#if anyone wants the Chrissy backstory I did think about this
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Romance Isn't Dead
We're back to doing new prompts. This one being skeptic Nancy and ghost hunter Robin. To whoever send this anonymous prompt, you have read my mind because I have like two ideas for way longer fics with similar ideas but I tried to write something new and I hope you like it.
For those of you that didn't know yet, prompts are back open! You can send me any and all ronance prompts here, which is just a link to my asks. I have already gotten a few to get to but I will be writing them as soon as possible.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
Robin’s bright smile almost made up for Nancy’s discomfort. The dimples in her cheeks were distracting enough.
“It’s gonna be interesting.” Robin defended herself.
“There is a blood stain on the bed.” There was and Nancy was now pointing at it. The brown stain that stretched over most of the middle of the mattress. It made her stomach turn.
“Yes, I can see that.”
“Robin, this was supposed to be a vacation.” Nancy sighed.
“It still can be. I’ll just be working in the meantime.”
“Working on what?”
“I’m gonna write a book.”
Nancy’s eyes widened. Her interest peaked. “A book? What about?” She almost sat down on the bloodstained bed before stopping herself.
“Ghosts.” Robin beamed as the word escaped her.
“Ghosts?” The disdain in her voice must have been obvious because Robin started waving her hands to stop whatever she thought Nancy would say next.
“I know, I know you don’t believe in all that but I’m gonna prove it once and for all. This is the bed Chrissy Cunningham was murdered in. Remember? You wrote an article on that story.” Robin’s hands waved at that same blood stain Nancy had pointed out.
“That was three years ago. Her boyfriend cut her open or something.”
“Yes! And this is a shitty motel so they never threw any of the shit out. This is pretty much a crime scene.”
“You should not sound this happy about that. You just booked us a romantic getaway to the scene of a murder.” Nancy snapped back.
“Okay, I know this isn’t what you signed up for but come on, Nance, this will be so exciting. We’re gonna find some ghosts and write a book on it and we’ll be rich.” Robin reached out to grab Nancy’s hands and she couldn’t help but crumble.
“Ghosts aren’t even real.” She whispered as her girlfriend pulled her closer.
—
“What are you doing?” Nancy threw up a balled piece of paper at the back of Robin’s head.
“I’m making an ouija board.” Robin’s head was bent over her own piece of paper, her back hunched.
“We could have bought one of those on the way in. That way we’d be done sooner and we could have actually gone somewhere nice for dinner.”
“I didn’t want to spend your money on this.”
Nancy pushed herself off her chair, sitting down next to her girlfriend on the floor. Robin’s tongue was poking in between her lips as she wrote the alphabet on the paper. It was adorable.
“You really think you are going to prove ghosts exist with a stupid children’s game?” She bumped her shoulder into Robin softly.
“It’s worked before.”
“You’ve done this before?” Nancy imagined Robin sitting on the floor of her messy bedroom. The lights turned off but a small candle flickering next to her. A similar scribbled ouija board pushed against the floor by a small glass that she held against it with both of her pointer and middle fingers.
“No.” Robin admitted. “I’ve heard of people who have done it.”
Nancy couldn’t keep the laugh from bubbling out. She allowed herself to fall flat against the floor.
“Nance.” Robin whined softly. “You need to be on my side.”
“I am on your side, honey. I’ll always be on your side.” Nancy grabbed for Robin’s arm. “You know that, right?”
There was a pout on Robin’s face that conveyed more than it was meant to. The sly quirk of her lips a tell tale sign that Robin was teasing her. Still, Nancy felt that familiar tug at her heartstrings that she got whenever Robin was hurt.
“Do you need my help with anything?” She offered with a sigh, sitting back up.
“If you are offering, I really don’t want to do this alone.” The smile from before returned to Robin’s face.
Nancy groaned. “I was worried you were going to say that.”
“Come on. You like researching stuff. Just see it as another one of your projects.”
“My projects are usually based on facts.” Nancy complained.
“Nance, please.” The pout returned in all its glory.
She hesitated for a second. Unsure what her next move should be. “Will it make you happy?”
Robin nodded frantically. “So very happy.”
–
Nancy found herself sitting opposite her girlfriend. She looked upon the girl’s frown as she placed the glass in the middle of the piece of paper, placing her fingers on the top. She followed Robin’s actions, mimicking her.
“All you have to do is breathe and close your eyes.”
Nancy nodded and closed her eyes.
“Okay.” Robin’s deep breath was audible throughout the silent room. “Chrissy, are you here with us?”
Nothing happened.
“Chrissy, can you hear us?”
Nothing.
“We are here to understand what happened.”
Nothing.
Nancy opened her eyes, looking at her girlfriend. The frown of Robin’s face was etched into her skin. The doubts were creeping into her demeanor and Nancy could see it.
“Chrissy?”
She couldn’t help herself. Nancy pushed the glass towards the yes that Robin had carefully written. Robin’s eyes flew open the second the glass started moving.
“Oh my God, Nance. Are you seeing this?” She exclaimed excitedly.
“Yes, I am.” Nancy feigned shock.
“I told you it was real.” Robin was beaming. “Okay, we have to focus. Chrissy, who killed you?”
Nancy stared at her own hands on the glass, analyzing whether or not it was obvious she was pushing it towards the J. And then the A, S, O, N. Spelling out the name that she had been forced to write on repeat in the plethora of articles she had written about the event.
“Oh my God, Robin. I’m not even kidding, this is scary. Can we please stop?” Nancy tried to trigger her 11 year old self who had scored the lead in the school play. It was the last time she had ever acted.
“Yeah sure. Thank you for talking to us, Chrissy. Goodbye.” Robin said and Nancy pushed the glass toward the goodbye on the bottom of the page.
–
“It was you, wasn’t it?” Robin was turned toward Nancy in her seat. She watched the way Nancy’s fingers tapped the steering wheel.
“What are you talking about?”
“The other day. The ouija board. You were moving the glass, weren’t you?”
“Why would I do that?” Nancy frowned.
“You gave yourself away by saying you were scared. Nancy Wheeler doesn’t get scared and definitely not by a moving glass or even a ghost for that matter.”
Nancy dared to take a glance at the girl sitting next to her. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t see you that defeated. I shouldn’t have.”
“I think it’s really sweet. And I’ve been thinking, we should take an actual vacation. Somewhere nice. I’ve never seen the ocean before, if you’re up for it.”
“Are you sure this isn’t another ruse to get me to go ghost hunting with you?”
“Nah, from now on I’ll just ask you to go ghost hunting with me. I have a feeling you won’t say no.”
#prompts#if anyone wants the Chrissy backstory I did think about this#ronance#nancy wheeler#robin buckley#my work#stranger things#fanfic#robin x nancy#nancy x robin#ronance fic
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What do you think would happen if david died in the car crash instead of gabe?
mass suicide/j
Warning: LOOOONG post
If David died a new beta would have to be chosen, and tbh I feel like Gabe WOULD also pick Asher bc 1. He was the closest to David and 2. Asher canonically is great at the security biz so his potential is immense. In no universe would Pissy Chrissy be Beta
Also the funeral…imagine the funeral
It’s said that the security business was never serious to Gabe so that wouldn’t go anywhere. they probably woulsn’t be picked for the E&E Games so you could only imagine what the security crew did during the Inversion, whether they protected people, ran away, shut the ward, or died out during the Inversion is subjective
Asher and Baabe met after Gabe died, and he met them while delivering paperwork for the security business. Idk if he’d be employed in the business if David died, so whether he ever meets Baabe in this timeline is also subjective
Angel was together with Michael for a little while after the accident, they’d still break up, but it’s much less than likely that they’d EVER meet anyone from the Shaw Pack in this timeline, and downright impossible that Caelum would interact with them and their surroundings since they’re not one of his charges. He might’ve picked up Gabe as one of his charges tho since he’d David’s dad and would obviously be grieving the loss of his only son
Milo and SH would probably be around the same as they are in the Omega timeline. Grieved for a while, mayne Milo would’ve grieved longer since David is a childhood friend, buuut overall almost everything would be the same
Here’s where I draw a blank.
In the Omega timeline, David is ride-or-die for Tank. He did all this detective work to find out that they’re not in Washington anymore, damn near hunted down Sam, scolded them, and helped them find Quinn and bring him to justice
Would Gabe do the same?
I doubt he’d do all the detective work David did, and he’d probably buy into what Tank told him (being in washington, quinn already being arrested, etc etc). He’d maybe brush over Fred and Bright Eyes being new members of the Solaire Clan, and would focus more on the pack
If my assumptions are right, Tank would send up with Sam being their only support system, Sam never taking to David, and Tank might, MAYBE, go off on their own to hunt Quinn, since they didn’t really listen to Sam all that much until they got together
Also, I don’t really even THINK they’d get together in this timeline. Sam and Tank became a couple bc Tank called Sam over after DAVID scolded them, because they wanted to apologize and believed Sam thought less of them after he learned about their backstory, and Sam wanted them to know he didn’t and told them his backstory and they spent the night together
They wouldn’t have spent the night together if David wasnt there to scold them, which wouldn’t have led to the confession in the morning, and if Sam didn’t confess later on, they would never have became mates 🙅🏽♀️
If this is a case there’s a chance Tank may have ended up dead in this timeline too
Back to the E&E Games, there’s a chance the security team chosen for the games wouldn’t have shut down the ward, which would end in WAY more lives being lost than just the 1.5k in the arena
If the ward DID get shut, there’s a chance FL and Gavin would have died since the pack were the ones defending Gavin’s mini-ward, and they’re not there defending it now
Also if the ward did shut, way more people would’ve died, since Milo was the one to bring down the ward, and was the one to convince Lasko to bring the people in DAMN to kill the Shades
Amanda and Christian might be together since Amanda only moved away bc of the Inversion kinda traumatizing her…but in the event that the security crew didn’t drop the ward…she’d still move away.
I think that’s it…maybe…
TLDR: Asher still beta, Inversion would’ve been WAYYY worse, Asher and Baabe would probably not be a thing, Angel is lonely. Gabe is lonely, Milo X SH is the only couple left, Sam and Tank is non existent as a couple, Tank might die, FL and Gavin might’ve died, Christian might still get laid
maybe
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when you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass it on to at least five other writers. let’s spread the self-love! 💕💕
This is so old, I'm so sorry (and I have another one of these asks that I'm saving for when I get some other things finally drafted) but here we go, in no particular order:
Skylines, Cigarettes, and Second Chances (29k, 4/4 chapters, Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply)
"Immediately after that first, perfect kiss in the hospital, Steve had said, I don’t want anyone to know. That stung a bit, but Eddie gets it. Steve went on to explain that he wasn’t sure how he felt, that he was trying to figure himself out, that all he did know is that he liked Eddie. And Steve really does like him. Eddie can tell. So, he can live with it." OR Steve and Eddie get together after Vecna. It doesn't last. But when Eddie calls for a favor a few years later, they think that maybe, just maybe, they're worth trying for again.
I'm sure absolutely no one is surprised that I included this on the list because I have not been able to shut up about it, but I really like this fic! I'm really proud of it! Go read it if angst with a happy ending is your jam!
like a sack of bricks (18k, 1/1 chapters, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply)
"Eddie isn’t lucky. He’s obnoxious and smart and talented and a little too quick to snap back if threatened, but he isn’t lucky. At least, not until last week. Last week, he went with Chrissy to that stupid cowboy bar she loves so much. Last week, he ran into the hottest guy he’s ever seen in his life. Last week, he had the best sex of his life with said hottest guy, and he hasn’t even been ghosted yet." OR Steve and Eddie, continuing from that cowboy bar meet-cute. Featuring second and third dates, a good amount of jokes, some tragic backstory lore, drag queens, sheer ridiculousness, kinkier sex this time around, and Eddie going Through It (TM) before Steve makes it better. Or maybe the charm has everything to do with the bartender. OR The dom drop fic I've had in my head for months.
This is also another fic that deals with heavy topics, and I'm also very proud of it! Go read it for a bunch of jokes, ridiculous shenanigans, what is hopefully (in)decent smut, and emotional hurt/comfort!
Bragging Rights, Fancy Drinks, and the Bartender Conundrum (6860 words, 1/1 chapters, Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply)
"But, for some reason, this place doesn’t feel standard. Maybe it’s the fact that all the pictures on the walls look modern and aren’t filled with old white dudes holding cans of Bud Light. Maybe it’s the fact that the music, thank god, isn’t beer, truck, dog country or rock music that Republicans like. Or maybe the charm has everything to do with the bartender. Good god. Eddie thinks he might die right then and there." OR Eddie and the guys go to a new place in search of a trivia spot safe from frat bros. What Eddie doesn't expect is to become smitten with not one, but two of the bartenders who work there. Or so he thinks.
This is ridiculous, gender shenanigan fluff, and I was absolutely blown away by the response to it! Go read it if you like faceblind bisexual disaster Eddie, Corroded Coffin friendships and interactions, and badass, genderfluid Stev(i)e Harrington!
save a horse, ride an ex-jock (9835 words, 1/1 chapters, Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply)
"Steve's eyes land on the mechanical bull across the place. It’s a stupid looking thing. There’s no way it’s safe. It’s white with brown spots, and Steve can see the metal frame where the paneling splits. Its dead black eyes are nightmare fuel. Eddie says, 'Bet I could ride it better than you.' 'Bet I could ride you better than you ride it,' Steve says. Filter? Gone. But he doesn’t mind. Because Eddie takes Steve’s hat. 'I’m sure you could, but me first.' Steve might not like this cowboy stuff, but he knows what Eddie taking the hat means." OR A metalhead and an ex-jock walk into a cowboy themed bar to support their favorite lesbians. Featuring mechanical bull riding, the more fun kind of riding, Steve's horndog inner monologue, and way too many jokes for what was supposed to be just smut.
This is also ridiculous, and it started as a complete and utter joke with some light bribery involved to get me to write it. Go read it if you like cowboy jokes, silly sex, Appalachian Eddie Munson, and Steve being a bit of a slut (affectionate).
what's in a name, anyway? (4823 words, 1/1 chapters, Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply)
“On good days, Steve sees his name as a gift from a well meaning but distant relative, like an ugly sweater that doesn’t quite fit. On bad days, he hates it.” OR Five people who call Steve by his full name, and one person who never does.
This is pretty far into headcanon territory, but I really enjoyed writing the POVs of various characters. Read if you want Steve-centric angst, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, Robin, and Dustin POV, and some Steddie fluff to balance the whole thing out!
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Munson's Incentive Part 3
Again, just saying that I've not written for an existing character so, sorry if it sucks.
This is a story based on Stranger Things Carver! Reader x Eddie Munson. Where the reader has to come live in Hawkins after her parents up and leave. No upside down, Jason isn't a dick, and it starts off angsty, but ends in fluff.
There is one last part after this one! I hope you all have enjoyed it, I actually had a good time writing it.
