about you but it sure looks like Lilith loved and cared about charlie, but somewhere in there Eve came in and started being Bad Mom

i think there's a lot to be uncovered there. Somehow, somewhere the girls must be pulling a twin-switcharoo on us, I Just KNOW IT

Then we have Adam

I feel like its almost guaranteed that fucker is gonna pop up in hell, hiding for awhile or otherwise, just like Sir Pentious popped up in heaven after dying. They're both human souls! He's committed pretty much every sin during his time in heaven (pride, lust, and wrath being the most prevalent) and if sinners can rise by doing well, angels can fall by doing bad

Then..well...Alastor.

Honestly homeboy is still quite a mystery. It's clear to me he's made a soul contract that binds his powers, somehow making him weaker than he could be. Whether this was with Lilith or someone else is up for debate, but most fans think it was Lil herself.

One piece of possible evidence for this is in E1 when Zestial mentions rumors of Alastor "falling to holy arms". He says this BEFORE any mention of Charlie, too.

Personally, I think Alastor might not even be a human soul, or that he's somehow made a deal with himself for better control of his soul, and maybe he fucked it up somehow or had another deal impact it, just because of what he said during the finale about sinner's recognizing their full potential. I look forward to seeing his story play out!

(Also I wonder if he has some sort of power bank deal cuz that cut healed suspiciously quick once he got to all that green light...maybe he's got an item that lets him access bits of his greater power? And repair that staff of his?)

So yeah that concludes my rant, Im so fucking excited for S2

EDIT: Someone pointed out that Sir Pentious wasnt killed by an angelic weapon, but by a power blast if sorts (plus we dont SEE him physically die). That makes me wonder if he might've simply ascended at the last moment rather than specifically dying and then respawning...if that's the case maybe Adam won't return..

[shoemakerobstetrician]

Season 3 Opening Scene Nightingale 1941 Theory

So, season 2 opened with a flashback that had us totally reevaluating Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s relationship. I think the same will be true of season 3.

I think we will return to the night in 1941, to find out that they kissed, danced, or more that night.

1 - Why are they sitting at a table in the bookshop just drinking, no food on the table? When they’re drinking they don’t use a table. I think it’s to clue us in that there is more to the scene than what we are seeing - at some point before or after they had dinner.

2 - We know that Aziraphale did the apology dance in 1941 - again an indication that there is probably more to that evening than what we have seen so far.

3 - When Crowley says ‘no nightingales’ in S2E6 we now think he’s referring to the scene at the end of S1E6 in the Ritz, but it does seem a bit of a reach. It was a very nice moment, but I don’t think a relationship defining one that would cause both of them to think of it as their song.

4 - A Nightingale Sang was released in 1940, first charting at the end of December 1940. It would have been a hit in 1941 (according to Wikipedia it got up to #2).

5 - I think they had dinner, they danced, or perhaps even kissed to Nightingale as it was playing on the radio, and it became their song in a much more significant moment in 1941.

6 - When Aziraphale says to Crowley “Perhaps one day we could…dine at the Ritz” after “You go too fast for me Crowley” he would then be directly referring to their song from 1941.

7 - When it plays at the Ritz at the end of season 1, it’s because the pianist finds themselves mysteriously compelled to perform it, like the Oxford bus driver taking them to London.

8 - And finally, when Crowley says “no nightingales” at the end of S2 it is just devastating, it’s him saying there is no us.

And another thing: in the lyrics to Nightingale: That Certain night, the night we met/There was MAGIC abroad in the air. 😁

One more thing: I can certainly see Neil gleefully being like “Psych, it WASN’T their first kiss.”, and the scene would be just as heartbreaking if not more so if it was what Crowley thought was their last kiss.

ETA I just rewatched the bookshop table scene for like the 17th time. Holy 💩 is the dialogue strange and very loaded. The “trust me” bit, and the “shades of grey”. Throughout the whole scene Aziraphale is sideways eye fucking Crowley. There is simply no way we’re not going to see more of this scene in Season 3.

I very much like this whole idea, it probably won’t happen. Maybe someone will write a fanfic at least.

[mxleedy]

i love this show so much cries

the last episode in review for inanimate insanity EVER!!!!

as always, SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 18 OF INANIMATE INSANITY SEASON TWO!!!!!

holy shmowzow

this was a fantastic episode, such a fun and satisfying way to end everything off yknow

let’s get into it!!!!

this first segment was heartbreaking.

seeing mephone reflect on everything he’s done and seeing the consequences of his actions was such an incredibly crafted sequence. his disassociation, his distance from what’s happening, it really shows how traumatic all this is for him. mephone has lost everyone he has ever loved, and he’s stuck with a man who has done nothing but demean and hurt him. he feels hopeless, and the song in this segment also gorgeously captures that.

his slow walk to the cliff edge, looking over everything he’s lost, only for cobs to pull him away? amazing, mephone’s not really there because there’s nothing to be there for, and cobs is trying to pull him back into reality.

this idea of like a cloud in mephone after everyone was deleted was so interesting, like i get it was forshadowed and all but its so cool that its so non-linear too

anyway, BOX?? i’ll be real, i was always a box hater, and i’m glad to know that alive box is too. she’s actually such a cool character though and i totally love her. her and suitcase both having experiences with drowning was so interesting too, like okay i see you brown retangular characters who were somewhat meek but grew from that and also have had bad experienced with water.

