#st sitcom edition

[onstoryladders]

Do you know those early 2000s to mid 2010s shows with 26 episodes per season and full of filler eps where one of the characters like, learns to play soccer or whatever, just for that to never be brought up again for the whole of the show?

If stranger things was one of those shows, what filler episodes would you write?

(originally sent this to foodiewithdahoodie but it was so great I'd love to see more answers now)

THIS IS SUCH A COOL ASK GDBDJDBDNDGDG

Alright so I would definitely use those filler eps to explore different relationships and dynamics! I would hate to let them go nowhere tho 😭

These ideas are mostly funny, with a 2000s sitcom/Disney Channel show vibe gdvdudbsb

❀ THE OBLIGATORY SPOOKY EPISODE

This could be set on a Halloween night, but whatever works! The kids find themselves in a spooky situation, maybe they decide to explore an abandoned house or get stuck somewhere and get scared because they think there are ghosts or something gfbrkfbdy this would be the kind of episode where the audience sees unlikely pairings working together after being separated from the others (imagine Madwheeler... it'd be hilarious!).

The ending would be left ambiguous. Are there ghosts in the house? Who knows 👀

❀ OBLIGATORY VALENTINE'S DAY EPISODE

Will works on a mysterious paintings for Valentine's Day and Mike is seething with jealousy... until he realizes that the painting is actually for him. But of course Will gives him some bullshit excuse like "I wanted to celebrate our friendship because that's love too!" (valid sentiment in general but not for THEM) and good ol' oblivious Mike doesn't suspect a thing.

The others realize it's bullshit immediately.

ALTERNATIVELY Mike is used to Will and himself not receiving anything for Valentine's Day, so he decides to leave an anonymous message/some chocolates in Will's locker, but then he realizes Will's actually already received some... because we all know Will pulls a lot of bitches 🙌🏻 so he's sad and jealous. And then Will leaves an anonymous message for him too! And maybe something makes Mike realize who the sender is and so he smiles to himself as he reads... 🥰

❀ THE JOB HUNT

Steve decides to quit his job and needs the help of his friends to find a new one. Disasters ensue, and in the end he begs his previous employer to get him back – absolutely nothing changes lmao

❀ THE FUNDRAISER

This is a must. The Party needs to get money for something important, and they come up with a ridiculous way to do it, potentially against the older teens' will gdbdbdhd I can imagine them doing something really dumb and Nancy and the others having to fix their mess before any of the adults find out. Siblings bonding episode!

❀ THROUGH HOLLY'S EYES

An entire episodes narrated through Holly's eyes! Through her interactions and the things she sees and hears in the Wheeler house. Byler crumbs 👀

❀ THE SECRET

A character has a secret and does whatever they can to keep the others from finding out, but one of their friends find out and they have to promise not to spill the tea and to help them. Lucas, Max and Dustin as a focus for this one would be great!

❀ THE BABYSITTER

Someone is stuck working as a babysitter and chaos ensues. I imagine Steve as a character who does 54747473 different jobs like Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig 💀 and he just ends up at the Wheeler house because Mike's parents don't trust him. So of course Mike has to find a way to get out of Steve's sight, and well... The Party is just waiting for an excuse to wreak havoc anyway 😈

They get in trouble and have to work together of course, so when the Wheelers get home they find all Mike's friends there and Steve like 🧍🏻‍��️

❀ SCHOOL HEIST

Max and Will have a very bad grade in a subject at school, and an important test is coming up, but neither of them are confident in their knowledge and so Will proposes to steal the answers!

Bonus points if they're not just doing it for the good grade, but also because they made a bet with the others that they wouldn't fail it lmao

Also it'd be hilarious if they got stuck somewhere and had to ask for help 🤣 and El finds them but she wants to tell the truth and so in the end Max and Will have to buy her silence lmao

❀ THE MAKEOVER

El gets asked out on a date but she has no idea what to do and Max isn't there. Luckily Nancy decides to help and gives her a makeover, but she also help her understan what she really wants and also that she doesn't have to go on a date if she doesn't want to!

So in the end they stay home and watch a movie or something gsgvdg and maybe there's a scene where El does Nancy's hair in a cute style 🥰

THIS WAS SUPER FUN TO WRITE THANKS!

[miwiheroes]

Bylers, we need to talk about something…

I’ve been having a lot of thoughts pertaining to what will happen in season 5 relating to byler recently, as have we all, but I’ve also been wondering about the audience’s reaction to it if it happens.

Actually, i’ve been more concerned not about the GA’s reaction, but our reaction to how they handle it. I just want to say beforehand, that I might be projecting my issues with negativity and conflict (i’m a very very optimistic person it’s rough being on social media these days lmao) and I also very much believe that they will make byler canon in some way or another. It just makes sense with the narrative. But I fear we will never be happy with how they do it and we never learn from our previous mistakes lmao

Before season 4 came out, I sort of was a fan of byler, but i was very very casual, as in I didn’t interact with many fan theories, I wasn’t on twitter (still not on there because I have a phobia of negativity eek) and I wasn’t on tumblr, I would occasionally check out the edits and fanarts and I think I was just Aware of it, because I always root for the gay ship to happen ofc..

So when season 4 vol. 1 came out I was excited about the direction they were taking byler, and I could see that it was finally canon that Will was gay, rather than theorised. When season 4 vol. 2 came out, I had not been on sttwt or st tumblr during the time between the volumes because I had other fandoms prioritised around the time. I watched the Van Scene with my parents and suddenly I was acutely aware of just how gay they were (because I always get scared of watching anything queercoded around my parents lmao).

By the end of season 4, I was like YES! this season was amazing for a byler set up next season, although i was more focused on other characters too. I then kind of saw the byler script stuff but not the full extent of it, and I saw many edits and fanarts of them but that was it!

Now it’s 2024 and I have a major hyperfixation on byler, (due to the season 5 bts and the fact stranger things keeps popping up on my fyp it’s crazy) and now I’m on byler tumblr (not twt tho .. sorry) to find all the evidence I can and get all hyped up for s5! But I’ve also seen old posts from around 2022…

Literally every single one was extremely disappointed from season 4 vol. 2, and I was confused, seeing as I was very happy with it and I liked byler (my fave byler scene is from vol. 2 and no it’s not the van scene). If I’m being totally honest, and I might get some hate for this, I think we all had wildly, wildly high expectations and the disappointment was our own doing.

I personally never really judge a show before it’s finished (obviously not sitcoms and shows like that) unless it has really really terrible writing ofc, but I always choose to reserve judgement until all the character arcs are wrapped up and I can look back and see why things were made to be.

I understand the whole anger with Mike’s behaviour towards Will and how Will was treated poorly by him, but isn’t that the point? Mike loving Will back in season 5 would then be more satisfying after all that. It’s a set-up for the next season, no?

I don’t know why or how people thought that Mike would suddenly resolve all his internalised homophobia or something during that season, and I reckon if the whole season had come out at once instead of two volumes (i hate the two volumes thing sm omg) people would have been much happier because we wouldn’t have had time to create insane theories or unrealistic expectations that, let’s be real, were not in line with what we have seen so far with byler.

So, I just want to say that I’m a little afraid for season 5, because I know that byler will likely be canon, but people just won’t be happy because it won’t be in the exact way that they had theorised. Sorry to break it to you, but you, random person on tumblr, are not a screen writer. More specifically, you’re not a screen writer for stranger things.

I think it’s fun to theorise at the moment, but I just want to remind people that this pattern has happened before and we never learn? Like, none of our theories are coming true. Not one of them. Did I theorise the exact van scene? Did I theorise the part at the end where Mike grabs Will’s shoulder? No. But am I happy with those scenes? Hell yeah.

So on the build up to season 5, I just want to caution everyone to not assume that specific things are going to happen when it’s just a result of an echochamber (such as the milkvan breakup scene being right at the beginning or the painting being brought up). You’ll just be angry for no good reason.

The only reasons I’m personally going to be angry with how they handle byler is:

1. If it’s not canon and Will’s love goes unrequited/ he has another love interest somehow…

2. If either of them die after having a relationship during season 5 (bury your gays is stUPID)

3. If one of them dies before the other gets to tell them they love them/ kiss

4. If they get together without Mike apologising (it could be in literally any way, obvious or not) for his poor behaviour.

But that’s it, the rest of it is literally up to them.

Hope ur not too mad, but it just needed to be said.

[blood-mocha-latte]

~ navigation ~

our daddies got hearts like crowbars. our mamas got cavities. everybody over the age of forty's got a box full of deer bones and a story about the time they met the devil himself and survived. got frayed coats and torn jeans. got hands that are calloused like their parents' hands. got gray hair and coal-dust lungs and mouths that don't like to sing no more.

- part iii of keaton st. james' "blacklung"

// links/blogs //

- archive of our own: mainly works for hbo war

- spotify: playlists for some of my fics/series found on ao3

- boytoye: an archive and daily blog for the ship luztoye

- luztoyeweek: an appreciation week and archive blog

tagging and other links below the cut <33

// tag system //

- rie talks: i talk about whatever thought crosses my mind

- rie posts: edits, memes, and higher-quality creations

- rie writes: drabbles and links to specific ao3 works

- rie answers: anything asks (not including drabbles)

// current projects //

- the five part series little talks, my canon era luztoye longfics

- favorite fanfics as vintage book covers - edits for authors <3

// wip tags //

- #little talks — seven part series canon era, mainly post-war. sporadic updates <33

- #​amor vecchio non fa ruggine — a luztoye when harry met sally inspired au

- #worse games to play — loosely based hunger games au. predominantly luztoye, but with oneshots for speirton and webgott

- #the mwdttau — the modern webgott divorced two times au

- #luztoye 60s au — the morning sun and it’s sequel, which is yet to come out

- #lilac wine — a longfic from 1943-1950 for demacon

- #slow show — modern/roommates au that's both heavy handed introspection into anxiety as well as very sitcom coded <3

[leverage-ot3]

I’m a leverage blog first and foremost, but I’m always open to chat about other fandoms too!

stuff I’m currently interested in: the hunger games, doctor who, the wilds, lockwood & co, etc

latent interests: stoncy from ST, geraskier/geraskefer, leverage (obviously)

below the cut are other blogs I have

(prefacing this by saying I KNOW IT IS A LOT!!! MY ADHD PREFERS THINGS CATEGORIZED)

@clearskiesandmistyeyes (main)

@inspirationsandarts (art, writing, etc)

@adultingmadeeasy (hacks, tips, etc)

@jaskierisbi (Witcher)

@lesbiabrobin (stranger things)

@nam-on-jo (asian dramas)

@netflixhyperfixations (netflix shows)

@disney-pixar-sony-etc

@black-stede (our flag means death)

@bi-caffrey (white collar/red notice)

@fortsalem (motherland fort salem)

@homo-sensorium (sense8)

@love-villaneve (killing eve)

@sapphic13th (doctor who)

@couldhavebeenus (good omens)

@love-tog (the old guard)

@love-joharvelle (spn)

@tonigoodkind (the wilds)

@polymarinelove (siren)

@courtneys-stargirl (dc shows)

@angelicearps (wynonna earp)

@love-mazikeen (lucifer)

@zukkibi4bi (atla)

@love-avatrice (warrior nun)

@love-juliesphantoms (jatp)

@januarysstarlight (the boys)

@love-rinch (person of interest)

@crowthieves (six of crows)

@love-patricklisbon (the mentalist)

@love-histories (history posts)

@love-fashions (fashion)

@love-traveling (traveling)

@until-we-are-all-free (social activism)

@happierblogging (happy things)

@edit-inspo-sideblog (edit inspo)

@canongayermo (wwdits)

@youngheartstoppers (young royals/heartstopper)

@love-bisandman (sandman + dead boy detectives)

@love-elliewilliams (the last of us)

@love-sitcoms (sitcoms: abbot, superstore, etc)

@lovelygardens (witchcraft)

@bisexualpercyjacksons (pjo)

@bieverlark (the hunger games)

@bi-cot3 (lockwood & co)

[ambient-horror]

I really want to talk about the overarching “Alice in Wonderland” parallels in TWF. Now that Martin actually said that in different circumstances the restaurant would be named “Wonderland”, it really makes you think back to the previous hints in the series.

