#i'm also in a shitty housing situation and the less i have to ask my parents for the better off i am

[thebisexualmandalorian]

Okay, y'all have helped me out SO MUCH already, and I hate to keep asking, but I have a lot of debt and not a lot of income (by which I mean: none). I'm working on finishing up a final personal project before I can start making and selling quilts again, but I'd really love to get a head start on finishing off paying my medical and related bills (food, QOL assistance, medical devices, medications my medicaid doesn't cover, etc.) I appreciate all of you so much, and please only donate if you have the money to spare - otherwise, a simple reblog is more than sufficient!

[mr-ribbit]

gonna rant again bc im seeing a lot of trans women on my dash having to carry the heavy lifting to argue for their basic respect and a lot of other queer people who want to ??? get mad about that apparently. for the record as usual: im tme, im not speaking for anyone besides myself and my perspectives, but I am trying to reach out to fellow tme people to level with y'all from inside the house.

i thought we all got past the 'calling people gendered terms when theyve asked you to stop' thing in like. 2012. i swear we were allllll on board with not calling women dude anymore, nerfing sir and ma'am, neutralizing collective terms for groups, and all of that was like, during the onceler era. that's how we got off-putting shit like folx into the mix - remember???? why are we here again.

to those who I've seen claiming that they REALLY genuinely don't want to offend anyone, and that theyre trying to understand the dude thing, and they don't want to be seen as transmisogynistic when they aren't: ok. let's talk about it. step one, stop sending that really loaded anon to a trans woman you don't know, and close that in-group hatepost with 100 replies from people name-dropping trans bloggers they don't like. try to open your mind and assume for the duration of this post that I am not cynically trying manipulate thousands of tumblr users into making Bro the next big swear word, but a fellow queer human being who thinks you're all being pretty intentionally obtuse about an upsetting trend in our community

to be clear: this post is about the issue of trans women being called bro, dude, man, etc., particularly in recent tumblr discourse about transmisogyny, and the backlash they face if they get upset about it. this is also maybe moreso about the shitty ass excuses I see tme people make for why they supposedly can't stop doing this.

so let's go through some of the things I've been seeing people say they don't understand, supposedly in earnest, about this issue

"I DIDNT USE DUDE AS A MASCULINE TERM. I CALL EVERYONE BRO. MAN IS A GENDER NEUTRAL TERM"

I'm not actually going to exhaust my list of reasons why dude/bro/man are not strictly neutral, but you should be pretty aware that all words have context. Dude might be seen as neutral in many contexts, sure, but 'woman who is frequently called a man by others' is a situation where the context adds extra meaning to your words, just like calling someone "sweetie" might be neutral in some cases, but if you've got the context of knowing that's your coworker who's half your age, it's a bit less neutral. If you're not capable of reading that context and being tasteful about when you say dude, then you need to at least be ready to respond gracefully when someone asks you to stop. This is the part I'd rather focus on.

"BUT I DIDNT MEAN IT THAT WAY. IM NOT TRANSPHOBIC"

I think you should consider broadening your perspective *beyond* your intention behind the word. people may already understand that you meant the word neutrally and therefore didn't have transmisogynistic intent, but that's not really the entire scope of what people are saying. if that's your only concern, you're just trying to clear your record, not actually listen to what they're saying.

there are lots of words people don't enjoy being called, and in most cases, when they say 'pls don't call me that', people respect that and move on. even if the word isn't a slur, if it hurts someone's feelings, we all as a society have agreed that it's pretty shitty to keep calling them that. if your friend asked you not to call them 'buddy' anymore because their dead grandparent called them that, or something equivalently personal, you'd probably respect that instead of telling them 'but I call everyone buddy!!' right? even if you didn't really understand why it bothered them so much?

there is a prominent tendency for trans women to be denied this privilege, and when they ask not to be called dude or bro, people don't seem to respect this request as much as they would in other situations. when I accidentally use a gendered word and someone tells me they don't like it, I try to respond with something like "my bad, I didn't mean it as misgendering but I can see you were still bothered by it, so I'll try not to keep saying it. sorry!" and most people are willing to accept that. when trans women ask people this favor, a lot of people get VERY defensive, and treat the request as inane or unfair, instead of just apologizing and moving on. this is why people are upset when this happens, and it's why people are calling your actions transmisogynistic

also like you might not be doing this, but a lot of people DO use dude and bro in an intentionally gendered way to make trans women uncomfortable. it's a power play bigots use to talk down to them or otherwise maliciously harass them. do you know what arguments they use to defend that behavior when called out on it? 'oh I call everyone that' 'dude is gender neutral calm down' 'dont overreact its just a word'. by acting like this, youre all just giving credence to those same arguments.

"WELL THEY SHOULDNT GET SO MAD AT ME WHEN I DIDNT MEAN ANY HARM"

they can get as mad as they want!! also, are you sure they're 'mad'? or are they just expressing their feelings about a negative topic to you, and it makes you feel bad, so you have to make them out to be unreasonably emotional? how do you think they should have phrased 'dont call me that' to better spare *your* feelings?

also like, in most cases, these women do not knowww you. if your main response to someone saying you disrespected them is to say "I didnt mean it that way, I meant it in a friendly neutral way", well that's NOT YOUR FRIEND! she has no idea what your opinions are or what you think of her!!! she has no reason to assume you only upset her in a friendly way and not a bad unfriendly way! but she did get upset, and she did the one thing she can do which is *tell you what upset her* and your response is to say "well actually you shouldn't be upset at all"??????

and another thing:

it's not just the issue of using the word 'dude', it's because you're coming off extremely dismissive of women who have asked you to stop doing something that harms them, and because your argument is basically that they just shouldn't be so bothered by it. or that they're stupid, irrational, or otherwise crazy for telling you that it bothered them at all, just because you Technically used a gender neutral word according to Your Rules. be honest, does that seem fair? If people were calling you something that bothered you enough to ask them to stop, and they responded like this, how would it make you feel?

focusing solely on your intent and what the words mean when you use them is the same thing as saying "just get over it". no woman should need to Prove to you that 'dude' is gendered for you to care about what she's saying. the fact that you're asking people to do that sucks and makes you look bad, which is why people are arguing with you and calling you a misogynist.

especially those of you who are only doing this with trans women who are actively arguing with. you're wielding misgendering as a cudgel and we can all see it, grow up please.

[punkrogue]

ended up thinking about the magneto + wanda vs charles + david dichotomy and --

(house of m #1 / way of x 2 + 4)

magneto is 100% not a great dad and even HE knows it and he KNOWS he's put his war before his kids but at the end of the day he does love and care for them and has wanda's state deteriorates he both tries to help her bc she just fucking DESERVES it and also falls the helplessness of someone who just cannot find a solution but so desperately wants one. it's shitty that he has her manipulate things into a mutant utopia but idk man it was kind of a dogshit situation already. I mean people are literally planning to euthanize her and given how things are going at that particular moment there's almost an argument for it. what a horrific position for him to be in as a father and a father who's trying to do at least a little for his kids to make up for YEARS of being the WORST. he WANTS wanda to have a life, even if he's not allowed in it.

MY MAN EGG CHARLIE THO-- he has a similar kid. mentally unstable reality warper. has literally reshaped related twice with his unending bullshit. david is back and FULLY in his "i rule me" era. which is when he's the most together and lucid. He's as on top of his mental issues as possible and RIGHT out the gate xavier has decided he's too dangerous to live. he refuses to return david's consciousness to his body. when david does it himself charles suspects HIS OWN SON of being the psychic poison corrupting kraoka and when david refuses to tell him what he's plans are and simply asks his father to trust him because he's his son charles violates his autonomy and tries to hack his mind. (i know xavier's getting onslaughty but also.... lbr.... it's not off brand for him to pull something like that)

like-- i'm not a charles xavier hater but i'm a charles xavier hater you know? i love david so much and charles is such a deadbeat dad. i also think this is just-- it's very telling of the differences between mags and xavier. magneto will put his mission above all 9/10 but when dealing with a situation like these it's VERY clear that it's killing him and WANTS to resolve it in the less harmful way. meanwhile charles would prefer his son back in a coma before he's shown even a SECOND of supposed instability than allow him a life because of "what he might do to the mission". like no one here is getting the dad of the year award but jfc charles is sooooooo good at rationalizing and stomaching doing horrific shit to his own kid(s) just bc they're not controllable or palatable.

[bawlbrayker]

I was tagged by @wehangout, and this one looks pretty cool to explore! She was tagged over a year ago, so it would be fun to see this one spread around again!

rules: post the first lines of your last 10 fics/chapters posted on AO3 (if you have less than 10 fics posted, post the first lines of all your fics) and try to draw some conclusions.

Mickey's heart is pounding. He's been standing on an empty dock for the last half hour, smoking too many cigarettes, pacing back and forth, trying to not breathe in the smell of stagnant pools of water filled with engine oil, ignoring the trains passing overhead. - Did I Wish You Here In Front Of Me

Mickey steps inside the tub, hot water flowing from his fucking West Side apartment shower like he has never experienced before, from either the shitty Milkovich house of horrors bathroom, or the cramped Gallagher bathroom that never had enough hot water, and almost zero water pressure. - It's Time to Come Clean

"Get the lube, bitch." Mickey says, tongue out in excitement, as he unbuckles his belt and drops his fly. - Just What You Feelin

Still wet from the shower, Ian attempts to put Mickey in a headlock as they fall laughing onto the bed, Mickey getting an elbow into Ian's ribs, slightly harder than the situation required. What A Man Gotta Do

A ray of sunlight ripples across his pillow and as soon as Mickey opens his eyes into wakefulness, he tries desperately to hold onto his dream, already fading so quickly and leaving him only with random flashes of red and green in his inner gaze.   One Hundred and Forty Seven Steps

Juggling a box of Fruit Rounds and a box of Froot Loops, trying to decide if getting the cheaper version will justify buying an extra box of snacks, Ian feels a tingling up his spine, and inexplicably his dick twitches in his boxers. The Divining Rod

“So, Big Boy… do you come here often?” Mickey asks, hoping his husband would jump straight into the roleplay. Apparently catching on, the redhead below him grips his hips tightly. “Actually, this is my first time here. I didn't think I’d pick up a hot guy in a bar and go home with him the first night I arrived.” C.O.C.O.N.U.T

“Ugh, it’s the middle of the day, man.” Mickey groused, as he rubbed his eyes and squinted at the ground, trying to avoid looking up at the bright sky. Save a Horse, Ride a Gallagher

It’s a Friday afternoon, the day before their fifth wedding anniversary. Ian and Mickey are standing in the middle of the liquor store, quibbling over which vodka to buy, with Mickey throwing in gentle jabs about Ian’s low tolerance for alcohol. A Slice of Life

Conclusion: I definitely have a preference for writing in present tense! I'm working on it though. I also seem to lead with canon dialogue where I can. I also love to start everything with Mickey.