also, ahem ahem, new suitcase ship?

also, just because i understand that tumblr has a photo limit, seeing mephone stand up to cobs by warning the prime shimmer was wonderful. he’s finally taking action to amend what he’d done. granted, it didn’t really work out, but what matters is that he tried right?

i am so glad they canonically met

they’re two characters that have grown from their anger filled behaviour and (ultimately) end up making a sacrifice for the people they love. they’re also just violent idiots at some points, and i think that’s really great for them.

also, KNICKLE CRUMBS, 4s comforting knife after he expresses his upsetness about pickle ough my heart.

now all of the hug scenes were very cute but WHAT.

this felt like a 35 minute payjay makeout scene because i was not expecting this. salt’s total freakout was hilarious too, alongside pepper’s awkward congratulations, though i can tell salt will NOT be coping well with the realisation of the guy she’s pining over being gay.

also, i’m not adding the photo for this one, but the starfruit and guava drama went crazy i loved it

WAAAAAH

this was an incredible scene for mepad, because it really emphasises his core values. its clear that he adores the contestants, his actions since he’s arrived have made that very clear. but he’s also incredibly selfless, you have to be to make a sacrifice like that. he’s always seen potential in every character, and i think people forget that sometimes. he dislikes mephone because mephone doesn’t acknowledge the contestants’ efforts, and that he withholds information from them for his own benefit. he’s just such an incredible character

also, i’m honestly not all that surprised that the genocidal business ceo pulled out a branded knife to stab his creation, thats all i wanted to say.

this is such a pivotal moment for knife.

it’s representative of his atonement for what he’s done wrong as a whole. he sacrificed his safety for someone who despised him due to what heMd done in the past. he was the type not to tolerate these kinds of people, and its just wonderful seeing him overcome such things and move forth yknow

this was hilarious actually, also offering it up to mephone was insane

knickle crumbs,,,,,,,,, i love them so much

also knife becoming a ghost was hilarious to me because i’m currently writing a fic about PICKLE being a ghost but oh well new au i guess??

DO YOU SEE THESE LOOKS OK like you’re in love with him little buddy

also taco being petty about pickle’s forgiveness for mephone shows that she still has a really long way to go in terms of genuinely apologising, and i really hope she gets there eventually yknow

this was overall a really sweet ending for a fantastic show, and i am so happy it ended the way it did. sure it was a little silly at points, but inanimate insanity always has been. a bug musical number featuring all the songs from episodes past just felt like the perfect way to finish up a show like this.

as someone who’s been watching this show since 2015, this ending meant a lot to me, because its an ending to a big part of my life as well (to a degree, i will not be ceasing posting). and i feel like this episode beautifully shows that yes the future’s unpredictable and unknown, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep going anyway. build your own future yknow!!

but yeah, this was fantastic, and words cannot express how grateful i am for inanimate insanity as a whole. thank you animation epic, for everything.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles pop-up Graduation challenge.

What's A Little Grand Theft Auto Between Friends?

Prompt: Graduation | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: T | CW: Language, Nudity for Comedy, Smoking, Brief Mention of Underage Drinking | Tags: Post S2, Class of '85 Graduation Party at the Quarry, Randomly Teaming Up, And Then Having Fun Together, Steve Gets an Alternate Introduction to Eddie's Hot-Wiring Skills, Steve Ain't Body Shy, He Spent Too Many Years in Locker Rooms, Pre-Steddie

Coming tonight was a mistake, he's realized, because Steve isn't comfortable with this crowd, not anymore. 

Decision made: He's leaving.

He places his plastic cup down on the open tailgate of a truck he's passing by.

"Thanks for the trash, Harrington," comes the snapping snarl, and Steve stops. He hadn't realized there was anyone sitting in the back of the truck. But there's Munson, in all black, blending into the night. The only thing visible, the cherry on the end of his lit cigarette.

"Sorry, man," Steve says, leaning up against the side of the pickup, "I didn't want to just, you know, throw it on the ground."

"How noble," Munson says, dripping with sarcasm.

Steve's too tired for another snotty showdown. Graduation party at the quarry sounded neutral enough, but he was wrong. He's done dealing with everyone, and everything, from Hawkins High.

Except Henderson and the kids. But they haven't started HHS yet, so they totally don't count, and tonight he can hate everything about the place.

Including the crown prince of shitty attitudes, Eddie "The Freak" Munson. 

Steve takes the few steps back, grabs the cup, slings the beer that was mostly untouched into the grass. Holding up the empty cup to show Munson he's corrected this horrible offense. 

"That's more like it," Munson says, cigarette dangling from his lip.

"Well, that's my cue," Steve says, and keeps walking.

"Wait! Wait a second," Munson asks, no demands, and Steve has no idea why he even thinks about going back, let alone does it.

But he does.

Backpedaling the few steps until he can almost see Munson again.

"What?" Steve asks. 

"You leaving already?" Munson questions, and Steve just bobbles his head, because yeah, obviously.

"Can I get a ride back to town?" Munson asks, and Steve arches an eyebrow.

