#mike too!

[chaotic-goodsir]

Some thoughts about the BBC ghosts finale, because it was inevitable that I'd have some rambling to do after watching:

It seems like there's a lot of annoyance and disappointment around the finale, which is fair when so many people had high expectations. Personally I didn't mind it - maybe it wasn't the show's best episode, but I think it ended the only way it could.

Before Mia, Alison was constantly entertaining and paying attention to the ghosts, because she's a caring person who chose to use her gift to get to know them and try to give them new experiences. She didn't have to do that. She could have moved out sooner, or tried to arrange an exorcism that worked, or taught herself to ignore the ghosts completely. Plenty of people in her position might have done those things, but Alison chose to make a family out of the bunch of dead weirdos she found herself stuck with.

She made time for all the ghosts while somehow also making time for Mike AND finding uses for the massive crumbling house that neither of them asked to inherit - not to mention helping to organise repairs and archeological digs and viewings and so on. That's honestly impressive and it sounds exhausting. There's no way she or Mike could have continued to live that way while also taking care of a child.

Something I love about Ghosts is the way it addresses mundane but important themes - things like home, friendship, family, grief and support for one another. It's not a perfect show by any means and but for a silly fun comedy it's also surprisingly thoughtful and soft, and kind to all of its characters (even Julian and Barclay!) despite their flaws. It deals with topics that most people can relate to, and mostly it handles them in an honest, kind and realistic way. I think that's part of what has made it so popular.

So Alison leaving, and the Ghosts advising her to, makes sense to me. The ghosts might stay the same forever, but Alison and Mike (and Mia) are living people with their own stories ahead of them. Even in found families and close-knit friend groups, things change. Dynamics shift. Not everyone can remain as closely tied to the group as they might have been before.

That doesn't have to be a loss or a betrayal. Things changing doesn't mean that they are ruined. Alison goes back to visit the ghosts for the rest of her life - she makes sure they know that they aren't forgotten. And the ghosts stick around for her as well (or at least, we can assume they all do). Their relationship as friends is not less important than Alison and Mike's new family, it just needs less attention, because the ghosts are adults and can survive (or, uh, exist?) by themselves. I don't think it's out of character or poor writing to show them letting Alison have some space. It's what good friends might do to support a friend who, for whatever reason, can't be around as much anymore.

Overall I didn't completely love the finale. I wish it had been a double episode, and I've seen some posts saying Alison deserved more opportunity to be her usual chaotic self before she became an exhausted new mother, which I agree with. I think the fact they threw in a speech tying everything to Christmas just because it was a Christmas special was a bit annoying, if unavoidable. But it was sweet and a good way to say goodbye to one of my favourite shows.

[chloesimaginationthings]

The FNAF Vanessas meet their younger selves..

[ace-with--a-mace]

bitches be like "we need more evil women in media" and they cant even handle tashi duncan from challengers (2024)

[munsons-mutiny]

One of my favorite trope for Steddie is Steve hunting down Eddie when the kids join Hellfire and giving him a long list of dos and donts.

At first Eddie thinks he’s just being a prick, and worried he’s going to turn the nerds into freaks like him. Especially when he says not to mention drugs in front of Dustin.

But then he starts pulling out lists of monsters that can’t be in campaigns. And like what??? Why can’t he use demagorgons? They were gonna be in the next combat! He’s tempted to ignore the warnings, in fact he’s all set to, but something about Steve’s face when he was laying it all out haunts him. Something so deadly serious about it. So first he decides to test the waters to see if he’s full of shit.

When the session starts, he makes a throwaway comment, “you’re acting like there’s a mindflayer around the corner.”

All the kids freeze but Wheeler especially looks like he’s going to be sick. He even grabs at the bracelet around his wrist. The one he always said his best friend made him before he moved.

Eddie curses himself for even trying to test it out after that, and immediately bullshits the whole session so he can scrap any hint of demogorgans from the campaign.

After that session he drives straight to Harringtons house and demands they go over all the things he can’t include again, in detail, while he takes notes.

He doesn’t know what’s going on with these freshmen, but he knows trauma when he sees it and well he’d gotten attached to the gremlins.