Gonna tag a bunch of you because this was from ages ago so you can either do it again or do it with new fics! No pressure, of course! Play along if you wish! This was fun!

@jrooc @blue-disco-lights @em-harlsnow @roryonic @spookygingerr

@spacerockwriting @rayrayor @depressedstressedlemonzest @deathclassic @starry-nights-17

@southsidestory @ian-galagher @ms-moonlight-inn @biblionerd07 @mrs-monaghan

@sweetperversiongirl @crestfallercanyon @gallavichgeek @ifallonblackdays @solitarycreaturesthey

@mytangledmind @sgtmickeyslaughter @mybrainismelted @goodkwuestion @lingy910y

@tsuga-of-mars @spoonfulstar @scurvgirl @honeyvanillin @darlingian

@ryantryinx @sweetbee78 @gallabitch73 @twinklyylights @too-schoolforcool

[copperbadge]

Hi Mr Starbuck! Some friends and I are moving in a few months and we're eyeing various places all over the US. Chicago came up as a relatively affordable big city (compared to LA and NYC) and I have to ask the resident Tumblr Chicagoan his opinion. As a resident who lives and works in the windy city, what's your big pros and cons of residing there (especially things you might not encounter as a tourist)? (also, how accurate is your "guide to chicago" still, since its been a few years!)

Well, I definitely have opinions!

The guide to Chicago is no longer accurate -- too many places have closed or moved, and the pandemic altered a lot (for example the Money Museum still exists but I'm not sure if it has regular hours even now). I should do a new one but like, I really don't get out much anymore so I can't talk about restaurants outside of a VERY local area, and I never could talk much about hotels, which just leaves points of interest mostly already covered by Atlas Obscura. :D At this point it'd just be kind of moot, others are doing it better than I am.

Chicago is inexpensive compared to New York or Los Angeles, but like, that's everywhere in America. Chicago is still a quite pricey city to live in, mainly because the taxes are so high -- 10.25% sales tax, for example, and my property taxes are also pretty steep. People joke about Taxachusetts, but I'm pretty sure Chicago at least has it beat (and 2/3 of the state's population lives in Chicago or the outlying suburbs). Housing is not at a premium in the way it is in NY and LA but depending on where you want to live and how far you want to commute it can still be very expensive. My housing was never less than half of my monthly income until I bought this place, and then ONLY because the job I'm in now came with a $10K/yr raise from my last one.

Chicago does have great culture, great museums, great food, and it's a liberal island in a pretty conservative region. It is however quite segregated, so if you are any race other than white, living here can get a little more complicated than I've portrayed it as a white dude. There is significant crime and particularly gun crime, but it's generally confined to specific regions of the city. That said, even if you discount crime, the Chicago PD are corrupt as fuck and uninterested in being helpful, so if you are from a demographic the cops enjoy harassing, it will not be different here.

I do love the city, warts and all. I like the water, I like the people, I like the midwestern vibe. I'd find it very hard to leave, especially because I have a network of friends here, but also because I just plain like it and I know it really well. There is a very short list of cities I'd consider leaving Chicago for, and most of those would have to have a well-paying job waiting for me. But it did take me time to fall in love with it -- it took a few years before it felt like home.

It's a little difficult to get more specific without knowing more about your situation -- what you do for work, what your budget is like, what your goals are in leaving where you are. Do you prefer to drive most places? (Parking and traffic can both get dicey.) Can you tolerate taking public transit if driving is inconvenient? Is the industry in which you work something that has a lot of openings here? Do you want to live in an urban environment, and if so are you prepared to live in a likely somewhat shitty apartment to do so? If you prefer to live in a house, are you prepared for a long commute? What do you like to do for fun and is there a thriving culture for that here? What is it important to have access to -- museums, concerts, theater, sport? Where do you need to travel to regularly (ie, I go to Austin several times a year) and how do you prefer to travel there?

Anyway, yeah -- like, I love it but I have few illusions about it. If you want to chat further feel free to hit me up by email, happy to answer more specific questions!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for slowly ghosting a fwb instead of confronting him when I found out he's been stalking people again?

He (twenties, M) and I (twenties, X) knew each other from college. He's genuinely a fun guy. Also, a cis person being into you as a nonbinary person (as your gender, not despite it) in a non-fetishy way is frankly too powerful. So yeah, we started talking more some time after graduation, and it turned into a digital-only friends-with-benefits situation.

I was wary of him in college, but willing to give him a second chance. It was an open secret among our friend group that he'd stalked a couple of people he was into in college -- resulting in court ordered therapy and a restraining order and everything. I was still mentally/emotionally recovering from an abusive relationship years prior that the ex stalked me after for a few years. So you can see why it was a big deal that I gave this distant friend another chance, willing to get as close to him as I did. I guess I thought that like, the therapy had worked?

Well, fast forward to us being close after college. He doesn't know that I know about his previous two times getting nearly expelled for stalking people. I have not told him anything about my years-ago abusive relationship, but it's possible he has some awareness of it due to mutual friends. I kept firm with a boundary that he will have no more specific geographic information about me than my city, and he's certainly never learning my address. He has no way to know about my more "personal" social media like Tumblr. I am protecting myself.

But a few months into us being fwb and having fun and me repeatedly asserting my boundaries regarding irl interaction. He complains to me that someone is claiming that he's stalking them. I casually ask about the situation, assert that yeah what he's doing is shitty, he should stop, and it does sound like stalking (even though he insists it isn't). We never talk about it again.

He started showing up in my trauma nightmares, and suddenly the second chance I gave him seems like a terrible idea. So, over the next few months, I make a planned retreat. I respond less frequently, less promptly, and with less emotion. I planned out my strategy by the week to look like a natural loss of interest, or a natural "got busy with other stuff."

My logic is that he clearly has not learned to stop stalking people. I am not willing to continue exposing myself to that personal risk. But I am also not willing to say "I refuse to remain friends with an unrepentant stalker." I'm afraid that if I do that, he will get the wrong lesson: that he needs to never admit to any other friend what he's done, or else he'll lose them. The right lesson obviously would be: don't follow people to their houses after they've cut contact and don't send them letters asking whether they're living alone again yet, what the fuck. I am afraid that if I tell him why I'm ghosting, he will simply never talk about this pattern ever again, thus removing the ability of future friends like me to make informed decisions about who they're spending their time with.

We're now one year into when I fully ended contact. I did not block him. I still get two texts a week from him -- sometimes "are you okay" sometimes life updates, usually just "hey". He has made no indications that he has visited the city where I live, thank god. I have not explained to any of our mutual friends what I did. I have not talked to anyone, not my therapist not my spouse, about what I did. I am not going to speak to him again, but I am not going to block him, because I need my cutting contact to look natural.

So yeah. AITA for not making a bigger deal of his continued stalking of other people? In my mind I'm protecting myself, and reducing the likelihood he'll start hiding his nature from future friends, so this way they can be informed and protect themselves as needed. But AITA for lowkey ghosting him instead of having a serious conversation about his behavior? I know he sucks. I just don't know if I also suck.

What are these acronyms?

[mcalhenwrites]

Life update: This doesn't give me a home once I'm out, but I have a few more work hours each week at my current job, at a different location. In November, I likely will also be assisting with baking tasks for both stores. (I already am doing some of that, since apparently I'm known as the person who keeps selling all the birthday goodies LOL) My boss has been understanding that I have upcoming surgery in mid-December and have restrictions until then. I still need more money to live in the apartments I found and get my car the new battery it needs before winter, but things are a little less tricky now. I also filled out a form for a bookstore that isn't hiring right now, but if they have open positions, I showed my interest in having one. It's also on the side of town I want to move. It would also save my gas money to live over there. But I need more income. I am going to ask for help. I know I ask a lot of it. I am willing to work for it. I am willing to take on commissions, and the good thing about all this is that my commissions can be worked on while I'm at work. So if you want an OC drawn, or you have any interest in a plush, please let me know. (I'm really debating whether or not to store yarn until I have a place.) Also, if I had more patrons, that'd really help. If anyone could spare $1-3... The $3 tier is imo the best deal since you get to see some sketches and excerpts both! The $10 is where the dragons come in, but I understand that's a lot of money per month! Between tiers and commissions and such, that'd really boost my monthly income. This doesn't mean I'd stop writing, but right now, yes, stuff is on hold because I'm in survival mode so I don't end up homeless. But if you want to see the rest of the revised Seasons, please support my other works. I can publish more books too. Any little bit would be fantastic right now. I'm afraid I don't deserve it, that no one likes my work enough to help, or that we're all just simply so bad off that it's impossible to help each other. I really hate that I'm not in a position to do more than panic about my frequently shitty situations. I want to have faith that maybe this is the beginning of something good, though...? My other option started off as "I can kill myself" and that persisted for days, despite that I was working and job hunting and searching for housing resources day after day until I was exhausted. (So far, I have not had much luck, and some of the assistance programs have massive waiting lists.) Anyway, if I could get on my feet, someone else who needs the help more will have it. I'm capable of working, even if it's not the kind of day job other people have. I am trying. So if you can help boost my work or w/e, I'd really, really appreciate it.

[boinin]

Ok, so I wanna see 20 for HioRin and RyuSae, but I’m curious what their reactions are to each other, rather than just the parents.

sure! sorry for the delay, I had guests this weekend so I couldn't squirrel away writing as I usually do. Ask game here, willing to answer for ships for a few more days if anyone's got questions they'd like answered.

20. What do their family/friends HioRin think of their relationship RyuSae?

Sae tells Rin one day, without preamble. Just I'm dating Ryuusei, like he's telling the time. Rin's shoulders bunch and a hundred responses run through his mind, each of them more lukewarm than the last. He settles on OK, returning his attention to the slasher film he'd been watching. Sae lingers for a moment, before slipping away silently.