"Is this not your truck?" Steve asks.

"Nope," Munson answers, and Steve's hand flies up to toss the empty cup right at Munson's forehead.

Munson bats it away, laughing, as it clatters around noisily in the truck bed.

"You're a dickhead," Steve says, but then just wheels his arm around, silently telling Munson to hurry up if he's coming. Munson grins, wide and wolfish, hopping over the side with ease, landing on both feet with a resounding thud.

Then he holds out his arm in a sweeping after you gesture. Steve shakes his head and starts walking back to his car, hoping like hell he's not blocked in.

He is. 

"Well, shit."

"I got this," Munson says, trying the doors of both cars boxing them in, nearly touching bumper. Billy and Tommy, of fucking course. 

The Camaro is locked, but Tommy's isn't, and Munson slides into the driver's seat. Curious, Steve sinks into the passenger seat. 

Munson pulls out a multi-tool of some kind, and before Steve has a chance to realize exactly what he's doing, Munson has the cables pulled out from under the dash.

"Holy shit," Steve says, leaning closer, "where'd you learn to do that?"

"Well, when the other dads were teaching their kids how to fish or play ball, my old man was teaching me how to hot-wire. Now, I swore I wouldn't wind up like he did, but they wanna be dickheads? We'll all be dickheads. What's a little grand theft auto between friends?"

Friends. They aren't friends, and Steve's aware of that fact, acutely. But he'd be lying if it didn't feel kinda nice to hear from someone, even as a lie.

So, Steve grins, "Not a thing. Friend."

Eddie backs up Tommy's car, then pulls the wires, killing the engine. Afterwards, he stuffs everything back up under the dash. 

"Won't that-" Steve starts.

"Yup," Eddie answers, "gonna be deader than shit and he's gonna have no idea why."

"My man," Steve says, holding up his fist, and Eddie eyes him, but eventually bumps it back. "Thanks. This is hilarious, and he'll never suspect me. Like, I can't do that, and Tommy knows it."

"That's why it's good to have shady characters on your side, Harrington."

"Guess so," Steve agrees, and once they're back in Steve's car, Steve backs up, pulling away, easily.

Eddie digs his cigarettes out of his jacket pocket, "Can I?"

"Only if you light me one," Steve answers, watching as Eddie slides the cigarette along his own bottom lip, into his mouth, puffing as he lights it, then reaches over to place it between Steve's parted lips.

Steve feels funny about it, in a way he doesn't exactly understand, just for a second, before shaking it off.

"So, why was King Steve bailing so early tonight?" Eddie asks.

"Eh, I don't know. Guess I realized I'd graduated and had no interest in seeing any of those assholes again."

"Well, I didn't graduate, but same."

"You didn't graduate?" 

"Nah, maybe the third time will be the charm," Eddie answers. "Going from King Steve, to running as fast as you can. I'm proud of you, big boy."

It's so unexpected, Steve's sure he looks stupid, before he busts out laughing, "Well, that's a new one."

"Really? Are the rumors not true? I'll be so disappointed," Eddie asks, looking dramatic, feet now resting on Steve's dashboard. Steve doesn't have the energy to tell him no.

"What rumors?"

"About your big dick, man. Girls talk. I listen."

What? That's. What?

"Well, I gotta piss, so you can take a gander for yourself, I guess," Steve banters, parking and hopping out of the car along the dirt road. 

He knows Eddie doesn't actually wanna look, but two can play this game.

So, Steve doesn't go to the trunk, to the cover of darkness. No, he heads right up front, illuminated by headlights, and takes his dick into his hand. Lays it on his palm, like he's presenting it.

He looks through the windshield, but can't really see Eddie's reaction. Bummer.

But, then Eddie's hand pops out of the passenger window, giving him a big thumbs up.

And Steve tosses his head back, laughing.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see more of my entries into this challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[exhuastedpigeon]

I'll Show You Magic ✨

Buddie | Explicit | 7k Magic AU, s2 rework, witch!Eddie, witch!buck, strangers to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers (yes all of that is possible)

Happy first Thursday without 9-1-1! Here's a little fic to help get through it.

A man appears from the back who is definitely not the old woman that Lucy described. This guy is tall, nearly Buck's height, with dark brown hair that looks so soft Buck wants to touch it; he's got soft brown eyes and a jawline that could cut glass. He's also rocking a little stubble that makes Buck go a tiny bit weak at the knees. He has the urge to bite , but he does his best to shove down.  "Who the hell are you?" Buck asks before his brain to mouth filter is fully online. He can't help himself! He just saw the guy's arms (extremely muscular with tattoos of vines that weave their way up his wrists until he can't see them because they disappear under the sleeves of his tight tee shirt). He can't be blamed for his behavior. "Eddie," The guy - Eddie - says with an amused little smile pulling at his mouth. "I'm guessing you're Buck. Lucy said you’d be coming in and that you don't have much of a filter." “Lucy needs to learn when to shut her damn mouth,” Buck huffs and Eddie laughs. Buck’s been in the shop for less than thirty seconds and he’s already put his foot in his mouth. “She said a little old lady owned Diaz Boticaria s-so I was expecting to see a grandmother type person, not uh, not you.” “What, I don’t have grandmotherly charm?” Eddie asks with a smirk and Buck is so fucked holy shit. This guy has the kind of easy confidence that Buck has been trying to emulate for years, the kind of confidence that radiates off of him. 