The easiest thing to notice is, well, the rabbits. They are significant not just as superficial mascots, they are symbols. We have a “good rabbit/evil rabbit” dichotomy represented by Rocket and Bon. Rocket is the “good” rabbit, leading Sophie and the viewer to uncover the truth, while Bon is the “evil” one, luring victims to their deaths and punishing the ones who get too close. But they do have one thing in common: they lead you somewhere. Just like the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland”.

Next, Lewis Caroll used the quirky animal characters and magical creatures to allude to real events and make jokes about them, or to represent Alice’s real life family and friends in her dream. Sophie, after following the grey rabbit, meets a set of animal characters who tell a story about her family and friends in a cryptic manner. She also encounters a memory well (you know, a big hole in the ground), and dives deep into it. There are hints pointing at a later plot line, in which Sophie follows the rabbit into the woods (of St. Juana’s) and becomes part of the “Wonderland”, a.k.a. “Bon’s” (we’ve seen pictures of her wearing the purple uniform).

And finally, although superficially, the whole aesthetic of the restaurant, as seen in the commercial or teaser images from FJW. It seems closer to an early 20th century postcard or a children’s book, rather than modern, space fantasy style of the early 70s, or even bright, colorful flower power chic. I don’t want to compare two completely different media, but look at “Welcome Home”, which is also meant to mimic a 70s look. I am especially convinced about the influence of “Alice in Wonderland” on the aesthetic surrounding Bon’s Burgers, looking at Charles’s “0714” FJW page that shows a closeup of one of the corridors. It just screams “Alice”, with those chessboard floors, blue skies above, the vintage images of rabbits and sheep.

This post isn’t really going anywhere, I just wanted to point out all of these similarities and the influence of this classic story on TWF’s aesthetic and plot. Let’s just hope our Alice makes it out of her “dream land” alive.

Edit: I completely forgot about that teaser video that shows a fake sitcom titled "Wonderland" where the actors' names spell out "MISSING". It all comes together!

Edit 2: Brighton Ghosts page even has a non-clickable item titled "Alice in Wonderland" which I Just remembered about.

[rockislandadultreads]

Nonfiction Thursday: New Book Picks

Daughters of Latin America edited by Sandra Guzmán

Daughters of Latin America collects the intergenerational voices of Latine women across time and space, capturing the power, strength, and creativity of these visionary writers, leaders, scholars, and activists—including 24 Indigenous voices. Several authors featured are translated into English for the first time. Grammy, National Book Award, Cervantes, and Pulitzer Prize winners as well as a Nobel Laureate and the next generation of literary voices are among the stars of this essential collection, women whose work inspires and transforms us.

An eclectic and inclusive time capsule spanning centuries, genres, and geographical and linguistic diversity, Daughters of Latin America is divided into 13 parts representing the 13 Mayan Moons, each cycle honoring a different theme. Within its pages are poems from U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and celebrated Cervantes Prize–winner Dulce María Loynaz; lyric essays from New York Times bestselling author Naima Coster, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Guggenheim Fellow Maryse Condé; rousing speeches from U.S. Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, and Lencan Indigenous land and water protector Berta Caceres; and a transcendent Mazatec chant from shaman and poet María Sabina testifying to the power of language as a cure, which opens the book.

He/She/They by Schuyler Bailar

Go‑to expert on gender identity, Schuyler Bailar, offers an essential, urgent guide that changes the conversation. Anti-transgender legislation is being introduced in state governments around the United States in record-breaking numbers. Trans people are under attack in sports, healthcare, school curriculum, bathrooms, bars, and nearly every walk of life.  He/She/They clearly and compassionately addresses fundamental topics, from why being transgender is not a choice and why pronouns are important, to more complex issues including how gender-affirming healthcare can be lifesaving and why allowing trans youth to play sports is good for all kids. With a relatable narrative rooted in facts, science, and history, Schuyler helps restore common sense and humanity to a discussion that continues to be divisively coopted and deceptively politicized.

Schuyler Bailar didn’t set out to be an activist, but his very public transition to the Harvard men’s swim team put him in the spotlight. His choice to be open about his transition and share his experience has touched people around the world. His plain-spoken education has evolved into tireless advocacy for inclusion and collective liberation. In He/She/They, Schuyler uses storytelling and the art of conversation to give us the essential language and context of gender, meeting everyone where they are and paving the way for understanding, acceptance, and, most of all, connection.

The Golden Girls by Bernadette Giacomazzo

Over the course of seven years and 180 episodes, The Golden Girls altered the television landscape. For the first time in history, Americans (and, later, the rest of the world) were watching sexagenarians - and one octogenarian - leading active, vital lives. These were older women who had careers, families, lovers, and adventures, far from the matronly television characters of the past.

In The Golden Girls: A Cultural History, Bernadette Giacomazzo shows why this iconic sitcom is more than just comedy gold. She examines how, between all the laughs and the tales of St. Olaf, these women tackled tough issues of the time--issues that continue to resonate in the twenty-first century. From sexual harassment, ageism, and PTSD to AIDS, inter-racial relationships, and homosexuality, Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia weren't afraid to take on topics which were once considered taboo.

The Last Two by Boštjan Videmšek

Meet Najin and Fatu—the last of the northern white rhinos—as well as the scientists, conservationists, and rangers who are fighting for the species’ survival. The last two remaining northern white rhinos, an already functionally extinct species, are kept behind three electrical fences and protected by a squad of rangers at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Both are descended from the last male northern white rhino, Sudan. Najin is his daughter, while Fatu is his granddaughter. Along with Sudan and another male named Suni, they were transferred to Kenya in 2009, in the hope that returning them to their natural habitat might help them regain their zest for life and reproduction.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan. With the deaths of Sudan and Suni, the northern white rhinos’ destiny is now in the hands of their Kenyan caretakers and a team of scientists at the BioRescue international consortium, which is developing and using several different techniques to resurrect the species, including assisted reproduction and stem cell technologies. Will science prevail, or is it too late?

Journalists Boštjan Videmšek and Maja Prijatelj Videmšek explore this question by taking readers on a journey through the history of the northern white rhinos. They introduce the rangers, conservationists, and scientists fighting for the future of the northern white rhinos and dissect what led the species to the brink of extinction, from wars and climate change to poaching and the black market. The Last Two offers hope for the future of the environment and the fight to save the many species that call Earth home.

[fearsmagazine]

AS WE KNOW IT - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Buffalo 8

SYNOPSIS: “Set in Los Angeles in the late 1990s, struggling writer James Bishop grapples with the emotional shrapnel of a recent breakup with his longtime girlfriend, Emily. As James holds up in his Hollywood Hills home with writer's block, his eccentric best friend Bruce shows up with bad news. The city has plunged into chaos by an unusual zombie outbreak, courtesy of tainted soy milk, wreaking havoc on James' semi-charmed kinda life. With the streets of Los Angeles swarming with the undead, James, Bruce, and Emily come together to barricade themselves in the house while reconciling their personal struggles. And occasionally, letting in the only food delivery service still operating, Abracadabra.” -Press Release

REVIEW: Josh Monkarsh’s film feels like a play as James’ home is the main setting and much of the story unfolds in the living room, kitchen and bedroom. The limited locations add to the feel of a 90’s sitcom, from “Seinfeld,” to “Friends” and the late 90’s “Freaks & Geeks.” Clearly these characters are in their mid to late 20’s but their lack of maturity make them seem much younger.

Monkarsh, DePaolo and Francis’s script is jam packed with 90’s references and bits and gags that rely on period as well. One of the jokes between James and Bruce is their love of “Waterworld,” which they watch on a laserdisc (yes, I still have a player and a collection of laserdiscs). It is clearly a love letter to that period of time when life was simpler and complicated in different ways before the advent of the smartphone, tablets and laptops. The absurdity of the zombie plague being caused by tainted soy milk takes a back seat to the relationship between the three characters, and Rory, the delivery person who happens to be an old acquaintance of Bruce, makes for a nice distraction.

The film has a rather dry pacing, and even Bruce’s chaotic moments come at a slower pace. There is an overall malaise that you would expect from the zombies. Somehow it all works and becomes engaging. Each actor brings elements to their performances that make for likable and sympathetic characters, even Bruce. It’s a great ensemble cast, but I have to say actor Danny Mondello creates this memorable character that could have easily been cliched but comes off fresh and memorable, like an early Joe Pesci performance. Actor Chris Parnell received a nice amount of screen time, with an additional scene during the credits, and it would have been nice to see a bit more of Pam Grier.

I enjoyed the cinematography, costumes and production designs that captured the period. The editing sustained my viewing engagement. The zombie make up and designs are simple and effective, as well as the special effects, with nothing too gorey. I liked Michl Britsch’s score. It enhanced the comedic tones of the film and added slightly more energy to the film.

AS WE KNOW IT is a relationship comedy set against the backdrop of a zombie outbreak taking place in Los Angeles. The film is kind of a 90’s American slacker reworking of “Shaun of the Dead,” with a tone similar to Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don't Die,” but without some of the film’s more bizarre moments. A fun and mildly funny trip down memory lane with some likable characters who take center stage over the zombies. Monkarsh does a nice job with the material but given his film credits to date I’m not sure when and if will see Monkarsh venturing into the horror genre again soon.

CAST: Mike Castle, Oliver Cooper, Taylor Blackwell, Chris Parnell, Pam Grier, and Danny Mondello. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Producer - Josh Monkarsh; Screenplay - Brandon DePaolo & Christopher Francis; Producers - Daniel Cummings, K. Asher Levin & Joshua Fruehling; Cinematographer - Stephen St. Peter; Score - Michl Britsch; Editors - Yvonne Valdez & Rebecca Weigold; Production Designer - Lorus Allen; Costume Designer - Zoe Poledouris-Roche; Special Effects - John McConnell; VFX Supervisor - Kevin Vanhook. OFFICIAL: https://asweknowitmovie.com/ FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/-0U1pgXaygk?si=MqlxM792N7xDsdPX RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10th New York City, Chicago, Seattle; Nov. 15th Los Angeles; Nov. 17th Boston; Dec. 1st Calabasas.

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[firespirited]

Yesterday was day 5 of body on fire. I managed to make a gorgeous bouquet of our garden's flowers for mum's bday, walk Lily then Talia. It was 6-6.30 early Sunday morning but I met 2 neighbours who wanted to chat and an old family friend who needed to vent. So by the end I was in hives all over from exhaustion which is a sign you've overdone it. Came home, pulled myself together somewhat to have breakfast with mum and then just collapsed for 7 hours in a feverish headachey daze.

It was actually a really nice day but if I possibly can I want to skip the steroids today, they add an extra dimension to the exhaustion or maybe just a better awareness of that deep ache like a big cry you need but can't do, a hunger to go into a sleep coma for as long as it takes.

Once I've got a teensy bit of energy spare I'd really like to continue the doll sort out. It got derailed by taking heads out of the bundle and adding more. So new collages or group pictures.

Then restart work on the condensed web 1.0 version of the tutorials. Wishes - horses - i know i know. Besides, physio comes first.

