#it will always be barbie sorry it will always be barbie

[crumb-crumblet-s-crumbington]

multishipping

[britneyshakespeare]

bratz can't act like they're as iconic and unconditionally adored because they aren't. they aren't. i used to have a friend who just kinda made fun of me about all of my interests (besides my 'smart' ones like poetry and history), especially ones that were a little too girly or too queer for him to accept, being the boring straight man he was, who had no taste for irony, indulgence in pop culture, and kitsch. i don't say that lightly btw bc i do have male friends in real life who are not necessarily as flamboyant and eccentric as i am but they still like respect me.

this ex-friend made fun of me for being so interested in vintage barbies and their clothes, and that to me was like obviously fuckin stupid. i was like well she represents the evolution of the idealized woman throughout recent history. she represents fashion and femininity as young girls were expected to aspire to, in all its beautiful and stickily-embedded intricacies. she's also just a beautiful object, quite clearly, and always has been, but has cycled through various eras of realism, professionalism, and play. there really is something to admire about barbie no matter who you are. there is a barbie for everyone; if everyone had the encyclopedic knowledge of barbies eras and supporting characters and spin-off lines that the collective many generations of barbie fans have, it wouldn't be hard to like, 'get' what's so interesting and fascinating about this little plastic woman. if you have any interest in aesthetics or pop culture or history at all. if you want to commentate upon post-modern culture, look no further than barbie.

but also if you just want to see the evolution of a solid and ruthlessly successful fashion doll line, in fact THE first major fashion doll line, look to barbie. she IS the quintessential fashion doll for so many reasons and no one can touch her. she's the beatles. she's shakespeare. she's in a league of her own. there are many many many noteworthy doll lines out there, if you like dolls, but nobody touches barbie. and you get this undying loyalty, this unshakable admiration, despite whatever other commercial low points or public scrutiny you may be facing (barbie has had much of those things), by being the epitome of a fashion doll for so, so many decades.

barbie can put out however many shitty dolls they want and that will just never change, because whenever they put out a good one it will always be "oh thank GOD!! barbie is back!!" from the fans, and i'm one of them. i'm not here to kick her when she's down. i'm here to appreciate her for what she is, and has always been. barbie fans don't make excuses for their shitty, low-quality products, but frankly, neither does mattel. most of their cheapest products get away with the excuse of being 'for kids' and kids are the ones buying and playing with the fashionistas and those unimaginatively-designed career dolls. it is what it is; they're affordable. when mattel fails to impress adult fans, they just don't buy. that's how an adult collector base works.

i can say all this about barbie and i feel it's just very self-evident upon critical reflection why any adult might still feel inspired by barbie, might still love barbie as a pop culture figure and a piece of their childhood. i can say all this respectable, intellectual stuff to justify my love for barbie, and that's part of it, but primarily i love barbie because i have always loved barbie. when i was a kid, i was playing with dolls or watching tv; that was IT. my sister and i could play dolls all day long for multiple days in a row when we were young and we'd never get tired of it.

i only stopped playing with dolls in third grade when my teacher asked "how many kids here like to play with dolls?" (when discussing hobbies) and i realized i was the only one with my hand up and i felt ashamed. and even then i still continued to play with dolls, but less often; i tried to justify that what i was doing was 'cooler' than the ways i used to play with dolls, the babyish ways; and i certainly never breathed a word about playing with my dolls to any of my friends at school after that. that's the only reason barbie and i ever grew apart, was the social pressure to give her up at a certain age. but tbh even when i was a teenager, while i felt like i shouldn't ask for dolls anymore, i still kept up with the barbie brand and felt deeply invested in her as a character, in a very, very pre-barbie movie world where that was viewed as incredibly strange for a teenager. again, like i've said, the pop culture zeitgeist as a whole was very anti-barbie and none of the points of appreciation were touched on outside of the niche of doll collectors, who have not until SO recently been seen as a cool niche, even among 'nerdy' or nostalgic pop culture properties.

bratz. you are not barbie here. every adult collector loves and appreciates barbie. many adult collectors like bratz, but they do NOT admire them, on the whole, so unflinchingly. i love barbie like i love my grandmother. you're more like my cool cousin i looked up to growing up. you DON'T have the range. you don't have the security as a brand, as a force of pop culture. the attachment is not nearly as deep. the oldest people who played with you as children are not even forty yet. i played with bratz as a kid; i collect them now. i'm twenty-fiiiiive. i have a great aunt who has collected barbie for decades, and she's seventy-eight.