Warnings would be swearing, I've got a potty mouth my writing will too. Mentions of slight drug use (literally one or two sentences), emotional abuse, self deprecation, and narcissism. The mentions of emotional abuse and narcissism are brief to establish backstory/explore the readers background.
You and Jason had bid the group goodbye as you walked to his car. On your way in the parking lot, you looked over and gracing your site was the record shop guy standing by his van smoking a cigarette. You paused hand on the door handle admiring your mystery love.
Jason seemed to notice and smiled, knowing you and Eddie would relate to one another considering what brought you each to Hawkins.
"You coming or are you gonna go talk to him?" Jason playfully asked you, snapping you out of your daze.
"L-let's go, I think I've reached my social interaction limit today." you huffed a small laugh trying to hold back the blush you know Jason saw. He smiled as you both got in the car.
Jason didn't really talk to Eddie, they ran in different circles, but he had a plan to hopefully get you both to talk. He went to the office during open house to see if he could persuade the office workers to change your schedule so you and Eddie would be in most, if not all the same classes. Whatever he said to the office workers worked, much to his surprise, you and Eddie were in all the same classes. Phase 1 complete.
He knew that Chrissy spoke to Eddie periodically, especially since Jason and her had been dating since they started their respective sports. He told Chrissy and thus began phase 2, trying to get you both to sit next to each other in each class you had together. Truthfully, it would probably be easier than they thought. They still made a faux event that was going to prevent Jason from taking you to each of your classes; despite having a signed letter from the principal that would allow him to miss his first day of classes to do so.
You woke up actually happy to get back to some type of normalcy, you'd always excelled in school. The only thing you were worried about was if you got into that headspace again knowing that Jason wouldn't be there to ground you like he has been. Luckily he had told you that he'd gotten a letter signed from the principal, who had been given a brief explanation of your situation, so he could take you and introduce you to each of your classes knowing it would help with your anxiety for the first day in a new school.
Eddie groggily made his way to his first class, hating that this is his second time in his senior year. He was determined this time though. He cut classes all the time last year to get high. This year he resolved to only allow himself to smoke after is schoolwork was done... Maybe during Hellfire, if all the newbies were okay with it; seeing how they'd most likely be freshmen, Eddie didn't want them to feel like he was pressuring them to smoke with him.
He did wish that he had some sort of way to incentivize himself to go to classes. Then, as if fate had finally chosen to be kind to him, he saw you. The beautiful girl from the mall. Despite thinking that you and Jason were an item, he couldn't stop the fluttering in his chest as you smiled speaking to the teacher; Jason's arm wrapped around your shoulders. He never realized that his heart could swell and crack at the same time, yet here it was happening.
The bell rang signaling it was time for everyone to take their seats. Eddie didn't expect anyone to sit next to him, he looked different, had different interests and hobbies, he just never had many friends; he seemed to be okay with that for the most part, especially since he started Hellfire. He couldn't help but feel a ping of hurt thinking that you would go sit next to Jason instead of him. However, he noticed that you and Jason still stood in the front of the classroom, he slumped thinking he would have to see you both arm in arm like this for the rest of the year.
"Good morning class!" the teacher projected to get the attention of all the students before him, "We have a new face here in Hawkins, she's joined us all the way from California." he finished as he gestured to you and Jason, you slightly hiding behind Jason as you gave one of those cute shy waves he had seen you do in the food court that day. He swore he fell even harder for you, that pain in his heart setting up camp; ready to make him feel it every day.
"Hey everyone!", Jason began, as he took his arm from around your shoulders and brought you to stand next to him, "This is my cousin Y/N. She's come to live with my family and me." Jason declared as you stood on your own smiling at everyone.
Eddie focused on one word, cousin. They're only cousins. Suddenly he felt himself beaming at the knowledge and his heart began to pound again as he saw the two of you making your way to the seat right next to him.
"Hey Eddie." Jason greeted smiling as he squatted next to the shared table as you took the seat next to him shyly smiling towards him. "I know we haven't spoken much, but I was hoping that since I have a basketball event to do today that maybe you could show my cousin her classes? I have a note in case you have differing classes that is basically a get out of jail free card." He laughed nervously, hoping that Eddie would say yes and that he hadn't gone through all this trouble just to have it blow up in his face and heaven forbid hurt you in the process.
"Uhm, sure. I can do that." Eddie answered flabbergasted. Since their social circles were drastically different he honestly thought Jason would be an asshole and not want anything to do with him. "Why me though?" Eddie asked before he could stop the question from leaving his lips, internally smacking himself.
Jason shrugged, "I dunno, I fell like underneath your whole mental demeanor, you're actually a good guy." he answered genuinely.
Jason chuckled as he saw Eddie smile and quickly try to suppress it, he had an image to uphold after all. "Yeah, I'll take care of her." He replied to Jason smiling.
Jason bid you both goodbye and good luck as he made his way out to the hall to meet an anxious Chrissy, awaiting to hear if their plan worked. Jason grinned at Chrissy, "Our plan is in motion!"
Chrissy jumped up and down excitedly, "They're going to get along so well!!!"
After Jason left, there was a slight bit of awkwardness between the two of you, but as soon as you both started comparing schedules, you were surprised to see that you had all of your classes together. You both smiled at each other, both of you noticing that the other had a small blush, but you chose not to bring it up; this was going to be a good year.
#eddie munson#eddie munson x reader#eddie munson x fem!reader#Carver!reader#eddie munson fluf#eddie munson fandom#eddie munson fanfic#slight angst#stranger things
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But we’re not told WHY they’re vecna’d. There’s no reason why vecna targets traumatized teens EXCEPT to make it even more horror-movie-ish. Why do they get trash compacted like that specifically? It’s implied that’s how vecna a powers work but why? No idea.
The show has left so many unanswered questions already and this new element (vecna itself!) just over complicates everything
And I’m actually kind of pissed bc Patrick gets vecna’d and we know almost nothing about him. But stranger things… hates poc
I actually kind of hate Chrissy because of how differently she (pretty white girl) was treated from Patrick (black boy). And. her eating disorder existed SOLELY for exploitative purposes just to cause an emotional reaction it’s not something that adds to her as a character it���s just there to freak the audience out, meanwhile other REAL LIFE ACTORS are being forced to starve themselves for the roles. We get it eating disorders are scary good thing they’re not real! /s
Acting like this new girl will be important focusing on her ed only to kill her off in the most horrific way possible… i don’t like it it feels exploitative especially of a real world problem this show is absolutely complicit in spreading
We got a LOT less development for Fred than chrissy and didn’t fucking. Languish in such a triggering topic I think he was the happy medium.
Regardless the focus on traumatized teens with no other similarities was already so random they could have just picked literally anyone with no special backstory and it would have worked just as well? At the end of the day Chrissy ONLY matters as motivation for Jason, who only matters as motivation for Eddie ( and since Eddie’s death did nothing like. It didn’t seem like he was saving Dustin’s life or anything) who only matters to make Dustin kind of sad? She died for man pain except the ultimate man pain was for some guy she never even met
Chrissy isn’t a person or a character she’s a bafflingly written INTENTIONALLY TRIGGERING and misogynistic plot device with an outrageous amount of minute details they could have given to any of the real characters. They didn’t have to spend 10 minutes pretending she mattered only to beat her to death with a rock and then run over her a few times for good measure
well first of all i am no authority on the topic of whether or not chrissy's struggles with her ed were done correctly and therefore i will not speak on it because its really....not my place as someone who hasn't experienced that!
as for why vecna targets people with trauma specifically, i think it serves a greater narrative purpose and that's depicted best through max's arc this season. vecna's whole backstory as henry shows that he was obviously traumatized himself by brenner and when he appeals to chrissy, fred, and max he attempts to persuade them to just give up/join him/etc because it's easier than carrying on. he's using their trauma against them. and then when max is faced with this threat of losing her life to vecna, it motivates her to want to get better and want to stop isolating herself from lucas and the group, she literally says "i don't want to go, im not ready" and it kinda overall like. saves her life! vecna acts as a narrative tool to explore mental health and trauma and guilt. imo it's much much MUCH more impactful for our characters to overcome him through their bonds and their desire to live despite what they've been through than like.....killing a monster of the week
obv you dont have to agree with me and that's fine but i don't think chrissy is like...a misogynistic charicature in the slightest. like i said before i really don't think chrissy's treatment in the show was uniquely different than fred's or even max's. i don't really understand how chrissy's trauma was "languished in" any more than fred's? i feel like they got equal screentime and fred's vecna vision was just as brutal as chrissy's, even if they talked about two entirely different topics. and if im being completely honest (again not trying to be rude or demean your view of the show, but you did send this ask to me personally so im going to give my honest opinions back) i think referring to chrissy as a "plot device" and not a "real character" is intentionally reading the show in bad faith.
this season is a horror season. people die like they do in any slasher movie. i understand if the vecna plotline isn't for everyone because like yeah watching characters who are already suffering die very tragic deaths is hard! but i think the point of vecna like i said before is to personify trauma, guilt, and shame to allow our characters to overcome those feelings. chrissy's death worked both to establish what vecna does and to involve eddie. but i dont think that automatically makes her a "prop" or a "plot device" because she's given a personality, she's given a lot of thought and care from the actress, she's given people who mourn her. i think it was genuinely one of the sweetest moments in the whole show when eddie dedicated his little guitar solo to her because it showed that her death affected him and in motivating him to want to kill vecna and save his friends from her same fate, it had meaning
#sorry i feel weird for posting long asks disagreeing with ppl and i really am not trying to like Discourse or anything#i just love talking about the show and giving my perspective on it#i prommy im not going out of my way to argue or be defensive or anything i just feel like i should give my thoughts when someone asks#and if ive said anything here thats insensitive or out of touch PLEASE let me know#tw ed#anon#answered
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So S&L had a little (okay a lot of) sophomore slump going on this season. And I personally think it was because of four main things, so I thought I'd post about it weeks after the show aired because why not?
Ally and the main villain:
Okay so part of my issue with this was the character design of Ally. Were they going for a maternal look? Because it looked too Granny Goodness to be Parasite.
Either way, they seemed to mirror the real life cult with Allison Mack but that stopped being the case once they decided to make fictional Ally's beliefs factually correct and she became the main supervillain of the season. So it didn't really make any statements, and it didn't really need to be there. I don't think they needed to make a statement about Mack or any of her crimes but once they brought in the main villain, a cult leader named Alison, they needed to do something unless they wanted it to fall flat.
IMO, she should already be parasite when we meet her. She feeds on her followers and leaves them in a state of euphoria at the end of the process. While Lois is chasing down Lucy/dealing with the fallout of Lucy accusing her of cutting corners, Chrissy can meet a woman who escaped the cult, she's sick and doctors are unable to diagnose it but she's certain it was from Ally's powers. Chrissy believes this woman and is moved by her story, this makes her more determined to help Lois with Ally. They didn't need to fight as much as they did, and working together sooner and quicker would have worked out better. Ally can still have the pendant plot, she wants to merge with her bizarro self because her family legend says if she does merge she will no longer need to feed on people. Her other self will cure her, now she's a bit more sympathetic too since all she wants is to stop being a parasite. In the Bizarro backstory we can find out the bizarro Ally wants the powers of her alternate self because she is the opposite. Her energy builds up inside her and she needs to purge it, traditionally she has done this by forcing her energy into others. This is how she gives her followers powers, it's not perfect and often times sending her energy into people kills them. Once she merges Ally can take control of both power sets and give power to her people and take it from anyone she deems unworthy. She can still want her trusted followers to merge, since they can become more powerful through the merge as well. We still get Bizarro Jon, Lana, and Tal. I never thought I would say this, but Tal was the best part of the season and watching his bizarro half die was heartbreaking. Ally can still kill him after a betrayal and Lucy can still betray Superman. We just needed more time with Lucy and they needed more scenes of Lucy and Ally together, just Ally and her followers in general.
2. The secret conversations:
Season 2 is too soon to be having the secret conversation. There is a reason the everyone knows Oliver is GA was a low point for Arrow. There is a reason Supergirl waited until the last ten minutes of the show to do the reveal and spent several episodes talking about why no one has any right to the secret with the Lena subplot. There is a reason everyone in Central City pretends they don't know Barry is the Flash. Say what you want about those particular plots, none of them happened at the start of s2. Not only are secret centered plots boring but the Superhero identity is a staple of the genre so every show eventually gets there. The MCU has had success with the secret identity not being a thing because everyone knowing the secret identities of the heroes is a way to avoid secret subplots, one that works in some scenarios but not others. Having a whole side plot with the boys pressuring Clark into telling people his secret was tedious, and it made the boys come off as naive and dumb. And it is too soon for the boys to be burdened by the secret. They have know for like a year, they should not be this obsessed with telling everyone else. Jordan and Jon don't know the struggles their father has had for his entire life.
Lana finding out the secret was fine I guess... I wish they had Clark fly in front of her and she just looked at him and said, "yea I know", and chose to keep his secret because it's his secret and not hers. The boys (mostly Jordan) could have learned something from that too.
However thats not the direction the show decided to go with. Her getting angry at Lois did come off as a ex jealous of the new girl. But Lois isn't the new girl, she is his wife of like a million years. So it made Lana seem a little desperate.
Slight digression, but what was Clana? The Clark flashback implies she moved on while they were still young but here it feels like he's the one that got away to her. And when he's having the sex talk with the boys they imply he's only ever been with Lois and he doesn't correct them. So the logical conclusion seems to be they liked each other maybe had a little high school fling but never were more serious since Clark left and then Lana moved on by the time he came back. IT also implies they had no closure. I don't care if they ever tell us exactly what Clana was but I do think the writers need to know exactly what Clana was and I don't think they currently do.
Anyway, I think if she didn't already know (the writers were cowards for not doing this), they should have had her ask Clark for time to process, tell Lois she needed space because she felt like she told them everything but they kept so much from her and her family/daughter was put in danger multiple times because of the events of last season. Her conversation with Jordan was so mean they needed to call it out in the same episode lol, but honestly Jordan needed the wake up call that telling people doesn't make things better so I didn't mind it. I also didn't mind her being angry at Lois for seeking out a friendship or whatever, we just needed to get payoff for that. She had a better resolution with Clark which makes sense since he is the friend who was lying to her, but if she was more mad at Lois and the resolution was with Clark it goes back to the Lana is not over Clark conversation and I was not here for that angle.
The writers this season seemed to forget the Superman secret is Clark's secret. His family can have an opinion because it effects them, but at the end of the day it is his choice to tell people or to not tell people. The way the plot played out it seemed telling Lana was because the boys wanted him to and Lois telling Chrissy was something Lois wanted to do. I did like Chrissy's reaction, it was cute her and watching Clois dance like THAT'S SUPERMAN!! was adorable! But it wasn't necessary.
Also Lana, Sarah, and Chrissy all found out too close to each other! Three characters went from not knowing to knowing in record time. Why? They needed to be spaced out better, it really did ruin the pacing of the season and will likely continue to mess with the pacing.