I'm watching the latest season of the Orville as I needed something just really familiar and chill. The one hour format is not good for the show, it's slightly too slow and lingers on the actors in a way that feels like a sitcom or a soap opera, I can't quite explain why but there's a writing/editing/filming pacing decision that cheapens their acting. It's a delightful series but it feels a lot like when ST: enterprise hadn't yet put in A plots with sub B plots so it was meandering around the first couple of seasons with a lot of standing around looking awkward. But yeah my brain starts zoning out during the extensive cgi or conversations that go nowhere. They're delivered in a zippy way but we're not actually moving anywhere emotionally. But the characters have a lot of potential so I'll stick with it for now.

[an-atlas-or-other]

I dont know why the crew portrait of STS-102 is so funny to me.

Look at it. It's so funny. The stellar editing. The hair. They look like teachers in a high school sitcom. Some of them look like teachers at my high school. I love the way they threw the three pictures together on top of another photo and haphazardly edited in the ISS in the corner like they forgot they had to include it. And something about it is so 70's to me, I don't know why.

[evies20dollars]

I posted 11,509 times in 2022

That's 4,369 more posts than 2021!

56 posts created (0%)

11,453 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@princessrhcenyra

@catradoratwtgoodies

@thefabulousfab-3

@livelovecaliforniadreams

@yourstormthlaylirahh

I tagged 10,821 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#fanart - 1,255 posts

#toh - 1,204 posts

#toh spoilers - 737 posts

#spop - 703 posts

#hunter - 648 posts

#wwdits - 568 posts

#catra - 560 posts

#arcane - 540 posts

#adora - 531 posts

#the wilds - 481 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#anyways i love queer i can denote that i don't fit in the cishet box without having to tell you my specific sexuality and gender it's lovely

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I feel like the people who keep saying "stop criticizing the episode, this is the shits and farts show" have a genuine lack of comprehension of the show as a whole. Even if you don't want to criticize it, what happened in this episode was emotional and a violation with deep seated consequences and the narrative KNOWS IT even if these viewers don't.

The way Guillermo asked why he couldn't just have one thing to himself, how irreparably depressed he is after what happens-- it's serious. In the narrative it is framed seriously. Yes, this show is full of farts and shit and dick jokes, but that's not ALL it is and the fans saying to lay off because of it are doing the show as a whole a disservice.

And frankly? Even if it was exclusively a sitcom with no longer story arcs or genuine emotional beats, which it isn't, we'd still have the right to think critically about it and call out misogynistic writing or anything else deserving criticism

310 notes - Posted August 31, 2022

#4

Oluwande: I can't believe you’re literally from St. Augustine and you didn’t tell any of us

Jim: You people already know too much about me

Oluwande: I know exactly three facts about you, and one of them is that you’re from St. Augustine

706 notes - Posted April 2, 2022

#3

I’m rewatching Turning Red, but in portuguese for language practice and i’m like 95% sure Tyler shouted “casa comigo!” at his favorite 4Town guy which for those of you who don’t speak portuguese, means “marry me!” so basically what i’m getting at here is we have a classic case of “y yo a ti” and portuguese Tyler is gay

Edit: I've confirmed that is what he says and for anyone who wants to see here you go:

See the full post

985 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

#2

Thinking about how Belos not only decided to kill Hunter before he even betrayed him, but specifically manipulated and led him through all the memories that showed how horrible Belos is, how little he cares about Hunter, and would make him likely to betray him even though Hunter expressed as soon as he entered Belos' mind that he just wanted to get out. He didn't go looking to explore Belos' memories, yet Belos deliberately chose to lead him through them and to choose ones to break him. In conclusion, The Collector was right:

1,272 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

4,999 notes - Posted May 21, 2022

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[tvguidancecounselor]

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 570: Samantha Ferris

TV Guide CANADA June 3-9, 1978 Edmonton-N.Alberta Edition

This week Ken welcomes actor and proud Canadian Samantha Ferris (Supernatural, The 4400).

Ken and Samantha discuss who Ken has never been Canada, Vancouver's production community, Hollywood North, CBC, The Beachcombers, 21 Jump St., Wiseguy, X-Files, why Sci-Fi films in Canada, starting as a weather girl, Rainy Janey, being a talk radio host, rock jocks, Danny Bonaduce, how everyone thinks Sam is a guy, becoming an actor later in life, getting "tits in a suit" jobs, reporter roles, Along Came a Spider, Monica Potter, not getting the mom roles, embracing getting the strong women roles, laugh track sitcoms, loving Happy Days, Fish, Barney Miller, Three's Company, Good Times, The Jeffersons, The Partridge Family, M*A*S*H being your comfort food, MeTV, meeting Jaime Farr and Loretta Swit, meeting your heroes, not meeting your heroes, working Conventions, embarrassing moments, how great Cassandra Peterson is, not having access to celebrities, talk shows, seeing your heroes age, how bad it was when people didn't get royalties, Jimmy "JJ" Walker, Don Most, doing video game voices, Borderlands, motion cap, PONG, Supernatural superfans, looking voluptious on camera, not being able to watch yourself in things, Beggers and Choosers, sex scenes with Jim Belushi, Cindy Williams, Gabe Kaplan, Corbin Bernsen being very into himself, actors badly behaved, crapping on a dress literally, child actors, Curtis Armstrong being the greatest, Jim Beaver as the nicest man alive, showing up and knowing your lines, never piss off the people who are supposed to make you look good, directing advice, actors who are odd but might be assholes, only remembering the bad, and the absolute greatness of Chris Isaak. 

Check out this episode!

[felteppsters]

Landslide

Pairings: Eddie Munson X fem!reader

Rating: PG13? I mean, there really isn’t anything here but lots and lots of fluff. A few swear words but. 

Summary: You’re bored. You complain to Eddie about not getting to have a real adventure in Hawkins. He of course takes it into his own hands to give you the best day ever. 

Word Count: 11.1k - oops?

A/N: So, hey guys. This isn’t a writing blog, but I had this idea and I wasn’t able to shake it. I had to write it down. It’s going to suck, and you really don’t have to read it but .. here it is. I wanted to thank @lordhalbrand @blueeyesatnight @something-tofightfor @st-eve-barnes and @withoutaplease for backing me up and helping me out when I needed it. Plus, convincing me to post it! Specual thanks to @justabitofbna foe helping edit! I don't know if I'll ever write anything else - but please enjoy!

1993. Hawkins, Indiana.

“Eddie… where are we going?” 

“Princess - it wounds me that you don’t trust me enough to take care of you. I promised you an adventure, let me give it to you.”

Letting out a soft huff and unable to resist the pull of a small smirk to your lips, you cross your arms, and settle deeper into the passengers seat of Eddie’s old beat up van. You loved this rust bucket just as much as he did. Hell, you were there with him when he bought it; a 1971 Chevrolet. The medium green (more of a grass in your opinion), and white paint job reminded you of some stupid sitcom from the 70’s that your parents still watched the reruns. The passenger side mirror had a dangerously precarious crack that you were worried one heavy slam would split the glass completely into two halves. You were almost positive that the overwhelming smell of lilacs would never leave the fabric. Now it was drowned out by the strong scent of nicotine and the faint scent of weed. Eddie always thought that his black, metal lunch box hid the smell, and for the most part it did its job, but sometimes a rogue bud escaped the plastic wrapping and ended up beneath the drivers seat.  

It wasn’t anything special, but to Eddie, oh to your best friend, it was. It wasn’t his first taste of freedom, but it was a catalyst to the untouchable horizon. 

Ever since he was a kid, Eddie had more freedom than most. With his mother’s unfortunate passing when he was five, and his father’s seven-to-ten year jail sentence, seven year old Eddie wasn’t being looked after by anyone. It wasn’t until he had to move in with his Uncle Wayne in Forest Hills, that things seemed to settle into a normalcy for the young boy. 

This led to the fateful day that young Eddie Munson, ran into you. Quite literally. You had your eyes on the ground, counting number by number as you jumped square by square. Your high ponytail bounced with each jump as you made your way back and forth over the poorly drawn hopscotch in the grass. You were so busy staring, trying to read the numbers that you didn’t see the metal can soaring through the air and hitting you right into the back of your head. 

You should have cried. The tin can had quite the velocity, but you didn’t. You picked up the invasive object, stared at the boy, and chucked it back in his direction. You got in trouble for it, of course, but you wouldn’t have had it any other way. Because that day, you gained a best friend. The best friend that a seven year old could have ever asked for. It was strange to think that a little tin can could have introduced you to the best thing that ever happened to you. 

The two of you were thick as thieves growing up. You had sleepovers every Friday night, where you attempted to stay up in either your bedroom or Eddie’s, talking away but never being able to actually make it past eleven. You spent hours between your trailers, pretending you were dragons, and damsels in distress - you definitely made sure to play the dragon, or the knight as much as possible. You weren’t some damsel, and Eddie knew that.

It wasn’t until it was his ninth birthday that gave him the best birthday present, the present that would change his life and help carve out the nerd that you knew and loved so deeply to this day. You gifted him his very first Dungeons and Dragons book. It came out that year, and you knew he’d been so excited to get it. Money was tight; Wayne was working long hours to keep the lights on, keep the trailer cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and food in the fridge, Eddie had never mentioned it to his uncle, but he mentioned it to you. You saved up for months with your weekly allowance, but when his birthday came you were still short. Your parents loved Eddie as if he were one of their own, so they covered the last little bit and helped you get the dark wood-grained box. 

A new excitement caused his eyes to glitter when he bought his beautiful, red and black B.C. Rich Warlock. It was like the second that lava-looking beast entered his life, he was complete. He called her his Sweetheart. You hadn’t seen his eyes light up with so much excitement like that in your life. 

Of course, there was a little glint in Eddie Munson’s eyes - not too dissimilar to the one when he got his prized possessions - as he put his black and white skull bandana around your eyes. It screamed mischief, trouble, and though you knew that part of you should be a little bit worried at the grin that had crossed his beautiful features, you trusted Eddie with your entire life. He was your best friend, and soulmate. You knew he wouldn’t put you in any position that you wouldn’t want to be in. 

When you told Eddie that you hadn’t been on any type of adventure, he first looked like you stabbed him in the heart. He was appalled and hurt that you wouldn’t consider your daily routines an adventure. He placed his hand on his heart, letting out a shocked gasp, shouting “My heart! It’s broken!”  You giggled and shoved at his shoulder with a scoff and a roll of your eyes before a grin broke out on his face. He knew you didn’t consider the daily routines of school, guitar practice and movie nights with him an adventure, even though they were things you both held close to your hearts and promised you that he was going to take you on the best adventure of your life. 

That was how you ended up here in his passenger seat; your fingers drummed softly on the plastic interior door, matching the beat of Metallica’s Master of Puppets. You could hear his hands banging against the steering wheel to the guitar solo, his metal rings clinking against one another each time his flesh collided with the leather. You rolled the window all the way down, your nose catching the scent of Summer slowly inching its way toward Fall. The breeze was cool as it brushed the bits of your face that weren’t obscured by the cloth. 

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself, remembering how for practically three weeks straight he worked on learning this song. You sat on his bed, with whatever book you were reading at the time in your lap as he listened to the song over and over. His ear picked up on each note, each beautiful string, and he copied it as if he was a member himself. You had to admit, it was quite the talent. You’d never say it to his face, because he would never let you live it down; but Eddie Munson was a guitar God. 

You told him once that if he just thought of school like the music he loved so dearly that he might be able to focus on his work well enough to finally graduate. You had no idea that your advice actually hit home, and Eddie Munson was able to finish Ms O’Donnell’s class with a C and graduate. He walked across that wooden stage, his green cap and gown completely swallowing his thin frame. You stood with his beloved flock - the entirety of the Hellfire Club - your hands cupping your mouth as you celebrated in the crowd. Your grin was wide, and you couldn’t help the tears that pricked at the corners of your eyes. You were so proud of him.  

