#stranger things discussion

[starry-eyed-steve]

Okay, so normally, I scroll past any ridiculous Steve takes, especially when it comes to death theories or theories about s5 in general. However, I just saw such a bad take that it actually made me angry, I need to make my own post. (Warning, this gets a bit petty towards the end)

Basically, the OP claimed Steve needs to die in s5 for the following reasons:

He has nothing going on in his life. He works a minimum wage job and is stuck in his hometown

He only has Robin and the kids, nothing else

It would not be satisfying if he lived

Steve can't grow more as a character because he already had too much development, so it would be better to end it there

He's only useful for protecting the group and nothing else

His death would be great for other characters because if he scarifices himself, the others are then able to go out in the world, live their lives, and do great things

Okay, that's a lot to unpack here, and I'm kinda speechless people really have such a low opinion about him.

First of all, saying Steve has nothing going on because he works a minimum wage job and doesn't have a concrete plan for the future is such a weird thing to say. He has a job, and even if it's not the best paid one, he still has an income. It's not like he's has nothing to do after he graduated (which he did the first time). If you think Steve needs to have it all figured out by 19 in order to be allowed to live, kindly fuck off. Almost no character has a concrete plan for the future. We never see Robin talk about her plans as well. Besides Nancy wanting to go to Emerson, we don't really know anything about the other characters' plans. The idea that minimum wage jobs are considered as something not worth pursuing or that your life must suck if you have them reeks of privilege. Not everyone can or wants to get a college degree. The people who work in customer service or have manual labor jobs are very valuable members of society, and to imply just because Steve has a minimum wage job working at a video store, so he better dies, is a horrible take. But also again, he is 19 (!!!) and should be allowed to have opportunities to figure out his plans for the future. Plus, he explicitly told us his end goal, he wants a loving partner and kids, and that's reason enough to keep going. (Even if he wouldn't have this goal or plan, he deserves time to figure things out, seeing as he lived his life in survival mode for the past 4 years.)

I also really don't get the second point. What is wrong about Steve having a real friend and a group of people he cares about? Shouldn't that be reason enough for him to keep living? Shouldn't having friends who you care about and who care about you automatically count as something that is enough. Besides, again, he also has a job, likes to go on dates, and it's implied he's still into sports.

The other characters also have each other. They hang out all the time to play their dnd games. Jonathan only has one friend (who now isn't even in the show anymore) and a gf. Nancy barely has any friends as well, besides her bf, who wants to slow mo break up with her. Should they die because they only have like 2 people they are close with? Or is it different because they want to go to college and do well in school, which is the only good purpose characters are allowed to have in order to be deemed worthy of living?

Imo it wouldn't be satisfying if Steve would die after everything he has been through. The show beats him to a pulp every season. He was tortured, maimed, and he sacrificed already so much for the group. He has the most physical trauma, besides Hopper. Even if the show doesn't address it, it's still there. (I hate it sm, but also I blame mostly on limited time that almost no character gets to explore their trauma.) It would be such a disservice to his character if he went through all of that for nothing. What kinda message is that? Killing off the character who is the most hopeful despite everything he went through is not satisfying. None of the main characters' deaths would feel satisfying after going through the horrors like that. (Besides Murray because fuck him)

If you think a character or person can only grow so much until they reach some arbitrary point where they are the perfect version of themselves, you're pretty naive. Nobody stops growing. Even if someone goes through growth, you don't stop your whole life. Maybe start rooting for an arc for Steve, where he gets even better. Where he gets to figure things out, where he becomes a better version of himself. You wouldn't say this to any other character. Just because his growth arc was more noticeable doesn't mean all your other faves didn't grow. Do you want them to stop living because they made choices to be a better person?

You're really underestimating Steve's relationship to the group if you think he's nothing more than a punching bag to them. How can you watch the show and really think this. He's Robins best friend, he helps her grow and be comfortable. He's Dustin's older brother figure. He gives him comfort, and he will most likely help him in s5 with his grief over Eddie. Even with Max, he functions as a brother figure, especially in contrast to her stepbrother. Yes, his primary role in the group is fighter and protector, but he is more than that. He's a friend and important to so many characters.