Read on Ao3

[lenaellsi]

I've never understood what people mean when they say that Crowley is hiding the truth of Heaven and God's cruelty from Aziraphale to protect him or spare his feelings. That's like...the complete opposite of what Crowley does.

Crowley spends all 6000 years of their time on Earth together making snarky comments about Heaven and God at every opportunity. It's his opening line in Eden, and even before Eden, he meets Aziraphale and two minutes later goes on a rant about how unfair it is to end the world before it’s really started. "What's the point of making an infinite universe if you're only going to let it run for a few thousand years?" He's been forcing Aziraphale to grapple with God's plan literally since the moment they met. Those moments make up like half of the S1E3 intro, and it happens again in every single S2 minisode. "Same God that wants me to whack the kids?" "Tell her that poverty is ineffably wonderful and life is worth living. Go on!" "That's the trouble with you lot. You tend to see things in black and white." Like. Crowley's not trying to hide anything! He thinks Heaven sucks! He thinks God is playing a fucked up game! He tells Aziraphale that all the time!

Crowley sharing or not sharing the minute details of Aziraphale's failed execution is, honestly, a nonissue, and it's kind of frustrating to see it constantly brought up. We don't even know for sure that Crowley never told Aziraphale exactly what was said. Crowley says Aziraphale "doesn't remember it either," when he's talking to Jim--not that he doesn't know, just that he doesn't remember, because he wasn't physically there. But regardless of whether Aziraphale knows the exact words, he absolutely knows that Gabriel "tried very hard to cast [him] into Hellfire and destroy [him]." And he already knows Gabriel is an asshole. That's not news.

And I'm unconvinced that Crowley wouldn't have shared what he learned in Heaven about the Second Coming and Gabriel's trial over breakfast at the Ritz if things hadn't gone completely to shit. Here's my hot take: in the fifteen minutes he and Aziraphale had alone after he got back, he had other things on his mind. Would it have been helpful for Aziraphale to know? Eh, maybe. But honestly, Aziraphale is already aware that Heaven 1) is fully on board with the end of the world, and 2) has no problem punishing angels who try to stop the end of the world. Because, you know. They tried to kill him about it last time. And regardless, I don't think this is an issue of Crowley hiding things--I think he genuinely just forgot, because he was busy getting broken up with. If he'd thought about it, you bet he would have weaponized that to get Aziraphale to stay. And he kind of did! "When Heaven ends life here on Earth, it'll be just as dead as if Hell ended it."

And then there's the Fall, and yeah, fair enough. Crowley probably hasn't shared what the Fall looked like for him, and I think that's information Aziraphale could benefit from. Aziraphale clearly doesn't understand it--if he did, I can't imagine that he would have asked Crowley back to Heaven.

But that's still not Crowley trying to hide the truth about Heaven to protect Aziraphale's feelings, or whatever. He just doesn't want to talk about it! Because it fucking sucked! Crowley's communication problems stem entirely from his reluctance to grapple with his own emotions, and his reluctance to be vulnerable. Bitching about Heaven doesn't make him vulnerable; talking about his Fall really, really does.

Crowley has never once shied away from telling Aziraphale exactly what he thinks about Heaven, or the archangels, or God. He's constantly challenging him, forcing him to consider the people hurt by policy decisions like the Flood, the Crucifixion, Job's trials, or the "virtues of poverty." That's a huge part of their dynamic. Sure, he sucks at telling Aziraphale about himself--he doesn't communicate why he wants holy water, or that he's been living in his car, or anything at all about the Fall (as far as we know)--but when it comes to God? He is painfully honest. That's why Aziraphale is so unsettled by him. Crowley is generally very good to Aziraphale and conscious of his happiness, yes, but he's also not afraid to push him. It's baffling to me that people think that all he does is coddle him when we spend about half the show watching them bicker over this exact issue on screen.

[peppermintquartz]

Who did the post about young and openly queer Eddie and S2 Buck competing to pick up guys? Drop your link in the replies, I can't find that post 😅

-

The tall, handsome man in a black shirt leaning against the bar chatting to the bartender catches both their eyes. That jawline is carved from marble, probably, and while he's broad in the shoulder, he's deliciously trim at the waist, and with his shirt opened to the navel, he's showing off a beautifully sculpted torso. And judging by the tightness of his jeans, those thighs would be a joy to have clamped around you.

Buck feels his mouth go dry when Tall Handsome Man tilts his head back to drink a shot , revealing the lines of his neck, and a earring dangles, catching the light. He cocks his head at Eddie Diaz beside him. "Ten says he gives me his number."

"Ten says I get it," Eddie replies.

They've both put on their best outfits for the venue, of course. Eddie has his hair tousled just so, and his sheer shirt glitters in the lights of the club. And when he showed up outside the club to meet Buck, his leather pants left very little to the imagination.

