#s3 steve my beloved

[keery]

#baby girl <3

[envyenvys]

Stobin Mandalorian AU part 3

(aka s3 stobin accidentally acquire a magic baby)

[1] [2] [You Are Here] [4]

Abby’s eyes are so big and soft and brown. They’re like his mother’s eyes, round and sweet. She’s so cute, even in the bland grey onesie the Russians put her in, which isn’t nearly as nice as she deserves. She deserves nice, comfy, pretty clothes — and a warm hat, because it gets cold in the evenings even in the summer.

“Steve,” Robin sighs, “I’m soooo thirsty. Can you hold Abby while I get a drink from the fountain?”

Steve holds his arms out before she’s even done talking. She snorts and passes him the baby, who blinks up at him with big eyes. The weight of her is perfect in his arms. He’s never going to put her down.

He follows dazedly after Robin, and the only reason he doesn’t spend the entire time staring at Abby is because if he manages to trip and drop her because he isn’t paying attention he’s going to blow up the mall.

He hands Abby back very reluctantly so he can take his own drink of water, then accepts her again gratefully when Robin goes back for more. He’d get some for Abby too, but he’s pretty sure babies this small aren’t supposed to drink water. It’s all moot anyway because they’re both running off to puke before Robin’s done her second turn.

He holds Abby very carefully to avoid getting her dirty — either from the puke or the gross bathroom floor. She protests a bit but doesn’t start crying again so all in all it’s a success.

“Oh god,” Robin groans, “was that all of it? I hope that was all of it.”

“Think so,” Steve grunts, wiping his mouth with some toilet paper. It’s really flimsy, he hates this place.

“Quick, ask me a question.”

Steve blanks. He can’t remember any question he’s ever asked. He looks at Abby, then down at the toilet bowl.

“When was the last time you pissed your pants?” Whatever, that works.

“Today,” Robin says, sounding almost amazed. “When that Russian doctor took out the bone saw. It was just a little bit though.”

Steve laughs softly, tipping his head back to rest it against the wall. Definitely wasn’t all of it, then.

“Your turn.”

Robin hums. He can see her shoes tap-tapping against the tile through the small gap under the stall.

“Well, I was gonna ask if you’ve ever been in love, but after seeing you with Abby… now I’m wondering — why did you break up with Nancy Wheeler?”

Ah. Ouch.

“She broke up with me.”

“Wait, what?”

Robin scrambles up and around into his stall, crouching in front of him and Abby.

“She broke up with you?”

Steve doesn’t understand why she looks so confused. He nods.

“I mean, technically, yeah,” he says, and she tilts her head in confusion. “It was, uh, Halloween. Tina’s party, you remember. She was drunk and she started going on about how we killed Barb and our whole relationship was just…” —he swallows, looks away— “bullshit. That we spent a whole year pretending we were in love. When I talked to her the next day she couldn’t take it back, so.” He shrugs.

“Holy shit,” Robin whispers. “Steve, I’m so— I thought you broke up with her because you didn’t want to settle down or something, holy fuck.”

Steve laughs, “Settle down? Nancy? No, she’d hate that. She has all these big dreams, and she’s not exactly bad with kids but I don’t think she really likes them either.”

He looks down at Abby, strokes her soft little cheek. “No, if anything I was too boring for her, not the other way around.”

“You’re not boring, Steve,” Robin protests. “Wanting to settle down and have kids doesn’t make you boring.”

“What about you, then?” Steve asks, and it should be a simple question except Robin looks like she’s going to throw up again.

“Um, well, I don’t know,” she says, eyes fixed on the toilet roll. “I guess it sounds nice, but…”

She takes a deep breath.

“Do you remember… what I said about Mrs Click’s class?”

Steve nods slowly, “Yeah, you said you were obsessed with me because of my bagel crumbs, or something.”

“It wasn’t your stupid bagel crumbs,” Robin rolls her eyes, “it was because she wouldn’t stop staring at you. It was like she was half in love with you, bagel crumbs and all, even though you couldn’t more clearly be gone on Nancy Wheeler. She’d spend the whole class staring and sighing and I wanted her to look at me. Just once.”

“…Mrs Click?” he asks, because the blue drug might be mostly gone but his thoughts were soupy even before that.

Robin sighs.

“Tammy Thompson,” she says emphatically.

Steve thinks on this for a moment. He’d thought Robin was confessing to him earlier, back in the bunker, but apparently not because she was actually talking about a girl. But then, it still sounds..? Oh. Oh. Okay.

Well, he kind of feels like he’ll die without her at this point, so it’s not like he’s going to reject her for something he doesn’t really care about in the first place. Robin’s Robin, she matters more to him than who she does or doesn’t want to kiss. Besides, maybe if they aren’t dating then she can’t break his heart.

“Doesn’t she want to be a singer?” he asks dubiously, instead of trying to say any of that out loud. “That’s like the opposite of settling down. And she isn’t even good at it anyway.”

Robin’s jaw drops.

“Yes she is!” she protests.

“No, I’m serious,” Steve laughs, “she sounds like a muppet! We should get her to sing educational songs to Abby.”

“Steve!”

Steve starts singing through all the Sesame Street songs he remembers, except he doesn’t get far because he keeps laughing. Robin’s laughing with him, giddy with relief, and Steve feels his heart swelling into his throat again.

[Next]

[jonathanbyersphd]

Me trying to do the mental gymnastics required to calculate Jonathan and Nancy's birthdays based on the information the Duffers have given

[tending-the-hearth]

saw stranger sings again tn and got to sit in the beanbags, and steve said the “I respect and validate your feelings” line during “nice” right at me and when I tell you I nearly swooned and could not stop giggling AND i got an ice cream cone candy from him 😭😭😭

[love-byers]

btw they knew will was going to have feelings for mike when they wrote

Do you remember the first day that we met? It was...it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends. I just felt so alone, and so scared--but I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself. So I just walked up to you and I asked--I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done.

why the fuck would brilliant writers like the duffers give a character such a beautiful touching monologue, make the recipient of the monologue in love with them, just for it to mean absolutely nothing in the end.

if s5 ends with mlvn endgame and will accepting mike doesn't share feelings and moving on then all of that amounts to nothing. it literally means nothing. it'll be as if it never happened.

if the narrative of will and mike's arc is "gay boy falls in love with straight best friend because of straight best friend's adoring behavior and he just has to accept that some people are just straight" i will be absolutely flabbergasted. literally nobody besides mlvns want that.

part of stranger things since s3 is that some people ARENT straight. we think robin is straight and has feelings for steve in s3 because the writers allowed the heteronormativity, just so they could flip it on our heads later on. and they do a similar thing with vickie in s4, giving us hope that she shares robin's feelings, just for us to be devastated when we see her with her boyfriend. then they DOUBLE flip it on us by revealing vickie does indeed like robin.

the writers are literally teaching you to not just assume people are straight no matter how it may seem. we saw vickie flirt with her bf and kiss him and look happy when he kissed her neck and GUESS WHAT?? NOT STRAIGHT AND HAD FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!!

in almost all the most beloved couples, we've seen them appear happy with someone else before. like, genuinely happy. but we know that doesn't mean anything, because they can appear happy and still have issues/have hidden feelings for someone else. nancy told steve she loved him to his face and not even a week later got with jonathan. murray literally says you can genuinely like someone and be attracted to them and have real love for someone else at the same time.

not everything is what it seems. wizards of waverly place literally prepared us for this like come on

[diegosumbrella]

My observations from s4 of Umbrella Academy

I dont even wanna talk about the main plot of whatever the fuck that car crash of a season four was, but heres some plot discrepancies I noticed while watching Umbrella Academy.

!! Season four spoilers under the 'see more' !!

- Luther's unnecessary body change

It's stated so clearly in s1 that Luther never gained his body from the marigold or developed it along with his powers. When he was up on that mission on the moon, he had an accident and Pogo had to donate his blood which resulted in Luther having that monkey body we all know and love.

So as Luther drank that said marigold, why would he suddenly gain back the blood donated from pogo and the body that comes along with that..? It's as if the writers themselves forgot why he had that body. Why write in unnecessary body dysphoria for my poor baby?

- Diego's sudden appearance of ab's

Listen. I am the last fucking person to complain about a Diego Hargreeves shirtless scene, where you see his pecs quite literally bounce BUT why did he change so drastically from 'dad bod' to suddenly 'ripped'?

I read an article interview with Steve Blackman and saw a few snippets from a podcast that explained that David (Diego's actor) didn't want to gain weight for the role, which is totally understandable. But if you have an actor who doesn't want to gain weight for this role, why not just keep Diego as fit?

Due to the short six episodes, it's extremely easy to miss how Diego slowly becomes more fit as time progressed. For most, and also myself at first, that fighting scene just looked confusing as fuck. Like two episodes before, Lila was calling you 'tubby' (or whatever the fuck she said), so why do you have abs now?? Where did the dilf diego dad bod disappear to :(

- Allison's beloved Ray just leaving her

I'm not sure if i'm taking this the wrong way completely but... In the scene after Allison had given Klaus the marigold against his wishes, but also to save his life. As Klaus is calling out every member of the family, he mentions how he 'took care of Allison when Ray walked out'.

Like i'm sorry but the fuck do you mean Ray just walked out?? Why did he leave Allison if she had no powers. She'd clearly built a better life for herself and began to change her mindset for the better, compared to s3 she's drastically better.

It's never explained (probably again for the lack of episodes) and it's never even mentioned again. Like does Allison share custody of Claire with Ray? Does Claire even see her father? I have so many questions and once again, a severe lack of answers.