3. Sidelining John Henry/Natalie for the Cushing family:
Natalie is such an interesting character. Her developing a familial relationship with Clark after his dopple killed her mom would have been such a good plot. Instead we get her being rightfully distrustful in the start and then coming around offscreen and eventually helping save the day. But like it felt rushed and cheap. I think when they eventually had Jon and Clark fight, she should have been someone he talked to. Someone who gets the feeling of powerlessness around Superman.
The Cushing family did not need two cheating plots. And sure Lana being lied to and thinking 'you never loved me' directly leads to her yelling that at Clark when he revealed her secret. But like we didn't need that angst either. They invested so much time in establishing Kyle as a jerk at the start of last season and gave him a mini arc where he ended the season ready to become a better person. Why did they spend all that time just to undo it all here? For a bad cheating plot? I kinda think he should have died last season and Lana's arc should have been about grieving him while raising kids. But if he did survive why not either have him be a supportive husband trying to wrestle with his alcoholism and have the alcoholism be the thing that might upset the mayoral campaign? Or if they absolutely need to do the cheating plot because they want to leave the door open for Lana/John and Lana/Tal just write Kyle out. Why is he still taking so much screen time!?
Sarah's coming out plot was bad, the cheating trope was harmful, and they did nothing with it. Others with more knowledge and experience can and have talked about this in more detail, my only thought is it would have been so much better if they did the Jordan Sarah breakup and then had her explore her sexuality and meet Audrey? Aubrey? at school. She can still choose to be with Jordan by the end but we should have seen her figure things out on screen and while she was single.
4. The Kent family drama, and the Clark/Jon stuff:
My personal big issue with this season, IMO it brought down the entire season. Firstly Jon and Jordan switched plots this season. Jordan should have had the dad will only care about me if I have powers thing, since the pilot implied pre powers Clark and Jon were closer. Clark should start training Jordan and Jordan loves the bonding but he realizes his dad used to play football with Jon and spend all this time with Jon, he thinks the only reason Clark is interested in doing this stuff with him is because he has powers. And Jon should have had the secret training sessions with General Lane. Then when Clark visits bizarro world and sees a version of Jon that became a hero and hates him and a version of Jordan he neglected and hates him it should be a wake up call!!!
I could write multiple essays detailing the many reasons the drug plot was bad. But the one I want to talk about is it dragged on too long and made Clois look stupid. I mean they keep complaining Jon has no friends, but like he went out drinking with the football guys and seemed to be friends with a few of them so... But regardless if he has no friends the only people he could be covering for are his girlfriend and Jordan. And clearly Jordan isn't dealing X-K... And I don't blame Jon for most of it. Clearly he is having a hard time and Clois just ignored him!? I mean Lois had a whole month to bond with and assure the boys everything would work out. And Jon straight up tells Clark he feels like he has no future and Clark leaves to go fly with Jordan. Wtf. I think if they had taken a beat with the X-K and let it develop all season and then resolved it next season that might have worked a little better, but here we got Jon learning about it, trying it, deciding it wasn't for him, and getting caught all happen in record time and then Clois was just dumb for so long about where he was getting the drugs/who he was covering for. By the end of the season the Kent family feels broken, and yet they didn't really get it together by the end. The writers just pretended it was all good. And had the family moment with the ocean fortress, but it was just them all happy the world didn't end. Once that feeling passes the problems will be back. I guess we just needed a moment with Clark and Jon that showed they were going to work on their issues. And no Clark being like Jon should meet holo grandma and get technology does not count. I guess the season could have been done without the drug plot, it would have been so much better without the drug plot, but really the drug plot was just for angst. Unneeded angst.
Overall 'unneeded angst' is exactly how I would describe the whole season. A little joy will go a long way for a show like Superman and Lois and I hope s3 realizes that. Anyway this was really long so if you made it all the way to the end thanks :).
#superman and lois#clark kent#lois lane#clois#jon kent#jonathan kent#jordan kent#lana lang#lana lang cushing#lana cushing#sam lane#ally allston#chrissy beppo#bizarro#john henry irons#tal rho#natalie irons#kyle cushing#sarah cushing#cw superman#superman cw#superman and lois cw#cw superman and lois
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Speaking as a queer diasporic Iranian woman I am disgusted by the way the fandom is projecting its issues on to anyone who merely explains Jason's pov. Again, read those first few words, I'm not a f*cking white supremacist or an evangelic conservative christian narccisist, I'm someone who is interested in narratives and characters and has taken the time to explain why Jason's behavior is unfortunately some of the more realistic parts of the season. Words have f*cking meanings.
Yeah people really don't get nuance. Plus white supremacy isn't something that should just be thrown around as some sort of gotcha because it's a really serious issue. This issue with complexity is on both sides. I've seen people saying that Jason did nothing wrong because his girlfriend died and he murdered him which is completely wrong. And then on the other side I've seen people like the ones you're talking about saying if you attempt to understand his actions, you're condoning them. People really see stuff in black and white, when in reality the character is meant to be more of a grey area.
Because yes, his girlfriend was brutally murdered and in his mind he wants justice. That's an interesting motivation. But it's also not a justification for his actions. He frames a bunch of innocent people, is incredibly violent and encourages his friends to be violent too. Even before Chrissy's death, he used the mass death of people in order to encourage people to cheer for his basketball game so he's clearly very manipulative and wants his way. But you're not erasing any of that by trying to understand the character and his motivations and his pov.
I think this moral purification in the fandom is kind of weird. Like every character is either this or that with no room for nuance. I got an ask saying that Eddie is a horrible person because he did bad things, but he's clearly way more complex than that. He's not perfect, but that was the whole point in his character arc and he was always a good person deep down. It's so weird to me how people are faster to blame him for dealing drugs than they are to blame Billy for being a racist piece of shit.
TW for abuse and racism at this point! Speaking of him, I've seen this a lot with Billy. Billy was a racist abusive piece of shit. His mind was warped as a child due to his desensitisation to violence and due to the cyclic nature of abuse, he became a bad person. But people think that a sad backstory is an excuse for his behaviour, when it's clearly not. Because people really struggle to understand that just because a character is complex it doesn't mean that they're good. Same thing goes for Brenner. Like wow he cares for his little lab rats that he manipulates and abuses, he's so great!
And just for the show in general. Does the show have problematic elements? Absolutely. It's treatment of queer characters and characters of colour as well as it's use of holocaust imagery and a fucking Nazi prison camp as a set (seriously fucked up) and queer baiting is disgusting. But I do not think that means the show is now entirely awful and if you watch it or enjoy it you are awful too. It is really important to critique media, but things aren't as simple as 'this is problematic and this isn't' because most shows probably have issues. As a fan, it's important to critically consume the show and to call it out and hold the creators accountable. We need to encourage the show runners to make a change and start trying to make good representation to make up for their prior mistakes if they even can be redeemed instead of just writing off the whole show.
Don't know if this is what you wanted, but thanks for the ask anyways (: hope you're doing well
#stranger things#stranger things four#st4#jason carver#chrissy cunningham#eddie munson#st4 volume 2#st4 spoiler#byler#tw racism#tw abuse
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(A breaking heart)
.
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Part Two
Summary: These have been the most eventful years of your long life… yet even then more can be shaken up when you realize your tragic hospital past had come back to haunt you.
A/N: If y’all want part three of this story, it would have to be a y/n backstory until season five 😅 otherwise, more 001 one shots to come!
— — —
“Nine…Nine!” someone was yelling for me. I groaned, trying to bring my arms up to roll me over. There was something wet beneath me… whatever it was, it was cold and terribly uncomfortable. “NINE!” the voice shouted, pulling me out of my thoughts. I groggily started to wake up, rubbing at my eyes. they felt so heavy. When I opened my eyes everything was dark… everything was blurry. I blinked a couple of times in order to clear my vision.
“Where… am I?” I asked, lifting my head up enough to look around. I saw trees surrounding my area and dirt sunk in to shape my figure. “Am I… in the woods?” I had no clue who I was talking to, or if is as even talking to anyone. I distinctly remember the voice… I just started to panic. I stood up too quickly… my head spun as the world around me shook, and I fell to my knees. “Where is One?” It was all I could spark from what I remember last.
“Who?” A little voice asked. I turn my head to look at who that voice belonged to, and I held my breath at seeing it was… Eleven. How did she… well, she looked so…grown up. She didn’t look like the little girl as I had last seen her.
“Eleven…? Is that you?” The number— well, little girl— in front of me nodded. I really couldn’t believe it. “How long was I asleep?” Eleven shrugged. I could only sigh. After all, it’s not the first time I forget a whole chunk of history. I would have said more, but a bright light was flashed in Eleven’s eyes, then panned down to me. When we turned to the source, we saw… three young boys… both mine and Eleven’s life changed that day.
[DATE] 1986…
I walked into the lake house, Steve, Robin and Dustin following right behind me. We were trying to find Eddie Munson. Things had gone so wrong in such little time…
My memory was no better. El had informed me that she had saved me along with herself from that awful hospital Papa used to run. Still… no powers had developed. It’s okay, at least that’s what I tell myself. I think it was comforting knowing Eleven had lost her powers too, though. It made me feel like we could be normal. Well, I could at least pretend.
“Eddie!” We all shouted, searching for him as we walked through the lake house.
“Maybe he’s under here-” Steve said as he grabbed a paddle. And started stabbing a tarp. Dustin quickly stopped him. After a couple of seconds Eddie popped out from somewhere I couldn’t see because I was looking the other way. But I jumped when I saw he was holding something to Steves neck.
“Eddie…Eddie it’s okay it’s okay” Dustin coaxed the deranged Eddie. After a little bit, Eddie finally calmed down. We talked to him about what happened. About two days ago Chrissy Cunningham was found…mangled…dead in Eddie’s trailer. I know for a fact he didn’t do it because… I know who did.
“You guys probably think I’m crazy” Eddie sighed and ended his story. We all shook our heads pretty violently.
“We don’t think that at all.” I reassured him.
“Thanks y/n” Eddie smiled at me. The name had grown on me after all these years. Since I was trying to hide the fact that I came from Hawkins lab, I gave myself a new name, which is Y/n. My very own.
“Eddie, we know this might sound crazy but…” Dustin proceeded to tell Eddie all about our past adventures. By the end of it Eddie looked at us as if we had actually killed someone. You’d think he could appreciate it. But looking at them, all my friends, I took a deep breath.
I really didn’t want to believe it, but it was something so obviously true. I would rather help my friends than swallow this burden. I knew my friends would be put at risk. But I think it’s time I tell them whose been killing everyone. “I know… this sounds crazy…” I nervously laughed as they stared at me, “But the person killing everyone is… my… ex-boyfriend…” It was understandable when they all shouted “WHAT” at me.
“H-How? What?” Robin said a little more calmly, but with a really dazed look on her face. I showed everyone my wrist.
“I know my number is nine but… I’m actually very… old,” I cleared my throat (and I knew Eddie seemed even more confused as I spoke), “Like 600 and… something” Now everyone’s jaw was on the floor. Maybe before they would have thought was crazy, but they seemed to believe me now.
“Again… HOW??” Steve yelled now, flailing his arms around. I shrugged.
“I really don’t know how ! I just know that I am, because I have lived that long… I know this- this thing that’s killing everyone is… One,” Now, everyone was silent. I took this chance to explain everything. Once I was done, they were still silent. “Um… you guys… good?” I played with my hands awkwardly.
“No. We are not good, y/n. Or-or is it Nine?? …I-I don’t know what to call you! Gah.” Eddie was now panicking again. Even more.
“You can call me either … I mean I do prefer y/n more … though” I tried to smile warmly, thinking it would calm him down.
“And-And you know this-this-“
“Vecna that’s what we call him” Dustin interrupted. Eddie looked at him with wide eyes.
“After my DND monster??” He asked.
“Ya, after your DND monster” Dustin smiled at him. Robin, Steve and I all looked at each other very… concerned.
“Alright I think we’ve gone off track now-” Steve sighed. He then turned to me, “Y/n, we’re going to need your help more than anyone.” I took a glance at everyone’s needy eyes in the room. I gave a sure nod.
“Lets do this”
A whole sad fighting battle…
“ONE!” I yelled, entering into max’s mind. Wait… where was I? How.. how did I get here? El? Was Eleven here? No… did my powers… I shook it off, deciding to look around. I was inside a gym… and it was decorated with different blue things. Oh… was this the Snow Ball? A shiver ran down my spine. My thoughts left when I felt his presence behind me.
“Nine….” It shook me to my core… I turned around slowly.. so slowly. Soon I was face to face with him. With this mutant of one. With Vecna. I hadn’t seen him all these years.
“What… happened to you?” I asked, tears coming to my eyes as it had happened so long ago. He looked burnt… so bloody.. and like.. vines wrapped all around him.
“Eleven… decided to send me away…I thought I had died.” He took a step forward, causing me to step back, “Did you miss me..?” It felt like I couldn’t breathe. The wind had left. I didn’t know how to feel… what to think…
‘Did I… miss him?’ I didn’t realize that tears had started to fall from my eyes. “I- I…” My voice wouldn’t let me speak. He took another step.
“It’s alright Nine… We can take over… together,” He took a final step and we were just inches away. I could see how damaged he truly was. He put a hand under my chin and lifted it up so that I was staring right at him. “Nine, answer me. All those years ago, you never did answer me.”
‘Then again… he never really cared…’ I thought to myself. ‘he didn’t care about breaking my heart.. or those children.’
“Nine, answer~” I was starting to panic as he seemed to grow impatient.
“Stop calling me Nine” I whispered, watching his head tilt.
“Nine—“
“Stop calling me Nine!” I yelled at him and stuck out my hand and… he had been repelled. For the first time, a surge of energy pushed away from me, racking my whole body. My breath was ragged, I was breathing hard.. too hard. For once, he didn’t seem just disappointed. he seemed hurt. I felt blood coming down my nose.. like it had happened to Eleven.
“Who- who are you?!” Someone pulled me out of my mad daze. I turned… and saw Max.
“Max…!” I cried out as I saw her, “Max it’s me!” I tilted my head. She seemed… confused. Why… doesn’t she remember me?
“Who are you?” I turn to the familiar voice of El. My heart dropped when I saw that she was glaring at me… her hand aimed straight towards me.
“El… El, it’s me-” Again, this weird sensation came over me. So it was him. “You!” I turned towards Vecna. “Stop it!” I knew it. I knew he was the one doing this. Over all my years, One was the easiest to figure out. Over all the years… I knew when his mind games were happening.
“Why are you doing this?” He asked me. His voice brought no comfort anymore, it was gravelly and course.
“‘Why’? Why am I defending people? Because you decide to kill them!” I shouted, no longer feeling my tears. I was simply astounded… he really had no remorse.