I think the last point was the thing that made me angry the most. All those other takes I've seen time and time again, but this last one is just disgusting. First of all again to imply that Steve can't do great things because he doesn't have a career plan at 19, which is just gross. And then if you also think the other characters would be so appreciative of this as if they don't give a fuck about Steve. Like Robin and Dustin would be devastated, how much of his death would affect them and their plans to do amazing things? They would be severely depressed and untreated (lets be real mental health issues were not taken super seriously up until recently) they will live with those impacts for the rest of their lives. Trust me I know how terrible depression is and how it fucks with your life plans. Maybe some characters who are not super close to him might use his death for motivation and to achieve those "great" things. But for most parts, his death would have a negative influence on them, on top of the trauma they already endured. If you think his death would only benefit the group, you're underestimating his impact on people. Like Dustin already has a hard time getting over Eddie, Robin would lose the only person who completely understands her, Max would lose another brother figure and a chance to bond with him more. Nancy would lose yet another person who was close to her. How many people should she lose until she snaps completely? But again, it's the implication that Steve's life is worthless because he doesn't go to college or has a shitty job or only has a few friends, that gets me. His life is worth less than other characters' lives because they seemingly have things figured out because they are (book) smarter than him. And btw Steve has a dream for the future, he wants a family and peace, he wants to be a better parent than his own parents were, and if you think that's meaningless or less great, then fuck you!

With those points and logic, Jonathan should also be a contender for character death in s5 as well. He doesn't have a job, he gets high with his only friend who won't be there in s5, he didn't apply for his dream university, he's about to break up with his gf. Jonathan only has his family and barely any growth over the seasons. He is a very stale character. In other words, according to those points made by OP, he has nothing going on and should sacrifice his life for the group as some form of character development.

Or Robin should also die in s5 according to those points. After all, all she has going on for her is a minimum wage job she works with her best friend, school, and a so far miserable love life. We don't know any of her future plans so fuck her I guess. She better sacrifice herself for the group. Or is she allowed to live because she's smarter than Steve (which is a pretty ableist thing to say) and gets to embark on a romantic journey next season?

To sum it up, stop saying Steve has to die because you think his life is meaningless because he's a teenager who hasn't things figured out. Stop saying shit along the lines that Steve isn't smart enough to get to have a life. Stop implying that intelligence is the most valuable thing a person can have and anyone who might lack it is deemed as less worthy of living. Stop saying Steve can't do amazing things if he doesn't go to college and therefore shouldn't be allowed to live. And stop deeming Steve's dream of a family as less meaningful (or meaningless) than academic/career successes. He deserves to live like every other character in the show.

[lenorahills]

Hey! Just wanted to leave a quick note for ya! I absolutely adore your Mileven art! It always manages to brighten my day up when I see it.

These two losers are a huge comfort ship for me but fanart is from my experience rather scarce nowadays, so thanks for keeping my Mileven heart well fed! 💜💛

Aw thank you Anon! I’m gonna use this Ask to just share some thoughts and feelings so I hope you don’t mind. I am sorry I haven’t really been active here (or any of my other accounts for that matter) it’s just

1. I’m reconciling my feelings towards this show with the actions of some vocal disgusting z!onists being part of the cast and crew spreading hatred online. And with that I need to stress that separation from actor and character is what I abide by regardless of anything.

2. The fandom itself being rather quiet with production only just starting up again. Which I feel now can maybe allow me to be more active without as much petty discourse.

Going forward, I still love the show and really moreso now the dedicated fanbase in my corner with Mileven. I’m putting no effort into discourse and “ship wars” as it’s just time wasted. I also don’t think the actions of few reflect the whole. And it’s more than just “famous” people that contribute their creativity to Stranger Things. So many talented people who add to the series that don’t have a platform for hatred and bigotry to be shared and I think in general it’s important to remember that about any media production.

I still love the series and honestly now it’s hitting me that this is the final season with the news that (allegedly) ST5 is starts production again today. I’m gonna just enjoy what’s left of the show that is coming to an end. I’ll be around still drawing my fav losers too, Mike and El (and the others) from time to time. Here’s a wintery doodle. Thanks for reading :)

[porchlightfairy]

Steve Harrington and Jason Carver (complete opposites)

I am obsessed with the dichotomy of Steve Harrington and Jason Carver. And would love to talk about it. (Somebody probably has but I want it to be my turn):

One very important thing is the loss of their loved ones (the break up with Nancy for Steve and the death of Chrissy for Jason) and how these characters go down paths of destruction afterward. However, the difference between the two is Steve is selfless and always has cared for Nancy but her betrayal after his act of, what he believes is, justice hurts him. Jason, on the other hand, has always had this self-righteous persona where he believes he is the guy that will do the right thing always. He feels justified in everything he does. It’s his purpose. He gets the girl, he gets the friends, and he gets the all-American dream.  (I personally believe the start of his fall from grace is when Lucas is the one who scores the last shot and wins the game.)

Both of them come face to face with the supernatural but confront it differently. Jason’s selfish behavior before then created a barrier for him to not be able to understand what is truly happening. Patrick’s death cements the fact (in his mind) that Eddie is a vessel for Satan to bring evil and harm to Hawkins.

While Steve’s encounter with the supernatural is slightly different, he does not consider his own well-being but the well-being of others. He had gone to Jonathan’s house originally to apologize and yet, after being threatened to leave, stays because he cares for Nancy and fears the idea of her being hurt. He puts his own life at risk for the safety of Nancy and Jonathan.

