#that 80's homophobia

[cightnourt]

"And I thought I disappointed my father."

Night Court - S02E10

[kazalmilk]

thinking about Charles confessing to Edwin by offhandedly saying “i shouldn’t like you the way I like you” oh god i’m so sick

[evolvedclown]

chappell roan makes me feel like i’m standing in an 80’s open air concert venue while the scandalously queer pop star is singing about her female lovers while my own is standing beside me with just enough space for us to have deniability if someone from our home town sees us even though we have the anonymity of being in a different more liberal town.

[tink27]

craving some Steve Harrington sexuality crisis fanfiction this fine winters eve

[hearts401]

i keep thinking abt internalized homophobia michael but in the funniest way

[nerdygaymormon]

The LGBTQ community has seen controversy regarding acceptance of different groups (bisexual and transgender individuals have sometimes been marginalized by the larger community), but the term LGBT has been a positive symbol of inclusion and reflects the embrace of different identities and that we’re stronger together and need each other. While there are differences, we all face many of the same challenges from broader society.

In the 1960′s, in wider society the meaning of the word gay transitioned from ‘happy’ or ‘carefree’ to predominantly mean ‘homosexual’ as they adopted the word as was used by homosexual men, except that society also used it as an umbrella term that meant anyone who wasn’t cisgender or heterosexual. The wider queer community embraced the word ‘gay’ as a mark of pride.

The modern fight for queer rights is considered to have begun with The Stonewall Riots in 1969 and was called the Gay Liberation Movement and the Gay Rights Movement.

The acronym GLB surfaced around this time to also include Lesbian and Bisexual people who felt “gay” wasn’t inclusive of their identities. 

Early in the gay rights movement, gay men were largely the ones running the show and there was a focus on men’s issues. Lesbians were unhappy that gay men dominated the leadership and ignored their needs and the feminist fight. As a result, lesbians tended to focus their attention on the Women’s Rights Movement which was happening at the same time. This dominance by gay men was seen as yet one more example of patriarchy and sexism. 

In the 1970′s, sexism and homophobia existed in more virulent forms and those biases against lesbians also made it hard for them to find their voices within women’s liberation movements. Betty Friedan, the founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW), commented that lesbians were a “lavender menace” that threatened the political efficacy of the organization and of feminism and many women felt including lesbians was a detriment.

In the 80s and 90s, a huge portion of gay men were suffering from AIDS while the lesbian community was largely unaffected. Lesbians helped gay men with medical care and were a massive part of the activism surrounding the gay community and AIDS. This willingness to support gay men in their time of need sparked a closer, more supportive relationship between both groups, and the gay community became more receptive to feminist ideals and goals. 

Approaching the 1990′s it was clear that GLB referred to sexual identity and wasn’t inclusive of gender identity and T should be added, especially since trans activist have long been at the forefront of the community’s fight for rights and acceptance, from Stonewall onward. Some argued that T should not be added, but many gay, lesbian and bisexual people pointed out that they also transgress established gender norms and therefore the GLB acronym should include gender identities and they pushed to include T in the acronym. 

GLBT became LGBT as a way to honor the tremendous work the lesbian community did during the AIDS crisis. 

Towards the end of the 1990s and into the 2000s, movements took place to add additional letters to the acronym to recognize Intersex, Asexual, Aromantic, Agender, and others. As the acronym grew to LGBTIQ, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIAA, many complained this was becoming unwieldy and started using a ‘+’ to show LGBT aren’t the only identities in the community and this became more common, whether as LGBT+ or LGBTQ+. 

In the 2010′s, the process of reclaiming the word “queer” that began in the 1980′s was largely accomplished. In the 2020′s the LGBTQ+ acronym is used less often as Queer is becoming the more common term to represent the community. 

[asexualenjolras]

I need to talk about Charles Rowland and his love for Edwin Payne.

Charles saying he can't say he's in love with Edwin back doesn't mean he isn't in love with Edwin, and it doesn't mean he doesn't love Edwin in the same way that Edwin loves him.

He is just saying he needs to work out what he does feel.

Charles died when he was 16. He's still a child. Nobody at 16 knows what it means to be in love.

And, on top of that, he grew up in an abusive household with a warped understanding of what love means. His dad was abusive to his mum, so he wouldn't understand what being "in love" is compared to someone that grew up within a stable household. He's never had the time to unpack what that means about his ability to love. He's worried that he might end up like his dad, and he absolutely would never want to hurt Edwin like his dad hurts his mum.

Charles has a lot of confusion about love. He loves his mum, he knows that, and he loves his dad, despite everything he put him and his mum through.

And, on top of all of this, he grew up during a difficult period in history. He was a teenager in Britain in the 80's. The 80's were a notoriously homophobic period of time, and I'm not saying that Charles is dealing with internalised homophobia but growing up during a period of time where the homophobic rhetoric was rife would have an impact on anyone. Especially a confused 16 year old boy who didn't know much kindness in life.

Charles knows he loves Edwin more than anything and anyone else in his life, and he knows the love he feels for him is different to the love he feels for his mum. He just doesn't know whether what he feels for Edwin constitutes as being "in love" with him.

And he needs time to figure that out. That's what he is telling Edwin: he's telling him that he is the most important person in the world to him and that he does love him but he needs to work out what that means. And Edwin completely understands that because Charles put it so eloquently and in a way that Edwin could understand. This isn't the usual unreciprocated love trope. They are each other's person, and they're trying to navigate what that means for each of them.

