#short version is actually Robin and Jonathan

[mysillystsideblog]

I accidentally wrote a She’s The Man stranger things fic in my notes app last night. Actually I wrote TWO versions

[riality-check]

cw: discussions of body image

After everything, Steve gets softer.

Eddie spends so much time around him that he doesn't even realize it's happening, not until he's looking through his version of the photo album Jonathan put together toward the end of summer '86 so he could give it to Nancy and Robin and everyone else before the graduating class headed their separate ways.

He looks at it on an August day in 1987, about a year or so after Jonathan shyly handed them out. It's hot as balls outside, and while the AC in the trailer makes a lot of noise, it doesn't make a lot of cold, so it's hot as balls inside, too. Eddie ties his hair up with a purple scrunchie he stole from Nancy last week, and as he's looking at a page in the photo album, he stops.

It's a picture of Steve lounging by the pool, sunglasses on, blissfully unaware of Max and Erica in matching blue bathing suits standing behind him, poised to dump a bucket of water on him. Eddie remembers how Steve chased them down after, soaking wet, and threw them both into the pool without a single shred of hesitation.

He remembers Nancy's knowing look as he flushed from his face all the way down to his chest, thinking very not-PG thoughts about Steve being so strong, and he remembers shaking his soaking wet hair at her to make her shriek.

But, obviously, he didn't remember how Steve looked then. He's been superimposing the version of Steve he knows now onto the one that existed then. Casualty of spending nearly every day with him after the Spring Break from Hell.

Steve, in the summer of 1986, was so skinny.

Not rail thin like Eddie was. Not even close. He's always been broad, always muscular, but in that picture of him lounging on the chair with his arms above his head, shirtless and wearing a pair of swim trunks with the periodic table on them - a gag gift from Dustin that he actually ended up using - Eddie can see the definition of his stomach, his arms, his chest.

He looks good in the photo, but, then again, Steve could wear a potato sack and roll around in a pig sty, and Eddie would still think he looks good.

"What are you looking at?" a voice says from the doorway.

Eddie looks up to see Steve, 1987 Steve, the Steve he knows now.

He's got his arms crossed around his chest, looking at Eddie with a fond sort of smile. His glasses - which he refused to get until Robin dragged him to the optometrist - are perched on his nose, and he's barefoot and shirtless, having just thrown on a pair of shorts after getting out of the shower.

And Eddie realizes that Steve now, in the year since, has gotten softer.

He remembers reading, once, that really strong people don't have super defined muscles. Whatever book he found that in acknowledged that it was counterintuitive, but that fat supports muscle. The two have to exist, side by side, and a muscular body without fat is a body under stress.

Steve in 1986 was under stress. Eddie realizes, and a sort of warm relief floods his chest when he does, that Steve in 1987 isn't under stress anymore.

He's still strong and broad. Always has been, probably always will be. But where there was definition in his stomach last year, there's a little bit of squish now. His biceps have gotten bigger, too, as have his thighs.

Eddie is torn between wanting to bite him and wanting to squeeze him and never let him go.

"Jon's photo album," he says instead, and Steve traverses the general clutter of clothes, music sheets, and cables on the floor of Eddie's room to get to his bed.

He sits down next to Eddie, and Eddie can't resist wrapping an arm around his waist and squeezing, pulling him into his side.

Steve, as always, complies.

Eddie doesn't flip the page in the book. He lets Steve look at the page of pictures from Max's birthday, then watches as his eyes land on the picture of him.

Eddie watches him frown and decides that, nope, they're not doing that today.

Steve has told him, vaguely, about some of the stuff he was pressured into doing for sports. About cutting calories and vigorous exercise, about how soreness and hunger were viewed as prizes instead of pain.

He mentioned, once, how he was glad he never did wrestling because he was pretty sure it would have made it all a hell of a lot worse.

And to think Eddie used to hate jocks before dating Steve.

"You're hotter now," he says without any preamble, and while he probably should have started this conversation differently, it's worth the surprised laugh Steve lets out.

"You're just saying that," he says, and Eddie can't let that stand.

He puts the photo album on the bed and climbs into Steve's lap, holding his face in his hands.

"I'm not," he says seriously. "You're hot all the time. Probably always have been, definitely always will be."

It's true. Eddie's miserable crush on Steve during his first senior year, when Steve had that awful haircut was the subject of much good-natured bullying from Gareth, Jeff, and Archie, as well as bonafide proof that, unfortunately, he could not choose who to have a crush on.

"But I love whatever version of you I have in front of me the most," Eddie continues. "So, you're hotter now."

Steve smiles. it's a timid smile, one that Eddie thinks doesn't suit his face. Steve is a confident guy at his core. Timid smiles look like he's trying on a too-small Halloween costume.

"You mean it?" he asks.

"Of course I do," Eddie says, kissing him once on the forehead. "You're always warm, you're strong as hell, you give amazing hugs, and you make me feel safe."

"Safe?"

"Yeah. You feel safe. Like home."

Steve's face breaks out into a grin, one that's more confident, one that suits his face better, and he kisses Eddie once, slow and sweet.

And if Eddie loves holding and being held by Steve, well, that's no one's business but theirs.

And if Eddie's favorite place to be is laying with his head in Steve's lap, cheek pressed to his stomach as he falls asleep, well, they don't need to say anything about it.

[essektheylyss]

Ten Books to Know Me

@aboxthecolourofheartache reblogged her version of this from ages ago but she'd tagged whoever saw it and it sounds very fun and difficult so let's do it!

Tris's Book by Tamora Pierce - I had a habit as a kid of always picking up the second book in a series, so this was the first of Tamora Pierce's books I read. Emelan had an effect on me on a microcosmic level, I'm pretty sure. Anyway, the protag of a whole world of mine is named Tris now, in homage to Trisana Chandler, so. the particulate is still kicking around in my brain.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud - Another childhood FAVE. This series as a whole started fucking with what I understood a book to be. Also the ending of it has a vice grip on me to this day, and it is probably why so much of my writing is very vibey and favors ambiguous endings.

Cyrano de Bergerac - This was the first assigned reading I had in high school that I utterly LOVED. I love this play so much, I love the tragedy, I love the quiet sorrow. This was also the first proper tragedy that I remember really loving.

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan - This is a book of poetry and short stories by a Yale creative writing student who was killed in a car crash very soon after graduating, compiled by her professor after her death. I read it repeatedly in college; it is really quite lovely.

Underland by Robert Macfarlane - Apologies to Box who wanted reading recommendations, but she is who introduced me to this book if I remember correctly, and I have spent the two years since I read it habitually picking up Macfarlane's writing without even realizing it. Absolutely phenomenal writing.

Staying with the Trouble by Donna Haraway - @ professor Haraway I know you are a semi-retired scholar and also in the most expensive college town on earth but are you looking for research assistants cuz uh

The Mushroom at the End of the World by Anna Tsing - I actually read both Staying with the Trouble and this book on the same weekend in the start of 2021. I compromised on not including Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake, which I felt was very cliche of me, by including this book, which had as much of an effect. Read those three and Pantheologies by Mary-Jane Rubenstein and you will have some semblance of an idea of what the spiritual portion of my brain looks like. In the interest of not writing the same blurb four times I left the latter two off but know they make up a little microcosm of 'you could make a religion out of this' for me.

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natskukawa - A Japanese novel about a cat who appears to a teenager after the death of his grandfather, a bookseller. I read it when I was very frustrated with trying to read contemporary fiction and it was a bright spot among that. (I am still very frustrated with the state of contemporary fiction and this book remains a light.)

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - Okay I read this one most recently out of this list (over the summer) but it had been on my list for a long time and it really does live up to the hype because it is just so luminous in every sense.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I had to put this one last simply because HOLY HELL. Rewired my brain. This is the goal I aspire to, this is the dream I dream, this is the highest peak among the mountain range of writing aspirations that I climb. If I can one day write anything even akin to the Southern Reach trilogy I will be ready to die, but that is an utterly unachievable goal so God's just gonna have to let me live forever, I guess.

[drowsyr]

top ten stobin halloween costumes:

10. barbie and ken. well actually ken and ken bc there was some miscommunication over who was going as who (steve figured robin was going as barbie bc Girl and robin just wanted to go as ken and figured it would be a better costume if they swapped dolls and then did not communicate this to steve) however nobody knew who they were supposed to be bc there was no iconic ken outfit at the time

9. garfield and odie. just made up of dog/cat ear headbands, yellow/orange shirts, and new name tags on their family video vest. lazy perhaps

8. jonathan + argyle. universally panned by the party bc neither of them had long enough hair to effectively be argyle. esp bc robin went as argyle and had just recently gotten a buzzcut in a panic the week before and the funky patterned pants and button up combo artfully curated at the salvation army could not compensate. however steve’s costume included constant comments abt the smiths, the who, the clash etc which did go over especially well with nancy and argyle

7. marty mcfly. steve tried to convince robin to be the love interest from the movie but only got as far as saying love interest before robin interrupted and asked if he even knew her name (he didn’t and neither did she) and said her dad already had the vest so she should get to be marty mcfly!! at which point steve was like ugh fine. and thought about admitting that he could ask dustin for a lab coat to borrow or ask max to steal one from the science lab but didn’t bc he couldn’t stand the thought of wrecking his hair to look like doc brown. so they just ended up both going as marty mcfly. dustin was doc brown

6. luke and han solo. actually accidental they independently showed up to a party while having a minor fight and realized they were still in matching costumes. drunkenly cried in the upstairs bathroom and made up. this was pre robin’s haircut and was one of the Incidents she gave as evidence for why she needed to cut her hair

5. batman and robin. robin was able to successfully bully steve into being robin. done before robin-with-pants became recognizable so they settled on green-dyed denim shorts (a lovely contribution from the goodwill). robin strangerthings had a fully decked out utility belt lovingly rendered in cardboard and acrylic paint by will with oversight from max. max herself has gone as batman as well (and wonder woman obviously) and used the same utility belt.

4. luke and leia. only successfully coordinated movie costume. this was post robin’s haircut so she went as luke and steve went as leia. obviously went as the classic versions to match even more.

3. their dnd characters as portrayed in an epic six week campaign run by erica sinclair the summer of 1987. caused chaos in the party who had not known about said campaign at the time of it being played and were only slightly devastated by the fact that they hadn’t been informed. only erica and dustin knew who they were dressed as but erica was thrilled :)

2. butterfly + caterpillar. robin dated an art/sculpture student while in college who was really into papier mache. she made them overly elaborate costumes to model for a final project + and they took them back from her dorm after the brutal breakup brought on by a disagreement over joan jett. steve was the butterfly and robin was the caterpillar. they were theeee most inconvenient costumes to wear to a party but they got a lot of compliments and it was a great story to tell people

1. each other obviously. repeated at least four(/“five”. it’s disputed) times, including twice in one year when they were trying to hit as many costume parties as possible in one week. they still argue that the year where halloween was just on a tuesday and they swapped name tags for their shift totally counts. this is not one of the four times.