you don't have the universality of barbie. you don't have the history of barbie. you can't BACK IT UP when you start to flop or piss off your fans, like barbie can. you are not untouchable. you have been off the shelves for years at a time, multiple times. some of that ironically was because of mattel and their frivolous greedy lawsuits. you get sympathy points for that, bratz. but you are also too iconic to act like you're an underdog anymore; and you know you're iconic to the people who LIKE you, but your dedicated fanbase is not of the same adoration as your biggest competition.

bratz fans are just fashion doll fans, mainly younger millennials and older gen z. the hannah montana generation. i'm happy to be a 2000s girly; it is part of my identity. i do genuinely love bratz, as aesthetic objects, and for the way they've influenced later fashion doll lines. the way they shook up the competition for girl-marketed toys in the 2000s is genuinely legendary and that decade for dolls, ALL dolls, would be unthinkable without them. but they were always more limited, in many ways, than barbie, in what they could be and do. mainly that they could never be the first, the original. they were the pack, the gang, the group of friends. they were not individually distinct; they were mainly fashion-focused and fun-focused. it was different, and unique, but it was not revolutionary.

and you know what, that's good enough for me. but this brand does not have a leg to stand on for how greedy and cheap it has gotten. like they sure do wanna act like they're so cute and irreplaceable, when they have never, ever emulated the success that they were reaching in, like, 2005.

i love bratz as dolls but i fuckin hate mga as a brand. fuckin idiots

[seonghwacore]

Hip birthday ya, San! 🎉

[mrgottrobbie]

i think i'm blessed to find pic of girls who look like barbie and gloria (this has happened twice, which isn't much, but it's nice

[trashogram]

It's been so long since my last re-write ask 😅 why it's been so long... Honestly, I don't have a good excuse. It just be like that.

But I hope this was worth the wait!

Barbie Wire, Buckzo, Tilla, and OOPS

Barbie and Buckzo

It was actually surprisingly easy to re-write her... Because she has so little lore and screen time that she might as well not exist (we seriously didn't even get a moment in Mastermind of her reacting to her brother about to be executed?? Even if she wanted to cut him off, she would feel SOMETHING about that, right???)

First off- Barbie would be in Fizz's place in the show. As in, she and Blitzø should have made up, and she should have gotten an episode that shows how her and her twins' relationship have improved. Fizz should get some attention and a redemption, too! And I'll get into that. But I just want to balance their interactions more.

I would have wanted all three of them to be close as children. A rag-tag team of mischievous kits ^^ but they all started to drift away as teens. Especially Barbie from the rest of her family. I would have kept Barbie being left out of Blitzø's flashbacks to the circus, for the most part. But here, it's to build up what her childhood was like and Blitzø realizing why she wasn't around so much.

Buckzo didn't want to care for Tilla when she got terribly sick (who he's not married to in my re-write. If demons view marriage as a way to combine assets and status rather than for love like we talked about, then there's no way greedy Buckzo wouldn't marry anyone unless they were stinking rich 😒). He saw her as a burden when she couldn't contribute to the circus anymore as a fortune teller. Barbie didn't have a real interest in entertainment like Blitzø, so Buckzo decided that she should be the one to take care of Tilla. Like Blitzø, he emotionally manipulated Barbie to look out for Tilla, and whenever she wanted just some time to herself, he would ask her why she didn't care about her own mother. It got to the point that Barbie refused to leave the tent Tilla was in, even when she encouraged her daughter to go out and be a kid like she should be.

The rest of the circus actors tried to help, but the place was understaffed as is and there was always something that needed attention (if Buckzo was in charge of the whole circus, then I doubt he wanted to pay enough workers and actors. He already was too lazy to properly store the fireworks that caused the fire 😒). So it was still mainly Barbie helping Tilla. And the illness got so bad that Barbie even had to help her walk and feed her, so she had practically no social life whatsoever.

And while Barbie was isolated and watching Tilla slowly waste away, Buckzo would tell Blitzø and Fizz that she didn't want to be around them. That she was jealous of Fizz, and she didn't want to be seen with her brother. Of course, there's more to manipulation than this, and I would have that shown in the flashbacks. But the bottom line is that Buckzo used the kids for money and did what he could to drive a wedge between them all when it best suited him. Blitzø didn't believe him though and tried to visit them as much as possible, but with the burden of having to earn enough money to pay for his mother's medicine (take a wild guess where that money really went), he thought the only way he could help was if he kept at the circus, improved his act, and brought a paycheck in.