For the past couple of weeks, Eddie had worked on another song. For a while, you thought maybe he’d been working on writing something for Corroded Coffin, but he wouldn’t let you anywhere near his trailer when he practiced. Which, admittedly at first, wounded you, but it was Eddie. You were sure that once he was ready for you to hear it, he wouldn’t hesitate. 

“Eddie, seriously, where the hell are we going?” You shouted, having to raise your voice over the sound of both Eddie pounding his fingers against the steering wheel, and the guitar riff currently pouring from the speakers.

The music was turned down, and you felt a heat placing itself on your denim covered thigh. You could feel the bits of his skin peaking through the rips in the black fabric, and couldn’t help the slight shiver run up your spine. It was a good shiver, a very good shiver. 

“Patience, princess. It’s a virtue, you know.” 

His voice was like molasses, thick and warm that coated your insides in a specific warmth, while just a simple touch set your outsides on fire, like a forgotten cigarette. 

Eddie Munson had no idea what his presence did to you, and for that you were both eternally grateful, and a little bit disappointed.

The times where the two of you were curled up in his trailer, while Wayne worked for the night, a blue ceramic bowl full of buttery popcorn placed in your lap, your legs nestled in his lap - he wouldn’t let them go anywhere else. He would place his palm around your ankle and give it a squeeze, a slight massage, or work his way up your calves. All the while his eyes were glued to the movie in front of you, but your heart would always beat painfully against your chest, your breath always short. 

A squeeze to your thigh brought you back to the present again and you had to resist the urge to reach down, to link your fingers together. 

“We’re here.”

You couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement run through you as you felt the van pull to a stop. Your hand blindly reached for the handle of the van, aiming to let yourself out but you heard Eddie scramble out of the drivers side, and could only imagine him racing around the hood of the vehicle. You were right on your assumption when the door was opened for you. Warm hands donned with the contrast of four cool, metal rings closed around your wrists to help you out.

You were slightly unsteady on your feet, but you felt the same set of hands move to grip you by the waist, “Steady, princess. I got you.” 

Licking your lips, your hands went to his shoulders to hold yourself steady. The denim was rough beneath your fingers as they curled. “You gonna tell me where we are yet?”

His chuckle was a warm burst of air across your face. You could smell a hint of the minty toothpaste he used this morning as it battled to overpower the smell of his most recent cigarette. Your body was gently positioned and moved. It was if you were a doll being moved from place to place. He reached behind you, the van door closing with a soft slam, “You are the most impatient woman I’ve ever met.” 

Though you couldn’t see his face, you could hear the grin in his voice, and you couldn’t help but match it. “Yeah, but you love me, Munson.”

“Shh!” His hand immediately covered your mouth, ”Don’t be so loud! You might just ruin my reputation as the town Freak.”

You snorted behind his palm. Your tongue poked out to lick at it, and you snickered as he pulled it away with a scoff, “You can just pretend that you put me under some sort of Satanic spell or something.” 

“That may work, but there is some logic missing in your explanation, princess.” You felt him guide you as if he were a Border Collie herding sheep toward a gate, toward whatever surprise he planned. “You’re labelled as the Queen of Hellfire. No one is going to believe that I was the one to convert you. Pretty sure people believe that you’re secretly the culprit to my downward spiral into devil worshiping.” 

Your hand shot out to shove at his shoulder, but you completely missed as he dodged it. You stumbled, being ever so clumsy even when you could see, which caused him to chuckle. “You’re just doing this for fun, aren’t you? You’re enjoying my pain.”

“Now that, I will admit that I am eternally guilty of.”  He started, his hands an ever calming, anchoring presence on your shoulders as he led you. “But I will admit that making you smile is also a guilty pleasure of mine.” Your body jolted to a sudden stop, his hand moving to rest on the small of your back as you could only imagine you’d made it to the surprise. 

“Eddie…” you trailed off. Your hand blindly reached for him, your fingers closing in around the bits of leather that peeked out from beneath his denim vest. You wanted to tell him that he always made you smile, he didn’t have to go out of his way to do it. But you were silenced once more, this time with a finger to your lips instead of a hand. He gently pried your fingers from the leather and moved it forward until it grasped a cylinder style door handle. 

With his hand surrounding yours, he used the grip supplied by both of your palms to pull the door open to the sound of whooshing air. You were immediately hit with a wave of scents; nacho cheese, stale beer, and some kind of disinfectant. There was the sound of dull rock music, multiple clunks echoing through the room, followed by what sounded like the roll of thunder. Your lips parted, before a grin broke out on your face. Your dark purple polished nails yanked the well-loved bandana from your eyes as you spun to face your favourite metal head. 

“Eddie!” You squealed out. “Lucky Strikes?!” 

Lucky Strikes was the newest edition to Hawkins, Indiana. It moved into the most recent vacant spot, just under a block away from The Palace; the arcade where you, and Eddie would take his little flock of sheep sometimes after a good campaign to wind down. It joined the towns roster shortly before Eddie had graduated, and you both had meant to check it out, but time never seemed to line up. Plus, you had no idea how much renting a lane, and shoes would actually cost, not to mention the food that Eddie was more than likely going to put away like a garbage disposal. 

Eddie’s face was bright. His dark button like eyes resembled the stars sparkling in the night sky. He stood a few feet away from you, his arms spread wide to either side of him, as if presenting the bowling alley to you. “Surprise, princess. I know that you’ve been wanting to come by - sorry that it’s taken so lo-“

His voice was cut off by the force of your body slamming into his at full speed. The air was forced from his lungs, and it took him just a few seconds before he wrapped his arms around you in return. “Well, I expected some kind of thank you, but it sure as hell wasn’t this. Not that I’m complaining.”

Pulling away, your hands moved up to cup his cheeks. They were warm beneath your palms, his eyes glassy and his smile wide, “Eddie Munson, you are a God damn genius.”

“Ooh, taking the Lord’s name in vain - you sure you’re not the one that’s corrupting me?”

Quirking your brow at him, you backed up a little bit and decided to pull the same pose that he loved to pull on everyone else. You lifted your hands up to the sides of your head, pointer fingers up and your tongue slid out from between your lips. 

Eddie just grinned, “That’s my girl.” He pulled away, extended his hand out to his side and bowed in your general direction, “After you, your highness.” 

“Why thank you, kind sir.” Doing a little bit of a curtsey yourself, followed by that weird movement you do when you’re trying to shuffle past someone in the grocery store - so that you’re not in the way - you made your way further into the bowling alley. You could feel your body vibrating, and knew that you had a bit of a pep in your step, an excitement at doing something new.

Skipping further into the bowling alley with your hands clasped behind your back, you made your way up to the counter with your best friend in toe. Eddie bumped into you as he splayed his arms across the counter, taking up as much space as he could. His distinct scent, the Eddie scent, filled your senses. It drowned out the smell of stale beer and greasy nachos. What you could smell was faint smoke, leather, weed, cedar and the eucalyptus leaf scented shampoo that he used. It was so much, and yet not enough at the same time. His scent always made you feel like you were at home, like a blanket on a cold winters night.

You let out a gasp as a head popped up from behind the counter, both you and Eddie recoiling at the sudden intrusion. “Keith?” You blinked, staring at the man. “I thought you were working at Family Video?”

Keith, who always reminded you of a sloth in human form, leaned forward on the counter, invading what little space you and Eddie had left. He had a Twizzler pinched between his teeth as he eyed the two of you, before yanking on it and chewing what little bit was left in his mouth. His hand, still holding the red liquorice, pointed with the candy in your direction. “I am,” he replied through a mouth full of the candy. 

You waited for him to continue with the conversation, but he didn’t. “O-kay…” You drawled out the word, glancing at Eddie out of the corner of your eye. 

Before the awkward sentence could be drawn out longer than necessary, Eddie smacked his hands on the counter, still spread out, and gave Keith his award-winning smile. “We would like to rent a lane, and two pairs of shoes, if you would be so kind.”

Nodding, Keith typed in the prices for the lane - which according to the board was rented per hour - and the shoes, and mumbled out the total. Simultaneously, you and Eddie both reached for your wallets to pull out cash.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Eddie asked, blinking in your direction.

“Eddie, this isn’t exactly cheap - let me pay for my half.”

“Uh, that’s a big no, princess. This was my idea, I’m not going to have you pay for it.”

Glaring at him, your eyes narrowed as your fingers stealthily reached into the pocket of your wallet.You hoped you snatched the right amount of cash. Before you could slam it on the table, Eddie scooped you up around the waist, spun you around, and deposited you so that he was between the counter and your body. He spun himself back around, and quickly slapped the cash onto the counter, and a little extra so that he wouldn’t have to stick around and wait for Keith to give him his change. His arm made its way around your shoulders, leading you away from the counter and toward the shoe racks. 

“You two are on lane five!” Keith called out to them, to which Eddie lifted his arm and waved backwards, letting Keith know that he was heard.

“You’re un-fucking-believable, Munson.” You mumbled, stuffing the wallet back into your back pocket, the chain attached to your jean belt loop. Just to make sure that it was secure in case someone decided to steal it. The wallet and chain had been a gift from Eddie for Christmas, when you had lost yours, thinking it had been secure in your pocket.  

Eddie chuckled into your hair, pressing his lips to your temple, “Learn to let someone spoil you for once.” He teased, releasing you so that the both of you could search for a pair of the smelly, leather and rubber soles. 

You watched him out of the corner of your eye, trying not to smirk to yourself as he made a face once he located his size. Clearly, the shoes weren’t satisfactory. Then again, neither were yours. It made sense. When were bowling shoes supposed to look fashionable? 

Sitting yourself across from your best friend, on one of the poorly cushioned plastic chairs, you continued to sneak glances up at him as you slipped loose the shoelaces on your black Converse. You pulled the offending leather shoe on, trying to forget that many other people wore this exact pair of shoes. At least everyone had to wear socks. Placing your hands on your knees, you used the leverage to push yourself up before sauntering over to the counter. With a smile to Keith you grabbed a pencil and piece of paper, you made your way back to Eddie, waving the objects in the air. 

Eddie shot up, snatching the pen and paper from your hand and smacking it gently against your forehead. “Do you want to start, or shall I?”

“Flip a coin?” You asked, reaching into your back pocket once again to pull out your wallet. You searched for a reasonably sized coin in case you dropped it. “Heads or tails?”

“Heads.”

Nodding, you flipped the coin in the air, watching as it went end over end until you frantically tried to catch it. You wanted to do the cool thing where one caught it and put it on the back of their hand before the final reveal. But you missed it. You waited to hear the sound of it clinking on the polished floor beneath your feet, but Eddie seemed to have caught it just in time. He smacked it against the back of his hand, before revealing it. 

Tails.

“Ha!” You grinned, tapping his nose. “Get ready to get absolutely schooled, Munson. I’m going to bowl you into the ground.” 

“Absolutely school… bowl me into the ground?” Eddie scoffed, sliding into his seat. His arms spread on the backs of the chairs, his legs spreading as well as he eyed you from his spot. “Princess, I think that’s probably one of the lamest things I have ever heard you say. I think I’m going to have to revoke your Queen of Hellfire status.”

Plucking up one of the heavier balls made for a ten pin, you slipped your three fingers inside of it. You flipped Eddie the bird with your free hand. Satisfied with his laughter, you grasped the heavy bowling ball to help your three tiny little fingers with the weight. “Come on,” you murmured to yourself. “You can do this.”