[familyvideostevie]

🐚 SEASHELL: let's look for beautiful things on the beach! send me a line from a book, song, or movie/tv show and a character and i'll write a short (<1k) blurb for you

“ so why don't we go somewhere only we know.” - from somewhere only we know by miki ratsula with Eddie <3

hi darling!! there are so many great versions of this song but i had not heard this one! it's lovely! so here is something for you, also lovely: eddie whisking you away at a party for a quiet moment

--

You've found pretty much the perfect spot to wait for Eddie. The kitchen is crowded, sure, but sitting on the counter gives you some air and a vantage point to see if he's coming back. Someone turns the music up and a few people scream at the song and bulldoze to the living room to dance. It's nice to see a bunch of twentysomethings having fun, your friends among them.

Robin looks like she's making fun of Steve's dance moves and Jonathan and Nancy are standing close in the corner, his entire body curved over hers as they talk. You know probably every other person at this house -- whose house it is you can't really remember -- so you feel comfortable enough alone for the moment.

But the moment doesn't stretch too long because you see a cloud of messy hair making its way towards you. You sip your beer patiently, swinging your feet a little where they hang off the counter. It only takes moments for Eddie to appear in front of you. He puts his hands on your knees and takes a comically large breath as if he's run a marathon.

"Christ," he says. "Bathroom line was a mile long." He flashes you a grin and tosses some hair from his face. "Miss me?"

You pretend to think about it. "I don't know," you say. "Who are you again?"

He mimes stabbing himself in the heart with a dagger. "Way harsh, sweetheart. Guess you don't want to see the cool-as-shit thing I found."

You hop from the counter. His hands ghost at your hips to help, then he grabs one of your hands. "Very funny," you tell him. "Now show me the cool thing."

Normally he'd mock you a little, tease and ask you to say please -- to which you'd refuse -- but he must actually be excited because he just starts to tug you through the crowd. No doubt many of them think you're going upstairs to fool around. You sort of wonder if that's what's going to happen, too.

But Eddie leads you up the flight of stairs and down a hall and into someone's bedroom. There is no one here.

"Whose house is this, anyway?" you whisper. Eddie shrugs.

"No idea," he says, full volume. "But I saw this from the street when we got here and thought it was a good spot."

You almost protest when he shoves open a window and you actually do when he climbs through out onto the roof. "Eddie!" you hiss. "Are you serious? You could fall!"

"I won't," he says, eyes bright. He reaches for you. "Now you. I've got you."

The excitement in his expression has you hauling your leg over the sill before you can think about it too hard. He does grip your hips this time, steadying you even when you're on two feet again. "Come on," he says. You look around and realize this part of the roof is pretty flat. You can hear the party downstairs, through open windows and spilling into the yard, but you don't think anyone will see you up here.

"How has no one found this yet?" you ask. Eddie stops you and takes off his jacket, spreading it on the roof before pulling you to sit down.

"No idea," he says. "But isn't it fucking great?" He tips his head back and grins. You copy him and gasp.

You have a perfect view of the stars. "Oh," you say. "Well, this beats the kitchen."

Eddie's lips ghost the shell of your ear. "It really does," he says. He drags them across your cheek and to the corner of your mouth.

"Stop that," you rasp. "I can kiss my boyfriend anytime. Right now I'm watching the stars."

He laughs and slings his arm around you. "Fair enough, sweetheart."

join the celebration!

[likecastle]

ST Femslash Week - soulmates

A quick Ronance ficlet about soulmates (or the lack thereof) for @strangerthingsfemslashweek!

“I don’t know, I just—” Robin squeezes a couch pillow against her chest, like the feeling is more than her body can hold, like she needs to ground herself just to be able to talk about it. “I feel like Annie really gets me, you know?”

“Uh-huh,” Nancy says, flicking the remote so the TV jumps from a commercial to a commercial to Murphy Brown.

“Like, we just click, but I don’t mean superficially. We’re compatible on, like, every level.”

“Mm-hmm.” Nancy changes the channel again, pausing on a movie. It’s Broadcast News. Robin will complain, but, then, it’s rare there’s a movie on TV that Robin doesn’t complain about.

The light of the screen is blue on Robin’s face when she says, “Is there a problem?”

Nancy puts down the remote. “No, no problem.”

Robin narrows her eyes over the edge of the couch cushion. “Because it seems like you’re annoyed about something.”

“Not at all.” Nancy turns on the couch to look at Robin straight on, squaring her shoulders, eyes wide. “Please continue telling me about how Annie is your perfect soulmate.”

“OK, you’re definitely—I never said soulmate.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, what was it you called her? The One-with-a-capital-O? Or, no, wait, that was Inés. No, no, Inés was your perfect other half. If I remember correctly, The One-with-a-capital-O was Anouk, who moved back to France to be with her boyfriend two months later.”

Robin’s expression hardens. “Do you have a point somewhere in all this?”

Nancy shrugs. “I just think maybe you’re putting a little too much pressure on these relationships. You’ve known Annie for, what, two weeks?”

“Four,” Robin corrects stonily.

“OK, four. I mean, how can you even know if you’re compatible with someone on every level after four weeks? Why do you even want to be totally compatible with someone? No couple can possibly be so perfectly matched that they agree on every little thing.”

“I’m not talking about every little—” Robin exhales sharply through her nose, her anger turning to something more like exasperation. “Are you seriously telling me you’ve never dated someone you felt really understood you, like, at a deep level? I’m not talking about someone who has the same career goals, or likes the same movies, or whatever. I mean someone who actually sees you for who you really are—no qualifications, no bullshit, just you. Who sees you and really, genuinely, likes what they see?”

The question brings Nancy up short. She can’t remember the last time someone felt that way about her. Steve was always enamored of the version of her that lived in his head, and she and Jonathan spent so many years telling one another little lies that in the end, she’s not sure either of them really knew one another at all. And of the men she’s gone out with since she and Jonathan broke up, none of them were really worth getting past those first-date pleasantries. Even the ones she dated for a few months, she found herself holding at arm’s length, because what was the point of opening up to someone she only ever felt lukewarm about to begin with?

If Nancy really thinks about it, the last person she can remember having that kind of relationship with is Barb. But that was different. And if Nancy’s being honest with herself, while Barb may have had her measure, Nancy’s not sure she ever really appreciated Barb the way she should have.

And, well, there’s Robin, but it’s less that they understand one another, and more that they’ve gotten used to each other over the years. Actually, she can’t think of anyone she’s less compatible with than Robin, but they know one another’s quirks and idiosyncrasies so well that they work well together almost out of habit, like they both know the steps to a dance so well they could be blindfolded and still find their footing. But that’s not what Robin is talking about, Nancy reminds herself. That’s not how Robin feels about her.

“No,” Nancy says softly, “I guess not.”

[mistiell]

Nicknames Stranger Things Characters would Call You

Contains: Eddie Munson, Steve Herrington, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers

__________________________________________

Eddie Munson

- He fucking lives for nicknames

- Only ever calls you by your full name if he’s being very serious about something and you aren’t listening

- His go to’s are:

- Sweetheart (Obviously)

- Babe

- Baby

- Darlin’

- Gorgeous/Handsome

- A shortened version of your name

- If you’re shorter than him, he for sure calls you Short stuff

- Pretty Boy/Pretty Girl

- Sweet thing

Steve Harrington

- Always calling you by something endearing

- It actually feels weird whenever he uses your full name now

- Like Eddie, he only ever uses it when he’s trying to get his point across

- He likes using:

- Baby

- Babe

- Prince/Princess

- Beautiful/Handsome

- Mr/Mrs. Herrington

- Dearest (Ironically)

Robin Buckley

- She likes nicknames, but doesn’t use them all the time

- She only has a few that she likes to use

- Her regulars are:

- Baby

- Lovley

- Gorgeous

- Beautiful

Nancy Wheeler

- She loves using them

- She calls you by nicknames and your actual name an equal amount

- She uses:

- Honey

- Sweetheart

- Love

- My love

- Baby

Jonathan Byers

- He likes nicknames

- Probably doesn’t use them all that often though

- But when he does, he calls you:

- Babe

- Love

- Baby

- A shortened version of your name

[dontfeeltoohot]

So. I started this fic out with the idea I wanted to give Eddie heat exhaustion. About half way through, it morphed into Eddie being soft, needing a swim suit, and coming out to Steve. So I finished it, and posted it on AO3. I then came back to this original idea, deleted half the fic and finished it up the way it was intended, which is what this is. If you'd like to read the other version, you can find it here :)

I hope you enjoy some Eddie with heat exhaustion!

X X X

Eddie Munson isn’t the type to wear shorts. He’s a lanky guy with a small waist, his legs are slender and even his feet are on the smaller side. Size 29 in jeans, size 9 in shoes, 8.5-9 in rings, and standing at an average 5’10”. His medium size belt stops at the very last hole. It’s not as if he doesn’t eat, because he can most definitely eat almost a whole large pizza by himself, he just…doesn’t put on much weight. His mother had been a tiny little thing, and his father hadn’t been tall or large by any standard. 

All this to say, Eddie is a small dude; even though his arm muscles always surprise people when he takes his usual leather jacket off, and because of his skinnier than average legs, he isn’t a shorts-wearing guy. He’s heard people make comments before about the fact he wears jeans and jackets even in spring, when it starts creeping towards summer and the temperature in Hawkins climbs from the fifties to the seventies.

The thing is, he’s never really had issues with heat. He doesn’t just go basking in the sun; as if his pale complexion isn’t a dead give away, and it’s not like he’s going to pools to hang out, or make out at lovers lake in broad daylight. 

In July, when it gets into the eighties, Eddie will drop his jacket, maybe let his arms completely free in a tank top. Recently, thanks to movies like Sleepaway Camp and Nightmare on Elm Street, he’s cut one of his old band tees; the Anthrax one Wayne had gotten him four years ago, into a crop top, the length half of what it used to be. He doesn’t wear it in public, but if he wears it with some sweatpants, his hair up as he cleans his bedroom, well, that’s no one's business but his own. 

Now though, he has the eclectic group of misfits that he calls friends, including Steve Harrington and his pool. It’s the first real time he’s been over to hang out since all of the ‘end of the world’ shit’s happened. Everything is mostly back to normal, and now it’s the peak of summer, a heatwave making temperatures soar in the small town. Eddie doesn’t own swim trunks, but he’s not concerned, he doesn’t really plan on actually getting in the pool anyway. 

With a black and white striped tank top and his usual jeans on, the guitarist steps onto Steve’s back patio area. His hair is in some semblance of a bun, though it’s starting to fall, curly, unruly baby hairs framing his face. 

The sun is beating down against the white concrete. Robin and Nancy are on two of the few lounge chairs strewn about near the large pool, talking and laughing, both in bikinis. Eddie understands the appeal of Nancy Wheeler, especially when she’s in a bright red bikini that makes her skin look ivory. Robin’s freckles are coming out all over her shoulders and her green suit makes her blue eyes look teal. 