- Klaus breaking his five year sobriety

As much as us as an audience are aware of Klaus' addictive tendencies and his utter thirst for form of drug in the former seasons, but why establish that he's not only been sober for three entire years but he's also now a huge germaphobe just for him to ruin it in five seconds.

The main problem I had with this is the fact none of the siblings, including and most importantly Allison, had zero reaction to this. They weren't upset, angry, disappointed or fuck it even happy. They practically ignored the fact their brothers three year detox went out the window.

Five's ability to time jump

Before I get you all jumping up my arse, i'm fully aware I could discuss how they completely just fucked his character development and his entire personality as a whole for a shitty romance that made absolutely no sense but I'm gonna make a separate post on that because oh boy do I have some shite to say.

ANYWAY.

I can't even go into much detail with this one but why is it that every time five attempts to do his time jumps, he ends up in that subway but when he does it with Lila in that end episode.. he can suddenly just jump..?? normally?? Like why. Why can he now only just time jump as he used too. WHY WAS THE SUBWAY NEEDED FOR OTHER THAN FOR THAT AWFUL FIVE X LILA PLOT????

It's as if the writers couldn't come up with a way to get the brellies into that building with Ben so instead of using critical thinking and writing them breaking in, they just said 'fuck it make him time jump with Lila'. Like no I have questions??

[unclewaynemunson]

Jeff is one of my favorite characters and I think we should start a post of all our favorite Jeff headcanons. He and Freak get left out in almost every Eddie-centric fic I read, with his "best friend" being either Gareth or Chrissy, and I'm tired of it. Jeff is wonderful. Here's my hc's:

- Jeff and Eddie have been best friends since middle school. They started CC and Hellfire together.

- they went to the Snowball together and rigged the bubble machine to spew bubbles during the slow dance songs. The dance had to end early and Jeff and Eddie never got caught

- Jeff's parents loves Eddie. They used to have sleepovers at each other's place almost every weekend.

- Jeff was the first person Eddie came out to. Jeff tried to be surprised and "that's great, man, thanks for telling me!" But Eddie saw right through that.

- Eddie is afraid of geese and spiders. Jeff thinks this is fucking hilarious.

- post-Vecna, Jeff is the one Eddie reconnects with first. Eddie tells him everything, despite the NDAs and Steve's warnings. Jeff believes him, because he knows there's wacky shit going on in Hawkins, and he's seen Eddie's wounds.

- they have that kind of friendship that nothing can break. Even if they don't see or talk to each other for years, because Life Happens and people lose touch, they'll always have part of themselves carved out for their best friend.

Ok, that's all I got for now, and sorry for the long ask! I just love Jeff so much and he (and Freak, too, because Freak gets ignored because of fatphobia) deserves just as much love and attention as Gareth gets.

What are your Jeff and Eddie headcanons?

I am loving this Jeff love and your headcanons, thank you so much for sending this to me!!! <3

I think with Unnamed Freak things are a bit different bc, yaknow, he doesn't have a name. For me at least that makes me hesitant to write about him so I don't wanna go as far as to say it's all bc he's fat (even though I'm not gonna deny that that probably also plays a part in how popular he is in this fandom urgh). Anyway, yes this fandom certainly does Jeff dirty. I think it's this gross combination of racism and people copying a lot from already existing stories, characterizations and headcanons without much critical thinking of their own (which baffles me, if you're creative enough to write a story please use that creativity for some originality ffs). Anyway, this is gonna turn into a rant again can you tell I'm still annoyed? so let's turn to something more positive now, like my headcanons for our beloved Jeff:

He was the first person in Hawkins (after Wayne obviously) that Eddie got close to. For Jeff it was kinda the same, being a black, nerdy boy in this town had been very isolating for him and Eddie was his first real friend.

Unnamed Freak made their duo into a trio a bit later. All the others in the group (including Gareth) were Eddie's "lost little sheepies" who he sought out to protect. This means that Jeff and Unnamed Freak are the only people who don't borderline worship Eddie but see him (and love him) for who he is including all his flaws. They're also the only ones not afraid to call him out on his bullshit.

Jeff's mom is really cool. Her name is Pauline and she's not like Jeff at all (she was a cheerleader in high school). Despite their differences they love each other a lot. (Jeff's mom is actually heavily featured in one of the fics I wrote so I got her all fleshed out lmao)

He has two little twin sisters. They're friends with Erica, one of them is one of her friends we meet in the mall in s3. He has this typical hate-love relationship with his sisters: they fight a lot, but at the end of the day, he would die for them.

HE'S BISEXUAL

While he can't wait to get out of Hawkins and to a place that'll be more accepting of him, he doesn't want to move too far away from his family.

He's the most loyal friend in the world, 100% a ride-or-die kinda guy

While he does love metal a lot, his guilty pleasure is Tina Turner

Tell me all your Jeff headcanons i wanna hear more about him!

[inklessletter]

what are a few things you really want to see happen in season 5 of ST?

how about 3 things specific to steve,as a bonus?

Hi my beloved anon.

I want to genuinely understand Vecna/Henry's motives. This might sound stupid, but I don't get him. This charcter's story revolves around the fact that he feels too strong to be a limited, petty human and that he doesn't "agree" with time and life/death rules, given the fact that he's insanely powerful. But he gets to achieve that, after is fight with baby Eleven, he's sent to the Upside Down, a place with no time or life/death rules like the world he comes from, and he's turn into a whole new creature, leaving his humanity behind. He gets what he wants. So I would very much like a satisfactory explanation of why he wants to go back to Hawkins, because that's the whole plot of S4 and after how little he thinks of humans I refuse to believe that he just wants revenge against Eleven because that's not only human, that's plain basic. So please Duffers explain ?¿?¿?¿?¿

I want Nancy Wheeler to be full and whole and a l o n e. I would very much like the show to bitch slap everyone who plainly focuses on who is Nancy going to end up with when season after season she's struggling to be strong and independent and competent in everything she does, so I would very much like for her to just be happy with herself and not having people around her that makes her slow her pace.

Would very much love if writers wouldn't be afraid of finishing characters arcs by ending up in death. I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want this to happen because I love the boy with all my heart and he's by far my fav, but for example, if Steve dies his arc is complete. I won't expand the reasons because that will be for another long ass text post, but he was intended to die and they're extending the character, first because Keery's amazing performance in s1, and second because after s2 he became insanely loved and they can't afford to kill such a beloved character (like they didn't kill Hopper in s3) before the shows has a clear end.

I want Karen to do something. Anything. Also, Holly. That'd be precious. I'd love to see her team up with Joyce and bring back the powerful badass character she used to be in s1. Mommy Killer Team (that might include Steve if he's not left to his own devices).

I don't want to bring Eddie Munson back to life. I'm sorry. I know after the Steve death and this Eddie thing I may earn some unfollows but. Let him stay dead. Bring Joseph Quinn back, yes, in flashbacks or stuff, but keep Eddie dead. Don't turn the teary s4 end into a fucking prank. Please, I beg. I don't want to see the fandom all angry (again) because for two years we've been making it better with art and fanfics and headcanons and love to make justice for the Eddie's demise that the show so unashamedly delivered. Please, don't make the fandom look like clowns.

For Steve exclusively (as a bonus) I'd love to a) see him wielding the nailed bat again, b) become Max's legal big brother and c) to have a great ending.

Jesus that was long, I'm sorry.

[henrysglock]

Several opinions that would probably get me banned from the ST subreddit (at least some of them lol)

1) Nancy and Steve would have a toxic relationship if they got together again

2) Jason would've killed Eddie if he actually catched him (even if on accident)

3) Argyle is not a bad character and actually important to the plot + I'm so happy that Jonathan finally got a friend that isn't his girlfriend!

4) Max will probably stay blind even if she gets revived AND THATS OKAY

5) Hopper was absolutely not ready to take care of El in s2. Yes he gave her food and clothes but he abandoned her for days! (That whole argument he had with her aside) also in s3 he acted like a helicopter parent

6) Mike kissing El in s1 was rushed

7) Brenner is the actual villian of the whole story

Agree. They're not right for each other, even though Steve's grown up. Nancy's not built for a "6 nuggets" life, and she expresses as much when she says it sounds like a nightmare.

HARD agree. Jason would have murdered Eddie, undoubtedly.

YES! YES YES YES!!! Argyle my beloved <3 He's the unsung hero of this season. Where would be be without him? Stranded in Cali and completely cut off from Hawkins. That's all thanks to Argyle.

SPEAK!!! SPEAK!!!! Max should be permanently disabled after Vecna's attack, and that should be okay. She doesn't need to be magically healed in order to live a full and happy life when she wakes up, and honestly it would be very deus ex machina if someone were to magically heal her. Ew.

Anon you are on FIRE tonight!! Hopper wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared to care for a high-needs child. El is a high-needs child. She's traumatized, socially and emotionally stunted, and she's not nearly old enough to be left on her own. In ST3 he was a toxic overbearing father. Miss me with that.

Absolutely. It drives me up a wall, even if I understand why they stuck it in there the way they did. Was it purposeful? Can I see the logic behind it? Yes and yes. Does that mean it's not rushed and painfully awkward? No.

Anon. You are 7 for 7 tonight. Brenner and his curiosity without morality is the root of the entire conflict. If he hadn't been involved with the Creels the way he was, we wouldn't have a story. Kate Trefry just said it herself: There's a reason One ended up the way he did. He wasn't born like this. He was shaped. Brenner was that ultimate shaping force in our villain. Brenner, from the start, has been the ultimate evil in Stranger Things.

Send me unpopular opinions!