Moving toward the line, you took in a deep breath and lowered your body. Pulling your arm back, you released the ball from your grip as you swung it forward. You let it go, your three fingers slipped from the holes and the bowling ball soared through the air for a moment, before crashing into the wood, it careening down the alley toward the pins. 

Tilting your head, you did a tiny little shimmy, trying to magically pull the ball toward the middle, instead of the right where it was heading. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth and let out a soft sigh when only one pin fell.

“Going to school me, huh?” You heard.

“Shut up. Nothing needed from the peanut gallery,” you murmured. 

Fuck, that man was never going to let you live it down. 

Trying to block the smug look on his face from your mind, you bowled once more. Unfortunately, not every pin was knocked down. There was that one final pin left on the left side, and you let out a low groan.

You pouted at the offending pin, watching as the machine at the end of the alley reset the pins for the opponent who sat behind you. You could almost feel him before his hands actually placed themselves onto your hips. It was like an energy that the two of you shared. Something that no one else understood. You finished each other sentences. Eddie would reach for your arm and pull you away from a puddle or a tree branch that you’d never noticed. 

He spun you around in his arms, backing you up until the backs of your knees hit the plastic chairs. He gave you a slight little nudge so that you did in fact, sit down. “Here - why don’t you sit down and watch the master at work?” 

Your lips parted to retort, but he already slunk off toward where the bowling balls gathered. Pausing, he took the snowflake obsidian ring that he wore on his ring finger on his left hand, and deposited it into his jean pocket. He stuck his tongue out, letting it press to the top of his lip in more concentration than was necessary as he chose a ball. Your brows shot up, blinking as he took longer than you expected him to until he picked a ball that looked like the night sky; black, with hints of purple and blue. All it was missing was stars to make up constellations. 

Eddie took the ball and moved into position. He adjusted his stance like a pitcher, shifting slightly. He swung his hips from side to side, earning a laugh from you, which caused him to smile. He pulled his arm back and released the ball, watching, watching, watching until it decided to knock down only half. He went a second time, and managed to get a spare. He shot his hand up in the air with a hoot, causing you to roll your eyes.

“Yeah-yeah, don’t get ahead of yourself there, Munson. First one was just a warm up shot,” you shot back, moving to stand and wiping your suddenly clammy hands against your jeans. “Watch. Next one, it’ll be a strike.”

But you didn’t get a strike on the next ball, or the one after that. You managed it on your eighth frame, but Eddie wasn’t doing much better. You were both pretty close in scores. In fact, so close that the only way that Eddie was going to be able to beat you, was if he got his first strike. 

The tongue was back out as he moved to the line for his final shot. You leaned over slightly to get a better view of the ball as he released it down the alley. The rolling of thunder as it barrelled down the lane toward the pins. You sat up straighter, leaned further, even stood up a little bit as you watched the ball stay on a straight path, colliding with the middle pin, and knocking them all down. 

Your mouth fell open in shock as Eddie’s strike brought him soaring past your score. He won the game. He had that ever stupid smirk on his lips as he sauntered his way over to you. He placed his hands on either side of your shoulders and bent down far enough that you could smell the nacho cheese and canned salsa that you insisted on buying. He, of course, fought you on it but you snuck over to the stand when he took a bathroom break. 

“What was that about bowling me into the ground, princess?”

“Oh, shut up,” you replied, though your voice had no bite, no bark, barely even loud enough to register in your own ears. “That was just a lucky shot.”

Rolling his eyes, he moved to sit next to you. He removed the rented shoes to slip back into his Reeboks, while you did the same with your Converse. Eddie reached down for both pairs of shoes, and headed back to the racks.  He placed them in the spot where they would be cleaned and ready for the next unfortunate soul. 

Pulling his ring out of his pocket, he placed it back in its rightful place. He shrugged his two-piece jacket combo over his lean body. He then outstretched his hand toward you, waiting for you to place your smaller one into his, hauling you up to your feet. He didn’t let you go though. He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you into his side.

“Did you have fun?” He asked. His voice held an almost uncertain type tone hidden, buried beneath his normal cadence. 

Slipping your arm around him in return, between his leather jacket and Metallica shirt, you easily stole some of his warmth. You smiled. “Of course I did.”

“Good. Good. Come on, m’lady. Your chariot awaits.” He paused, slipping his arm from you only to open the door to head back out to the parking lot. The setting sun was gone, replaced by a clear night sky, littered with stars to light the path of lonely travellers. “Besides me winning of course, what was your favourite part?”

“The shoes.” 

“The shoes? You’re kidding me right now. Why the shoes?”

“I don’t know, never thought I’d ever see someone make bowling shoes look incredibly.. unattractive.”

Eddie paused in his step, just five or six paces from his van to stare at you. “I thought I made those look good!”

You snorted and moved to the passengers side of the van, “Absolutely not. You looked like you were wearing clown shoes. Now open the door, Eddie. It’s cold out.” You whined, your hand gripping onto the cool metal handle, tugging on it impatiently. 

“No, not until you say it.” He retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Say what?!”

“That I made those bowling shoes look sexy.”

“Are you being serious? Eddie, for fucks sake.”

“Hey, I’m not the one that decided not to wear a sweater. You knew it was going to be cold before I even took you out.”

“Eddie…” you whined a bit, but he wasn’t budging. With a sigh, you stared at him over the hood of the van, “Edward Munson, you are the only person that I have ever known to make a pair of bowling shoes look so sexy. So sexy in fact, that I had to keep my hands off of you.” You paused, feeling a chill run up your spine as you said the words out loud. They weren’t all together untrue, you knew that. He made everything look good, even a stupid pair of bowling shoes. Licking your lips, your throat suddenly dry at the way he was staring at you from his side of the van, you broke the tension by yanking on the door handle again. “You good with that? Can you open the door now, please?”

Eddie paused for another moment, before shrugging and shaking his head as if he were clearing an invasive thought. “It’ll do.” 

You waited for what felt like ages before Eddie climbed into the van, and unlocked the passenger door for you. He immediately placed his key in the ignition, and turned up the heat when he saw a shiver take over your body. 

Thankfully he didn’t cover your eyes with his bandana again. It stayed in its rightful place in his left back pocket. It always draped down, just waiting to be snagged. Yet, by some miracle, unless he was wearing it or using it for nefarious purposes - such as keeping his best friend blind - it never left him.

Even though your sight wasn’t taken from you on this portion of the drive, it didn’t stop you from still being excited and anxious as to where he was taking you. It wasn’t long until you clued in and realized where he was taking you. You knew the streets like the back of your hand, you knew where he was taking you. There was only one reason he’d be going this way.

Your hand shot out, smacking at his arm in excitement. Multiple times actually, in quick secessions. A huge grin on your face, you almost resembled a child realizing that Santa left presents beneath the tree on Christmas morning. This man went all out and checked all of the boxes you couldn’t even fathom when it came to Eddie Munson. Of course, you wanted them to be checked by no one else but him. No one else clicked into place. It just didn’t make sense to you that he was purposefully checking them off. 

A soft melody filtered through the air as Eddie found the perfect spot to park the van. With the window rolled down, you leaned your arms on the door, watching as people lined up in front of the best ice cream truck in town. The music wasn’t the same old tune that summoned children like the pied piper. No, It was an acoustic guitar, playing side-by-side with a set of homemade drums. The drums were upside down plastic tubs, but you liked the sound the wooden drumsticks made each time they collided with the hollow plastic. It wasn’t what one would call professional, but you actually found it endearing. 

A small family owned the ice cream truck. They travelled around, but never left Indiana. The parents stayed inside the truck, while their daughter banged away on her plastic tub. Her husband was the one with the nimble fingers as he strummed his acoustic guitar. They weren’t Maiden, or AC/DC, or even Fleetwood Mac, but they weren’t bad. They had this hometown charm that put a smile on your face. Even Eddie never seemed to complain.

Smacking your hand against the window sill once, you climbed out of the van. Before you could take another step, Eddie skidded to a halt in front of you. His hands came to rest on your shoulders and moved you backwards until you could feel the cool metal against your back. 

“You. Stay put.”

Your brows quirked as you stared up at him. “You know, if you keep treating me like a dog, we’re going to have a problem here.” You knew that your words were falling on deaf ears so you sighed, “What’s the big deal? I want to go and say hi! It’s their last night in Hawkins.”

Eddie let out a puff of a sigh, his hands dramatically placed on his hips. “Fine. Fine!” He stepped away, throwing his arm out fo the side, “After you - but don’t you get any funny ideas.” You just rolled your eyes in response, slipping past him with a pat on his shoulder. 

The two of you made your way toward the line up, practically buzzing with excitement to get the homemade ice cream. There were about thirteen people in front of you, which wasn’t terrible for a Saturday night. Especially at this ice cream truck. You were expecting there to be more, with it being their last night in Hawkins. You weren’t about to complain though. Maybe it was the fact that it was getting a bit colder and a lot of people probably weren’t fans of eating cold things in the cold. You on the other hand, were a freak of nature in that sense. You loved to eat freezers, ice cream, even slushy drinks in the cold. Eddie made fun of you for it for a while. You eventually brought him over to your way of thinking. He would wake you up at two in the morning on the weekends to go for a late night run to the local convenience store. Just to get a multi-flavoured slushy drink. 

Even with you and Eddie being number fourteen and fifteen in line, it didn’t take long at all to reach the trucks window. “Two cherry-chocolate swirls, please.”

The woman behind the window gave the pair of you a big smile, “Ah, Mr. Munson! I was wondering when you’d bring your fair maiden to our midsts.”

Before the heat could course through your entire body from the embarrassment, Eddie cleared his throat and lightly smacked his hand on the trucks windows edge. “Mrs. Clarke, you and I both know that if she doesn’t get your ice cream before you close for the season, she’s not going to hibernate properly. I’m just doing the world a favour.”

Rolling your eyes, you just gave Mrs. Clarke a soft smile and wave, thankful that Eddie didn’t notice your face. You cast your eyes down to the ground, kicking at the stones as Eddie and Mrs. Clarke had a little chat. Their voices were muffled. Mrs. Clarke was one of the adults that you could count on one hand growing up, that knew who Eddie was deep down. Sure, he liked to put on a parade, a spectacle and act like a bad ass. He wore clothing and listened to music that most of the people in Hawkins would shy away from. He stood on tables and yelled at the jocks, the nerds, the partiers. 

The stuff he wore, the interests he had made him a pariah, which in turn put you in that category. But you never cared, never minded what people said about you. You had your small group of friends, you had Eddie, and that was all that mattered. You knew the real Eddie. You knew the idiot who tripped over his own feet while telling you a story, not paying attention to where he was walking. You knew the Eddie who took you out on top of his trailer to look up at the sky. The guy who took in freshmen who looked lost and gave them a purpose, a group, a family. Eddie Munson wasn’t a cultist or satanic murderer as some believed he was in the dark. He was just a dork. A dork that played a fantasy game. A dork that you were so irrevocably in love with that some days it hurt. 

A plastic cardboard container was placed into your hands. Your head snapped up to see Mrs. Clarke smiling down at you, handing some change over to Eddie. “Thanks, Mrs. Clarke. Already can’t wait until you open back up next year.” There was something to the smirk on her lips, but before you could even try to figure it out, Eddie was saying a quick thank you to the woman and her husband. His hand made itself home on the small of your back as he led you toward the curb. As you reached it, Eddie slipped his hand from the small of your back, taking yours in his own. He spun you around, relishing in the giggles that spilled from your mouth. A wide grin split on his face as he did his best to dance one handed with you as you reached you're destination.

“Hold this, please.” You requested, handing over your ice cream as you attempted to sit yourself down on the curb without incident. There was a slight crack in your knees as you crouched down, placing your ass onto the cold concrete. Your hand shot up, pointing up at him, “Not a damn word.” 