Most of the younger teens are in the pool with Steve and Jonathan, except Dustin, who’s grabbing a drink from a cooler. Eddie makes his way over to him, ruffling his wet hair. 

“Eddie! We were worried you wouldn’t come,” the kid grins wide, his perfect, fake teeth glistening in the light. 

“Wouldn’t miss it, Henderson. Just had to help my old man with a few things before getting here,” he explains, remembering the get together technically started at noon and it was almost half an hour past. 

Dustin nods, then looks him up and down, brow furrowing in confusion. 

“Uh, dude, where’s your suit?” 

“You think I’m the type to swim in a pool? I haven’t been in a pool since I was like six.” Eddie snorts, shaking his head, giving the teenager a look. 

“I bet Steve has one!” Dustin’s eyes light up. “Please? Please, please, please Eddie? It’s a pool party.” 

Heaving a sigh, eyes rolling dramatically, the long haired man purses his lips, an eyebrow raised. 

“I’ll think about it. For now, drink your damn soda and go play.” 

With that, Eddie grabs a mountain dew from the cooler and goes to say hi to Steve, who’s pulling himself out of the water. The twenty year old swallows thickly, eyes lingering on Steve’s chest and the hair there that’s he’s pretty certain hadn’t occupied that space while he’d still been at Hawkins High. Jesus. He’s in these short swim shorts that hug his thighs perfectly and Eddie thinks he might combust. 

“Hey Eddie, glad you could make it man. You uh,” Steve cocks his head like a puppy, hair still dripping wet onto the ground. “Did you bring stuff to change into? For the pool?” 

Eddie bites at his lip. Getting confronted by Steve is a hell of a lot different than getting confronted by one of the little gremlins. 

“I’m uh…not really a pool kind of guy. I don’t even own swim trunks,” he admits, waving a hand in the air lazily. 

“Oh, well, I got a few extra pairs if you need some. Might be a little big on you, but we can make it work,” Steve shrugs, giving him a smile and Eddie feels his stomach twist nervously. 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

“Still don’t see how you can wear tight pants when it’s like, almost ninety degrees out. I’d be dying.” 

Eddie smiles, all teeth and boyish charm. “Not all of us run hot like you do, Harrington.” 

The day progresses. Steve decides on ordering pizza around 4:00, when everyone starts to get hungry from the heat and water. Eddie watches the kids splash around with the two women who’ve finally joined them in the water. A few times, one or two of them have come up to the edge and yelled at Eddie for being a pussy when it comes to water. 

“What, can you not swim?” Lucas laughs. 

“I can very much swim, thank you. Ask Nancy or Robin, I had to swim to the damn upside down,” Eddie brushes off as he stretches his arms in the air. He’s vaguely nauseous and feels his head give a throb. 

His skin is hot, and his jeans feel bonded to his legs. He’s sweating, he realizes, wrinkling his nose. Gross. Standing up, the guitarist gets a head rush, making him freeze to regain equilibrium. No one seems to notice- a small miracle. Pulling up the bottom of his shirt, he wipes at his face which is sweaty and, unbeknownst to him, red from the sun. 

Making his way inside, the twenty year old blows out a breath, the Harrington's AC hitting his skin. The cold air blowing mixed with the sweat on his body makes him shiver. He feels drained even though he’s not done anything except sit and talk to everyone. Head aching a little, he presses the tips of his fingers against his closed eyes, putting just enough pressure to help ease the pain somewhat. 

“Hey, you okay?” 

Eddie turns to see Steve, looking worried. His stomach twists when he realizes that he’s worried about him. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry, just…needed a second,” he laughs, waving it off. He’s so tired he can’t be bothered with his usual theatrics. “Do you have a glass I can use? I need some water.” 

The younger man grabs one from one of the many kitchen cabinets, filling it with water before holding it out. Eddie takes it, surprised when it feels heavy in his hand. He takes two sips, but the second it’s gone down his throat, nausea wells up inside of him.

“Do you mind if I just hang out here for a bit? I’m uh, I’m really hot,” he knows he sounds dumb, he’s only been outside for a little over three hours, but god, he feels like his whole body is on fire.

“Oh, yeah of course. I mean, you are wearing jeans,” Steve jokes. “Your shoulders are pretty red too, probably got a little burned,” the ex-swim captain notices. 

“Yeah, thanks man. Promise not to like..snoop, or anything. Kind of just want to sit for a few minutes.” 

His head is throbbing at his temple, and he’s still sweating, but the AC is making him shiver as the sweat turns cold on his neck and hairline. The water in his stomach isn’t sitting well, every time he shifts it feels like it’s sloshing everywhere. He swallows and gives Steve a smile. 

“It’s no problem. Hell, you could snoop and I wouldn’t care. Not like there’s much here anyway.” 

The way the man says it makes Eddie’s chest hurt, knowing Steve’s asshole parents have everything to do with his tone. 

“Don’t challenge me Harrington, I’m sure I could find something to tease you about.” 

With a huff and eye roll that looks nothing but amused, Steve heads back outside and Eddie sits at the large kitchen table, slumping forward. Once again, he presses his hands into his eyes, brushing curls away from his sunburnt face. God he feels like shit, and he doesn’t know why. It’s hit him out of nowhere, but every second he’s starting to feel worse. Standing up slowly for fear of making himself worse, Eddie shuffles over to one of the two couches sitting in the living room, laying himself down and hoping he’s not getting the nice piece of furniture dirty. 

A cool hand is on his face. The curly haired man leans into it, his head feeling like it might split in two. His whole body feels drained and the nausea from earlier isn’t any better. Forcing himself to open his eyes, Robin’s crouched down next to him, eyebrows knit together. Her hand is still on his cheek, and he blinks. 

“Hey, you’re kind of like, burning up. Are you okay?” 

Eddie is suddenly hyper aware that his striped shirt is soaked with sweat. He feels shaky and sick and dizzy even though he’s not moving. 

“Uhm…s’hot,” he slurs, body feeling like it’s burning from the inside out. 

Shifting uncomfortably, Eddie can hear other people in the kitchen, rambunctious and laughing. He’s not sure what time it is, but it’s still light outside so he can’t have been out for very long. His eyes shut involuntarily, but open quickly when Robin shakes him. 

“Don’t fall asleep, I think something is wrong. You’re really pale Eddie,” she bites at her lip. “Stay right here, I’ll be right back.” 

The man wants to reassure her, but he can’t find the right words, his head feels fuzzy when he tries to search for the right thing. He watches her go, then tries to sit up, feeling weak like the time he’d had the flu. After a moment of struggling, he sits up, dizziness assaulting him. Fuck. 

Eddie needs to pee. It’s like his bladder just filled up and if he doesn’t go now, he’s going to piss himself. Feeling antsy, he stands, and then halfway through walking through Steve’s living room, an odd sensation sweeps through him. It’s an out of body experience, like everything gets far away in a non-fun way, not like when he smokes weed. No, this is uncomfortable and feels so…wrong. He stops walking, tries to say something, but then his eyes roll into the back of his head and he collapses. 

[skullrock]

Haven’t watched it yet but I need to know everything. What’s bad. What’s good. Is there actually any character development. Etc

here u go (spoilers under cut)

the good:

-camera work is pretty interesting and amazing - really dynamic scenes

-the party is incredible. matured but still dorks, super funny interactions, growing apart and yet together

-eddie munson is hands down one of the best characters of all time

-so is argyle who served as amazing comedic relief

-lots of amazing steve scenes. they are really feeding us with his screen time and we are learning lots about him which is really nice (i.e he was canonically co captain of the hawkins swim team and a lifeguard for 3 years)

-sadie sink needs an emmy for this. for real. she like completely shot up to the very top of my faves list

-b*lly is dead 🧚‍♀️🌈💖 and dear billy (specifically the letter) was handled very well imo. it was very realistic and just what i wanted

-joyce and murray comedic duo of the ages

-stobin scenes that are amazingly off the charts

-steve’s love life aspect is being handled really nicely except for the stancy thing (see below)

-robin is finally becoming a fleshed out character and we are learning SOOOO MUCH about her it’s really awesome and i cry

-steve bites the fucking bat he bites the bat it’s soooooo. the scene where he’s getting attacked is un fucking real i was crying from happiness (im a freak i’m twisted i’m sick)

-hopper’s backstory is really nicely done he goes on lots of monologues

-his gulag bff is so … one of my fave side characters for sure. genuinely liking all of the new characters

-the twists? are insane. you WILL NOT be ready for them no matter how many spoilers or theories you’ve seen

-suzie is fucking awesome

-demogorgon is back

-we get lots of callahan and powell which rocks my socks they’re super funny

-lots of other things - i’ll try to add more as i think of them

the bad:

-quite honestly the worst part is how much stancy is being pushed. it’s extremely annoying and makes my feel ill. even robin is pushing it which is so fucking bizarre? i got the impression from s3 that robin would be nearly as touchy about steve and nancy as steve is so it’s very odd when she’s like. “ohhh you know steve and i are just friends. one of the best things about this stuff is reigniting old flames.” overall the stancy shit is super weird but i have a theory behind it that’s probably wrong. either way i i’ll don’t see if amounting to anything

-some of the cgi is like ??? but it’s ok it’s brief and not what i’m watching for

-el’s plot line is rly bizarre i think but it was also convoluted so i might just be fatigued from watching all that content in a short time

-i’ll think of more but the stancy thing is really uncomfortable owjdkek

in terms of character development - i think pretty much all of the characters from seasons prior have shifted into rather mature versions of themselves save for jonathan but it’s okay because he’s allowed to go thru it <3 like not to say they’re not funny or anything but everyone is quite wise. they didn’t even go huh the murders are weird :/ they were IMMEDIATELY like hey maybe this has to do with the mind flayer let’s investigate. erica has the best character development it’s very sweet to watch her grow up and if you didn’t like her character in s3 i feel certain you will now

i hope that was a good write up!!

[kaypeace21]

The 4 ‘Nina’ references in Stranger Things ( s4)

I found this very fascinating ....

#1.  In the Hnl teaser (the one before the brenner teaser) we hear a song from the play. "Nina, ou La folle par amour” (Nina, or The Woman Crazed with Love) 

Nina deals with amnesia caused by a psychotic break over the (perceived) death of her lover. She also had a controlling father (who tried sabotaging her relationship). And we have the plot line of her loved ones’ death being faked (unbeknownst to her). Also the obvious “only love makes you that crazy”. 

so 

-Hopper’s death being faked

- mental health issues

-repressed memories of tra*ma

-problematic dads

-love that makes you "crazy'

#2 In the ( technically cannon) book “Will byers’ secret files” we see a reference to the soviet psychic Nina Kulagina.

-Nina is also a RUSSIAN NAME - so maybe the “Nina project” is just the codename for the Russian’s version of the prior usa's ‘project’- relating to the demogorgan/upsidedown. And is an easteregg.