[mustlovesteve]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @stevehairingtit for the tag! <3

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 16

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 224,199

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Nowadays I only write for Stranger Things. In the past, I've written for VLD/VDOTU, Avengers Academy, and SPOP (only a one-shot).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

laughing at the broken glass (Stranger Things, Steve/Eddie)

in the heart of the jungle (Avengers Academy mobile game, T'Challa/Tony Stark)

mean ballerina (Avengers Academy mobile game, T'Challa/Tony Stark)

it's only skin and therefore so breakable (Avengers Academy mobile game, T'Challa/Tony Stark)

searching for sparkles (Voltron: Legendary Defender, Allura/Lance)

I am...shocked that my T'Challa/Tony fics based on a college AU mobile game got that many kudos. It wasn't a particularly popular ship even within that tiny subset of the Marvel fandom. Maybe MCU fans stumbled across the fics and enjoyed them anyway?

5. Do you respond to comments?

Almost always, unless they're a single word/emoticon that I don't know how to respond to.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

All of my fics with angsty endings are one-shots--hum along till the feeling's gone forever (I kill Steve), but I knew that you were a truth (I kill Lance), and weakness (I kill Adora). I don't have the heart to end a long story in tragedy tbh (but respect to those who do!).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably my Allurance series. LATBG ended happily but there were still some Issues (hence the sequel).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I've gotten two mean bookmarks but luckily no mean comments (though, I only allow comments from registered users).

9. Do you write smut?

Technically yes but I haven't uploaded that chapter yet (and I'm Very Nervous about it lol).

10. Do you write crossovers?

No. I have no interest tbh.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Ohhh that's tricky... 616! and Avengers (2012)!SteveTony will always have me in a chokehold. Even today, I'll listen to new music and immediately think of them. However, I've been searching for the Nana to my Hachi since I first read the NANA manga as a teen, and that influences my life in a major way. Also, VDOTU!Allurance has brought me the most unbridled joy.

Funnily enough, of my top 3 ships, I've only written fics for VDOTU!Allurance.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I wish I had finished my AvAc!T'Challa/Tony Stark series many years ago, but that time has long passed. I'm working on a Stranger Things S3 AU, but I keep getting discouraged and questioning the characterization, so I'm not sure if it will ever see the light of day on AO3, let alone get finished.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Conveying mood and tension (mood whiplash ahoy!). Imagery, especially in horrific scenes. Utilizing limited POV (misunderstandings my beloved). Balancing relationships (platonic and romantic!). Realistic conflict (I try to avoid villainizing a character unless they're actually that awful). Plotting (logistics my beloathed).

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fluff and sustained sincerity (this probably says something about me as a person lmao). IC dialogue (not the message, but the specific phrasing/making it sound like the character, like yes he would fucking say that but probably not in those words, y'know?). Body language (when I'm writing, I usually have my body language document open, which gives me a good starting point, but I feel like I don't account for the specific character's mannerisms enough, so it becomes repetitive/paint-by-numbers).

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I wouldn't unless my friend was fluent and wrote that part for me or it was a fictional language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

................Gravitation...........

20. Favorite fics you've written?

LATBG is definitely my favorite. After that, I guess it would be my T'Challa/Tony series or my Allura/Lance series.

Tagging: @shushmal, @theheadlessphilosopher, @sevenmerrymagpies, @soaringornithopter, @emryses, @danadaria

[steveharrington]

hmmm let’s do 8, 9, & 24 🔥

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

hmmm i think people are generally wrong about nancy. i disagree with a lot of characterizations/head canons/discourse around her bc i just so often feel like people…… in the pursuit of trying to argue that she’s a strong female character actually end up diluting her most interesting and unique character traits. i know this is kinda what i said for will but people make nancy overly nice and passive when that doesn’t match her personality at all. even the SHOW does this like in s4 when jonathan is like “i just know that nancy would throw away her career and future to be with me 😔” like oh my god have you met nancy??? no the fuck she wouldnt!!! i think nancy is very similar to my beloved gale weathers in that they’re both very driven and determined to get what they want, and in the pursuit of whatever that is (justice for nancy, money for gale) they don’t really stop to think about if they’re affecting others. it happens with nancy Every Season bro like in season one she shows up to jonathan while he’s PICKING A COFFIN FOR WILL and she’s like knock knock hi :) come talk to me :), in s2 she cannot stand steve’s coping mechanism of just bottling things up so she ditches his ass, in s3 she ignores all of jonathan’s reservations about investigating and then can’t understand why he’s upset when they get in trouble, in s4 she goes to investigate the death of a student for The School Newspaper and literally walks right up to wayne and is like hi. everyone thinks your nephew murdered that girl whose body was found in your house last night but i don’t :) And im not saying any of this to criticize nancy because THOSE BEHAVIORS ARE FASCINATING!!! i WANT to see characters who think and behave in unique ways, esp if they cause conflict among the characters, but everyone in the fandom is soooo insistent on making sure we never imply that nancy has ever done anything wrong in her life and thus we end up stuck with this boring fanon version of nancy instead of embracing that she won’t hesitate to get what she wants no matter the cost!!!!

9. worst part of canon

sorry that last one was so long i’ll keep it brief here: evil russians plotline

24. answered :)

[queer-coded-camaro-driver]

The #1 Reason Stranger Things Fell Apart, an Essay:

**All things stated below are my personal OPINION and do not have to impact your views if you don't want them to. As an avid D&D player, however, I wanted to write this out for shits n giggles. I was in the mood. This also doesn't address the racism, badly handled character intros, or random B-character deaths.

There is one rule to rule them all in Dungeons & Dragons, a rule so vital to smooth gameplay and story-building that the smartest players know to break it almost certainly means death:

Never split the party.

(There's an entire song about it, that's how deeply engrained in the culture it is).

Once the party has been separated it's not only way easier for your characters to get ambushed/get in trouble/die, it's way harder for all members of the game to keep having the same level of fun! Usually because the wait time between turns and plot development causes players to lose interest or lose track of their last actions.

When it comes to Season 1 of Stranger Things, we have multiple groups of characters building plots together: Nancy, Steve, Jonathan, and the other teens have their drama together. Hopper and the investigation into Hawkins' weird science has its own plot. Will's disappearance and the children hiding El are the main focus - and those groups are almost NEVER narratively separated.

These plots are interwoven to create the greater story and build suspense but the groups within are constantly orbiting around one another to strengthen those connections. Despite my current beef with the Duffers, Season 1 was pretty damn successful in following the Golden Rule of TTRPG.

So when S2 arrives and the process of El's reunification with Mike/the Party gets dragged out further than necessary, all that yummy tension dissipates. Rather than using the established relationships to scaffold new conflicts (Mike/El, Mike/Max(?), Max & Lucas' crush/truce, Dustin's frustration, Will's loneliness, etc.), they broke these load-bearing narratives into smaller "more digestible" chunks.

As S3 and S4 went on, the group fractured even further apart. With this separation came the loss of critical character traits. Mama Byers' beloved velcro-mothering disappears in the face of Hopper's potential survival. Jonathan and Nancy's class disparity falls out of the story despite being one of the more interesting aspects of the "Teen Drama".

Max slips away, Lucas slips away, Dustin and Mike join the Hellfire Club... I know these shifts are meant to represent the way things change in high school but the clique-forming is so fast and drastic by S4 that the Party is unrecognizable.

The Duffers lost serious momentum when they split the party the first time by sending El to Chicago to meet her retconned siblings. But rather than learning from this mistake, they tried doing it a different way over and over until the compiled failures led to... Whatever the fuck is going on right now.

They COULD have done some fascinating stuff with Will and Billy's birthdays marking the dates of the first and final episodes of S4, Vol 1 respectively. They share a name and they were both Flayed. That could have been SUCH a cool coincidence to play with. Yet somehow the fans noticed their timeline mistake before they did, ffs.

They could have done some cool stuff with the Upside Down and Billy and Max getting a heartwarming sibling redemption arc. The 4 OG Party guys could have talked through a legit heart-to-heart about growing up and finding new interests but staying friends, Breakfast Club style.

But no. We got whatever the fuck the Henry Creel stuff was/is/will be. It's not the worst possible writing they could have done, but that element could have been incorporated with so much creativity and class... Yet it got shoehorned between several other developing ideas instead.

And honestly I don't think any of the massively laggy sub-plots with Joyce and Russia and Hopper in jail and Dustin's Mormon girlfriend's stoner sister would have happened if the Duffers had simply followed the rules and never split the party.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (9-15 Jul 2023)

ˢᵗᶦˡˡ ᵃᵇˢᵒˡᵘᵗᵉˡʸ ᵉⁿᶜʰᵃⁿᵗᵉᵈ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵒᵇˢᵉˢˢᵉᵈ ʷᶦᵗʰ ᵗʰᶦˢ ˢʰᵒʷ ⁻ ˡᵉᵍᶦᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᶦᵍʰˡᶦᵍʰᵗ ᵒᶠ ᵐʸ ʷᵉᵉ��

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Man Behind the Curtain (seitentaisei) - 71K, SuperBat getting together fic - "A character study of Bruce Wayne, the Batman, as told by Clark Kent as he sorts through the stories, the acting, and the news to find the real man behind the masks. What exactly can Clark do if he maybe finds himself falling in love along the way?"

😍 Casual Encounters (MoreThanSlightly (cadignan)) - 66K, modern no-powers shrinkyclinks - always forget just how incredible this fic is! the pining and angst are truly exquisite while we know they're being two dumbasses standing in a pine forest. plus the descriptions of steve's painting are incredible.