Eddie held up both ice creams as if he was holding his hands up in a surrender pose. “I wasn’t going to say anything!” He reached out to hand you your cherry-chocolate swirl before sitting down on the cool cement next to you. “You’re getting old.” 

“You’re older than me, you ass.” Bumping your shoulder into his, his resulting laughter sent warmth throughout your body. Sometimes you wished you could record that sound. So that on nights when you were alone, where you didn’t want to do anything but lay in bed you could play it. It was like a shot of serotonin straight to your veins. 

“Just eat your ice cream, Princess Brittle Bones.”

So you did. The two of you ate the cherry-chocolate ice cream in the cool fall night of Hawkins. Mrs. Clarke’s daughter and son-in-law playing some rendition of what you thought was a… Bryan Adams song? You couldn’t be sure. You’d heard it on the radio a few times back at home on the radio. Something about… looking into someones eyes? You couldn’t really remember. 

A shiver ran through you. You weren’t sure if it was maybe the fact that it was the ice cream that settled in your stomach, or the chill of the night air. It could have even been the result from his thigh pressed against yours. It wasn’t more than a moment later that you were surrounded by leather. The returning smell of smoke, eucalyptus and cedar surrounded you. The cool air no longer brushing against your limbs as Eddie had draped his leather jacket and jean vest combo around your shoulders. 

The air, even though out in the open, felt thick. It was hard. It was a struggle to get air to expand your lungs. This was a normal thing, but tonight it felt different. Everything did. 

“Eddie,” you started, a small frown on your face. “You’re going to get cold.”

He shrugged, “Don’t worry about me, princess. I’m thick skinned.”

Looking at him in his Metallica t-shirt you shook your head and shimmied the vest off of the jacket and handed it back to him. “Compromise?”

With a soft sigh, you watched him as he relented and slipped the vest back on. It wouldn’t do much in the way of keeping his arms warm. However, at least it would keep his back and chest from the bite of the cool night air. Placing the empty carton of ice cream next to you, you slipped your arms through the jacket. The cuffs covered your hands. It swallowed you. Letting out one final shiver, you tucked your nose into the collar of the jacket as discreetly as possible, breathing in his scent. 

“Ready to get out of here?” 

Nodding, you moved to stand, doing your best to hide a groan. Looking down, you saw Eddie smirking up at you. You just rolled your eyes and held your hand out to him to help him to his feet. He groaned as he rose, his own knees popping from the position they’d been in. “Not a single word.” He pointed out.  

Smirking, you reached down to grab your carton, and his to throw them out. You gave the Clarke’s one last smile and wave before climbing into the van. Eddie had already started it and put the heat on for you, for which you were grateful. 

“Home time?”

“Not quite yet, princess. I have one last thing to close out what I officially dub ‘The Phenomenal Adventures of the Freak and the Princess.’”

“And they say you’re the best Dungeon Master in Hawkins. Such creativity.”

His finger was in your face, to which you immediately swatted it away as if it were a buzzing fly. “It’s probably safe to bet that you’re not going to tell me where we’re going right?”

“You are correct.” 

It was close to midnight when Eddie pulled down a tree covered pathway. The dirt road bumpy and uneven from under use. It wasn’t the main path down to Lover’s Lake, but it was one that you and Eddie used on late nights like this. 

Eddie had discovered this little trail one night when he stopped by Reefer Rick’s place. It was on the opposite side of his place, which was on the opposite side of the lake. Which you were okay with, if you were being honest. Reefer Rick used to give you bad vibes, and not just because he was wanting some of the heavier stuff from Eddie. The type of stuff he didn’t carry around every day. Thankfully, he’d been in jail since 1986.You were sure he wouldn’t be in much longer, but you would take every day that you got. He just gave you the creeps. At least Eddie wouldn’t have to deal to him any longer. 

The heat shuts off the second the van does, but with Eddie’s leather jacket, you’re not as cold as you were. You nuzzle into the leather for a moment, before looking over at him. He was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. The tapping looked almost.. anxious? With one more hit to the steering wheel, he pulled himself out and into the cool air. You unbuckled your seatbelt, with the intention of opening the door, but Eddie beat you to it. He was already at the passenger side door. He opened it for you, his hand being held out in an offering for you. 

“You’re being extremely chivalrous tonight, are you okay?” You eyed him, almost as if he had grown a second head. 

“What? Is it that out of the norm for me to be nice to you?”

“Actually, yes.”

With a sigh, Eddie reached in to grab your hand and pulled you out. He was gentle of course. “Come on,” he murmured, a hint of amusement in his tone. 

“You’re not going to push me into the lake are you?” 

“Oh, ye of little faith here. I’d never push you in.” Before you even had a chance to open your mouth he continued, “Okay there was that one time. I still stand by that you had a wasp in your hair - I was doing you a favour!”

“Right. Charging at me from the other end of the dock and tossing me in like a rag doll was doing me a favour. I’d hate to know what it’s actually like to have you do me a favour.”

Eddie led you to the back of his van and opened the doors. “You’re just going to have to trust me for once, princess. Believe in the Munson charm.” 

You smiled at him as you shook your head, letting him help you up onto the bed of the van. You looked out into the water, watching as the lake had very soft ripples. It was beautiful, and calm. The van shook slightly as Eddie hoped up next to you, climbed in and began searching for something. There was the familiar sound of two metal clasps being unlocked. Eddie shuffled around some more, the van rocking with his movements before he finally settled into place next to you. 

Turning, you noticed the familiar acoustic guitar that usually sat in the corner of his room. The words ‘this machine slays dragons’, were sprawled across the dark oak finish. You had told him once as he plucked away on it, and he loved the saying so much that he had you paint the words. He shifted into a more comfortable position beside you. You couldn’t help but grin at him, “Aw, Eddie, are you going to serenade me in the pale moonlight?”

The look he shot you was one that told you to be quiet. You hadn’t seen him look this nervous, this out of place since you were children. You moved your hand, placing it gently on his to give it a squeeze. You weren’t sure what he was so nervous about, why he looked scared, but you had to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. He never had to hide anything around you. 

“I’ve,” Eddie paused for a moment. He shimmied in his position as he cleared his throat. “I’ve been working on this for a while. I know that you’ve been wondering why I haven’t let you come around for practice. I just… I wanted to surprise you.”

“Okay,” you replied, giving his hand another squeeze before placing both of yours in your lap. Your attention completely and totally devoted to the man who held your heart in his hands. “I’m sure whatever it is, is going to sound amazing. It always does.” 

“Okay,” Eddie repeated your word. You watched him take in a deep breath as he placed his fingers into the right position. For a moment, you watched him fiddle with the strings, then with the sound until he was satisfied. It took him another moment before he began to play. 

You were expecting something completely different. Something in the realm of a brand-new Corroded Coffin song. You were so sure that that was the reason why he’d kept you from watching him practice and teach himself something new, but as he played, the melody was familiar to you. Your brows furrowed, your eyes lifted from the way his fingers plucked at the steel string, up to his face. Eddie didn’t look at you. He had his eyes focused on the water straight ahead. It was almost as if he was afraid to even toss a glance your way. 

“I took my love, I took it down.

I climbed a mountain and I turned around…

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

’Til the landslide brought me down..”

Your heart hammered in your chest, your eyes wide as you stared at him. Landslide. Eddie Munson was playing your song. The song you listened to in the darkness of your bedroom. The one that you listened to when you thought about him. Thought about how the two of you would never cross that line. But here he was. Surprising you, as usual. He had actually gone out of his way to learn something that wasn’t metal. Something that didn’t even remotely interest him. You felt like you couldn’t breath. 

“Oh, mirror in the sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above? 

Can I sail through the changin’ ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?”

Listening to Eddie play was always one of your favourite things to do. You could have sat there for hours as he taught himself something from scratch. It wasn’t just watching his fingers move nimbly across the strings either. His voice was beautiful. It was a rare sight that he ever sang something so soft, to anyone. It gave you goosebumps. 

“Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’

‘Cause I’ve built my life around you

But time makes you bolder

Even children get older

And I’m getting older too…”

Eddie continued to sing, which helped you realize that there was no better sound in the world than this. You wanted to sing along with him, as softly as possible, but you also didn’t want to ruin the little bubble he’d created. He looked so beautiful, so focused. His face hidden behind a curtain of his dark brown curls. You know that if you tried to get a better look at him, that his eyes would be closed, his face contorted in concentration. You closed your eyes, a soft smile fell on your lips. You moved to rest your head against the fame of the trunk. Just letting this moment wash over you like a warm blanket. 

“Oh-oh, take my love, take it down

Oh-oh, climb a mountain and you turn around

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills

Well, the landslide bring it down

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hill

Well, the landslide bring it down

Oh-ohh, the landslide bring it down…” 

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. You opened your eyes to watch as Eddie placed his Dragon Slayer back in her case, safely hidden away. 

With his hands now free of his guitar, you watched as he spun his rings around his fingers. It was his tell that he was getting a little bit nervous. You weren’t sure if it was maybe the silence that was getting to him, or he was wanting to say something but didn’t know how to get it out.

“Eddie that was… very metal of you.”

His shoulders shook with a soft laugh, causing you to smile. He sat up a bit straighter, his hand coming put to push his unruly hair from his face. “Yeah?” He asked. 

“Absolutely. I’ve only been trying to get you to sit down and listen to Fleetwood Mac for what feels like years now.” You grinned, “Told you that they wouldn’t make your ears bleed. Stevie Nicks has one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard.”

“Yeah, I guess they’re not too bad.”

Another silence fell over the two of you. It was quiet except for the gentle breeze as it passed through the leaves. There was something that was bothering you. It wasn’t a bad bother, not even close, but you had to know. 

“Eddie, can I ask you something?” You asked, your fingers picking at a loose threat connected to one of the rips on his black jeans. You had to do something to keep your mind from going out of control.

“Anything,” he replied, his voice slightly concerned. 

Your mouth was dry, your heart pounded in your chest as you thought about how to say this out loud, about how to ask. He took you bowling, took you out for your favourite ice cream and danced in the street with you. Eddie Munson even learned to play your favourite song on the guitar to surprise you. There had to be a reason he was doing this, and you knew that you shouldn’t get your hopes up, but you had to ask. 

“Why did -“ you paused, taking in a deep breath. You pulled your bottom lip between your teeth, worrying the flesh between the white pearls. Biting your lip was a tell that you were nervous. You hated that he knew your tells, as seconds later he had reached his hand toward your jaw. Using his thumb, he gently pulled the reddened flesh from between your teeth. You could feel your face heat up as you took in another breath. “You know that I appreciate today. I really did, I just… Why?” Your voice was barely above a whisper as you asked. 

“Why what?”

“Why did you go out of your way to do,” you paused, your hands coming up to gesture around you, “All of this?” The words finally made their way out of your mouth.

Eddie let out a soft sigh from beside you, his hands placed behind him so that he could put his weight on them. His beautiful, chocolate brown eyes gazed out at the water. Watching as the moon’s reflection was ever so slightly disturbed by the soft ripples. 

“I don’t know,” he started. “I guess I just wanted to give my favourite girl the adventure that she deserves.”

“Oh.” Your voice was soft, almost distant as you looked down at the ground between your legs. Fingers slipped themselves from the rip they had been picking at. They moved to bit at the skin on the sides of your nails, trying not to focus on how disappointed you felt. How it suddenly hurt to breathe. On how your heart felt like a piece was slowly breaking off. You had known better. You knew you shouldn’t have thought anything other than that. Eddie wouldn’t have had an ulterior motive to spend the day with you. 