After the fire, Barbie also got seriously burnt. Because she was in the tent with Tilla and tried to carry her out of the burning fire. She refused to leave her mother's side, and called out for any kind of help. Fizz, as we know, was far too injured to help. But Blitzø came in. In my re-write, they both managed to drag Tilla out of the tent, but she died in the hospital as her injuries were far too severe.

Enraged that he never helped or bought the medicine despite her begging him to do so. Barbie actually attacked her father at the hospital, finally snapping after years of his abuse (I'm not sure what she would have done to him, but I want his injury to be symbolic... And the only reason he gets to live is because she's not the one that's going to deliver the killing blow). She ran away after that. Feeling as if Tilla's death was her fault and unable to face Blitzø and Fizz. She should have been strong enough to get Tilla out on her own so Blitzø wouldn't have been more injured.

Because of his own injuries, Blitzø was getting patched up and wasn't there to witness what happened. But Barbie had said that she never wanted to see 'any of them' ever again before she ran, mainly talking about him and the circus. Buckzo tried to spin that to Blitzø saying she hated him so much because HE killed their mother... And unfortunately, for a while, Blitzø believed that. Even after Buckzo casted him out. Why would his sister want to see him after what he did?

Tilla

This isn't entirely concrete in all honesty. I'd love to hear your opinion on Tilla's section if you want ^^ but here's my idea for Tilla. along with how magic works in Hell.

In my re-write, it's very possible for lower class demons to use magic. However, the Sins have made it so only few can use it (such as the succubi or infestor demons). You need a license to use magic if you're not part of Hells Royalty. And for imps and hellhounds, it is strictly illegal for them to practice magic. Many of them have been executed by Satan himself simply for getting caught trying to learn a simple levitation spell. In fact, this would become a plot point for Loona being the one to read the grimoire and summoning the portals.

Tilla, however, practiced magic in secret. And she had a gift with divination in particular. She would twist the facts to carnival goers to make it seem like she was just another act, but she truly could see their future. She had to wear a cloak and her signature long dress when she went outside the circus- not just as part of her costume, but to hide the runes she carved into her skin; she had to burn the book she was using before to rid the evidence, so she ensured the runes and spells would always be with her (pretty brutal, and probably unnecessary from a writers standpoint... But this is Hell and I want the excuse to imagine Tilla with white runes scattered throughout her body 😅)

I'm debating whether or not she was even able to see what her son would do to the order of Hell, and that's why she got with Buckzo in the first place. She never loved him, and saw his demise through her visions and kept quiet about it for a reason. (You remember that fanart you showed me about Blitzø and Buckzo? That's how it goes down in my re-write after. I just need to figure out when it happened in the story.)

Since Barbie was around her the most, she actually taught her some spells. Simple ones so she wouldn't get in trouble. She wanted to teach her, Blitzø and Fizz more, but as the infection grew worse and worse and her children were driven farther apart, she even became delirious during her final days.

Speaking of which, I was pondering maybe Tilla was infected with a Hellish form of leprosy or a flesh eating bacteria? I won't go into the details. But that's why Tilla needed so much help as it got worse. (Irl, leprosy doesn't actually cause your limbs to fall off. It only causes nerve damage. But if this is Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if something like that existed) Barbie wasn't infected, fortunately. But if I do go down this route, Buckzo might have used this as another form of manipulating the kids; telling Barbie she couldn't leave unless she wanted to spread the disease, and telling the boys that Barbie was sick now, too.

I'm unsure if Barbie would also have carved runes into her skin like Tilla. Tilla would have discouraged that, though, not wanting her to put herself through that pain. But if my re-write of Barbie did do that after the fire, that would be why Barbie has all those marks/scars that look too purposeful. She would have done it in a way that made them look like intricate blood tattoos, having learned from her mother, but her spells are hidden within the brutal art.

OOPS

Flash forward to the present. In my re-write, Barbie's debut episode would have been OOPS, not Unhappy Campers (frankly, other than the asmodian crystal, I don't think there was much use for that episode. I'll see what I can do for it, though, since an episode where Moxxie or Millie lead the team sounds very intriguing). Instead of Blitzø encountering Fizz in Greed, it's Barbie. It's been literal years since he's seen her, and she's in rough shape. He sees the sign of drug use on her, and of course that puts him on high alert (having used drugs as a way to escape too, he knows the signs all too well).

There's so much going on, so many questions and feelings from both sides, but Barbie tries to push her brother away, and she's pretty viscious about it too. The audience would look at this and might think she hates Blitzø, but in reality, she's on the run. Her addiction got her in debt with the wrong people, and now loan sharks are after her. And the last thing she wants is for Blitzø to get hurt.

