#might get attacked for liking a ship other than reddie

[rybonucleic-ket]

stan and richie qpr this has randomly barged into my brain and it won't leave

[beehindblueeyes]

Fandomization: Revisited

I have a post I made a while ago that was really more of a warning if anything. It was a pattern I was noticing begin to grow within the fandom and how issues are really just a flat circle. It effects all over time and it’s  especially prevalent in horror fandoms? I don’t quite understand past the reductionist “horror is where the horny is kept”. It’s more than that but it’s a thing here as well. However I don’t want to completely repeat the same thing I had in my prior post, I’m going to include a update on that part and address some further things etc etc etc. Strap in.

* Disclaimer: I am going to be talking about things I have personally  obsessed and am not a fan of. This however does not mean you personally cannot enjoy it or should stop making it. Don’t let me tell you what to do but also don’t ride me off as a “hater” or attacker. Hear me out, if you don’t like my gripes that’s perfectly fine just don’t take it out on me.

Donna, Bev and victims of one ship rules all-

I talked about this in the last post but all fandoms start out sort of equal. A barrage of fics, fanart and discussions for everything and everyone but over time they sort of dilute into just shipping and one ship. You have to go digging in the mines if you want to find another ship god forbid anything else! This isn’t to say “ship popular so ship bad” but more—- if that’s all there is it loses what it had. Usually it’s a gay ship and 9/10 the female character of the movie suffers for it.

Donna in particular has gotten so much shit from Rinney shippers and just fans in general. A lot of the bargain bin “she’s getting in the way” “why does she exist” etc. However it’s gone beyond this into hate pages and vile comments against her actress online and it’s sick? People harassing a child over a movie character and ships— have you no decorm? Less extreme is that content about her or ships involving her or anyone else go virtually ignored. I know for a fact if this post had used Robin instead of Donna there’d be at least 100 likes. I’m not saying this because I think my post “deserves” a bunch of likes but because I know if I Used Robin half of you would eat it up. It’s that “if it’s not gay it’s icky” metality in young fans that can lead to some weird places as you grow.

Bev has a similar treatment. Where she’s just straight up ignored or used as a straw,man because she gets in the way of this and that or she’s reduced to “richies best friend who he smokes with sometimes” instead of her own character. I don’t know if her actress recieved the same level of hate campaign but I hope she didn’t. I really do.

One ship rules all hurts the ship itself-

If you haven’t caught on by now my arugement is for variety. It’s that more than one ship gets all the praise and love and admiration etc— hell it’s that we can get something that’s not a ship as well. This movie is about some pretty young kids and… idk. That’s not the point of this segment. I’ve talked before about fandomization and how characters get reduced to tropes, stereotypes and personal interest and might as well be ocs because they scarcely resemble the character past maybe their face. Its true and it’s coming. Using the “one rules all” or Reddie and Rinney today.

Preface this with a bit of a bias on my end. I actually enjoy Reddie as a concept. Childhood crushes, meet again as adults with a ‘oh’ moment well after it’s to late? I eat that shit up. Rinney on the other hand? I can understand where it comes from but I just see more of “he’s my cool friend💕” because we really don’t let friendships between boys be intimate in the same way we do girls. (I Hope that makes sense)

Basically as the only content to come out from a fandom becomes a single ship the more divided and weird it gets, there’s the usual break off points and accepted headcannons. There gets to a point where the Fanon has Fanon and then people believe it to be cannon and get extremely upset when it’s pointed out to not be. A great example is again Eddie and Richie:

Meme from Pinterest . The “Bad boy X soft uwu boy” is the same thing that is happening to Robin and Finney and it’s a bit concerning. It’s very reductionist and is becoming a gay stereotype within itself? Which- idk when a lot of kids first experience to this sort of stuff is through fandom and this is the expectation? Idk — I’m going to stop talking about real life impact in this regard because I’m not qualified and it wasn’t originally my point, my point is a much more personal disappointment. As Fanon-Fanon characterization being all there is , is a little sad when they get so far removed from the characters we all love in the first place.

They are children I’m literally begging you-

So I’m a bit old™️, and when I was younger x reader wasn’t really a thing or it was all on wattpad which I didn’t touch(and still don’t) with a ten foot poll. But- I feel like there was more variety. It’s not my cup of tea and I’m not saying it’s not a ligitamte form of fanfiction but if that’s all their is… etc etc.

My concern lies in the fact that none of the main characters are over the age of 14 and there’s a x reader or god forbid smut , obsession with this movie. Griffin is 11 and Billy is 12 at the time of their deaths based on the missing posters and shipping them or with yourself—- it just doesn’t sit right with me. I’m not saying there’s not teenager , survived AUs but I mean with characters as they are , or implied to be the same (even then aging up in this context implies you did it implicitly for romance purposes which is still,,,)

They’re literal children and I guess that’s why the boundless shipping really surprises me, that and they’re always acting way way older than they are. Like where’s my friends fics or stupid ass crushes and weird behavior? Idk.

Also the actors are also children! They’re reaching their teens now but that’s no fucking excuse for how creepy people are towards them. Getting fam and swarmed by fans starting at a young age cannot be good for mental health. I’ve already expressed this before but people are so fucking creepy about Miguel in particular finding family photos , private moments and texts and reposting them AND TAGGING HIM?? Etc. I think part of it is the adultification of Latino kids.

The kids from IT and stranger things experienced similar stalkerish behavior and really borderline sexual remarks since they were 12-13 and idk how they’re handling now but there has to be a fear that undermines every fan interaction. Esp because modern fans feel entitled to  celebrities time and social life if Miguel is any test to that. Like there is a reason a lot of kid actors end up super fucked up in adult hood and it’s more than workplace abuse or parental control. With the new age and fan obsession… I’m worried things will get even worse and I hope they all make it through alright.

Apologist behavior-

Talked about this briefly again and again, I’ve kept quite and simple because I don’t want to be attacked but I’m going to say it all again here. I also want to establish I in no way encourage or condone people harassing and attacking them in the same way (Grabber x reader people) or worse. I keep hearing claims of death threats but none shown publicly- regardless don’t do that.

Anyways. “We changed him so he’s fine”. Why not any other Ethan Hawke character? I fully agree he is a fine ass man but of all of his characters the Pedo serial killer????? It’s been stated by at least two authors that “we like the grabber. Not his other characters but this is a different version” but if you like this character spesfically what is it that you like about him? His entire character is being a Killer who locks little boys in his basement to kill and …worse. What is it that you like? Ethan’s eyes? That’s all Ethan.

You can’t just pout and cross your arms and go “he likes grown women fuck you.” And expect people to just walk away? I’m sorry, no that’s not how it works. I’m genuinely curious because I just— it baffles me. And for the love of god stop using the slasher excuse he’s not a slasher he is a spree killer. He’s rooted in real life and real life serial killers not a big scary monster man. (I say this as someone who likes slashers and understands that sort of thing but there’s just a line when it comes to kids. It’s like dogs in movies).

I just- I want to know the psychology around this I guess? I don’t- I don’t know.

[erectionsandtea]

Wow, this post is probably going to end up being a bad idea, because I am currently in the state of exhaustion that is telling me that this post is a good idea, lol

I'm p sure this will be pointless and unnecessary, though

The following post is an analysis, not of any ship or fandom specifically, but about me in relation to a certain ship in a certain fandom (Byler, ST). It's just a something to let my followers know a little bit more about me, and why I think the way I do, why I talk the way I do, in relation to the ship, and why I might try to avoid certain posts (theories, analyses, "proof" type things).

If you start to read this, please finish before interacting with me. I don't want anyone to take anything I write out of context.

Now, I don't know if this should be considered an anti-Byler post, because I'm not saying that I don't ship it...I guess it could be perceived that way, but it's not how I intend it to be. Bylers proceed with caution, as some of this may not be what you want to hear.

Also, I have been called out (for lack of better phrasing) for a possible trigger of calling a gay couple "just best friends" (Byler). The person who told me, said it was because they themselves had personally been in a situation exactly like that before. While I do not personally, fully know what that must be like (not having been in that situation myself, as I recall...), I CAN try to understand, and try to be more sensitive about that subject. So, I guess a trigger warning for...apparently internalized homophobia of calling a gay couple "just best friends" ???

I want to start by saying that I do not view Byler as canon (yet). That doesn't mean I don't think it can become canon, it doesn't mean that I don't ship it at all, because I do (to both of those).

Back when I initially didn't ship Byler at all, it was mostly because Mileven got in the way, lol, but the SECONDARY reason was that I saw a lot of myself and my friendships in them.

Yes, I was one of those people who thought that two same-sex people can be just friends (and I still am, but not specifically with Byler anymore).

I act the same way with my best friends, and I feel I would react the same way Mike did, if what happened to Will happened to one of my bffs. Basically, nothing about Byler specifically stood out to me as "gay". It just looked like a regular very-close friendship to me.

I was in drama and choir in high school. We changed in front of people, I had one friend who would grab my boobs on a daily basis, just because she could (it spawned from a running joke about how big my boobs are, in comparison to my tiny body). I've even seen some of my friends completely nude (and they have seen me). We've held hands. And while most, if not all of us, were somewhere on the rainbow spectrum (as I like to call it), all the things we did, we just did as friends and being friendly. Being queer wasn't exactly a big part of it.

Now, I'm not saying that all drama and choir kids will be the exact same as me. That's just how I ended up, and I think that's why I just see things differently (not saying I'm special by any means, everyone is different).

Anyway, Byler just didn't strike me as gay for each other. I AM of the opinion that Will is absolutely gay, lol, and I think Mike is definitely not straight (although I really don't see hard evidence for either, but I want it to be true). And I think there is absolutely potential for Byler, AND a likelihood for them to become canon.

I have read some Byler theories, and a lot of them make sense, and some pretty good points. Like how Mike keeps staring at Will's lips. On the one hand, I've done that to my friends, when I'm just staring off into space and happen to be looking at their lips, or their boobs, or whatever.

On the other hand, Mike was clearly not staring off into space, lol, he was focused.

But while the analyses and theories do make a lot of sense, that is just how I'm seeing them for now - theories, and analyses (which can neither be wrong nor right, usually). Until we get some hard, concrete proof, which, by my definition, is going to come either straight from the writer's/creator's mouths, or will show up in ST4, I do not consider anything I see from those theories as real proof or evidence.

I also know that it has been pointed out that the Duffers have put in certain details or, for ex., been very selective with certain music choices, or cinematography choices, etc. I totally see that. But you know, sometimes things in a book, movie, or show weren't meant to happen in the first place, and are just coincidences that we, the fans, take and just roll with (like the lip staring thing, for instance). I'm not necessarily saying that I believe everything the theories say are just coincidences (because I don't believe that at all, for some things), I'm just saying there are possibilities.

Another part of why I try to avoid analyses is honestly because I think they make so much sense, and the Mileven shipper in me wants Mileven to stay canon, but the analyses make so much sense that that shipper is afraid they might be right, lol. But that really doesn't have anything to do with this analysis.

I guess the point of this post is just to say that, I should be allowed to think that two same-sex people can be just friends, without being slandered and labeled as homophobic

(Because if you honestly think I am homophobic, I will link you to my Reddie fanfiction and all the other gay ships I ship which probably outnumber the straight ones, lol, I will refer you to my bisexual best friends and my bisexual father, I will even show you photos of myself marching in Pride parades. Plus, I will remind you that I am not at all straight myself.)

because not all same-sex relationships are gay, just like not all opposite-sex relationships are romantic.

THIS IS COMING FROM A BYLER SHIPPER. Just because I do not view them as canon right now doesn't mean that I don't think they will ever become canon. If they do become canon, the Byler shipper in me will be very happy! If they don't, that shipper in me will wish they had. Viewpoints can change. I guess it just takes more to persuade me. I like Byler, I just like Mileven a little bit more. That literally doesn't mean anything. It's nothing more than a preference.

So like, I guess I'm sorry that my life/my upbringing/my relationships and friendships have made me see things differently ?? I'm sorry that I didn't pick up on the same subtext as all of you ???

I'm probably coming off as a rude-ass bitch, but you were bound to find that out about me eventually.

P.S. I know that some of the homophobia comments are directed at shippers who are, very possibly, homophobic. But those comments do not apply to all of us, and we shouldn't be grouped up together just because we have ONE similar opinion (which isn't even based on the same reasoning).

I guess, if you can't accept and respect my opinion that, canonically, Byler is CURRENTLY just best friends (even though I do want them to be more), until we get proof from the source, we might not get along. I am willing to discuss the possibility, and even look at some theories occasionally, on why they might end up canon/together. But until then, it's only speculation to me, and I would appreciate it if I were not attacked for this (although I'm sure they will be).

I do not go around looking for people/posts just so I can tell them they are wrong, I respect everyone's opinion. I hope that the same can be done for me.

Thank you. <3

P.P.S. if this makes any of my Byler followers want to unfollow me, I understand (I will miss you, though)

[liilaac]

i don't know why but 136.“I already know that I’m going to hell. At this point it’s really go big or go home.” and 137.“I’m not a damsel in distress. I’m a damsel doing damage.”  are incredibly funny for me so jfjfufj

Omg Nana yes !! 😂 And this felt too much like reddie lmao so I just HAD TO write it for them.