“I was a chicken shit.” His voice cut off your thoughts, bringing you back to the present. You frowned, lifting your head to chance a glance in his direction. You were expecting him to still be watching the water, but his eyes met yours the second you looked up. A puff of a sigh passed his lips as he adjusted his position, his hands folding in his lap. You watched as he began to spin and fiddle with the rings that covered his long fingers. 

You had the urge to reach out, to take his hand in your own. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of you to be holding hands, especially when either one of you were nervous and needed the other to be grounded. But the fact that he was quite obviously trying to get something off his chest, you felt like it might derail his thoughts. You kept your hands in your own lap, kept your mouth shut, and patiently waited. 

“I was a chicken shit,” he repeated, “I have no idea how to do something like this with… anyone, especially you. I’ve never really had the opportunity or wanted to put much thought into planning a date, unless it was with you. I know, I know. I know I never asked you. I know that you had no idea that I was using the term adventure as a code word for date. Which, was absolutely the entire point.” 

Pausing, he took in a deep breath, “I wasn’t sure if it would’ve been something that you were even into. Or if you were even into all this - “ he paused, gesturing to himself. “Especially with Harrington around. I know you guys are friends, I know that you hang out - and that’s totally cool! I just, Harrington is…. Well, he’s Harrington. He’s cool, and strong. He’s got great hair, and big eyes. He’s even a real cool dude. Hell, you’ve seen how much Dustin absolutely worships the guy, right? It’s really weird. Not that I’m jealous or anything.” He let out a sigh, “The point is. I would have understood if you were in love with him.”

You stared at him as if he had grown a second head, “Eddie, I’m not in love with Steve, but I’m starting to think that you might be.” 

That caused the reaction that you’d hoped it would. Eddie chuckled, and it seemed to put the two of you into a different kind of space. He didn’t seem to be as nervous around you. His shoulders weren’t as rigid, they were relaxed. Even his legs swung back and forth as they hung over the tailgate of the van. It gave you the opportunity to do what you had wanted to earlier. You reached over, gently taking one of his hands into your own. Your fingers slid perfectly in place between his own. Eddie’s head tilted forward, watching the way your hands looked like they belonged together. He couldn’t help but caress the knuckle of your thumb with his own. His thumb was soft, softer than the rest of his fingers due to the callouses from his guitar. Even though weren’t harsh to your skin when they brushed against you. 

“I’m haven’t been reading into anything wrong here, have I?” Eddie questioned, his voice softer than normal. Nervous still. It was kind of cute, if you were being honest with yourself. Eddie had always hid behind a guarded wall, a wall that he so often let down around you. To this day, it still never stopped you from feeling honoured that he trusted you so deeply to do so. 

You shook your head, a small smile falling on your lips, “Not even in the slightest bit, Munson.” You replied, your voice just as soft as his. You were afraid to speak any louder, afraid to put a pin to the small bubble the two of you had created. 

The silence that followed wasn’t a terrible silence. It didn’t fill you with dread, or worry. It was the type of silence that made you wonder where you went next. Both of you unsure of what to say. Was he asking you, without asking you, to be his? Either way, the answer would be yes - you’ve always been his. Giving his hand a squeeze, you opened your mouth, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to.”

Eddie’s head shot up, his eyes wide in shock and awe as he gazed at you. You held up the index finger of your free hand, bringing it to his lips. To keep him from opening the big, beautiful mouth of his and ruining what you were trying to say. “I will be a shield-maiden no longer, nor vie with the great Riders, nor take joy only in the songs of slaying. I will be a healer, and love all things that grow and are not barren. No longer do I desire to be a Queen.” 

Eddie chuckled, the hand that was not currently laced with your own, reached up to take the one you had pressed to his lips. He then laced his fingers together with yours, so that both of your hands were nestled in his larger ones. “That is well, for I am not a King. Yet I will wed with the Queen of Hellfire,” he was grinning. His lips were spread wide in the most beautiful, radiant smiles. “If it be her will. And if she will, then let us cross the River and in happier days let us dwell in fair Ithilien and there make a garden. All things will grow with joy there, if the Queen comes.”

“Slow down there, dude.” You chuckled, shaking your head, “Let’s hold off on the wedding talk for now, yeah?” But your face lit up. There was a grin nestled on it just as bright and side as his own. Butterflies fluttered around in your stomach so violently, you couldn’t help but feel like you were floating.

“Ah yes, you’re right. You’re absolutely right. I’ll buy the ring on the third date.”

You snorted, prying a hand from his to place it on his face, covering it and giving him a gentle shove. Eddie reached up to take the offended appendage back into his grip, back down to his lap. When he was satisfied that you weren’t going to try and pry your hand away, he took the opportunity to reach up and cup your cheek, his thumb caressing your cheekbone. You felt like all the air was being sucked from the van, even with the fact that you two sat on the tailgate, the doors wide open. You nuzzled into his palm, your eyes fluttering for a moment, your hands coming up to grip on the edges of his denim vest. Your eyes opened to meet his, “Here you are, talking about marriage before you’ve even kissed me,” you whispered. 

“Sweetheart,” he started, causing your heart to skip a beat. He’d never called you sweetheart in the entire expanse of your friendship. It had always been Princess, Queen of Hellfire, Psycho - although that one is more in jest, due to the fact that you were dubbed The Psycho alongside him being known as The Freak. Everyone that wasn’t in your small group of friends thought you were psychotic for being best friends with the big bad, satanic cult leader. Eddie hardly even called you by your own name. He only seemed to when the two of you were fighting, which wasn’t often, or when you were upset. You loved every name he called you, it was like music falling from his lips. But Sweetheart? Sweetheart sent a thrill up your spine. That name was always reserved for his guitar.  “I’ve wanted to marry you since I hit puberty.”

With his hand still cupping your cheek, he slid it to the back of your neck, bringing you closer, closer until your foreheads were pressed together. Your fingers closed tighter on the blue denim, using the fabric like a lifeline, something to keep you grounded in the van with him. You gave the fabric a little bit of a tug, “You want to marry me, but yet you still haven’t kissed me, you idiot.” 

Eddie chuckled as his hand slid along your jaw, pinching your chin between his fingers, angling your head up toward his, “I should probably fix that, shouldn’t I?” he murmured, his lips just barely brushing your own. You could feel his breath, could smell the cigarette from an hour ago as you nodded.

Minutes, hours passed when it was only a matter of seconds before he finally closed the distance. His lips pressed softly against your own, testing the waters. He pulled away, his eyes searching yours for some unspoken question. He seemed to have found it, as he closed the distance a moment later, pressing his lips harder to yours, causing your eyes to flutter shut. There was a soft tingle from his fingertips as they caressed your jawline to the back of your neck, angling you so that he could deepen the kiss. 

It was over before you wanted it to be, the burning ache in your lungs as they were desperate for air. He didn’t pull away too far, just enough for you two to catch your breath, your foreheads pressed together, matching grins on your kiss swollen lips as he caressed your neck. 

“Just so you know,” you started, “By the third date you’re apparently supposed to officially open up and be all mushy and shit.” Your hand came up, tugging on one of the curly, unruly strands that covered his head. “Since we can skip all that bullshit, you could maybe get me a ring. You know, only if you wanted to, I guess.” 

“Cool.” Eddie grinned, “Maybe I’ll get you a promise ring. Just so that I can save up enough from the shop.”

Ever since Eddie had to repeat his senior year for a second time, he got a part time job at Thacher Tires. Up until about a year ago, when he quit and started a job at the record store in the Starcourt Mall. He was working to save up to help fix up the trailer he shared with Wayne, and work on getting one himself. He was so close. He’d been working so hard on saving up for it. 

“I don’t need a promise ring,” you promised him, your hand smoothing his hair from his face. “I’ll take one of those ring pops.”

He still had that stupid smile on his lips, “Maybe one of those red ones? Cherry - maybe strawberry?”

“Keep it up with the talk of a cherry ring pop, Munson, and I might be the one getting down on my knees.”

“Well, if we’re going down that route…” 

You snorted, your hand coming out to push him away but Eddie was too fast this time. He pulled you into his side, wrapped his arm around your shoulder, making sure that you were tucked nicely into his warmth. You instantly snuggled into him, breathing in his scent. For a moment, you were worried that things might get weird between you two, though it was immediately quelled. You have been inseparable your entire lives since you were children. You did everything together. Robin knew how you felt about him, and had always teased you. Saying that you should just ask him out, saying that Eddie felt the same way about you. She always said that you two already acted like you were dating. You had been absolutely adamant that he didn’t feel the same way about you. 

Boy, were you wrong - and for once in your life you were thankful to be wrong. 

[mlentertainment]

i feel like every once in a while you should be required to share a mymusic opinion so i'm not the only one rambling incoherently about the nonsense show /lh

it's really not fair of me to have inhaled so much of your angry writings having never written anything of my own... unfortunately i have never had an original thought in my head but i'll try to make it work

why were two versions of this show released. why release the same bad content twice, with only minute changes in editing. f*nes, there are skit-style internet shows, and there are sitcom-style internet shows. pick One of them to execute poorly instead of whatever the fuck this is. how dare you correctly assume i would watch both versions and then not remember which i liked more a few years later when i nostalgia-rewatched. also why did you have to pick a good song for your theme. i will never be able to let this show go and it's because of a band called fucking Driftless Pony Club (george st geegland voice what does that even mean?!)

[saddiedotdk]

Tony Goldwyn admits that after seven seasons playing Scandal‘s Byronically romantic President Fitzgerald Grant, a one-episode guest stint on HBO’s horror series Lovecraft Country, as the menacing, aristocratic white supremacist/occultist Samuel Braithwhite, offered an opportunity to tap some less frequently summoned acting skills.

“It was very operatic, that character, so you don’t often get to do that on television, or in front of a camera,” Goldwyn recalls, noting a key scene in which he had to shout a mystic incantation in an invented dialect at the top of his lungs. “I had to learn, phonetically, this runic language, this whole long chunk of this spell that I was casting. And that was fun and interesting, and a muscle I had not flexed for some time.”

Goldwyn, who since Scandal wrapped has appeared in multiple Broadway productions and next headlines National Geographic’s miniseries The Hot Zone: Anthrax, joined THR to reflect on flexing those new muscles after Fitz, Lovecraft‘s unexpected immediacy, and his earliest TV acting guest stints on a string of now-classic series.

What kind of permission did the unusual genre-bending nature of the show give you as an actor?

Playing a to-the-manner-born white supremacist, who’s this sort of Gothic figure … you had to lean into the camp of it, the genre. But the way that guy’s mind works is representing something profoundly real and disturbing in our culture and human nature.

When you meet my character, he’s un-anesthetized, getting a piece of his liver cut out on a table in his lab, screaming bloody murder. And then Jonathan Majors enters the room, and [Braithwhite] says, “Oh, he’s darker than I [expected]” … That kind of a statement is shocking, and yet also camp, if you know what I’m saying. It’s larger than life, but tragically all too close to life, as we have seen this year, really. And that’s what’s so weird: Not that racism wasn’t a familiar concept in American culture, but we shot that in 2019, and the events of 2020 sort of exposed how close to the surface all that still is.

To see it come out at such a charged moment, immediately following the Black Lives Matter protests, when it achieved even greater degrees of relevance and immediacy, must have been a unique experience.

Slightly surreal, honestly. It was very disturbing. It’s very discomforting … When I read it, it felt dangerous and relevant and provocative, but also fun. When I saw it, it was still entertaining, but there was a much darker sensibility to the fun aspect of it, if you know what I mean. And honestly, for me personally, now that I’m reflecting on it … embodying a white supremacist was a very different experience in 2020 than it was in 2019. There was something where I could feel that I was at an arm’s length from it. Whereas now, there’s been a seismic shift, and it would be, frankly, much harder to do — which makes me feel a bit silly, because of course that’s my reality, and I think the reality for African Americans is not that different. People are like, “Yeah, wake up!” Which is what Misha [Green] was writing about, but the world has a very different lens on it now.