So this is where the paths truly fork. Feeling vindictive, Jason feels what he is doing is the right thing. But not for the peace of his friends but for his own cause. He has always had a reason not to like Eddie originally and now that reason has grown to justifiable murder. In his mind, Eddie Munson must die.

Steve, however, cares for others and the cause more than himself. Time and time again Steve puts his life on the line to protect others. The battle with the Demogorgon, the junkyard fight, the Russian base under the Mall, and diving into the lake to find the portal.

Jason meets the fate that was originally meant for Steve. A rich asshole whose world comes crumbling around him until the last second of his life when he is split in half by a blazing inferno. And Steve redeems himself with his selfless acts, from the brink of death every season to do it all again the next. Steve is the hero Jason thinks himself to be.

(I’ll probably have to rewrite this with better evidence later.)

[lucabyte]

Different standards

[solarmorrigan]

No one looks like they did in high school forever (be kinda weird if they did, honestly). Changes catch up with everyone sooner or later. For Steve, it seems to have happened sooner.

Personally, Eddie is in favor.

It isn’t that he hadn’t thought Steve looked in good in high school – god knows it isn’t that (Eddie may have thought Steve had been an asshole at the time, but he’d been a pretty one). It’s just that high school had been a time of basketball and swim meets and carefully watching his diet and carefully curating his appearance to match what he’d thought other people would want to see.

The time since graduation has been spent putting on the type of muscle that would better facilitate fighting monsters and keeping a band of misfit children safe (because after three times around, Steve hadn’t quite been able to bring himself to believe that the Upside Down was really gone), being fed by a rotating cast of mothers who appreciate him being there for said misfit children, and in letting himself decide how he thinks he looks good.

The first time Eddie really gets a good look at Steve after he’s left high school, he’s gone from lean muscle and looks a bit closer to the tank that Dustin’s been insisting he is. The first time Eddie sees him in action, he decides he wants to climb Steve like a tree.

Broad shoulders, strong biceps, solid core, thick thighs, that ass—is it objectification if you’re dating the guy and also madly in love with him? Whatever—Eddie is of the opinion that the time since high school has been very kind to Steve, appearance-wise.

He’s startled to realize, then, that Steve does not always share this opinion.

It doesn’t happen often; it’s rare enough that even Robin almost misses it, and Eddie is a big enough person to admit that she’s a more experienced Steve-watcher than he is.

For the most part, Steve is comfortable in his skin; he knows he looks good, he knows Eddie thinks he looks good, he knows what he’s capable of, and he’s pleased with where he is. Some days, though – some days just aren’t good days.

There are times when Eddie will catch Steve lingering in the mirror, frowning over a shirt that used to fall differently, or a pair of shorts that used to fit a little more loosely. He might reach for one of the cookies that Claudia sent them home with after their last dinner over at the Henderson household, before faltering and grabbing an apple instead (or, sometimes, nothing at all). He might wear extra layers, steal one of Eddie’s slightly oversized flannel shirts, go on an extra run, or he might not be in the mood to cuddle up to Eddie in bed (in spite of the fact that Eddie knows how much he loves getting to be the little spoon, even if he still refuses to say it out loud).

Most of these things by themselves don’t really have to mean anything, but somehow, Eddie can always tell when it’s one of those insecure days.

(And if Eddie had ever thought when he was younger that Steve Harrington could feel insecure about the way he looks, about his body, he might have cracked a crass joke about King Steve’s obvious need to overcompensate for something. Now, though, he knows better. Also, he’s a tiny bit more mature than that.)

So when he comes into the living room one afternoon to find Steve practically crammed into the corner of the sofa, curled in on himself just enough to suggest that he’s trying to take up less space, Eddie decides that that will just not do.

Eddie loves Steve’s confidence. He loves the space Steve takes up in his life (metaphorically and literally). He loves Steve, and he sure as hell isn’t about to let him spend the day feeling bad about himself, so he ducks back into the bedroom for the book on his nightstand and then plops down on the other end of the couch.

He reads for a little while and doesn’t really have to worry about getting too distracted from his plan, because he always finds himself tilting towards Steve like a compass to magnetic north, whether he’s actively trying or not. So he reads, and he shuffles around on the couch a bit, and he lists to the side a little, and then he’s finally just close enough to Steve to plausibly ask, “Hey, d’you mind?”

Steve glances up from the magazine he’s been reading, brows furrowed. “Mind what?”

Eddie points to the way Steve’s legs are drawn up almost to his chest. “Stretching your legs out? I wanna lay down.”

And normally, Steve doesn’t hesitate – hell, normally, Eddie doesn’t even need to ask; it’s almost as if he can just tell when Eddie wants to rest his head in his lap and automatically moves to welcome it. Today, though, he rolls his eyes.