(And tbh I’m pretty proud of what I wrote so I hope you’ll like it too. 🥺👉🏻👈🏻)

Ship : adult reddie (It 2019)

Notes : this takes place during the final fight with Pennywise. A little ✨fix-it fic✨ because we all know this is how it should’ve ended !

~~~~

Richie tasted bile at the back of his throat. All that running, and yelling, and being so fucking afraid wasn’t easy. Maybe if he’d had a healthier lifestyle, he wouldn’t feel so miserable right then... But yeah, it was a little too late for regrets. So he kept running, dodging Pennywise’s vicious attacks as best he could.

When he noticed that Eddie had fallen down, vulnerable to It’s atrocious claws, he barely hesitated before running straight to him. He grabbed a piece of scrap metal on his way, waving it vehemently while screaming all the atrocities he could think of. He reached Eddie at the same time as one of the tentacles and, with some kind of frenzy taking over him, he brought his makeshift weapon down on It and slashed the devilish arm in two. The clown screamed behind him, retracted what was left of one of his limbs. Richie grabbed Eddie by the collar, almost dragged him to one of the tiny caves that surrounded the place of the fight.

When he finally let go of Eddie’s vest, Richie realized how fast he had acted. He wasn’t feeling as scared anymore, he felt fucking ecstatic. Adrenaline ran through his body and, for a second, he thought it was better than alcohol or weed or any of the other drugs he had tested in his teenage years.

“Richie... Fucking hell, man,” Eddie panted, slowly standing back up, his legs still wobbly under him, “You just saved my fucking life.”

“Yeah, I- I fucking did, Eds. I feel like a fucking knight in shinning armor right now.”

“Oh and what does that make me then ? The damsel in distress ?” Eddie laughed when Richie nodded cheerfully. It seemed crazy to have such a nonchalant conversation when they had just escaped death... But it was them, and it had always been this way. And Richie wanted to keep being Eddie’s knight, dreamt of getting that famous happy ending...

But now wasn’t the time to daydream, Richie thought. They needed to get out of there. Richie made sure Eddie could stand firmly and they headed deeper into the cave. After a few more near death experiences, they found themselves back into the main cavern. The monster was even bigger than it had been when Richie cut one of his tentacles in two... Anger was boiling in Richie’s stomach, he felt it flow through his veins. When he saw Mike about to get eaten by the It, he did the first thing that came to his mind and threw a rock at the clown’s head. It was a fucking stupid idea, but it was the only one he had. Thankfully, it was enough for It to drop the loser he was holding. That gave Richie a little confidence boost and, when It turned around to face him, he decided not to run away. He grabbed a rock off the ground and, with all the strength he could find, yelled, “Yeah that’s right, let’s dance. Yippee kay yay, motherfuck-“

Eddie watched his best friend’s body drop dead, his limbs hanging loosely while he was stuck in the deadlights. He was terrified. But, in his fear, he heard a little voice. You’re braver than you think. You’re braver than you think. You’re braver than you think. You’re braver than you think. The voice was Richie’s. And, repeating this mantra to himself a few more times, Eddie decided he had to be brave. He grabbed a loose pole he found on the ground and launched himself at the monster.

“I’m not a damsel in distress. I’m a damsel doing damage,” he yelled while throwing the rod right into It’s horrendous mouth. Richie fell down and the clown cried with pain, curling up in his lair.

Eddie threw himself on Richie’s unconscious body, grabbed his shirt and shook him awake. “Did you see that, Rich ? Did you see it ? I think I killed It, I think I did it !”

Richie blinked a few times before realizing how close Eddie’s face was to his, how their body were pressed against one another... Then he looked up, saw Eddie’s triumphant smile. He felt his heartbeat pick up ; he knew it was now or never... Without thinking about it for another minute, Richie grabbed Eddie’s face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. At the same time, another one of the clown’s tentacles passed right over their heads, missing them both.

Before Richie could even register Eddie’s reaction to the kiss, they fled to another one of the small caves. They escaped in extremis. Richie was panting again ; damn that clown for making him work out that much ! When he finally looked at Eddie, time seemed to slow down around them.

“What was that?” Eddie asked so softly it was almost a whisper. He looked breathless too and Richie couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of their kiss or all the running...

“Another one of his ugly arms, I think. The fucker’s not dead yet.”

“No, I- I mean... That kiss.”

“Oh.” Richie took a deep breath. “I already know that I’m going to hell. At this point, it’s really go big or go home,” he tried to joke. When Eddie stayed silent, he added, “I just couldn’t help it, man. I’ve been in love with you since we were kids and I- I realized tonight might be my last chance to be honest with you. I just couldn’t die without you knowing that you are loved. Not only by me, obviously, but- but yeah. I love you, Eds.”

Eddie was looking away and Richie almost wanted to reach into his pockets to grab his inhaler ; he was about to have a fucking panic attack ! Now that the adrenaline was slowly fading away, he realized what he had just done. He had never been this vulnerable, at least not in a long time. He thought it would feel good -and it did, for a second-, but the silence between them was tearing him apart.

“Rich.” Eddie looked up, his gaze piercing right through Richie, which sent a shiver down his spine. “Remember when you told me that I was stronger than I thought?” His voice was soft, soothing. Richie hadn’t even realized he had taken a step forward. He nodded. “Well, I think you’re braver than I ever will be... Because I’ve been in love with you since we were 10, and never in a million year would I have found the strength to confess it to you.”

And, before Richie could really understand what this all meant, Eddie’s lips were on his. He had launched himself at the taller man, his hands linking behind his neck and pulling him down into a messy and desperate kiss. Richie stayed frozen for a few seconds, not even able to kiss him back. Eddie noticed it, broke the kiss but kept their foreheads close. He looked up at Richie and as soon as he did, Richie knew. He saw the pure honesty shinning in the back of his big brown eyes and he knew Eddie’s confession was as genuine as it could be. He cradled his face gently, rubbed his cheeks with his thumbs. He wanted to pinch them, but he knew Eddie hated that so he didn’t. Instead, he closed the gap between them by kissing him again. And again. And again. And he felt like he never wanted to stop kissing him. Every centimeters of his skin that was touching Eddie’s was burning deliciously ; he couldn’t even imagine how cold he would feel when they’d have to part ways. For a second, Richie thought it wouldn’t be that bad to die in that cave, to have this be his last moment. But then he broke the kiss and looked at Eddie who still had his eyes close... He thought about all the moments they could have together if they got out of there alive... And that was enough to give him all the confidence he needed to kill the entity that had been terrorizing him since he was a kid. Eddie kept his hands behind Richie’s neck and the kiss turned into a hug.

“Alright Eds,” Richie murmured into the other man’s ear, “how about we continue this after we kill this fucking clown ?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Eddie stepped back and, before he let go of Richie completely, placed a quick kiss on his lips. As innocent as it was, it sent shivers down Richie’s entire body on fire. He grabbed his hand, and headed back into the cave.

Right before they reached the entrance of their hiding spot, Eddie added, “Oh and don’t call me Eds,” with a smirk.

[beldaroot]

Do you have any unpopular opinions about IT? Or about the fandom

anon are you trying to set me up for hate?! lol jk, everyone knows i don't mind saying my thoughts lksdjflk i feel like i've been pretty vocal already with my many, many unpopular opinions... so here's like 2k words of them because i don't know how to shut up. again these are opinions and i’m answering an ask sent to me, so don't attack me if you don't agree with them lol if you want further explanation i’m happy to do so too!

we don't need a supercut. i also don't think we're getting a supercut (maybe if the pandemic didn't happen we might have). all the supercut would give us is solid proof that wb is homophobic and also more scenes of bad characterization.

i liked the actors they chose for both movies and i wouldn’t change them. i just think these actors were given bad scripts. i don’t blame the actors themselves for portraying the characters inaccurately, it really is all muschietti&co’s fault. like james ransone and bill hader didn’t reread the book while isaiah mustafa read it multiple times and all three of their characters were done horribly. the actors were just doing their job and it was under muschietti’s directions that we have these bad characterizations. (also this isn't me supporting the actors personally, some of them are shitty people, i'm just talking about their performances).

it movies were not scary at all. it's just a bunch of jumpscares with some decent cgi. and it really sucks that they played more with pennywise being fucking weird than actually showcasing the psychological fears and trauma.

the miniseries is good! yes it’s corny and definitely had a production budget of like $8, but it still kept pretty close to the story! it did such a better job showing the losers friendship: we got to see them hangout and be silly and not angry at each other or separated for dumb reasons.

i don’t think you need to read the book to enjoy the movies or the franchise in general. the book is long as hell and shitty and i wouldn’t want someone to succumb to reading it if they don’t want to. however, it’s frustrating when people who have read the book call out specific discrepancies between the book and the movies and others will ignore it or greatly defend the movies. it chapter two was objectively bad, i’m sorry! when people say the movies should have stayed closer to the source material, it’s not like we’re trying to push the book in your face. we’ve come to cherish the book characterizations and it just hurts to see beloved characters ruined over some shitty portrayals and bad directing and writing.

all the losers are shippable with each other (except bev and eddie), but there are just some ships that are more compatible with each other due to canon elements and interactions.

on that note, it isn't reddie's fault if your non-reddie ship isn't as popular. i know i'm biased but there is reason why people gravitate towards reddie in the first place, and if your non-reddie ship doesn't have that much content, there is no need to bash reddie for it. (though you can definitely bash reddie shippers for picking reddie over another ship if they’re not shipping a non-reddie ship due to racism or some other form of bigotry)

like eddie, i do not care about myra. lol, i don’t understand the discourse around her since she is just a 2d character that was meant to show how eddie is trapped in the toxic cycle his mother created. she is just a surrogate sonia, but she isn’t as a big of a threat to eddie as his mom was. the fact that eddie was able to leave her so easily, knowing that it might be the last time he sees her, is so telling that she was never really an obstacle for him. his biggest fear has always been his mother, myra played a small role in it but not enough for there to be all these thinkpieces about it lskdjfksf also, the fact that we don’t see eddie’s intro chapter in her POV but we saw stan’s and bev’s through their partners, just shows that myra's thoughts are not that important lol

i don’t hate benverly. i think they’re cute and as much as i didn’t really like the underwater kiss, it was shot amazingly looool. i will say i find it weird that people will call benverly “boring” especially given how many parallels they have with reddie. that being said, it is frustrating to see these similar stories between these two ships, but of course, the straight couple will get the happy ending while the gays are suffering. also, i wish that people would give more depth to benverly as a ship - they would definitely have a lot of issues to overcome, bev with her abuse and trauma, ben with his loneliness and inability to open up about his true feelings. and i think because they're a m/f couple, people just don't care about them or want to explore them. also, ben is a great character and some of the hate towards him is wildly unnecessary and at times very hypocritical. 

sandy was not a beard for richie. i'm assuming this got popular since chapter two made richie gay so now people read richie’s vasectomy story with sandy as a type of “performance” or a “bit” he’s practiced to appear straight. however, the way i perceived it is richie finally being open and taking a sad story of his love life and turning it into a grand retelling so the losers will still think of him as a jokester. it’s very apparent from how he talks about sandy that she was very important to him and that even though they separated mutually, the hurt he has is still present. also, i just don’t think you need to villainize a woman character who only appears for like 3 pages total lol.

bill is the best written character in the movies and that's because he's always the self-insert. in order from best to worst characterization i would say bill > ben > bev > richie > stan > eddie > mike. 

ok all the losers are queer in some fashion, but i think the loser who gives off the most straight energy is not ben, but stan. stan just never held any idolization or romantic interactions with the boy losers. he really only shows deep care and gentleness to bev and then later to patty. and he was just so in love with patty! like those two love birds can be bi, but if they’re straight, i don’t have any complaints either because they’re that cute!

richie is bisexual and straight passing. eddie is gay and not straight passing. really can’t believe these are unpopular opinions, but i’ve seen more than enough people say the opposite, so i have to say my piece! richie’s whole thing is about putting on a façade, there is always two sides of him. he wants to appear straight because he doesn’t want people to know his true self. eddie has always appeared “gay,” this is literally why people bullied him and called him slurs and “sissy,” but he doesn’t know/try to change his appearance into something more masculine.

people who feminize eddie and people who make him hypermasc are both evil and will not be seeing heaven! i genuinely hate both so much but if i had to choose i think "uwu softboy" eddie is more in character than mean aggressive asshole eddie who hates his friends. and it's just so funny because i think out of all the losers, eddie definitely blurs the lines of gender the most, he doesn’t conform to gender stereotypes and for that reason, he’s targeted for his appearance. anyway, some of y’all need to understand that gay men can be complex and have range!

chapter two eddie sucked and should absolutely be removed from existence. that’s is not my eddie kaspbrak. idon’tknowher.gif.

muschietti&co gave richie eddie’s storyline. this shouldn’t be unpopular or even controversial, like the dude literally said “eddie had a lot going on” while richie didn’t, so he “gave” richie more. and it’s weird that people try to defend andy on this, because richie does have a lot going on too!! he already had his own queer storyline that they could have explored!! it was an injustice to both richie and eddie that andy tried to switch their storylines/personalities. there can and should be more than one queer character in a media at a time, but andy was like “no, and i don't know what bisexuality is.” it’s just sad because out of the two, eddie’s queer subtext in the book is much more blatant than richie’s, and yet people came out of the movie saying eddie wasn’t gay or that his feelings weren’t mutual. the reason a lot of people sympathize with richie’s storyline in the movie is because it has elements of book eddie’s story in it!! both of them deserved to have their stories told properly and also independently – they are intertwined but they’re also separate. they aren’t interchangeable. richie was scared that people would see him as predatory; that’s what the werewolf symbolized to him. he felt he was a monster, that bisexuality made him dangerous. he's not some sad repressed gay. also!! eddie deserved to kill bowers and it makes me seethe with rage that he wasn’t given that. 

hated that richie didn’t write his own material in the movie. i understand that richie likes to keep facades, but book richie is very ambitious and wants to see himself prosper. the part in the book where he’s talking about reining in the “crazy man” with the line “but he had understood his potential not to be just good at the job but great at it, and just that knowledge had been enough to put him over the moon on a cloud of euphoria.” like richie is smart!! he wants to be in control and be accoladed for his talents! he wouldn't want someone else to make him funny. richie can be self-destructive but he wants recognition too. 

hated the arcade scene. was totally unnecessary to have this random bully (who everyone started to sympathize with and ship richie with????) confront richie like that. i didn't mind that richie's token wasn't related to eddie because again, i do think that they are separate, but i wish richie had some sort of confrontation with pennywise via eddie because that would have made r+e make actual sense.

the whole token storyline was dumb. trying to make the ritual of chud work with tokens instead of what it was intended to be - a game of wits and humor - was stupid. especially since the ritual was known to fail and mike lied to them to get them to find these useless tokens. it was also bad because we never got to see the flashback for mike and ben always had his token with him (which was also weird… like why would he keep that in his wallet for 27 years….??)  