“Those people killed themselves by holding on to the past,” I glared at him as he continued to speak. I truly have no tears left to cry— not for him. I put my hand out, straight towards him. “Show me where we really are.” my voice was stern as I demanded. He didn’t resist, he only sighed and the facade faded away. Instead of a decorated gym… we were somewhere that resembled Hell itself.
“Now… you see” he started, “Now you see where I was banished for so many years…” He spoke lowly, making sure I heard his slow voice. I could tell his next move. I sensed him trying to wrap a vine around me… but I used my energy to push him back.
“We could have been happy! You know I liked you…!” I was confident, but even I felt my voice break. “You always wanted more…” My eyes glazed over as I walked straight for him. “Why… couldn’t WE be enough?” I referred to our relationship, and of course he knew.
“You were never strong Y/n…” He smirked, “I just needed to use you to my advantage,” Well. That was it.
“Well… then seems like everything you did… was for nothing,” My voice was a calm before the storm… and I screamed my lunges out, using all my power to slam him against the door with a beautiful stained glass rose on it.
“Y/n… you’re… you’re breaking my heart,” It was a pathetic attempt. I guess it was very familiar. I looked at my surroundings. I saw Max with her limbs broken… I saw El was passed out. I saw him, Vecna.
“Oh yeah?” I couldn’t help but smirk, “Well… you already destroyed mine,” And then I blasted him. STRAIGHT INTO THE NEXT YEAR. But of course… my power wasn’t controlled— not well enough for me to control. I blanked. I couldn’t tell what happened next because… I blacked out…
#fanfic#fanfiction#st4#stranger things#001#One#one#Vecna#Henry Creel#Peter Ballard#A breaking heart part 2#part 2#lovers to enemies#upside down
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Date anon again! Have you posted your ocs?? I don't think I've seen them srry if someone already asked about them!
Hey date anon! Thank you so much for your ask about my OCs, it means a lot to me that people are interested in them! I had this laying around in my inbox for an era and a half, but I thought now would be the perfect time to release them!
If anyone wants to learn more about these babes, just ask! I put a lot of time and love into them.
HAPPY 150+ FOLLOWERS, EVERYONE!
My (Main) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo OCs!
Daphne Libertina (she/her)
Say HIII GIRLIEEE to my first and most developed Vento Aureo OC, Daphne! She’s your classic Y2K aesthetic airhead archetype. While designing her, I found Bimbo TikTok and fell in love with the aesthetic and the ideology. Because of this, a lot of the ditzy behaviour I worked into Daphne’s personality and design is inspired by Chrissy Chlapecka’s New Age Bimbo. She’s kind of a hyperfeminine vessel for whatever “girly” sentiments I have as well. I’m not that outwardly feminine in my daily life (I have a gender crisis every second week, subscribe for more!), so Daph was an experiment in expressing it elsewhere. This resulted in a newfound obsession with the colour pink and a renewed love for characters like Elle Woods and Cher Horowitz.
You might know her from my absolute banger of an art debut, the “Nectar” post*. Her besties include @blackevermore’s Chiara, @amarettocoffee’s Gina, and @bucciaratis-titty-window’s Strelitzia. Love ya galz, xoxo!
Stand: Scarlet Letter (Namesake: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne [Book]). Alternatively**, Teen Idle (Namesake: Teen Idle by MARINA [Song])
*DISCLAIMER: She does not actually do… that. Even if @bucciaratis-titty-window says otherwise. Don’t listen to her. (That being said, take a wild guess who I ship her with.)
**“Why does she have two stand names?” Her stand was developed as SL but TI adheres to the music reference stand criteria. That being said, it’s a creative choice that I use SL regardless. Both pieces of media play a huge part in her foundation.
Capriccio “Crema” Solitario (they/them)
Described often by my friends as a feral noodle, Capriccio—codename Crema*—is my compulsory “Hey, I kinda wanna bang literally all of La Squadra???” self insert that gives me intense gender envy. Capri started out as a joke character, as their old name was “La Squadra Thot” or “LST” for short (take from that what you will). This was eventually shortened to “La Thotra” … until I gave them a tragic backstory and a real personality. That being said, their base function was still present in their later design: they were La Squadra Esecuzioni’s stress toy for a little while, but eventually settled down with two of my favourite assassin degenerates and holds their own as a valuable member of the team.
Stand: Mindless Self Indulgence/MSI (Namesake: Mindless Self Indulgence [Band])
*I have a headcanon that La Squadra’s “names” are all codenames, and that they have perfectly reasonable—if not slightly referential—normal names.
Lucetta “Lulu” Vitali (she/her/they/them)
Lucetta is probably the closest OC I have to a genuine self insert—she’s the most like me out of all of my JoJo OCs, anyway. Funnily enough, she doesn’t have that much development outside of her relationship dynamic with her long-term boyfriend*. I’m still trying to figure out how to translate all of me—or at least the key parts of me—into her and how she lives. Stay tuned for that. For now, I’ll bet that she’s working an entry level position in the writing industry, a projection of my future (hopefully).
Dierdre Darling (she/her)
Stand: N/A—just a regular ol’ person.
*For the record, I'm actually currently single & happy that way. Lulu, however, is dating her high school sweetheart. Guess who!
Mild gore warning on this one, she's... special.
Dierdre came to me in a moment of exercise delirium while listening to Blood Eater by Mom, and was inspired by the way zombies work in the TV show iZombie. Well, that’s how her stand works, anyway. She began Araki-style, power first and character second. She’s a shrill, unhinged woman with an insatiable craving for human flesh, blood and bone. She’s kinda like Secco, but worse. And yes, those teeth are purposefully, cosmetically sharpened. Also, a Unita Speciale member. Ask @bucciaratis-titty-window who babysits her.
She’s not exactly “with” anyone right now, but the joke at the beginning of her development was that she’d fallen hopelessly in love with a man who could create the rot and decay of time before her very eyes… oh, did I mention she’s fascinated by decay?
Stand: Living Dead Girl (Namesake: Living Dead Girl by Rob Zombie [Song])
#jojo's bizarre adventure golden wind#jojo's bizarre adventure vento aureo#jojo's bizarre adventure part 5#jojo's bizarre adventure#jjba va#jjba shipping#jjba#jjba gw#jjba oc#oc#oc x canon#oc/canon#self insert#jojo anime#jojo manga#JJBA OC Crema#JJBA OC Dierdre#JJBA OC Lucetta#JJBA OC Daphne#ask#anon#date anon#tysm#150 Follower Event#follower milestone#150 follower oc announcement celebration#mild gore warning#Lizposting
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I'm so confused about the timeline. I think that everything is happening concurrently in the week of spring break but then the scenes of Hawkins High make me think that they are not on spring break.
When is the Cali group expected to arrive in Hawkins?
What are your theories on how the Hawkins group is going to free Nancy from Vecna if they don't know her favorite song. Maybe that is why they had Robin being nosy in her bedroom and she'll have some educated guess based on seeing a tape or something?
So ep 1 is the day before Spring Break begins, Friday, March 21, 1986 (that’s why the Hawkins HS scenes and Lenora Hills scenes are taking place). Then Spring Break begins the next day. I’ve put a whole long timeline below; you can pretty much track the days, but things get confusing in ep 7 because a lot of it appears to be taking place overnight between Wednesday, March 26-Thursday, March 27, I think.
I don’t think Cali gang will arrive in Hawkins until ep 9. That could be March 28, but much more likely March 29. They weren’t in ep 7 and maybe they won’t show any of the drive to the silo, but they have to reunite with El, there’s a salt bath scene, a night stop at a gas station, and idk if they’ll show any of the drive back to Hawkins or how long that will take from Nevada. They could just show one scene of them on the road or the other scenes count enough so they just show them arriving back in Hawkins (I bet that will be so emotional for all of them to see it again!)
Re: how Nancy’s saved; I’m so curious about this too. I wonder if they’ll use music again (in which case yes, Robin did go through her tapes; I like that theory—altho they aren’t near her tapes), or if Steve will do anything, or if there’s anything else that can get you out of Vecna’s trance, or if Vecna lets her out of the trance. It’s interesting that he didn’t stalk her at all before hand—he pulls her in and shows her his full backstory, but to what purpose? You’d think he’d def want to kill her bc he’s revealed so much, and yet he wasn’t going after her exactly the same way—is he so confident he won’t get caught he shows her all this anyway to just mess with her and then lets her go? But I prob lean towards there would still have to be a big rescue moment for her (I’m also assuming that Eddie moment is during Creel house battle but all the things they’d have at their disposal are what’s in Eddie’s trailer). Anyway, how Nancy gets out of Vecna’s trance is going to be so huge to see! Really curious what the writers choice is there and if anyone else has any theories on it, lmk what you think.
But, anyway, here’s the Timeline (altho I didn’t put it in order by scene, just roughly what things/eps take place on which day):
Friday, March 21, 1986: ep 1
in Hawkins—that’s the pep rally, newspaper room, cafeteria, basketball game, dnd, Chrissy killed at Eddie’s
In Cali—Lenora HS (El bullied, Jargyle shop class); Joyce receives package from Russia
Saturday, March 22, 1986: ep 1 and part of ep 2
Spring Break begins
in Cali—Mike arrives; Murray arrives; roller rink; the writers forget it’s Will’s bday smh; Joyce and Murray call Enzo; golf scene; jargyle high; dinner scene
In Nevada—Owens is visited by Sullivan that night and told of the new killings in Hawkins and that he blames El
In Hawkins—aftermath of chrissy’s death, Nancy and Fred investigate, rest of hawkins crew—the ricks & eddie hiding, Fred is killed that night
Sunday, March 23, 1986: part of ep 2 and ep 3
In Cali—El is arrested; Joyce and Murray leave for Russia; Cali crew try to see El; El is taken away and intercepted Owens; diner scene with El and Owens; Owens people inform the Byers There are new killings in Hawkins and El has been taken by Owens to get her powers back
In Hawkins—CW Jason again takes up too much screentime (looking for Eddie), Nancy and Hawkins crew reunited, Nancy and Robin research at the library; Max sees clock (not so good!), Lucas warns of CW Jason
Monday, March 24: ep 4 and a part of ep 5
In Hawkins—concern about Max; Ronance go to Pennhurst; Victor Creel monologue; max at cemetery and that running up that Hill moment
In Cali—byers under house arrest; Jonathan comes up with plan to go to Hawkins; Sullivans raid and shoot out on the Byers house; hero agent man dies in van; a little confusing bc says 12 hours ago in the next ep, but I think El arrives at Silo this day
In Alaska—Joyce and Murray meet up w Yuri
Tuesday, March 25, 1986: most of ep 5, a tiny bit of ep 6
In Hawkins—Nancy pieces together Max’s drawing; Hawkins gang visits Creel House; Patrick dies that night; more wasted screentime of CW Jason questioned by police
In silo—El in Nina project for first time
In Russia—hoppers backstory; Joyce and Murray “land” in Russia
Cali Gang—bury hero agent man, mike has plan to go to Suzie’s
Wednesday, March 26, 1986: most of ep 6
Cali gang—in Utah at Suzie’s
Hawkins gang—meets up again with Eddie, town hall meeting (don’t get me started on how much time CW Jason takes up), ronance are friends plus Robin talks about stancy, that night is the dive (Steve, Nancy, Robin are in UD), rest of Hawkins gang questioned by police about Eddie’s whereabouts
In Silo—El reliving lots of memories
In Russia—demogorgon pit, jopper reunion
Late Wednesday, March 26–into early morning Thursday, March 27: ep 7
But here I actually get confused bc we lose a lot of outdoor signs of day/night: it seems the lite brite, teens in the UD with the rest of them getting them out at Eddie’s trailer portal is happening either late Wednesday, March 26, or the early morning (still dark) hours of Thursday, March 27, as is the huge reveal in the silo, Nancy taken by Vecna and watching His backstory. But I think when ep 8 resumes it will still be Thursday, March 27?
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Did you see Kerry is back. It looks like she is the one who stops Charity and Mack robbing Chloe’s house. So she must work there. I know Charity can be bad but that’s bad even for her. This is also why I’m glad Aaron isn’t with Mack because he would be dragged into these storylines because they have no growth plan for Mackenzie. He’s funny but it’s same old same old now.
I just have zero interest in Kerry coming back. There was a time when I liked her. Back in like 2014-2016 when she and Dan were the comic relief couple of the village, they both kind of worked. But the Daz nonsense and breaking up her and Dan and then the whole factory fire nonsense just really ruined her character and now I have no desire to see her back. Plus, her relationship with Amy is always just kind of the same frustrating cycle and I don’t know where she even fits into the village anymore. Like are they just going try and put her back with Dan again now that enough time has passed? I just don’t want any of it. Also…my irrational hatred for Mark Jordan definitely bleeds over into her, which maybe isn’t fair but it is what it is.
As for Charity and Mack…yeah…this scam stuff is exhausting. In part because it’s so repetitive but also because there’s just no reason behind any of it. It’s just random for the sake of doing it. Because it’s always about Robron, the reason Robert’s schemes were more enjoyable to watch, is because there was always an underlying reason for it. He was trying to gain Lawrence’s favor with the fake break in. He was heartbroken over Aaron and in denial over his own responsibility in that and just wanted to blame and destroy a whole family. He scammed Graham because he needed surrogacy money. He went after Lachlan and Chrissie to clear Andy’s name. There was always a reason. With Charity and Mack, it’s just because they don’t seem to know what the hell else to do with them.
I mean I don’t know why they’re trying to do with Charity. I still feel like she should have really been trying to find herself during this break up period. They should have allowed her some growth with Noah, maybe let her have Moses back eventually. Show that even if she is messy, she can still at least try with her kids a little. This haulage stuff could have been great for her, getting out of the pub and away from Chas constantly berating her. But they haven’t done much with it other than allow her to do scams with Mack.
I mean, on a surface level, their scenes are fun, but there’s not much there behind it and so it’s lacking for me. And Mack in general is lacking for me because they have no idea what to do with him. They gave him this whole tragic backstory with Moira and let him emote for two episodes but then haven’t made any connections from his past to his current behavior. They’ve made no real effort to build his relationship with Moira. He’s just been very centered on Charity lately to the detriment of his overall character.
As for Aaron, the thing with him is that his life is so dull at the moment, I would actually welcome a random scheme for him. It’s why those scenes did work with him and Mack because it wasn’t his usual thing. With Charity, it’s like “here we go again” but with Aaron it was like “oh this could be fun”. It hit differently. And I think Aaron challenged Mack in a way that Charity doesn’t so I feel like, in the version that could have existed in my head, that Mack could have gotten Aaron out of his head a little and given him some excitement and Aaron could have pushed Mack toward some sense of growth. Aaron can be dodgy but he also has that moral compass side to him and it would have played well against Mack. So I still feel like it could have worked. And I really wish they at least let them be friends. It’s very annoying that they haven’t had a single scene since that dumb broach story.