“We have pillows on the couch for a reason,” he says, jerking his head towards the throw pillows at the other end of the couch (as if Eddie could forget the throw pillows; they’d spent a goddamn hour at the furniture store staring at the choices and had walked out laughing about how boring and adult and great it felt to be decorating their apartment with fucking throw pillows – but that isn’t the point).

Eddie scoffs. “Why would I settle for a pillow when I could have something way more comfortable?”

“Yeah, there’s no way my lap is better than a pillow,” Steve drawls.

“Baby, your lap is the most comfortable resting place known to man,” Eddie states, so dramatically intoned that it makes Steve laugh, even though Eddie is fairly serious. “Now why would you deny me my favorite place to lay my head?”

Steve rolls his eyes again, but obligingly (if slowly) stretches out his legs and rests his socked feet on the coffee table to make space for Eddie.

“Thank you,” Eddie says primly, before flopping down on the couch and making himself comfortable with his head situated on Steve’s lap, then giving a demonstrative little wiggle to settle in. “Yep, that’s the stuff. Perfect.”

“Man, shut up,” Steve mumbles, turning back to his magazine.

When Eddie glances up to check that he hasn’t gone too far, there’s a bit of a flush high on Steve’s cheeks, but no real displeasure on his face, so he doubles down.

“I will not. Not until you acknowledge the perfection that is your thighs,” Eddie declares, pressing his head further back into Steve’s lap. “Firm, but with just enough give–” he reaches up and pinches the side of Steve’s thigh, smiling innocently when Steve jolts and glares down at him, “always warm. Perfect.”

Steve turns his eyes resolutely back to the magazine he’s got balanced on the arm of the couch. “Not perfect.”

“Well, sure, perfection is subjective, means different things to different people, blah blah blah.” Eddie waves his hand in a vague ‘et cetera’ gesture and accidentally smacks Steve in the arm before he turns his head (and his hair is absolutely going all staticky after being rubbed against the fabric of Steve’s sweatpants, which is going to be a nightmare later, but that’s a problem for future Eddie) and presses a kiss to the spot just above Steve’s knee. “But they’re perfect to me.”

For a moment, Steve is still. Then he shifts slightly in place, and Eddie has the feeling that if he were standing, he’d be shuffling from foot to foot.

“And I have it on pretty good authority that my opinion counts for something,” Eddie goes on. “So if you ask me—which you should—your thighs are one of your best features.”

Finally, Steve glances back down at Eddie. “You think so?” he asks, soft and a little hesitant.

“Absolutely. One of my favorite parts of you, on a rotating basis with every other part of you,” Eddie says, grinning when Steve scoffs, because this time Steve is smiling, too. “What? There are so many good features, I’ve gotta make sure I pay them all equal attention.”

And the thing is, Eddie does know that what got Steve into this mindset in the first place was spending so long seeing himself as valued only for what he can provide physically: a handsome face, a lean figure, a human shield, the Party tank – whatever it is. Most of the time, Eddie makes sure Steve knows what he loves about him as a person, not just about his body. He could gain one hundred pounds, he could lose all muscle mass and be as skinny as a rail, he could look like anything, and it wouldn’t matter, because Eddie loves him.

But that doesn’t mean Steve doesn’t also want a little reassurance now and then that Eddie loves his body, too – which Eddie does, and is happy to provide.

“And today, I’m paying attention to your thighs,” Eddie concludes.

“Stop saying ‘thighs,’ it’s starting to sound like gibberish,” Steve shoots back, but there’s a pleased tilt to the corners of his mouth now.

Eddie hums. “I especially love when you let me lay in your lap. Love having your legs under my head. Or wrapped around my head.” He waves his hand around his face, smirking up at Steve. “Just, in the vicinity of my head, really.”

Steve loses the battle with the laugh he’s been trying to hold in and it overtakes him, shaking with mirth under Eddie while Eddie smiles along with him.

“You’re ridiculous,” Steve says, once he’s gotten his breath back.

“I’m just putting it out there,” Eddie says.

Steve cocks one eyebrow at Eddie and turns back to his magazine with a smirk. “Uh huh. Well, I’m a little busy right now.”

“Oh, sure, me too,” Eddie says easily, bringing his book up over his face as if he’s going to continue reading, even though he isn’t even sure he’s on the right page.

They do settle after that, though, quiet and close and comfortable being draped over and under one another. Steve’s hand finds its way into Eddie’s hair and cards through it absently like he’s petting a cat. Eddie would probably purr like one if he could.

“Love you,” Steve murmurs, glancing down as he flips from one page to the next.

“Love you, too,” Eddie replies, tilting his book away just enough to smile up at Steve.