that quarry scene in the movie where bev strips and then all the boys ogle at her was unnecessary and creepy and i hope andy muschietti goes to jail for it!

bev and eddie are the only two losers with abusive parents. the other losers have varying degrees of toxicity with their parents (the hanlons being zero), but not enough to be labeled as abusive.

stan was badly written in both movies. i can and have written an essay about this, but he was given scraps and it sucks that people will look at the second movie and say he was written well especially since andy romanticized his suicide by writing those letters like stan was a martyr sacrificing himself for the good of the group instead of being deeply traumatized and killing himself because he was so scared. also, that bar mitzvah scene does not make any sense chronologically and it felt more like a storyline for richie than for stan and i wish it remained a deleted scene. i like the idea of him rebelling and pointing out the illogic of things, but stan never had an issues with grownups… he liked his parents! anyway, stan was not a coward for killing himself and in general he deserves so much fucking better.

eddie is funnier than richie. i'm sorry, but i laughed so many times in the book while reading eddie's parts while i had to skim over richie's parts because i didn't even know what he was saying with those voices and half the time they were racist so....

mike was badly characterized in the movies and the reason for that is muschietti&co are racist. no ifs ands or buts about it! you can't just completely destroy someone's character that much if you don't have some sort of subconscious anti-blackness in you. mike literally has the most content in the book and you're going to portray his character in horrible racist stereotypes AND give him no screentime?! like stan, i have written a whole essay about this topic, so if you actually want me to share all the details, i can. it's just.... a lot, and this post is already so long.

in regards to race, i don't think it's harmful to headcanon the other losers as a different race or ethnicity. especially if you're poc (like i used to headcanon harry potter as a brown desi man as a desi myself because it gave me comfort). however!! i think it can be harmful if you start sidelining mike and his blackness because of these racial/ethnic headcanons. mike's story directly revolves around being black in a white town, his story is about the racism he faced and how he was accepted by the losers regardless of his race. i mean the reason he's qualified as a “loser” in the first place is because he's black lol. so just don't minimize his story for your own headcanons.

as for the fandom..... oof A LOT of y'all are racist, fatphobic, sexist, antisemitic, homophobic, and also biphobic. sometimes it does not feel like a safe place for marginalized communities, especially when they are discussing “controversial” yet important issues.

y'all also recycle the same discourse every few months and it's really annoying (though there hasn't been much discourse recently thank god)

some of y’all need to understand that platonic relationships are just as, if not, better than some romantic relationships. ship wars are overrated. 

y'all truly suck at engaging with content. you will say this fandom is dying is dead but i can go into the reddie tag or the it ao3 tag and find countless new content every day. yes, that content might not fit what you want, but if you do find something and enjoy it, you need to comment/leave a tag and let creators know that so they feel appreciated. don’t know who needs to tell you this, but when content creators receive positive feedback, they’re more motivated to create content! woah! 

i will say that even if this fandom has its bad moments, there are still a lot of great people here. i've made a lot of friends and the it fandom is probably one of the best fandom in regards to unique, rich, and wonderful content. it's 2021 and i'm still glad i'm here! <3

[grownups-are-the-real-monsters]

Here Today

Summary: Beaver spotted the man first as he & Jonesy strolled towards Derry’s kissing bridge, hand-in-hand. He was hunched over himself in a way that had to be might uncomfortable. Beaver stopped his loud laughter when Jonesy let go of his hand. For safety. 

They’d just bow their heads, walk past and maybe come back later to attend to their business if they saw fit. At least, that could have been the plan had Beaver not recognized the stranger. 

Fandoms: IT & Dreamcatcher 

Ships: Reddie, Jonesy/Beaver 

Word Count: 3,708

There was a man with bad posture sitting on the kissing bridge. 

A couple of things were wrong with him. Some were simply symptoms of a common cold (the cough, the stuffiness & the sneeze). But what was left (the breakdowns, the depression & sudden fondness for his hell-hole hometown) were signs of a problem much larger than that of a ‘sick-bug’.

The man with awful posture was re-entering a period of mourning. Like the time of the werewolf; the moon snuck up on Richie Tozier two nights ago and reduced him to a sad, hairy man. Slobbery too. But slobbery with tears.  

Each of his loser’s club pals had reached out to him that morning. Their texts were loving & perfect but awkward (through no fault of their own). Who knew what to say to their best friend who’d never officially come out of the closet on the anniversary of the man he never got to confess his full-love to’s death? Hallmark didn’t have the best cards for that. Some. But not a lot. 

Mike Hanlon had encouraged his Idea to come on down to Derry over the phone when he’d hesitantly pitched it. Once Richie told him about the carving, Mike told him to go on & head-out. Pay a sentimental visit instead of succumbing to his usual coping mechanism of crying & watching movies for straight men. ‘She’s Out of My League’ had been his original plan for the afternoon.

But sweet Mike was right, as he often was. So Richie negotiated a week off with his agent before the ‘real work’ in his schedule started. He came home...to the place where he’d grown-up...the place which housed some of his fondest and some of his most horrifying memories. It was that strange sort of balance that kept any feeling but numb at bay. 

{R + E}

It had still been there, of course. He hadn’t expected any Derry hooligans' to scratch it off or some shit. But it was still sort of surreal to be back again. He traced his fingers along the thick, cut-open lines just as he’d done down the tender ripped skin of Eddie’s wound two years ago. He shouldn’t have been as squeamish this time, considering it was only carved wood not the yanked-open & festering skewer hole of his loved one (Ha! He laughed like a disturbed & deeply depressed Fozzy Bear at that one!)

That had been a little over twenty minutes ago but Richie still hadn’t left. He sat now at the edge with his legs hung over the side. Not completely ready to go back to his lonely motel room. He thought about the Losers having to pull him off Eddie’s body down in the sewers which eerily lead him to his Halloween costume six or so years ago...Tom Petty’s get-up in the ‘Mary Janes Last Dance’ Video. 

He felt a sudden urge to vomit and cry at the same time. Because there was truly no way to avoid the pain. It would just have to hammer in his chest until it either passed or killed him. He couldn’t run from himself or his memories for very long. He felt a sick sensation of missing the time he’d first left Derry & was forced to forget everything and everyone. At least then...

No. He hated that he could even think about wanting that. He would just have to keep learning how to live without Eddie Kaspbrak. Shouldn’t be too damn difficult, huh?

: : : : : :

Beaver spotted the man first as he & Jonesy strolled towards Derry’s kissing bridge, hand-in-hand. He was hunched over himself in a way that had to be might uncomfortable. Beaver stopped his loud laughter when Jonesy let go of his hand. For safety. Derry was nowhere near as bad as it’d once been but you couldn’t be too careful when it came to displaying your sexuality in front of strangers, sadly. 

Though still, the boys held love for their home-town. After all, it was the setting of their found family and nothing was more important than the good ol’ SSDD gang. 

They’d just bow their heads, walk past and maybe come back later to attend to their business if they saw fit. 

At least, that could have been the plan had Beaver not recognized the stranger. “Jesus Christ-Bananas!” he yippee’d in that voice Jonesy usually adored but was slightly annoyed by in the moment. “That’s Richie fucking Tozier!”

“A very distressed looking Richie Tozier.” Jonesy corrected, hoping they were giving the man enough space & privacy that he couldn’t notice them yet. He nver understood his boyfriend’s obsession with the guy. To Jonesy, Richie Tozier seemed like any other straight white comedian. “We should probably leave him alone, Beav.” 

Beaver’s beautiful joy snapped into an accepted disappointment as he observed the man in front of them. Jonesy could see the ache to rush over was hard for him to hold back. It pained him just to see his boyfriend so deflated. Teased by such a great possible experience-

“I’ll be leaving soon, if that’s what you’re worried about!”

Came a sudden friendly & very Richie Tozier like voice. Beaver just about shouted as they jumped their eyes over to meet the stranger’s. He was tall and a little gangly with Buddy Holly glasses sliding down his nose. 

“Actually we were just trying to decide which one of us was going to rob you...” Beaver chuckled awkwardly & so unlike him. “We were gonna do a coin toss for it.” He added before slamming his hand against his forehead (quite forcefully too). “That was a joke, sorry...a dumb joke...” He mumbled. Jonesy couldn’t hold back his amused grin but resisted his urge to pull Beav closer. Instead, he walked forward to their conversation ahead, an eager yet embarrassed boyfriend following him. 

“You’re Richie Tozier!” Beaver repeated. 

“Beaver’s a bit starstruck.” Jonesy smirked. “He gets this same way whenever he sees a famous comedian just chilling in our hometown.” He chuckled and pretended not to notice Mr. Tozier’s red eyes. He got the feeling---actually it was more than that, he could very well tell the man was caught between a rock & a hard place with the little...trick he & the gang each possessed. 

“Hey, that’s ok with me.” He laughed & pushed his glasses up his nose. “Don’t see any paper...want me to sign a body part or something?” He joked and Jonesy knew exactly how Beaver would try and continue the joke so...

The taller friend slapped his palm over ‘Beavers’ mouth which made that squeaky old man laugh escape Richie. 

“Gary Jones. You cane call me Jonesy.” The young man held out his free hand to shake in a charming gesture which said ‘We do this bit all the time’. It hit Richie right in the grief bone again. 

“Joe Clarendon. But my friends call me Beaver.” And just like that, Beav’s confidence was back. 

Richie noticed the way Jonesy practically glowed when his friend spoke. “Richie Tozier.” He felt the need to introduce himself, like an idiot, even though they obviously knew his name. “But you can just call me ‘your hero’, I guess.” He laughed at his own lame joke which seemed to make the Beaver-guy light up again. 

He looked them up and down. They looked about twenty or twenty-one to Richie. Beaver was a short but made up for it in hair, which was long & hippie-like. He respected that. Most of his body up top was covered by a large Fonzie-Jacket & the bottom was all about the Doc Martens. Richie felt like he was looking at a bit of a modernized version of his younger self. 

Jonesy was going for a much calmer look of a light-blue flannel and sneakers. They looked like quite the pair. 

“What’s a guy like you doing in a town like this?” Beaver grinned, charm oozing so easily off him. One of the reasons Jonesy fell in love with him so quickly. 

Richie chuckled, swiping his thumb under his nose. “Thought I’d visit my old stomping grounds.” He shrugged. 

Jonesy shared a quick look with Beav as a feeling shot up his body. He got the idea through their...special talent that there was more to that story. And by the look of it, so did Beav. 

“There’s no way you grew up here. I would’ve known that!” Beaver smacked a hand to his chest. “Jesus-Christ-Bananas!” 

Richie quirked his brow at the Beav-ism & Jonesy briefly thought he might ignore it or roll his eyes like most strangers but instead...“Mary, Joseph & the whole fruit basket!” He shook his head. Beav looked like he might burst with respect and adoration. It was just about the cutest thing Jonesy had ever seen. “I can’t believe it myself sometimes.” 

The Beav takes a toothpick from his new wooden container (a gift from Mrs. Cavell) and pops it between his teeth. He thought-no-he knew that Rich Tozier was doin’ a voice. Not an outrageous one like he sometimes did on stage but one that said ‘I’m alright. Doing just fine. Nothing to see here’ and all at once Beav felt a little bad for bothering him again. 

“I ran around with a little gang of dorks.” He laughed, 100% sure he was about to dumb a lot of his tory onto these poor boys. Not all but some. “Lost one of them two years ago today...” He frowned and looked conflicted before adding “In the flood.” 

The boys started to nod but where Jonesy felt a pinch of something wrong in his mind, Beaver started having a full-on attack about it. Like in the old days. Days of Grenadeau and Josie. Jonesy felt his boyfriend shaking and looked to see him trying to repress it to the best of his ability before lurching forward with a grunt that sounded painful.

Richie ducked down like he might try to catch him if he fainted but Beaver popped back up with sweat running down his temple. 

‘What happened?’ Jonesy sent a message through his mind almost completely accidentally. 

Beaver looked up, looking deeply deeply disturbed and scared. He’d seen images he could not for the life of himself comprehend. ‘Dark places. Large sharpened legs stabbing through somebody's body? Something like that. Screaming and...?’ He looked at Richie. “New shit today, Jonesy.” He felt vomit whirl up his throat but he swallowed quickly. “I saw a clown?” 

Richie widened his eyes before vomiting over the edge of the bridge.

“Major gross-out!” Beaver whistled as he heard the plops of chunky puke hit the water. Jonesy looked a little green himself after Rich came up, wiping his mouth with general looking shock. 

Beaver was about to make another kind of joke when he noticed the guttural growl the comedic-stranger made as his body lurched forward. He hoped the guy could catch his breath before he choked on any more reverse meals. 

He stepped forward to offer him the bandana he kept in the jacket pocket but when they briefly touched hands, another sight hit him that was just as shockingly awful as the last-----

‘Beads of blood dotted the corners of Richie’s torn lips. Hands incapable of remaining clutched with the slickness of the sweat pooling in his palms. He had Eddie kneeling between his skinny legs who was trying to communicate something to him but the most Richie could think to do in those fatal seconds was to hope for a few things. 

The kind of hopes that were important to someone at the delicate age of forty. 

A large thump above his head made him flinch, Eddie’s fist briefly slamming hard under his chin. He fought back his pain filled yelp by clasping his palm over his wet mouth. His eyes darted wildly back and forth behind the minimal cracks on his glasses. 

The second hand dirt that he’d gathered on his piss colored shirt was now having a wipe down of maroon. 

Only the dye-job didn’t come from him. Rather, Eddie Kaspbrak who was now wailing above him as Pennywise waved him around like a magic wand. 

The hair on the back of his neck stood. He popped his hand off the tight grip he’d had on his chin. The satisfying pop sound came with a small following gurgle. Gasps of choked breaths rushed out from his clotting throat. 

But none of that mattered because the love of his life was being murdered right in front of him.

He screamed.’ 

Beaver screamed too. Not as loud but just as horribly pained. 

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So let me get this straight...” Richie paced back-and-forth on the bridge while Beaver & Jonesy tried to follow him, amusingly. They’d each given each other new and semi-honest backgrounds now. Richie’s was hard to understand without all the pieces but beyond crazy still. “You’re in a group of friends, from Derry-” He laughed like a crazy person. Beaver loved it. And oddly, so did Jonesy. “And you all have these...powers?”

Jonesy nodded, now walking in-pace with the older man. “You got it.” He chuckled. 

“There’s five of us. How many do you have?” Beaver added, standing on his tip-toes. 

Richie stopped moving. “There’s seven-” He paused. Thinking of the cruel way Stanley & Eddie had been taken away from them. “Five left though.” He looked like he wanted a cigarette so Beaver instinctively held out a tooth-pick. 

When the comedian actually took it, Jonesy saw Beaver smile so wide it looked like it might break his gorgeous little face. For a moment the pair so alike just stared at each other. It was something of a little stand-off that Jonesy was about to question when a different thought popped into his brain. “Whoever died this day-?”

Richie slid down against the wood and sat. “Eddie.” His eyes glazed over for a moment before falling on tiny Beaver’s huge Doc Martens. 

Jonesy swallowed, hoping yet knowing he wasn’t wrong. “Was he your...?” He licked his lips in thought. But Richie cut him off by looking back up with freshly-red eyes. 

“Almost. Maybe.” He shrugged, rolling his toothpick to the other side of his mouth. “Slipped through my f-f-fingers-fuck. Starting to sound like stuttering Bill.” He laughed but the boys weren’t sure who that was. 

The three of them were now sitting on the bridge together. 

“He didn’t know. We left him down there and he didn’t even fucking know I was in love with him.” He sighed, not wanting to think about how weird the day was starting to become. “He was afraid of the dark.” He shrugged, holding the tooth-pick between his fingers, rolling it back-and-forth.