- We also see a possible connection to Nina & the “electric-girl”(chrissy)-cause the electric girl’s powers’  are perceived as demonic. Again s4 will have the christian satanic panic. Chrissy means "follower of christ". Chrissy may be like carrie whose mom equates her powers to the devil. And chrissy like Carrie probably lights her ab*ser's car on fire (except accidentally). There's more reasons I think she'll light the car on fire but I'll save it for a diff post.

- But chrissy &Nina can be nicknames for Christina. And NINA can mean "fire" and i do believe chrissy may have some form of pyro/electrokinesis . And accidentally light her ab*sers' car on fire. Or maybe like alexi wanted to do- stages her death by starting a car fire. One s4 film a teen girl stages her d*ath and runs away to escape her ab*sive family.

- Also,unrelated, EL is compared to the orphan, Anne of Green gables . And NINA (is a Russian diminutive form of Anne). So chrissy/El will most likely parallel/be character foils as well.

#3 In bts pics of Hawkins high: we see a poster for monologue auditions- one is for the play “ the seagull”. It's famous monologue is performed by the character  Nina (I believe Chrissy will be playing Nina in this scene). Since nina/chrissy are nicknames for Christina.

 The monologue is of a girl describing her ab*ser, herself as a seagull , her mental health, & being a poor actress... the pain on stage would be Chrissy’s actual pain rather than simply acting

The rebel robin (st novel) had Robin at the skate rink (like s4 el) and a play audition (like someone else in s4 , probably). When she auditioned she related too much to her character, and everyone thought her emotions were superb acting- when her emotions were real. And then she had a panic attack, and fainted on stage .

Backstory of play : Konstantin romantically into Nina shows up to give Nina a gull that he has shot. Nina is confused and horrified .Trigorin sees the gull that Konstantin has shot and muses to Nina on how he could use it as a subject for a short story:

"The plot for the short story: a young girl lives all her life on the shore of a lake. She loves the lake, like a gull, and she’s happy and free, like a gull. But a man arrives by chance, and when he sees her, he destroys her, out of sheer boredom. Like this gull."  

Also in Spanish Niña can mean "little girl" (like Nina the " young girl" in the play).

The seagull motif reminds me a lot of Jonathan’s rabbit story. He liked and thought of himself as the thumper rabbit character and was forced to kill said rabbit. And we see a dead rabbit/hare in s4. Also, brenner tried to make El k*ll a cat. And the seagull motif was in s3- we see the seagulls in Billy's happy memories representing a time before he was corrupted by his dad. AND we see a seagull painting (at Lonnie's) that jonathan walks past in s1.

I feel like at the very least this monologue may be recontectualized to symbolically represent different forms of parental ab*se.

This play immediately reminded me of some of the movies said to inspire s4 . tw: s.a (skip to #4 if you prefer).  in forrest gump- Jenny (who is poor) was se*ually ab*sed as a very young girl by her father. As a child she runs away into a field-away from her alcoholic father yelling at her -there she prays that she can "be a bird so I can fly far far away” .Jenny as an adult struggles with this unresolved trauma- being with ab*sive partners, doing dr*gs, and having su*cidal thoughts . She as an adult when contemplating su*icide, jokes 'you think i can fly like a bird ?’ while looking down at a bridge.

The film "blackswan" was confirmed inspo for s4 of st: NINA Sayers in a play, is playing a swan (bird). The balet is also supposed to represent aspects of her life: she's struggling with her mental health, and it's alluded to , that her parent was se*ually abusive in the past .

In one st s4 movie "book of Henry"- it has CHRISTIANA (cough formal name for chrissy)do a dance that represented her sadness over her father's se*ual abuse of her.

So I think that may be what this seagull Monologue may be recontextualized to represent (or at least something akin to /relating to ab*sive parents). In the carrie novel- her dad was also a r*pist. And in the s4 movies hellraiser 1-2: KIRSTY accidentally lit her sex*ally abusive uncle on fire (who liked to be called "daddy"). Similar to jonathan lighting the demogogan (called "deep father" on fire in s1). In s4 films- hellraiser 2 & dream warrior: characters named kirsty/Kristen are sent to psych hospitals and have ab*sive family.

I believe her & Jonathan will parallel- and so we should pay attention to Chrissy’s environment /headspace for insignts on Jonathan as well.

Also (maybe a coincidence) there's the famous fiction book called christy. (Christian) Christy is based on a real woman named lenora . Hmmm you mean like lenora hills (where jonathan & El live) coincidentally- lenora is a version of the name elenor & jane (is a feminine version of the named jonathan). Aka all 3 may parallel!! Just in different ways...

#4 the literal meaning of Nina

*Nina can mean“enclosure of fish.” Which is interesting cause Creel means “fish trap”.

*The demogorgan (deep father)” feeds” /eats  his victims. Like deer *cough Jonathan's hunting story refernecing bambi. And we see during the dinner seq at the Creels is when (possibly possessed) Victor - the dad  (or some supernatural force) attacks the family (who have a fish related name). I also believe the son's name may be gil (nickname for William/like a fish gil). THE rabbit, seagull, and FISH immagery COULD be a clever way to connect the theme of ab*sive fathers .

[yikesharringrove]

Notes while watching episode 2:

Tldr, this season is still pretty fun. Of course they’re introducing more of the mysteries, so the tone (and my screen) has gone darker. I’m really sick of the plot centering around Nancy and Jonathan just not being able to talk to each other. We’ve had it since the beginning I’m DONE. Stop introducing side characters when you don’t have any idea what to do with your main ones. I’m hoping we get more of Lucas this season, he barely had like two minutes of screen time (which is a trend from last season) and also no one cared about billy. But of course, we knew that.

Anyway here is the long version of my notes:

The way I GASPED when Powell and Callahan stepped out of the police cruisers and Powell is the chief now I screamed bitch. My favorite minor characters are HERE.

I have Jonathan’s haircut right now rip

Everytime I am forced to watch children kiss each other I feel my soul slip away. (Although the flower thing was lowkey cute)

Mike not hugging Will is pure homophobia I’m gonna throw up.

“I heard a lot about your sister” unfortunately, we all have.

Glad to see that Murray is still dialed to 1000 forever.

They are really trying to make Jonathan look like an extra in Almost Famous and it’s just. Not working.

They really are out here shoving Steve into youth xs size polos and bitch I’m HERE for it.

“Alone we totally suck” Steve and robin platonic soulmates 4ever

Bennys burgers is now the teenage rage place obsessed with that.

“The devil lives here in Hawkins” yeah and the devil’s name is Nancy’s wardrobe

Claudia Henderson my beloved.

The way Dustin is defending Eddie and saying he knows that he’s too good a person to hurt Chrissy, and Max saying how scared Eddie looked and putting together the Upside Down pieces just breaks my fucking heart. No one cared about billy no one cared about billy.

People need to start fucking believing Joyce. She’s been right about everything for four seasons now stop staying no to her.

I am very similar to Joyce in that I am in love with Jim Hopper.

I am DEEPLY claustrophobic that torture scene was A Lot.

Wills deep man voice is freaking me out he’s a grown human now I’m gonna barf he was such a squishy baby in season 1.

Obsessed that Will is lowkey good at roller skating. He’s such a fruit.

Someone called Mike a twig and I thought he said TWINK.

Jason the WASP can eat my shorts PLEASE don’t tell me he becomes part of the main group I hate his dumb face. I only have room in my heart for one stupid prep and that spot is FILLED by STEVEN HARRINGTON

Nancy and Jonathan actually talk to each other and communicate challenge. “Slow motion breakup with Nancy?” VIBES

I don’t understand why Angela keeps calling El a snitch? When the teacher asked if something was going on El said there wasn’t, but the teacher saw through it. Like, she tried to cover for you, sorry that your bullying isn’t subtle.

When I heard that psycho killer baseline I genuinely had to pause the show to calm myself down that song is SO FUCKING GOOD

Jason the prep is just Hawkins’s version of Archie Andrews I’m gonna cry with this vigilante shit.

“See ya later. Alligator.” Steve Harrington my BELOVED. When he said that he looked so dead inside <3

I think Lucas has said about eight words this season and I’m Tired. He was barely in season 3 and only existed as a punch line for the joke of being constantly broken up with by Max. They’ve added a hundred new characters and have totally cast him aside which is ALSO on trend. Doesn’t mean I fucking like it though.

Reefer Rick is just Steve.

Okay when Steve was talking about attending to all the customers equally……. Not just babes…….. bisexuality……..

(Also some random punk walked in behind him and punk kid is my new kilt guy)

For some lovely lovely angst I am now headcanoning a scene where vecna gets in Steve’s head and uses Barb’s death and funeral against him like the reporter kid. I think that seeing Steve go through that guilt would be delicious.

Mike calling out Will for being a douche when really he’s just gay and Over It. “Why am I the bad guy” Mike you’ve been a dick for four seasons. Maybe look internally.

El just claw this bitch’s eyes out already. YES SKATE TO THE FACE GO GIRL.

Dustin is so annoying fr he’s the best. “Is that foot?” “No that’s just a shoe.” Steve and Dustin #DreamTeam

Movies and tv stop being too dark for me to see what’s happening challenge.

The little trumpet noises Robin makes SHES SO CUTE.

“Yeah yeah, on Dustin’s mother” this is some fucking Claudia slander and I will not stand for it.

All steve knows is eat hot chip, moan when other boys press up against him, and lie.

Eddie (rightfully) being treated like he’s been traumatized. No one cared about billy no one cared about billy.

They filled Eddie in on all the upside down shit right away. No one cared about billy no one cared about billy.

Vecna doesn’t feel like an Upside Down thing to me. I mean, he’s clearly in the Upside Down, and is a part of it? But the way he’s like up in these people’s heads is weird. I don’t think he’s any part of the mind Flayer because we had that bitch for two seasons, they’d be finished with that.

Also not the demogorgons being able to fly. These bitches have seriously evolved like the fucking graboids in Tremors 1-3.

[harmonytre-reblogs]

“This is how I think of “shipping”: When you start shipping someone, it starts out as a little sailboat. As hints are seen (in the actual show, movie, book, game, etc.), the sailboat slowly grows larger. When it becomes canon, the boat becomes a giant pirate ship with cannons (get it?). If the people suddenly break up, that means the ship ran into a giant Broken-Love-Iceberg.“

-me (HarmonyTRE)

(P. S. All of these I ship platonically too, and the younger couples are only wholesome. NONE of these I ship in more than romantic ways. And some of them I don’t ship now, but shipped when I was younger so they feel nostalgic. So if the ship seems odd, it’s probably that asdfghjkl.)

Key:

Fandom/show/movie/game/short film/etc.

Ship

Semi-ship

!:OTP

*

Index:

Never Draw

Commission Only

Shows

Movies

Games

Other Media (short films, comics, etc.)