Overall, Charles loves Edwin and Edwin loves Charles. And they're going to figure out what that means together in time. Because that's what they always do: they figure things out.

Together.

[charmedreincarnation]

I shifted and entered the void state and I now live my dream life beyond what I could imagine (:

(I’m your bubble anon but I made this burner to post this bc I don’t want to start a blog on my main account, and I know how success stories go)

Hi Maya. Ur page has been super helpful, and after being in the shifting community for 5 years I shifted to my waiting room using your reprogram method and your lucid dreaming guide. It was a castle with a couple of butlers and domesticated animals of all sorts. I experimented and visited around 15 drs within a week (wr time) and I am so blessed.

I shifted to:

My waiting room

Bnha

A royalty dr where I am a princess

80’s dr

Stranger things

My dr based of my favourite wattadd story

An aot x this reality x avatar reality I created

Mcu universe where I am ironman’s daughter

I shifted as a cat (very fun)

A dr where I am a wealthy Range Rover new money mother

Old money nepo modeling dr

+ some personal ones

I have wanted this for so long so I have to thank you for always answering my dos, and making incredible posts. I am also a permeant shifter/respawner but I was so motivated by your philosophy of living every reality to the fullest, including this one so that’s what I did.

I came back a week ago and shifted back to a reality where I am a master shifter, and a master of the void state.

I entered the void and manifested this as well:

Everyone who reads this enters the void state easily

Having loving parent with a billion dollar net worth(they were poor, abusive, and homophobic)

A beautiful loving gf with supportive parents

Loving lesbian relationship and any homophobia we receive returns into a curse :) fuck you bigots

This Incel named Evan Stevens doesn’t exist. And I checked and he doesn’t but I guess This realities version is Andrew Tate. I will manifest he gets lung cancer or something. Fuck him

Natural head turning beauty, and being a solid 10/10 in every aspect

Having my dream personality, voice, hair, and intelligence

Revising my zodiac from cancer to a saggitarius

Having a popular youtube channel that Will blow up soon and be my career

And so so so much more. Lesson of the story is don’t give up. You can have everything and more so what’s the point of not trying. When it gets hard it can not get worse only better so remember this is the last time you will ever feel this shitty.

I love everything about this. This has to be one of my favorite success stories so thank you for the motivating content. You deserve it all and your success can be attributed to only yourself :)!

[rockrosethistle]

TSH hot takes 🔥

-Julian was actually a dick. He isolated and groomed vulnerable students (do you think it's a coincidence that every single member of the greek class had a difficult home life?) into thinking that these very outdated concepts of love and power were good for them. He compared their dangerous behaviour to that of ancient gods. Then, rather than face the consequence of his actions and take accountability, he left when it mattered.

-Charles was an asshole, but he's not a scapegoat. You cannot blame all the problems on Charles, he was an addict as a result of his trauma. He needed help. This doesn't excuse him from his actions, but it explains them. At the beginning of the book he physically could not bring himself to hurt Camilla. He's not a "bad" person. He's a sick person.

-Bunny didn't deserve to die, but he was also probably going to condemn the group at some point. He didn't just die for no reason. (Believing that Bunny's death was truly pointless also means believing that Henry was an actual psychopath who killed his friend for shits and giggles.)

-Judy, Cloke and Sophie ended up the happiest. That is literally the moral of the book. Judy wasn't all tortured when Richard didn't want to hang out with her, she shook it off and kept living her life. That's literally the point.

-Richard was never in love with Camilla. He loved the idea of her, but didn't see her as a person. Because of this specific dynamic and the fact the Richard is narrating, we know nothing about her actual personality. Anything he says can be disputed, and a lot of it contradicts itself.

-Francis is not blameless or unproblematic, but of the group he probably had the best intentions. Most of his behaviour that can be interpreted as creepy can be chalked up to Richard's internalized homophobia (remember, everything is told from his point of view, and Francis was a gay man in the 80's) When you look objectively at what Francis did, you see that he made a pass, got rejected, then dropped it and moved on. There is (i think) one more attempt made later on in the book, and that is furthered by Richard and only interrupted when Charles shows up.

-Henry may be the metaphorical representative of death when talking about the book, but in the narrative it's important to remember he's also just a person. Otherwise everything he does seems beyond question, and he's assigned this label as just "evil." He was 21!! Literally still a kid

-There were not good or bad characters. The reason they hit so hard is because each of them are so layered. They all have good traits and bad traits, but calling one "evil" takes away their humanity and dismisses their complexity that makes them so great.

[venuslcver]

CAR RIDE TO SCHOOL ⋆

pairing: season4!robin x cheerleader!reader

synopsis: a standard car ride while dating robin.

tw: feminine described character, fluff, kissing, au without standard 80's homophobia (no use of y/n)

any type of interaction including likes, comments, and reblogs is appreciated! but ultimately not necessary. let me know if im missing any warnings!

the screech of your, neon pink-colored, alarm clock filled your room. echoing throughout the vicinity of your large, pastel bedroom. finally easing up in noise when your palm collided against the base of it. letting out a huff, while laying your head back against your plush pillow, blatantly ignoring the alarm.

trying to dose off back into a slumber, although you were extremely tired. it happened to be just your luck— you couldn't fall back to sleep for the life of you.

great.

now fully awake, you turn to push your face into the pillowcase that incased your pillow, asperatedly screaming into it. seeing that it is 7:05, you began scrambling out of the bed, feet colliding against the cream, carpeted floored room. making your way towards your bedroom connected bathroom.

sliding the spaghetti straps off of your shoulder, hips wiggling out of your pajama slip-dress. throwing you hair into hair-style that would keep it from getting wet. slipping into the steam filled shower, you began suzzing the entirety of your body in raspberry scented soap, loofah in hand.

hearing steve's car pull into your driveway, you began scrambling down the second story of your house, slamming your pristine, bleached white cheer shoes against the stairs. walking with haste to the kitchen, greeted with the smile of your mother, plate in hand, stacked with pancake after pancake, enough food to feed you, steve, and robin— your girlfriend.

swiftly pecking the cheek of your mother, you took the plate out of her hand. slamming the front door, a smile, now, written on your face as you saw robin— head poke out of the semi-rolled-down window.