“Taste good like a cigarette should, huh?” Beaver mumbled after a few minutes and again Jonesy was sure that Richie wouldn’t appreciate that reaction but the man surprised him with a hearty laugh. 

“It’s like the song says; I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain. Seen sunny days that I thought would never end. Seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. But I always thought that I’d see you again...” Beaver raised his tooth-pick, Richie followed without question & Jonesy raised his pinky finger. 

“How’d you get to be such a funny kid, huh?” Richie quirked his brow. 

Jonesy smiled. “Born that way.” He slapped Beav’s knee gently. 

“Overactive imagination and anger issues.” Beaver pushed Jonesy back by the face and giggled when Jonesy just let him do it. 

Richie watched the short little spitfire slap-fight his pal and felt sick to his stomach by how much the young man reminded him of himself...and of Eddie only with a tooth-pick holder clutched in his hands instead of the inhaler.

Jonesy felt a short breeze pass over them. “Beav brought me here to show me some carving he did when we were little.” He glanced at his boyfriend with extreme affection. Both knew Richie was safe now. 

“Our initials in a heart!” Beaver whistled. “Because little Beav didn’t know how to express his feelings.” He mocked a sweet voice. 

Richie laughed, chin to the sky. “You gotta be shitting me.” He leapt to his feet and gestured for them to follow him. Which they did without hesitation. “I came here for a reason today too.” He pointed towards his old carving with an unbelievable amount of pride and utter amazement. Another coincidence. 

{R + E}

The younger men each stared at the carving with wonder and appreciation. Beaver kneeled down and traced it with his fingers just as Richie had done just a half-hour ago. Jonesy simply looked off with vague amusement as he threaded his fingers through his boyfriend’s hair, Richie supposed he wasn’t even aware he was doing it. 

“My friend, Mike...Mike Hanlon. He thought it’d be good for me to come up here today just to...” He faded off to wave his hands about, not knowing how to finish. The boys looked up with happy looking grins. 

“Mike Hanlon?” Jonesy shook his head with joy. “He was our childhood librarian.” His tongue ran across his lips & he was most surely seeing flashes of his childhood. And maybe feeling a bit like time was passing by too quickly. 

‘Damn kid was barely twenty-one though’. Richie thought bitterly & fondly. 

Beaver nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Nice guy. He helped me check out my Playboy’s that one time.” He stuck a thumb into Jonesy’s shoulder which was slapped away with amusement. His smile faded to an exaggerated grimace. “It was always weird to go there after that.” 

Richie couldn’t help but laugh again with the jovial young men. It lasted about twenty seconds before it turned into hoarse sobs. He turned away from them, chest hurting. “Fuck, man! This is embarrassing as shit.” He managed a small chuckle through it. 

Jonesy looked at him sympathetically, hearing all of Beaver’s thoughts of ‘I wish Henry were here’.

“SSDD, huh?” Jonesy did the best he could and took pride in himself when the man turned. “Same shit, different day.” He added. 

Richie chuckled again, a beautiful one. “Yeah--yeah, I’ve heard it before.” He shook his head and leaned onto the railing. He genuinely looked cheered up by that simple phrase, sharing a private & entertained look with Beaver, who Jonesy would later call his soul-son. 

“We should give you our other friend’s number, he’s studying to be a psychologist--”

“Psychiatrist, Beav.” Jonesy corrected.

Beaver shrugged, waving his hand. “Psychiatrist, whatever. He may be able to help your fragile mental state.” 

Jonesy accepted just then that his boyfriend could never push too far when it came to Richie because the Tozier man recognized the Beav for what he was. And that would be someone very similar to himself. 

It was strangely beautiful. 

“What I saw was...” Beav faded off, eyes twitching. It was hard for him to put to words just how gut-wrenching the scene was. “Awful. I can’t imagine what you must have gone through or are going through.” He shook his head. 

Jonesy nodded, rubbing a comforting hand down his boyfriend’s arm. “I only just felt it & I wanted to die.” He wondered if that was extremely rude to say. 

Richie squinted. He was reminded of a younger Stanley Uris & his ability to see...to understand things past the other loser’s comprehension. He felt a strong urge to insist his losers come back down to Derry just to meet these home-visitors too. Maybe it was meant to be. 

“It’ll be hard to get over the fact that my vision of Eddie & I getting together in my head....” He bit into his cheek “Well, it’s going to have to stay there forever.” He looked up at the happy former Derry citizens couple as they instinctively held each-other’s hands tighter. He nearly choked with jealousy. “I loved him for a few years, forgot him for a good twenty-seven more and now...” He waved his hand in-front of him in a tight spiral. 

“You’re lonesome all the time since leaving your baby behind on Blue Bayou, huh?” Beaver flicked his tooth-pick. The sky grew a little bit cloudy over their heads and Richie Tozier burst into a fit of giggles. 

“You could say that, kiddo.” He crossed his arms, looking ready to drop the subject all together now. “And I’m not gonna say anything more about that fucking clown before you ask.” Rich smiled, pointing a finger at Jonesy who truly was about to ask more about that creature the comedian briefly mentioned only enough to explain Beaver’s vision. 

“I’ve made your nice little trip about me, sorry.” He added. “See, making people miserable is a talent of mine. I’m a great comedian in that way.” He rolled his eyes, standing up straight. 

“You’d be better if you wrote your own material. I’d like to hear some jokes about that horrible trauma you talked about.” Beaver giggled as he bit hard into his toothpick. Richie burst into another fit of genuine laughter. “My trauma is the center of my comedy-” He smirked. 

Jonesy frowned, thinking of the past and of men like Richie Grenadeau who they had once dreamed dead. He softly pinched the back of his boyfriends palm. If Tozier could keep some cards close to his chest, so could they. At least for now. 

“Ow! Bitch-in-a-Buzzsaw!” Beaver whipped his hand back and sucked on his skin like a child. Jonesy tried not to giggle as Richie looked on with confusion. 

He shrugged in response. “I just-”

“Nah, I got it.” He waved a hand from his temple to the vague direction of Jonesy’s. “We don’t have to tell each other everything. Hell, we’re still strangers.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked off in the direction of his carving. 

“But soon to be best friends.” Beaver added, breaking his lips free from the moist spot on his hand. Richie and Jonesy had a nice shared laugh at the charming boy. 

They walked a ways up the bridge to see Richie Tozier off, in some silent agreement. Jonesy felt a rush of disappointment pass through him but it was quickly squashed by the eagerness he had for his date with Beaver. 

As the group walked him over the bridge, Jonesy caught sight of little Beaver’s old carving...in the shape of a heart...

{B + J} 

[softest-cinnamon-roll]

come sit on my lap for reddie please!

Your wish is my command! (notsfw ahead!)

read on ao3

* * * * *

For Eddie, working at the local coffee shop down the street from his dorm seemed like a perfectly good idea at the time. It was close by, it allowed him to work flexible hours and he was offered all the free coffee his heart desired. At first, it really was the dream job. He got to meet new people and improve on his social skills on a daily basis.

That is, until the customer from hell made it his mission to make Eddie feel like was the size of a pea.

It all started on a Saturday, a few weeks since he took on the job and his first Saturday on the lunchtime rush. Everything had been going smoothly until Daniel showed up. Daniel was an asshole in every way shape and form. He was the son of a lawyer, and because of this, believed that the world revolves around him and everyone had to stop what they were doing the moment he stepped into the coffee shop.

As it was Eddie’s first Saturday shift, no-one had thought to warn him about Daniel, and therefore he wasn’t prepared for when the man roughly grabbed his shoulder when he was in the middle of speaking to another customer. Long story short, Daniel had berated Eddie for not being at the till the second he walked in, and he screamed right in his face in front of all the customers.

It wasn’t until after he had gone, huffing and puffing about ‘crappy service’ that the other girl behind the counter told Eddie all about Daniel and his rudeness. She also told him not to take anything he says to heart, as he is just what some people call a ‘Chad’. Eddie had been so confused he’d left work and gone straight to his boyfriend Richie’s place and asked him to explain.

Once he knew exactly what the girl was talking about, Eddie had to agree. Daniel was definitely a Chad.

Eddie firmly believed that that was that, and the next time Daniel came in he would just be on his toes. However, it seemed as though Daniel had other plans, and the next time he came in it was with the most complicated coffee order. For the life of him, Eddie could not get it right and Daniel didn’t hold back on his creative insults, both to Eddie’s face and to the other customers that were coming in and out of the coffee shop.

After that, it became a regular thing. Every Saturday that Eddie was working, Daniel would come in and have a new and inventive method to get under his skin. It was really starting to wear Eddie down and affect not only his school life, but his relationship with Richie.

This Saturday was just like no other, except this time, Daniel had attacked him about his personal life, not just his coffee making abilities. He had ranted about how useless Eddie was and how he was surprised that he had any friends, never mind someone to have a serious relationship with. After all, who would want to date someone so useless?

That hit a little too close to home for Eddie, and he had to excuse himself into the back of the coffee shop to calm down. The manager, who was working that day, came through and told him that he could leave early, as what Daniel had said was out of line. Eddie hated that they couldn’t do anything, as he was still a valued customer who brought in a lot of pennies.

At first, all Eddie wanted to do was go home, have a bath and cry, but the more he thought about it on his walk to his apartment, the more he actually didn’t want to be alone. He wanted to be with Richie. So he turned on his heels and headed to the subway station, sending his boyfriend a message to let him know he was on his way.

Coming over, feeling a little…edgy - Eddie

The reply was instant.

It’s like you read my mind Eds, see you soon! - Richie.

When he walked into Richie’s apartment, he didn’t even have to say anything for Richie to know what was wrong. This time though, Richie wasn’t in the mood to sit and talk about the asshole from Eddie’s work, and Eddie wasn’t either. As he stepped into the living room, Richie patted his lap, a smirk on his face.

“Hey baby, come sit on my lap?”

Eddie let out a sigh and dropped his stuff by the door, crossing the room and climbing into Richie’s lap, letting their lips come together softly, at first, before it turned dirty. Richie’s hands moved under Eddie’s work shirt and pulled it up, aiming to remove it. With a giggle, Eddie lifted his arms, allowing Richie to pull the shirt off and toss it onto the floor to be dealt with later.

“Eager hm?” Eddie asked and Richie just silenced him with his lips, licking into his mouth, their tongues moving together in harmony. Eddie loved kissing Richie, the feeling of their lips always sent shivers down his spine, no matter what. Richie’s fingers had moved to his pants now, fumbling to undo the button.

As soon as the button was undone and the zipper tugged down, RIchie dipped his hands down Eddie’s pants and his boxers, wrapping it around his already hardening cock, smirking at the soft gasp that escaped Eddie’s lips. “I have the blue balls baby,” Richie breathed into his ear. “We haven’t been down and dirty in what…four days?”

A flush rose up on Eddie’s cheeks as Richie started pumping his cock, thumb flicking over his head every so often to make him whimper with need. His boyfriend was right, it had been a little too long since they’d been to bed together, and it was clearly showing in their frantic moves to get some action. “Y-Yeah,” he breathed, eyes falling closed. “S-sounds bout right…”

“I can’t go four days without getting a dicking baby,” Richie cooed, quickening his movements. “You should know this about me already.” Eddie just nodded, his breathing becoming heavier as Richie picked up the pace. He wasn’t going to last long, and it seemed that Richie didn’t care. “I want you to come like this Eds, fuck you need it. Then, I’m going to take you to bed and ravage you so the only thing left on your mind is my cock inside your ass.”

“Oh fuck,” Eddie gasped, his eyes rolling backwards as he surged forward, caputuring Richie’s lips. A few pumps of his boyfriend’s hand and he was coming like a fucking teenager into his underwear. He rocked his hips into Richie’s hand, riding out his orgasm until the sensitivity set in and he collapsed against his chest. “Jesus fucking christ,” he panted.

Richie laughed, “Not jesus baby, just Richie.” Eddie suppressed a groan and Richie moved to stand up, ready to carry him into the bedroom for the second part of the evening.

Yes, Eddie might still have to deal with shitty customers at work, but as long as he had Richie to come home to at the end of an awful day, he was sure he’d survive.

* * * * *

@richietoaster @tozier-boy @eds-trashmouth   @fucking-reddie @strange-reddie-loser @eds-kas @propertyofthelosersclub @its-stranger-than-you-think @yes-dillman-yes @totaltozier @reddietofall @reddietofight @reddie-to-fight   @reddie-eddie-spaghettie @bitchbrak @reddieways @maximusfraker @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @thejadeazalea @reddie-eddie-spaghetti @halfway-happy353 @ellomello16 @liliemm @tinyarmedtrex @cacti-cool @inthebreadbinwrites @kat-ships-everything @takeourpure @lo-v-ers @mrs-vh @studpuffin @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything  @trashmouthtozierr @richietoizer   @girasol-eddie @bi-bi-richie @honeybeehanlon @mars-14 @reddiesetandgo @marsisaplanetyall @xandertheundead @sedanleystanley @hawkinsbabe @beepbeeprichiellc @stellarbisexual @oldguybones @ripeddiekaspbrak @captainbartholomew @purplepoisonedgem @reddie-to-cryy @pink-psychic @violetreddie @fuzzylogik @queen-sock @appojoos  @moonlightrichie @rreddies @disneyfan567 @annxmatron @lifesucksheres20bucks @anellope @roobarrtrashmouth @are-you-reddie-for-it​

[secretleeblogging]

Some things don’t change

Word count: 744

Fandom: IT

Ship: Platonic Bill x Richie - suggested reddie

Squealing Santa Fanfiction! @ticklygiggles

————

When he was younger, Bill’s laugh had a cute, bubbly sound to it. It was more a giggle than an actual laugh, and was surprisingly squeaky considering how deep his voice was. All in all, his laugh was one of the loser’s favourite sounds, and they couldn’t get enough of it.

After they all moved away, and bill grew older, his laughed seemed to deepen as his voice did. He didn’t laugh as much anymore, often only a soft, low chuckle, or a sharp exhale. Even when he did laugh harder, it was rather loud and round, though there was still that softness to it, like his voice was about to crack.

As much as the losers adored bill’s laugh, it was one of the things that they had forgotten after leaving Derry. That seemed to be, apart from Richie.

“You know, i always knew that you two liked each other, right from the day us losers started hanging out. You weren’t exactly the best at hiding it - especially you Richie,” Bill said with a cheeky grin - the same grin he had in his youth. Some things never change.

“That wasn’t me showing my feelings, that was just how I acted. If I had feelings for anyone it was old Mrs K!” Richie exclaimed, earning a smack on the arm from Eddie and a sharp exhale and a smile from Bill. “That whale of a woman could’ve had me any day, I’ll tell you that - Eddie, tell me, what did she do with that pair of undies I left her?” He asked, furrowing his brow in curiosity. Now he had gotten Eddie laughing, he turned to Bill, though he still only let out a soft, low chuckle. Richie tilted his head. “You don’t seem to laugh that much anymore Bill. I’ve only heard you laugh properly, like, once since we got back here,” Richie said.

Again, this gained only an exhale from Bill. “I don’t? I hadn’t noticed.... I guessed that might be because I don’t really like the way it sounds. I must have accidentally managed to- gah! Richie!” Bill’s arms shot down to his side as Richie poked him hard there, a mischievous smirk on his face. “What was that for?” Bill asked, though he was pretty sure he knew - he just hoped he was wrong.

Richie was already moving closer, hands outstretched. “I wanna hear your little laugh again! Say, Bill, are you still as ticklish as I remember?”

Bill didn’t have time to even think of an answer - Richie dug ten fingers into Bill’s stomach.

He shrieked, doubling forward in an attempt to protect that one sweet spot that Richie never seemed to forget. His own hypothesis was correct though: his initial instinct was to hold back the laughter bubbling up in his chest. The sensation that was sent vibrating through him, though, was the winner of this battle, and after only a couple of seconds, he burst into a fit of loud giggles.

Bill himself was surprised - his laugh hadn’t changed one bit. It was still much squeakier than his talking voice, bubbly and happy.

“R-RRR-RIHIHICHIE! WAIHAIHAIHAIT!” Bill squealed in protest, batting uselessly at Richie’s hands and trying to push him off.

Richie didn’t stop.