When he's gone, Rin sinks his head into his hand and barks out a groan. Does his shitty brother do everything in his power to piss him off?

He tells Hiori about it online, when they play games later that night, failing to keep the venom from his voice. Hiori hums softly as Rin tails off, keyboard and mouse clacking as he takes out the zombies that were about to swarm Rin on-screen.

Would Sae have told ya if he didn't care? Hiori eventually asks, after carrying both of them to first place; Rin's too preoccupied to contribute to their rank. I don't understand why he picked Shidou-kun of all people—and I don't know him like you do—but if it wasn't a big deal to him, I don't think he'd have said anythin' at all.

Rin grunts and changes the subject, and Hiori indulges him, cheerful in spite of his sullen mood.

But the next morning, when Sae leaves his bedroom, Rin is waiting for him in the hallway. Warn me if you're inviting him over, he says over crossed arms. And don't expect me to talk to him.

Sae simply nods and pushes past him to the bathroom. The tension in Rin's shoulders ease a little. Life goes on.

20. What do RyuSae think of HioRin?

Sae's not really sure when Hiori stopped being a friend I play with online and started being the guy I sneak into my room while everyone's out of the house. He catches them one morning, brushing their teeth in the bathroom. Hiori smiles and waves, cheeks a dainty pink. Rin's face turns scarlet.

Rin refuses to address the situation, but he stops sneaking around. Hiori comes over frequently—his parents are lukewarm, Rin explains when Sae asks. Rin hasn't been calling him a shitty brother as much lately. Only once, after Sae asks to make sure the two of them are being responsible, prompting Rin to call him a hypocrite after what he's been forced to overhear when Shidou stays over. Sae concedes his brother has a point. After that, he buys spare condoms and mouldable earplugs to leave in their shared bathroom.

Shidou is pleasantly surprised at Rin's character development. When he congratulates Rin on becoming less lukewarm himself, he narrowly dodges the resulting punch. But they turn a corner eventually. When he notices Rin's nervousness before one of he and Hiori's first public dates, Shidou sits down with him and offers some advice. None of it is received well, but Rin's less uptight by the time the doorbell rings.

Shidou's the driver between the four of them hanging out together. Hiori's reasonably easy to win over, and Sae quietly values Shidou making an effort with his brother. They'll pull up party games on an old console—Hiori usually wins, so the competition's really for second place. Shidou also enjoys making food for all four of them. The one and only time Rin willingly compliments Shidou is on his cookery.

---

Overall, I think Hiori would give Shidou the benefit of the doubt, when it's clear the animosity between Shidou and Rin has eased. Both good-natured, they'd eventually bond and enjoy teaming up to tease their Itoshis. Rin wouldn't warm to Shidou exactly, but he'd eventually find himself missing the buzz Shidou creates when he's around. Shidou borderline flirts with Rin and does his best to win him over, undeterred by his glares. In time, Rin would ask Shidou about the things he doesn't want to talk to Sae about. They still clash, but become brotherly in a different way to Rin and Sae.

[deerabigailhobbs]

Greetings and salutations good friend; I bring offerings of Adamgail-siblings thoughts!

So I was thinking about Adam going 'fuck this' and bringing Abby back home with him. Does he still live in the same shitty place, or has a boost in the popularity of his photos following his post-trap fame given him enough money to get a better place? Do they bring any of the Hobbs House furniture with them? Orrrrrrrrrr does he live with Lawrence, coming home after being missing for a week with no warning like "Honey I'm home, and guess what I brought back: your future sister-in-law!"

Whatever the case, we see a drastic change in the type of clothes Abby wears after episode one. Going from floaty more casual clothing, to a more compressed(i can't think of a better word) look. So what if after moving in with Adam, she starts to wear a more grungy look; quite a few people dress aggressively to warn away people, so maybe Abby could go for that to get randos to stay back to keep herself safe.

Her and Adam could maybe have a siblings bonding moment of Adam giving her a (probably not great) haircut and dye-job in the bathroom to make her look less like the pictures in the paper!

I like to think of the idea of a while down the line Abby meeting Danny from Saw 2 at a 'Teens who nearly got serial-killed support group' or maybe Adam met Danny at a survivors group and Danny stuck to him because 'wow this guy knows Scott Tibbs lead singer of Wrath of the Gods (the band on his t-shirt)' or at some point Adam was like 'hey I have a sister your age I think you two could be good friends'. or something.

Anyway, the end result would be the two meeting and becoming friends, perhaps bonding over their trauma a little bit. And then mayyyybe joining forces to create an angsty teen band where they sing songs about the fucked up things that happened to them!

Hope you're having a good day!

Hello! Very happy to see you in my inbox again friend! I'm a little sick right now, but happy to ramble about the siblings :D

I LOVE the idea of Abigail, Adam and Lawrence living together. I really think Lawrence would be fond of Abigail. Although Adam wouldn't say exactly why Abigail had come to live with them, he'd know the situation back home is dire. I can imagine him getting the house all ready for their return , asking Adam beforehand what Abigail's interests are. So when Abigail arrives she's greeted with a small bedroom full of art supplies, and a window facing the park nearby the house, which he delightfully explains to Abigail had all sorts of critters roaming around day and night. I'm sure this would not only warm Abigail's heart, but Adam's too. Knowing that his partner would care so much about someone so close to him would make Adam want to propose that very moment.

I like to think when Diana visits, her and Abigail would get on well. Abigail would finally know what it's like to be an older sibling figure. I can imagine her helping Diana with her homework or making food for themselves when Adam and Lawrence decide to go on a date night, which would consist of homemade pizza and ice-cream for dessert.

(now I've got a really cute image of Adam and Lawrence coming back home to a sleeping Abigail and Diana, snuggled up against the couch while The Little Mermaid credits roll <3)

Funnily enough, I'm planning on writing a part of my fic where Adam cuts Abigail's hair, but dyeing it is also a nice thought! I'm sure Abigail would be quite hesitant to trust her brother with scissors and hair dye, but surprisingly he knows his way around a head of hair. And paired with some new clothes Lawrence had bought her (no matter how hard she insisted she didn't need them), consisting of flowy skirts, loose tops, cardigans and jumpers/sweaters for the winter months, she'd really start feeling like her own person, not who someone wanted her to be.

I also love the idea of Abigail and Daniel (Danny) being friends! Especially since the only person we see Abigail interact with her age is Marrisa and her dad's victims. He'd think she'd like so cool with her platinum blonde hair (thinking of that one picture of Kacey rn) and they'd hit it off!!! In my opinion, if they were to start a band, I think Abigail wouldn't want to be front and centre, so I can imagine her taking up the drums, hidden away from everyone yet still soaking up the atmosphere. And of course for their first gig Adam insists on taking pictures for free (much to the jealousy of Scott) and he'd be so proud of her!

[auxiliarydetective]

My OCs as Flatmates, Part 1

Includes: Chandrah/Charlie, Raevyn, Sherry

A bit ago, I asked you guys about who you'd like to see for this topic (and I'm still asking, by the way, hop into the replies and tell me who you'd like to see) and both @fluffle-system and @daughter-of-melpomene said...

↬ Chandrah !

Oh boy! You've invited a demon to your house, congratulations!

Charlie, I feel like, would be a fun roommate. I assume this is after GB II, so he'd already relatively well adjusted, but they're still... not human.

Like, my boy™ barely sleeps at all. This means that, yes, you can come to them at any time of day or night and be relatively sure that he's awake. And even if he isn't, they're not that hard to wake up and they don't get grumpy if you do wake him up. However, it also means that he might be noisy at night. Not even intentionally. But if your flat has thin walls, you'll hear them rummaging around the kitchen or taking a shower in the middle of the night. You might also be faced with some confusing situation at times because he hasn't master all situations of human behaviour yet. Also, they eat the weirdest things sometimes.

Aside from that though, he 100% has your back, no matter what happens. They're loyal as ever. Whatever you need, he's got you. Need help moving in? Charlie is strong as balls, he'll carry your stuff. Shitty ex? How do you want to give the bastard payback - are we thinking of a fake dating scenario, do you just want someone to come with you somewhere just in case, do you want them beaten up, humiliated...? Charlie will probably also curse and/or haunt the ex, let's be honest.

Also, he's a literal (former) Ghostbuster. If you get a nightmare or think you're cursed or haunted or something, he'll take you seriously. Or any irrational fear, really, because they've seen a lot of things and are willing to believe a lot of things. Charlie will probably go through the routine Ghostbuster questionnaire with you to determine if it's a ghost or not and what kind of ghost and then go from there. They'll cheer you up and make you feel safe before confronting the specter. Even if you accidentally summoned a demon or something, Chandrah is also a demon, it'll deal with it.

Depending on whether you know that Charlie is secretly a demon or not, you might also see them floating around sometimes and he'll use his demonic powers for tasks or to help you. It's normal. They might even show you their demonic form if you ask nicely.

Definitely would want to spend a lot of time with you. He's a bit clingy but understands if you need some space. Would also be fine with just coexisting in the same room as you if you don't have the time or energy to do anything special.

As to how you got into this flatshare situation, I'm pretty sure that Charlie would've put out the ad and it's his house/apartment. Charlie, being a demon and (former) Ghostbuster, is pretty rich and would be able to afford living on their own, but they want a flatmate because they feed off human affection and they get bored when they're alone for too long. He probably didn't put his name in the ad because he is more or less famous and you probably wouldn't figure out it's them until you come over to take a look at the apartment before deciding if you want to move in. But they're super nice and humble about their Ghostbusters experiences and will be really glad to share stories with you. A baseline belief in the paranormal is probably a requirement for living with him though.

Next person! @enterprise-come-in asked for...

↬ Raevyn !

We're assuming a Planetary Union context here and not just Raevyn somehow dropping in on our present day. Probably, you're both studying at Union Point.

One thing that needs to be very clear to you and that she tells you right away is that you will have very little privacy. She can't help it, she's a telepathic species and she's gonna know all of your secrets sooner or later. You can't really keep anything from her.

BUT this also means that she knows exactly what's wrong when you're down and how to help you and you best believe she'll do it. She's there to comfort you, whenever, wherever. Has your routines memorized after a few weeks, knows your comfort foods and shows, adapts to your needs really well.