"yess, steve i told you that she would make food!"

seeing robin open up the passenger door to steve's car, she left a quick peck on your forehead before getting in the very middle, back seat. robin always, without fail, gave up the front seat for you. the one, and only time that you joined her in the back seat, steve accused robin and you of making out.

"you guys better not be sucking face back there"

ever since then, you had to spend all your time in steve's car, in the front seat. throwing your backpack into the passenger seat of the car, you slid into it while balancing the plate of pancakes. setting it on the center console, the hands of robin and steve began plucking them off quickly.

mouth stuffed to the brim with pancakes— yet you were still able to understand the insulting words that steve was hurling at you, "mhm these are good! there is no way that you made these"

the whole entirety of the car ride to school was usually spent on steve obnoxiously singing music from the cassette tape he made. At the same time, you leaned back in the passenger seat allowing robin access to your face to apply makeup.

it isn't abnormal if robin quickly glances over to steve, and when she sees his usual distracted-self dancing. barely even paying attention to the road, let alone paying any mind to the two of you— every fiber of attention paid forward, towards doing your make-up dissipated from robin's mind.

she would swiftly lay a passionate kiss on your lips, just lengthy enough to satisfy her need for affection, at least till you got to school. steve was even more strict than your mother, hell, you could go as far as to say the same about your father. but not too long, not lasting long enough for mama steve to start nagging you and robin, along with the over-dramatic fake gagging that would ensue.

though it needs to be said, that you would be the one that would be pulling away no matter how annoying you found steve. you thought that robin's friend was rather very kind for offering to drive you guys to school, even if that meant that he would have to leave his house extra early than he usually would for work.

arriving at your high school, robin is swift to vault out of the car, peeling the passenger door gaping open. now, clutching your backpack, for you, with her right hand. her other hand guided you out of the car, before gliding her palm against your cheer skirt, flattening it, to avoid you flashing the entire school your ass.

[evolvedclown]

i just watched ‘rosemary’s diary’ tiktok about this, but why are so many artists from the 70’s-80’s so queerphobic. y’all were dressed in sequences with full faces of make up and then your gonna turn around and be a bigot. it makes no sense yet absolutely does at the same time.

[queerism1969]

General stuff I wish more cis people knew:

Being trans is a situation one is born into. No, trans children are not cis kids who are being manipulated or abused by parents because it's "trendy". That shit is just a modern reworking of the "gays are recruiting kids into homosexuality!" bullshit from the 70's and 80's.

Trans women are not "biologically male" and trans men are not "biologically female". Transition causes massive biological changes; trans men who are on testosterone and have had a hysterectomy have far more biologically in common with cis men than with cis women, and trans women who are on estrogen and have had reconstructive surgery have far more biologically in common with cis women than with cis men.

The existence of trans people is not a recent phenomenon, and the number of trans people is not increasing. Trans people have always existed; there are just more out trans people now.

Trans women are not gay men who attempt to become women in response to homophobia, trans men are not women who attempt to become men in response to sexism, and trans people would still exist and still need to transition even if both homophobia and sexism were eliminated.

Many trans women are bi or lesbian; many trans men are bi or gay (attracted to other men) (see p.28-29)

Allowing trans women and girls to use the same public facilities as other women (e.g., restrooms, locker rooms, etc) does not put cis women and girls at risk

That there are not more trans women than there are trans men.

Most trans people are not visibly identifiable as trans

Being trans and/or transition is not biblically condemned, and being trans/transitioning is not universally condemned by mainstream religious organizations

Spelling and grammatical notes:

It's transgender, not "transgendered"

It's dysphoria, not "dysmorphia". Dysmorphia is an unrelated anxiety condition on the OCD spectrum.

Transgender is an adjective, not a noun. So there are transgender people, but nobody is "a transgender".

The word cis is a Latin prefix, not an acronym, so there's no need to capitalize it as CIS. Cis is short for cisgender, which is the opposite of transgender. The prefix cis- means "on this side/on the same side", while trans- means "across/beyond/on the other side". E.g., cislunar vs. Translunar orbits

Faux pas to avoid:

Don't ask about our genitals unless you're our doctors or there's mutual interest in sex. Don't ask about "the surgery" either, which is still really just asking about our genitals

Same goes for the graphic details of our sex lives. Unless we're already in the kind of relationship where we casually discuss these matters, it's none of your business

When talking about something a trans person did before they transitioned, refer to them by the name and pronouns they use now unless they have specifically told you otherwise. It's like talking about someone who used to be married to an abusive asshole, but has since divorced him and stopped using his name. Even if talking about something she did while still married, I really hope you wouldn't call her "Mrs. Abusive Ex". That would be spectacularly tactless. That's not her name now and not how she wants to be known.