“Aha! There’s that laugh I’ve been looking for!” He teased, now easing on Bill’s stomach and attacking his hips in stead, only making bill thrash and squirm more. His laughter seemed to somehow get an octave higher than it already was. “NOHOHOHOHO!! EHEHEHEDDIE! HEHEHEHELP!” He begged, kicking his legs as if it would help him to move away. Eddie pondered for a moment before smirking, reaching across and poking Richie between the ribs a few times. Instantly Richie pulled his hands away from Bill to protect himself, gasping and squealing. “Hehey!” He pouted, frowning at Eddie, who just laughed.

Bill curled up, that horrible, tickly sensation still vibrating through his body, causing him to continue giggling even after Richie had stopped.

Both of the others smiled fondly, and all three felt like children again. “You know Bill, your laugh hasn’t changed one bit since we were kids,” Richie remarked, and bill went a little red. “Yeah, I’m n-n-now aware,” he said breathlessly. His stutter always seemed to worsen after he was tickled - he assumed it was mainly because of the laughter and the loss of breath. That was another thing that hadn’t changed since their youth.

Bill, now recovered from his giggly state, shuffled closer to Richie. “Hey, are you still as ticklish as I remember?”

Turns out, Bill wasn’t the only one who’s laugh hadn’t changed.

[repulsion-gel]

Some Thoughts on Stozier in IT Chapter 2

So even since the first movie, I’ve been in love with this ship triangle: Stozier/Reddie/Stenbrough. My gf and I have had some headcanons from the first film as well as the book that sort of held true with the release of chapter 2! Eddie looks up to Bill a lot in the book, and so I always imagined Eddie and Bill would spend some time together telling each other their secrets and all that. So the reverse went for Stan and Richie. And since I love Stebrough, I always thought Stanley, the more mature and level-headed, might tell Richie he’s bi and likes Bill, which would eventually lead to Richie letting him know he’s gay and likes Eddie. This is something between the two of them, and since they’re both unable/too nervous to tell their counterparts they have a crush on them, they sort of confide in one another and have a somewhat closer-than-friends relationship that never quite becomes something real. With these headcanons in mind, here’s some things from the second movie that reinforced Stozier/the idea that Stan and Richie were very close friends, even if Rich annoyed the shit out of Stan ❤️

• Richie in the Jade scene saying Stanley wouldn’t show up because he’s weak; Richies biggest fear is his closeted homosexuality, he obviously hasn’t come to terms with it at that point of the film, so he probably considers himself weak- and projects that same weakness into Stanley.

• Richie saying Stanley was “the best” when they were kids. Obviously he cared a lot about Stan, and this line reflects their closeness they had as kids.

• The boy in the arcade scene having a very obvious resemblance to Stanley (to the point where, on my first viewing of the movie, my gf and I immediately both said to each other: is that Stanley??? before seeing his face).

• When Pennywise chases adult Richie away in the park after singing “I know your secret” and says something like “come play with the clown!”, Pennywise’s face morphs a bit strangly, it looks sort of like Judith, the painting that Stanley hates. It’s absolutely a reach, but when I first saw IT 2, I thought “wow, strange that IT would look somewhat like Judith, whose Stanley’s fear, after telling Richie he knows his secret- almost like Stan had some sort of connection to his secret 👀”

• The Bar Mitzvah scene- Richie being the only one there for him, because they’re truly close friends, and a fight between them won’t bring them apart. Richie cheering him on/clapping for him.

• Adult Richie sitting alone at his temple and saying “thanks for showing up, Stan,” because Stanley was one of the few in the group he really could trust and probably feel safest with (as he had just remembered the Bar Mitzvah, where Stanley makes him feel proud for being a loser). Also, the fact that remembering that moment and thinking about Stanley is the single reason Richie decides to turn around and go back to the losers is kinda, uh, gay 🤷‍♂️

• The fridge scene- Richie going “It’s Stan” with somewhat relief- because he isn’t afraid of Stanley. Obviously this changes with spider-Stans transformation. Stanley’s head going “Richie- what’s happening to me?” in the same soft, scared voice that Eddie says “Richie-“ after getting impaled by Pennywise. Richie’s fear of Stan changing in that scene probably haunts him as much as Eddies death does.

• Spider-Stan targeting Richie, literally trying to bite his face off. I mean that’s just a fun scene, but yknow, in a metaphorical sence- Stan coming between Eddie and Richie. It also can be somewhat of a callback to when Judith attacked kid Stanley in the sewers and bit his face. Richie probably remembers how scared it made Stanley and almost brought about the end of their friendship, and now here’s Stans disembodied, spider head trying to bite his face.

• When Stanley’s letter is being read at the end, he says “be proud,” and it cuts to adult Richie carving in R+E. I like to think Stan may have written that line in specifically for Richie, since (in my headcanons, at least,) Stanley was the only one who knew Richies secret, and he wanted to make sure Richie would grow and become comfortable with his identity, since he obviously was not comfortable as a kid. That line in the letter was a subtle nod to Richie, and may have, once again, suggested the actual closeness between the two.

There’s probably some more scenes I could analyze but I’m blanking at the moment- those ones are the ones that really stuck out for me upon my first viewing (when I saw R+ my first time seeing IT 2, I thought it might end up being R+S, honestly. But obviously I love Reddie just as much as Stozier, so either outcome is great❤️). Obviously some of these are mega-reaches, but that’s just my thoughts on the scenes and how they reflect the friendship/possible relationship between Richie and Stanley!

Edit: Also, sorry if some of these points have already been made (I know @wvattoleff made a post about the boy in the arcade looking like Stan!) I have had these points in mind since I saw the movie my first time, and if someone has already made a post like this one- please let me know!

[mitchmarnier]

hc where Richie’s jokes suddenly turn super depressing and self-deprecating and the losers don’t understand what was going on until it’s too late ( it’s a failed attempt. no richie death)

i skipped over that first part somehow and ended up with this i don’t know. also you didn’t specify a ship so i did established canon reddie and really strong plot significant platonic stozier

Triggers: drug abuse, suicide attempt (as mentioned in the ask itself), so much angst, hurt/comfort

Something had been wrong with Richie for awhile. Eddie had definitely noticed him seeing withdrawn and distant. Maybe that wasn’t even the right words for it. Richie was still there, as much as always. Always right by his side, pressing up against him, still coming in through window and cuddling up him to sleep. But Richie was awake when Eddie finally drifted off and gone when Eddie woke up. 

Eddie’s usually touchy, loving and- frankly- horny boyfriend seemed to have slipped away. While Richie would never pull his hand away if Eddie went to hold it, or refuse a hug, or reject a kiss… something was still off. Richie didn’t make the move anymore and he always pulled back. 

Mike had even brought up the behavioural changes in Richie to Eddie one afternoon when Eddie went over to help feed the chickens. Commenting on how Richie had toned down at lot, gotten quiet, was making less inappropriate jokes had almost disappeared.

So Eddie started watching for that, too, and Mike was right. Jokes that might once have ended with “Eddie’s mom” or “Bowers’ ugly face” turned into jokes about himself. And Eddie didn’t fucking like it but he didn’t know what to do about it, either. 

Everything fell apart at a party, as things are tended to do

Things had been fine, Eddie didn’t get it. He couldn’t figure it out but suddenly his boyfriend was plopping down in his face and Eddie just knew something was wrong. 

Richie was too warm, way too warm. He was burning up to the touch everywhere his skin touched Eddie’s. Eddie had on edge about Richie for a few weeks now, there had been a change in him that Eddie had tried to just put out his mind.

Richie’s jokes had gotten a dark twist to them, and turned much more inwards. It seemed like more personal attacks on himself than they used to be, no more jokes about people’s moms or borderline offensive shit that made you cover your mouth so nobody would see you laughing. 

But now Richie was nosing into Eddie’s skin and he was so hot. It burned and Eddie’s stomach flipped over. 

“hey, baby, do you feel okay?”

Richie nuzzled closer to Eddie, while Eddie pets at Richie’s damp curls 

“Eddie, I love you. I love you, Eddie.”

“I love you, too, Richie. Are you sure you’re okay, you’re scaring me.”

Beverly stood then and mouthed something about going to get Bill, their designated driver of the night. Eddie couldn’t really care about that right now, he suddenly felt cold stone sober

Richie pulled back and his eyes were out of focus and he kept wincing in pain. His hand rubbed against his chest like it was aching. 

“Where’s Stan?” he asked suddenly, looking around seemingly lost. “I need Stanley.” 

Richie slipped out of Eddie’s lap and rolled himself onto the floor.

“Rich, Rich, baby, what’s happening?” 

“I need Stanley. Where is he? I’m dying, where is Stan?”

“What do you mean you’re dying? Rich? Richie?”

….

“RICHIE!” 

Beverly and Bill came rushing into area as Eddie was running his hands over Richie’s back as Richie was shaking on the floor and making small whining noises 

“we need to get him to the hospital” bill says immediately, just taking one look at his sweaty, pale, shaking form. eddie looks at him in utter panic. “what did he take?” bill asked him harshly. 

eddie shook his head. “i dont know i lost track of him a while ago. he usually knows his limit so much better. he said he’s dying, bill, what even.”

beverly was taking eddie off the ground and guided him away, mike and ben seeming appearing out of thin air to help bill pull richie up 

“i need stan, where’s stan, i need stan, where is he” 

Stan, of course, isn’t there. Stan had to have family time that night of all nights. Eddie bit down on his knuckles as he watched his friends half dragging, half carrying his boyfriend out to bill’s car.

eddie ended up with richie laying on him in the backseat. he runs his fingers through richie’s hair while richie keeps muttering to eddie about how much he loved him. the whispers and mutterings trailed off mid-sentence and the anixety in eddie’s chest jumped straight up to twelve.

“bill fucking drive faster i swear to fucking god if he dies i’ll fucking kill you with my bare hands”

(bill decided to just let that go)

several moments were a daze as they tried to get richie checked into the hospital and get ahold of wentworth and maggie and just try to figure it out before eddie’s stomach dropped more

“we need to get a hold of stan” he moves back towards the phone. 

they called the urises five times with no answer and eddie was crying again as he sat down and curled up to bill’s side. it was less than fifteen minutes before wentworth and maggie came rushing in and we ushered to talk to the doctors. 

wentworth was the one who came out and told them the news, as gently as he could. what it seems liked was in richie’s stomach, how he’d had his stomach pumped. that the doctors would do whatever they could but that everyone should be prepared for the worst. 

if eddie hadn’t already been leaning his complete body weight on bill he would’ve have dropped to the floor. as it was his vision blurred out for a moment and he was pretty sure he was going to throw up everywhere

“eddie, hey eddie we gotta go, eds…”

“DON’T FUCKING CALL ME THAT” eddie knew people in the emergency room were all staring at him, he didn’t fucking care at this point. “dont call me that, you don’t get to, not you, not, no.” 

they all agreed eddie should go in alone first. maggie was sitting in one of the chairs closest to the bed, holding onto richie’s limp hand. she got up and hurried over to wrap eddie up in her arms. 

“eddie, oh, eddie, my poor baby. what happened?”

eddie sobbed into her shoulder and held himself tight against her. this was a mother, this was love. he’d been showed this thanks to richie, he had this in his life because of richie. 

eddie pulled away from maggie and launched himself into the chair beside the bed. richie looked terrible and eddie choked hard on his heart. 

“richie, oh my god, richie, baby. why did you do it? fuck, babe. i- i love you. i love you. holy fuck, i love you. i hope you can hear me, i need you to know.” 

the other losers all came in one by one and gave equally tearful sobbing declaration of love and grief and sorrow. eddie asked each person every time they came into the room if anybody had gotten a hold of stan. they always said no. 

it pained eddie to think that richie was going to die and stan wasnt going to be there, wasn’t going to know  

eddie had his head resting on richie’s un-moving arm, eyes occasionally dipping shut before he forced them back open.

if richie was going to die tonight, there was no way eddie was going to be asleep and unaware when it happened.

it felt like hours had passed of gradual beeping from the motions keeping richie alive, showing that richie was alive. eddie clung to that sound, richie was hooked up to machines to help him breathe but he was alive. 

the was.the sun was starting to leak through the windows when stan finally bursts into the room, still wearing pajamas with a coat hastily thrown on. he’s hair stuck out at a thousand different angles. eddie had never seen the boy look less than perfect before in all the years he’d known him yet here he was, looking like an utter hot mess. 

“he was asking for you” 

stan makes some strangled noise in the back of his throat. “fuck, tozier, what the hell have you done?” stan knelt beside the bed and grabbed the hand that eddie wasn’t resting on. “come on, asshole, you’re not doing this. do you hear me? you’re not. you’re not going anywhere. if you go, i have to go with you and i’m not ready. we don’t leave each other behind, you traitor. you know better.” 

eddie felt the arm shifting under him and he startled away from his boyfriend. he stared, wide eyed, looking at the simple motion on richie’s face like he was trying to open his eyes. “stanley.” 

stan looks up from where he was staring blankly at richie’s hand in his grip and his mouth dropped open. 

“rich, richie, baby,” eddie cooed, bringing the twitching hand to his mouth. “can you hear me?”

richie made a moaning sound that might have been eddie’s name as his eyes fluttered open then filled with utter panic. he thrashes momentarily and grabs at the ventilator while coughing 

“no no richie stop stop” 

“richie baby dont do that just wait”

nurses come rushing in and they usher eddie and stan aside. they pull out the ventilator and said some things to richie explaining what had happened. wentworth and maggie were there, petting his hair and crying to each other .richie looks up at his parents as the doctors and nurses leave to give them privacy. 

eddie and stan hover in the doorway, shifting from one foot to the foot and unable to meet each other’s gaze. “eddie…” richie called out weakly and eddie was launching over to his side instantly. he flopped himself down onto richie’s chest, half hanging off of the bed onto the floor. he cries into his chest while richie cries all the harder.

“im sorry eds fuck fuck im sorry i love you”

“i love you, i love you, i love you.” 

the two boyfriends cried into each other for a long, long moment before richie made a forced laugh“can we just pretend i made a stupid ass joke or something to cut the tension?”

eddie snorted and leaned away so he was on his knees in front of richie’s bed, wiping at his tears and laughing sadly. richie’s gaze moved over and he found stan still hovering by the door

“i looked for you”

stan choked. “i… i was sleeping.”

me too… technically.”

“not funny,” all four people in the room reprimand. 

[m11leven]

You're gonna be the one that saves me - chapter 1

Fandom : stranger things

Ships : mileven, lumax (basically all the canon ships)

Hope ya like

----

Hawkins, Indiana is experiencing It's coldest winter ever (at least It feels that way), but at least It’s safe.

Everything is back to how it used to be, El is.. well, she's home and doing great.

The cabin Isn't as isolating as it was, It's mostly a hangout spot for the party. And sure, this wasn't an ideal situation, but El was allowed to go to school (finally) and Mike was happy, which let Lucas and Dustin breathe easy and for Will that meant he could go on with his life unbothered. And Max? Never Better.

She and El had clicked the second they had sorted out their differences.

To say that everything would be the same would be unfair and totally obscene, there are things that change you forever and fighting interdimensional monsters and then saving the world is one of them. But in some sense, some weird, twisted way they knew that it wasn't over. None if it was, perhaps it never would be normal again. Maybe... maybe this was simply the beginning of something bigger, something that would make everything they'd done look like the smallest detail.

These were all facts that they all had to face, one way or another. And they all knew that this day would come.

Just not today.

It started out like any normal Friday.

Mike woke up and got ready for school. He waited for Hopper, who dropped El off at his place every morning so they could walk to school. They got to walk together because it was safe and for the first time in years they could both just be together without being afraid.

“Now, look kid,” Hopper turned to El “This is the first day of the semester and I want you to be focused on your grades first, ok?”

She sighed.

“Yes dad” “And remember what we talked about?”

Another sigh - “I am under no circumstance allowed to use telekinesis whatsoever, I-”