😊 Dear Enemy (GingerTodgers) - 69K, drarry - breezy & lighthearted epistolary fic, some voices maybe a trifle OOC but entertaining

💖💖 +147K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

king (nerd) steve harrington (sky_of_starflowers) - Stranger Things: steddie, 3K - steve accidentally reveals his nerdy side and eddie *really* likes it

Dustin Henderson and the Lovebirds (pukner) - Stranger Things: steddie, 9K - "five times Dustin Henderson was subjected to Eddie Munson being gross and sappy and in love with Steve Harrington, and one time Steve didn't even have to be there" - short but absolutely hilarious with excellent podfic (I read the fic and then listened to the podfic the next day, so great both times!)

“Never So Young As That”: 20 Years of the Boy with a Bat (greatunironic) - Stranger Things: steddie, 6K - lovely new vingette in this universe

Patterns of Intention (drunktuesdays) - TW: sterek, 17K - canon-divergent post s3?, stiles and derek decide to take lessons from deaton and then feelings [technically a reread but it's been at least 5 years]

serpentine serenade (thiccbuckybarnes) - MCU: stucky, 3K - antastic & filthy pwp with naga!steve and modern (but still former WS) bucky [reread]

Beyond the Yellow Book Road (crinklefries) - MCU: shrunkyclunks, 30K - wonderful and tender shrunkyclunks where steve discovers 1 thing from his past that's still around -- a beloved bookstore now run by bucky [reread]

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

D20: A Crown of Candy - "Keep Sharp" (s5, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - s1, e1

D20: Adventuring Party - s1, e2

D20: Adventuring Party - s1, e3

D20: Dungeons and Drag Queens - "The Time Has Come" (s18, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "The Dice Tell The Story" (s13, e3)

D20: A Crown of Candy - "The Grand Tournament" (s5, e4)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Hit Parade Plus - The Bridge: So Excited and Breaking Out

Rivals: Music's Greatest Feuds - Suspicious Minds: Elvis Presley vs. Jerry Lee Lewis

50 Years of Hip-Hop - Hip-Hop's Origins

⭐ 50 Years of Hip-Hop - Scratching and the Art of DJing

50 MPH - 4 MPH / Paramount Hits the Brakes

The Soundtrack Show - Great Melodies Tell Great Stories

50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1975: "Let's Take It to the Stage" by Funkadelic

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Gunnar Schonbeck Exhibit

Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News - Episode 4: “It’s a Very Short Path”

The Sporkful - 2 Chefs And A Lie: Name That Mustard Edition

50 MPH - 5 MPH / New Life at a New Fox

50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1977: Grand Wizzard Theodore and the Invention of Scratching

50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1979: "Rapper's Delight" by Sugarhill Gang

50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1980: "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow

Into It - Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Sex Onscreen

⭐ Shedunnit - Editing Agatha Christie

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - A Friendly Town With An Ax To Grind

Stuff The British Stole - The Unfinished Prince

Switched on Pop - Speak Now (about Taylor's versions)

Vibe Check - Life Has Been Lifing Lately

ICYMI Plus - Has Black Twitter Found A New Home?

⭐ Ologies with Alie Ward - Curiology (EMOJI) Part 2 with Various Emoji Experts

Simply Reflecting - You Mean I Have To Advocate For Myself?

Decoder Ring Plus - The Great Parmesan Cheese Debate

Our Opinions Are Correct - The State of the Galaxy

⭐ The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Complaint Tablet of Ea-Nasir

99% Invisible #544 - Chick Tracts

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Man’s Best (Stiff) Friends

⭐ 50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1983: The Wu-Tang Clan and Asian Influences in Hip-Hop

⭐ 50 Years of Hip-Hop - 1985: "I Can't Live Without My Radio" by LL Cool J

What Next: TBD Plus - Will UPS Workers Join "Hot Strike Summer?"

Re: Dracula - Bonus 5: Producing The Wright Way

Into It - What Happens When All of Hollywood’s on Strike?

Dear Prudence Plus - My Friends Got Me a Terrible Birthday Gift. Help!

Strong Songs - "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears

Off Menu - Ep 196: Toheeb Jimoh

ICYMI Plus - Did Fancams Determine This Year’s Emmy Nominations?

⭐ Hot and Bothered - Live from Pemberley: Fire Island (with Joel Kim Booster)

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Under The Covers Vol. 1 [Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs] {2006}

Under The Covers Vol. 2 [Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs] {2009} 

Under The Covers Vol. 3 [Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs] {2013} 

AC/DC Radio • 2000s

Electronic Radio • 1970s

The Pointer Sisters Radio • Popular

The Age of Pleasure [Janelle Monáe] {2023} 

The English Beat Radio • Familiar

"I Love A Rainy Night" [Eddie Rabbitt] Radio • Popular

Classic Sunny Afternoon

Classic Easy Rock

Lord of The Lost Radio • Familiar

[raayllum]

I’m not sure if you’ve seen anyone comment about how “similar” tdp is to ATLA or even people going far as to claim that tdp is a “ripoff” esp with the Soren, Claudia, Viren arcs in comparison to Zuko, Azula, Ozai. I personally find Soren more similar in characterization (though not entirely the same) to Steve Palchuck from the Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia series (not sure if you watched or not) and if any character comes to mind about being similar to Zuko, it’s definitely Hunter from the Owl House in terms of characterization and arcs. Idk if you’ve done a meta about this before but I love reading your thoughts (if you’re interested ofc).

So I have done a couple of metas on ATLA x TDP, mostly noting the thematic similarities between them (bloodbending and dark magic, pre-S4's puppeteering too lol!) and between Rayllum and Kataang as developing relationships. Meta comparing "Thunderfall" and "The Southern Raiders" here, meta talking about Kataang and Rayllum (s1-s2 as it was written pre-s3) here.

Also a more opinion based piece on why I could get behind Rayllum but have never really been a romantic Zutara fan (I see them far more as narrative siblings, which is still one of my favourite metas I have ever done)

I am a big Trollhunters fan (reblog more about it on main @thethiefandtheairbender and various other cartoons like SU, HTTYD, OTGW, Infinity Train, etc) and I adore Steve, but I don't think I'd really compare Soren to him, simply because while I love Steve and his development, Soren's development is undeniably deeper and more pyschological, I think.

That said the ATLA character that reminds me the most of Soren is Sokka. Goofy, prone to joking regardless of if the situation calls for it ( "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?") just to get a rise out of people, lmao, sometimes overly confident or reliant on their battle prowess, and desperate to prove themselves to their fathers. Sokka's attitude particularly in early book 1 reminds me of Soren's in s1, as well as their more skeptic attitude and relationships with their more magically inclined younger sisters

For Callum, he reminds me the most of Katara and Mai (again, true before S4, but interesting to see how much he shut down the way Mai largely did due to her family relationship, so again, kinda fun that worked out). Caring sibling, fast and harsh temper, strong in magic but untrained, artistic and precise (hi Mai), ride or die for their loved ones above all else, even above morals. For Rayla, she's basically running parallel arcs to Zuko and Aang in a lot of ways: grumpy, banished, immediately protects the sibling duo she encounters, facial markings, guilt complex galore (hi Aang). Rayllum is a good blend of all their personalities tbh

For Claudia, she reminds the most of Azula, and Katara, and Zuko, due to her loyalty to her father, willingness to do anything for her family, and being marked by the same sort of dual visual storytelling that Zuko's scar had.

And Hunter from the Owl House was definitely one of my faves! I think he falls into a category a lot of more modern day redemptions do, though, in terms of not letting their character actually be messy enough for long enough that it feels like maybe redemption isn't in the cards (hi Claudia my beloved, you excellent subversion sweetie). Or they go too far and don't give enough reason for a character to effectively redeem themselves (eyes SPOP with a long sigh). And just to clarify, I do think Claudia will have a redemption arc, but I appreciate how we're going about it thus far.

It's funny bc in some ways while Zuko has never been my favourite archetype (particularly for male characters), my protagonist in my og work is a bit like him: lost, angry, easily resentful, and she's my baby.

I think I'm just kinda over arcs of "Oh my father figure is Bad / imperialism is bad"? Because 1) Zuko did it so well and 2) I wanna see stories that go beyond those things or do new things with those concepts (please no more "rich white lesbian girl with a mean family" arcs I am. so tired). I think that's why I like TDP so much, because dark magic thematically and its explorations of self destructive behaviour add a lot of layers and interesting aspects to all the dynamics that I don't see most other media for this age demographic kinda taking advantage of, tbh

[drabbles-mc]

Miles of Red String

An OG Narcos & Narcos MX Crossover fic (ft. OC Diego Ramírez)

For @ashlingnarcos as part of the Candy Hearts Exchange

Warnings: 18+, language, smoking, alcohol, angst, the typical Narcos Universe Things

Word Count: 6.8k

A/N: Taking all of my OG Narcos S3 faves and giving them my beloved mess of an NMX man Walt Breslin. Pobrecito Expressway making its first stop at this fic. I have so many feelings about all of this and idk how to articulate any of them. I love all of these messy, messy men so much. Catching me adding yet another layer to the Diegoverse for none other than one of Diego's other parents.

Narcos/NMX/Diegoverse Taglist: @garbinge @narcolini @hausofmamadas @mysun-n-stars @nessamc @thesandbeneathmytoes @anditsmywholeheart @winchestershiresauce @sizzlingcloudmentality @alm0501 @panagiasikelia @616wilsons @hauntedforsst @mirabee @buckybarneshairpullingkink @boomclapxox @southotheborder @supersanelyromantic @padbrookcottage @raincoffeeandfandoms @justreblogginfics @marrianena @passionatewrites @artemiseamoon (If you want to be added to any of my taglists, please let me know!)

The death of Escobar didn’t mean that the work in Colombia was over. Far from it, actually. All the death of Escobar meant was that Escobar was dead. The other cartel leaders, the Cali Godfathers, had been operating almost completely unchecked in the meantime because the country, the world, was so obsessed with catching and stopping Escobar.