Never out someone unless they have given you explicit permission to do so. Don't assume that because they're out to some people that they are comfortable having others know that aspect of their medical history

If you accidentally refer to someone by the wrong pronouns, just correct yourself and move on. Don't dwell on it, just make a serious effort to not do it again

[pinkeoni]

The Big AIDS Metaphor Post

In her essay "Why Are Americans Afraid of Dragons?" from her book The Language of the Night: Essays of Fantasy and Science Fiction, science-fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin writes—

"The use of imaginative fiction is to deepen your understanding of your world, of your fellow men, and your own feelings, and your destiny."

It would be easy for me to claim that Stranger Things is a show that utilizes its science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor, but that only goes so far without being able to prove that the show is in fact employing said metaphor. "The show takes place in the 80's -> AIDS was a big part of the 80's -> therefore the show is about AIDS" isn't an airtight argument in itself. I can quote famous sci-fi writers all day but that still wouldn't prove that the Duffers themselves are actually following similar trains of thought.

So here's my big long post about why the show is utilizing it's science-fiction elements as an AIDS metaphor.

Lengthy discussion of rape, violent homophobia and drug use below the cut.

A Brief History of HIV/AIDS in America

For those not in the know about HIV/AIDS, and in order to all get on the same page, here is a short recap. For my information, I will be this timeline from hiv.gov as well as this timeline created by History Channel, as well as some of the supplemental hyperlinks provided. Any other sources I use will be linked throughout.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, making it highly susceptible to infection and cancers. The virus can progress to a more severe version of the infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. The virus spreads through bodily fluids such as semen and blood. The most common ways for HIV/AIDS to spread was through unprotected sex and sharing needles while using drugs.

The initial cases of HIV were present in America in the 70's but become much more rampant starting in the early 1980s. Because cases of AIDS were most commonly seen in gay and bisexual men, there was a large misconception that AIDS was a "gay plague" or a "gay disease" as it was nicknamed. By 1984, 3,500 Americans had died from AIDS related illnesses.

The reason that AIDS epidemic got as deadly as it did is often attributed to the Reagan Administration's failure to act, something that President Reagan denied. Reagan would not publicly acknowledge AIDS until 1985, despite U.S. health officials being aware of AIDS since 1981.

Understanding just how entrenched this metaphor is in the story will include going through each season and examining in detail how each one plays into this metaphor.

Season One: Establishing Metaphor & Government Cover Up in Early Years of Epidemic

The AIDS metaphor is most closely connected with Will's storyline, although it's not exclusive to Will nor is his storyline exclusive to AIDS. Furthermore, the supernatural elements of this show are multifaceted. AIDS is but just one of the metaphors expressed in the show, but for the sake of this post it's what I will be focusing on.

The setup begins following Will's disappearance in episode 1, when Joyce introduces Will's queer coding to us.

By 1983 the terms "gay disease" and "gay cancer" had been in the public vocabulary for a couple years now. So when Joyce brings up his queerness in regards to to his disappearance in a show that takes place in the early 1980s, there is a subconscious correlation that can be made in the watchers mind. His sexuality is significant to the why he went missing, otherwise why bring it up?

We then hear through Troy exactly what the town believes happened to Will.

I think that Troy essentially being a mouthpiece for his father is significant to show that Troy's beliefs are not exclusive to him and they do not exist in a vacuum. Troy's homophobia is a product of his environment, which includes his home and by extension, Hawkins.

The specification that Will was killed by "some other queer" adds another layer under the surface of Troy's statement, one that implies that Will was raped before he was kill, otherwise, again, why bring up sexuality in the first place? This was the attitude toward gay men— they rape and kill little boys.

In early 1984, there was a study conducted by the American Journal of Medicine to trace the sexual partners of a cluster of patients with Kaposi Sarcoma, one of the common cancers that killed AIDS patients. The study identified a flight attendant as "Patient O" who was among the first to exhibit symptoms of HIV/AIDS and had a rather active sex life with a multitude of sexual partners. The study was soon misconstrued by the public to claim that there was a Patient Zero who was "a promiscuous or even malicious gay man who single-handedly and knowingly touched off the AIDS pandemic in the United States."

Another crucial factor of the metaphor is the cover-up and blame shifting from the government lab, the exact thing that allowed the problem to escalate and become as deadly as it did to begin with. In the early years of the epidemic, Reagan slashed the budget of public health agencies like the CDC, and it would be years until he ever made a speech about it let alone even mentioned AIDS publicly.

We see how adamant the lab is to cover up any supernatural involvement with Will's disappearance in an attempt to cover their own asses. Framing his death as an accident was their call, all while being acutely aware of what the actual problem was. This confrontation from Joyce to Brenner puts it pretty aptly.

Tangent About Barb

This AIDS metaphor is something that I thought of when I first watched the show back in 2016 (humble brag) but what tipped me off the most wasn't Will or the lab but it was the fact that Barb was the other victim shown.

Barb's queer coding was clear to everyone and their mother. Hell, there's even a joke about it in the Bad Lip Reading of the first season. Barb, Nancy's short haired female friend who takes issue with Nancy's new relationship and has a hard time fitting in with with all of the heterosexual antics of Steve's house party. She's singled out, and while the rest of the gang get to casually enjoy the pleasures of sex, while Barb, another member of the queer community, sadly loses her life. The show cuts between Nancy having sex with Steve with Barb being killed to emphasize this stark contrast.

Season Two: Personal Effects of HIV/AIDS & Social Stigmatization

Season one was surrounding Will while not really showing us much of his pov, but season two dives right in to his perspective.