Their rather loud reunion is cut shirt when they do indeed get captured. By Crimsons gang (look, I know his presence was unnecessary in the episode, but I need mob Daddy to make another appearance 😭). He's not looking to extort a sin in my re-write, but rather, he's after the money Barbie owes him. And when Blitzø got caught alongside her, he saw that as a two for one deal. You can never have too much meat to sell on the black market (oh yeah, I'm including that in my re-write for him. To your followers, you guys will have to wait and see his full ask 👀 (unless of course you want to share ^^)). Either that, or he could use his sons boss to convince Moxxie to return home.

The episode would mainly go as the same. Barbie and Blitzø get locked up together, the tension between them is high but you can see hints to the sibling dynamic that was once there. They both manage to escape and fight their way out, (with Blitzø possibly being shocked at how Barbie knows magic at the final stand, "Why the fuck didn't you do that before!?" // "Oh gee! I'll only be killed on sight if the wrong people see me use magic!" // "OK, ok. You have a point."). And they both realize what was going on with the other. That they had never blamed the other for their mother's death or the fire, that they never wanted to grow apart, etc. That this whole time, they both had been manipulated and hurt and lost so much time together.

The episode would end with Blitzø taking Barbie back home with him, ("You seriously think I'm just gonna let you stay out here with that old fucker on your heels?? And after we haven't seen each other in years!? Uh-uh. You're crashing on the couch." // "Blitz-" // *hoists her up over his head like he did with Loona in Western Energy* "Resistance is futile!"). Even though it looks like she's still struggling with addiction, he's certain he can help her through it since he had to kick that to the curb for his daughter. Barbie looks so out of place and hesitant, both from their separation and the fact that someone is taking care of her for once, before she sees Loona peeking out from behind her door. Blitzø calls her out, and introduces them, "Loony, this is your aunt Barbie! She's gonna be living with us for a bit until she gets back on her feet. Ok?" And both women look stunned to see the other here. Loona had only seen Barbie in photos, and Barbie never thought this day would come, "I'm... I'm an aunt?"

Barbie and Loona would bond in my re-write. Especially over magic. Barbie would offer her tips and tricks on how to better memorize the grimoire (which will become a major problem later 👀). Yes, realistically there are going to be problems arising if she's still into the drugs, and that does hurt my heart 😥 I am leaning more towards just making her a drug peddler that worked for Crimson but stole his money and tried to leave Greed, though. What do you think?

Here is the rest of Blitzø's family!! I wanted to include Fizz, but this got way too long 😅 but he- along with the Sins- are up next. So stay tuned! I hope you enjoy reading this! ^^

Welcome back! And thank you for the delicious meal of character development and lore!!!!!!

THANK YOU for giving Barbie — and Tilla — her due!! This is what we should’ve gotten instead of just another cardboard cutout on the character roster! She’s an actual character with depth! 🥺 Tbh tho her not even wanting to leave her mother’s tent while well into the isolation imposed upon her by Buckzo broke my heart — it’s all she knows, like a security blanket, even though she truly ought to have had a real childhood. I love her backstory, and how she’s been manipulated just like her brother (and Fizz) for Buckzo’s means.

Speaking of Buckzo 😒 WOOF! What an odious monster. He’s rotten to the core, but not in a cheap way like Stella or Crimson in the show because you’ve actually done the work to lay out his nefariousness and how it’s been used to harm those around him (instead of it just being a necessity to make the plot move the way the creators want it to).

Tilla being an illegal magic user is amazing as well! I really like the added restriction on that for imps and hellhounds. It harkens to a lot of double standards in society and emphasizes the class divide. The idea of Tilla carving runes into her own flesh makes me wince but I adore the concept nonetheless (also since Tilla had to have been exposed to the fire during the circus explosion, do you think the runes on her skin would take some sort of effect or react in a special way? She’s not a book obviously, but when ancient and magical texts get burned in fantasy tales, things tend to manifest 👀). I love that Tilla taught magic to her daughter, and would’ve taught it to Blitzø and Fizz if she’d been able T—T And then Barbie bonding with her niece over it omg

((Also would Tilla’s leprosy or infection be tied to her scars? Sorry if that’s the obvious implication, I’m not entirely sure.))