Generally, Raevyn is really considerate but, like with any flatmate, you'll also have to deal with some nonsense from her. Since this is her Union Point era, she's gonna have quite a few crushes and partners, and you might have to deal with a good bit of relationship drama. Not an obscene amount, but definitely more than average. She also probably forgets to do the dishes every once in a while. Just remind her to do them and it's all good.

Activities! Don't expect to go to the pool or the beach with her, she's still in her phase where she's hiding her aquatic heritage. But aside from that, she's down for pretty much anything. She'd love to learn about your culture and show you hers and meet your friends and have you meet hers and... But she's also down for more relaxing activites like bord games or video games or movies or just talking. Would also be a pretty good study buddy.

Raevyn would be the best person to have as backup if you want to go on a date but you're kinda worried about it and the person seems sketchy. My girl is ready to beat anyone up for you, whether that be verbally or physically. She's also a walking taser, so she could end the conflict before it even started if you don't want a scene. Would also teach you martial arts if you want. Generally, she has a lot of relationship drama herself, so she definitely understands yours. You can gush about your crushes and cry about breakups together.

Also! Raevyn is quite literally the least problematic person when it comes to gender identities and sexuality and whatnot. It's in her culture to know that everyone's mind and feelings work differently and being attracted to different things is normal and gender is an infinite spectrum. The idea that there could be only two sexes and genders and that anything that isn't heterosexuality is a sin or something is completely wild and offensive to her. Personally, she's bisexual and will also 100% go to pride parades and festivals with you, even if she doesn't fully understand the history and mentality behind them. She would also do really well with neurodivergency, disability and other similar things. Do you know that situation where you're really frustrated at people just not understanding that you can't do a thing because you have no spoons left? This will never happen with Raevyn. Because she knows. She understands. She might not be neurodivergent or experience something similar but, because she's a telepath, she understands what you're going through and will adapt accordingly as much as she can.

Last person for this part is...

↬ Sherry !

... because @novemberhope shares a birthday with her!

Oh boy, this is actually gonna be a bit tough to answer, because... well, first of all, this means that you're in the Mario Universe. Funky shenanigans. Maybe you got Mario Movie style isekai-ed into it? (Disclaimer: I haven't actually watched the movie.) Either way, Sherry probably wasn't planning on having a flatmate but would gladly take you in.

The thing is, Sherry is a princess and was raised with the knowledge that she is a princess. But she wasn't raised at the palace, she was raised in some cottage in the middle of nowhere. Generally, living with her would be weird but fun. Because she's very kind and all but she has some quirks. For one, her sister is literally the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom and she's next in line for the throne. But Sherry couldn't care less about royal formalities and whatnot and doesn't really spend time around the palace. Still, you'll notice. If you go anywhere together, the attention will be on her and you'll be overlooked. As such: Don't think about throwing a joined birthday party. You might get an amazing cake from Princess Peach and a whole lot of famous people will be there, but it will no longer be your day. It's about her now.

Also, the whole kidnapping situation? Sherry's sister Peach constantly gets kidnapped by a guy and Sherry somehow works for the guy? Like, she babysits his son or something? Awkward...

What this means though is that, should you ever get in trouble with some evil forces or the King of the Koopas, Sherry has your back. Either she'll solve the issue herself or she'll get the Mario Brothers on the case. No problem.

Anyways, back to everyday situations: I feel like Sherry is a no nonsense sort of person (well, as much as you can be in the Mushroom Kingdom) and probably likes things to be in order, so if you leave your dishes out in the kitchen or whatnot, she won't be happy. But she's also the type who'll say something if she doesn't like something, so you won't get stuck in a silent war or anything. Also, she's not the type to hold grudges. See the "working for the guy who kidnaps her sister" situation. Whatever mistakes you make, she'll forgive you. Also, you'll never have financial troubles! She's a princess, she's rich, and she'll lend you money if you need it.

Whereas her sister likes to bake, Sherry likes to cook. You might cook together a lot if that's a thing you're into, or she'll make you homecooked meals for when you get home or just... whenever. I feel like she'd also be really good at mixing drinks, so great for when you're having parties! She also takes you kart racing, golfing, to football games, tennis, board game nights... whatever you like!

Oh yeah, Sherry also just leaves sometimes to go on an adventure or save or sister or go on vacation or whatnot, so you'll have the house to yourself a lot.

So yeah, that's it for part 1! Please tell me who else you'd like to see! Part 2 will be out soon, maybe there'll be a part 3 if I get enough requests for people, who knows!

Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene @bravelittleflower @box-of-bats - let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

[am-i-the-asshole-2]

AITA for not really wanting to be friends anymore?

Sorry in advance I feel like this might get a little long there's kind of a bunch of small things.

I don't know if it's important, but I figured I would preface with the fact that we did not start off on the right foot at all.

I (24FTM) met him (28M), I'll call him idk Bob There are so many men working there it might get confusing, at my previous workplace. The kind of job I had people worked in teams of 2. Bob had been working there a little before me and already had a partner to work with. I didn't talk to Bob much and he didn't talk to me. One day the guy he was working with asked how I identified. It was a bit out of the blue as I didn't really talk to this guy much either. I don't really hide my identity, so I told him I use he/him and that I'm a guy. And he was like "cool, cool, well I just wanted to let you know that guy I'm working with asked "what is it(in reference to me)?""

So that really rubbed me the wrong way that he'd refer to me that way. (It/its pronouns totally cool btw! I'm just skeptical of anyone who uses them for others without asking) so I started avoiding Bob.

But some time passed, Bob started working with another coworker, one that I really enjoyed, and he said that it may have just been a misunderstanding, or that Bob just didn't know how to phrase the question, but that he seemed open-minded, although he is a self-proclaimed republican. It's like a "he's confused, but he's got the spirit" kind of situation. But anyways, I agreed to talk things over, and Bob and I made up, but still didn't talk much.

Fast forward about a year or something, and now Bob and I are working together, upon his request to our manager. I agreed cause I really didn't like this other guy I was working with. So we're like together 40+ hours a week now. Bob is kinda weird, but he seems alright, ya know? We became friends, I'd hang out with him outside of work, go to his place to barbeque and stuff, He'd come over to my place, etc. My boyfriend would hang out with us more often than not as well, not that it's particularly important, But there was usually someone else there. The hangouts weren't thaat often either, like once a week maybe.

And then fast forward a couple more months. I get laid off cause the company doesn't know how to company and had more people than they could give work, and I was just one of the unlucky ones. But Bob was kept on. But I start getting a bunch of "I miss you," "work isn't the same without you," "I can't even listen to my music anymore I'm so sad" kinds of texts from him which was a little off-putting, cause, I mean, I didn't view us as that close. We'd been working and talking to each other less than a year. And then I get some long-winded text saying he sees me as his best friend, even though we had not been friends very long and he often mentioned other people that he'd been friends with much longer and seemed to talk to just as much as he talked to me.

But that's only part of what happened after I was let go.

When we were still working together, he'd talk about me to his mom, I've never met her even once. But I guess it was often enough he'd relay messages from his mother to me, among one was her telling me I should buy the house right next to his, which just seemed kind of weird? He also went on like a trip with his family and brought me back a souvenir. These are just small things that feel weird, but aren't necessarily bad.

I also have depression, and he knows this, but he says shit like "well, you're not depressed to me," "You can overcome it," and other such ableist phrases. I've corrected him on this many times, but he still tries to insist I'm "normal" enough.

Anyway, all of that is kind of the precursor to my main issue with Bob. From when we were working together to now he'd always talk about wanting to get out of our kinda shitty job, and of course I agreed, it was a job my parents kinda forced me into when I was still living with them, but that's another story. So I'd share the sentiment with him, but then it started becoming something else from him. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm a decently smart guy when I want to be, and Bob acknowledged that. He was always trying to "hype me up," in his words, to get out of there, and it wasn't for a lack of trying, but we all know how the job market has been the past couple of years.

He started off by telling me what kind of job was his ideal, I tried to encourage him to pursue that and in turn he'd encourage me to pursue my goals, but there was always some excuse from him as to why he couldn't start (But totally understandable, it's scary to seek out a new career). However, slowly he started switching from "we both need to get out of here to do better for ourselves" to "you need to get out of here and take me with you/make me a millionaire" and other things along those lines. It seemed kind of like a joke at first, but it became clear he was increasingly more serious about meaning that. He'd propose some sort of plan, I'd play along for a bit, but eventually every plan became "you do all the work and I reap all the rewards." I'd suggest he learn some of what it takes to be in the field I'm trying to get into, and maybe we could work on something together, but he always declined to do the bare minimum of learning/research.

He still does this now that I'm unemployed, and even more so perhaps, he's constantly trying to get me to "take him with me" when I get a new job, or trying to send me jobs we can both apply for, so we can work together again.

I tell him that I kind of do things at my own pace, what with my mental illnesses, and that we both need to do good things for ourselves and not just me, but he ignores any advice he could use and instead continues to focus on me.

so it kinda just feels like he's trying to take advantage of me under the guise of "helping" me.

I've been trying to cut off contact, by replying slower, saying I forgot to respond and stuff, and then he sends me a text basically being like "Hey, you kinda take too long to reply sometimes or forget too often, so can you just send a text saying you're busy or something, so I know?" Which I kind of brushed off by being like "I'll do my best (A lie), but if I'm too busy to respond I'm probably too busy to send an "I'm busy" text, and If I just forget to send a text after opening your message I'm probably gonna forget to send one then too." Interacting with him has just gotten so tiring, and it's always the same thing. He doesn't talk about his interests/my interests or anything else besides when I'm gonna get a new job and take him with me or to complain about work.

To be fair, It does seem like he genuinely wants to help me and that he wants to see me thrive, but he just goes about it in such a way that is off-putting to me/like he's trying to take advantage of me. He's nothing but nice, but all these little things kind of add up in my opinion.

TLDR: All in all, I'm trying to cut this guy out of my life because it just feels like a weird relationship where he's trying to take advantage of me without saying he's trying to take advantage of me, and pretending like it's to help me. Among other things, such as his ableist views on my depression, and just seems, and maybe this is a bit strong, obsessed with me.