“Need to be safe and powers aren’t safe” Hopper cut in, drawing her into an affectionate half hug, El felt all her previous anxiety and nervousness melt away.

“I’ll be safe, dad. Will you let me walk to school now?” she said, starting to grow impatient,

“Sure kid”

She got out of the car and waved her dad goodbye.

“And remember to tell Wheeler to keep his hands to himself!” Hopper yelled teasingly out the window as he drove away.

After her dad drove off she turned to the Wheeler house, only to see a beaming Mike walking towards her. She could never get tired of that smile, or the way his hair fell perfectly into his face, or his freckles or-

“El! “ she heard someone yell behind her, followed by the feeling of being tackled into the snow. That was of course her best friend, partner in crime, number one accomplice, the one and only : Max Mayfield. (Obviously followed by Dustin).

Max and Dustin had developed a close friendship during the three years, after accepting that Max probably wouldn’t ever like him back, Dustin decided to make the best of it and since then they’ve been nearly inseparable, and it turns out, they're really good at being friends. She taught him how to skateboard.

Standing up from the ground and pulling El up with her, Max noticed Mike “heart eyes” Wheeler still walking towards them.

“Might want to reel your tongue back in there Wheeler,” Lucas's voice suddenly filled their ears “you could catch a cold„

“Yeah, I heard of this guy that got an infection that way” Will said, suddenly appearing behind Lucas, a wicked grin on his face.

“That means nothing coming from you, you're totally whipped as well for Mayfield over there!” Mike yelled back with an eat-my-shit smile on his face.

“Yeah, whatever”

-

“Mr Edward's classes are honestly the worst” El sighed, walking out of her fourth period history class with Will.

“They’re not that bad when you think about it, actually”

“It probably wouldn't be if we actually did something other than taking tests and writing notes, I want t-“ She didn't get to finish the sentence.

“Well, if it isn't my favourite pair of dwarfs! How was your Christmas break, fairy? Fly away to another fairyland to meet all the other queers? ”

“I've broken your hand once and I'll do it again, Troy” El practically growled at him before Will could say anything, she could feel her heart beat faster by the second.

“That was three years ago, you haven't got anything on me princess”

“Wanna bet?”

“No you don't”

Just before El could launch herself on him she was caught by four pairs of hands, those being, of course, Mike, Lucas, Max and Dustin.

“Leave us the fuck alone, dickface” Max spat at him, holding a fuming El by the waist, holding her in place.

“Can’t you just drop it?” Mike growled at Troy, looking like he could just snap at any minute and attack him.

“Why would I, when it's so much fun to see your girlfriend get all riled up” he said, some sort of cocky grin forming on his face, while they walked away from him.

“Don’t answer him, just walk away” Max whispered to her friends, fastening her pace out of the hallway and making sure Troy saw her flip him off, Lucas wrapping a protective hand around hers.

“Thanks for saving us, I guess,” El mumbled quietly to the group once they got to the cafeteria, “Sorry Will„.

“It’s just Troy being a jerk like always” Mike said, planting a chaste kiss on El’s head as they picked out their lunch, “I’m just glad you didn't get hurt”

“You are forgetting that I could take on Troy any day of the week, I'm stronger than all of you combined….” El trailed off quietly shooting Mike a small, knowing smile.

“God, you are such a sap” Dustin chuckled as they sat down underneath the bleachers outside the school, their only one-hundred-percent safe place from other people.

It wasn't that they weren't safe, they just liked being alone, together.

-

It happened during sixth period. She was talking to Max and Mike about homework or some other miniscule subject.

Suddenly uniform clad men busted into the classroom, “Jane Hopper, you must come with us”

Fuck

Suddenly a state of panic and fear was brought over her, so she ran.

She broke a window and jumped out, ran as far as she could.

Of course she couldn't get away, they had clearly thought for everything.

From inside the classroom she could see Mike and Max in the window, Max crying on Mike's shoulder, screaming at the teacher to do something. You could almost see Mike's heart break and then the tears came, anger knowing he couldn't do anything, she was already gone.

That was the day that El Hopper learned that if she wanted to be saved she'd have to save herself. That day Mike Wheeler broke, Max Mayfield learned what missing someone really felt like, Dustin Henderson learned that loneliness can be felt even amongst people, Lucas Sinclair's biggest fears had come true and Will Byers learned that maybe evil never dies.

Let's assume that It was January. About halfway through the month, maybe the fifteenth or sixteenth. Let's also assume that neither of them thought anything bad would happen. We all make assumptions. look, i just made one for you.

Well, to be fair, nobody thought anything bad could happen at this point. It's been three years since they saw him die. At least they thought they did.

---

I'm sorry

@bitchin-promises @puzzlingsnark @michael-hearteyes-wheeler @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold @janes-mike @stellarlosersclub @mileven-bughead @reddie-to-mileven-it-up @hannahberrie (tagging people that I remember reblogging the moodboards or who I think would like it, let me know if you want to be on the tag list <3)

[gazeboeddiespaghetti]

Panic Attack! At The Quarry Pt 2

Part One

Title: Panic Attack! At The Quarry only bad puns here y’all

Fandom: IT (taking elements from both the book and 2017 movie)

Ship(s): Reddie, billverly, Stanlon,

Tags/Warnings: none for this chapter 

Summary: It has been two years since the summer of IT, but some demons still chase the Losers. Eddie still can’t shake his inhaler, Bill’s stutter is worse in Summer, Stan still can’t talk about his bar mitzvah. Mike still can’t go to the water’s edge alone, Beverly feels phantom touches if her hair is past her shoulders, Richie refuses to play loogie anymore, Ben avoids bridges if possible, yet somehow, in all of this there is healing and love and friendship.

Reddie centric (for now. Who knows, this might turn into something of a series? It was suppose to be two pages you guys.)

Tagging: @star-light30 @beepbeep-losers

Eddie had been holding his fanny pack when he went over the cliff, but lost it during the fall, along with whatever calm he had left inside him; and while he knew he would hit the water and be fine, maybe a little harder than usual but not by much, he couldn’t stop screaming the whole way down. He fell in the water head first, still screaming. He struggled break the water’s surface but now he was panicked and his body wasn’t listening to his head, his arms and legs useless as they allowed him to simply sink down. He was sure he was going to die in this pathetic way,all because his fight or flight reflex decided floating in any form wasn’t acceptable, when he felt the water wave around him then arms surround his middle.

Richie pulled Eddie out and onto the rocks, panting as he looked the boy over. Eddie was gasping for air, choking on water and air and fear.

It only took a few moments for the others to notice that something was wrong and soon there were five dripping bodies surrounding Richie and Eddie as Eddie struggled for air. He gasped out, fingers fisting together and releasing and fisting together in an endless cycle at Richie’s wrist, “I-In- fuck.. My inhal…” he managed to get out, even though his logical brain pointed out that he didn’t need it.

“W-wheres your fa-fanny pack?” Bill asks, kneeling beside the two boys. Mike, Beverly, and Ben turn and look at the ground as Stan frowns, face twisted with concerned, “I think he left it on the cliff.”

“Drop…” shaky inhale, labored exhale. He feels Richie’s hand on the back of his neck, he closes his eyes and leans into it slightly, “Dropped it… the fall…”

Bev curses at this, and Mike mumbles something that Eddie can’t hear over his own breathing but it earns him a glare from everyone and an elbow from Stan. Eddie feels Richie tense up beside him and this sends a whole new wave of panic to run through him. He wheezes.

“I-I can go get S-Silver and rid-ride to the ph-pharmacy.” Bill says and beside him Ben nods, a little too eager.

“Just like the day we met,” Ben adds softly, encouraging

“No. He’s fine.” Richie says, stopping Bill in his tracks as he starts to make his way up the cliff. Eddie turns, giving Richie a pathetic smack to his chest.

“I..beg.. Your-” Eddie is cut off, and he whimpers when a voice overpowers his own.

“You’re fine, Eddie. I promise you that you are fine. You just need to fucking breathe.” Richie says, voice much too serious.

“Richie….” Bev says, softly, and there is a warning in her voice that makes Eddie shiver.

“He’s fine, Beverly. I’ve got him, ok? You all go swim and I’ll-”

“If...If I die.. I’ll kill you… you..-” Eddie says between wheezing

“Eddie, look at me. Look at me,” Richie cups Eddie’s cheek in his hand and gently forces his head to the side until they’re eye-to-eye, “I’m really sorry I pushed you into the river but you do not have asthma. Ok? You need to remember you don’t have asthma and just breathe for me, ok?”

“I don’t think it’s that easy for him….” Stan says, softly and matter-of-factly, eyes trained on Richie.

“Just- please, guys. If it doesn't let up I’ll fucking carry him to the pharmacy myself, ok? But you all need to back the fuck up and just go swim. I’ve. Got. This.” Richie is clearly talking to the group, but his eyes stay on Eddie’s face, eyebrows drawn together and he only borrows a glance their way for a moment.

There is a long pause in which the only sounds are the lapping water from the river and Eddie’s labored breathing. Finally, Bill speaks, slow and calm, “You sure about this,” another pause, as he swallows, “Richie?”

“I hate when you make things too important to fucking stutter over it,” Richie says back, not unkindly, followed by, “I’m sure. I’ve got this.”

.....

“You’re…. You’re going.. To… kill… me.” Eddie says, hand shaking as he reaches for the place where his fanny pack would usually lay. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice calls him weak and his lungs close up a little more.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Eds,” Richie says, shifting so he was sitting even closer to Eddie. Bill’s question rings in his head but he pushes it away because he knew Eddie, maybe better than anyone, and he knew how fucking strong the shorter boy was and he knew that if he would only get him to listen him long enough to breathe that everything would be ok. He moves some wet hair from Eddie’s face, smiling at him a little, “Come on now, you’re just going to let me get away with calling you that? Getting soft on me, Eddie Spaghetti?”

“Can’t…. Breathe… yo-you.. Asshole….” Eddie says, and he wants to cry but can’t. His lungs feel like they are on fire.

“No one ever taught you how?” Richie jokes, but it sounds empty, and even almost cruel even to his own ears. He sighs softly when it gets no response and he shifts even closer to Eddie now, one hand coming up in rest on Eddie’s bare chest. He can feel the boy struggling to make his body work under his the skin and it makes his own chest heavy. “I know how hard this-” He shakes his head, corrects himself. He recalls when Ben showed him where in the library to find books about breathing exercises and getting frustrated only a few chapters into the second one. He curses himself now, himself but also the knowingly way Ben had looked at him when he walked Richie down the aisles until they arrived to the right section.

“Ok, so I don’t know. Ok? I don’t know how hard this is or how this must feel for you, Eddie. I have no fucking idea. But I can imagine it and I’m so sorry, but this isn’t real. You need to-” He’s cut off by Eddie’s hand coming up to his face, covering his mouth and nose and Richie gasps in surprise. Then he gasps for air, but Eddie’s hand is blocking most of it from entering and Richie feels a burning in his chest. He tries to inhale but can’t.

Richie swears in the next few seconds he is going to die. After another moment that feels like an eternity, Eddie drops his hand and whimpers a little. Richie inhales deeply, mumbling out a curse and fighting his initial urge to push Eddie away and call him an asshole but when he finds Eddie’s eyes, they are wide and so close and utterly terrified that it makes Richie’s chest hurt for a whole new reason.

Eddie’s voice cuts through the space between them, “Feels… l-like.. That… feel like.. That...but...forever…”

Richie curses again, softer this time, and part of him wishes he had let Bill go on ahead to get another light blue inhaler for Eddie, but he pushes the thought away, nodding a little, “Ok, ok, fair enough.”

“But… its.. It's not.. Real.”

“No. It isn’t real.” Richie agrees, “But it also is. You just need to try and relax. You panicked and now you just need to breathe.”

“Easy… for… you...to..say…” Eddie says, but he knows Richie is right. He also knows that no matter how many times he tells- screams- at his lungs to just do their job and his body to stop fucking with him, nothing changes. He starts to feel lightheaded and reaches out for Richie, who comes closer easily and quickly, letting Eddie grab onto his shoulder and side, nails digging into flesh uncomfortably. Eddie drops his head a little, closing his eyes tight as he tried to will his body to behave.

“Eddie, you are the strongest fucking person I know,” Richie says, chuckling softly at Eddie’s whimpered protest, “Shut up, you are. And I’ll even list out the reasons if you want later but right now I need you to get out of your own fucking head and just breathe with me, ok? Just- just try, Eds, please.” It’s how soft and genuine and serious and, mostly, how worried and scared that one word sounded - please- that made Eddie snap his head up to look at Richie. He nods once and Eddie can feel the sigh that escapes Richie’s lips on his cheek.

Richie closes in, impossibly close, and leans his forehead against Eddie’s, his wet curls making Eddie shiver as the hand on his shoulder moves to behind him neck, shaking less now, but still noticeable against Richie’s skin. “Breathe with me, ok? In…. and out….” Richie says, slowing down his breathing, hand pushing Eddie’s chest in gently with every exhale he tried to get the other boy’s body to listen in some small way, “Just like that gross birthing video Mr. Morses showed us in Sex Ed, yeah?” This earns Richie a whimpered chuckle and he beams at that, still breathing slowly and as surely as he could manage. Behind them somewhere, Richie could hear splashing and talking, but he knew the others were still watching as they put on an act of playing.

“There you go,” Richie says after a few moments when he can feel Eddie’s breathing change just slightly. Still labored, still making Richie worry and adding fuel in the fire that was Richie’s hatred of Eddie’s mother, but his inhales were more even now, and Richie smiled, “Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom, Will Eddie’s lungs have enough room?” He jokes, and Eddie opens his eyes at that, frowning.

“I… hate you.” He says, but he was smiling a little and Richie sticks his tongue out, laughing a little when it touches grazes Eddie’s upper lip and makes the shorter boy recoil a little, “Gross…” He rasps out, and Richie rubs Eddie’s back as he laughs harder.

“I’m going to write an actual children’s book, copyright and all, with that title. I’ll get rich off of your pain, little Eds. I’ll be living it up in New York or LA or anywhere but Derry, milking it off of your phantom pains. Then you’ll sue me and all the Losers will have to take sides and it will rip our entire group apart. It’ll be magical, Eds, just you wait.”

“You… have a fucked… imagination..” Eddie responds, eyes closing again as he tries to breathe in rhythm with the flow of Richie’s words. He can feel his head again, but his chest still feels heavy and the changing of Eddie’s breath ghosting on Richie’s lips make something click in him and a silence falls over the two as Richie returns to his slow breathing, trying still to guide Eddie.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the next few minutes Eddie’s breathing gets worse instead of better and Richie is getting worried, thoughts of bailing and admitting he was wrong, begging Bill to please go ahead and get Eddie his stupid inhaler starting to blossom in his head when Eddie’s voice surprises him, making him jump just a little, “Not… working. This isn’t….”Eddie drops his head a little, forehead falling to Richie’s shoulder now and Richie feels the shaky air on his neck, feels his heart drop and is about ready to pull away when Eddie takes a shaky inhale and counties, “talk. It was… fuck… it was.. Was.. helping when… when you ...were…talking.”

“You’re usually telling me to shut up,” Richie jokes, fingers combing through Eddie’s still damp hair, followed by a softer, “What do you want me to talk about?”

“An-anything… just… spilling non- nonsense.. Is t...the one...thi-thing...you’re…. Good… at.”

“God, you’re stuttering worse than Bill on a full moon,” Richie jokes before letting out a shaky breath and letting his mouth take over. He talked about how much he hated the summer project they were assigned and how he got into his father’s liquor cabinet with Bev when she returned from Portland last winter break and they both had the worst  hangover ever and he told Eddie about how Stan tricked him into bird watching with him the weekend before and how boring it was and how many times Stan snapped at him and he told Eddie about every little thing he could think of, even repeating stories that he knew Eddie knew, a few that he was even there for, and slowly Eddie started to breathe close to normal again.