Live Action

Steven Universe AUs

Undertale AUs

Not Finished/Caught Up

(long, so I’ll put under the cut)

*

Never Draw:

Frisk/Sans (fr.ans)

Keith/Lance (kl.ance)

Shiro/any of the minor paladins

Papyrus/Chara (?)

Papyrus/Sans (fon.tcest)

Steven/gem ships

Steven/Pink Steven

*

Commission Only (won’t do for requests, challenges, etc.)

Lance/Allura (Allurance, Cotton Candy, Mr. and Mrs. Blue Lion)

Au Sanses (unless listed, and only if they have clearly different personalities, appearances, and names)

Allura/Shiro (Shallura)

*

Shows

Voltron: Legendary Defender

!Pidge/Lance (Plance)

Keith/Allura (Kallura)

Hunk/Shay (Hunay)

Romelle/Matt (Romatt)

Pidge/Hunk (Punk)

Hunk/Romelle (Hunelle)

Keith/Axca (Kaxca)

James/Ina (Leiffin)

Keith/Pidge (Kidge)

Ryan/Nadia (Kindia)

Lotor/Allura (Lotura)

Krolia/Tex (Krolidad, Krolitex)

Zarkon/Honerva (Zanerva)

Krolia/Kolivan (Kolivan)

James/Veronica (Jamonica)

Miraculous: The Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

!Marinette/Ladybug/Adrien/CatNoir (Love square, Marichat, Adrinette, Ladynoir, Ladrien)

!Alya/Nino (DJWiFi)

Mylene/Ivan (Myvan)

Penny/JaggedStone (Jaggenny)

Plagg/Tikki (CheeseCake)

Nathaniel/Alix (Nathanix)

Kim/Ondine

Rose/Juleka

Steven Universe

Steven/Connie

Ruby/Sapphire

Sadie/Lars

Pearl/Bismuth

Volleyball/Spinel?

Pearl/Volleyball

She-ra and the Princesses of Power (SPoP) {Double Trouble, Glimmer, Entrapta, Wrong Hordak}

!Glimmer/Bow (Glow, Glimbow)

Seahawk/Mermista (Seamista)

Entrapta/Hordak (Entrapdak)

Catra/Adora (Catradora)

Scorpia/Perfuma (Scorfuma)

Spinerella/Netossa (Spinnetossa)

*Star vs. the Forces of Evil (Marco, Janna, Tom, Star}

!JanTom

!Starco

Eclipsa/Globgor

Jackie/Chloe

Trolls

!Branch/Poppy (Broppy)

Phineas and Ferb

Phineas/Isabella (Phinabella)

Candace/Jeremy (Candermemy)

Baljeet/Ginger (Baljinger)

RWBY

!Ren/Nora (Renora)

Ruby/Oscar

Sun/Blake (BlackSun)

Pyrra/Jaune (Arcos)

Weiss/Neptune (Iceberg)

Velvet/Fox (Zootopia)

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Troy/Benson (Trenson)

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day

Yadomi/Anjo

Yukiatsu/Tsurumi

The Dragon Prince

!Callum/Rayla

Amaya/Janai

My Little Pony (MLP)

!Fluttershy/Discord (Fluttercord)

!YonaYak/Sandbar (Yonabar)

DerpyHooves/DoctorWhooves (DerpyWhooves)

PinkiePie/CheeseSandwhich (CheesePie)

BigMac/SugarBelle

Ember/Thorax (Emberax)

Sunburst/StarlightGlimmer (StarBurst)

ZephyrBreeze/Treehugger

HTTYD (How to Train Your Dragon) (any show besides Race to the Edge, because I haven’t seen it)

Hiccup/Astrid (Hiccstrid)

Fishlegs/Heather (Feather)

Toothless/Nubless (Nightlight)

Pokemon {seen all but seasons 8-15, 21+}

!Jessie/James (Rocketshipping, KojiMusa, JAJL)

Ash/Misty (Pokeshipping, Sakashipping, Gakishipping, Bikeshipping, Sushishipping, AAML, Twerpshipping)

!Serena/Clemont (Geekchicshipping)

Lana/Sophocles (Sparksurfershipping)

Butch/Cassidy (Neoshipping)

Serena’sSylveon/Clemont’sBunnelby (Fairybunnyshipping)

Brock/Lucy (luckshipping, squintshipping, blushshipping)

Casey/Georgio

NurseJoy/Nicholas (from Celebi episode)

Hal/Elisa

May/Drew (Contestshipping, ShuHaru, DAML, Mew, Day)

Togedemaru/Pikachu (SpikyPika)

Serena/Jimmy

Brock/Wilohmena (Sissyshipping)

Glitch Techs

Zahra/Five (?)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA)

Sokka/Toph (Tokka)

Zuko/Katara (Zutara)

Katara/Aang (Kataang)

Suki/Sokka (Sukka)

*

Movies

Rise of the Guardians

Jack/ToothFairy

Big Hero 6

Gogo/Fred (Gogozilla)

HoneyLemon/Tadashi (Tadahoney)

Your Name (Kimi no na Wa)

Taki/Mitsuha

Katsuhiko/Sayaka

Miki/Tsukasa

A Silent Voice

ShoukoNishima/ShoyaIshida

Leap! (Ballerina)

Victor/Felicie (Felictor)

Inside Out

Riley/Jordan

Anger/Disgust (Angust)

Wreck-it-Ralph (and Breaks the Internet)

Felix/TamoraCalhoun (Hero’s Cuties)

Trolls

Branch/Poppy (Broppy)

Hotel Transylvania

Jonathan/Mavis (Jonavis)

Smurfs: The Lost Village

Smurfette/Hefty

PapaSmurf/Smurfwillow

Brainy/Smurfblossom

Clumsy/Smurfstorm

Zootopia

Judy/Nick (WildeHopps)

Coco

Hector/Imelda

Pepita/Dante?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (and 2)

SamSparks/FlintLockwood (Sparkswood)

Lego Movie (and 2nd)

Emmet/Lucy

Tangled

Rapunzel/Eugene

Frozen

Anna/Kristoff

Megamind

Megamind/Roxanne (Megarox)

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Miles/Gwen

*

Games

Undertale

!Toriel/Sans (Soriel)

Undyne/Alphys (Alphyne)

Muffet/Mettaton (Muffaton)

!Nice Cream Guy / Burgerpants (Nicepants)

Sans/Grillby (Sansby)

Gaster/Asgore (Kingdings)

Toriel/Asgore (Asgoriel, Torigore)

Asgore/Rudy (?)

Grillby/Muffet (?)

Royal Guards

Deltarune

Noelle/Susie (Suselle)

Henry Stickmin

Henry/Charles (Chenry, Stickvin)

Riddle School

Phil/Smiley

*

Other media (short films/comics/etc)

Paperman

Meg/George

*

Live Action

Psych

Juliet/Shawn (Shules)

The Space Between Us

Gardner/Tulsa

The Goldbergs

Erica/Geoff

Barry/Laney

Adam/Jackie

The Greatest Showman

Barnums

PhillipCarlyle/AnneWheeler

The Librarians (tv series)

!Cassanda/Ezekiel (Casekiel)

Eve/Flynn (Fleve)

Jacob/Serina

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Klaus/Fiona

Violet/Duncan

Jacques/Olivia

Alex Inc.

Eddie/Deidre

Scrubs

JD/Elliot (Jelliot)

Turk/Carla

The Office

Pam/Jim (PB&J)

Michael/Holly

Dwight/Angela

Drop Dead Diva

Stacy/Fred

Stacy/Owen

Jane/Gracen

Jane/Ian

Stranger Things

Mike/Eleven (Mileven)

Nancy/Jonathan (Jancy)

Joyce/Hopper (Jopper)

Lucas/Max

Chuck

Chuck/Sarah

Timeless

LucyPreston/WyattLogan

RufusCarlin/Jiya

Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Zoey/Max

*

Steven Universe AUs

Feral Beast Steeb

Feractus

Pink Steven AU

Connverse

Cactus Steven AUs Blog

Feractus

LISTEN ALL NIGHT (suf-fering)

Connverse

*

Undertale/Deltarune AUs

Timetale AU (Punny Skele-scientist, Allesia the Hedge)

Sans/Alphys (Salphys)

Paper Trail (lynxgriffin)

Susie/Noelle (Suselle)

Overtale (yuramec version)

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

*Underswap

Sans/Napstablook (Napstasans)

Underfell

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

Payryus/Mettaton (Papyton)

Alphys/Undyne (Alphyne)

*Outertale

Sans/Toriel (Soriel)

Sans/Grillby (Sansby)

Handplates

Gaster/Alphys (Bi-entists)

Crossover

Insans/Sappy

Rain/Imposter (platonic)

*

Not finished/caught up

Fruits basket{season 2}

Tohru/Kyo (Kyoru)

Ritsu/Mitsuru

Wild Kratts {quite a lot to catch up on}

JimmyZ/Koki (Joki)

My Hero Academia/Boku No Hiro Academia {recent season}

!DenkiKaminari/KyoukaJirou (Kamijirou)

IzukuMidoriya/OchakoUraka (Izuocha)

EjirouKirishima/MinaAshido (Kirimina)

ShoutoTodoroki/MomoYaoyoruzu (Todomomo)

FumikageTokoyami/TsuyuAsui (Tokotsuyu)

MashiraoOjiro/TooruHagakure (Ojitooru)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) (TMNT) {half of final season}

April/Donatello (Apritello)

Raphael/Mona

Leonardo/Karai (Leorai)

Mikey/Renet (Renetangelo)

The Flash {recent 1-2 seasons}

Barry/Iris (Westallen)

!Kaitlyn/Cisco (Snowmone, Snowvibe, Killervibe, Frostvibe, Vibefrost)

Joe/Cecile (Joecile)

HRWells/TracyBrand

Ralph/Izzy

Digimon Tamers {missed quite a lot because my brother watched without me}

Juri/Takato (Jurato)

Rika/Ryo (Ryuki)

Kingdom Hearts

Sora/Kairi

Once Upon a Time (OUaT)

CaptianHook/EmmaSwan (CaptainSwan)

Belle/Rumpilstiltskin (Rumbelle)

Regina/Robin (OutlawQueen)

Doctor Who

TheDoctor/Riversong (Twiver)

Amy/Rory (Ponds)

God Friended Me {just part of 1st season}

Kara/Miles

Heroes {just starting season 2}

Hiro/Charlie

[northoftheroad]

What’s in a retcon, anyway?

The more I think about, the less I believe that comic book writers feel compelled to be bound by earlier writing. Unless an editor is keeping them under their thumb to get coherent writing – and if DC had that, things wouldn't be such a mess – it seems to me they are happy to blend their personal variant of a canon backstory. I will present a number of examples to support my hypothesis.

Pre-Crisis, Marv Wolfman wrote Dick saying he was Robin from age 8 (New Teen Titans #39, 1984), and he’s about 19 at the time. 