Mostly, the show is just a damn mess and it doesn’t feel like there’s any kind of plan for anyone or any real character arcs. (It’s the reason why the Meena/Vic/David and Liam stuff is at all effective because it’s the one part of the show where it feels like there’s somewhat of a deliberate story there)
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On Jim Hopper....
After reading a myriad of analyses and meta on Hopper’s character in S3 on Tumblr/Reddit/Twitter/everywhere, I've come to realize that my understanding of his character and his arc is very different than most interpretations I've seen. And it frustrates me because i think ultimately, the criticism of him is unfairly harsh and misses the point of his arc.
I will make a few bold assertions (bold=likely unpopular) and address them under the cut because the more I’ve thought about this the longer it got and I want to appropriately address each point.
Assertion 1: S1 Hopper is NOT the Hopper we want, in fact, this is regressive! Hopper and we should be glad he’s gone
Assertion 2: S1/S2 Hopper is inappropriately romanticized and it created unrealistic expectations for Hopper’s characterization in S3
Assertion 3: The circumstances in S3 are dramatically different than S1-S2 and drive the changes we see in Hopper’s characterization in S3
Assertion 4: Hopper and Joyce’s arguing in S3 was a symptom of a shift in their relationship dynamic, and not OOC
Assertion 5: Hopper's negative character traits were intentionally amplified in S3 as a juxtaposition for his redemption arc coming in S4
Assertion 1:
When we are introduced to Hopper in S1 he is a pill-popping womanizer. He is a jerk. In episode 1, he shows up to work hungover cracking "your mom" jokes and when Flo tells him that Joyce is worried about her missing kid he dismisses her and says "I’m gonna get on that." A frantic Joyce has to beg him to look for her son and during the conversation, he's throwing in interjections about screwing Chrissy as a teen in the back of his dad's Oldsmobile and somewhat snidely inquiring about whether Will is gay. Not a very nice dude.
It's not until later in the episode when we learn that he had a daughter who is now dead, and begin to suspect that perhaps there is more to him than the jerk-off cop from a small town. And then the first real introduction we get to Hopper, the real Hopper, is in 1x2 when an agitated Joyce asks him "wouldn't you know your own daughter's [breathing]?" He nearly caves then, caves under the weight of his grief, the pressure of dealing with a case of a missing kid, feeling empathy for what Joyce is going through. So what does he do? He retreats to his cruiser as soon as possible and pops a pill. Why? Because he cannot handle the grief and emotion. So he medicates it away.
For anyone who has ever been on Xanax (or see i.e. Benzos in general) they are typically prescribed to dull intense emotions, such as a anxiety attack. You can be in the middle of an anxiety attack (shaking, crying, unable to breathe), and a Xanax kicks in and it halts the entire thing. You feel nothing. When you're in pain, physical or emotional, it kills that pain almost instantly, too. And that’s what makes it so addictive. And it's not just pain that it kills, but pretty much all emotion with it.
Hopper in S1 is popping Benzos because he is at the lowest point in his life. He lost his daughter and his purpose in life. He is merely existing. He feels like a curse. Part of him even seems to feel responsible for Will's disappearance for no other reason than his own misery. Think about 1x1-1x7 Hopper for a second: can you remember a scene when he smiles? Laughs? Gets angry? Cries? Shows really any emotion at all? I've watched s1 multiple times and I don't remember one. He's so heavily medicated that he isn't feeling ANYTHING.
But then in 1x8, we finally get a glimpse of the real Hopper in glimpses of his backstory. A man laughing and playfully throwing around his daughter. We see a broken man crying in a hallway. We see a tender man reading to his daughter. This is the real Hopper who isn't just existing as Hopper is in S1, but living.
Hopper saving Will, this is the very beginning of his redemption. In that moment, he is able to bring Will back. Save him in a way he couldn't with his own daughter. That wall he’s built, quite artfully, is finally cracking.
So you see. S1 Hopper isn't what we want. S1 Hopper was in a deep dark cave. Sure, he was kind to Joyce. Helpful. He listened. He didn't lose his temper. But it's easy not to lose your temper when you're not feeling anything. It's easy to be calm and rational when you’re emotionally detached. But what kind of life is that?
Assertion 2:
In S2, Hopper is already different. In 2x1 our first introduction to Hopper is positioned similarly to S1. He pulls into the station in his police car. He's still grouchy, he's still joking around about dumb shit (dating Bob Derek) but we see a real smile from him. He goes with Joyce and Will to Will’s appointments at Hawkins Lab (we don't know how often but it's obviously frequent enough that Owens jokingly refers to Hopper as Will’s “Pop”). Hopper has a purpose again. To protect Will and Joyce, keep them safe. These are externalities. And as someone as riddled with trauma as Hopper is, externalities make it easier to function. Hyper-vigilance and overprotective/controlling behavior aren’t exactly admirable qualities, but they come in handy when the people close to you are threatened by inter-dimensional shadow monsters.
It’s at the end of 2x1 when we are introduced to the biggest change for Hopper: he has El. Someone to “feed, protect, teach.” And love. Turns out, love is a feeling. And with one feeling comes many feelings. She brought him out of that deep dark cave so now Hopper smiles. Laughs. Cries. Loses his temper. And with those feelings come all of his own insecurities, imperfections, fears. He confides in El at the end of the season about some of these fears: he believes himself to be a black hole. A black hole that took Sara. Almost took Will. And could take El too and he is terrified that will happen. He apologizes for some of his bad behavior. And we see El forgive him because she not only loves him, but recognizes that his anger and fear come from a different place than Brenner’s did. Hopper isn’t exhibiting controlling behavior to manipulate her. It’s because he loves her.
But here’s the thing. His apology and his and El’s recognition of his toxic behavior doesn’t make it okay, and it doesn’t magically make it disappear moving forward.
The 2 year gap between S2 and S3, I think, gave us a lot of time as a fandom to create the Hopper we wanted in our minds. A Hopper that moved past his trauma at the end of S2. A Hopper that didn’t lose his temper anymore because he apologized to El. A temper he can shut off now because the Gate is closed. A Hopper who would patiently wait around for years until Joyce was ready for him and had moved on from Bob. A Hopper who would be fine with sharing El with Mike because love conquers all. A Hopper viewed through rose-colored glasses.
But this isn’t realistic. Trauma can often be complex and in Hopper’s case, compartmentalized, making it easy to burst forth at any given moment and often inappropriately so. It can make you act badly, irrationally. It can be 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. And as an audience, I think a lot of us didn’t expect this to be a part of his storyline in S3. The expectation was that there would be continuous upward growth from his arc in S2 and when that didn’t happen, it was the subverted expectations that led to the disappointment in how his arc was handled in S3. But this disappointment doesn’t mean his arc didn’t make sense.
Assertion 3:
The Hopper we see at the end of S2 seems content. He has El. He has Joyce’s friendship. Things are at peace, the gate is closed. All is well. Or so we think. The Hopper we see at the beginning of S3 is miserable, lonely, sad, fat, and angry. It’s kind of jarring. But so are the circumstances at the beginning of S3. In S3, there is no longer an active threat. Everyone is starting to move on from the events of S1-S2. Joyce and El don’t need his protection anymore because there is no active threat. His hyper-vigilance leads him to almost shooting Betsy Payne’s dog, not shooting inter-dimensional demodogs. His overprotective/ controlling instincts are no longer useful they’re annoying, over the top, and just plain toxic.
In short, there are no longer externalities for Hopper to focus on, so all he has to focus on is himself. And he is not good at doing that, because that means focusing on his fears, insecurities, and imperfections. And the circumstances at the beginning of s3 give him plenty to personally angst about The two major ones:
1) El is growing up. This is normal, of course. Little girls become teenagers who become adults. But El isn’t a normal girl, and Hopper is not a normal Dad. El has superpowers, and she is not a kid anymore. She is a teenager with a boyfriend, she doesn’t need him the same way she used to, and Hopper cannot protect her the way he used to. Hopper lost his daughter when she was ~6 years old and he didn’t get to raise El for the first 12 years of her life. They’ve missed out on so much together.
And here’s the tragic thing: eventually, she will become an adult, and she will no longer need him at all, theoretically. Hopper isn’t her biological father. So what ties El to him, other than her need for him to protect her? In his mind, nothing. In his mind, her growing up means turning 18 and leaving him. Permanently. He can’t lose another daughter. That would break him. So what does he do? “Try to stop the change. Turn back the clock. Make things go back to the way things were.” When she was his little girl he was not in danger of losing her. And because he has trauma, because he is unable to handle his emotions, he takes it out on Mike and Mike/El’s relationship. He takes it out on their closeness. This symbol of her becoming an adult.
2) Joyce is moving away. Understandable, of course. Her youngest son was snatched by the Demogorgon and she had to venture into another dimension to bring him back from near death, he was possessed in S2, and her boyfriend was brutally murdered in front of her. I would want out of there, too. But doing so means leaving Hopper behind. Joyce, the one other constant in his life, who he can talk to about anything, who he relies on for parenting advice for El, who he can trust completely, who is always there for him, who he loves (who perhaps he’s always loved). And she’s leaving him behind.
So he thinks maybe, maybe, if he make her feel safe, if he gives her a reason to stay (him)...that she will. But she stands him up and she doesn’t just stand him up, it turns out it’s because the threat was back and he not only didn’t realize it but wasn’t able to keep them all safe from it, despite that being his sole driving force. He had one job. And he failed.
So, you see, Hopper’s character arc in S3 is about him, and not the externalities in S1-S2. He cannot hide behind the danger anymore. He can’t hide behind “feeding, protecting, teaching.” His flaws and imperfections are on full display and it’s more difficult for us, and Hopper, to sweep them under the rug. They’re amplified by the circumstances and his arc.
Assertion 4:
This is sort of an aside? But something I still wanted to address because I see it come up a lot. Namely, that Hopper and Joyce’s dynamic in S3 didn’t make sense, was out of character, and/or that Hopper’s behavior was abusive. I think that this particular point is important to review not only for Hopper but for Joyce as well, who is integral to Hopper’s character arc, and who I think the fandom often handles with kid gloves. Full disclosure, I AM a Jopper shipper, and have been since 1x1. That being said, I was not bothered by their dynamic in S3 because I think it was an important bridge in the structure of the show as as well as their relationship.
We still at this point in time don’t know what Jopper’s backstory is, although I suspect we are going to finally get that in S4 based on some of the spoilers/casting calls we’ve gotten over the course of the last few months. What we do know is at the beginning of S1 there is a familiarity between them (she calls him Hop), there are rumors around town that they fucked, and they seem to trust each other on a level that is not shared with other adult characters.
I hear a lot of people say S2 was “peak Jopper.” Their relationship is pretty stable. They are friends, he goes with her to Hawkins Lab, she relies on him for safety and protection, they are gentle with each other. It’s nice. But it’s also not very personal. Joyce is with Bob. Hopper doesn’t tell Joyce that he’s been hiding El. They obviously care about each other (and it seems like Hopper has some feelings there) but they hold each other at arm’s length.
This isn’t the case anymore in S3. In S3, there is no more arm’s length. They’re co-parenting. He shows up at Melvald’s at the beginning of 3x1 (reminiscent of Bob appearing at the beginning of 2x1) for advice, which it appears he’s been doing for months. They really have no one else but each other to confide in, which they clearly do a lot. There are feelings there now on both sides (I don’t subscribe to the theory that Joyce doesn’t reciprocate his feelings, but that is a discussion for another thread.)
These new (old?) feelings interrupted the S2 relationship dynamic. They’re not just comfortable friends anymore reminiscing about high school. Hopper wants to be close to her, but doesn’t quite know how and blunders through attempt after attempt and the more she rejects him the more upset he gets and the worse he handles it. Joyce is still struggling to move on from Bob and (imo) is confused about her feelings for Hopper because he is a little bit like Bob, a little bit like Lonnie (and yet nothing like either of them at the same time) and I don’t think she quite knows what to do with that except to fight her feelings and hold Hopper at arm’s length. The end result is bickering and Hopper losing his temper, because neither of them are able to really discuss their feelings for various reasons.
Most significantly, when they’re bickering and when Hopper loses his temper, Joyce is not afraid of Hopper. She is never afraid of him. She holds her own, she argues back, she stands her ground. When he refuses to believe her about the magnets, she steamrolls him into following her to the Lab. When he shouts at her, she shouts back. When he digs at her, she digs back. The problem with characterizing Hopper’s behavior in S3 as abusive is it fails to grasp the intent behind the bickering. They’re attempting to find a new normal, a new relationship dynamic. The way people refer to them throughout the season is heavily coded in language that describes a “team” a “couple.” Because despite the bickering they do respect each other and care about each other and in 3x8 they start to come to that realization together.
(My other issue with calling Hopper abusive is that it makes Joyce a victim. And Joyce isn’t a victim. She’s own her independent entity with needs and wants and desires. After 2 seasons of being “mom,” shoving her into another archetype reliant on another male character’s actions sorta sucks, doesn’t it? I really do not think this what the Duffers were going for here.)
Assertion 5:
Finally, I wanted to touch on the 3 biggest Hopper blunders in S3:
1) Constantly losing his temper. I italicized this further up because I wanted to emphasize the fact that this was not something new in S3. It’s always been there. In S1 the benzo’s were masking it. In S2, he was screaming at a 12 year old girl about how she cannot do anything right. It’s unacceptable behavior. It got worse in S3 because it is also a symptom of a hurting man who is losing control of everything around him. In S1-S2 attempting to control everything worked, in S3 it didn’t work anymore.
2) Breaking up Mike and El. After nearly a year of it just being El and Hopper, he has to share her with Mike. Combine this with El growing up and Mike and El’s co-dependent behavior, it’s a recipe for disaster. He tries and fails at a heart to heart and starts shouting and carrying on instead. Slipping into cop mode is easier than Dad mode. It was also the wrong way to handle it.
3) Trying to push Joyce into a date before she was ready. I already touched a bit on this above in #3, but his eagerness to make her stay leads him to try to push her into something she is not ready for. The end result is more misery for him when she fails to show up, and him being a jerk about it for the duration of the season (”You know he reminds me a little bit of a Russian Scott Clarke.”)
Here’s the thing though, he makes these blunders because he’s flawed. He’s always been flawed. And the combination of his prior trauma, the circumstances leading up to S3, the shift in relationship dynamics between him and Joyce, and the shift of the narrative from externalities to hhis internalities, make S3 very different than S1-S2. And it showed us that Hopper really is more of an anti-hero than a “good guy” and has been this entire time.
And if you wanted him to be the good guy because he had soft moments in S1-S2, S3 was just a set-up for a let-down because Hopper isn’t the good guy. He’s a jerk. And jerks don’t get the girl. Jerks don’t get happy endings. Jerks die. Unless they survive, and get a chance at redemption.