ELI JOSHUA ADE/HBO

After several seasons on a hit TV show in a regular role, what have you enjoyed about these briefer excursions? Fitz was such a complex character — he could be dark, he could be someone you rooted for — that the role doesn’t saddle you, the actor, with a lot of typecasting baggage.

I really loved playing Fitz, for the reasons you said … He was so complicated and had so many light and dark shades that made him just endlessly fun to play. And I’d never had the experience of living in a character for that long.

But that said, since Scandal ended, I’ve played five, six, seven different roles, all so different, from Samuel Braithwhite to the shows I did on Broadway … And the project I’m doing now for Nat Geo, The Hot Zone ­— the character I’m playing could not be more different from Fitz. It’s wonderful [after] going to work every day and playing the same character and literally wearing the same suit every day for seven years to just go to completely different places.

When you were starting out, you took the jobs that came your way, as actors do, and a lot of those were guest spots on future TV classics. What do you remember about those years? And what it was like to step onto a series as a young, up-and-coming actor?

First of all, I was just grateful to have a job! I mean, I still am, but when you’re starting out, just any work you can get is good work. And also, it was a way to learn about acting in front of a camera, because I started working in the theater, and the camera was very foreign to me.

I did a bunch of those guest star things in shows in the ’80s, from sitcoms to dramas and cop shows and whatever: Matlock and Designing Women and the pilot of Murphy Brown, and I did — oh God — a show called Hunter, do you remember that? And then a couple of things that had more meat. St. Elsewhere was actually where I got my SAG card … I did L.A. Law, too. I had a pretty good part in that.

I imagine this is true for people today still: It’s a rather difficult thing, because you’re coming onto a show, where everybody knows the show and everybody does this thing every day, and you’re kind of parachuting in to give your performance and play this character. And you don’t know anybody in it. It can be very challenging. And eventually, after you’re more experienced, you learn to relax, but that I found very difficult.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

[huaschengs]

Fandoms, etc DO NOT TAG me in List

Posted On: 6/29/21 Last Update: 6/12/24

List will be updated as needed......................

Anything that is white/red/yellow/orange/etc washed, race bended, ethnicity switched, culturally misrepresentated, etc.  

Creations that contain cultural appropriation  

Any problematic Youtuber [Do I need to list them all...?/ j] 

Creations that supports inc*st (yes, it def. includes adoptive siblings, & idk maybe? sworn siblings but not rbing just to be on safe side (结拜兄弟)), pedophilic, abusive ships/couples

Fanfiction

Moodboard edits

Western countries’ (esp. US) military/war films

CMBYN

The Kardashians and Jenners

Dune

Mean Girls

Aladdin (Disney’s live action + cartoon)

Addicted/上瘾 

Harry Potter and FBAWTFT 

Mulan (Disney’s live action)

Dumbo (Disney’s live action + cartoon)

Pinocchio

Peter Pan

Lady and the Tramp (cartoon)

The Aristocats

The Jungle Book

T-ARA

Star Trek

Tharntype

50 SOG

Sarah J. Maas’s works

Wonder Woman

Beloved Enemy/针锋对决

MCU’s Maximoff siblings 

Donnie Yen

Wandavision

13RW

Sia

Chris Pratt

Timothee Chalamet

Gal Gadot 

Kayne West

Star Wars

The Office

Seungri

The Raven Cycle

GOT

B99

Teen Wolf

Miley Cyrus

Pocahontas (Disney)

Friends Sitcom

Camila Cabello

Western horror movies (because I’m uncomfortable w/ them)

Chris Evans

Lin Manuel Miranda

Jeremy Renner

Feng Yu Jiu Tian

Stephenie Meyer’s works

How I Met Your Mother

Blue Bloods

Scarlett Johansson

HIStory: Stay Away From Me

HIStory2: Crossing the Line

HIStory: Obsessed 

Stranger Things

Elizabeth Olsen

Shadow and Bone

Awkwafina

Letitia Wright

Law and Order: SVU

Kesha

Chicago P.D

Lana Del Rey

Gossip Girl (Original)

Sebastian Stan

Rainbow Rowell’s works

Melanie Martinez

Wonder Woman 1984

Riverdale

The Witcher

Backstreet Rookie

Azealia Banks

Mamamoo

Johnny Depp

Creations w/ Richard Siken’s poetry

Tuck Everlasting

Pretty Little Liars

Kris Wu

Carrie Underwood

Lorde

Top Gun

Brendon Urie

Robert Downey Jr.

Nicki Minaj

Precise Shot/精准射击

Ariana Grande

Harry Styles

Hayley Atwell

Qian Feng

The Walking Dead

Ansel Elgort

Penthouse: War in Life (All seasons)

Leia from Blackswan

Leigh-Allyn Baker

Mark Wahlberg

Delia Owens

Jung Joon Young

Ohm Pawat

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

MCU’s America Chavez

Where The Crawdads Sing

James Patterson’s works

Rebecca Mix’s works

Tina Fey

Misha Collins

Li Yifeng

Purple Hearts

Avatar: The Way Of Water

Gwen Stefani

皇叔/The Imperial Uncle by 大风刮过

Eric Nam

Noah Schnapp

The 100

Taika Waititi

Hyuna

Charlie Puth

[amandajoyce118]

Agents Of SHIELD S7E05 “A Trout In The Milk” Easter Eggs And References

The team heads to the 1970s where they discover that Hydra has received a hand up from the Chronicoms. 

You know the drill. If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve already seen the episode. Especially since I’m watching the episode four days after it aired. So, yes. There are spoilers.

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Those Opening Credits

They are so very ‘70s. If you’ve ever watched a sitcom or a spy series from the era, you’ll see nods in the sequence.

Sousa Wonders About Ending Up In The Present

Perhaps Sousa’s questioning of Daisy and Coulson about ending up in their present time is a nod to the actor’s cameo in Avengers. Let’s hope the show actually ties those two together instead of just giving us an Easter egg or two.

Dooley’s Booth

Coulson talks about Dooley’s booth in the old bar that becomes a SHIELD meeting spot. Dooley was the chief of the New York office of the SSR, for those who didn’t watch Agent Carter.

Bendeery English Ale

Daisy drinks one of these in the SHIELD bar, and there’s also a poster for it in Malick’s office. It is the official unofficial beer of the show. It’s named for a friend of Nick Blood’s and first appeared back in season two.

You Always Bounce Back

Yeah, this is, what, the third time someone has referenced Elena’s first episode of the series and her powers. That feels like it’s not going to bode well for her, but not sure what to make of all the on the nose references just yet.

‘70s SHIELD Uniforms

Those blue and white jumpsuits are straight out of the comics of the same era. Yep. 

Project Insight

We all saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier, right? Project Insight is the big project created by Hydra that targets “threats” to the world in the form of Stephen Strange and Tony Stark. In other words, it calculates the probability that people will go against Hydra and advises on whether or not they should be eliminated.

The Episode Title

The phrase is, as Sousa points out, an “old timey one,” and it’s fun that it gets used repeatedly in the episode.

Coulson Is From Processing

When Malick asks Coulson where he’s from at the bar, Coulson says he’s from processing. That’s a callback to season five when the team ended up in the future. It’s what Deke told them to say when anyone asked where they were from so they wouldn’t give away that they were time travelers.

Come With Me If You Want To Continue To Exist

This show loves to nod to its sci-fi and action movies, right? While Elena talks about Bond movies early in the episode, this line is a nod to the Terminator franchise.

The Launch Hangar

Where the Insight rocket/satellite combo launches from in the middle of the lake is where the zephyr usually launches from in the future.

The Episode Tag

Nathaniel Malick isn’t even supposed to exist anymore, but he’s sure working on living up to the family name, huh? His wanting to talk to Daniel Whitehall about surgically transferring abilities should sound familiar. Whitehall lives for so long by surgically transferring Jiaying (Daisy’s mom, remember her?) to himself. 

The List Of SHIELD Assets/Hydra Threats

I saved this one for last because this is where the majority of the episode Easter eggs come from. When Daisy and Sousa get the list of “threats” for Project Insight in the ‘70s, the computer has a nice “Level 7 only” at the top of the screen. That’s a nod to how the show began, with Coulson as a Level 7 agent, welcoming Ward to his new status on the team.

Sousa and Daisy mention that Bruce Banner, Peggy Carter, and Nick Fury all show up on the list. The long list features some other names that should be familiar. There are actually two sets of lists, but it’s really hard to make out the first one, so help a girl out if I miss some names.

Roberto Gonzalez and Victoria Hand both show up. You might remember them from earlier seasons of the show. Vic is killed by Ward when he breaks Garrett out of SHIELD custody and Gonzalez is killed by Jiaying when he tries to have a meeting with her. I believe Isabel Hartley is also on the first page of the list, but not positive because her name is blurry. In the comics, she dated Vic, but she was killed in the first episode of season two.

Also on the list? Jim Morita and Gabe Jones. They’re both Howling Commandos. Gabe also happens to be Trip’s grandfather while Jim is grandfather to Peter Parker’s school principal.

Some more familiar names that appear are Nicole Amador, Susan Morse, and Nathan Bowen. The first is likely a relative of Akela Amador from season one, while Susan Morse is mother to Bobbi Morse in the comics. Nathan Bowen is the father of Tandy (from Cloak And Dagger) and a scientist who works for Roxxon.

Still with me? Good. Because there are even more.

Conrad Murphy is the father of Sandra Murphy in the comics. Sandra is one of the “Caterpillars” or Secret Warriors in the comics, though she’s not on Daisy’s team. She actually is on the team sent to spy on the Russian organization Leviathan (which was in Agent Carter) and her entire team ends up dead.

Andrew and Margaret Nelson appear - though on separate halves. I’m curious if they’re meant to be relatives of Foggy Nelson from Daredevil, though their names don’t ring any bells for me. It’s worth noting that the show has connected to Daredevil in the past with other Easter eggs and Skye and Matt both having a connection to St. Agnes.

There’s a Susan Parker on the list, who could be related to Peter Parker, or she could be a really random reference to a character that appeared in one comic book in the ‘40s? Likewise, Michael Phillips is a name that is connected to a mercenary who worked with the Punisher in the comics who used to be a CIA agent, but that feels like too common of a name. (There’s also an assistant director with the name who works on the show, so he could just be a nod to him.)

Betty Wright is a famous singer who actually rose to fame in the ‘70s. She died this year. She wrote the original “Where Is The Love” and has been sampled on tons of R&B tracks. Likewise, Mark Roberts might be another pop culture nod since he was an actor who started working in the ‘30s, though that was just his stage name, so who knows?

I’ve got nothing on Ben Taylor, Ben Harris, James Cook (unless they’re talking about the British explorer who would have already been dead), Ronald Collins, Roger Stewart, Leonard Torres, Robert Moore (though I did think initially that it said Morse and wondered if Bobbi was named after her dad), and David Robinson. I also didn’t catch the last name for the entry that starts with Theresa. But that’s - a lot. So, some of the names are presumably filler names, entered just because they were ones the team could use, and they could also be nods to people the VFX team knows in real life.

Edited to add:

Chastity McBride

I completely forgot to note that May’s alias in this episode is a real SHIELD agent in the comics. She’s only appeared in a handful of comics and her main mission was stopping John Garrett and Elektra from an assassination plot.

I think this is the longest list I’ve done in a while, so no speculation this time. Until next week. Or, I guess, later this week!