So, remember when I talked earlier about how Troy, and by extension the town, believed that Will was raped? Well, he wasn't exactly wrong.

This moment wasn't lost on me when I originally watched the show, although I think I ignored the implications because I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. But it's pretty well spelled out— A long, tentacle-like organ used for the sake of reproduction (Will "births" D'Art as a result of this), is inserted inside of Will's mouth without consent.

It's been a year, and Will is still dealing with the trauma of what happened, along with all of these new changes to his life. Will frequently attends doctors appointments at the lab, where the lab themselves aren't completely confident what is happening with him either.

When cases of HIV/AIDS were first appearing in the U.S., health officials were unclear as to what exactly this virus was and how it worked, only that clusters of otherwise healthy gay men were suddenly developing rare and aggressive infections and cancers.

Owens refers to the spread of the Upside Down very clinically— describing it as some cancer. One of the first articles published about HIV/AIDS in America before more information was known was a New York Times article titled "Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals." The cancer the headline refers to being Karposi Sarcoma, the rare skin cancer developing due to their weakened immune system.

HIV/AIDS in itself isn’t the disease that patients die from, but instead the weakened immune system allows for diseases to take over the body without much defense. After his visit to the Upside Down, Will faces a series of “True Sight” visions as Mike puts it, which allows for a destructive foreign entity to invade Will's body and slowly take it over.

HIV.gov lists the following as some of the symptoms of AIDS:

"Rapid weight loss"

"Profuse night sweats"

and "Memory loss"

To the government agents in the lab, we see just how disposable Will is to them. In their words, if it kills him, it kills him. (thank you to @emblazons for being the one to point this out to me)

Owens may have held more concern for Will, but he still continues the government cover-up started by Brenner in season one. We also see the fallout of Barb's death, with Nancy and Jonathan fighting to uncover and reveal the truth. Owens is the one who tries to put a stop to their exposé of events to Barb's mom.

Not only is Will facing trauma and his body being ravaged by this new illness, but he's also facing social stigmatization, something common among gay men with positive HIV statuses at this time. There seemed to be some sympathy from the townsfolk when Will was missing and presumed dead, yet he faces animosity almost seemingly because he came back.

The "Zombie Boy" Nickname

I once made a whole separate post about this, but Will's "Zombie Boy" nickname from season two fits in with this AIDS metaphor.

On a surface level, the nickname is in reference to the fact that Will seemed to come back to life despite having a funeral and being buried. In a literal sense, however, his peers are quite literally referring to him a walking corpse that spreads disease. Individuals suffering from AIDS often have very short life expectancies, and zombies are the re-animated dead that aim to infect and kill as many people as possible. It is a very coded nickname.

In the post that I linked, I speculate the possibility that some people in town may even believe that Will has HIV. Remember earlier when I mentioned Troy's comment "he was probably killed by some other queer" which implies a belief that Will was raped. The town don't know about any of the supernatural goings-on, but they do know that Will went missing, was found in a cabin a week later, was hospitalized shortly after and attended frequent doctor visits through the following year. I don't see a reason that malicious rumors would cease, especially considering that they already continue to be cruel and ostracizing with the Zombie Boy nickname.

Look also at this moment of Will getting weird looks as he is being pulled from school to attend his doctors appointment. Why so much stigma around simply going to the doctor?

The 1984 Reelection of Ronald Reagan

In 1984, Ronald Reagan won reelection in one of the biggest election wins in history. And— subsequently continuing his and the governments silence towards the AIDS epidemic.

Season two takes place in the week leading up to the reelection. There are small set pieces that draw attention to this, such as this election sign in front of the library.

If the date November 6th sounds familiar, it should.

Dr. Owens mentions the anniversary of Will's disappearance. The one year anniversary of Will's disappearance is the same day that Ronald Reagan was reelected. Will's trauma is being purposefully associated with that day.

I've also made a separate post before just about the Reagan/Bush '84 signs that litter the lawns of Hawkins houses. They appear most notably in the Halloween episode, building to when Will has his true sight episode that night. There is one clearly in frame just before Will is separated from the group, called a "Zombie Boy" and a "freak" (two very coded nicknames) before he falls into his vision.

We also get a clear view of the Reagan/Bush sign outside of the Wheeler house before Will describes his experience to Mike.

A Tangent About the Wheelers

And now the question on everyone's mind: Are the Wheeler's homophobic?

Ted and Karen Wheeler are not violent, homophobic bullies. That would be a massive reach. But it would also be a reach to say that they are vocal allies. And maybe that's just what the average middle class family

In the very least, the Wheelers are passively contributing to a system that enables homophobia. To be honest, they are probably just going along with what everyone else is doing. Like I said earlier, Reagan was an incredibly popular candidate for the 1984 reelection. The Wheelers have the privilege of being able to comfortably conform without having to worry about much of the consequences. (I'll talk more about the Wheelers later)

In the episode where Will is possessed by the Mind Flayer, Joyce calls the school and we get an extended shot with Reagan's portrait in the background. The shot begins with the portrait slightly obscured, then the camera dolly's in towards the receptionist with the portrait still in frame. Shortly after this Will is possessed in the field. Here is one of the camera begins the shot and where the camera ends the shot.

I also wanna note that when Joyce calls in this scene, the receptionist makes a side comment about her and rolls her eyes. There's a clear animosity towards not only Will, but the whole Byers family, including the adults of the town. Including Reagan's portrait in this shot is meant to create a subtle correlation between him and the stigma that the Byers' face.