[la0hu]

so from gabe's point of view, he missed one rent payment and will immediately be faced with us approaching him, asking him to leave. even if we bring up how he's completely removed himself from the community, how he doesn't do chores or anything around the house, how he's repeatedly expressed resentment and dislike of basically everyone in the house, and how it appears he's just rent-trapped here, for HIM it will boil down to: these people don't like me and that's why they're kicking me out.

i'm anticipating that he will say we have no grounds to remove him. that he doesn't want to take the offer of us lowering his rent for some months before he is asked to leave, like a subletter.

realistically, we either have to make him agree and at least admit he's rent-trapped in a living situation where he feels uncomfortable, unhappy, and insecure and that we are trying to help him move to a place that will be better for him -- OR we will be forced to address the root of the problem, which is the insanely low rent. we will have to raise the rent.

ira already brought up the topic about how our low rent creates an unhealthy dynamic via rent-trapping, and if talks fail with gabe, i think we'll have to bring it up at meeting regardless. currently the average rent is about $1000 INCLUDING groceries and utilities. that's insane. i'll suggest we bump it to $1500, just to piss people off, and then it'll get talked down to maybe $1200.

also honestly, if gabe refuses our offer, i would want to speak to him directly and ask him what is preventing him from leaving? if he can be 100% honest and actually admit to my face that he hates living here, why does he stay?

even if the answer IS money, he's also fucking things up for everyone else in the house, too. it puts a serious strain on everyone for this living situation to go on. it prevents someone else moving into the house who actually would want to be here and participate. it's been a source of anxiety and fear for several ppl in the house, including -- especially -- me. it's not like he's only hurting himself by trading his happiness for money by staying here. he's also trading the happiness of his housemates by staying.

it's also possible that he'll need some time to process what we've approached him with, and that he won't be able to come to a decision immediately. but i'm also scared that if we tell him something this upsetting and then leave him alone, he might spiral by himself and do something drastic, like hurting someone in the house.

a part of me wonders if i should speak to him alone. as far as i know, he despises alan and evan, he thinks connie is unstable and crazy, he thinks ira is rigid and too strict, and he thinks vlad can't communicate. maybe he thinks i'm naive and immature and too "everyone should hold hands"-esque, but that should mean hearing this come from me will make it real.

actually this is a bad idea. i need someone with me. i don't know if that person should be ira, and it definitely shouldn't be alan or connie. i'm actually starting to wonder if it should be vlad. just two of us. gabe will be angry, he might slam his hands on his knees and swear, he might stand up and start pacing out of agitation.

yeah okay, i can foresee he's going to need to express a lot of anger and fear. ira should not be there, because i don't think she handles that stuff well. vlad should be there because it bounces off him. i need to be there because -- honestly -- i am a woman gabe doesn't think is insane. he's less likely to get physical if i'm there.

he also won't agree to our offer immediately. he will need time to process everything, and things will be extremely tense and unpleasant around the house in the meantime. we might not feel safe around him. we'll have to schedule a time to talk to him to revisit the convo.

if he still refuses at that point, we'll have to keep wearing him down. and we might have to do the shitty thing that i mentioned earlier, where at house meeting, we talk about rent-trapping and about raising our rent in general. it might not actually go anywhere, but i think we're done with pretending that gabe isn't making a problem. he will feel worried that rent here will go up, and that will possibly propel him into actually seriously considering moving out and finding another place.

there's no easy way to do this. every single way will involve a lot of fear, a lot of long, tense arguments, a lot of paranoia about how he might behave. but if he leaves, it will all be worth it. that's how fucking abysmal things are

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Tw, Parental abuse, threats of murder, threatened violence against women, sexism, A boy being told to toughen up deal, being called names

Looking for support and validation (💛📼 sorry for the emojis i want to be able to find this post once it gets answered, don't know if this counts as symbols and is against the rules, im so sorry)

My dad (45) talks about how to could kill me at any moment anytime i (15M) am annoying to him. He's been doing it since i was a child, getting in my face and screaming about how he would brutally kill me if he could. Now that i'm a little older i try to make jokes like "you wouldn't i'm just so cool and awesome, i can't be killed" but he goes on about how "i could. i could. i can. i will kill you."

I feel like this is pennies compared to other people and their parents but i can't take it anymore. I'm tired of threats and hands on me and him getting in my face and the yelling and blowing up over little things like my nails or clothes or whatever. There's a stigma for boys and abuse, and it feels really isolating... I've heard all the "toughen up" and "man up" and "be stronger" and "you're being weak" and i'm really lonely

I know so many more women are victimized and oppressed and scrutinized and abused and hurt than men and i really don't want to take away from that, but i don't know what to do. I'm so tired and stressed and scared and lonely. Like i'm the only boy out here who is being yelled at and crying about it, i can't help but feel like im being weak for crying. He keeps talking about how men are so much better than women and can take them down and hurt them and i hate it.

he wont let me have a heater in my room, winter is coming soon and my room has shitty ventilation and insulation because i'm above the garage. He said no to the heater because my room is messy (bits of laundry and wrappers here and there, i think it's pretty clean and stuff) and therefore i'm a disgusting pig and going to burn the house down and should have thought about that before i asked. I'm so cold, my body is freezing, i can feel the coldness of my hands as i type this. Every winter is colder and colder these days. I'm thinking if buying a heater secretly tho! maybe i'll feel a little less sad if i can sleep warm and cozy...

thanks for reading, sorry this went into a tangent, i tried to tw everything at the top but i don't know if i did it all right, i'm sorry. Thank you again, thank you so much. I feel a little better now that i typed all this out. I should go to bed now, nightnight, have a good day, thank you.

Hi anon,

It sounds like you've experienced these threats so many times that you've become desensitized to them and have normalized them to the extent that you feel this experience is equivalent to "pennies" compared to others. But threats on your life should be taken seriously, regardless of who says it, how many times it's been said, or even your gender identity. You're right that the culture around boys and men is to be "tough" but that shouldn't mean tolerating abuse. You're not decentering misogynistic abuse by highlighting toxic masculinity. Your dad sounds like an incel.

Hearing about the heater situation is even more concerning because it's starting to sound like neglect as well as child endangerment. I recommend that you reach out to a crisis resource such as 741741 or 988. You can also take a look at this spreadsheet with other crisis resources, as some of those include crisis resources specifically for men or minors. If anyone has any additional suggestions or comments, please feel free to add on. Otherwise, I hope I could help and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[poussacha]

Steddie Guide: A (Study) Guide for Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson Fanfiction (Part 2)

Okay I'm back with PART TWO of this Steddie Guide. If you'd like to read PART ONE, please click here. You can also view all of these in an airtable (as one part).

Again, just reiterating that this guide is LONG and I've been working on it for over a year. If I'm missing some of your favourites please understand that I follow a stict criteria for guides. I don't read anything with less than 10k or more than 500k. I ONLY read complete works (this includes series). And for this guide specifically, I didn't include fics with Billy Hargrove in them and didn't read many Modern AUs.

Without futher ado, here's the second part.

BEST OF AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES

Doing Nothing With You

by redoaktree | Rated M | 106,402

Steve and Robin get a two bedroom in Hawkins. It's perfect, except for all the ways it isn't. Drafty windows, clogged drains, shitty landlord. But it's got a couch. A couch that's often occupied by Eddie Munson. Home isn't really the kind of thing Eddie has much of anymore, ever since his trailer became the primary source for all his nightmares. Luckily, he knows of a semi-comfortable couch where he's always welcome.

Despite all it's problem, the house has perks. Primarily, it's somewhere Steve can actually call home. Secondarily, it's somewhere he can share with the people he loves.

AKA: The fruity four live in a convoluted roommate situation, and romance happens along the way.

Bookmark Comments: No notes.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 slow burns that ruined my life 𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 best of the best slow burns 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 100k+

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BEST OF VOL 4 (and 5?) REWRITES

Sanctuary

by SpicedSage | Rated E | 47,584

After Steve Harrington goes missing, Eddie Munson gets exposed to the secret dangers of Hawkins, Indiana in 1985 instead of 1986.

Will a different first meeting lead to a change in his fate?

Bookmark Comments: How can something be so horny and so soft at the same time? God I love dirty talk. Why am I always the Steve in every scenario sfjsdlk (bc i’m stupid and submissive lbr)

Bookmark tags

𝗑 steddie guide to being super horny but also like in love and shit 𝗑 Domestic 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Kink 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 25k+

Not Fade Away (A Cover)

by dorcas_gustine | Rated E | 37,591

Vecna is dead, Eddie is cleared of all charges, Robin shakes on a bet and Steve Harrington has got game.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: This is what I imagine it's like to be loved.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 Vol 4 Rewrite 𝗑 this is the canon ending if you ask me 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

Just a rhyme without a reason

by doriangrayscale | Rated M | 78,139

The mall is destroyed. El’s lost her powers. Billy’s dead. So is Hopper. Steve is probably fucked up mentally for life, but what else is new? Steve has a pretty good thing going. He has kids to take care of, an awkward lesbian to advise. Max needs a big brother. Hawkins is his home, and Steve can’t just leave. Not while he’s still needed. He knows one day he won’t be. But for now, it’s enough.

Or: the Harringtons sell their house before the real estate market goes belly-up. Hawkins has been going downhill for years, anyway. His parents give Steve a choice: move with them and finally take that job at his dad’s company or get left behind. For Steve, it wasn’t much of a choice at all. He may not have a house anymore, but his BMW’s backseat has served as a bed plenty of times already. No one has to know. The party has enough problems to worry about.

Or: Eddie Munson worms his way into Steve’s sorry little life months before Vecna rears his ugly head.

Or: Steve Harrington, a character study.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: What do you mean this isn't how series 4 went? Fuck off.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 Vol 4 Rewrite 𝗑 Steve and Eddie fall in love before series 4 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 75k+

Weakened Like Achilles, with You Always at My Heels

by HMSLusitania | Rated M | 53,696

The graduating classes of 1985 and 1986 invite YOU back to West Hawkins! Welcome reception Friday, May 24th at 7:30pm. School and town tour to follow on Saturday morning. Memorial service Sunday. * If you are a graduate of the class of 1985 and need driving directions to West Hawkins, please RSVP * Due to current government restrictions, we are not currently able to offer a site visit to the Hawkins Exclusion Zone -- Steve Harrington goes home for his ten (well, eleven) year reunion with a nagging secret that's slowly ruining his life.