You made Oops 10000000% more tolerable with this switch up (god help me for ever having to suffer through Fizz’s distraction song one more time 🤬). And the payoff is much better! It continues Blitzø and Barbie’s journey rather than ties up a loose end just to have Blitzø and Fizz be on good terms again. AND THE INCLUSION OF CRIMSON SELLING IMP MEAT ON THE BLACK MARKET 👌 😘 immaculate 👌 😘 Kudos! ✨✨✨✨✨✨

[qveenpoppy]

please tell me i'm not the only one feeling kinda disappointed that barbie and ken didn't end up together in the barbie movie

like i get that that's kinda the point with barbie wanting to be her own self and the ending kinda urging both of them to develop individual identities, but

i'm also a sucker for romance and shipped barbie and ken since i was a kid and ryan's ken was such a simp for margot's barbie so like......... let them smooch

i'm also kinda tired of this idea that strong female characters can't also be in relationships and have romantic arcs like i understand not wanting the romance to be the focal point of their stories, but......... i like a little romance sometimes. as a treat

[prettyupsetnerd]

(her mom was her best friend)

[absolutely-not-my-main-blog]

[steddio]

steddie vegas au part 3

part 1; part 2

–

“YOU WHAT?” Robin shrieks, nearly smacking Steve in the shoulder with her water bottle as she whips around to face him. They’re about halfway through their morning hike, struggling uphill, and he’s impressed that she even has the energy for such an outburst. Steve is sweating like a pig and trying not to look like he’s gasping for breath.

He holds his hands up in surrender. “In my defense, I didn’t know who he was! And he looked kind of lost, and you know I have a tendency to adopt strays! He had these big, sad puppy eyes…”

“Eddie freaking Munson is not a stray, Steve! He’s a bona fide rockstar. Like, double platinum, Grammy-winning, cover of Rolling Stone rockstar. And you didn’t recognize him?!” Her voice is rising into a nearly inhuman register and Steve reaches out to try and calm her. 

“Why would I recognize him, Robs? I never know who anyone famous is, and I like it that way. And, he seemed to kind of enjoy me not knowing. Like, his whole attitude changed once we walked past his billboard.”

Robin is gaping at him and Steve uses the opportunity to grab the water bottle out of her hand and take a swig. It’s a testament to her astonishment that she doesn’t even yell at him for it. He wipes his mouth with the neck of his t-shirt, and starts walking up the hill. He kind of regrets telling her about last night. After all, he had promised to keep Eddie’s secret. But telling Robin doesn’t really feel like telling another person. Just like having an internal conversation with the louder half of his brain. 

“Besides,” he calls out over his shoulder, “it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s just another hotel guest. I’ll probably barely see him.”

Robin jogs to catch up and grabs the bottle back with a huff. “Steve. You escorted Eddie Munson to an AA meeting. That’s like, intimate.”

Steve shakes his head, “No, Rob, it wasn’t like that. I’m sure he just wants to forget about it. He probably flirts with everyone.” 

“He was flirting with you?!” Robin is back to screeching. 

“Well yeah, I think so,” he shrugs. “It was hard to tell, but he called me nicknames and complimented my arms.” Robin looks about ready to combust, and he tries to change the subject. “Did you see the photos of Max and Lucas from last night? I can’t believe how much she’s grown up.” 

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do! We’re not done here!” But Robin’s eyes are soft, and she nudges his shoulder, “did you go all papa bear on Lucas?”

Steve laughs. “No, if anything I was trying to encourage Max to go for it. She called me in hysterics freaking out about whether Lucas liked her. As if that boy hasn’t been in love with her for half a decade.”

They spend the rest of the hike going over every detail he knows of his daughter’s romantic life. Robin is equally invested despite having never met Max, and he loves her for it. Even if he can’t be there every day, being a dad is the most important thing in his life. And he can’t help it, he likes to indulge in a little gossip and teenage love lives are nothing if not dramatic. 

As they say goodbye in the parking lot, Robin sternly meets his gaze. “Don’t let me down, dingus. If Eddie Munson is flirting with you, you better flirt back, or I swear to god I’ll come down there and do it myself.”

“And lose your gold star status?” he teases, and then dodges her halfhearted punch to his arm. 

“Alright, alright, Robs. If he talks to me, and I really don’t think he will after last night so that’s a big if, I’ll pull out the Harrington charm.” Robin gags a little at that and waves him away. He gets into his car, eager for a shower and maybe even a little bit eager to go to work. 