However, even though there was still a seemingly endless amount of work to be done, it was very evident that the previous years, the chase, all of the loss, had taken a toll on everyone. While in some cases people would assume, “Well, you’re already in Colombia, you might as well stay here and start working on the next thing,” that wasn’t the case when the shift from taking down Pablo changed to taking down the Cali cartel.

Everyone met with their superiors when it came time to discuss options and make decisions for the next move. A lot of people left, too exhausted to go right from one brutal manhunt to the next. A lot of agents, a lot of officers, transferred or went back home shadows of their former selves. No one was the same after all of that.

Steve went home. He had a wife, a family, and still managed to keep a few shreds of his humanity. He cut his losses and went back to the states. No one could blame him for that. Peña, despite his less than desirable slap on the wrist and suspension over Los Pepes, was asked to return to help with the Gentlemen of Cali. The ask was surprising, as was his agreeing to do it.

Search Bloc wasn’t what it had been. The rules of engagement for tackling the Cali cartel were different than for Escobar. Having a massive, police-based hit squad on deck at all times wasn’t going to be necessary the way it had been in the years prior. That being the case, Colonel Martinez was still around, and still very much involved with the police and the plan going forward to continue dismantling the next cartel that was on the chopping block, but it wasn’t the same as it had been before. In truth, he was probably beyond thankful for that, because it wasn’t something that he had ever really wanted or asked for.

Then, there was one person who, through no choice or real fault of his own, existed in a very strange limbo between the CNP and the DEA. Again, something that he hadn’t ever planned on or asked for. Diego Ramírez had spent the better part of the last few years pinballing back and forth between Search Bloc and the DEA. No longer a true part of the Bloque de Buscada, not an actual member of the DEA, he had been on an island between the two. All of the danger with almost none of the camaraderie.

Diego met with Martinez to discuss next moves. The two were professional—after all, Martinez was always professional. But the advice and insight that Martinez could try to provide was coming from a more distant place than when he advised his other men. It wasn’t the Colonel’s fault. It wasn’t Diego’s either. Colonel Carrillo, for better or worse, was probably one of the only people who could’ve given Diego real advice on what his next move should be. But, even if the man had still been alive, he probably wouldn’t have offered up much. The man never did learn how to let go of a grudge.

But now Diego was sitting across from Messina. He hadn’t expected to be pulled aside by her. He assumed that whatever they were about to talk about, it was going to be about what his plans were. He wished that he had a concrete answer to give her.

“Officer Ramírez,” she finally addressed him as she looked up from the folders in front of her.

“Yes, ma’am?” He looked more confused than anything else. “What can I do for you?”

“I was talking with Colonel Martinez, with Agent Murphy before he left. The word around town is that you haven’t decided what you’re doing next.”

He shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

“Any particular reason for that?”

He took a deep breath, trying to figure out if he knew how to articulate exactly what he was thinking. He had a hard enough time sorting out his thoughts for himself, let alone getting them in order enough to explain them to someone else and have them get it.

“I don’t have any intentions of leaving the force…or Colombia,” he told her with certainty. Of all the things he was unsure about these days, he had that. “This is my home—I don’t want to leave it if I don’t have to.”

“But?”

He leaned forward slightly. “We all lost a lot because of Escobar,” he said honestly, allowing a small fraction of the pain from the last years to shine through for a moment, “and I don’t…I don’t know if I want to put myself right back into that position again. I was lucky last time, but no one gets lucky every time.”

She nodded. “I’m not here to strong-arm you into making one decision over the other. Hell,” she laughed dryly, “I’m not long for Colombia at this point. But,” she paused, her tone sobering back up, “you’re right—this is your home. You’ve done a lot of good so far, and I think that you could keep doing a lot of good.”

There was a long stretch of silence between them. Messina was watching Diego, and Diego’s eyes were glued to the top of Messina’s desk even though he wasn’t really looking at anything in particular. All of the papers and folders blurred together as he tried to think about the ramifications of whatever he ended up deciding to do. Messina studied his face, seeing the slight shifts in his expression as he thought it all over. She didn’t rush or prompt him to say anything. He’d come to his own conclusions eventually.

Finally, Diego let out a deep sigh, his eyes refocusing as he looked directly at Messina. “Who should I talk to about Cali?”

She smiled, feeling a small sense of triumph over the whole thing. She gave a small wave, an almost dismissive gesture without it being rude. “I’ll take care of it. I have all of the paperwork here.”

“Is that what you were filling out when I came in?” he asked, a bit of a grin tugging at his lips.

She shrugged but there was a knowing look on her face. “I had a feeling.”

He stood up, and she did the same, Reaching across her desk, he held his hand out for her to shake. “Thank you, ma’am. I know it hasn’t been easy, but I appreciate everything that you’ve done.”

She nodded, giving his hand a firm shake. The only person in the entire office that could call her ma'am and it didn't make her skin crawl. “You’re a good kid, Ramírez. Truthfully, I wish more of my guys could be a little more like you.”

He laughed and shook his head. “I have some people who would beg to differ.”

They both chuckled for a moment before she nodded to him as she sat back down in her chair. “I’ll make sure all of your paperwork gets put through. They’ll be reaching out to you about Cali ASAP, I’m sure.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

“Stay safe.”

The small laugh he let out was mostly genuine, but a little heavy. “I’ll do my best.”

He was reaching out for the handle of Messina’s office door when she said, “I’m sure that Peña will be glad to see at least one familiar face when he comes back.”

Diego’s eyes popped a little wider as he froze for a moment. Half-turning, he looked back. “Peña?”

She looked up from the paperwork that she’d already begun filling out for him. “Yea. Stechner pushed it through himself.”

“Huh.” He didn’t know what else to say. Messina gave him a short nod, and Diego finally got himself back on task and pulled the office door open so that he could let himself out.

Diego wished that she was right about Javier being glad to see him. He knew that that wasn’t going to be the case, but he still hoped. New case, new location, mostly new team—Diego hoped that maybe the two of them could have something resembling a fresh start. It was a pipe dream if ever there was one.

The only saving grace of it all was that Javier wasn’t overly chummy with anyone upon his return. It made his coldness towards Diego less noticeable. Javi didn’t dislike the two new agents that he had on his team, but change was hard. He understood why Steve didn’t stick around, but as he sat in his glass-walled office, he really wished that he had.

Diego liked the two new agents well enough. They were eager, a little green in some respects, but they were good men. He could work with that. The dynamics were completely different now than they had been in Medellín. The job itself was also very different. The stakes were still high, but the feeling of immediate danger wasn’t as intense as before. It created a false sense of security that none of them could afford to fall into.

It was early in the morning—everyone was just getting settled. Diego, Feistl, and Van Ness were all in their own little area. Not the same cramped quarters that Steve and Javier had been given back in Medellín, something that still made Diego chuckle to himself when he thought about it sometimes. It was still close quarters, but it wasn’t bad.

As the day went on, Diego found himself listening to the two of them talk about all sorts of things between actual work tasks. He always listened to the banter—every now and then one of them would try and rope him in to break some sort of tie, end whatever debate they were locked in. Not that it ever really mattered because they would always just pick something new to bicker about.

He was shaking his head at the two of them when Javi’s office door slid open. All of them stopped and looked over to see him leaning out the doorway, bracing himself against the frame of it. He gave a small nod in greeting before locking his eyes on Diego.

“Ramírez, a minute.” He nodded in a gesture to beckon him over.

Diego didn’t hesitate, standing up and heading over to Javi’s office. By the time he reached the doorway, Javier was already back in his seat behind the desk.

Javi waved him in. “Shut the door.”

Diego did as he was asked before walking and sitting down in one of the two chairs on the opposite side of Javi’s desk. “What’s going on?”

“I need you to do a pick-up for me.”

He couldn’t hide his confusion. “A pick-up?”

Javi was looking at the paperwork that had been dropped off on his desk earlier. He was talking to Diego without really looking at him, something outsiders might see as a bad habit but the two of them knew was a calculated move. “Got a guy flying in from México.”

That only made his confusion intensify. “Who?”

He looked up only to hand Diego the folder with the man’s file in it. “DEA Agent Walt Breslin.”

Diego opened the folder, giving it a brief glance. “Is he transferring here?”

“Nope.”

Diego looked up from the pages in front of him and over at Javi. He waited for the man to elaborate on his own, but when he didn’t, he asked, “So…why is he here?”

“He thinks that his guys in Juárez and our guys in Cali are keeping each other in business.”

Diego frowned in thought as he mulled over what Javi had just said, what he was seeing on the pages in front of him. He looked back over at the agent behind the desk even though he knew Javi wasn’t going to look back at him. “Just him coming in?”

Javi shrugged. “Last I heard.” He looked at the time on his watch. “Better get going—plane gets in soon.”

Diego knew he was going to regret asking the question but he did it anyway. “Why can’t Feistl or Van—”

“I got them doing other shit today,” Javi said before Diego could even finish the question.

Moments like that gave Diego little flashbacks to their hunt for Escobar. Reminded Diego that Javi and Carrillo had more similarities than differences, some of those similarities being how they felt about and spoke to him. He’d love to say that it wasn’t personal, but it was. Still, he didn’t let it bother him. Not anymore.

“Alright,” he said as he flipped the folder shut. “Anything else?”

Javi shook his head. “Nope.”

“Okay.” He got up and stepped towards the door. “I’ll be back with Agent Breslin, then.”

Javi nodded but didn’t say anything else. Diego shook his head as he slid the door open and slipped out of the man’s office, the folder with Breslin’s information tucked underneath his arm. When he looked back at the area where their desks were, he saw that Feistl and Van Ness were looking at him, trying not to look too eager or curious and failing miserably at it.