Being trapped in a frozen Russian gulag can kill you, or it can make you stronger. It can make you re-evaluate what you took for granted, how you handled situations, how you interact with those you love, what really matters. And for someone like Hopper, who loves deeply despite his issues, this is the opportunity to turn all of that around and truly start over. And if you are the Duffer brothers, you want to ying and yang that shit so the yang is that much more noticeable and emotional when it happens. This whole journey for Hopper is just as important as the outcome and as someone who loves his character, I want to be with him for that entire journey, not just the “good” parts.
So I guess, in sum, Hopper is a flawed jerk who loves El and Joyce. Who makes mistakes, but usually has good intentions. Who had a lot of bad shit happen to him. Who made a lot of missteps and mistakes, particularly in S3, but deserves empathy and a chance at redemption. Who should come back a changed man and get the girl and the happy ending. And I think S3 needs to be viewed through this vacuum in order to fully appreciate his character and the arc.
And if you read all the way through this, God Bless you.
#Jim Hopper#Joyce Byers#El Hopper#Stranger Things#Jopper#meta#not sure what else to tag this or if should even be tagging this at all?#anyway thank you for coming to my long winded ted talk#please feel free to discuss and add your thoughts if you so desire
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But You Can Never Leave [Chapter 7: Forget Everything You Know]
Hi y’all! I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all so much for reading and for showing me and my fics some love. You better believe that I see EVERY. SINGLE. reblog, comment, tag, and message, and they mean the absolute world to me! I know that a lot of content creators are frustrated and taking breaks right now, but rest assured you will not be able to get rid of me if even a SINGLE person looks forward to something I write. I’ll finish this fic (eventually), and I’ll finish the next one too (it already has a name!), and I won’t disappear or leave the Queen/BoRhap fandom at any point in the foreseeable future. Lots of love to you all, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy! 💜 💜 💜
Chapter summary: Y/N brings home some friends; Brian attempts an intervention; John draws a line; Roger gets an answer.
This series is a work of fiction, and is (very) loosely inspired by real people and events. Absolutely no offense is meant to actual Queen or their families.
Song inspiration: Hotel California by The Eagles.
Chapter warnings: Language.
Chapter list (and all my writing) available HERE
Taglist: @queen-turtle-boiii @loveandbeloved29 @killer-queen-xo @maggieroseevans @imnotvibingveryguccimrstark @im-an-adult-ish @queenlover05 @someforeigntragedy @imtheinvisiblequeen @joemazzmatazz @seven-seas-of-ham-on-rhye @namelesslosers @inthegardensofourminds @deacyblues @youngpastafanmug @sleepretreat @hardyshoe @bramblesforbreakfast @sevenseasofcats @tensecondvacation @bookandband @queen-crue @jennyggggrrr @madeinheavxn @whatgoeson-itslate @brianssixpence
Please yell at me if I forget to tag you! :)
“Smile, everyone!” Your dad peeks through the viewfinder of the Canon F-1 and beams. “One...two...three...say Queen!”
“Queen!” you all shout gleefully. The flash illuminates the dining room, and you blink away momentary blindness. The table materializes back into vision: lobsters, clams, haddock chowder, sourdough bread, fried oysters, pierogis with Vermont cheddar cheese, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes...and, of course, Boston cream pie for dessert.
“Ah, perfection,” your dad sighs contently. “Please continue, Mr. Mercury.”
“Mr. Mercury!” Brian whines, incredulous. “Like he’s got a bloody PhD or something!”
Freddie cracks a lobster claw. He hasn’t taken his sunglasses or wrist-full of clanging bangles off all afternoon. Your parents are profoundly confused by him, but welcoming nonetheless. “I’m a professor of lusciousness. Pay attention and you could learn something.”
Brian rolls his eyes and dunks a hunk of sourdough bread into his chowder.
“So,” Freddie tells your mother between bites of lobster dripping with drawn butter. “Our darling damsel in distress was in the clutches of that horrid, dodgy wanker when none other than our very own Roger Meddows Taylor—”
“You weren’t even there!” Brian protests. “I wasn’t even there! This is, what, a third-hand account?!”
“Eat your soup, peasant. Thank you. Anyway, our beloved Roger comes raging out of nowhere, red-faced, nostrils flaring, a terrifying sight to behold, grabs this guy by his hair and slams his despicable face directly into a marble column. Broken nose, cracked orbital socket, blood everywhere! It was magnificent. I’ve never been more proud.”
“Good for you!” your mother cheers, patting the back of Roger’s hand encouragingly. He smiles at her, warmly, radiantly, like the wildfire he’s always reminded you of. And you marvel at how every human on this earth is made of the same fundamental components—blood and muscles and vessels and nerves, hearts and enigmatic brain matter and ribs, vulnerable parts, armored parts, all webbed together like nature’s own organic circuit board—and yet the marks they leave on you can feel so different: burns, scars, bruises, shadows, imprints that are deep enough to brush bone and never fade.
“Mom, the guy could have died!”
“Did he?” she asks innocently.
“Nope,” Roger says.
“Well then, Mr. Taylor here is a hero in my book.”
“Mr. Taylor!” Brian groans.
“I was petrified he would turn out to be the son of an executive or producer or something and the band would be ruined,” you say. “Fortunately he was just someone’s annoying frat brother from college who already had a reputation for being a sleazebag. So, we were in luck.”
“You were in luck that Mr. Taylor was there,” your mother points out, gazing at him dreamily. This delightful English boy is going to be my son-in-law and give me gorgeous, doe-eyed grandchildren, that look says.
“Yes, a literal superhero,” John says ruefully, sipping a Manhattan. Your dad has a passionate love for mixing cocktails, especially for guests who also happen to be rock stars.
“Mom. Don’t make his ego any bigger, please. I’m begging you.”
Roger snarls around a mouthful of Boston cream pie, sending your mom into a fit of giggles.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, dear.” She smooths your hair. “And that you have people to keep you safe all the way over there across the ocean, and that you’re happy.”
“Yes, your work environment is much improved, isn’t it?” Brian says. “That supervisor you had at the hospital was an absolute bear!”
Your dad strokes his short grey beard. “Well...” he admits. “That may have been my fault.”
Brian’s brow crinkles. “Really?”
Your mom turns to you. “You didn’t tell them?!”
“Oh, is there a scandalous backstory?” Freddie inquires, elated. “Do tell, darling!”
“Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away—just kidding, it was here in Boston—my archnemesis Patricia and my dad dated.”
Roger drops his fork, appalled. “No!”
Freddie’s nose wrinkles in revulsion. “Why?!”
Your dad rocks back in his chair and laughs loudly, heartily. “She wasn’t always so cantankerous, if you can believe it. She was a sweet girl, wonderful even. But then I met my future wife, and...” He smirks guiltily. “What can I say? The heart wants what it wants!”
You nod along. “And I got the illustrious honor of being an outlet for the frustration stemming from Patricia’s lifelong unrequited love.”
“You saucy minx!” Freddie playfully lashes your mom’s shoulder with a cloth napkin. “Homewrecker!”
She chuckles, not the least bit offended. “People get together under all sorts of strange circumstances, and you know what? You can’t wreck a home if the home wasn’t already half-wrecked before you got there, that’s what I think.”
Roger raises his Patriot’s Punch. “I’ll drink to that.”
Brian clutches his New England Express, bewildered. “Are we...toasting to infidelity?”
“Oh, does that horrify you?” Rog asks sarcastically. Brian grimaces, but dutifully raises his glass.
“We’re toasting to love,” your dad clarifies. “However it comes, as long as it’s true.”
John holds his Manhattan aloft. “To love.”
Freddie clinks his Flying Elvis against the other beverages, including your parents’ wine glasses and your Cranberry Crush. “Cheers!” Then Fred glances at the clock and swiftly polishes off his slice of Boston cream pie.
“Can’t you all stay a little longer?” your mom pleads, collecting plates and gazing longingly at Roger. “This has been so much fun...”
“They have soundcheck at seven, Mom. We have to leave for the stadium soon.”
“Well, before you jet off to your next adventure, can I treat anyone to a long distance call?” your dad asks.
Brian perks up. “Really?!” You know there’s a ring in the future for Chrissie; not an expensive or extravagant ring (not that Chris would want that anyway), but a ring nonetheless. You know because Brian has taken you shopping to help him choose one.
“Of course! You can use the phone in my office. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. I’m sure there are some lovely ladies back in jolly old England who would be over the moon to hear from you.”
“That would be very much appreciated!” Brian says. “And thank you so much, this has been such a treat, you have no idea how long it’s been since we had a proper homemade meal.”
“I had to rehabilitate the reputation of us Yankees, didn’t I? Now come on, Mr. May, I’ll show you to the office...”
“Mr. May...I like the sound of that!”
“Ten minutes, Bri!” Freddie calls, following them down the hallway. “Then it’s my turn...!”
You begin gathering up the empty glasses, but Roger promptly snatches them away. “No way, Boston babe. You go relax. I’ll help your mom.”
“I think she’s in love with you.”
He grins. “Do you have a secret stepdaddy fetish I could exploit?”
“Oh my god. Roger.”
He snickers and sweeps off into the kitchen. It’s only then that you realize John has disappeared. You check the kitchen, the living room, the hallway, the study, and finally the front porch; John is standing outside in the cold, smoking and watching the setting sun. The sky is threaded with cerulean, rust orange, lavender, indigo. You pull on your coat and go out to join him.
“We’ll make it to Florence one of these days,” you promise John, resting your arms on the wooden, white-painted porch railing. Your mother hung baskets of fresh flowers for the band’s visit, which swing lazily in the breeze. “Crank out a few more hits and we’ll get the record company to add it to the tour itinerary.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice.”
“Are you going to call Veronica?”
He shrugs, frowns, exhales a lungful of smoke into frigid New England air. “I don’t know if I should.”
“You don’t think she’d like that?” you ask, confounded.
“I think she might like it too much.”
“Ohhhhh.” You read his soft greyish eyes, which are faraway and somber, sad even. “I’m sorry, John. You know she’s wild about you.”
“I know it.” He takes a drag off his cigarette. “She’s the first person who ever was, actually. The first person who ever noticed me. Came up to me out of the blue at a disco and asked me to dance, me! So I said yes, like you do when you’re the guy nobody notices. And then I said yes again, and again, and again, until one day I realized...oh, this girl thinks we’re getting married. When the hell did that happen?”
“I noticed you,” you contest.
John chuckles and nods. “You did,” he agrees. “Right away. Tried to win me over when I was too nervous to finish a sentence around you. But that was long after I’d met Veronica.”
“Well, you can’t break up with her tonight. On Valentine’s Day?! That would be traumatic.”
“Agreed.”
“We’ll have a few days in London between the American and Asian legs of the tour. You can think it over and decide what to do then. I’m happy to arrange the getaway taxi if that’s something that interests you.”
“Yeah.” Again, he peers out into the Western horizon, into rising stars.
“John?”
Now he looks to you. He’s a little too thoughtful, too low. There’s something you’re not seeing.
“...Is there somebody else?”
He doesn’t speak; he just stares at you with those velvety azure-grey eyes, drums his fingers against the railing, lets the ash from his cigarette crumble into the snow-dusted Blue Pacific Junipers.
Roger barrels through the front door and out onto the porch. “There you are, Deaks! I thought we were going to have to find a new bassist. Enlist Nurse Nightingale’s mum or something.”
John smirks and crushes the rest of his cigarette in your father’s ashtray. “I suspect you’d do just fine without me.”
“Oh no. No way. Not happening.”
“That’s kind of you,” John says, unconvinced.
“Here, I’ll prove it.” Rog holds out his calloused hand. “If you ever leave, I leave too. Come on, Deaks, shake on it. It’s official. It’s a pact. There’s no Queen without John Deacon.”
Reluctantly, trying not to show how pleased he is, John shakes. “Alright.”
Roger grins triumphantly. “Signed, sealed, delivered. You’re ours for life, baby.”
“Deaky, do you want the phone?!” Freddie yells from inside the house.
John sighs and exchanges a knowing glance with you. “I guess I should say hi.”
“Okay, but quickly!” Rog presses. “We gotta go!”
“So bossy...” John ducks inside; and Roger, though he’s not wearing anything over his pale pink button-up shirt—sufficiently sophisticated to impress your parents—comes to the porch railing to join you.
“You’re not staying out here, are you?” You eye his thin shirt worriedly, the goosebumps rising over his collarbones, his bare forearms where he rolled up his sleeves to help your mom wash the dishes.
He tosses you a mischievous wink. “I’ve got no one to call.”
Roger looks up at the hanging baskets of flowers, plucks out a cerise carnation, and offers it to you. You mean to say something witty, something sardonic, something that will make him laugh; but all your words vanish into cold February air. You take the carnation, smiling helplessly.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Roger whispers.
You just let me know if you ever change your mind, okay?
Okay.
He turns to go back inside the house.
I won’t fall in love with him. I won’t fall in love with him. I won’t fall in love with him.
Then Roger pauses in the doorway. “You coming, Boston babe? I can’t have you catching pneumonia or something. I won’t know how to fix you.”
Oh, you realize, with horror and yet relief, all those grueling lies stripped away. It’s too late.
~~~~~~~~~~
You knock on the frame of the dressing room door. “Hi Bri!”
He glances over from where he sits in front of the mirror, rimming his eyes with inky liner. Soundcheck went swimmingly, and now Queen has thirty minutes until they need to be onstage. You can hear the disembodied reverberation of voices from the waiting crowd through the walls. “Hello, love. Come in.”
“Freddie said you needed to see me. Did you rip a sleeve or something? I brought my kit—”
“No, it’s not that.” He pats the chair beside him. The boys practically always get ready together before a show, but you suspect profoundly introverted Brian is experiencing one of his post-socialization crashes after dinner with your parents. Something about him is tired, very tired, almost drained to empty. “Join me.”
“Sure,” you say cautiously. You shove your medical kit onto the countertop and then reach to feel his forehead. “Are you feeling alright...?”
“I’m fine, love. I just have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
Brian sighs deeply, sets down the eyeliner, swivels his chair towards you. “I need you to promise me that you’re not going to start seeing Roger.”
You titter, deflecting, brushing Brian’s hair away from his troubled, angular face. “Well, as the official Queen touring nurse, I see him quite a lot.”
Brian catches your wrist. “I’m being serious.”
Now your brow knits into tight agitated lines. “I’m curious as to why you think that’s something you have a say in.”
“Bloody hell, I’m not trying to offend you—”
“Job well done.”
“Dear, please, listen to me—”
“Eight months,” you hiss through your teeth as you tear away from him. “For eight months I’ve listened and avoided and resisted and ignored and it’s not going away.”
“Oh, fuck,” Brian breathes in despair. “You love him.”
There are tears biting in the periphery of your vision; you don’t want them to be there, but they are. Your voice is hoarse and trembling. “Bri, please don’t.”
Brian shakes his head and motions with his hands frenetically, desperately, trying to make you understand. “Look, sometimes...sometimes the people we love, the people who own us, the people who fucking set us on fire...they’re not the people we end up with. And that’s not always a bad thing. It’s necessary. It’s self-preservation. Because sometimes the people who set us on fire would burn us alive.”