In the ten years between, he finds the family he always wanted and, unfortunately, the person he wanted to share it with.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: If this isn't how series 5 goes i will actually riot.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Stranger Things Vol 5 Canon Fuck Off 𝗑 Stranger Things Fix-Its 𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 Falling in love with a ghost…sorta 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 50k+

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BEST OF SLOW BURNS & ROMANCE STORIES

Fade Into You

by annabeeus | Rated M | 52,204

Steve Harrington doesn't need help. He just needs to get through this summer without completely falling apart. Unfortunately, it seems like Eddie Munson has other ideas.

(or: the one where they fall in love with each other, bit by little bit)

Bookmark Comments: Goddddd of all the fics with domestic fluff and slow burns this is the only one that Gets It djfjdjjf

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Domestic 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Stranger Things AUs Done Right 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 50k+

The Worst Mixtape Ever Made

by nbfutureboy | Rated M | 17,999

“It’s a gift, so you gotta listen to the whole thing, okay? I think-- I think it’s got what it takes.”

There’s an art to making a mixtape - and Steve Harrington has decidedly ignored all semblance of art in creating a mixtape for Eddie Munson. Too bad Eddie’s fascinated with how impressively terrible his song choices are.

[Written Post Vol. 1, Pre Vol. 2. Now an 'Eddie Lives' fic.]

Bookmark Comments: I love when people use music to tell stories especially when it feels right.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 excellent use of music 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 10k+

STRIKE TEN.

by oaseas | Rated T | 16.075

Steve’s striking out. It’s the summer after his graduation, he’s working 9-5 at Scoops Ahoy, and hey, did you hear? He’s striking out. Enter Robin, her ‘you rule/you suck’ board, and a promise to romance the next girl through the door. Except, that’s no girl. That’s Eddie Munson.

Or: One double scoop of pining, please!

Bookmark Comments: Dammit i love stupid fluffy Eddie and Steve parent Max i just--

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Steve is an idiot 𝗑 No Upside Down AUs 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

A Sign of the Morning

by ToEdenandBackAgain | Rated M | 86,804

Vecna is dead. The Upside Down is cut off from Hawkins yet again. Steve is trying to go back to normal, whatever that is. He's also trying to figure out exactly how Eddie Munson has managed to fit so easily into his life.

Bookmark Comments: These boys deserve every happiness and so does Robin.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Domestic 𝗑 fluff 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 75k+

Not So Bad

by outofmygourd | Rated M | 43,409

Vecna is dead. It's the summer after the party's freshman year. Steve Harrington spends it in the Family Video Store, and Eddie Munson is spending post-graduate life bothering him. And maybe Steve isn't as bothered as he used to be.

Bookmark Comments: I just love this story so much

Bookmark tags

𝗑 companion fics 𝗑 fluff 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

Keep it Steady, Eddie

by outofmygourd | Rated E | 104,812

Eddie Munson doesn't mind working at the Family Video Store. It's a nice sense of normalcy (not to mention money) and he gets to see Robin more because of it. However, between working together and sharing the same best friend, he's also been seeing a lot more of Steve Harrington.

He wants nothing more than to enjoy mindless fun with his friends now that everything with Vecna is over, but Eddie's finding it hard to move on from what happened. Even if the strangest thing in his life right now was simply the fact he and Steve Harrington might actually be friends.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7/5 Stars (I'm ignoring that only half of these have a star rating, some of them just got deleted and idk why)

Bookmark Comments: This is the slow burn long fic I was so fucking desperate for for like my whole fucking life.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 romance done right 𝗑 slow burn 𝗑 best of the best slow burns 𝗑 stories i can’t stop thinking about 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 100k+

take my hand

by actuallymaxie | Rated M | 17,056

Eddie Munson doesn't mind working at the Family Video Store. It's a nice sense of normalcy (not to mention money) and he gets to see Robin more because of it. However, between working together and sharing the same best friend, he's also been seeing a lot more of Steve Harrington.

He wants nothing more than to enjoy mindless fun with his friends now that everything with Vecna is over, but Eddie's finding it hard to move on from what happened. Even if the strangest thing in his life right now was simply the fact he and Steve Harrington might actually be friends.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: How many of these am i even gonna bookmark god help me i am GAY, fellas. (Future talls: it was SO many)

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 the real gay agenda 𝗑 just queer things 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

to live my own way

by Macellarius | Rated E | 21,491

Under a much different circumstance, Eddie would have loved to have Steve’s eyes looking over him like that, would love to have that determination focused on him, but Eddie is very much dying, he knows it, so he smiles at Steve’s misplaced confidence instead, “High expectations, Stevie. Where’d you learn to swing like that anyway?”

“I’ll tell you,” Steve’s voice is a bit shaky, his tone wavering, even as he puts on a brave face, “but you have to stay alive, Munson.”

If he had more strength, he’d consider testing his luck one last time, tease Steve by asking if he swings for Eddie’s team, but- he’s tired.

Dying young. What a fucking nightmare.

Or, what if the Party defeats Vecna in time, and Eddie lives?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: What do you mean this isn't canon?

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 happy endings 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 10k+

We’ll Know for the First Time

by KikiZ | Rated E | 41,993

“Hey,” Steve’s smile is soft, tentative. “Heard you were having a party over here.”

“What are you…” Eddie swallows hard, mouth dry. He wishes every teacher that ever told him he talked too much could see him now.

“I was hoping that invitation still stood,” his eyes are drilling into Eddie’s and he can’t explain why he needs this so much, but he does. Every beat of his heart is begging Eddie to open the door, to let him in.

There’s a beat, a catch of their eyes and Eddie shifts, pushes the door open wide, whispers, “of course,” whispers, “always.” His heart is in his throat, he can’t pull his eyes away as Steve steps in, crowding him so close they share a breath. He can feel Steve’s gravity pulling him in and he’s never wanted to collapse so badly.

OR: Eddie gets to have a good life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Here i am bookmarking another Steddie Fic that ripped my beating right directly out of my chest.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 happy endings 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 25k+

Home By Now

by thegreenwitch98 | Rated G | 10,812

By far, the strangest thing about the last two days was not the little twerps from Hellfire that spouted off about something called ‘the Upside Down’, it was not Nancy Wheeler with a gun, or the idea of the town going on a deranged hunt for his head.

The weirdest thing, that he couldn't seem to wrap his brain around, was the presence of Steve Harrington.

***

Eddie Munson wasn’t used to people wanting him around, but now it seemed like no matter where he turned there was someone who cared about him.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Back on my Steddie bullshit. Wish this was way way WAYYYY longer because it was so fucking good 😭.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Sweet 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 10k+

Learning to Fly

by actuallymaxie | Rated G | 16,595

When Steve was six years old, he told his mother he wanted to fly. When he was twenty, he learned what that really meant.

This is a reimagining of the end of Season 4 Vol 2 because I wanted to see a little bit of a happy ending in there. Alternative title: Steve Harrington’s Big Gay Crisis

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Sup people who check my bookmarks for recs. I've got the stranger things steddie brain rot too. This one was so good i wept real tears ...for like an hour. Read it!

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 fics with happy endings that still ruined me emotionally 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

we are the lighthouse and the storm

by hydrangea_bush | Rated M | 30,229

Steve meets Eddie again after two years and remembers the affectionate relationship he'd tried to forget.

// A story of young love, teenage rebellion, and rekindled romance with a happy ending

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Honestly this tore me to pieces emotionally and I loved every second of it.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 self soothing 𝗑 Being Perceived 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Love isn’t enough 𝗑 no upside down 𝗑 the terrifying ordeal of being known 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

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BEST OF LARPING

The Shire is NOT on Fire

by kissesforcas | Rated E | 54,148

The kids convince Steve to take them all to a Renaissance Faire and LARP event.

Steve has more fun than he admits.

And then Steve has a LOT more fun than he admits.

Bookmark Comments: Oh my god??? Oh my GOD????

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Kink 𝗑 Renaissance Faires 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Stranger Things AUs Done Right 𝗑 Multi POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 PERSONAL TOP TEN 𝗑 50k+

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BEST OF STEVE & EDDIE FALL IN LOVE BEFORE VOL 4

Positive Touch & Hangin’ On (Series)

by SheWritesDirty | Rated E & E | 7,908 & 11,128

Positive Touch: Steve, who recently lost his friend (but more importantly his gopher) Tommy, found himself in dire need of getting well and truly high. A problem that found him standing in the middle of Hawkin's trailer park at night, hesitating on the stoop of one particular trailer that he'd usually never risk getting caught dead at.

Still... weed. The weed was gonna be worth it.

Hangin’ On: Steve is freaking out about the fact that Eddie Munson gave him a hand job his graduating year, and how he sort of returned it.

Things escalate.

Bookmark Comments: Sometimes you just. Gotta write horny porn series for your faves and this is probably the only one I'll ever care about. & I am such a sucker for good porn and this is the good eat good shit.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Kink 𝗑 hot hot hot 𝗑 Idiots in love 𝗑 queer shit 𝗑 porn that definitely didn’t call out my own personal porniness 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

darlin’ you give love (a bad name)

by Thorinoakentwing | Rated E | 24,426

The first time he hears Dustin and Mike mention the name Eddie Munson he almost walks into a VHS display at work.

Steve wants to ask them how Eddie’s doing but then his face from that last party flashes into his head and he always clams up. If he was Eddie he’d want nothing to do with him and rightly so.

Instead Steve teasingly complains about how much time they spend with Eddie and that’s as far as it goes.

Bookmark Comments: God i am a sucker for these AUs

Bookmark tags

𝗑 queer agenda 𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

stereoscope

by seraphy | Rated E | 60,893

Here's Steve Harrington's biggest secret, though: It's not the alternate dimension brimming with monsters or the impossible girl with powers. It's the fact that he and Eddie Munson have been friends all along. In an on-and-off, tangential, fucked up kind of way. Never on his own terms. But still friends.

Bookmark Comments: This has got to be one of the best and most personal stories I've ever read. It fucking gutted me in the best way. I want to eternally thank you for writing this.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 trauma like mine 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 personal top ten 𝗑 50k+

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BEST OF EMOTIONAL INTIMACY & PLATONIC INTIMACY

a goddamn blaze in the dark

by jolt | Rated T | 20,355

Eddie doesn’t know how to act around Steve, doesn’t know how to reciprocate the openness. Truthfully, he doesn’t think he’s done anything to deserve it.

But there’s something in Steve’s eyes, gears that are shifting and turning behind them, like he’s trying to deduce something. And Eddie wants to tap into it, wants to take a chisel to his skull and excavate it. Why are you always looking at me like that? he wants to ask. Tap tap tap. Why are you still giving me the time of day?