When he leaves that night, he thinks Steve is looking at him with approval. Like he trusts him with their well-being now.

[janothergay]

I too wish to be perpetually cast as a lesbian, gay or bisexual in a project by Mike Flanagan; like to charge, reblog to cast

[kennahjune]

Having thoughts of The Party being touchy as all fuck after everything.

Like you cannot enter nor leave any kind of hang out without a hug, high-five, pat, or anything from everyone you were hanging out with.

And then, suddenly, you aren’t able to leave without a kiss or hug of some kind from Steve.

It started after the bullshit that was the Starcourt Mall. The kids were leaving Steve’s house from a DnD session maybe 2 months before the Byers left for Cali.

Dustin was taking forever to pull his shoes on and get out the house to his moms car and everyone was complaining. It was one of those rare times where Steve wasn’t the one carting them all around— they all had their own rides.

Dustin got his shoes on and Steve handed him his bag and— without thinking— pressed a kiss to the top of his hat before waving him out the door.

The rest of the kids are silent until Mike speaks up bitchily “what about us, asshole?”

Steve has no idea what they mean until El points to her head with a grin. Steve deals out head and forehead kisses for everyone and waves them off to their respective rides.

And then it just— sticks. At first it’s with just the kids whenever he sees them. He’ll usually greet them with a hug or an exasperated sigh and then say goodbye with a kiss to their foreheads.

Not even Mike complains. This is the kind of shit he never got while growing up— might as well make the best of it.

And then it migrates to Robin as well, and the Nancy is joining in on the hugs (they’re still too awkward for the kisses but the hugs are enough for now).

And Steve never holds back, not even in public. Again, no one complains.

And that’s how Hellfire finds out about the kissing arrangement (that might be the title of this if I make it an actual fic). They watch as Steve presses a forehead kiss to Mike, Lucas, and Dustin before waving them off and then presses a kiss to Max’s head and giving her a tight hug.

The guys try to make fun of the kids for it but none of them are embarrassed.

“It’s Steve, dude. He’s like a mom.”

“The kisses are actually really comforting.”

“It’s a Party thing.”

And then the fuckery of 1986 and Vecna happens and suddenly Eddie’s in on the hugs and pats and high-fives.

And then.

And then.

He’s in on the kisses.

Steve doles out the kisses like usual one night after Hellfire and gives one to everyone— including Eddie.

And Eddie panics and gives Steve one right back.

And then the kids are going feral about wanting to give Steve a kiss too.

And Eddie leaves during the chaos.

And then they don’t talk about it.

Until Steve and Eddie do it again.

And the kids accept is as the new normal; you have to give Steve a kiss back.

And then Steve and Eddie have an excuse to kiss each other on the foreheads and cheeks and noses.

One night they’re hanging out, just the two of them at the trailer after Wayne left for work.

Steve had greeted Eddie with a tight hug the moment he’d gotten in the trailer. Eddie had squeezed back just as tight if not tighter.

Steve was getting ready to leave, and on instinct leant in to kiss Eddie, but Eddie was also leaning in to kiss Steve. So they meet in the middle and accidentally kiss on the lips.

And then the new normal for Steve and Eddie is kissing on the lips goodbye.

Idk, just Steve being a very touchy feely person makes me so happy

[haluton]

No you don't understand how important the gay people in my phone are to me

[paladinsbrainrot]

kids

full version + close ups !!

original version (since I updated this after i got a better look at their outfits)

[sceletaflores]

five nights in 5,000 different positions

[koolaidashley]

I think he’s a cutie pie but also like..,,, he’s a huge stinking nerd 😓😓😓😓😓🙏🏻

[dekuboya]

Been sort of obsessively listening to The Magnus Archives while at work… it’s so good I love these gay bitches

[barometric]

8/28/24 tornado near Mound City, SD

[chloesimaginationthings]

The aesthetic in FNAF 4 is unmatched..

[jaimeski]

original concept

[fnafluffy]

who even are you anymore?

[kyrup]

all of the glitched name cards from this week’s game changer for your convenience.

(transcripts and timestamps in the alt text)