You gape at him, furious, stunned. “That’s just fantastic, Brian. You’re a true romantic. Jesus christ, does Chrissie know about this? Is that why you’re with her, because she’s, what...safe?!”
“No, that’s not fair, Chrissie’s great, she’s steady and supportive and she’ll make a wonderful mother one day, and my parents adore her—”
“Those aren’t reasons to marry someone, Brian!”
“They are!” He leaps to his feet. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! You have to think about these things, you have to be rational, you have to protect yourself—”
“Why the fuck do you care?” you flare bitterly.
“Because you saved my life.”
“Stop it, I didn’t.”
“You did, I truly believe that. And I want you to stay with the band. And I want you to be happy. But, dear, please, I’m begging you...this is not the way to do it.”
“I’m not going to go out to some pub and drag home a random guy who’s suitably passionless and predictable enough to be Brian-May-approved.”
“That’s not what I’m asking you to do—”
“Because you’re such an expert on relationships!” you shout, exasperated. “Planning to propose to Chris while you’re still secretly pining over some fling from New Orleans, fucking groupies and then having the nerve to mope around guilt-ridden the next morning as if anyone but you was responsible for that decision, and do I say anything about it?! Do I ever say a single fucking word about it to you, or Fred, or Roger, or your future wife, or anybody?! No, because it’s not my life!”
The dressing room door flies open and John storms inside. “What’s going on?!”
You cross your arms and stare at the floor. Brian’s wide green eyes flick to John, to you, back to John. If it was Freddie, Brian would tell him in a second, would try to enlist him in the effort, and it would probably work; but John is a different story. John won’t side with Brian over you, everybody knows that. And John has a talent for sharpening words into blades. “Um. Nothing.”
“I could hear you in the hallway,” John says flatly. “Obviously it wasn’t nothing.”
Brian points to you. “Have you tried to talk her out of this? Maybe you should, maybe she’d listen.”
“It’s not my choice to make, just like it isn’t yours. Worry about your own body count. It seems to be growing exponentially these days.”
Brian scoffs. “Because you’d be so thrilled if she ended up with him, right?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” you demand.
Brian and John glare at each other from across the room. John raises his eyebrows, daring Bri to answer. Brian gnaws his lower lip, but doesn’t elaborate. The air is heavy, tense, electrified.
“Don’t upset her again,” John says darkly.
Brian shows the white palms of his hands in surrender. “Fine.”
John waves for you to follow him. “Come on.” And he slams the door behind you as you both escape into the hallway.
“I’m sorry.” You chase away stray tears with the back of your hands. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get anyone worked up right before the show...”
“Don’t worry about it. I treasure any excuse to harass Brian.”
You study him, seeking answers, seeking more than you know how to put into words. “Do you think I’m being stupid? If you do, you can tell me.”
“No,” John responds carefully. “I think you’re being hopeful. And I’d like to believe that stupidity and hopefulness are two very different things.”
You smile. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s very inaccurate.” He fluffs his hair with his fingertips. “Do you want to touch it before we go on stage?”
You feign demureness. “Hmm...”
“Oh come on. You know you want to. It’s extra voluminous right now, Roger shared some of his magical mousse or whatever. Something way too expensive. You should thoroughly berate him for it.”
You laugh. “I’ll see what I can do.” You comb your hands through his brunette hair, and John’s right; it’s extraordinarily full and soft, and smells like honeysuckles. “You always know how to get me smiling, don’t you?”
“You do insist that I have game. Though I remain skeptical.”
“Good luck tonight. Not that you need it.”
John’s rough thumb lifts your chin, then whisks away a tear you missed. “You’ll be watching, right?”
“I always am.” And that’s the truth; you haven’t missed a Queen show since you met them.
He beams, those gentle grey eyes incandescent. “Then we’ll have an ocean of luck.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Exactly twenty-four hours later, Queen is in New York City.
The thunderous bassline of the opening act shudders through the concrete walls. You’re staring yourself down in the bathroom mirror under harsh florescent lights, your palms gripping the cold rim of a white sink, your eyes shimmering with black and gold shadow, your lip gloss slick and crimson. There’s not a single thing left to do. You’re running out of time.
You breathe in, breathe out, snatch your purse off the floor, breeze out into the hallway.
You can hear the boys’ laughter even before you open the dressing room door. Inside, Brian is tuning his Red Special with his mantis-like legs propped up on the countertop, John is attempting to teach Freddie how to make popcorn in a microwave without setting anything on fire, Roger is scrutinizing his hair in the mirror and frowning as he rearranges it with a comb.
“Hello, darling!” Freddie warbles. “Can I interest you in some delicious and expertly-prepared popcorn?” He opens the microwave, and smoke pours out. “Oh, you bitch!”
“I’ll pass, Freddie.” You glide to where Roger is sitting, knot your fingers through his blond hair, and tug his head back so you can kiss him. He tastes like mint gum and the ghost of smoke and reckless intemperance; he tastes like everything you’ve ever wanted. There are gasps, and surely dropped jaws as well; but you don’t have eyes for them. “Okay,” you tell Roger.
He stares up at you with huge, starry eyes, a dazed grin slowly lighting up his face. “You changed your mind.”
“Come find me after the show.”
“Yes ma’am.”
You move to wipe your blood-red gloss from his lips, but Roger stops you, knits his hand through yours, stands to meet you.
“Leave it,” he murmurs. “I want them to know.”
“Want them to know...?”
His lips touch yours again, smiling and scorching and ravenous. “That I’m yours.”
#roger taylor fic#roger taylor x reader#but you can never leave fic#but you can never leave#but you can never leave series#queen fic
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day thirteen - heated
Rating: G Characters: Henry Warnings: child abuse Description: There are two reasons Henry loves blankets as much as he does.
One of them is really depressing.
Also on AO3!
---
I... really did know what to write for today so have some backstory I guess? The very specific instances in this one are more tentative in their canonicalness than the previous ones but the general gist of it all is very much canon (to my bullshit only).
---
"Mrs. Hanson-"
"Mom."
"... I was, um- wondering if I could have another blanket?"
His foster mother snapped her purse shut and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever for?"
"The one I had is, uh... gone."
She scowled. "Well that's your fault isn't it?"
Because of your kids, he wanted to say.
But he didn't.
---
"Um- I was wondering..."
As soon as he opened his mouth he wished he hadn't, and the howling wind outside gave him hope that she hadn't even heard him. He wasn't quite sure he'd heard his own words, anyway.
But no such luck. She leaned back into the room. "What?"
He took a deep breath. "Could I have one of the older quilts?"
She sighed. "You know those are for when your grandfather visits."
"But he doesn't visit."
She gave him an ugly look, her grip on the knife she was dicing vegetables with tightening. He swallowed and muttered a hasty apology, scooting out of the room.
On his way back upstairs Joshua grinned at him, and the shame and the helpless fury welling up in Henry's stomach was enough to make him sick.
---
"Where'd you get this?"
Chrissy held up the big quilt, two corners pinched between her fingers, looking it over with the calm, cold looking that Henry knew heralded disaster as her evil little brain calculated how best to hurt him with the information she just learned.
"My sister asked you a question." He yelped as Joshua pulled his hair. He couldn't get any taller than standing on his tiptoes to alleviate the pain. "I know you're too dumb to pay attention to teachers, but you've got a vested interest here."
The corner of Chrissy's mouth turned up just slightly. "Like there's not a vested interest in getting good grades?"
"Well I mean- he's too stupid for college."
So are you!
Another brutal yank drew a gasp. "I bought it with money I earned!"
Oh no, he was not showing them his stash. They can't find it on their own right? There's no way, there's no way.
"Liar."
"No rea- ah!" He couldn't get any taller than standing on his tiptoes but that sure didn't stop him from trying anyway.
"I bet you stole it from Mom's purse!"
"That would make the most sense," Chrissy mused, throwing the blanket over one arm.
"Wh- no! No I earned it, I really did! Give it back!" He grabbed at the hand in his hair, but his scrabbling meant nothing to a football player who stood almost a foot taller than him.
"No way did you earn money. Who would even hire you!?" Joshua's laugh was a mocking boom.
"But I did and it was- I work at A Wrench In The Plan!"
Chrissy blinked, tilting her head, her braids bobbing. "The hardware store?"
"Hah! You haven't even left highschool yet and you've got a dead end job? You can't even be a screwup in the right order!" Joshua laughed harder.
"Wait, you bring that baby to a hardware store all day!?"
"What- no!" Oh god no. "Never! Do you know how much dangerous stuff is in there!? No, I work while he's at daycare!"
Wait what time was it- oh no shit it was probably about time to go get Harry-
"I don't think anyone would actually hire him," Chrissy said smoothly. "He shouldn't have this; he didn't buy it with money he actually earned."
"But-"
"What should we do about it?"
She gestured for him to follow her with the crook of a finger, and no amount of struggling could stop the much bigger boy from dragging Henry down the stairs.
He didn't bother crying out for Mackenzie and Kennedy, reading a book in the living room and making a snack in the kitchen, respectively, and they didn't bother to do more than halfway glance up and return to what they were doing.
He didn't want to know what they were doing in the shed now, but he was pretty sure Chrissy would make it apparent.
And she did, pulling a lighter out of a drawer. His breath caught.
"He wants to be warm so bad? Let's help him out."
It was good for him that the shed floor was dirt. The shed catching fire might have actually spelled his death.
It was less lucky that the quilt was made of cloth.
---
"Hey daddy? Why do we have so many quilts?" Alice stood in front of the linen closet, head tilted. "We have a million. And we even have an electric blanket, too! Why do we need so many?"
Henry smiled. "I just like blankets."
---
Also in case anyone missed day one here it is (tumblr | AO3). I think I’m most proud of this one right now.
Also also I didn’t want to plug this during the challenge but I could really use some help. Commissions are open and you could also throw a few dollars my way via my ko-fi. Reblogs to my commission sheet are much appreciated!
#bendy and the ink machine#the ink demonth#the ink demonth 2020#henry stein#batim henry#batim henry stein#my writing#strike up the band au
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This Is Us star Jennifer Morrison on why she joined the show, what to expect from Cassidy
Once upon a time — actually, about two weeks ago — This Is Us uncorked a rather unconventional season 4 premiere. This extended episode introduced a parade of new characters with no discernible tether to the Pearson universe… until the final stretch of the episode, when their connections became (more) evident. Among these new faces: Once Upon A Time and House alum Jennifer Morrison playing Cassidy, an accomplished military officer who suffers from PTSD and returns home to her husband, Ryan (Nick Wechsler), and 9-year-old son, detached and alienated from her old life and clearly suffering. One day she comes home drunk, and in a fit of frustration she winds up accidentally striking her son. Ryan orders her to leave the house, and she winds up seeking help via a support group for veterans. While she’s opening up about her experiences during a session, the moment is interrupted by a chair being thrown through the window. Through its shattered remains, we see our link to a broken Pearson and the perpetrator of the act: Nicky (Griffin Dunne), who’s clutching a bottle of booze.
Tuesday’s episode of the family drama, “Unhinged,” saw Cassidy cross paths with another Pearson, Kevin (Justin Hartley), as he played video games with her son in the waiting room of the veterans’ center (and later single-handedly pushed him into therapy). After meeting Kevin, Cassidy was more formally introduced the disruptor himself, Nicky, and the three of them would share an odd moment of connection — and an unexpected laugh — later in the hour. Elsewhere in the episode: Toby (Chris Sullivan) reluctantly revealed his secret abs to wife Kate (Chrissy Metz), she would bond with a brusque neighbor (welcome back to TV, Timothy Omundson!), Randall (Sterling K. Brown) was forced to make some tough decisions at the office (don’t let the lack of door hit you on the way out, Bernice!), and Miguel (Jon Huertas) continued his mission to win you over by saving Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) from job termination.
Let’s remove the cucumber slices from our eyes and the fish sticks from the microwave, rock a suit like Arsenio Hall, crush some Mario Kart, take the door off the hinges, and welcome Jennifer Morrison into the group.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Your agent tells you there’s a role for you on This Is Us. Your first reaction is…? JENNIFER MORRISON: Oh, I absolutely want to do it. By the way, this was not something that was just like offered to me. I had to fight for this. I love the show. I’m a fan of the show, and I’ve heard that there was a great guest arc coming for a strong female and [creator] Dan Fogelman auditions everybody. Everybody auditions for the show. My team came to me and they were like, “Is this something that you would want enough that you’d be willing to read for?” And I said, “Uhhh, yeah!”
You’re playing a veteran who’s been in the thick of war. How much did Dan and the producers tell you so you could accurately play this character — and what kind of research did you do? It’s a combination of their research and my research. They’re so incredibly thorough over there, which has been wonderful. Dan and I spoke quite a bit about the research the writers have done and the way that they were coming up with this character. Even every department had a lot of research, which was super-helpful. I’m not used to having that many resources in one place. The props department brought a ton of research about some of the tactical gear and the logistics, and the wardrobe brought more research about exactly what uniforms you can wear, when, how, why.
I had played a soldier years ago in an independent film [2013’s Alpha Alert], so I had done some previous research that definitely bled over into this research. I went back to some of the memoirs that I read for that and went online and looked through some of the research about veterans who come home and are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. I re-read a couple books about war. It was a lot of going back to my notes for that [film,] and that character was also struggling with PTSD…. I also started following some veterans online on Instagram and following their everyday lives. I felt like that was another texture to the research — not just knowing what it was like to be in Afghanistan, and not just what it’s like to face the horrors of everything that you’re facing when you’re over there, but also see what people’s everyday lives look like when they came home.
We’ve seen how the horrors of war have ravaged Nicky, and how Jack was able to somewhat successfully compartmentalize them and raise his family. We’ve seen the beginnings of how Cassidy is having trouble readjusting to civilian life. What does her path forward look like? There’s not a ton I can say about it, but Dan and all the writers had been really careful to be incredibly accurate about how delicate that journey is and how unique it is for each person facing it. I don’t think any one person comes home from facing those kind of horrors and has the same exact reaction to it, you know? So I think that’s something that they’ve done a great job with the writing, is really paying attention to the nuance of exactly what this particular woman is doing to try to unwind some of the damage that’s been done.
What adjectives would you use to describe her path forward? I mean, it’s complicated. I know that that’s super-vague, but it is complicated. There’s no clear path to healing, so there’s definitely steps forward and then there’s steps backwards.