–

When he gets into work at 2 pm, the concierge desk is a shitshow. Some beauty influencer retreat is happening in the hotel, and the person on the morning shift is completely incompetent (they’re new, Steve tries to be generous, everyone is new at some point, but goddammit he’s pretty sure Max could do the job better than this Tammy person), and so Steve spends most of the afternoon canceling and rescheduling incorrectly made spa appointments while reassuring a seemingly endless parade of 19-year-old blonde girls that yes, absolutely, they will be able to accommodate the new time, and he’s so sorry for the misunderstanding. As if that’s not enough, they all seem to be trying to one-up each other for the title of Most Ridiculous Flirt, and if Steve hears “he’s such a daddy” stage-whispered across the lobby one more time, he’s going to pull out baby pictures of Max and start waving them around. 

Of course it’s in the midst of this chaos that Eddie happens to show up, leaning over the counter, finger hovering over the bell.

“Don’t you dare,” Steve whispers to him with a glare that quickly dissolves into a grin. Eddie reaches out and boops his nose instead, and Steve can’t help but laugh as he swats him away. 

The spell is broken by the loud pop of gum and a whispered “holy shit, is that-?” The girls swarm to their shiny new toy, asking for autographs and selfies. Steve bemusedly watches as Eddie handles it all with grace, posing for pictures and signing t-shirts. 

He extricates himself with a slight bow and an “excuse me, darlings” that nearly causes several teenagers to go into cardiac arrest, and comes back to Steve’s counter. 

“Hi,” he says.

“Hi,” Steve replies. “What can I help you with today?”

“The question, Steve-o, is what I can help you with.” Eddie looks mischievous and before Steve can clarify what he means, Eddie is asking when his break is.

Steve replies without thinking. “It was supposed to be at 5.”

“Well, sugar, it’s 5:30 so I think you’re overdue. Can I buy you a coffee?” 

Eddie is definitely flirting, Steve is certain of it. He momentarily debates whether he should refuse, but he already broke any semblance of a boundary last night, and today Eddie looks, well, delicious. His hair is pulled up in a messy bun and he’s wearing a cardigan thrown over a tight black sleeveless undershirt and joggers and… studded crocs, Steve realizes. Eddie must catch him staring because he raises one eyebrow and gestures behind him, towards the food court. Steve puts his trusty “Be right back” sign on the desk and ponders flipping the bird at the group of teenagers still staring open-mouthed at them, but decides that he can afford to take the moral high ground.

They weave their way past slot machines and several bars before getting in line at Starbucks. “I know this is basic,” Eddie whispers, his breath hot on Steve’s cheek. “But nothing hypes me up on performance days more than their cold brew. It’s better than cocaine.” 

He pulls away with a wink, and Steve isn’t sure he should be laughing at that joke coming from someone who attends daily AA meetings, but he can’t help letting out a giggle. And it’s worth it for the brief look of joyful surprise on Eddie’s face. 

They order their coffee and take a seat. Eddie is attracting a few stares, Steve notices, but Vegas is a live and let live kind of place and so people mostly leave them alone. Their knees touch under the small table, and Steve finds himself mirroring Eddie, leaning in close to talk. 

Eddie asks Steve about his job, about living in Vegas, about who he was talking to on the phone yesterday. He listens patiently while Steve regales him with stories about Mad Max. Tells Steve about touring, about songwriting, about Chrissy, his childhood best friend-turned-manager. 

Steve finds himself smiling more than he has in months. Eddie is magnetic, equal parts charismatic and attentive. Steve hasn’t had a date (is he allowed to call this a date?) go this well in years and twinges with regret when he glances at his watch and realizes that they’ve been talking for way longer than his allotted break time and he needs to get back. 

Eddie escorts him to the lobby, and once again leans over the counter, chin on one hand. Steve meets his eyes and blushes at the intensity there.

“Thank you,” he tells Eddie. “I had… a lot of fun.” 

“The pleasure was mine, sugar,” Eddie replies softly. Steve tries to think of anything other than the heat that curls low in his belly at the pet name. Eddie starts to walk away, but Steve calls him back. 

“Eddie!” 

Eddie turns, something earnest and eager in his face. 

“Good luck tonight. Or, er, break a leg.” Steve blushes fully at that, feeling awkward under Eddie’s gaze.

Eddie nods, smiles, and then treats Steve to yet another view of his ass, and Steve is on fire, jittery from what he tells himself is the caffeine.

–

Eddie’s pre-show routine has been pretty much the same for a decade. He chugs a giant coffee—today’s had been extra delicious with its side of hunk—throws on eyeliner, and puts on whatever outfit he imagines would horrify his homophobic high school principal the most. Today it’s low rise leather pants with lacing on each hip and an unbuttoned black cowboy shirt. He hairsprays the shit out of his hair, back-combs it a little to get that sex-mussed look, and voila, he’s done. 