“Everything okay?” Feistl broke the silence when Diego walked back over.

The officer nodded, grabbing his jacket and searching for the keys to one of the government-issued vehicles, not really wanting to pick up a visiting agent in his own beat-up car. “All good. Peña said we got another agent flying in—gotta go pick them up.”

“Who?” they both asked in unison.

Diego chuckled, setting the folder on Feistl’s desk. “He’s been working on cartels in Mexico. Started off in Texas first, El Paso. Then moved across the border.”

“Now he’s moving down the continent?” Feistl said as he read the pages in front of him.

Diego nodded. “Seems like it.”

The airport was busy the same way that it always was. It struck Diego that this guy wasn’t even going to know who he was looking for. The risk level was lower now than it had been in years past for agents coming and going. Even still, Diego kept a close eye and his head on a swivel. Just in case.

Then, right on time, Diego saw him. He was smaller than Diego had imagined based off the tiny headshot photo in the man’s file, a little shorter, too. He had the same haggard look that everyone who was chasing down cartel leaders and sicarios and massive amounts of drugs seemed to have. That, at least, was exactly what Diego had been expecting. He watched as the man scanned the area, giant duffle bag hanging off his shoulder.

“Walt?” he spoke up, flashing a smile and waving him down.

His head snapped in the direction of someone saying his name. His expression got a little less intense when he saw the Colombian police uniform, when he saw the bright look on Diego’s face. Walking, over, Diego held out his hand for Walt to shake. A little bit of the tension disappeared from Walt’s body—at least this guy was safe.

“Agent Breslin,” Diego said as he shook his hand. “Beinvenido a Colombia.”

He let out a dry chuckle as he nodded, giving Diego’s hand a firm shake. “Gracias.” He paused for a moment. “Lo siento, pero, quién eres?”

Diego laughed, shaking his head at himself. “Diego Ramírez. Lo siento.” There was a split-second pause and when Diego saw that Walt was looking for a little elaboration, he said, “Trabajo un poco con la policia aquí, un poco con la DEA.”

Walt nodded, taking it all in. “Busy guy.”

Diego shrugged, a smile still on his face. “Most times.” He waved for Walt to follow him. “C’mon, I’ll take you to the base to meet everyone.”

Despite how exhausted Walt was as he sat in the passenger seat of the car that Diego was driving, he was still sitting up, looking out the window and windshield as the officer drove them through Cali. Colombia had never really been on Walt’s list of places to visit, but now that he was here, he figured he might as well try to take as much of it in as possible with what little time he had there.

“Your Spanish,” Diego commented as he turned off one road and onto the next, “it sounds good.”

Walt chuckled. “You sound surprised.”

Diego laughed and shrugged, sparing a glance at the agent sitting next to him. “Last gringo with a drawl that transferred down here didn’t know any Spanish. I don’t get my hopes up anymore.”

Given what the kid must’ve been through over the last years, Walt was surprised that he was still able to be as light-hearted as he was. He tried to match the energy, a tinge of humor to his voice as he said, “All us white guys are the same, huh?”

Diego’s grin grew a little wider as he laughed again. “Más o menos, sí?”

Walk shook his head, a smirk on his face as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. “Yea, more or less.” He held the pack out to Diego. “Want one?”

He shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

Walt shrugged, tucking the pack back into his pocket before flicking his lighter. Neither of them said much more for the rest of the ride, Walt assuming that most of the questions that he had for Diego would be answered by him or someone else when they got to the base. He bided his time by smoking his cigarette and flipping through stations on the radio.

When they got to the floor where Javi and the other agents were, everyone turned to look as the elevator doors opened. By that point, everyone around knew that another agent from Mexico was being brought in. No one really knew the full scope of why except Walt—even Javi still had some pressing questions. Even so, the layers of unknown to it all made it an even bigger piece of news to everyone else who knew next to nothing.

For a floor full of agents, one would think that they’d be better at subtlety, but they weren’t. Walt felt himself getting defensive before anyone had even said anything. He tried to hope that those stares didn’t mean the same thing in Colombia as they did in Mexico, or back home, but he didn’t get his hopes up too high.

Javi walked up to them once they got closer, instantly extending out a hand to Walt. “Agent Breslin,” he shook his hand, “I’m Javier Peña.” He turned and motioned to the two other men standing by. “This is Chris Feistl, and Daniel Van Ness.” He waited for them to exchange their handshakes and “Nice to meet you’s”. Then he nodded towards Diego. “I’m assuming Officer Ramírez already introduced himself.”

Walt nodded. “He did.” He looked around at all of them for a moment. “Appreciate you guys making the time for this. I know collaborating to actually get shit done isn��t the government’s strong suit, so…” his voice trailed off.

The comment got a few knowing smiles and chuckles out of the group. When they all fell quiet, Javi spoke up, nodding towards his office. “C’mon, let’s get some stuff straightened out. Then we can all start trying to string all this shit together.”

Walt nodded as he followed in Javi’s footsteps. He gave another nod and said, “Nice meeting you,” to the rest of them as he walked off.

Once the office door was shut, both agents immediately turned and looked at Diego for answers to questions that they hadn’t even asked yet. It was in all of their natures to be curious, nosey even, but their obviousness and eagerness still got a laugh out of Diego as he dropped the keys onto the surface of his desk and sat down.

“Yea?”

“So?” Feistl asked, leaning so that his palms were flat against the top of Diego’s desk.

Diego was trying to tone down the smile fighting its way onto his face. “So?”

“What’d he say? What’s going on? What’s he here for?”

Diego shook his head as he opened his desk drawer and pulled a few of the files out. “You think we got into all of that on the drive from the airport to here?” He leaned back in his seat. “It’s not like he’s going to get into that with me before talking to Peña anyway.”

“Yea, but you’re, you know,” he tried to say it like it was so obvious, “you’re Colombian Police. That ranks.”

Diego chuckled, but the repeated shake of his head spoke volumes. He was an optimist still, sure, because that’s just who he always was and who he’d always be. But the naivety that he’d been plagued with when he joined the CNP, joined Search Bloc, got beaten out of him over the years. “Yea, because it’s a well-known fact that all the police officers in Colombia are upstanding individuals. None of them would ever—”

“You wouldn’t, though,” Feistl argued.

Diego shrugged. “I know that. You know that.” He nodded towards the office. “Agent Breslin does not know that.” He saw the way that both the men were shaking their heads. “If the two of you flew into Mexico, would you tell the cop who picked you up everything about why you were there?” He sat silently, waiting for the answer. When neither of them said anything, he nodded. “Exactly.”

Feistl knew that he’d lost the argument, but it didn’t stop him from wanting the last word. Being wrong didn’t mean that he didn’t still want to be right anyway. “Still, though,” he said flippantly as he sat back down at his desk.

Meanwhile, Javi gestured for Walt to take a seat in his office. Refocusing once again, he said, “What can I do for you, Agent Breslin?”

Walt didn’t want to get into all of it. He knew that he was going to have to be some kind of honest if he wanted to get answers and information, but he wasn’t ready to start poking and picking at the wounds that were still incredibly fresh. He wondered how little he could divulge and still get what he needed.

“I know that your cartel here in Cali is connected to my cartels in Mexico through at least one guy.”

“The pilot,” Javi said with a nod.

“Yea,” Walt tried not to sound as hollow and bitter as he felt, “Amado Carrillo Fuentes.”

“Like I told you on the phone, we’ve been more focused on the godfathers than anyone else. I’m not sure if any of the information that we have would be of any use to you. We know that our guys make layover stops in Mexico before getting their shit across the border into the states. But anything going on on the ground there is your area of expertise, not ours.”

“Help me paint a bigger picture, then. Whatever you’ve got. Hell,” he shrugged, the action looking much less desperate than he felt, “maybe what I’ve got could help you guys out too.”

Javi knew that there was more to it than that. He could tell by the look on Walt’s face that there was plenty that he wasn’t privy to. Javi knew better than to take the secrecy personally—he’d spent years doing the same thing. Most other people in Javi’s position would’ve pressed until they got all the details they wanted, or would’ve sent Walt on their way. But there was something in his apparent exhaustion that made Javi trust him.

“My guys are gonna have a lot of questions for you,” he said as he nodded towards the glass. And, sure enough, two of the three men sitting out there were blatantly staring at Javi’s office, trying to read lips, trying to figure out what was going on.

“You don’t?” was all Walt said in return.

He sighed, shaking his head once. “You’re the one who flew all the way down here for answers—not me.” He gave a few seconds for Walt to say something else. When he didn’t, Javi stood back up. “Come on.”

Javi got up and walked to the door, Walt following close behind. When the two of them stepped out, they had three sets of curious eyes on them. Javi hardly looked at the men on his team as he waved for them to all get up and follow. “Let’s go.”

Notebooks, folders, and pens in hand, the three men all but jumped up and strode quickly to play catchup with the two agents in the lead. Feistl and Van Ness kept looking back and forth at each other, Diego trailing just a half-step behind them watching all of the men in front of him, wondering what was going to happen next.

The room they all walked into, making sure to shut the door behind them, had been a conference room at some point. Now, though, it was a hub for any and everything about Cartel Cali. Photos were arranged into hierarchies, some with x’s through them, others with notes written off to the sides of them. There were maps hung up, folders and photographs and transcriptions scattered all over the table.

Walt looked around, a little bewildered by it all. It made the shitty abandoned warehouse he and his team had been meeting up in look like…well…a shitty abandoned warehouse.

“Shit,” Walt said as he walked up to the wall that housed the web of photos.

“Yea,” Javi said nonchalantly as he leaned back against the desk and stared at the row of photos at the top of the godfathers. “Welcome to Cali.”