Buck thinks he's not too shabby himself. His curls are left just free enough to garner several interested glances as he passes, and his own ripped black jeans show off his long legs, the rips at the thighs and knees a teaser for his muscles (never skip leg day!) while a single tear under the right back pocket entices with each step he takes. His black mesh top doesn't glitter, but it does show off his chest and allows him to display his arms. More than three try to hold his hand as he and Eddie make their way towards the bar, not that Buck is really counting.

Eddie takes the left of Tall Handsome Man, and Buck takes the right, leaning against the bar and sidling close.

"Hi," Buck says. It's a solid opening, nothing sleazy or funny. Tall Handsome Man is as tall as he is, but close to, he's definitely broader in the shoulder. The earring - two loose chains with a crystal at the ends - dangles, like a lure. Buck wants to take the bait.

"Hey," says the man, his small smile welcoming whatever Buck is about to do, it seems.

Eddie interrupts. "Hey gorgeous. Any chance I could buy you a drink in exchange for giving you my name?"

Tall Handsome Man raises an eyebrow. Damn, is that eyeliner? Buck feels himself getting warm. "I wouldn't say no to you."

"I'm Evan," Buck says quickly, before his prize is stolen away by Eddie's big brown eyes. He smiles when the guy turns to look at him. "It's only polite to tell someone your name if they give it to you, isn't it?"

"It is," the man agrees. His eyes are crinkling up, like he's amused. "I'm-mm!"

Buck realizes he's put his hand over the guy's mouth only after he's done it. Apologetic but keeping his hand there, he says, "Tell me, not him."

"It's a freaking name, Buckley, chill," Eddie says, rolling his eyes.

Handsome Man laughs and his lips move under Buck's palm, like he's just kissed it. Buck feels the back of his neck grow warm, and it grows warmer when the man takes his wrist - holy fuck it's big and strong - and lowers Buck's hand.

Leaning forward to whisper in Buck's ear, he says, "I'm Tommy."

Buck feels a shiver from the top of his spine all the way down. He angles his head so his own lips can touch Tommy's cheek. "Evan Buckley."

"Yeah, I figured that out."

Eddie must have got the drinks, because Tommy is now turning to him and accepting a beer. They clink their drinks and Eddie says, "Edmundo Díaz, but friends call me Eddie."

Tommy smiles languidly. "Eddie it is then. I'm Tommy."

"Hey, you weren't supposed to tell him," Buck protests, taking the chance to press closer.

Tommy grins, the expression making him look younger. "Someone told me it's polite to tell people your name after they told you theirs."

Buck pouts. Tommy laughs and orders a drink for him.

While waiting on the bartender, Eddie reaches a finger out to flick Tommy's dangling earring. "So what do you do for fun, Tommy?"

"Get hit on by two of the most beautiful men I've ever seen," Tommy replies and takes a sip of his beer. "For tonight, at least."

"Oh, you're smooth," Buck marvels.

Eddie chuckles. "If we're not around?"

"I fly for fun. And I practice Muay Thai."

On hearing that, Buck's heart sinks. Eddie does Muay Thai. He watches with growing jealousy while Eddie and Tommy chat, and sips on the drink Tommy's ordered for him.

Then Tommy turns to Buck. "And what about you? What do you do for fun?"

"I, uh, I'm learning to cook," says Buck. And he is, sort of, if observing Cap and taking notes is actually learning. "I've picked up several skills but none of them are, like, hobbies."

"Oh?" Tommy for his part sounds interested. "What kind of skills?"

Is that a chance? Buck adjusts his position so that his arm is pressing against Tommy's. "Bartending, surfing, construction, horse-riding..."

"Am I speaking to a cowboy then?" Tommy asks.

"Well, if you want, I could show you how well I ride," Buck says boldly. It's a terrible line, but sometimes terrible lines delivered with full confidence can be charming. At least that's what some people have told him.

Eddie has large, beautiful eyes, so when he rolls them in disbelief, it's really obvious that he's doing so. "You might as well show up in chaps over a thong, Buckley."

"Shut up, Diaz," Buck retorts, his cheeks flaming, keeping his gaze on Tommy.

It's Tommy's turn to chuckle. "Okay, so are you two boyfriends doing some kinda roleplay or is this some weird competition?"

"We're not dating-" "He's not my boyfriend-"

Tommy holds up a hand. "Well, in that case I'm very flattered. You both are absolutely gorgeous men and, uh, I'm not sure what you're doing with me."

"Easy," says Eddie. He runs a finger along Tommy's forearm. "I wanna dance with you for a bit, get all hot and sweaty and comfortable with each other, get your number, and maybe we go to my place for the night."

"Please, you can't bring him to your home." Buck slides an arm around Tommy's waist and tugs. To his surprise, he ends up pulling himself closer to Tommy, not the other way round. "Your son is probably still up playing video games."

"You have a son?" Tommy asks.

Eddie glares at Buck. "Yes, and he's with his cousins tonight. So my house is empty."

It's Buck's turn to roll his eyes. "For tonight."

Tommy holds up both hands this time, now grinning. "Okay! It really does my ego good to be fought over, but uh, I'm not really looking to go home with either of you. Yet. It's only my second time out here, so, um." His demeanor turns a little shy. "If you guys wanna dance? I mean, I'm open to it, and if you decide after seeing my dancing that I'm not that big a catch, it's fine too."