Or, Eddie's never had a friend like Steve before.

Bookmark Comments: This shit was so good I don't even know what to fucking SAY. Like I'm SPEECHLESS.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Hurt/Comfort 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 10k+

Steve Harrington’s Guide to Touch

by how_about_no | Rated M | 18,863

Eddie won't stop touching anyone and everyone, except for Steve. He has a plan to change that.

--

“You can touch me.” That was not how Steve intended for it to come out. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times.

Eddie had frozen with his fingers halfway to his mouth. Smoke curled from his cigarette between them. He raised his eyebrows, then frowned, then bit his lip.

“I can-” Eddie said slowly, his face still rolling through several emotions without landing on one- “touch you?”

Bookmark Comments: Listen I'm ace this is everything to me somehow.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 platonic intimacy 𝗑 fluff 𝗑 ace shit 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

it’s called freefall

by barelyjoyous | Rated M | 11,633

Steve reached a hand out until Eddie passed the beer back, and leaned forward, looking carefully at the notebook Eddie had left open on the table.

“So, what story are you telling then?”

Eddie smiled then, eyes bright. Steve smiled back, ducked his head down and grabbed the notebook from the table to flip through it.

Eddie talked for hours, and Steve had tried to keep up until he finally understood most of what he was saying, and when he finally cleaned everything up and tucked it back into a box in his room, Steve had followed him in.

Eddie had changed the tape to Motley Crue, Steve’s least favorite, and he’d finished the six pack he’d brought while Eddie rolled a joint.

When he woke in the morning, Eddie’s legs were crossed over his, and Steve’s hand was on his arm.

----

Steve can't sleep. Eddie can't sleep. They unpack a trailer together.

Bookmark Comments: God this is insanely beautiful. I don't even really mind that the ending felt kind of rushed because Eddie saying "You wanted a family, Steve" destroyed me so thoroughly I will never fucking recover.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

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BEST OF EDDIE RUNS AN ADVICE COLUMN BC WHY NOT (I loved this fic ok)

Lovesick in Loch Nora

by redoaktree | Rated M | 62,603

Even though Eddie's name has been cleared legally, he's still very much on trial in the court of public opinion. Dealing drugs isn't a lucrative occupation anymore, and getting a legitimate job in a town who still considers him a killer isn't much of an option, either. Eddie is beginning to think skipping town and starting over somewhere no one knows his name is the only chance he has left. Steve has another idea.

AKA: Steve gets Eddie a job as an anonymous columnist at a local newspaper.

Bookmark Comments: Fanfictions that made me gayer somehow. But also i am so serious that i screenshotted so many of the paragraphs for this one because it Hurt Me In My Soul.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 fluff 𝗑 journalisme 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 50k+

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BEST OF FUCKIN WITH THE TIME AND SPACE CONTINUUM

I’ve seen your face before, my friend, but I don’t know if you know who I am

by HMSLustiania | Rated M | 26,952

At the end of it all, to fix everything, the Hawkins crew had to go back to 1983 and prevent the first gate from ever opening.

After that, they've got a chance to lead normal lives -- from November 1983 onward.

OR

Waking up to find out the government had busted a bunch of experimented-on kids out of Hawkins Lab over the weekend is somehow not the strangest thing that happens in Eddie Munson's junior year.

No, that's a toss up between being reverse-adopted by a party of middle schoolers and the fact Steve Harrington won't stop staring at him.

Bookmark Comments: Oh my god i love found family and bisexual crisis Steve Harrington.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 AUs 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 25k+

the lathe

by palmviolet | Rated M | 82,574

"This time, do it right. This time Eddie won’t bleed out in his arms, in anyone’s arms. This time, Steve will do it right."

— or, steve relives the day they try to kill vecna over and over, and eddie just can't seem to stop dying. steve finds this totally unacceptable.

Bookmark Comments: This is everything to me.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Found Family 𝗑 Time Loop AUs 𝗑 motherfucking gUTwRENCHING 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Multi POV (Mostly Steve) 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 personal top ten 𝗑 75k+

The One in Which a Time Loop is Fucking Exhausting

by badpancake | Rated T | 41,496

It’s the first time in a while that he doesn’t know what comes next. He’s dove into the water hundreds of times. Screamed as his flesh was torn apart, heard Master of Puppets in the distance and held back tears. Felt Max’s cold, small hand in his as she laid in the hospital bed. There are things that always happen, no matter how hard he tries: El doesn’t arrive in time. Eddie dies. Max is put in a coma.

Steve fails. They lose.

“Steve, how many loops have you been through?”

His head is nodding, and his eyes are watery, and Eddie has approached him like a spooked animal.

“I lost count.”

AKA: The one where Steve Harrington is stuck in a time loop, and Eddie Munson is really fucking hard to save, or: fuck Volume 2, these bitches are in love.

🌟✨⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✨🌟 10/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Okay this fucking destroyed me emotionally and I'm sobbing at 3am lmao. (Future talls: this fic basically started the whole obsession of me reading nothing but Steddie fics for an entire year, so definitely read this one)

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Best of time loops 𝗑 time loops 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 25k+

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BEST OF EDDIE LIVES AND BECOMES FAMOUS

Thank I’ll Go Inside

by nobetterlove | Rated E | 13,833

Steve and Eddie share a night before Eddie leaves Hawkins to chase his rock star dreams with Corroded Coffin. That singular moment in time changes them. Twelve years pass where both Eddie and Steve feel each other's absence as life and careers move on around them. Read to see what happens when Eddie's first solo single brings the two of them back together. Does distance and time truly make the heart grow fonder?

Or - a sorry excuse for a future fic!

Bookmark Comments: Oh thank God i thought this got deleted i will now be bookmarking it for the rest of my fucking life ❤️❤️❤️❤️ (Technically I broke AO3 rules for this fic)

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 stories that made me blush down to my bones 𝗑 Multi POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 personal top ten 𝗑 10k+

my way, your way (anything goes)

by rogersharrington | Rated E | 25,472

A guitar riff came out over top of all the other instruments and Steve froze in place, the smile on his face disappearing.

He knew that riff. He had heard it enough times over the summer of ‘86 to know it as soon as it started. Hell, Steve was there when it was written.

“Indianapolis, how are we fucking feeling?!”

The guitarist had run out from the side of the stage, wide smile on his face, strumming the riff over and over on his cherry red electric guitar as he spoke to the crowd. Eddie fucking Munson.

or;

Rockstar!Eddie Munson au set in the summer of 1988 where Corroded Coffin opens for Guns N’ Roses after Eddie ran away from Hawkins. Steve sees him for the first time in over a year and old feelings resurface.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: I literally took the entire day off work to read this it was so good. I physically could not move from my bed until i read the entire thing.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

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BEST OF MODERN AUs

Press Your Space Face Close to Mine

by DiscoSuperFly | Rated E | 12,255

Steve thinks Chicago is a gritty amazing city-filled with so many of his friends, but working for his dad can be soul crushing, until there's a new food truck near the office.

Steve tries a new food truck and is hooked the moment one of the kooky workers catches his eye.

Bookmark Comments: Fics that i wish were longer bc they destroyed my soul (affectionate).

Bookmark tags

𝗑 fics i wish were longer 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Modern AUs 𝗑 Food Truck AUs 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 10k+

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BEST OF FAKE DATING AUs

Date me instead

by Zhuletta | Rated E | 43,744

Every date Steve has gone to lately has been horrible. It’s impossible that there’s something wrong with the entire female population of Hawkins, so surely there must be something wrong with him.

“Why don’t you take me on a date then?”

“Wh— what?”

“Take me on a date, pretend, of course, and then I’ll tell you if there’s something wrong with you or not.”

Or: Eddie proposes a crazy idea to see if there's something wrong with him, Steve finds the fact that it works is even crazier.

🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 7/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Augh yes the fluffy fake dating AU we all need 😭

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 fake dating trope 𝗑 fellas is it GAY 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 25k+

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BEST OF KINK

We Should Just Kiss (Like Real People Do)

by Oonionchiver | Rated E+ (YOU’VE BEEN WARNED) | 88,428

‘Please?’

Eddie stops him again, this time by holding his face. Steve feels Eddie’s thumb moving over his cheek, he feels the cool metal of his rings. He feels everything except what he needs.

‘I’ve never loved anything the way I love you, Steve Harrington,’ Eddie says, dark brown eyes moving between Steve’s own. ‘This isn’t the moment, sweetheart.’

It’s not a rejection, but it’s not a kiss. Steve quietly cries, insides cut up on the broken shards of his stupid little heart and Eddie holds him, he holds him all night until they fall asleep together.

✨🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟✨ 10/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: This one completely and utterly gutted me. It's kinky, it's precious, it's full of love and comfort and hurt and godddd i am inconsolable after reading it. I don't think anything ANYTHING has ever meant so much to me.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 kink treated with respect 𝗑 Kink 𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 greatest works I’ve ever read 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Kink done right 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 PERSONAL TOP TEN FICS OF ALL TIME 𝗑 75k+

don’t go wastin your emotions

by kissesforcas | Rated M | 51,650

"Steve 'the Hair' Harrington, a rage-filled barbarian, who knew?" Eddie says, like its a compliment, like Steve has ANY idea what that means.

"Uh, I knew. Obviously." Steve says, wisely, even though he clearly didn't. "Anyway, do you think we could eat a demobat? Or would we turn into some kind of monstrous freak? I'm starving, and Dustin's cheese crackers are not enough to get me on my feet again."

"What difference does it make to me if I'm a human freak or a monster one?" Eddie shrugs, and Steve butts his shoulder up against Eddie. It's meant to be brotherly, maybe friendly, but it's too soft. Felt like something he might have done before slinging an arm around a girl's shoulders.

"You're not a freak." Steve says, and finds he means it.

Eddie's eyes, when he looks at Steve, are curious. "No?"

"No."

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: Honestly. I just. The fluff? The smut? Steve fully hitting on Eddie in the full light of god and everyone and Dustin and Lucas YELLING about it? This it Good Shit. It's GOOD SHIT.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Kink done right 𝗑 Kink 𝗑 Fluff 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 50k+

Black Out Days (Fairground Nights)

by Oonionchiver | Rated E | 139,167

‘I think,’ Steve says slowly, reaches for Eddie’s abandoned, untouched beers. ‘You don’t know me very well.’