New Teen Titans # 39. By Marv Wolfman, art George Pérez. (1984)

When Crisis on Infinite Earths reached Batman, Jim Starlin wrote the retcon that said that Dick was Robin for six years, presumably from age 13 to 19. (Batman # 416, 1987). This version also included that Bruce fired Dick from Robin, but more on that later.

Batman # 416. By Jim Starlin, art Jim Aparo and Mike DeCarlo. (1987)

And then Marv Wolfman wrote Batman Year Three (Batman # 436–439, 1989), and all of a sudden, it was ten years since Dick's parents were killed when Jason had recently died. That has to imply that Dick was Robin for longer than six years, right? And that Dick was about ten when he came to Bruce.

The following year, 1990, Dennis O'Neal wrote an illustrated short story about Dick's origin where he was ten when his parents were murdered. (The Glimpse. In Secret Origins vol 2 # 50, 1990)

Dennis O'Neal, by the way, was the editor of Batman # 416 and co-editor of Batman Year Three (Batman 436–439). He should be the guy to keep track of details like this, shouldn't he?

Then we have Chuck Dixon's version of Dick's origin in Robin vol 2 Annual # 4 (1995). This retcon includes that Dick spent time at a youth centre before he came to Bruce (the "juvie origin"), but his age is never mentioned. He doesn't look old enough to be 13, in my opinion.

The next decade, Devin Grayson had Dick say, in at least two different issues, that he was orphaned at 8. (Batman: Gotham Knights # 21. By Devin Grayson, art Roger Robinson and John Floyd (2001), and Nightwing vol 2 # 76. 2003) Just as in (the Pre-Crisis) NTT # 39.

Nightwing vol 2 # 76. By Devin Grayson, art Mike Lilly and Andy Owens. (2001)

Does that mean Devin Grayson also intended to rewrite other retcons that came after the Crisis – so that Dick wasn't fired from Robin and/or Dixon's "juvie origin"?

It’s difficult to say, since she never did write her own version of Dick’s origin. I can't remember her Nightwing run mentioning either how Dick left Robin or what had happened before he moved in with Bruce. (Actually, I can't remember any writer, besides Chuck Dixon himself, referencing the "juvie origin".) But Devin Grayson wrote Dick talking about being left in an orphanage in Gotham Knight # 21, in a context where he surely would have said “left at the youth centre” if she had ment to stick with Dixon’s version. 

Batman: Gotham Knights # 21. By Devin Grayson, art Roger Robinson and John Floyd. (2001)

After Flashpoint, in the new origin story, Dick was 15 when he was orphaned. (Nightwing vol 3 # 0, 2012) But in Rebirth Batman # 54 (2018), by Tom King, Dick is drawn way younger in a flashback, and he’s been shown younger in the Nightwing title too. 

Two more examples of canon jumping all over the place are Jason Todd's origin and how Dick left Robin to become Nightwing. Dick originally left by his own decision, because he felt Robin was the junior partner to Batman while he had outgrown that, but the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earth retcon was that Bruce fired Dick. First, in Batman # 408, because he got scared when the Joker shot Robin. Later, in Chuck Dixon's version (in Nightwing: Secret Files and Origin, and Nightwing Year One, Nightwing vol 2 100–106), Bruce fired Dick at ostensibly because Robin wasn't available enough when Batman needed assistance.

Again, after Dixon, I can't remember any writer referencing that Dick should have been outright fired as Robin.

Jason Todd was introduced as a strawberry blond, circus kid Dick Grayson clone but after Crisis on Infinite Earths he was a black-haired street kid. And when Dick originally left Robin, it was his choice to let Jason become Robin. Post-Crisis, Batman made Jason Robin – and while Dick might not have been on good terms with Bruce, he did accept Jason as Robin.

Fast forward to the 2010s. When Grant Morrison wrote Batman, and Batman and Robin vol 1, he re-introduced Jason Todd with red-blond hair – but not his Pre-Crisis personality (the Dick Grayson clone.) 

Morrison's era Jason Todd was the street kid and he had always liked trouble which made him "a juvie" (Batman and Robin vol 1 # 23, 2011, written by Judd Winick). In the same issue, there is a flashback that shows that Dick was on good terms with Bruce and working with Batman and JasonRobin – as if it were the Pre-Crisis version. 

Batman and Robin vol 1 # 23, by Judd Winnick, art Guillem March and Andrei Bresson. (2011)

In the very last issue of Batman before Flashpoint and New 52 (Batman # 713, by Fabian Nicieza, 2011) a flashback seems to confirm that it was Dick's decision to leave Robin.

Batman # 713. By Fabian Nicieza, pencillers Steve Scott, Daniel Sampere, Andrei Bressan. 2011.

The Morrison era Batman was, very much, built on a mix of Pre- and Post-Crisis material.

Pre-Crisis, by the way, Jason Todd was the first boy that Bruce adopted, and that was still the case when he was killed Post-Crisis. But he's been referred to as his ward in Batman: Gotham Knights # 44 (2003, written by Devin Grayson), as well as Batman and Robin vol 1 # 23 (2011, written by Judd Winick). (I'm sure other writers/other issues have put Jason down as adopted son...)

Batman and Robin vol 1 # 23, by Judd Winnick, art Guillem March and Andrei Bresson. (2011)

Neither Devin Grayson nor Grant Morrison wrote, as far as I can remember, a "visible" retcon where their ideas of the character's backstories are laid out. But it's nevertheless clear that they did not work with the same version of the character's history as writer/s who preceded them.

Then there's Robin Dies at Dawn from 1963 (Batman # 156), where Batman took part in a psychological experiment. That was canon and the unnamed doctor, who seemed pretty harmless at the time, became a major adversary, Doctor Hurt, during Grant Morrison’s run. Doctor Hurt has also been active as a Nightwing villain in Rebirth.  

Batman # 673. Written by Grant Morrison, pencil Tony S. Daniel, ink Jonathan Glapion and Sandu Florea. (2008)

Nightwing vol 4 # 19. By Tim Seeley, art Javier Fernandez and Minkyu Jung. (2017) 

Another recent example of cherrypicking is Tom King who, in his Batman/Catwoman mini series, uses the character Andrea Beaumont/Phantasm from the DC Animated Universe (she was created for an animated film in 1993). Of course, she's far from the first character who has been created in the animated universe and made their way over to comic book canon.

Tom King also used Hush in Batman vol 3 # 80 (2019), even though the man was last seen being killed in another universe (Batman: Prelude to the Wedding, Nightwing vs Hush, 2018). 

Batman: Prelude to the Wedding. Nightwing vs Hush. By Tim Seeley, art Travis G Moore. 

Sam Humphries, who wrote Nightwing vol 4 for a short period – I don’t know why he left early – had plans to use Dick’s Uncle George, whose one and only appearance was in 1944, in Batman vol 1 # 20. This is from an interview on Batman-news.com: https://batman-news.com/2017/11/27/a-nightwing-before-christmas-an-interview-with-sam-humphries/

SH: I will… I will say that’s a very intriguing pick.  I’ve not thought about that.  I do have a list of characters I want to bring in on the run, most of which I’ve gotta keep close to my chest.

JY: Sure, sure.

SH: You know, I do… Dick Grayson has an uncle, George Grayson, and there’s a story I want to tell about him that I’m really excited about.

In conclusion. It seems to me that official comic book writers are just as prone to pick and choose from earlier canon and disregarding whatever retcon they dislike as us ordinary fans... 

[captainshazamerica]

The redhood nightwing fight scenes look like they're gonna be dope af like thats all I'm thinking about how awesome the fight scenes are (hopefully) gonna be (I'm already finding it difficult to see this jason as redhood cuz he's like literally a child but I dunno what age he redhooded in the comics so??)

I had no idea tim was even gonna be in it !?! Can I please get some kind of recognition from the batboys that they actually view each other as brothers and family! 😢

Someone needs to kill the joker It'd be kinda interesting if old bruce killed joker and it'd be nice if that was the last thing he did as batman buuuttt then again it'd be a nice touch if dick killed joker for jason, it would personally be disappointing if joker was just let live not gonna lie i really want bruce to kill him and that be the reason he gives up being batman because he failed to protect jason and then he broke his no killing thing so he just hangs up the cape

we are getting FEAR TOXIN yassssss cue awesome nightmare ish fearscapes (no idea if that's an actual word but that's what I call when you get to see everyone's fear hallucination)

Kory I love you, I do ship dickkory however I feel like she's too good for dick and should marry me instead lol I wanna see how donna is still alive? and I know there's people who are like ughh hank dawn go away already but I really freakin like hank and dawn as characters even though their suits are ridiculous did they break up last season I can't remember? Hank needs a break poor man someone give him a blanket and a hug and let him sit the fuck down everybody leave hank alone

That line where babs is like don't try be your father and dick is like excuse me what you saying there Commissioner Gordon, that will never not be funny 😅😅😅

I ain't in love with this show it has so much potential it could be so lit but I do like it anndd they got suits now whoop!

Wait is this my previous Titans anon? (The one where we ranted about Jason, or the one thinking they hadn’t seen S2 but went to watch it and realized they had? Or are you the same person? xD )And if so are you the same one who asked for the comic and fic recs? Just wondering in terms of if I’m talking to one person or not hahaha

But ahh I got so excited when I saw I got an ask about this 😍

Omg the nightwing red hood fight already got me so stressed lol. It looks great but ahh angst! But I think Jason is like 19ish in most versions when he comes back? Though tbh I forgot what age Jason is in this , I’ll have to see when i rewatch it soon. Curran, the actor, is actually 23, he just looks super young/short. He got pretty buff though. But yeah, that is an unfortunate thing wi the them rushing it already but also, I’d rather have it like this than if they were gonna spread it out through the seasons then it gets cancelled or something (poor Gotham s5, RIP). I think he was the PERFECT robin jason Todd though. Like I love his acting and portrayal of Jason(“Titans are back bitches!” classic Jason), he just is young looking and short. Gosh I still wanna know if they are going with the Lazarus pit for Jason or not! But like that also begs the question of whether they are doing a time skip cause normally Jason is dead for like 2-3ish years, but it doesn’t look like it from the trailer.