Season Three: The Façade of Patriotism Over a Dying Nation

It's 1985, Ronald Reagan has been reelected, and this season introduces Hawkins Mayor Larry Kline.

Is Larry Kline meant to be Ronald Reagan?

I would say that Mayor Kline is probably exemplary of American politicians in a broader sense (in fact the Duffers may have been making allusions to Trump with his connection to the Russians) although the fact that he's in office the same time as Reagan is still significant.

In the beginning of the season, Mayor Kline is being met with protesters outside his house, not unlike many of the AIDS awareness protests from the 80's.

The townsfolk are angered with Kline for building the mall and running some of the small businesses into the ground. During Reagan's run, he implemented a system of economics called "Reaganomics," which aimed to cut taxes and support economic growth. Although critics of Reaganomics will point out that his policies had actually increased the wealth gap, making the rich richer and the poor, poor. I want to keep this post about the AIDS metaphor, although I wanted to point this out as it is a connection between Kline and Reagan. And as I said earlier in this post, the metaphors are multifaceted and not just about AIDS.

But continuing, later in the season Kline puts on a big 4th of July festival to celebrate the independence of his country with neon lights and flashy fireworks. Meanwhile, the people of his town are dying right under his political reign.

During season 3, the AIDS metaphor actually moves away from Will, with the focus of his story shifting slowly to romance. This was setup at the Snowball at the end of season 2, and season 3 hints at some of Will's feelings for Mike which will be carried into season 4.

But the metaphor is carried on by Will's name twin, Billy.

Billy and Will sharing the same first name, that being William, feels significant as Will basically passes the baton to him and Billy now becomes the focus for this metaphor. We learn from Max that Billy is very sexually active, and in the beginning of the season he has eyes for Karen Wheeler. It is while he is on his way to this illicit sexual affair when he is "infected" by the Mind Flayer. (this was pointed out to me in the comment of one of my posts, but have since lost it. If you are reading this— thank you.)

Billy then passes the "infection" along to a girl he was flirtatious with, before the "virus" begins spreading over town.

There is also language and rape imagery associated with being flayed. There is the repeated lines "hold still" and "it'll all be over soon." When Heather's parents are flayed, they are tied up something is forcefully inserted orally, not unlike what we saw with the tentacle inside of Will in season one and his possession in season two. (I first saw this pointed out by @kaypeace21

The flayed begin to eat chemicals, and Nancy makes the comment that Tom, one of the flayed, appears to have been on drugs. Another common way that HIV is spread is through the sharing of drug needles.

HIV/AIDS in the Press

Nancy's arc with the newspaper this season reminds me a lot of how AIDS was first being reported in the press. Nancy begins her search for a story with stolen fertilizer and diseased rats, not realizing that there was a much bigger and much more dangerous story at hand. One of the first reports HIV in the media was from a CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from 1981, which cited five cases of pneumonia in previously healthy gay men in Los Angeles. While still a deadly number, it was relatively small compared to the massive number of AIDS cases and deaths that would soon follow.

When Nancy brings her story to work, Bruce, one of her higher-ups, sips from this rather patriotic coffee mug before telling Nancy to drop the story.

At the end of the 1985 summer in Hawkins, the flayed have died in a "mall fire" and Larry Kline is arrested for colluding with the Russians, and their patriotic façade is shattered.

In September 1985, shortly after actor and close friend of Ronald Reagan, Rock Hudson dies, of an AIDS related illness, Reagan makes his first public acknowledgement of AIDS.

Season Four: Further Stigmatization & LGBT Witch Hunting

In season four the town is finally privy to the fact that there is something wrong going on, although they are unsure of exactly what. When things begin to escalate, instead of blaming the actual guilty party, they go on an all-out witch hunt.

Once again, Will's pretty removed from the AIDS storyline in this season with his arc focusing on his romantic feelings for Mike. With Billy dead and Will out of town, the baton passes once again for the metaphor to be carried by Eddie Munson.

In the first episode of season 4, Eddie is reading a magazine with an article about the Satanic Panic, a real case of wide-spread hysteria in the 1980's regarding the fear of rising Satanism, supposedly promoted by D&D. The article links the game to violent behavior, Satanic worship, sodomy and murder.

Tangent on Sodomy and Sodomy Laws

Merriam-Webster defines sodomy as "anal or oral copulation with another person." The definition is often expanded to include copulation with animals, although the term sodomy, according to Merriam-Webster, means "especially: anal or oral copulation with a member of the same sex."

While definitions may vary depending on states, some states have specific laws outlawing sodomy, even between consenting adults. In 1986, the Supreme Court upheld Georgia's anti-sodomy laws in Bowers v. Hardwick, after a homosexual man and his partner were arrested after being caught while having sex in his own home. Sodomy laws would eventually be challenged again in 2002 with the Lawrence v. Texas case.

While sodomy can technically can refer to both homosexual and heterosexuals, it is especially and historically has been used in regards to homosexual sex. When Eddie reads the word sodomy here, gay sex is being lumped in and made equivalent to violent behavior, Satanic worship, and murder. Quite literally in season four, Hellfire Club is seen as the evil Satanic sodomizers who bring death to their town.

While trying to find a substitute for the D&D game, one of kids Mike asks mentions 60 Minutes in his rebuttal of Mike's request. This episode takes place on March 21st, 1986. On March 16th, 1986, 60 Minutes played a segment called "Life and Death in San Fransisco," a segment about the AIDS virus on CBS. (EDIT: I originally attributed this to the wrong person, but thank you to @aemiron-main for being the one to point this out. Apologies for my memory mixing up my ST analysts in my head 😔) The archived footage can be viewed on YouTube.