Walt turned around to look at the other men in the room. He saw the way that even though they must’ve been looking at the pictures and information in that room nonstop for weeks, or months, they still looked at it with just as much scrutiny and determination as if they’d just walked into the room for the first time. He knew that feeling.

Walt walked up and tapped the photo of Amado that was taped to the wall. The pilot and his fucking shades. “This is the guy that my team and I had started focusing on.”

“The pilot?” Diego asked, clearly curious.

Walt nodded. “He’s not just working for your guys here in Colombia. He’s making deals with the guys in Mexico too. He’s knee-deep with a lot of shit going down in Juárez.”

“Makes sense,” Diego said with a nod. “He’s just transportation, right? Why not get paid by two cartels to do the same shit that he’s been doing? He’ll be able to retire and disappear across the globe somewhere with his best plane while the rest of these guys rot.”

“Yea,” Walt said bitterly, “not if I can do anything about it.” He folded his arms across his chest as he started to explain, with a little more detail, how Amado was their link to the guy that his team was really after. He knew that the men in the room weren’t going to give him Felix Gallardo. But they could still help him get Amado. “I’ve got it on good authority that the last shipment he moved was seventy tons.”

All the eyes in the room widened. Feistl shook his head, “That’s a shitton of coke.”

“I know.” Walt nodded slowly, anger still etched into his features. “And now it’s lost in the fucking wind. Thanks to some fucking,” he shook his head, almost shaking with anger, “some fucking cop playing both sides.”

Javi shook his head, sadness crossing his face for a moment. “Same shit everywhere.”

The group of them all gathered around the table as they dove into their discussion. Walt outlined what he and his team had been doing and looking into, got into the details of what he thought the extent of the Cali cartel’s involvement was with his targets in Mexico. They were two different spots on the same map, two different levels of the same game. There were a few connecting threads, but a lot of the chaos in Mexico was happening with or without the help of the men in Colombia.

“How long are you in Colombia for?” Van Ness asked when they all hit a lull in the conversation.

Walt shrugged and shook his head, tucking his chin down for a moment. “Through the weekend, at least. If we get somewhere with this I might be able to stretch it a little longer, but…” his voice trailed off.

Javi’s brows knit together at that. It was the first real inkling he got that maybe Walt was operating outside of the DEA’s knowledge. Javi wasn’t one to judge, but it would be something that was good to know.

“Why don’t we get back to this tomorrow then?” Javi asked, looking around at all of them.

Everyone was nodding in agreement, but Diego was the first one to speak up as he looked at Walt. “We’ll get you a car you can use for now. Let you get to your hotel, unpack, sleep, whatever. Come back tomorrow with everything you have and we’ll see what we can do.” He gestured vaguely to the wall of photos. “Red-string it.”

Walt couldn’t hide the relief at the thought of being able to lay down for a couple hours after being on the go for as long as he had been. “Alright, yea. That works.”

“We should grab drinks,” Feistl suggested as everyone was getting ready to leave the room. He saw the looks everyone shot his way. “Tonight, I mean,” he clarified.

Everyone exchanged looks and shrugs, no one necessarily looked opposed to the idea. Some of them were expecting Javi to shoot the idea down, but apparently he was trying to extend some hospitality, and he agreed. They picked a time, and a place. It was the same place as always, but Walt didn’t know that.

Walt also didn’t know what to expect when he showed up at the bar that evening. He knew how he’d been with his team, the dynamics there, but he didn’t know these guys. Nothing that had happened made him think that he was going to have any kind of problem with them, but he still didn’t feel certain.

When he walked in, he saw the four of them already sitting at a table together. Javi had been sitting facing the door, so he saw Walt the second that he walked in. Javi held his hand up slightly to get his attention, nodding slightly for him to come over once they made eye contact.

He pulled out the seat at the end of the table, feeling the creeping sense of awkwardness coming over him. He’d hardly sat down all the way when the waitress appeared asking for his drink order. He rattled it off, one of the things in life that he had committed to memory. When she walked away, he finally took a second to breathe and take in the scene in front of him.

They instantly pulled him right into the conversation. They talked a bit about work, but most of it was just them bullshitting around. It was a less-intensive way for Walt to get to know them, and vice-versa, than doing the whole twenty questions routine. It also allowed Walt to do more listening than talking, which was something that he would always be grateful for no matter where he was or who he was with.

Walt was shaking his head at something the other DEA agents had said when he reached to pull his pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his shirt. He went to grab his lighter from his jeans pocket when he realized that he didn’t have it. He frowned for a moment before looking at the men sitting around him.

“Anyone got a lighter?”

He was 0 for 3 by the time he got to Javi, but luckily he was the one person who always had one on him. He handed it over, nodding in response to Walt’s quick Thanks before turning back to Van Ness and asking, “What happened to your fanny pack? Thought you kept everything in there?”

It wasn’t as though anyone in present company really had any right to be criticizing the others’ fashion choices, but the fact that both Feistl and Van Ness played so heavily into the tourist shtick because it made the most sense for them definitely made them the easiest targets. The comment from Javi also ensured that the conversation wasn’t going to get too heavy for the time being.

None of them had been keeping track of the time until Diego looked down to check his watch. When he saw the hour, a smile crept across his face. He wasted no time in standing up from his chair at the table. “I gotta run.”

Despite the more than pleased look on his face, the sudden change still prompted Javi to ask, “All good?”

Diego opened his mouth to respond but Feistl beat him to the punch. “He’s fine. Ramírez is just high-tailing out of here because his girl is coming to Cali for the weekend.”

Even though Javi didn’t give much of a reaction one way or another to the information, it got laughs out of Walt and Van Ness, and Diego too. It wasn’t the first time that either one of the new DEA agents gave him grief about it, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was all in jest, and Diego didn’t mind it—it was a welcome change.

Diego walked around the table, clapping his hand onto Walt’s shoulder as he leaned down, almost like he was telling him a secret even though he was purposely talking loud enough for the whole table to hear, “Ellos solo están enojados porque yo tengo una novia que me visita.” They laughed as Feistl and Van Ness waved him off. Diego spoke to the two of them as he turned to walk away, “Try not to need me.”

Diego’s early departure didn’t mean that the night was over for the rest of them. Feistl and Van Ness were happy to have someone new around to talk to. And, for as closed off as Javi tended to keep himself these days, he had to admit that he was enjoying himself much more than he thought he would. Most of his late-night drinks were solo now, but having their company and being able to listen to the banter that was apparently an all-day, everyday affair, was amusing. He also took the opportunity to try and piece apart what he thought the deal with Walt really was. He didn’t think that the agent was lying when they spoke earlier, but he also didn’t think that he was telling the full truth, either. Javi understood it—he would’ve played it the same way if the roles were reversed.

Eventually, both Feistl and Van Ness took off as well, leaving just Javi and Walt sitting at the table together. Neither of them was in much of a rush to leave. Javi didn’t want to go back to his empty apartment, and even though Walt was still exhausted he wasn’t that eager to head back to his small and very empty hotel room. Usually he had his team in the rooms on either side of him, but now it was just him. He didn’t want to think about that.

Things were quiet between the two of them for a moment—all the chatterboxes had left the building. Walt sipped on the scotch that was still in his glass while Javi worked his way through another whiskey. Both were watching everyone around them now more than they were watching each other.

“Can I ask you something, Breslin?” Javi asked, still not looking at him.

Walt looked at him from across the table. “Shoot.”

Javi finally locked eyes with him. “Why are you here?”

His face scrunched in confusion for a moment. “What?” He shook his head, setting his glass down on the table. “I told you, Amado—”

“I know, I know,” he took a sip of his drink, “you’re connecting the dots. But that could’ve been a phone call. A few phone calls. We could’a faxed you some of our intel and that would’ve been the end of it. You didn’t have to come all the way down here.” He paused. “No one comes to Colombia when they don’t have to. No way you ran out of shit to do in Mexico.”

Walt tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible. “I’m just looking for answers, man.”

He was waiting for Javi to come back with something, another question or a comment about how he was full of shit, but he didn’t. Javi just sat and stared at him. Javi knew how to play the waiting game. Hell, he was more than content to sit there for another hour in silence and order another whiskey while he waited. He wasn’t the one on a time crunch—Walt was.

Walt swirled what little was still left inside his glass around once, twice, before bringing it to his lips and finishing off the entire thing. “I lost,” he exhaled sharply as he set the glass back down, letting it clatter against the top of the table, “about ninety-nine percent of my fuckin' team trying to get this guy. And I’m no closer to—” he stopped himself short, shaking his head. “I need the fuckin' win.”

Javi nodded. If there was anyone on the Cali team who understood that type of loss, that type of desperation, it was him. However, if the hunt for Escobar, if all the political hoops and bullshit with the Cali Godfathers had taught him anything, it’s that no one ever really gets a win. Judging by the look in Walt’s eyes, Javi had a feeling the man might’ve had an inkling about that already.

He waited for Walt to look at him, but when he didn’t, Javi spoke up, his tone not gentle but not as harsh as it could’ve been either. “Hey.” He sighed. “I can’t promise you the win that you’re looking for. Wish I could. Hell, wish that any fucking one of us could get a win these days. But,” he shook his head, “I can’t.”

“I just need enough to hurt these guys.”

Javi could feel how personal this all was for the man sitting across from him. He knew that feeling. He remembered the feeling of futility as the number of dead officers kept going up and up and up. He remembered what it felt like after Carrillo was killed. Losing your partner, your team, that was something that you never really shook off. It put a different tint on everything. All the steps you took after that had a new depth to them. Everything felt personal. Everything felt painful.