And yes, I’ve been looking forwards to Tim!!! While the trailer didn’t show it, the actor was on set a lot over these last couple of months (I’ve been keeping up with their instagrams xD) and seemed super close with the cast! I can’t believe the first look we got if Tim was him nearly crying, though that look already won me over, I love him and he is my son now. But RIGHT! That’s all I want, is the bat bros platonic love, gosh dang it😭 that’s all we want DC😭

BRO! OLD MAN BRUCE KILLING JOKER WOULD BE FREAKING PERFECT. Dang it! Now I’m gonna be so disappointed if that doesn’t happen 🤣gosh it would be perfect, and normally I would be like it’s Bruce, they would never do that, BUT, this show does that kind of “edgy” stuff anyway so if it’s ever gonna happen(without the Batman who Laughs plot line happening(which would make a perfect dc animated movie btw)), it would happen in this show, especially with what was shown in the trailer with him giving Batman up. Man, now my hopes are up for that xD though I wouldn’t mind if Dick killed him. I would be shocked though if they had the balls to actually kill off joker though, dc seems to refuse to do that :/

Omg I squealed at the scarecrow part omg. Dr freaking Crane is a big reason I spiraled down this entire fandom tbh. Like literally a year ago I got obsessed with him for some reason and that led into the Bat hole where I am currently WAY deeper than I ever would have thought 😂 and while I’m not hyper fixated on him anymore, I still love him so much and is my 2nd fav rogue, and it mainly started with Jonathan 🥺 we barely even see his face and I am already in love with the casting, the voice is perfect. And I LOVE when villains have to help the heroes, that is like one of my fav tropes ever omg, I was really hoping they were gonna do that to him. I hope he is in it for more than one episode tho. And oh lordy, like those poor Titans need even more trauma in their lives and now fear gas is in the equation. Oh no, I bet poor Gar is gonna get hit cause they just love to torture that poor boy. And tbh I hope the fearscapes(perfect word for it) will be better than most of the Gotham ones, those seemed a tad cheesy tbh

Lmao about you and kory😂 she is too good for him, but also, this Dick needs someone who can kick his ass and get his head out of his martyr butt 😂 tho tbh, I’m still not fully sold on Dickkory, Like I don’t hate it but I don’t LOVE it in many versions, like they can be cute but no strong feelings, the Original Teen Titans cartoon is like the only exception, I def ship those 2

Omg I low key forgot Donna “died”😂🤦🏻‍♀️ I feel like I knew it wouldn’t last so it didn’t have a big impact on me lol. Like I had/have a feel raven is gonna bring her back. I wanna know what happened to Rose/Joey! Like are they not gonna be in it at all? Especially with Jason going off the deep end?!

Lmao, hawk and dove’s suits😂 I think they did break up, I’ve only seen the series once through tbh, planning to rewatch before S3 tho(and try to force my mom to watch it tho she is convinced everything DC is too dark for her lmao), yeah, I don’t mind them, like I don’t want the focus on them but like they deserve to be happy/need a break, omg yes! That boy needs to be wrapped in a blanket and given a break, that grumpy boy is TIRED. Let him rest!

Lmao! That babs line is so great😂

I’m just so excited for all this live action Batfam content, considering the live action movies NEVER give us Batfam 😭(we aren’t talking about the 80’s/90’s live action robin lmao)

Also so sorry this was so long 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

[jgroffdaily]

Jonathan Groff, now starring as a hapless flower shop clerk in an Off Broadway revival of “Little Shop of Horrors,” has a tiny confession to make.

“I am really bad with plants,” said the 34-year-old actor, recalling how rapidly the orchids and other flora occasionally sent his way seem to shrivel up and die. “I kill them.”

We were seated under an oak tree that had just tried to bean us with a fast-moving acorn, somewhere inside the New York Botanical Garden. Visiting had been my idea, and I wasn’t quite sure whether it was cheesy or inspired. (Spoiler alert: The musical is about a bloodthirsty plant).

But Mr. Groff was game — he had never been — and although the Bronx gardens were not especially menacing (other than that wayward nut) they did provide an opportunity for some reflection on his unlikely career swerve.

He’s performed in two juggernauts — the animated film “Frozen” (he voiced Kristoff, the rugged ice harvester, and will do so again in “Frozen 2” next month) and the stage musical “Hamilton” (he played King George, scoring his second Tony Award nomination with just nine minutes of stage time). And he stars as an F.B.I. agent in the critically lauded Netflix serial-killer drama “Mindhunter.”

So what is he doing in a 270-seat Hell’s Kitchen theater performing a show that can easily be seen at many a summer camp or community theater, and that, the producers say, will absolutely positively definitely not be transferring to Broadway?

The answer, he says, is mostly that it’s fun. He loves the idea (“It made me so giddy and excited”). He loves the music (“I’m just obsessed by it”). And he’s as surprised as you are (“I can’t believe we’re doing this”).

“We’re just laughing because it feels like we’re doing a professional version of the quintessential high school show,” he said. “We’re all going to back to that initial nerdy impulse of what made us fall in love with musical theater.”

The other key factor: This revival, of a show that first opened Off Off Broadway in 1982, is a passion project for the director Michael Mayer, who played a formative role in his career. Thirteen years ago, Mr. Mayer took a risk by choosing Mr. Groff over actors with more education and experience to star in an experimental Off Broadway musical called “Spring Awakening.”

That show transferred to Broadway and won eight Tonys; it brought Mr. Groff his first Tony nomination and changed his life. “It was everything I ever dreamed of, come true at 21,” Mr. Groff said. “And, like I told Michael, it’s a lifetime of paybacks.”

In May, Mr. Mayer asked Mr. Groff to join him at the Metropolitan Opera for a performance of his production of “Rigoletto,” and during intermission, said to him, “I think I found the next project we’re going to work on, because I know something about you that other people don’t.”

A week later, Mr. Mayer called and asked him to play Seymour, a clumsy and nebbishy orphan fascinated by exotic plants and besotted by his co-worker Audrey.

The show, written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, is now in previews at the Westside Theater, where it is scheduled to run through Jan. 19; the production also stars Tammy Blanchard, as the ill-treated and ill-fated Audrey, and the two-time Tony-winner Christian Borle as her sadistic dentist boyfriend.

“Jonathan presents as a beautiful man, competent and terrific and engaged and completely at ease in his own body — the paragon of the golden boy,” Mr. Mayer said. “But I know that there’s this other part of him that is very much like Seymour — he’s got insecurities, and he’s got this childlike passion for things that he can get obsessive about, in the way that Seymour is obsessed with the plant and with Audrey.”

Obsessions? Let’s just say that as a child, Mr. Groff would type out, from memory, scripts of “I Love Lucy” episodes (he also read books about Lucille Ball, a memoir by Desi Arnaz and a book about their company).

“I am a total nerd, and this role is actually closer to who I am as a person than the other parts that I’ve played on Broadway,” Mr. Groff said. “I have a whole side of me that isn’t the projected image,” he added. “I get this — I totally get it — and it feels like a natural fit.”

His physical transformation from hunky to homely has turned out to be surprisingly persuasive, so much so that this production has interpolated a recurring sight gag about the character’s unattractiveness that, by combining absurdity with plausibility, slays the audience (pardon the pun) over and over.

Mr. Groff, dressed by costume designer Tom Broecker in ill-fitting khakis and a vintage blue shirt, appears to cave in on himself during the first act of the show, as if he doesn’t even deserve to stand fully upright. He wears black mad scientist glasses, a beige cap and blue Chuck Taylors, and manages to look boxier and younger than he is in real life.

“The only way he’s not a Seymour is because he’s gorgeous,” Ms. Blanchard said. “But even that goes away — he just seems to shrink into this dorky thing.”

But is “Little Shop” more than a lark?

“It’s about something larger — it’s Faust,” Mr. Groff said. “It’s about greed, and how far you’ll go to get what you want.” But, he added, “the reason it ran for five years Off Broadway, and there’s a movie, and every theater in the world has done it, is because it so doesn’t take itself seriously.”

Visiting the botanical garden prompted memories for Mr. Groff, who said it reminded him of childhood trips to Longwood Gardens in his home state of Pennsylvania. “The smell!” he exulted.

He grew up in Lancaster County, where his father trains horses. He loved musicals, and dreamed of performing (early fantasy roles: Maria in “The Sound of Music” and Eliza in “My Fair Lady”). As a little boy, he dressed as Mary Poppins and Cinderella and Alice and Dorothy, as well as Peter Pan, before discovering the joys of Robin Hood.

He moved to New York instead of going to college, and after waiting tables and an early Broadway debacle (as an understudy in the short-lived “In My Life”) landed “Spring Awakening.” That show, he said, “was my college experience, in a lot of ways,” broadening his understanding of musical theater and increasing his appetite for risk.

He had known he was gay from an early age, and had been living with a boyfriend since he was 19; he came out to his parents shortly after leaving that show, at 23: “I said, ‘I’m gay, but I’m not going to be in a parade or anything.’”

By 2014, he was starring in the HBO series “Looking,” about a group of gay friends in San Francisco — and appeared as a grand marshal of New York City’s gay pride march.

“I started to just become way more comfortable,” he said. “When I came out it was sort of like, ‘If I could change it I would, but sorry, this is how I am,’ and then it took those years to feel like this is a part of me that I love and I would never want to change.”

He said coming out has had a generally positive impact on his career — he has been landing roles both gay and straight, and “ultimately the payoff has just been that I’ve been able to be more and more myself.”

And he’s happy. For the last year and a half he’s been dating Corey Baker, a choreographer from New Zealand he met while teaching at a musical theater summer school there. He lives in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, but also recently purchased a house adjoining his father’s horse farm, because he has a fantasy of eventually transforming the property.

“My ultimate dream is to turn it into a kind of artists’ colony for my friends to go make work,” he said.

Mr. Groff shuns social media — he said he doesn’t think his life is that interesting — and bikes around the city. He has no interest in clothing. He showed up for our photo shoot with three T-shirts — white, gray and black — proud that he had heeded a publicist’s advice to bring options.

Although he’s never quite sure what’s next career-wise, he likes the work he has.

“Mindhunter” was an unexpected pleasure — “I’m not naturally drawn to true crime,” he said — but he wanted to work with the director David Fincher, and has enjoyed the immersion in a new world, as well as the time filming in Pittsburgh, which allowed him weekends with his family.

Up next: “Frozen 2.” He won’t say much about what to expect, other than that Kristoff now gets his own song, and that the character is “ready to take it to the next step” with Princess Anna.

As we were wrapping up our conversation, I asked Mr. Groff about an article I had seen in a Pennsylvania paper, noting that he had been spotted in the audience for a community theater production of “Evita.”

Mr. Groff said he loves seeing theater where he grew up, and had been further inspired by the actor Michael Cerveris, who while filming “Mindhunter” had soaked up shows in Pittsburgh. So yes, he was at “Evita” with his 4-year-old niece, and he also made time to see “Mamma Mia!” at a theater where he had performed.

As we hopped into a golf cart to find our way out of the garden, he wanted to show me one more thing. He pulled out his phone, loaded with pictures of the cramped backstage at “Little Shop,” and swiped to a video in which he was running lines with that niece, who has been learning about the show in preparation for attending opening night.

“She’s apparently been telling the kids at her day care that she eats blood, and she’s obsessed with the plant’s eyes,” he said. “But I think she sort of gets that we’re playing pretend.”

[asexual-fandom-queen]

Pre-stoncy Jonathan and Nancy going to Scoops to flirt at Steve.

“Stop that,” hisses Nancy, the back of her hand striking quick and sudden against Jonathan’s bicep. Jonathan looks up at her with wide, surprised eyes, and immediately, his fingers still against the shirt button just below his navel, where the hem tucks into his jeans.