Maybe later Eddie will get to prove how much he loves Steve’s thighs wrapped around his head. Maybe not. For now, though, he hadn’t been lying – just this is perfect.

[Prompt: Resting your head on your partner's lap]

[spitblaze]

The thing you need to remember about Tumblr discourse is that like 70% of it does not matter off of this specific website and even less of it matters once you get off the internet

[cloudycleric]

i’m going to say something so controversial

yall ever think this fandom treats henry creel like how people treated the onceler. does this make sense

[inkstainedheartbeats]

Eddie stares at Steve, his stomach churning, the thrown together breakfast concoction of random leftover meats and toast is bubbling, looks down at the stick in Steve’s hands. Five minutes into the ten minute wait and Eddie’s having second thoughts.

They’ve talked about this. About kids. He knew they were important to Steve. Hell, everyone knows they’re important and not just those who heard his six nugget speech. A small smile twitches his lips as he remembers Erica’s snooty little “Mike better be the one boy you dropped. Three boys, god Steve, you have four.” that had even Nancy smothering a laugh.

So they’ve talked about it. They’ve talked about the dangers and the worries. An Alpha and a Beta getting together is, while not the norm, not unheard of. The Alpha bearing the kids however? In Hawkins? Unheard of. Blasphemy. And yet, here Steve is with one hand resting on his stomach the other holding the pregnancy test. They’ve talked about this. They’ve talked and they’ve talked and they’ve fucked. And Eddie’s always said he’s open to the idea of kids.

It’s getting real now. Two minutes now. He can hear his father’s voice in the back of his head. Can feel his hands on his shoulders. He doesn’t want to be a dad. He can’t be a dad. Corroded Coffin is finally moving up in the music scene. He’ll fuck the kids up like his dad fucked him up. Only they won’t have a Wayne.

He should say something. Needs to say something before-

The sour scent of disappointment yanks Eddie out of his spiraling thoughts. Negative. The test is negative.

“Thank fuck.”

Fuck. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Steve’s hands are shaking. The bathroom smells like someone broke a whole shelf of snow globes. Steve’s hands are shaking and the toss to the toilet side trash can misses by a mile.

“Yeah,” Steve whispers sadly, “thank fuck.”

“Stevie-“

“I need to go. Pulling a double with Robin today and if I don’t leave now we’ll be late.”

His darling Alpha mate is out the bathroom, out the apartment before Eddie can fucking blink. Fuck. Fuck. Triple fuck.

————-/———-/—————-/—————

Part two here

[hopelessromanfic]

okay but the best part of s4 hands down was max drawing a literally fine picture and dustin being the gordan ramsey of art basically calling it shit saying they need will instead

[chirpsythismorning]

This is everything the Stranger Things writers have posted publicly about the WGA strike:

TIMELINE

May 3rd:

Stranger Things writer Caitlin Schneiderhan tweets picture from personal Twitter account of sign from the strike that reads 'Pay us or Steve Harrington is toast'

May 6th:

Official Stranger Writers Twitter account makes post on behalf of the Duffers Brothers. They have since pinned this tweet to their profile. "Duffers here. Writing does not stop when filming begins. While we're excited to start production with our amazing cast and crew, it is not possible during this strike. We hope a fair deal is reached soon so we can all get back to work. Until then -- over and out. #wgastrong

Bonus:

May 12th:

Stranger Things writer Kate Trefry posts picture from personal Tumblr account of sign that reads, 'Byler won’t write itself'

As far as I know, the two writers that posted on their personal socials are the only writers from ST that even have personal accounts that are public, whereas the rest of the writers do not.

What does make me take a pause though, is that, while yes they did post these pictures from their personal accounts, which is about as official as it gets, they also cryptically did not include themselves in said pictures...

This just got me thinking about how Stranger Things is quite literally Netflix and vise versa. They are practically one in the same, where one without the other just doesn't make sense.

While this conflict of interest might run deep for many writers out there fearing to speak out against their employer, for us, the consumers, the fans, we as a collective have so much more power than we realize.

In contrast to the writers, streamers can't just fire their consumer base sometime down the line, out of spite for speaking out. Without consumers, neither Stranger Things nor Netflix would be what it is today.

We have the affordance of being able to speak up the loudest of anyone. And so why wouldn't we take advantage of that?

There are so many people out there protesting: writers, actors, others in the industry and even outside of it who are also taking a stand, many who need support so that they can continue to fight in the upcoming days, weeks, months, without being deterred by corporations that are making them feel greedy for demanding a contract that at most, asks that they be paid fairly.

And so I want to encourage anyone that is reading this, but fellow fans of Stranger Things especially, who have so much power in this strike when it comes to getting Netflix's attention, to consider taking the time to do whatever you can individually + with the masses as a community in order to best support the strike.