When Chrissy is killed by Vecna inside of Eddie's trailer, leading the town to suspect that Eddie was the killer, she was going there to do drugs. Again, a common way for AIDS to be spread was through the sharing of drug needles. After the town and cops suspect Eddie, the town goes on an all-out witch hunt for him and other members of Hellfire, invoking Christianity as their reasoning. In Eddie's words— "Hunt the freak, right?"

Does this mean that Eddie is queer?

The black handkerchief in his back pocket and Joseph Quinn's flirtatious ad-libs with Steve are not completely lost on me. And the AIDS coding here does seem to be pointing in that direction, but here's what I think.

Eddie's actual sexual orientation, and by extension that of Hellfire, is beside the point and doesn't actually matter in the eyes of the town. Every member of Hellfire could be straight and every member of Hellfire could be gay, but what matters is that Hellfire Club is a group of outsiders that participate in recreational activity that is deemed dangerous, and that in itself is queer, regardless of who they may actually be attracted to.

Another Tangent on The Wheelers

During Jason's religious spiel in town hall which invoked the witch hunt against Eddie and Hellfire, we get this shot of Ted and Karen Wheeler upon remembering that Mike is a part of Hellfire. And boy do they look terrified.

This moment, right here, is what I believe to be the Wheeler rug pull. They may not have been signing up to witch hunt their son when they put that Reagan sign in their front lawn, but this is what it leads to. They're being confronted with the most extreme end of their forced conformity and they fear what they see. I think part of what causes this change in character is because they know Mike, had Mike not been a Hellfire member, who is to say if they would have changed their tune or join in the witch hunt. At the end of the season, when the news reports that the giant gate in town is a "doorway to Hell," both Ted and Karen scoff at the report, calling it "hysteria." The conformists are beginning to un-conform.

Concluding Thoughts & Season Five

Providing a story about HIV/AIDS through a science-fiction metaphor is both practical and ethical. The metaphor allows the show to tell the story to a wide audience without the reliance on outside knowledge. You don't have to be an expert in HIV/AIDS history to understand the story that it's trying to tell. It's ethical as well in that it doesn't force it's incredibly young actors to have to act out being raped and developing HIV/AIDS.

With Eddie Munson dead and Zombie Boy back in town, I think that the AIDS metaphor will shift it's focus back to Will. I think we may see a colliding of the AIDS plot with his romance plot. How do you pursue romance with a HIV+ status? Can you?

The way I see, season 5 has the choice to go in one of two directions:

But first, a short tangent about my uncle

In recent years, I came to learn that my uncle was HIV+, something that wasn't known to me when I was younger. Him and his partner are both in their sixties, and they currently bought a plot of land in which they plan on building their dream house together.

But anyways, the two choices are this:

Will dies by the end of the season. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who lived a short life, unable to grow into adulthood and pursue his love life. His story is a tragedy.

Will lives. He becomes one of the many gay men with HIV/AIDS who survived and is able to live a long and happy life full of love. His story is an uplifting one full of hope.

Tagging: @emblazons @italiantv @gaysmindpalace @ven0moir @punkwillbyers @mikesbasementbeets @quinterobb @drangues @basiltonpitch @howtobecomeadragon

[bratprincedyke]

Watch the trailer here

“REBEL DYKES is a rabble-rousing documentary set in 1980s post-punk London. The unheard story of a community of dykes who met doing art, music, politics and sex, and how they went on to change their world.”

The film covers a whole host of women’s stories in a mix of animation, visuals from archives including never before seen personal archives and oral histories told by former Rebel Dykes themselves, from women’s peace camps at Greenham common to the BDSM nightlife at chain reaction, from sex toys to battling street violence, homelessness, homophobia and transphobia to section 28, the aids crisis, publishing and the feminist sex wars. Honestly it is a great accessible introduction to understanding how lesbian culture and politics has evolved since the 80’s.

Some of the Dykes features include Photographer Del La Grace Volcano, Drag King Karen Fisch, Writer Roz Kaveny and so many others

Directed by Harri Shanahan & Siân A. Williams, Produced by Siobhan Fahey

It is available to rent for £3.49 here (including Q&A) or here for £3.50

(It’s also available on Amazon prime but tbh I’m not gonna promote that I’d only buy it there as a last resort if nothing else works)

As a lot of work from marginalised dykes went into making this documentary it is not widely available for free, however keep an eye out for local viewings or any platforms showing it for free for a limited time (around pride month/lgbtq+ history month etc) I will update this if I find any!

I would also highly encourage sharing it with your friends if you do buy it! And reblogging this post!

[chirpsythismorning]

My favorite combination of endgame byler proof dates back to the promotion for season two (bc of course it does)!

About a week before s2 premiered, David Harbour did an interview, and deadass the only thing that makes any sense in regards to what he could possibly be referring to here, is endgame Byler:

"We’re talking about ending Stranger Things at either season four or season five. I know there is an end to the story. It’s a very beautiful end. We’ve already been laying out the pipework. There are easter eggs in season one that you won’t get until season four. You’ll look back and say ‘we’ve been seeing this story the whole time, we just haven’t realized it’. To me, that’s wonderful.”