Nancy crosses her arms over her chest and does her level best to hide her own trembling fingers in the loose fabric of her blouse as she continues, “you look nice. Don’t be so nervous.”

Jonathan scoffs and rolls his eyes, nearly tripping over his own feet as he follows along at the breakneck pace Nancy’s set. The mall is crawling with people, school just having let out for the summer. Mothers congregate in groups in the food court, or bounce around like pinballs in an arcade from outlet store to outlet store, their children reeling in the sweet taste of unstructured time and lack of supervision.

“Easy for you to say,” Jonathan says, quiet as he can while still making himself heard over all the raucous activity. A kid no older than seven zooms across the mall aisle and nearly bodychecks him in the gut, and Jonathan does his best approximation of a pirouette to dodge the collision in time.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, seriously!” Nancy yells after the kid, one arm thrown out in exasperation, while Jonathan stumbles in place, taking a moment to find his footing again. The kid doesn’t so much as look back, and Nancy huffs loudly, shaking her head.

Jonathan leaves her a moment to stew in her annoyance before leaning in close to her ear and picking the conversation back up where they were cut off. “Steve already likes you,” he says.

Read the Rest Below the Cut, or Here on AO3. 

“Liked me,” Nancy amends, her lips pulling down into a dissatisfied frown. “You’re not the one who called your relationship bullshit and then stomped all over his heart.”

When Jonathan doesn’t answer right away, Nancy glances over at him, and the soft, besotted smile she’s met with goes far toward melting the anxiety weighing down her chest. “It would take a lot more than that for me to fall out of love with you, Nancy Wheeler,” he tells her.

She shoves gently at his shoulder, face hot and flushed, with her gaze glued to her feet. “Shut up, Jonathan.”

When she looks up at him through her lashes a few seconds later, he’s still smiling at her, but he’s more sombre now, and Nancy’s mood shifts to match his.

“I know,” Nancy whispers, even though Jonathan hasn’t said anything. He doesn’t have to. The more time they spend together, the more in tune they become, reading the other’s every thought plain as day on their faces. “It’s not like anything’s gonna happen anyway. But even just to be his friend. I’ve missed him.”

And even though Steve never meant to Jonathan half of what he meant to Nancy, he still remembers the night they fought the demogorgon under the flickering lights in his childhood home every time he closes his eyes. He remembers Steve’s face. Remembers what if felt like to have him come back for them.

He wraps his arm comfortingly around Nancy’s shoulder, lets her lean into his side, press her nose into his collar and breathe deep.

“Me, too.”  

~~~~~

“Welcome to Scoops Ahoy. Do you know what you want?”

Nancy fidgets nervously from foot to foot as subtly as she can, staring across the counter at the employee in her garish, blue sailor’s uniform, complete with the little hat. Her face is as bland and impassive as her voice, but her eyes are gorgeous and unmistakable. Nancy’s sure she remembers her from school, despite the fact that the name Robin engraved on her nametag does little to jog Nancy’s memory of specifically which classes.

“Um, is Steve around?” Nancy asks tentatively, trying for a smile, but only managing to twitch the corners of her lips spasmodically. Beside her, Jonathan waves once, short and curt, with the tips of his fingers, his other arm pressed closely to his chest. His smile is just as tight-lipped, but at least it stays in place.

Robin blinks, long and slow, then raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. “Why do I even work here?” she mutters. Then, just as Nancy’s about to try asking again, Robin turns on her heels and makes for the frosted glass window behind her.

“Hey, dingus,” she yells, smacking the glass with the flat of her palm until it rattles in the frame. Nancy flinches, and beside her, she feels Jonathan do the same. “It’s for you again.”

“Oh, no, no, no.”

Nancy hears the familiar voice before she even sees the first sign of movement from behind the frosted glass.

“I told those little shitheads not to get caught” – a shadow, then a monochromatic streak of blue in the shape of a man – “and then what do I hear from Dave from Panda Express?”

Finally, forcefully, the panes slide open, and whatever rant is poised on the tip of Steve’s tongue abruptly dies in his throat. He stares at them both, blinking owlishly, for a moment.

“Hey, Nance,” Steve says finally. He looks to her right, spies her company, then adds, hesitantly, “Jonathan.”

Jonathan nods to him, and Nancy waves, and Steve stares at them both, mouth working, until Robin hops up on the counter and pulls herself through the open frame.

“Well, this is lots of fun for me, but I’m going on my break now,” she provides, patting Steve on the shoulder on her way past, like she’s tagging him in. It takes Steve a second to get with the program, but when he does, he’s scuttling through the window himself and closing it shut behind.

“Hey,” Steve says again, like it’s as far as he’s been able to ride his train of thought since opening a window and finding his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend on the other side. Nancy can hardly blame him. She’s not doing much better.

“Hey,” she says back, but she takes it as a win, as Jonathan has yet to say anything.  

“I, uh,” Steve tries, brows knitting under his mop of thick, touchable, brown hair. It looks a little ridiculous with the sailor’s hat perched on top, but Nancy almost forgot – ridiculous is a good look on him. “I wasn’t expecting to see you two here. Least of all looking for me.”

Conspiratorially, Steve looks around the ice cream parlour, then leans over the counter, palms braced on the cold vinyl surface, so he can whisper to them. “Is there something… upside-downy going on that I should know about?”

Nancy and Jonathan, who leaned in close to hear him, reel back at once. “No, no,” Jonathan assures him at the same time as Nancy firmly asserts, “absolutely not.”  

“Okay,” Steve says, long and slow, nodding gently to himself as the crease in his brow only gets deeper. “I mean, did you want specifically my opinion on the ice cream flavours? Because Robin could have just given you some samples. We have, like, millions of these little plastic shovels, and it’s not like we really care how many of them you–”

“Steve,” Nancy says, cutting Steve off mid-ramble.

Steve stops dead, mouth open in a loose O shape. Nancy chuckles softly, then reaches across the counter to place a reassuring hand over Steve’s knuckles. She regrets it the second she does it. Steve draws his hand back like she’s burned him and casts furtive glances back and forth between Jonathan and the counter.

“Ah,” Nancy tries again with a short, awkward chuckle that drops some of the tension from Steve’s shoulders. Jonathan is stiff as a board beside her, but she can feel, every so often, his muscles trying to unclench before tensing up again.

“Do you guys wanna split a sundae?” Steve asks suddenly, sudden enough that Nancy and Jonathan both jump. “That’s a big hit with, uh– with couples when they come in.”

Nancy opens her mouth to reply, but doesn’t get a polite refusal out before Steve soldiers on. “On the house,” he offers. “Who’s gonna notice a few missing bananas, right?”

“You don’t have to give us free food, Steve,” Nancy protests.

“Okay, right, yeah,” Steve says, but he sounds less and less like he’s agreeing by the second. “No, sorry, I’m just not exactly following, I guess. If you’re not looking for the Monster Hunter Union Rate, what exactly am I doing for you?”

“Cocoon.”

“Huh?” Steve asks, his face a mask of confusion, and honestly, looking at him over her shoulder, Nancy thinks Jonathan looks just as surprised by his own outburst.

“Have you…” Jonathan trails off, his words escaping him for a moment until he’s able to wrangle them back into place. “Have you seen it, yet? It’s still playing here.”

“The one with the old people and the swimming pool?” Steve asks.

Jonathan nods. “You’ve seen it, then?”

Nancy can hear the disappointment in his tone.

Steve, though, shakes his head. “Nah, man,” he replies. “But we get enough people who come in after the movies let out that I’ve gotten the cliffs notes version of every freaking thing that’s been playing since I started.”

“Would you still wanna see it?” Nancy asks, trying to keep her tone casual.

Steve cocks his head sideways and screws up his face. “What’s the question, here?” he wonders. “Like, after hearing about the basics of the plot, do I still think it’s a worthwhile movie to watch, or–”

“Or would you like to watch it with us?”

Jonathan surprises Nancy, being the one to actually ask. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and sees he’s white as a sheet. Not that she blames him. Butterflies turn to knots in her stomach that pull and twist uncomfortably every time she breathes.

“Oh,” Steve says, and it’s quiet and weighty and makes Nancy squirm all the more.

“Listen,” he resumes. “You guys. It’s really nice of you to go out of your way to offer up an olive branch, and I appreciate it, I do. But you don’t have to let me crash your date because you feel weird about how everything went down between us.”

Just to hear Steve say the words between us sets a fire in Nancy’s belly, even though she knows, in the logical part of her brain, that he doesn’t mean between us the way she and Jonathan wish he did.

“I’m a big boy,” Steve continues. “And anyway, I’m over it.”

The assurance doesn’t reach his eyes, or at least, Nancy doesn’t think it does. Her own wishful thinking makes Steve harder to read, but she doesn’t think, at least, that he really wants to let things go so soon.

“You wouldn’t be crashing,” Nancy promises. “Plus, it’s not St. Elmo’s Fire. It’s a comedy. Harmless, right?”

To posit it as harmless means, to a certain degree, acknowledging they’re playing with matches, but Nancy hopes Steve won’t examine it that deep. Or at the very least, not have the courage to question her.

She should know him better.

“And what kind of harm exactly are you imagining, Nancy?” Steve asks.

They’re quiet for a moment, Steve staring the couple down, and them examining him in turn, each trying to complete the puzzle laid out before them without all the pieces.

“Come to the dumb movie with us, Steve,” Nancy says finally, unwilling to let the staring match continue any longer. “We have survived far worse things than trying to get along with each other.”

Steve scrunches his nose. “I’m not worried about getting along with you,” he admits, and it feels precarious, so when he says nothing more, Nancy doesn’t push.

“Well, good,” Nancy huffs, puffing out her chest and doing her best approximation of a person who knows what they’re getting themselves into. “Because we aren’t worried about that, either.”

“Byers?” Steve questions.

Jonathan’s been quiet, but his eyes flick quickly to meet Steve’s when he’s called upon, and, with steel in his spine, he holds that gaze as he replies, “what Nancy said.”

“So,” Nancy says firmly, crossing her arms over her chest and holding her head high to get as close to looking at Steve straight on as she can manage. “When are you done your shift so we know how much time to kill at JCPenney?”

Steve smirks in a way that feels so familiar, all of Nancy’s knots uncurl into butterflies again. “Give me an hour and I’ll meet you at the concession stand.”

“You’re buying the popcorn,” Jonathan says, matter-of-factly, and Steve balks.

“I make three dollars an hour!”

“We’re interns,” Jonathan and Nancy reply in tandem, and  Steve scoffs and shakes his head.

“New plan,” he says. “We meet back here in forty-five. Then at least the ice cream’s free.”

Nancy rolls her eyes. “How chivalrous of you.”    

“Look,” Steve sighs. “Any chivalry I had, if that was even any at all, I already gave to you. Now all that’s left is just Steve, alright?”

Jonathan smiles. “I guess Just Steve is okay.”

Steve smiles right back. “Oh, well, as long as guess so.”