Follow the Strike! If you're active on various social media already, please be sure to follow the official accounts advocating for the strike via Instagram (@writersguildwest/@wgaeast), via Twitter (@WGAWest/@WGAEast). Engage with posts from folks that are out there daily, many with whom you can find by following tags like #WGAStrong, #WGAStrike and #WritersStrike. Although most fans are not able to join in picketing themselves, we can at least recognize all of those out there's individual efforts and do our best to show that we're paying attention and listening!

Spread the word! Show support any way you can by sharing posts and articles about the strike, or even fun memes to inform others in a more engaging way. This is the official site for the WGA strike if you want to learn more about what’s going on before diving in! And make sure to stay up-to-date here as things continue to unfold!

Donate! The Entertainment Community Fund is endorsed by the WGA for anyone that wants to support those affected by the strike financially. And this thread on Twitter is an incredible resourse, as it provides an ‘easy, one-click, stress-free, accessible-to-all-budgets’ ways you can support folks on the front lines.

Also! Consider donating through this link for the Entertainment Community Fund, where the money donated still goes directly to that fund, this is just an organizing page for Stranger Things fans specifically! By allowing fans to see how much of an impact we make as a collective, in real time, this could encourage even more ST fans to want to contribute. In a best case scenario, if this GoFundMe were to reach impressive proportions of donations from fans, that could lead to news outlets reporting on it, which could allow an opportunity for even more eyes on the strike, while also even more importantly being able to provide financial support to those that need it.

Trend! On social media, use #StrangerFansforWGA to trend or even just to reach other fans also looking to come together to support the strike!

While I know this post probably wont reach anywhere outside of Tumblr, I want to make a point to encourage those of you that are on other platforms to inform fans in those spaces about the strike and what they can do to help!

We might not all agree on everything, but I think we can agree on at least one thing... @Netflix & all major streamers and networks out there, who are still refusing to make a fair deal: PAY YOUR WRITERS!

In the mean time, if you're interested in working on different ideas for initiates we can carry out as a fandom, please reach out to me! I might only one person and I might not have all the answers and solutions, but I do know that with more of us working together, our odds of making an impact are much greater!

Over and out!

[starry-eyed-steve]

In addition to that ask about Robin and Nancy in s4 and having Robin in Steve's corner and have it be Nancy vying for Robin's attention, instead of the other way:

In s4, like I get the whole "portraying Robin as babbling and nervous and rambling uncontrollably" but even with all that, I just found their scenes in s4 kind of weird?? Like yeah Robin was nervous and rambling, but I just can't see why Robin would keep trying to connect with Nancy when she was very obviously annoyed with her and Robin kept ramming up against the "annoyed wall" Nancy had put up between them.

In the library, as soon as the scene starts, Nancy acts annoyed and fed up with Robin. It's like she's already decided and barely gives her a chance before she's just annoyed with her. It's like she puts all of her annoyance up like a wall between them and doesn't want to give Robin the time of day. They barely know each other (and Robin should definitely have her misconceptions about Nancy, if not from Steve then from rumours and deciding to put herself in Steve's corner, even though he never asked her to) but Nancy has still decided to be fed up and annoyed with Robin as soon as she opens her mouth and does so very obviously. Like, Nancy is so incredibly annoyed and irritated and does not care about Robin knowing that. It is so blatantly obvious from just looking at her in those scenes.

I don't understand why Robin is unaffected by that. Even if she sometimes has problems understanding social cues and body language, Robin absolutely catches on to Nancy's annoyance and her totally ignoring her. She literally says, "you seem annoyed" so she absolutely catches Nancys annoyance. And with experience she already has from being a nerd and social outcast, she'd take that more to heart. She says it herself, "believe me, my mom reminds me daily". So it would be a sore spot. And any time other moments or people get into that sore spot and fucks it up again, that's gonna hurt! So I just don't understand why robin would be totally unaffected by that and keep chasing Nancy's acceptance and friendship. She should clam up the second Nancy puts her into "annoying girl who just yabs away with nothing important to say" box. Nancy hates when men treat her badly and are sexist around her, so why the fuck is she treating Robin the same way, just with a different kind of brush?? And expect Robin to not take it to heart?

I don't get it. And I don't get why Robin is still chasing Nancy after Nancy very blatantly ignored her, was incredibly annoyed with her for talking and rambling in a high stress and scary situation (which would make rambling nervously understandable!), and put up a wall between them, to try and shut her out. All with an annoyed, irritated air about her.

I just. Like the other ask said, Robin should have been in Steve's corner from the start and not want Nancy's friendship, so it had been Nancy chasing after Robin's friendship. And we'd get a chance to see Nancy struggle with forming a connection to another girl for the first time since she lost Barb and how she would go about that with that inner conflict. While also getting someone putting Steve first and prioritising him above others.