It took almost 20 minutes after Richie started talking, but finally Eddie felt ok, and he knew that Richie could feel his lungs working again because the taller boy trailed off, his words dying out as his hands kept on playing with Eddie’s hair. Richie places a kiss, ever so lightly to the top of Eddie’s head, making sure Eddie wouldn’t be able to feel it, but from where they were sitting at the water’s edge, both Bev and Stan notice, looking away when Richie spots them. He clears his throat.

At the sound, Eddie tenses before pulling away a little, hands dropping from Richie’s skin. His lungs felt fine now, breathing only a little shaky, but in the place of sheer panic and burning of a moment ago, Eddie now feels embarrassed. He can’t look at Richie, he feels so silly and small and weak.

“I’m sorry-” Eddie says, at the same time that Richie says, “Thank God you didn’t die.” Their words overlap then hang between them. Eddie starts to stand but Richie takes his arm, stopping him.

“You sure you’re ok?”

“There was never anything wrong…” Eddie says, still not looking at Richie. He hates himself, more than a little bit, and he feels an itch to pull away from Richie and run for his house and his bed where he can hide away for a while

“Eds-”

“Don’t call me that!” Eddie fires back on instinct and while he can’t see it, a smile pulls at Richie’s lips at the words, “And I’m breathing fine. You can stop babysitting me now…”

“Eddie…” Richie says, softer than Eddie would like. In fact, thinking it over Richie has been so much softer than Eddie was used to this whole time and instead of making him feel warm, like it usually does, it makes Eddie feel like a fragile child. A whimper leaves his lips without his permission and Richie shushes him, a hand rubbing at Eddie’s arm, “You didn’t answer my question.”

Silence, followed by a defeated sigh.

Eddie wants to tell Richie that he is fine, that it was stupid and they are wasting daylight, to shove Richie away before racing him to the water, but Richie’s hand is still moving up and down Eddie’s arm. The same way Eddie’s hands sometimes worked on Richie’s when he climbed in Eddie’s window at 3 am, hiding from his parents’ drunken negligence, “No. I don’t think I’m ok. But I am better. A little bit. I’m better than I was when I fell in the water, better than I was two years ago. I’m not fucking like critically not ok.”

Richie nods, but doesn’t say anything right away. Behind them, there is a loud splashing followed by Stan cursing and then Beverly and Mike’s laughter fill the air. Eddie turns to look at them and when Ben spots him, he waves, beaming. Eddie waves back.

“Ready to get your asses kicked in Chicken?” Mike shouts their way and Richie looks to Eddie, question in his eyes.

“In a little bit, but be sure to save me a game!” Eddie says back and turns to Richie, smiling at him a little, “You can go ahead, if you want. I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Bullshit,” Richie says, throwing an arm around Eddie’s shoulders, pulling him closer, “Billy there put me in charge of your heres health, he sure did! I ain't leaving you alone to die in this harsh wilderness all by your lonesome!” Richie says, voice changing, causing Eddie to roll his eyes.

“I hate you, I hate all  your voices, and I was right here, Rich, you are the one who went and took charge of making sure I didn’t die. All on you.” Still, Eddie leans into Richie, side pressed flush against his chest. The skin contact makes Eddie heat up a little.

“You love them, you fucking liar. Besides, there is no way I’m leaving you here when you just admitted to not being ok.” Richie’s voice takes that serious air again and Eddie feels most of the fight inside of him die.

“Can you please just drop it, Richie? It hardly matters.”

A long, comfortable silence falls over them. They stay like that for a few minutes before getting up to join their friends in the water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sky is starting to darken as the Losers all lay out on the rocks, drying off. Stan and Mike were the only ones dressed yet, Stan having brought a towel with him and now the two were laying together, not a whisper of space between them as Mike brings Stanley’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles softly as Stan talks, something soft and quiet and clearly just for Mike. Richie ruins the moment by walking past and ruffling Stan’s hair and Stanley tosses his rolled up swim trunks at him.

Richie catches them and whoops, earning groans from nearly everyone, “Look at this, I’ve got myself a pair of Stanley’s pants, newly wet. I’m the luckiest man alive!”

“Sit down and shut up, Tozier,” Beverly says back, and Richie pouts but listens, tossing the pants at Bev before finding a place next to Eddie on the rocks.

Softly, Richie turns to Eddie, “Is that really what it feels like?” Richie asks, and his question is met with a look of confusion from Eddie, so he goes on, waving his hand out between them, “Before, when you stopped me breathing. Is that really what it feels like for you?”

Eddie swallows hard, biting his lip guiltily before nodding, “I’m sorry for doing that.”

“But that is what it feels like? When you’re having one of your attacks, is that what it feels like?”

Eddie nods again, “Only it’s not a hand. It’s like that without knowing the source.”

“That really fucking sucks.” Richie says, and Eddie doesn’t disagree.

Richie snakes an arm around Eddie’s middle, pulling him close and the smaller boy comes easily, resting his head on his shoulder.

A small silence falls over them again. Richie thinks maybe Eddie fell asleep when suddenly he speaks, and Richie has to bite back a shocked scream, “There’s a word for it.”

“For what?” Richie asks, frowning down at Eddie.

“For….. um, for the kind of not ok I am,” He starts, and sighs. Richie shifts his arm to better look at Eddie as he speaks again, “Psychosomatic,” Eddie breathes out, the word cranking at the end. It feels heavy, to say out loud and he finds his body curling into Richie’s all on its own. 

When he looks at the other boy’s face he finds a puzzled expression. Richie is unnaturally silent against the sounds of  their friends speaking and the crashing waves on the riverbank somewhere behind them. “That’s what it is. It means when you’re not sick but you are. When your body has no illness but you get all the symptoms of being sick. It means- mans in your head. It means crazy.” He is whispering now, voice flat, factual.

Eddie had read all about it after he remembered the time he was in 3rd grade and left the gym red faced with his mother. He had forgotten about it until the day at the pharmacy and then again, this time almost on purpose, until a few months ago. He had gone to the library and took book after book to a hidden corner between the adult and children’s wings. He spend five hours reading about it, hands shaking and lungs useless by the time he left.

He thought there would be a relief in knowing, in having a word and definition for all of it. He was wrong. It made things so much worse, somehow.

He wants to tell Richie all of this, wants to say how he wants to blame his mother but that doing that feels too easy and too mean, that it would mean admitting to failing, in some way. It would mean admitting to falling for her lifetime of lies, even after the lie was exposed.  Instead, he lets out a sigh, resting his forehead against Richie’s shoulder again, where it is warm and safe.

Eddie feels tired, ashamed. Mostly, he feels like he did when he first learned about the falseness of his life, like everything was made out of paper and was on the verge of crumpling. He swallows, “There are people who get so sick- fake sick- that can never leave their house again. That they get send to loony bins or convince themselves they’re dying and then just do it- they crazy themselves to death. I don’t- I don’t feel crazy, Rich. I feel like I’m- I know I’m ok. I saw the test results. My body is fine. But it feels like my lungs are....”

His voice gets a little high pitched and frantic before he trails off, and his throat is sore from all the heaving and the yelling in the water, and the talking. Mostly the talking. He wasn’t use to talking so much. He thinks for a moment how Richie isn’t use to listening this much, that being still is as hard for Richie as breathing is for himself. However, he knows Richie is listening by how Richie’s hand is rubbing his back when his words get heavy, he knows he’s so fully there that it scares Eddie a little. He keeps waiting for a punchline. When none comes he hushes out, “I’m not ready to be crazy. It’s so much easier to have asthma than be a nutter. I- does that make sense? Is that- is that ok, Richie?”

There is a heavy and painful silence  before Richie asks, “Did I ever tell you about why I pushed you that day on the playground?”

“You mean when you fucking shoved me off the swing set into the mud pile below like a jerk?” Eddie asks, confused at the turn of the conversation, and his tone makes Richie laugh a little.

“In my defense, I was 6.”

“Still a jerk move. And I don’t understand what-”

“- shut up. It all connects, I promise. Also, if I had known you were going to cry for a half hour or that I was about to be chewed out by stuttering kindergartener I would have pushed you in the other direction.” Eddie laughs but hits Richie all the same before Richie talks again, quieter this time, “Anyway, that day I was so mad. Stan couldn’t hang out and my dad was too drunk to take me to the park. I threw the biggest tantrum, but my mom just turned the TV up-”

“-God, I just want to slap your parents…” Eddie cuts in, but Richie waves him off.

“Yeah, well, your mom is her own bundle of issues I would like to slap, so just shut up and listen to the story, Eds. So, I just wanted to go to the park. I just wanted them to notice me. So I thought that maybe if I hurt myself that they would turn the TV off. But I was a chickenshit and also 6, so I wasn’t about to actually hurt myself. Instead I went into my room, threw a few books on the floor and screamed. Nothing. So I did it again. Finally my mom comes running it, all redfaced and shit. And I pretended to have hurt my foot. Only I wasn’t a good liar. And my mom saw through it and was pissed. So she told me to fuck off and go to the park. Which, you know, sucked but I did get what I want.”

“I’m so sorry, Ric-”

“-Don’t you dare. And besides, you’re missing the point.”

“You have a point?” Eddie teases, shifting closer to Richie’s embrace without meaning to

“The point is that I wanted them to notice me. I wanted them to notice me and so I pretended to be hurt. And the funny thing is that, walking to the park I swear that my foot was hurting. I started to limb, even.” Richie’s voice got this high and flowy quality it sometimes did when he was getting into a story he was telling and Eddie frowns a little as he listens to him, eyes locked on his face now, “I was mad and upset and somehow I had convinced my body that my foot was hurt even though it was fine. I wanted so badly for someone to just fucking notice me that I yelled at a random grown up at the park and pushed a kid off his swing, but before that I made up a pain that my body mistook for real, you know?”

There is a long beat of silence before Eddie replies, “Yeah, I know…”

“My point is that there is clearly something wrong, Eddie.” Eddie makes to cut him off, but Richie rightfully assumes what he’s going to say and is faster, continuing, “I know that you don’t know what it is. That whatever is wrong isn’t- that you don’t really know what it is. But my point is that you don’t have to fucking try to figure it out by yourself. You have the Losers, Eds. You have me.”

Another beat of silence. “Because you made me cry when we were six?”

Richie laughs, full and loud enough to draw the attention of Bill and Stan from a few feet away, “Yes, Eds, you have me because I was a jerk at six years old.”

There is something in Richie’s voice that Eddie can’t trace, and it makes him turn to look at him more fully, frowning slightly. Being this close to Richie wasn’t new for Eddie, the two of them never being shy about their affection, but there was something so very jarring about the way Richie looked at him now. It makes his breath hitch, which Richie catches, echoing Eddie’s frown back at him. There is concern in that expression and it takes Eddie a second to realize where Richie’s head has gone, “I’m not having another attack. You can relax.”

Richie doesn’t look convinced, “Your breathing got all weird on me…”

Eddie is about to reply when Ben’s voice cuts through, somehow both amused and annoyed, “The rest of us are heading out but you guys are free to stay.”

“You fuckers aren’t leaving us behind like that!” Richie says, pulling away and Eddie tries to ignore the strange ache in his chest at the emptiness that filled the space Richie used to sit

[breakmyreddieheart]

Erm ... reddie ... I want reddie... maybe some night Richie's parents where being shit tier than usual and he goes to Eddie for comfort... idk I just want fluff (no smut plz)

[Note: ngl I’m pretty much exclusively going to be writing reddie (and complimentary ships), and I don’t do smut - I’m all about the fluff]

Warnings: implied psychological abuse

OK! so

- Eddie is comfy in bed, reading with a cup of herbal tea in his hand

- Except he can’t focus on his book

- All evening he’s felt off. Something feels wrong and he can’t shake the feeling.

- Not even his usual relaxing activities help and tea always calms him down

- [because let’s face it, Eddie is pretty highly strung and totally has a stash of flavoured teas]

- It’s later than Richie would normally come climbing through his window, but Eddie is still hoping that he might hear the sound of the window creaking open

- Just so he knows Richie is okay

- He seemed quiet today - and for the trashmouth that is highly irregular

- But looking at how late it’s gotten, Eddie gives in, closes his book and turns off his bed-side lamp to go to sleep

- Just then, as if summoned by the act of giving up, Richie comes bustling through the window with a crash

- Eddie sits bolt-upright and turns on the lamp, half concerned that his mother might have heard the crash and come running in thinking he’s fainted or having a heart-attack

- But the thought quickly dissipates when he sees Richie’s face

- His eyes are puffy as if he’s been crying, and he looks like he’s trying to hold back further tears.

- “Richie.. are you-”

- Before he can finish, Richie slumps to the floor and starts crying

- Eddie leaps out of bed and dashes over, desperately thinking of ways to comfort his friend

- His heart aches at the sight of Richie, usually so crass and untouchable, so visibly shaken

- Maybe he will have that heart attack after all

- He kneels next to Richie and grabs his hand, and is quickly engulfed by the sobbing mess swinging his arms around Eddie’s neck and burying his face in his shoulder

- Eddie’s heart jumps in his chest as he embraces Richie back, holding him for dear life

- The two stay embraced on the floor for what feels like an eternity until Richie’s breathing slows and he gradually releases his vice-grip 

- He takes a deep breath and looks deep into Eddie’s eyes

- “Promise me something, Eddie”

- Honestly he could ask for the world and Eddie would do whatever he had to just to take that painful expression off his face

- “If you ever leave.. when you eventually get out of this shithole, don’t forget about me, ok?”

- In that moment Eddie’s heart breaks clean in two

- He shudders to think what Richie’s parents had said to get him in this state, but it was clear he had endured another of his mother’s cruel tirades or his father’s drunken rants

- The very idea that he believed Eddie could ever forget about him hurt

- Worse still that he seemed resigned to the fact that Eddie would leave and he would never escape

- “Richie,” Eddie began, gently taking the boy’s hands “if I ever leave, you are damn well coming with me”

- Richie tried to smirk but broke eye contact and looked to the floor

- “I’m never getting out of here, Eds. I’m worthless. People like me don’t get to leave”

- In that moment Eddie swore he would fight anyone who ever dared to make Richie Tozier feel anything less than the beautiful, talented superstar he was destined to be.

- “Richie, you are worth more to me than anyone I have ever known–” his heart fluttered at his sudden bravery and honesty with feelings he had never expressed “–you are worth more than this hell town and god you don’t even see how amazing you are”

- Richie looks up, fresh tears streaming down his face

- “You really see me that way?”

- Eddie’s heart is pounding in his chest. He wants Richie to understand; to understand how amazing he is.

- “Richie, I couldn’t see you any other way”

- Suddenly, as if it is the only possible option, Eddie leans in and presses his lips against Richie’s.

- His eyes widen in surprise, and Eddie’s sudden bravery disappears as he pulls back red-faced and abashed

- “I’m sorry–I don’t know what I was thinking–I just wanted to cheer you up–and you lips oh god your lips–but YIKES that was stupid–you don’t even LIKE me oh god I’m such an idiot–”

- At this point, Eddie has sprung up and is pacing around half apologizing and half berating himself, talking a million miles an hour without taking a breath

- Before he knows what is happening, Richie has stood up, grabbed Eddie by the arms and planted a firm kiss on his still-ranting mouth

- That shuts him up

- The two of them stand paused a moment, eyes locked, jaws hung in awe while they both scrabble for the words to say next

- “Of course I like you Eddie, the question is what the hell do you see in me?”

- Eddie blushes, the pounding in his chest almost visible through his rib cage. As he pauses to contemplate his response

- He lookes deep into Richie’s eyes, exhales softly and speaks with absolute conviction that Richie cannot ignore

- “Everything.”

–

- Now tucked up in bed, Eddie passes Richie his mug with luke warm herbal tea in it

- “Try this, it’ll help you sleep”

- Richie sniffs the mug caustiously and takes a deep sip, before grimacing and drooling the liquid back into the mug

- “Jesus Eds, that tastes like your mom’s vagina”

- Eddie huffed, bumping Richie with his shoulder and snatching the mug back

- “Richie that’s disgusting –and don’t call me that”

- He turned the lamp off and snuggled into Richie, a deep smirk on his face knowing that Richie was back on form with the nicknames and mom jokes.