From there he normally goes and bugs all the other guys. As the frontman, Eddie gets his own dressing room, which can come in handy for post-show escapades but normally leaves him a little lonely. So he wanders down the green room hallway until he finds the rest of the band. Jeff and Gareth greet him with a fist bump, and he nods politely to their new bassist Ray, who’s drawing on terrifyingly huge eyeliner wings. 

They shoot the shit for a while, Gareth telling them about a cute girl who was totally hitting on him at the bar and who was definitely not a hooker. Eddie and Jeff are understandably skeptical, but Gareth doubles down until their increasingly agitated debate is settled by Ray, who calmly states that the girl was indeed a hooker because she saw her counting cash in the bathroom.

When the opener goes on, Chrissy swoops in and they run through their set list one last time before huddling up together in a tight circle. This little ritual has been their good luck charm since their first ever set in their hometown dive bar. 

Eddie starts them off: “Come! This is the hour we draw swords together!” 

Gareth continues: “For glory!”

Jeff adds: “For death!”

“For the babes,” Ray adds, getting a chuckle out of them all.

And Eddie finishes, solemnly, “For Frodo.” They press their foreheads together and jump back with a holler before running down the hallway and into the wings. As they step out onstage and the familiar adrenaline rush fills Eddie’s veins, he can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness, like someone who should be in the audience isn’t there.

–

For the next few weeks, Eddie makes a point of stopping by the concierge desk every day. Sometimes he brings Steve coffee or takes him out during his breaks. Sometimes he just stands there and flirts over the counter, making more and more of a fool of himself just to see Steve blush. He learns that Steve has Mondays and Thursdays off. That he hates cinnamon gum. That he’s an expert at being just bitchy enough to shut people down but not so bitchy that people realize what he’s doing. Eddie gets a secret thrill of satisfaction when he watches Steve very firmly decline outrageous requests and people who think that full service means more than it does. 

He finds himself looking forward to their daily conversations, unexpectedly captivated by how ordinary Steve’s life is. Because Steve loves to complain. But his complaints are about someone taking forever in line at the grocery store, or the Audi driver who cut him off in traffic, or how he can’t stand the stay-at-home moms who clog up the trailhead parking lots. All these benign moments that Eddie never gets to experience, instead worrying about ticket sales and tour dates and, in his darker moments, whether anyone actually wants to be close to him or if they just want to be close to the spotlight.

Eddie feels like they’re on the cusp of something, waiting to be pushed off the edge. This routine of flirting is fun, and it’s safe, and Eddie’s enjoying it. Steve is hot, and he treats Eddie like a real person, and their banter is sexy but harmless. They could be suspended in this mutual attraction without consequence until the end of Eddie’s residency and that would be that. But the little demon on Eddie’s shoulder that always wants, needs, begs for more tells him to take the plunge, consequences be damned. 

He’s mulling this over during breakfast one morning, sipping coffee across from Chrissy. 

“What’s on your mind, Didi?” she asks quietly, always observant. 

He sighs dramatically and throws one hand over his forehead. “I pine, Chrissy! I yearn!”

She chuckles. “Steve? Again? Why don’t you just ask him out already?”

“I have been!” Eddie insists. “I’ve bought him, like, a hundred coffees.” At her exasperated look, he gets more serious. “Can I, Chrissy? I don’t–. I can’t afford to crash and burn again. What if I ask him out for real and the worst happens? What if it’s Adrian all over again?” 

He tries to avoid her eyes, not wanting to see the pity there, but when he finally looks up she’s hiding a grin behind her hand.

“Chrissy!” he admonishes. “It’s not funny!” 

“Alright, alright,” she concedes, still smiling. “It’s not funny, but Eddie, hon, you have to put yourself out there sometime if you want something real. And from everything you’ve told me about Steve, I think he’s a good bet.”

Eddie takes a moment to ponder this. Unlike most of the people he’s courted, Steve is markedly unfazed by the whole famous rockstar thing. He’s been meticulously checking his Instagram follow requests every day and hasn’t seen one from Steve so he’s pretty sure the guy’s not on social media. Plus he has that dorky dad vibe going for him, and Eddie is a sucker for a DILF. 

“But what do I do next, Chris? I’ve already been flirting my little ass off, and sure he flirts back but it’s not like he’s made any moves to get more serious. Where do I go from here?”