Buck tightens his hold on Tommy's waist. "You are definitely a catch. Any chance I can snag your number now? So I can call without this guy trying to horn in."

"You're the one trying to upstage me," Eddie argues.

"Boys! Boys, relax. You'll both get my number. Then can we dance? I'm really not used to being the center of attention and, uh, there are lots of eyes this way." Tommy licks his lips, and Buck's gaze immediately locks onto the wet sheen of Tommy's lower lip. He glances away to find Eddie staring hungrily and shamelessly af Tommy's mouth.

Tommy takes a napkin, rips it in two and scribbles his number onto both with a pen borrowed from the bartender. Buck all but snatches it and sticks it into his pocket (it's a tight squeeze but he manages). Eddie folds it and tucks it into a back pocket.

Then Tommy saunters onto the dance floor, whirls around and offers both his hands. Eddie and Buck glare at each other, but they do take Tommy's hands and let themselves be led into a dance for all three of them.

(Next morning has them all wake up at Tommy's in a naked tangle of limbs, and Tommy declares himself the winner of their rivalry.)

[queenie-ofthe-void]

The Babysitter Chronicles - Henderson

Steve POV 5+1 (immediately follows s2) || wc: 1.8k || full fic ao3

Henderson || Mayfield pt 1 / Mayfield pt 2 || Sinclair || Wheeler || Byers || +1 Hopper

~~~

This has been the worst week of Steve’s life.

Not only does Nancy think he’s bullshit, he found out she never actually loved him, she cheated on him, and she partially blames him for Barb’s death.

He was almost eaten alive by alternate dimension monster demodogs, almost died at the hands of Billy fucking Hargrove, almost died in the backseat of Billy’s car, and then almost died again in the tunnels. 

He’s pretty sure he has a serious concussion and a broken nose. The stitches on his forehead are starting to itch. He’s had a migraine every day since, and there’s ringing in his ears.

Steve honestly thought he could put all of this Upside-Down shit behind him. Pack it away in a tiny box and move on. Yet he was dragged into it once again, forced to protect kids he barely knows from both monsters and humans. 

He deserves to get paid for this shit, to be honest. 

He’s got no friends to sit with at lunch, no girlfriend to love him, and no parents at home to take care of him.

After spending the week at home alone, wallowing and recovering, he found himself thinking of the kids. It was the first time he felt anything other than misery and physical pain. But they were big, complicated emotions that he’s still untangling. He’s been able to pick out fear and anxiety, annoyance, exasperation, and– surprisingly– fondness. When he thinks of the kids, he’s hit with a surge of fierce protectiveness and devotion.

He’s got nothing to show for his life and no one to spend it with. Those kids, though, needed him in a way he’s never felt before. It was life or death, and they trusted him to keep them safe. Now that it’s over, even If he isn’t necessarily wanted, maybe he could at least continue being useful.

Which is how he finds himself pulling up to the same curb as he did a week ago. At least this time he’s not here about the Upside-Down; although, knowing Dustin, he wouldn’t be surprised.

“Steve!” Dustin’s running out the front door and down the driveway in just a t-shirt and sweatpants despite the chilly November morning. He plows into his chest at full speed and almost sends them both toppling over. “Steve, holy shit you’re here! Oh shit your face.”

“Hey man, language ok?” Jesus, the mouth on this kid. “Relax twerp, ease up on the hug, you're killing my ribs.”

Dustin immediately drops his arms and backs away, looking cowed. Steve’s going to have to work on his approach, apparently the kid’s sensitive. Or maybe Steve’s still a bit of a bully, another part of himself that needs to be fixed.

“It’s ok, Dustin, don’t worry about it. Just a little sore still.”

He perks back up again, bouncing up and down on his heels. The little gremlin’s toothless smile is so damn cute Steve wants to give him a noogie. 

“Ok then,” Dustin replies, “so why are you here?”

“Uhhh, actually I’m here to talk to your mom.” Feeling suddenly awkward, Steve runs a nervous hand through his hair. He hisses as it pulls on his stitches.

“My mom?” he asks, incredulously. “Why? What’s going on?”

Steve supposes he should’ve thought of this. It makes more sense to talk with Dustin before actually asking his mom for permission, but he hadn’t practiced this part. Now here he is, facing down an over-dramatic middle schooler and he’s actually nervous about it.

“Yeah, I kind of noticed you’re an only child, and you don’t really have a dad around.”

Dustin’s face falls, morphing into a scowl. Shit, Steve’s barely said one word and he’s already messing this up.

“Not all of us have rich parents who buy us whatever they want,” the kid huffs, crossing his arms and kicking non-existent rocks.

“No wait, ok look I’m sorry Dustin, that’s not what I meant. I’m not really great at talking about stuff like this. The important stuff anyways. Let me try again. Please?”

The kid’s still scowling, but his body relaxes a bit and he nods.

“Ok I’ll start over,” Steve continues. “Even though we were dealing with all of the Upside-Down shit and it was literally the worst week of my entire life, I enjoyed having you around. I’d sleep better at night if I knew you twerps are safe and I know you don’t really have anyone around other than your mom and the other gremlins–”

“The Party.”

Steve stares at him, mouth hanging open as he’s cut off mid-sentence. He’s in the middle of pouring his heart out to this mouthy ten year old and he’s got the audacity to interrupt him.

“The what now?”

“The Party, Steve.” The little shit’s tone is overflowing with condescension. “The group. We’re called the Party. You know, like in DnD?”

“What the hell is a dandy?”