From the get-go, what intrigued you about Cassidy? What was it about her that made you say, “I really want to explore this woman in the military?” Just getting that first script that showed the beginning of who Cassidy was going to be and setting up her backstory was just wildly complicated in a way that is just so intriguing to an actor. To see every corner of her in the sense that you start by seeing her super-vulnerable and missing her family and almost resistant to call her family because she knows how vulnerable it’s going to make her when she’s in a place where she needs to stay strong all the time. And then going from that level of vulnerability to questioning this woman in the hospital and almost threatening her and how strong and aggressive she has to be in that moment. And then turned around with so much regret, hoping that what she promised she could follow through on. And then finding out what she promised she couldn’t follow through on. And then the military ended up just bombing them anyway. The levels of humanity that were there just even in that first script — and it continues. you start seeing more and more corners of her as you see more episodes. There was such a full person on the page and such a complete person on the page, which was so exciting. So often when we write a strong, smart woman, she has to always be tough. They leave very little room for somebody to be vulnerable. And the truth is really strong, smart women are vulnerable and delicate in other ways as well. There’s a real wholeness to that. That was already in the writing, which was so exciting because instead of having me try to find that, I could build from that.
Speaking of Cassidy’s time overseas, are there more war experiences for us to uncover through her eyes? Will we learn more about what made her join the military and how quickly she moved through the ranks as a woman? She’s clearly very good at what she does. She is very good at what she does. I don’t think I can talk about that. But I can say she’s someone who really has worked her way up. That’s something that we definitely talked about it. She didn’t come in at some sort of advantage. She was not in a certain position because she had gone to the right school. She really has earned her way out because of her ability.
In the season premiere, Cassidy’s husband, Ryan, orders her out of the house after she accidentally strikes their son. In this episode, Cassidy tells Kevin that her husband wants her to get help. How fragile is their marriage at this point? From the point at which she hurts her son accidentally — and obviously very accidentally — I think that it’s incredibly fractured. Not only is her husband concerned and afraid of the circumstances, but she is. The last thing in the world she would ever want to do is hurt her child, yet that moment felt completely out of her control, and I don’t think there’s anything more terrifying for a parent to feel like their child might not be safe with them. It’s definitely what scares her into trying to figure out what would be the best way forward to get help.
A lot of fans have been speculating that Cassidy would be a romantic interest for Kevin, especially after a who-is-the-mother-of-Kevin’s-son mystery was introduced in the season 3 finale. What can you say to those fans speculating heavily in that direction? [Laughs] They’re speculating about any woman who could possibly have logistically had his child. So I feel like I’m in good company with all the people being speculated about…. They can speculate. There’s nothing more I can say.
Does that question also feel a little reductive considering the story you’re telling here about this woman who’s dealing with PTSD from war? Besides, she’s got this complex family situation with a young son to attend to and maybe even salvage. So that may not even be the fifth most important thing going on here. That’s what I have to say is so impressive about Dan Fogelman and Isaac [Aptaker, co-showrunner] and Liz [Berger, co-showrunner], and the whole writing team over there, is that there is such depth and so many layers and so much honesty to what they’ve written for this character. No matter where things go in terms of how she ends up fitting into who she knows and how she relates to anyone from the Pearson family, they’ve really gone the distance to write something that is really honoring the truth of someone who would’ve gone over to Afghanistan and dealt with what she’s dealing with. And I think that that is just so beautiful. It’s rare as a guest star — I feel like I’m being written for the way a series regular would be written for. There’s no holding back in terms of what they’ve brought to the page in such an amazing way, which I so appreciate it, and it makes me better. It makes me stretch, it gives me an opportunity to grow every time I’m on that set, which I really love. It’s really exciting.
But at the same time, I don’t blame anyone for wondering how she fits into the world. They’ve cared about these characters for three years and they’ve gone through a lot with them. And they’re connected to that family in such a powerful way, I think it’s only natural that when you bring someone with this much story into the mix, you want to know, “Well, how do they fit into this puzzle?” I don’t blame anyone for asking that question, but I do appreciate the delicacy and attention with which the writers have handled her story line.
Small characters don’t get $1,200 water heater scenes. You don’t just throw away a moment like that on a small character. Yeah, it was beautiful. And there’s more to come. Every script always pleasantly surprises me with a new layer that is revealing about Cassidy.
Nicky did not get off on the right foot with her by throwing a chair through the window while she was in the middle of a group share. As we saw in that final scene with them, nowhere to go from there but up? Clearly they share that bond of having experienced and been traumatized by war… Yeah. There’s a lot I can’t say, but what I can say is that moment when he throws the chair through the window — and this is such a tribute to where wonderful actor Griffin is; he just brings so much to every single little look and thought and everything he says and does — but she so sees herself in him immediately. Someone could be kind of pissed or off-put, like she was in being interrupted, or the level of anxiety that she’s facing in her life based on all those things are falling apart and to have this thing kind of interrupt it. And it’s not what happens for her. What happens is she turns at the shock of the noise and then looks in his eyes and sees herself. There’s something so powerful about that because what’s broken in him is broken in her. And even though there are two unique beings who’ve never met before that moment, there’s no doubt that there’s something parallel about what they’re going through.
She does seem taken in by him in the aftermath of the shattering, which by the way was totally jarring. It’s like a jump-scare! I mean, I shot the scene and when I watched it back, I forgot it was about to happen. [Laughs] What a brave move it was for Dan and the writers to decide to introduce you to these new characters, knowing that they have three more years on the show, if not more, and in order to be able to reveal more and more about their [main] characters, they needed to have more people for them to bounce off of. But for that to mean anything, you have to really know the new people to care about the way they interact with the Pearsons. So it was a really bold move to go the distance to really set up these new back stories.… There’s metaphor on top of metaphor in terms of the way that they’re really layering this idea of how strangers impact our future and how at some point everyone in our lives was a stranger, and eventually they either pass through or they become family. There’s just such a beautiful theme that they’ve laid through all of the episodes that lean into that idea.
At the end of this episode, when Kevin makes a ridiculous comment, it breaks down the walls of not only Cassidy but Nicky, and the three of them share an inappropriate laugh. How would you describe the dynamic between this trio? They’re all broken in very particular ways, some of which are similar and some of which are very different. So in a sense they’re a triangle that makes one whole. All three of them are a corner of the triangle that is holding each one of them up. And any one of them missing from that triangle would be a problem at this moment in their life.
Rounding off to the nearest dozen, how many This Is Us secrets are you keeping right now? Well, here’s what I can say: I have purposely not read stuff that I’m not in to be able to enjoy it as an audience member. I’ve been very diligent about giving myself the opportunity to stay an audience member for what I don’t participate in. So I have luckily eliminated a certain number of secrets by doing that. [Laughs] But gosh, I don’t know, maybe a couple dozen? Depending on how detailed you want to get with what you consider a secret.
Fair to say that Cassidy will be sticking around for a while? I guess the way that Dan has put it is that she’s a significant part of this season. So that’s the way I will reiterate it.
Can you give viewers one cryptic hint — a word, a phrase — about what awaits with Cassidy this season? Hmm… paperwork.
(X)
#I love the way she makes research for the characters she plays#she is amazing#Jennifer Morrison#Cassidy Sharp#This Is Us#NBC This Is Us#This Is Us spoilers
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I don’t know if i am getting to deep about this (probably) but i’m kinda sad that robert got to briefly talk about his feelings saying there’s stuff he’s done keeping him awake at night at the worst possible time. i just wish they explored more of this when he actually had a support network around him. and he probably meant trying to kill paddy and chas, but that’s not the point. i don’t know guess it just upsets me a bit that we got an insight into his feelings at a horrible time.
Thank you so much for this ask because I could talk about #JusticeforRobert centric storylines until I die. And to be honest, I probably will because… he just deserved one? And the fact that there is/was so much potential for things to explore with Robert and the show just sort of chose not to, is annoying. Especially because Ryan could have carried an intense storyline (he literally carried 2017) and Danny/Aaron could have been this supportive husband. It would have been great for the people around them to really see Aaron supporting Robert through something. They sort of did that with the reunion 2.0 and Seb storyline (and even Rebecca’s disappearance) but it wasn’t really enough.
The biggest frustration, sort of like you said, is that we just didn’t spend a lot of time with Robert’s feelings on things. I’m not trying to say we got nothing, but the BIG storylines that should have put Robert front and center (his coming out, his shooting, his reluctance to fatherhood, his prison sentence) shove his feelings and Robert to the side in lieu of someone else, someone who might be “more important” or needing the focus more. Now I could say that it’s sort of Robert’s character to hide his feelings because he doesn’t like showing them and being vulnerable while also never wanting to be a burden to anyone, that’s not really an excuse for the show to choose that path.
Under the cut because this became a monster on points I have literally no idea of whether or not you wanted to read about!
Robert’s Coming Out – What we could have had.
Now, as a bisexual, I wish we’d have gotten more of Robert’s POV as he was outed against his will and the fallout. Even if we didn’t get it right away, they wrote in multiple times where people call him gay or throw his sexuality in his face and Robert never really got a chance to fight back for that. He stands up the most with Aaron and while the other times might just be a matter of, It’s really not worth it to fight for this cause the other person clearly doesn’t care… It just shouldn’t have taken so long to get the reveal and backstory of how his sexuality (and suppression) has affected him.
Again, I would never want to take that moment in the woods away because it was literally perfect: the context, the reveal, the desperation of just wanting to be himself with Aaron. But there’s no reason that we couldn’t have been privy to some of Robert’s thoughts about this before that point. Especially after his shooting.
Robert’s Shooting – Was Robert even there for that?
I’m gonna be honest and say that I’m probably the most annoyed about this lack of storyline for Robert. He was literally shot and it became all about Andy and Aaron. While their stories played a massive part in everything that happened, it came at the complete erasure of Robert. He was shot. His entire life was changed. He thought someone he loved, someone who loved him–all of him and even the awful parts–tried to kill him. That literally shook Robert down to his core. We see it in the two instances where Robert is faced with that reality. But then he realizes Andy’s behind it, gets Aaron out of prison, and it’s literally never brought up again. Don’t you think that might have caused a shift in Robert? A fear or an even bigger desperation to prove himself? Or that his fear that he wasn’t worth it and no one could ever really love him was back in full force?
But the show decided to not give any time to that.
They also didn’t give any time to Robert’s recovery any focus at all. There’s the comment with Adam and Andy when Vic first brings Robert back from the hospital where they comment on how he doesn’t look like himself. I think there’s a scene where Robert first goes to the pub, but all the Dingles are mad at him because Aaron’s in prison… Though that’s not Robert’s fault? He was the one who shot? He literally was in a coma for like a month… But sure? I guess, go off on him Dingles? It all makes sense that Aaron would be angry because, as much as he claimed to hate Robert, he’d never try to kill him. And I think, honestly, the fact that Robert thought so for even a little while probably cut Aaron.
But other than those two scenes, Robert’s basically right as rain. Except for the moment his stitches tear after saving Andy from the car.
This period of time is meant to be Robert’s metamorphosis. He’s changing from scheming, angry, bitter chancer to someone who actively wants to be better and is, ultimately, looking for love. The problem is, it’s not really present. Not really. He says to Lawrence in the hell plot that was 2017, that it took the bullet to the chest to come to terms with his sexuality and himself. But where was that? Why did we not see that?
We saw the one, beautiful, shining moment that showed (a bit) that Robert was trying to be better, to do better as his shooting and realizing just how much he’s hurt people, people he did care about. Robert goes to court for Chrissie’s trial and speaks out in her defense, taking responsibility for upsetting Chrissie and giving her a defense. It was unexpected and beautiful… but then they did nothing with that? They sort of forgot it and, of course, they had to go back to be antagonist towards each other. Which fine.
The only thing we really get after Robert’s shooting, is his determination to win Aaron back. Which is wonderful and I loved it, but it was about Robert trying to prove himself to Aaron, not really about showing us the changes. We did get them, his current ending storyline is proof of that, but it just sort of feels like a little bit of a wasted opportunity to really explore Robert’s character and the regrets he had.
I think the biggest Robert-focused (if we can call it that) storyline that showcased his changes, would be the abuse era and how he literally put everything on hold to be there for Aaron, as much as he possibly could. And it was great, but I just feel like they could have done more with Robert before this point. So we as the viewer could know how much Robert changed and how badly he wanted Aaron back, how much he loved him. But they chose not to.
And then after they got back together, there was no real storyline for Robert. Yes, he was present for Liv going to youth offenders, but that was clearly framed as Aaron’s “obstacle.” His seizure and running himself ragged, was more about what might be happening to Rebecca. It’s fine that he’s not front and center always because… it’s an ensemble show, but I really feel like any story he might have been the center for, they shifted the focus so it wasn’t on him.
Okay so 2017… Yes, Robert and his breakdown was a focus… but like… It wasn’t that good? I get that the writers were like, he’s regressing cause of his breakup with Aaron and that’s true on one hand… but it also felt a bit… over-the-top? It wasn’t nuanced, but Robert was the focus so I guess, be careful what you wish for, Sara. (That’s on me).
Basically, I completely understand your frustration that we got a small glimpse into Robert’s state of mind right before he’s leaving. I am taking that more as a way to prove to himself and Aaron that Robert deserves to be in prison. He’s messed up, hurt people, and done so many things that he’s ashamed of and/or regrets, so this is his penance. (It’s bullshit, babe. You don’t deserve any of this). So if they don’t try and use it as a way for Robert to push Aaron away which… will suck if that’s the route they’re choosing. Because… no. Literally, have Robert tell Aaron not to visit him because he gave himself up so Aaron could have a life. And Aaron could cry and argue that he doesn’t want a life that doesn’t include Robert in it. Then Robert, switching tactics, says that it’s killing him to only see Aaron once a week, talk every few days–it killed him when Aaron was inside and it’s going to kill him to do this for the next 20 years. So he tells Aaron to please, let him go because it’s just going to be too hard for Robert to see him in prison visiting rooms. (Of course, this means that Aaron can’t get Seb because… then Robert doesn’t get to see his son either? But whatever.)
By having Robert frame it as what he needs–to be alone and not be constantly reminded of what he’s missing–it’s the only, only way I could see Aaron not fighting and pushing him. Because they would always and will always sacrifice their own happiness for their husband’s security and needs. (But I assume they won’t.)
Obviously, I want Aaron to fight to stay with Robert because why would he want to be without him? Why would he just give up on the love of his life, especially knowing how hard and lonely prison is? And it’s not like Robert’s family gives any sort of fuck about him.
So after this week, I’ll probably live in my own canon of them staying together and Robert’s solicitor and new prison BFF DC Pierce working on an appeal to lessen Robert’s charge from murder to manslaughter because… it’s fiction and it can be done–and they love Robert as much as us. So he gets out in a much smaller sentence. And also… all the massive AUs and Canon divergents that I want to write that might actually address some of these storylines and making Robert if not a main player, at least an equal player. (If anyone’s interested in them in the future.)
Thank you for giving me something to focus on and to write this massive essay for no reason but to procrastinate my Robert Week fics… (I don’t have tomorrow’s yet. Oops.)
#you're amazing and i'm sorry this ask was so long#i hope it was... comforting? maybe#robert sugden#robron#robert deserves all the stories#the robert breakdown is in full swing#emmerdale chatter#emmerdale#Anonymous
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