I absolutely wish we had gotten the Nancy & Robin dynamic that the anon suggested. That feels so much more compelling (and true to Robin's character) than having her desire Nancy's attention and friendship, because it's Nancy and we should all love and see her as the ultimate morality character who can do no wrong

This is the ask I think you're talking about?

First things first, I have to defend Nancy a bit in that library scene. From her pov, she just found out her friend died while she took him to a crime scene prior. Then this girl she doesn't know, who is best friends with her ex who she has complicated feelings about just talks to her non-stop. Robin also questions her idea and doesn't really believe in what Nancy says, so of course, she is annoyed. It's a normal reaction. I would have been annoyed as well. However, my issue is that Nancy never apologized for it, and it's brushed aside in the show. There could have been a scene when Robin found the Creel story where Nancy was like hey sorry for earlier are we good now? But nope, instead, the show made Robin kinda pathetic for continuing to want to impress Nancy even when she recognized that Nancy treated her rather badly.

For example, if Steve had behaved that way towards Robin, she would let him know that it wasn't okay the way he treated her. It's also telling that Steve apologizes as soon as he hurts someone. Like when he insulted Dustin in s4 and Dustin was like dude stop, Steve immediately checked his behavior. So why can't Nancy do the same? In general, I feel like she has a hard time apologizing, or the show just lets her off the hook than other characters.

You're right, imo Robin had no reason to be so desperate for Nancy's friendship. Like this is her best friend's ex who broke his heart, and she heard rumours about their messy breakup that included cheating. S3 Robin would at least be cautious about her. I don't even mind her rambling in s4 because that shows she's more comfortable around people, especially Steve. But she would still be masking around Nancy because she's not comfortable around her based on the information she had on her prior

And then, when Nancy makes her so uncomfortable that Robin has to explain herself to her and even tells her about her mom and how she thinks her personality is faulty, it just makes me so upset for Robin. Like Nancy totally sees that Robin is upset, she could have told her she needs a moment to process. That's all I needed, like some sort of confirmation that Nancy cares and wants to befriend Robin. Nancy only started to tolerate her after Robin proved herself multiple times that she was useful to her. And even when Nancy asked Robin if they were friends in the woods, she never said sorry for her past behavior. It just made Robin look so stupid, and I don't want that for her. Personally, after the library, I feel like Robin should have let Nancy know that she was hurt and distance herself a bit. Nancy then would have had the chance to reflect, and idk it would make platonic ronance so much better. S4 Robin felt ooc because in s3 she took no bullshit from Steve, why is Nancy different for her?

(Sidenote: People being annoyed with Vickie because she also rambles just don't get it. Like omg Robin sees this and is instantly put at ease. Vickie reassured her that her rambling isn't weird or faulty, Robin instantly feels drawn to her. She doesn't have to explain herself or even apologize for being herself like she has to with Nancy. Robin deserves someone who gets her.)

In general, letting Nancy be the driving force would do so much for her as a character, I can't state this enough. To me, Nancy never gets a chance to grow, which makes me sad. She still feels like s2 Nancy because she never gets to reflect on her behavior. She hurts people, but it gets brushed off so easily. She is capable of feeling hurt when it's inflicted on her, but when she treats others badly, she doesn't seem to understand that she is in the wrong. Like the show needs to let her feel the consequences, just because she isn't perfect doesn't mean it would make her a terrible character. It's the opposite, actually, characters being not Nancy's biggest fan, and her questioning her behavior is way more interesting than everyone liking her instantly or still liking her despite being hurt by her actions.

I also want someone being in Steve's corner for once. As a best friend, it's your duty to have your bff's' best interests at heart. Kinda side-eying their ex and not meddling to get them back together is like the bare minimum. Plus, after being not treated very well by said ex, Robin should definitely side with Steve more.

But again, I feel like because we have limited time, there is no room for much personal drama. It's easier to have everyone go along than let them fight. However, I think this season could have benefited from them fighting because the show needed the plan to go wrong. So, if the people were not on the same page, the plan being stupid would have been more believable. They were destined to fail because of inner personal problems.

[steddieas-shegoes]

crawling out

for @steddiemicrofic prompt ‘hole’

rated m | 404 words

cw: mention of addiction (nothing specific or detailed), mention of rehab, break-up | tags: rock star Eddie Munson, making amends, angst with a hopeful/happy ending, hurt/comfort, getting back together

- - - - - - - - - -

“Keep digging the hole for yourself. Eventually, no one will find you.”

Those were the last words Steve had said to him over a year ago.

They were in the middle of tour, their first headlining one, and Steve had been antsy. Eddie was picking fights with him for no god damn reason.

Steve got sick of it.

Steve left.

The band finished that tour, Eddie went on a bender and nearly died, and the band took a break.

- - -

Rehab sucked. Not because of the withdrawals; Those weren’t all that bad compared to some of the horror stories he’d heard. He was alone.