‘I don’t know you at all, man. I don’t really want to.’

Steve’s throat works. It’s subtle, but Eddie sees it. He hides it with a swig of beer, but when he sets it down, his smile isn’t quite so bright. Twice as sharp, though.

‘The self-centred asshole who can only be decent to a single human being, I get it. It works for you.’ Then he takes a thick, heavy breath. The alcohol is hitting him, Eddie can tell. ‘And I am being civil. I’m here, aren’t I? You have any idea how hard it is for me to be here?’

‘In a bar?’

Steve doesn’t answer.

✨🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟✨ 10/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: You know why this is here I don't have to tell y'all anything

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Kink 𝗑 BDSM 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 stories that stole my fucking breath 𝗑 no upside down 𝗑 Modern AUs 𝗑 Eddie’s POV 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 100k+

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THE BEST MOST TRANSFORMATIVE WORK IN THE STEDDIE TAG (ok I'm biased, but i'm also right)

the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you

by greatunironic | Rated E | 34,987

Sixteen years after the world didn't end for the last time, Max Mayfield showed up on Steve’s doorstep and said, “You gonna walk me down the aisle in May or what?” Or, it’s 2002 and Steve Harrington attends a wedding, a funeral, and a birth.

🌟✨✨🥤⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🥤✨✨🌟 44/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: THIS STORY MADE ME CRY SO HARD MY FUCKING CHEST RATTLED. Everybody else go home. Nothing will ever be as good as this. Nothing.

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 greatest works I’ve ever read 𝗑 stories that made me cry so hard i threw up 𝗑 stories that made me cry more than I’ve ever cried in my life 𝗑 stories that destroyed me 𝗑 found family 𝗑 Works that both destroyed and shaped me as a person 𝗑 the best and worst things to ever happen 𝗑 i am so serious i didn’t sleep for two days after reading this it fucked me up that bad 𝗑 BEST OF TAG 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 TOP TEN 𝗑 25k+

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BEST OF STEVE'S BISEXUAL AWAKENING

Broken House Behind Me and Good Things Ahead

by lichtbringer | Rated M | 33,139

“Steve… Stevie.” Eddie mumbles, shaking Steve's shoulder.

It takes Steve far too long to blink his eyes open, and when he does, it's to find Eddie, still rumpled from sleep, looking down at him with red cheeks and a sheepish smile.

“Huh?” Steve asks, raising his head from where it was nestled against Eddie.

“As much as I’m loving you all over me, sweetheart.” Eddie teases and Steve blinks at him, still struggling to process the words. “You’re gonna have to let me go for a minute.”

It takes Steve another moment, and then the realisation sinks in. Well, fuck. He fell back asleep, didn’t he? And now Eddie is awake and Steve is going to have to deal with the motifying ordeal of apologising for wrapping around the guy like a clingy octopus.

Even after Vecna's defeat and the charges against him being officially dropped, the people of Hawkins are far too willing to buy into the idea of the supposed satanic powers of Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson.

Tensions spike and Eddie finally does what he should have all along: he leaves Hawkins behind - he just didn't except to do so with Steve by his side.

Meanwhile, Steve finally gets the push he needs to understand what he is feeling.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: THE YEARNING!?!?!? THE EMOTIONS!?!?!? I'M SHOOK!!!!!!?

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Emotional Damage 𝗑 Yearning 𝗑 Pining 𝗑 best Steve realises he’s bisexual fic in the fucking tag actually 𝗑 just queer things 𝗑 the real queer agenda 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

The Edification of Steve Harrington

by ChronicRabbit | Rated E | 44,129

It had been two and a half months since the end of Spring Break.

Eddie had been cleared of all charges, The Byers were back in Hawkins like they’d never left, Vecna was dead and gone, and everything was back to normal; or rather as back to normal as Hawkins could get.

Unfortunately for one Steve Harrington, his new normal seemed to be not only his inability to get a date, but also his newfound proclivity towards staring at Eddie Munson’s mouth while he dramatically narrated during a five hour Hellfire session, or counting the freckles on the bridge of his nose, or memorizing the patterns in his honey coloured eyes.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars

Bookmark Comments: I really need to make a Steddie guide like my Dasey one and this will definitely be on there. (AND I DID! AND IT IS ON HERE! HI!)

Bookmark tags

𝗑 Steddie Guide 𝗑 like study guide 𝗑 Get it? 𝗑 Steve’s POV 𝗑 25k+

Go to Steddie Guide Pt 1 →

[fedorahead]

i've been talking with my husband on the topic of the hypervigilance of oppressed minorities and traumatized people in general.

when a group of people are under constant threat, the individuals in those groups have to face every situation with the understanding that it can be an attack on them, it can be a threat to their safety or their life, it can destroy their relationships and even interfere with their jobs or housing or children. i know this, firsthand, as i imagine many people on this site do... and i'm demonstrably not above overcompensating for that looming threat myself, but i often struggle to see it in others. and thinking of myself as a threat, or a potential one, has to be a mindful exercise because it does not come naturally and honestly i haven't ever really had a strong need to consider.

i dunno if we're all really being played against each other. it feels like it, a lot of the time. but we all have to see each other as potentially life ruining, because honestly any stranger could be with the wrong series of choices or too public an online persona or letting too many details of your life out where people can find them.

and being in this headspace of at least a little bit but usually quite a lot more than a little bit on edge all the time is exhausting, it's awful, it makes us respond to things from that position of "this conversation is dangerous to me". which sucks somewhere like tumblr where regardless of what the people in charge are doing, the majority of the users are here for love, support, to share fandoms or art or whatever to create a beautiful space. and, often, to band together in solidarity. this is the only site i see hundreds of posts sending love and support to palestinians without the weird mysterious ~glitches~ that leave people unable to comment on pro-palestine posts. it's the only site i see mutual aid and emergency crowdfunding numbers actually go up as they get reblogged and passed around to people who may not even have enough for their own bills but are farther from homelessness than the person asking and so they donate what they can anyway. it's a beautiful community full of people stuck on survival mode, trying their best.

so i engaged with a post tonight earnestly, seeing it only from my perspective. which... is something we all need to work on as a general rule, but also i pride myself on my ability to see things from different angles and even being good at that i still very much did not understand the other side. explaining why i was getting pushback for what i said to someone who has less context and understanding helped me to realize, well, why i was getting pushback. and unlike experiences i've had before, in places more cynical and less communal, the people upset with me were also being earnest and i handled that poorly.

i don't ever want a trans woman (or anyone) on this website to feel like i am a danger to them, their safety... or even their joy on this site. because honestly, wrecking someone's day by being hostile to them is more than just getting some justice or being heard like it feels like in the moment. it's also adding to the pile of tiny and huge awful things they're dealing with already. it's telling that survival mode that yeah, actually, this time you were right and you should get up at arms at this person because they are damaging. because it is damage. every random pulse of cortisol from every self-righteous message is adding to the unnecessary shitty stress levels. every increasingly tense back and forth argument is a genuinely dangerous conflict on a biological level. our brains don't know the difference. and yeah, nobody's going to have a heart attack because somebody was a jerk to them online (i hope). but we have seen what too many jerks over too long does to. and when there's waves of negativity, it doesn't matter how big or small a part each person plays, because they're still adding up together to that wave. and trans women, every single trans woman right now, is facing one hell of a fucking wave.

so... i'm sorry my misread of a situation meant that i added to that. i'm sure it will happen again, but also, i think this will serve as a reminder to me next time to shut up, at least until i've actually put in the effort to understand what's even really being discussed, under the surface or on it, in the first place.

[thewizardtower]

Unsolicited…

You've got a really overwhelming situation. It’s a bit ancillary to my irl job (env health and industrial hygiene), so I wanted to toss some thoughts to the void to maybe make it less heavy? (Def feel free to disregard and delete)

Since the AC is too large for the house, the house will stay too humid because the AC doesn’t have time to “dry” out the air – it’ll kick on and off too quickly instead of running for awhile. I’m guessing this is also contributing to the fire hazard (power cycling of the unit). You may be able to find a company that will trade the unit for a more appropriate one, which could help recoup some of the costs for a new system, or maybe local rebates with the power utility provider if the new unit has a heat pump, or just for being smaller and consuming less energy overall (spitballing ideas)

If you have a dehumidifier (bit spendy), you can put this in affected areas to help the problem from getting worse. For an attic, you can try placing it near a central air intake or exhaust inside of the house, like near vents or the furnace, to try and catch the airflow (if you put the central air furnace to ‘recirculate’). Changing your furnace filters monthly if you don't already should also help with air quality.

Mildew will stain, like the plywood and drywall in the attic, but if it’s dry, it shouldn’t grow. You can also spray surfaces in a diluted bleach solution to help manage it. Just a small bottle of plain bleach (none of those silly laundry kinds) and a spray bottle. An N95 respirator and long sleeve shirt/pants would be a good idea if you go into the attic, but mostly for fiberglass (if you don’t have blown insulation) and potential critter dust (mouse droppings, esp if you’re in a rural area, which I assume if you have a well)

A “hot attic” will be that (hot), but it shouldn’t be “humid”. If it is, it might be worthwhile to visually check your roof or attic and make sure the PO didn’t leave you with a crappy roof and soffit venting set-up, or that the vents weren’t block by wasps, critters, etc.

Sending the best vibes I can, from one broke Millennial to another

Gotta stick together to survive in this shitty capitalist hellscape

Bless you honestly. 🙏🥺 Thank you for this advice! I'm definitely going to use the bleach solution on the mold.. it's everywhere and all into my insulation.

Exactly everything you said is what the repair guy just told me lol that's exactly why there's mold. The previous owners installed a gigantic unit for whatever unknown reason. Unfortunately the AC unit is roughly 20 years old, so I can't trade it in for anything because all the parts and coolant supplies it uses are no longer on the market/viable. We were able to measure what kind of AC unit we'd need and the smaller unit brought the cost down from $13k to...$11.6k. So, not much, but still a little. (I've been considering asking for ko-fi donations since I'm honestly and truly desperate, but I first need to wrestle the part of my brain that doesn't allow me to ask for help first lol).

Thank you, anon, for your advice on this. It truly means a lot to me that you took the time to reach out! People like you make being a poor millennial a little bit easier. Seriously, bless you.