“You, kind of,” Dustin mutters under his breath. Steve doesn’t really know what that means and coming from this kid he probably doesn’t want to. “D and D stands for Dungeons and Dragons, Steve. It’s a role playing game.”

“Whoa, alright I think you’re a little too young to be playing role playing games.”

“I’ve literally been playing for three years.”

“You’ve been roleplaying since you were seven?”

“I’m thirteen Steve!” He’s pretty sure Dustin’s screeching can be heard from the other side of town. “What are we even talking about right now? Why are you here, at my home, looking for my mom?”

“I want to be your goddamned babysitter!” Steve screams back. He takes a deep breath– in and out. This kid’s going to be the death of him, he just knows it.

He looks down to find Dustin’s eyes wide and mouth formed in a perfect oval. The kid’s shocked, either from what Steve said or that he literally shouted it in his face. Now it’s Steve’s turn to kick rocks. He shuffles back and forth, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them from tugging his hair again.

“You guys almost died, man,” Steve says softly, avoiding eye contact. It makes this part easier. “You almost died, and if I hadn’t been there, I have no idea what would’ve happened. Maybe you all would’ve been fine, I don’t know. But it was my job to keep you safe, and you don’t have anyone else around except your mom and the grem– I mean the Party– to look out for you. I had to quit basketball thanks to Billy, and Nancy broke up with me. My parents are literally never home, so I’ve got a lot of free time on my hands. Figure I could use some of that time keeping you out of trouble.”

Dustin’s face hasn’t changed, still devoid of any emotion other than shock. God damnit, Steve really messed this up. He looks around and rubs the back of his neck. His skin’s prickling with nerves as he starts to sweat and he takes a step backwards towards the safety of his car. 

This was a stupid idea. Why would any of these kids want anything to do with him? He’s nothing like them: smart, nerdy, can save the world without taking a beating. Steve thought he could be useful, worthwhile to someone– to Dustin. He should know better by now.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m just going to go,” Steve says. But as he turns to leave, Dustin slams into him once more. Steve’s breath whooshes from his lungs and a lightning strike of pain travels up his back. He thinks he’s shaking from the pain, except his crewneck is starting to feel damp against the kid’s face and he can see Dustin’s shoulders practically vibrating. “Hey, Dustin. Hey it’s ok, are you alright? What’s wrong man, talk to me.”

Dustin doesn’t look up, just keeps his face buried in Steve’s sweatshirt and grips him tighter. It hurts and it aches and it pulls at all of his injuries. He still lets Dustin hold on for as long as he needs to. 

There’s a slight movement out of the corner of his good eye, and he glances up towards the house to see a small, curvy woman smiling at them through the window. Not wanting to dislodge Dustin, he slightly lifts his hand to wave. He’s surprised when she honest to God clutches her heart and wipes what he assumes is a tear from her eye.

Steve’s already worried he screwed this whole thing up. He definitely didn’t think it would happen in front of a goddamned audience. 

The kid’s still holding on, but the shaking has subsided and he’s breathing easier. Steve smashes his hat to ruffle his hair, and Dustin backs off with a shriek. His face is covered in red blotches matching his bloodshot eyes. Steve looks down at his sweatshirt to find a tears-snot-spit wet patch stained into his chest.

“Dude, gross,” Steve huffs. At least he’s wearing an undershirt. Dustin just chuckles. 

“Like friends?” Dustin asks, still wiping at his face. “I wouldn’t mind, you know, hanging out. Whenever you’re not busy, I mean.”

It’s Steve’s turn to feel a burn behind his eyes. Relief fills him with warmth as his growing anxiety is washed away. Dustin wants him around. He wants to spend time with him and Steve never really thought he’d get this far. All he had was a half-baked idea to serve himself up for the one thing he knows he’s good for. And he was wanted.

He reaches out and pulls the kid back in for a hug, holding him tight despite the pain. Dustin starts trying to push off, so Steve flips him around under his armpit in a headlock, rubbing his knuckles roughly into the top of Dustin’s hat as he starts to screech again. He huffs, straightening out his hat, still sporting that iconic toothless smile. 

“Now,” Steve says, “all I have to do is ask your mom.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Dustin replies, turning around to lead Steve towards the house. He sees the curtains pulled roughly shut and the silhouette of the woman heading toward the front door. “She already knows all about you. I told her what happened. Well, the government version.”

“You told your mom about me?” Steve asks in awe.

“Duh, why wouldn’t I? Sure, you got your ass handed to you, but it was totally awesome!”

“Right,” Steve scoffs. He’ll let that one slide for now. “You’re sure she won’t mind?”

“Mom’s going to love you. She’s been asking about you all week.”

If she’s anything like her son, then hopefully Steve’s got nothing to worry about. And maybe if he can watch one kid, he can talk to the rest of their parents– look after the whole Party of gremlins. He can host after school hangouts and movie nights, sleepovers in the living room and pool parties in the summer. There’s the beginnings a plan forming in his head, which parents and kids he needs to talk to next. 

When he’s met with Mrs. Henderson’s warm smile, he thinks maybe the rest of this year will be alright.

[eddiezpaghetti]

Okay, so my experience with Stranger Things is a weird one.