- “Night trashmouth”

- Richie kissed him on the head and sank into the pillow, nestling his face into Eddie’s hair

- “Night Spaghetti …and thank you”

// Ok that turned out longer and more of hybrid HC/fic wtf but o well I’m ok with this

[tessatechaitea]

Green Lantern Loves Space Ghost #1

I hope this stars the talk show version of Space Ghost.

James Tynion IV is writing this issue so I bet it's more serious than it ought to be and it'll probably be full of comic book tropes and Space Ghost will come out as bisexual. The issue begins with a planet in some serious trouble. You know the kind of trouble planets get into in Green Lantern comic books! It's always serious and hardly ever humorous and wacky. Just once I'd like to read about a planet full of sentient penises having to deal with sentient vagina missionaries hellbent on getting the penises to worship their vaginal god. I mean, okay, fine. That's probably a metaphor for a lot of comic books. But I don't want to read it as metaphor! I want to look at pictures of talking vaginas!

So the weapon is a pen? Is that the big Twilight Zone twist? "He's got the only pen on this world and he's writing lies about us! Future generation will read those lies and think we were all jerks! And we can't get the pen away from him because he's locked himself in the bathroom! And we can't get the door off the hinges because the door swings inward! And we can't pick the lock because our greatest technological advancement (aside from the one really sweet pen!) was perfecting the unpickable bathroom door lock! We're doomed!"

I love to toot my own horn so let me say I probably just wrote a better story than whatever Tynion IV came up with. I just got to the page with the credits and I want to apologize to Christopher Sebela for not including him in my critique of the writing. I'm sure you've added nothing to this story that James Tynion IV didn't say, "I was already thinking of adding that! I know Scott Snyder!" I should really meet some of these writers before caricaturing them. Although I feel like I probably nailed Tynion IV. It's just too bad you can't hear, through the written text, the grating, whining voice I gave him. The first few pages are used to establish that the call for help is coming from a place outside of the known DC Universe. Page one is all, "We don't know where we are!" Page two is all, "I'm Hal Jordan and this is a new space and time dimension that I'd like to enjoy!" Page three is all, "I'm Salaak and I'm reminding you that this distress call is coming from uncharted space that we've never explored because it's outside our universe or even further!" Hopefully that's all the reminders this comic book gives us because even I'm not so stupid that I didn't get the message after rereading it all three times because I was sort of confused about where the message was coming from. Now that the location has been established, it's time for some action! Larfleeze makes an appearance, as does Space Ghost and Zorak. How did this comic book get so exciting so quickly?! Was it written by geniuses?! James and Christopher should take that last paragraph as a compliment because it's the nicest thing I'm bound to write today.

Especially if I have to wade through twenty pages of dialogue like this.

Although I wouldn't mind more art like this:

Is this the first time Green Lantern has made a light construct butt plug?

Green Lantern and Space Ghost crash on a planet outside of the known universe (yes, it's mentioned again). It's a planet full of either Robocops, Transformers, or Sentient AT-STs. It might also be a Battletech crossover but since the cover didn't mention Battletech in an effort to get the huge Battletech audience to pick up the comic book, I remain doubtful of that conclusion. The alien Hal winds up talking to (a regular humanoid alien because the robots are apparently just weaponized vehicles) tells his story and it sounds suspiciously like the plot of Life, The Universe, and Everything. Apparently Green Lantern and Space Ghost have crash landed on Krikkit. I could explain in greater detail but if you aren't familiar with The Hitchhiker series, why would I coddle you and your choice to remain ignorant of something so enjoyable? Although, to be fair and objective and other complimentary things that perhaps aren't completely true of me, Life, The Universe, and Everything was the worst book of the bunch. The Perterrans attack Hal because they can't have any evidence showing up on their planet that suggests there is more to the Perterran universe than simply Perterran.

I would have chosen Amanda Waller. But I guess that might be construed as racist or sexist or fattist.

Does anybody need to know my opinion on United Airlines and their behavior this week? No? You all know exactly what I would say already? Good. Thank you for paying attention so I can spend less time writing. Hal gets away so that he and Space Ghost can have a battle. Remember that thing I said about James Tynion IV relying on comic book tropes? Well, here we are with the good guys battling due to a misunderstanding! Only a few pages left before they realize the mistake and work together. I bet Christopher Sebela read the script and was all, "Maybe let's try something different?" And James Tynion IV was all, "Really?! You're going to question my writing! I did mention I know Scott Snyder, right?! Anyway, what do you think of all my great jokes?" And then Christopher was all, "There are jokes?" The two heroes wind up knocking each other out just as some kid named Keila and her robot on a leash (named P.E.T. because of course it is) enter the scene. She takes them away so that they can learn that they're on the same side and also become part of the rebellion, probably. So there's some stuff where everybody decides to get along so the plot can continue. Can we get some kind of Comic Book Consortium to set up official tropes so that comic book story space isn't wasted by them? So the first ten pages of this comic book could have been condensed into one panel that read "COMIC BOOK TROPE 1A." Then everybody goes, "Cool. Space Ghost and Green Lantern fought each other due to a misunderstanding and neither actually bested the other before they realized their mistake and began working together to find the real bad guy. Let's get to the story now!"

Oh no! This story isn't about a secluded planet cut off from the rest of the universe at all, is it?! It's a metaphor for human loneliness! NOOOOOOOO!

It turns out that this planet that speaks English (it must since Hal can understand the aliens without his ring) has only one major difference in their language: weapon means vehicle! They also have the word vehicle for vehicle which enables the alien to easily explain, "Weapon is our word for vehicle." Well, that sure will cause a lot of wacky mix-ups, right?! Green Lantern and Space Ghost probably wouldn't have shown up if they received a transmission that said, "We have a really powerful car and some guy wants to destroy it!" Green Lantern and Space Ghost believe the crazy guy with the rocket ship who sent out the distress call. They decide to back his play to destroy the foundation of the entire culture of this world. That seems like the right thing to do. Truth is always better than stability! I mean, even if you believe that truth is better than stability, is it smart to trust the judgment of one guy? I suppose when the other side has already threatened to kill you, it's probably the best decision. To make matters even more exciting, the military shows up to destroy everybody! It happens so quickly that Space Ghost and Green Lantern are given back boxes holding their ring and wrist bands but the little girl mixed up the boxes! And there's not time to switch! I can't believe I thought this comic book couldn't get wacky! Ha ha! Look at Space Ghost try to use the Green Lantern ring! Ho ho! Look at Hal Jordan try to use Space Ghost's whatevers! They switch back pretty quickly but Hal Jordan discovers his ring is almost out of energy. Like always! How the fuck aren't Green Lanterns getting stranded on backwater planets constantly? Their rings always get critically low or run out of juice because that's the only way to make the fight tense (at least for unimaginative writers like Cullen Bunn and Cullen Bunn). It wouldn't be a problem if the Green Lanterns hadn't stopped using that Storage Locker Planet to keep their batteries nearby in interdimensional space. In the end, Green Lantern and Space Ghost inspire the planet to rise up and believe in something greater than whatever they were already believing in. They inspired the Perterrans to not simply sit back and take it in the ass! What a great story! I'm so happy that people are around to inspire other people or else how will all those other people know that there are other ways to live their lives?! People who inspire are life-saving heroes! I hate stories that glorify inspiration. Inspiration is what people who are too lazy to actually do shit do. It's the acceptance of advertising as the impetus that gets the world moving. "Without a charismatic person singing on a reality television show, how would any young people know that you can become a charismatic person lucky enough to get all the same breaks that that person did so that they could also become an inspiration to inspire people to become inspirations? It just wouldn't happen without inspiration! Nobody can ever be self-motivated or believe in themselves without first being told to believe in themselves! Fuck off! The Ruff 'n' Reddy story is terrible. It's just a bunch of old jokes and stolen material shoved into a framing story of two comedians trying to find new partners whose last names will make a clever pun or saying. That's just an old Mitchell and Webb sketch! So even the framing story connecting the stolen material is stolen!

I'm sure the punchline has something to do with somebody putting their cock inside somebody else's ass. Ha ha.

A lot of the material in the Ruff 'n' Reddy story seems way bluer than I would expect DC to greenlight for a Teen Rated comic book. I guess because the filthy punchlines are either never actually mentioned or were deemed not quite explicit enough, DC Comics was okay with it. I certainly don't mind! I just think it's an odd decision. Especially since the main story is about how Space Ghost is good with kids and how people inspire children to grow up to change the world. I mean after feeling good about how little Keila grows up to become a space explorer, the reader is treated with jokes about chickens fucking eggs, cocks inside asses, and walruses raping seals? Way to go, DC! Oh! There's also a violent depiction of a forced rimjob!

To be completely transparent, I was less upset about this as I was about the stolen Bill Hicks escalator joke! And by "less upset," I mean I masturbated to this.

The Ranking! Overall, I'm almost sorry I purchased this comic book. At least I'll get a few more private moments with that rimjob pick. Ooh la la!

[softest-cinnamon-roll]

Omg u just posted part 2 but pleaseeee do the road trip au part 3. Whatever you want. With or without Sonia. I just LOVE reddie as parents and I need more of it in my life

part one || part two

“Are you sure this is a good idea, sis?” Ollie asked, looking down at his phone and then back up at his sister. “Dad thinks we’re visiting grandma and grandpa, he’ll go crazy if he finds out we’re here…” Glancing back at the house in front of them, Ollie swallowed.

Grace rolled her eyes and nodded her head, unbuckling from the car, “Well technically, she is still our grandma, just not the one we told dad we were going to visit. Not that I’m saying we won’t go and visit grandma and grandpa, but I just…I want answers.”

Even though Grace was a child when she had her first, and only encounter with her dad’s mother, the memory was still ingrained in her mind. She would never get over the way the woman had spoken to her dad, and then to her, in the middle of a supermarket that is.

“Okay fine, but after we’ve spoken to her we need to go to grandma and grandpas. Dad has probably already messaged them and they’ll be waiting for us.” Ollie sighed and Grace nodded before stepping out of the car and walking up to the porch.

Unlike her brother, she wasn’t nervous. She wanted answers. She wanted to know why someone would treat her dad the way his mother had. She may be her grandmother by blood, but in her heart? She was just another person in the world who was ignorant and selfish.

Grace kept her head high when she knocked on the door, firm and with purpose before stepping back. There was a noise behind the door before it swung open and Grace jumped back a little. The woman who answered the door wasn’t Sonia Kaspbrak, and Grace had to reset her brain as she considered maybe this was the wrong house.

“May I help you?” The woman asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked back and forth between Grace and Ollie. “I’m not looking to buy anything if that’s what you’re after.”

She moved to close the door and Grace jumped into action, stopping her with a shake of her head, “No, no uh, we’re looking for Sonia Kaspbrak? Is she home?”

The woman paused, blinking at the two of them before she sighed and crossed her arms. “Sonia passed away last week. Heart attack. I’m her sister, Marge.” She said. “What can I do for you?”

At the news, Grace felt a little heartless for the lack of emotion she felt over the fact that her other grandparent was dead. Though she wondered if anyone had been in contact with her dad. She doubted it, as apparently she passed away last week, and her dad hasn’t seemed off since then. Not even her Papa seemed off, and he couldn’t keep a secret to save himself.

“Oh I’m so sorry-” Ollie spoke up, as Grace had been silent for too long. “Uh, this might sound weird to you but we-” He stopped. “We’re her son, Eddie’s, children. Sonia’s grandchildren. We were in town and we wanted to, uh, connect with her?”

Grace rolled her eyes at her brother’s words and she finally found her voice, “Actually, no, Ollie is just being too polite. We weren’t here to connect, we were here for answers on why she treated our dad like shit. Since you’re her sister, I’m sure you’re aware. Would you be able to answer our questions?”

Marge, their great-aunt apparently, stared at the two of them for a second before nodding and stepping to the side, allowing them to come into the house. It wasn’t anything like Grace imagined and the thought of her dad growing up here made her shudder. “Please take a seat,” she motioned and both Grace and Ollie followed her instructions. “What would you like to know. I have to admit, I might not be able to answer everything but I will do my best.”

“Why did Sonia not want my dad and papa to be together?” Grace asked first, narrowing her eyes. “My dad being Eddie and Papa being Richie Tozier. I’m sure you know who he is.”

“Yes, I am familiar with who Richie Tozier is,” Marge sighed. “I can answer that. Sonia didn’t agree with homosexual relationships. It was against her religion. She also believed that Richard was corrupting Eddie and turning him against her. Which he did, in the end, as they ran away together without so much as a goodbye.”

Grace scoffed, crossing her arms, “They were in love with each other. Since when was being in love a crime? And my dad had every right to run away when he did, she was lying to him about his health! What kind of mother lies to a child about being sick? Ollie,” she pointed to her brother. “He has actual asthma, and do you know how difficult it was to get him diagnosed thanks to my dad’s child trauma? Too long!”

With a sigh, Marge shook her head, “Sonia wasn’t always like that. When Frank was still alive, they were a happy family. Yes, Sonia was a little wary of Eddie doing dangerous things, but Frank softened her out. When he passed away there was nothing stopping her from going insane.”

That was when Ollie finally decided to perk up, “But there was,” he said calmly. “There was you, and other family members. All you had to do was talk to her, and convince her she was being unreasonable. It wasn’t that hard, and yet…you didn’t bother did you?”

Marge gasped, “It wasn’t any of my business!” She hissed. “I wasn’t getting involved.”

“It was your business though!” Grace snapped. “Eddie was your nephew. He was family and I was raised to believe that family helped each other. Turns out it’s not the same for this family.”

The room fell into silence before Marge sighed once more, “Eddie left a lot of things behind, and they were put in the attic. I’ve sorted through it all. Would you like to take it?” She asked and Grace blinked, not expecting the question. “Some of the things were what he left behind before he ran away.”

Grace nodded, “Yes, we would definitely like to take it.” She stood up. “I think we’re done here though. Thank you for your time.”

Both Ollie and her helped take the boxes out into their rental car before driving the short distance to their grandma and grandpa Tozier’s house. When they got there, Maggie was out on the porch, running to greet them with kisses and promises of hot cocoa. Grace smiled and met her eyes with her brother, sharing a silent agreement.

Tomorrow they would call home and explain to their dad what happened, and what they had gained from the visit. Right now though, Grace was desperate for some of her grandma Maggie’s hot cocoa.

* * * * * 

@richietoaster @tozier-boy @eds-trashmouth @bitchbrak @sloppybitchreddie @its-stranger-than-you-think @maximusfraker @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @thejadeazalea @halfway-happy353 @tinyarmedtrex @inthebreadbinwrites @kat-ships-everything @takeourpure @lo-v-ers @that-weird-girls-blog @studpuffin @s-s-georgie @reddie-for-anything @trashmouthtozierr @richietoizer @girasol-eddie @bi-bi-richie @honeybeehanlon @mars-14 @reddiesetandgo @marsisaplanetyall @xandertheundead @sedanleystanley @hawkinsbabe @beepbeeprichiellc @stellarbisexual @oldguybones @thundercatseddie @eduardoandale  @purplepoisonedgem @reddie-to-cryy @pink-psychic @violetreddie @deadlighten @queen-sock @appojoos @moonlightrichie @rreddies @disneyfan567 @annxmatron @lifesucksheres20bucks @anellope @roobarrtrashmouth @are-you-reddie-for-it @callmechee @nancynwheeler @reddieforlove @twoidiotsinl0ve @madi-artist @tozierking @s-onora @atownofeggs