“Leave that to me,” she tells him, and reaches for her phone. A minute later he gets a text notification.

“Chrissy, doll, why are you sending me backstage passes to my own show?” She just looks at him like he’s an idiot. “Oh. Oh. You think he’d really go?”

“Eddie. Think about it. How many people throw their underwear on stage during your performances? He’ll go crazy.” She comes to stand behind him and throws her arm around his neck. “Plus, I think it’s time he sees you at work instead of the other way around.” 

–

Steve is in the midst of his Wednesday evening routine of making weekend dinner reservations at every upscale restaurant in Vegas, held under the hotel’s name at first so they can offer them to guests who call at the last minute. He’s just hanging up with Koi when he makes eye contact with Eddie across the lobby. Steve leans onto the counter and watches Eddie’s approach, lets his gaze trace the man from head (curly hair loose and slightly damp from a shower) to toe (the studded crocs, again), and everything in between (slim waist tapering into slinky hips, white t-shirt that clings deliciously, low slung plaid trousers). He knows Eddie can see him staring, and his cheeks heat slightly, but he looks anyway. 

This tension between them has only escalated since that first night. He can’t get Eddie out of his head, he wants him so badly, and even more dangerous, he honest-to-god likes spending time with him. He’s funny, and insightful, and he seems to genuinely care when Steve tells him about Max, and not in that fake way of so many of his dates who were clearly just trying to get in his pants and had no interest in a family man.

Part of him wants to throw caution to the wind and ask Eddie out to dinner. But who is he to ask a world famous rockstar out. He’s nobody. Just a divorced guy ostracized from his hometown working in the service industry. 

He’s torn out of this morose line of thought by the familiar greeting of, “Hey sugar,” this time followed by “I got something for you.”

Steve meets Eddie’s eyes, and is surprised to see uncertainty there. But Eddie is smiling as he extends his arm, phone in hand. “Here, put your number in.”

Steve does. Wants to make a joke about Eddie finally asking for his digits after the tenth date but stops himself when he sees Eddie’s telltale signs of nerves (rocking on the balls of his feet, chewing his hair). He hands the phone back and waits while Eddie does something with it.

“Okay, sugar, there you go.” 

Steve checks his phone, clicks on a text from an unknown number. “What–. Eddie, what are these?”

“VIP tickets to my show tomorrow.” Steve meets Eddie’s expectant gaze with wide eyes. “Will you come?”

Steve takes in a breath. As if he would ever, ever turn this down with the way Eddie is looking at him as if he’s just placed his heart in Steve’s hands. 

“Yes. Yes, of course I’ll come! I’ll bring Rob.” Steve sees Eddie’s face fall, looking every bit a wounded puppy, and Steve hurries to correct himself. “Robin. I’ll bring Robin. My lesbian best friend. She’s kind of my platonic soulmate. Crazy, but you’ll like her.” 

Eddie’s face brightens at the word “lesbian” and Steve feels his cheeks warm, pleased that Eddie is pleased that he’s not bringing a man. 

Eddie “oohs” dramatically. “A lesbian? I’ll have to introduce her to Chrissy. Christ knows that girl needs to get laid.” Suddenly he leans in close, right in Steve’s space, mouth close to his ear. Steve can feel goosebumps where Eddie’s breath hits his neck, and he blushes even deeper.

“Those tickets include backstage passes. I expect to see you there after the show, big boy.” With that, he smacks a wet kiss on Steve’s cheek, turns, and walks away. 

Steve is left standing there, red-faced, awestruck, slightly horny, and full of anticipation.

--

continue to part 4.

read on ao3.

--

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[mokolat]

Necklaces and bracelets Klaus compilation            (because I never imagine that my personnal fashion taste for him could possibly became canon ♥ Woohoo!)

[fenny-self-ships]

Warning: Do not separate

[vyeoh]

Not to sound incredibly pretentious but I am genuinely concerned with how "strong visual aesthetic" is becoming conflated automatically with "good movie". Like the nightmare scenario is that movies just look pretty while saying absolutely nothing

[piiinkfreak]

I did the barbie meme!!!

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[silvermistyy]

Me considering writing a Batman au fanfic centered around Nico before realizing that I would have to do research on the Batman lore

(aside from all the shit everyone and their mother already knows)

[tricoufamily]

i'm playing malcolm in the sims movie guys i can finally tell you the secret i've been keeping from you

[six-seasons-andamovie]

It's now official that every holiday season I will have two blog themes. One at the first half, one the second.