I didn't care when it first came out, started to watch it out of "might as well" in 2020, wasn't interested in it enough to make it past S2, forgot about it outside of going "oh, hey, cool, there's a lesbian in it now, I guess," in S3, got really annoyed when "Running Up That Hill" got popular from it because it was a song I listened to on fucking loop after one of my best friends died in high school and I fully expected its appearance in the show to ignore the whole survivor's guilt theme of the song (and was very happy to learn later that it did the exact opposite of ignoring the lyrics), saw people drawing Eddie, suddenly got a lot more interested, watched just the fourth season like a fucking psychopath because I was seriously only there for Eddie, then got interested enough to start the show over properly, having mostly forgotten what I did watch of the show before.

And let me tell you something from the perspective of someone who started with the complete fourth season, who wasn't there from the start, who wasn't tainted by ship goggles or this internal battle of hope and despair, who wasn't theorizing about what the painting could be or expecting Mike and Will to kiss when Volume 2 happened or rooting for Mike and Eleven's relationship to go down in flames or whatever the fuck. Just someone who went blind into Season 4.

It's really fucking obvious that Will and Mike are gonna be endgame.

Like holy fuck. It's so fucking blatant I don't even know why people are nervous.

No sane fucking person would shoot this scene this way if they wanted the audience to care about El and Mike as a couple. Despite being all blurry in the background, Will's reaction to what's happening here is smackdab in the fucking middle, clearly showing that the important part is what's going through his head here. What he's feeling. It's like the opposite of that scene from Kingdom Hearts II where Sora and Riku reunite and Kairi just fucking vanishes into the aether while it's happening because, despite the fact that she was standing between them when the scene began, she doesn't matter to the scene, so she's just kind of gone when the camera angle changes. Will could have been behind one of their heads, or so far in the distance he blends in with the background, but he's not. He's so obvious that despite being massively blurred out, he's still the first goddamn thing you look at. What, you think that's an accident? You think he's in the middle of this dramatic fucking scene because of a mistake? He basically has a big flashing neon arrow pointing at him with "THIS IS THE POINT" being screamed through a megaphone.

And then this?

They're paired up like they're taking fucking prom pictures. Each one of these pairs is so fucking close to one another and so fucking far from everyone else. It's not, "Oh, they're standing vaguely near each other in a group shot," it's fucking Noah's Ark out here. Again, there's no way to take this as an accident. It's not just a framing issue. If they wanted to make the shot look balanced while still not hiding anyone else behind El, they would have scattered people around much more naturally. Even if they wanted to keep Nancy with Jonathan and Hopper with Joyce, there's so much room on that hill for three people to stand on El's left and three on her right. But they didn't do that. They put Mike and Will together on purpose in the most obvious way possible.

Like I get that coming up with crackpot theories is fun in and of itself and I'm not blaming anyone for having fun. I totally get the appeal of arguing a point and reaching for every stupid little thing to pull into it because it's like a game, okay? I've done that. But if you're trying to actually convince someone (whether it's someone who wants to believe or someone who's pissed at the very idea that Mike and Will could be in love), stay away from blue and yellow lights, stay away from costume design, stay away from the existence of closets in backgrounds. And don't worry about whether Mike's gay or bi when he's in love with Will either way. I'll give you a little tip about persuasion: You're only as strong as your weakest argument. Even if you've got strong stuff in there, too, the person you're trying to convince is going to dismiss anything you say as complete insanity the second you start going on an entire tangent about the shape of a character's fucking pocket.

Sometimes, clothes are just clothes. Sometimes, there's a closet in the background because it helps establish that a character is in a bedroom. Sometimes, blue and yellow are just a couple of colors that look nice together. And sure, it might be set designers and costume designers and cinematographers smirking and winking at the audience from behind the camera. But if the show was just those things, instead of those things in the context of everything else, they wouldn't be saying anything of note.

But this?

This tells a story all on its own. Someone with no context can look at this and automatically assume that each paired person is standing with someone they care about deeply, seeking comfort as they watch some sort of disaster unfold. And yeah, romantic couples usually come in twos, and we live in an amatonormative society, so that's going to be the first association anyone makes seeing a bunch of people paired off.

It's the same reason you look at this

And go, "Oh..."

"Those two are probably a couple."

And I genuinely don't understand how people could have watched S4 Vol. 2 and gotten scared. Because as someone who went in with no investment whatsoever, I just looked at these two--

--and went, "Oh, those two are a couple. Good for them." And I moved on. Shut up about the trees for five seconds and just see the forest for what it is.

Oh, and if you're still nervous? Little thing from a storyteller here: You don't leave a hanging thread like "Will confessed his romantic feelings for Mike by projecting them onto El, but Mike either didn't understand or at least didn't say he understood," without coming back to that later. That's Chekov's gun hanging on the wall, babes. It's gonna fire at some point. If Mike was going to reject Will's feelings, if they weren't relevant, they would have had that discussion in Argyle's van. There'd be no reason to leave you in suspense.