And being alone was what got him there in the first place.

Steve warned him he’d be alone the further into this hole he put himself and he was right.

- - -

But it’s been months since rehab, months since he felt the urge to bury himself in the hole he dug for himself, months since he started clawing his way out.

He’d spent the first month with Wayne, who welcomed him with open arms the way he always did.

The second month was spent traveling to see all the kids, apologize to them for everything.

All of them had quickly sided with Steve, rightfully so, and he’d barely heard from them after…well, after. They all accepted his apologies, wanted to start working towards friendship again.

Next was a trip back to California to visit the band, who all stuck around to help out in the studio and write songs for others while they figured out what they wanted to do. They all loved him, told him so in the way they looked proud to see him standing outside of the hole he dug.

Now, standing outside the apartment Steve shared with Robin, he had the strong urge to jump back into the hole.

“Just knock,” he said to himself.

He lifted his hand.

The door swung open.

Steve stood there, just as beautiful and perfect as the day he left Eddie, frowning.

He looked him up and down, took in how he’d changed, put on a little bit of weight, trimmed his hair to his shoulders, got a new tattoo.

The date Steve left.

Steve’s eyes locked on his.

“You still digging that hole?”

“No. Filling it in actually. My arms got tired.”

Steve bit his lip, the telltale sign he was hiding a laugh.

“Need help?”

Eddie smiled. “Couldn’t hurt, sweetheart.”

[upsidedog]

i am so charmed by a lumax wedding because it’s not even something max thought would happen. like she assumed weddings were something the girl makes happen and the guy puts up with. and because she had no desire for one, so there’s no reason it would happen.

among other things weddings are an exorbitant and performative show of love, max loves lucas and she doesn’t care whether or not other people know or believe this. at it’s best marriage to her has been a representation of failed dreams and at it’s worst it’s been a tool to manipulate people who need to get away to stay. maybe they will get married for the tax benefits, she thinks.

this is until max and lucas are older and living together, they’re chilling on the couch and lucas mentions his family has been asking when he’s planning to propose and if that’s something max even wants? max doesn’t care, she doesn’t plan on going anywhere, a certificate won’t change anything and she's not crazy about parties. she doesn’t ask how he feels, he brings it up, that “actually i want a wedding.”

that is saying the least, lucas wants a wedding more than anything. he loves max and he doesn’t need to prove that to anyone, but he’s happy and he wants to share that with others! he wants to work with max to make marriage a positive thing to them, he wants to celebrate their love, everything they’ve been through. also, hell, he’s only human, he wants to show off! he wants to dress really cool and go to a really cool place and show the world know how awesome he and his girlfriend are. HIS WIFE!!!

most of all, lucas wants the moment near the end of the night, where the party’s getting loud and everybody wants his attention, but max asks if he wants to get out of there and he says yes. not out out, just outside the venue. it’s dark and the once booming music is now faint, they sit and catch up, complain about their families, laugh about their friends. max holds lucas’s hand and plays with his wedding ring, she whispers something sweet before asking him to dance. it’s the best part of the night and nobody will know about it but them.

suddenly max decides she wants a wedding.

[sparrowlucero]

does anyone else remember this or am I alone in the world

[c-is-for-circinate]

Someday I'm going to figure out how to properly shriek about Mike Wheeler growing into precisely the same kind of toxic masculinity Steve is stumblingly growing out of.

[roosterbox]

Been thinking about that discourse over Eddie smelling bad and

I agree with everyone saying that this is incredibly gross and classist and just generally incorrect, but this ain’t about that. Someone said, offhandedly as a joke, that Eddie “doesn’t use 9-in-1 shampoo” and I had a thought. I get those a lot.

Imagine that yes, he doesn’t use ‘9-in-1,’ but he does use a very generic store brand shampoo. Which works perfectly well! His hair is clean, shiny, and smells amazing. I’ve used the generic stuff many times in my life and my hair has never been anything less than fucking fabulous. But our dear Farrah-Fawcett-Spray boy Steve gets very Shocked Pikachu Face about it.

They get into an (extremely mild) argument over this, with Steve reasoning that proper hair care is important, and Eddie countering that he’s done it this way for X amount of years already and his hair is FINE thank you very much (a fact that Steve, with how much he loves running his fingers through said hair when they’re in bed, should be well aware of).

Until Steve, caught up in the moment (or so he says later), turns to Wayne, who’s sitting off to the side reading a newspaper, and says “Wayne, back me up on this!”

And Wayne - beautiful, balding man that he is - slowly lowers his paper and says, completely deadpan, “Son, look me in the eye and then ask me that again.”

(Years later, Eddie still won’t let Steve live it down, and bringing it up just gets even funnier to him the older (and balder) Wayne gets.)