Javi knew what Walt was feeling. He also knew that whatever warpath the man was set on, wasn’t going to work out the way he thought it was going to. Javi had been there, done that, gotten the suspension paperwork to prove it. Still, he didn’t listen when people tried to warn him. He had the feeling that Walt wasn’t in the mood to be heeding any warnings either.

“Me and my guys will tell you what we know, whatever you wanna hear,” Javier told him, “but we don’t really know shit about Mexico.”

Walt shook his head. “Leave that to me. I’ll take whatever you’ve got.”

“Alright.”

There were a few beats of silence before Walt said, “Your guys…they’re good?”

Javi chuckled dryly. “Pfft. Yea,” he shook his head with a tired smile, “annoying and eager as all hell. But they’re good.”

Walt laughed quietly. “Eager is good.”

“Don’t tell them that. Can’t afford to give them any more leash than they’ve got.”

“Your boss say the same about you?” Walt asked, the knowing smirk on his face said that he already had the answer.

“Probably. Begs the question, though, of how you got enough leash to get all the way down here to Cali.”

“Oh,” Walt laughed, “that’s because I don’t ask anymore. They want me? They can fuckin' fly down here and get me.”

Javi smiled a little at that. It wasn’t so long ago that he was doing and saying the same kinds of things. Part of him missed that. The other part of him vividly remembered the fallout of it all—bureaucratic bullshit pouring salt into the wounds left by things that actually mattered. He had a feeling that Walt probably knew about that, too.

“Think they will?” he asked.

Walt shrugged, toying idly with his glass on the table. “Keep me down here long enough and I guess we’ll see.”

Javi nodded, feeling more amused by the notion than he should’ve. “We’ll see.”

[stevethehairington]

1, 2, 3, 8, and of course... 11 for the ST ask game ♡

ahh blakeeee!!! ty for sending so many!!! 💕💕

(also omg i was almost entirely finished answering all of these and then i fAT FINGERED MY KEYBOARD and it deleted everything 😩 i tried my best to rewrite them as best as i could but damn. rip to anything that slipped through the cracks)

1. Favorite character and your favorite outfit of theirs?

ooh okay i think i have to go with steve harrington as my favorite character, because as much as i love eddie, steve has been IT for me since the beginning. steve has taken me on a whole journey, i have been right there with him since the beginning. i am ride or die for that bitch!! lkdfjsl.

and as for favorite outfit, ohhhh man that's tough. he's got a LOT of good ones!! but. if i had to choose one, it would probably be that cute little bubble vest fit he wears at the end of s3 when he and robin are bring their resume in to family video. it's just so cute and he looks so good in it, and also his hair with it is Thee Perfect Length for me, like i love steve with his hair long enough that it starts to curl at the ends. the whole Look is just too good.

(this one!! i couldn't find any good photos so this gif will have to do)

2. Favorite season of Stranger Things and your favorite scene in it?

this is another hard question because my answer totally depends on what exactly is meant by favorite lmao. like, if favorite means which season is the one that i love most and has captivated me the most then the answer would be season 1, because that one is just next level!! like, the vibes, the relationships, the mystery, the conflicts, the discoveries!! it's all so good and s1 does a FANTASTC job of setting up the whole show!! but then if we're looking at favorite as meaning which one did you have the most fun watching and enjoyed a lot then my answer would be season 3, because that season is just SO fun!! it's so vibrant and bright and it truly encapsulates summer so well!! not to mention it gives us scoops troop my BELOVED, and we see more of the relationship between steve and dustin my beloveds, AND there's more erica!! AND this season gives us ROBIN!!! AND ROBIN AND STEVE!!! so!!!! its a huge win and its a great season for those reasons!!

3. Favorite scene in the entire series?

i think this is probably going to be SUCH an obvious answer because it's probably the one everyone and their mother gives, but, i HAVE to go with robin's coming out scene. like, it's just one of the best coming out scenes i've ever seen. and that is ENTIRELY because of maya hawke. like god, her expressions throughout that whole scene? as steve describes the girl he likes and it becomes strikingly clear that he's talking about robin and robin is sitting there like how do i break it to him. god her face is just. SO REAL. and then when she says "steve" in that tiny whisper of a voice, and her eyelashes sort of flutter like she's trying not to cry and she gives him that LOOK. MY GOD ITS GOLDEN ITS SO FUCKING GOOD. im tearing up rn just thinking about it. and then steves reaction too!! his little oh, and the way he just immediately starts making fun of robin's taste in girls, just steadfastly accepting her and not making it into something huge and scary. just treating her like shes robin and not anybody or anything different. the way robin feels SO much relief and joy and safety there. god its just such a beautiful scene and so powerful too and i just love it so so much.

(i do HAVE to give a shoutout to the running up that hill scene at the end of dear billy because NO scene has EVER given me chills the way that one did. the way max's grief has been drowning her and the complete turning point this scene was for that. like this was the first moment that she chose to not let that grief win. she fought it and she fought it hard and she pulled herself out. she had help, of course, the memories of her friends, the ones she loves, but it was ultimately HER that saved herself in that scene. and godddd its SO powerful and its SO well done and just the way they used that son is INCREDIBLE and also sadie's acting in that scene is just PHENOMENAL, and then when it ends and max is in lucas' arm with dustin and steve surrounding her too and the soft instrumental version of running up that hill plays as the screen goes black. C H I L L S!!!!!!)

8. Favorite weapon/power?

another super basic answer probably but what can i say? my favorite weapon is 100% the nail bat. i mean, who wouldn't want a wicked baseball bat full of nails to swing at monsters?? i mean come on that is so badass. but ALSO i love that the bat has a little bit of all of the original monster hunting trio in it? like it's nancy's baseball bat, but jonathan is the one that put the nails in it and it was meant to be his weapon, but then steve claimed it as his own and used it and bam now it's his. i just love that symbolism!!!

11. Your opinion on Tommy Hagan?

HAHA I LOVE THAT YOU ASKED ME THIS ONE FKDDSFLKD (also the "of course" sdkfjdslf i am THAT transparent huh 😂)

nah but i fucking LOVE tommy hagan. he's just one of those characters that isn't necessarily given a firm backstory or anything, but there is juuuuuuust enough personality that it is SO easy to build your own backstory and mold it and him into something you want it to be — and boy oh BOY have i done that with tommy myself lmao.

but yeah it's like — the tommy we see, sure, he's an asshole, and yes, he says and does some really shitty things, BUT i don't think anything he's said and done has reached that level where it's like totally and completely irredeemable, yknow? like he's not so far gone that he can't turn himself around (hello!! steve did!! and sure, maybe steve is a kinder, nicer person at his core, but if he can do it, so can tommy, especially given that tommy idolized steve so much.)

there's just something to me that is so fascinating about taking a very simple one dimensional character and giving him layers. giving him three dimensions. putting him in scenarios and giving him motivations that explain WHY he is the way he is and HOW he got there and WHO influenced that? filling in those gaps makes him a MUCH richer character and in turn makes his interactions with the other characters SOOO much more interesting and layered.

like, i love to think that tommy is the middle child in a large family of all girls. he's got two older sisters and two younger sisters. i oscillate between liking to think that his parents are still together but overwhelmed with work and the girls and other responsibilities, or that theyre divorced so tommys grown up with a single mother in charge. either way, tommy ends up sort of forgotten, just a bit. there's not enough attention for him, which is why when STEVE gives him attention for the very first time, when he CHOOSES tommy for the first time, tommy is stuck on him for life.

their friendship grows and so do they and steve stays this constant through it all, and that means so much to tommy. i think that once girls start to show an interest in steve and once steve starts to show an interest back, tommy gets jealous, because that means that steves full attention isn't on him anymore. (and whether you look at it through a 'tommy has a crush on steve' lens or not it still applies either way ((though as im sure you're all aware i DO look at it through that lens LOL))).

carol joins their group, and either steve nudges tommy towards her or tommy nudges himself towards her because, well, if steves gonna get himself a girlfriend, so is tommy because he's not getting left behind. and he loves carol, he does, but also it's a lot more complicated than that (see the beginning of my latest fic, keep me on a rope, for more on The Complicated Relationship of Tommy Hagan and Carol Perkins because ohohoho boy do i have THOUGTS on that).

and then nancy wheeler happens and steve gets his heart broken AND his world rocked AND the biggest thump on his head of his life and suddenly he's not tommys best friend anymore. he's not even his friend. and that fucking HURTS tommy. because look at that? even STEVE left in the end. and so tommy lashes out. he gets meaner. he latches onto billy hargrove, but he doesn't give a shit about tommy. he puts up that protective shell so he can't get hurt again, and that means never letting anyone in again. that means settling for what he has, who he has. that means stewing in these hurt feelings and this awful grudge and the hatred for years and years until—

somewhere down the line (way waaaaaay down the line) tommy gets tired of it. he gets sick of being bitter and lonely and miserable. and he finally gets HIS thump on the head. he does some digging deeeeeeeep into himself and he does a lot of self reflection and he realizes that fuck. he's been an asshole. he's been a jerk. he's been a total dick. he's hurt people he loved, people who didn't deserve it. he's pushed them away. he's isolated himself. he's turned into this shell of what he could have been.

and so he starts to work on himself. starts to make amends.

or he doesn't. that's a possibility too. he can get stuck in his ways and he can live out a bitter lonely miserable life too!

but that's the thing about tommys character — he can be and do and say whatever you want!!!! and THAT is why i love him so much.

(plus, as i said it is just SOOOO fascinating to explore his relationship with steve and with carol because BOTH are SOOOO complicated and SOOOO layered and there is just SO much going on in that little brain and body of his that even HE can't sort through it all.)

stranger things ask game