Now, one could try to argue that David was referring to Will’s sexuality/feelings for Mike here, and I would agree, at least partly, because David’s wording sounds an awful lot like what Noah said recently in his interview with Variety:

"I mean, it’s pretty clear this season that Will has feelings for Mike. They’ve been intentionally pulling that out over the past few seasons. Even in Season 1, they hinted at that and slowly, slowly grew that storyline. I think for Season 4, it was just me playing this character who loves his best friend but struggles with knowing if he’ll be accepted or not, and feeling like a mistake and like he doesn’t belong. Will has always felt like that."

Where it gets complicated though, is that if David was referring to solely Will sexuality/unrequited feelings in this interview, then it doesn’t really make sense for him to frame it as ‘wonderful’.

But, it is important to note that David was talking about the ending, not the beginning of the end, which is what s4 ended up being. His assumption back then, was based on his knowledge of the ending, and how long he hoped the show would go for them to close off that story.

S4 obviously wasn’t a 'beautiful', nor 'wonderful' conclusion to Will’s story arc involving his sexuality/feelings for Mike being built up since s1. So, even if that’s all David was referring to, we are still yet to see the payoff.

This is where the damning proof combo comes in...

Most of you probably know, but as promotion for s2, Spotify collaborated with Netflix for official playlists dedicated to each of the ST characters. It was said that these playlists were specialized and unique to each characters traits.

But especially when it comes to the first song on each of these playlists, almost all of them are instantly recognizable as to why we can assume they chose that song, for that specific character, to start off their playlist. And arguably, even for the most casual of viewers.

For El it’s, Papa Don’t Broach. Pretty self explanatory.

For Will, it’s Should I Stay or Should I Go. Again, self explanatory.

For Mike, it's Smalltown Boy...

To those who don't know, Smalltown Boy (1984) is an unequivocal gay anthem about a young, gay man in the 80's who experiences homophobia and alienation in his small home-town, only to leave (run away) by the end, in order to be happy.

The music video leans even more blatantly into this narrative. Here it is beside this shot of Mike in 4x01 (one of the very few POV shots we got from him in s4, might I add), and it fits quite well with the Smalltown Boy agenda...

To be clear, this isn't just some song the queer community loved and so it turned into a gay anthem overtime. Because, yeah, there are definitely some songs that lyrically just feel like they could be queer (despite not intentionally being), and so the gays sort of claim it and it gains even more meaning and importance over time. However, that is not the case here. This song is undoubtedly one of the most intentionally gay songs of the 80's. And a heartbreaking SYNTH one at that!!!

If the hints for Will were intentional back then (confirmed), then it’s highly likely Smalltown Boy being the first song on Mike’s official playlist, may just be one of the many Easter eggs pointing to the fact that Mike has also been gay (and in love with Will??) this whole time.

Also worth mentioning that when Finn was recently asked about M*leven's relationship in season 5 (the ending), he had this to say;

"I don’t know, I’m really interested… I don’t know, I’m interested kind of like for the end of the show kinda in general (…) Who’s gonna stay in Hawkins, who’s gonna leave. Who’s gonna try to find a life outside. Is there even gonna be a Hawkins? I don’t know. But yeah. I’d be interested to see if Mike stays in Hawkins, or tries to find a life outside of his town. And also, you know it’s hard to tell, like obviously with Eleven and his relationship, but I hope they find, you know, happiness."

When they make-up after fighting in 4x04, Mike tells Will that Hawkins isn't the same without him. After literally listing off all of their friends, basically separating them from Will, "They're great... but-" sort of confirms to us that no matter what Hawkins has to offer, without Will, it's not the same to Mike. Which means if Will isn't going to stay in Hawkins at the end (he won't), Mike probably wont either.

TBH, Will and Mike both having feelings for each other since the beginning, and ending up together, fits a whole lot better with: ‘we’ve been seeing this story the whole time, we just haven’t realized it. And I think that’s wonderful’, than an unrequited love story does....

And the fact that all of these easter eggs, for both Mike and Will, started picking up more prominently after season 2, makes the Duffers whole "what is s2?" act right now even more funny...

[jmojellybae]

Lay All Your Love On Me

Pairing: Robin Buckley x Fem!reader

Word count: 6k

Summary: It’s a Friday night, and Robin has cleared her schedule to spend time with you. She wants to take you out, and you fully expect Steve to be your taxi like always, but Robin has a surprise.

CW: 18+ Fluff to Smut real quick. You might get whiplash. Romantic Robin. Mature language. Kissing. Making out. Pet names. Reader wears a dress. Non-serious thoughts of kidnapping. Dirty talk. Rough!Robin. Groping. Hair pulling. Finger sucking. Drool. Praising. Oral (Robin receiving) Light period typical homophobia. All characters involved are 18+

A/N: This fic can be read as a standalone or as follow up of 3rd Period.  l do highly recommend reading it as it provides more of a backstory to Robin and Reader’s relationship. As always, likes/reblogs/feedback is much appreciated.

Masterlist

🎵 Enjoy my 80′s Robin playlist here 🎵

The upbeat disco beats of Abba gently fill your room as you sit at your vanity, meticulously applying a light coat of blush on your cheeks. It’s a Friday night, and by some miracle, Robin doesn’t have anything to do. No band practice. No Family Video. No school projects. For the first time in a long time, your girlfriend has a clear schedule, and she fully dedicated the night to you.

You’re unable to contain the excitement thinking about what Robin has planned. In all honesty, it didn’t matter where or what you were doing. It’s been a long time since the two of you had a real date. You’d be happy with anything. You suggested just staying in and watching some movies, but Robin insisted she’d take you somewhere like she promised.

You give your face a once over, happy with how well you did your makeup. You stand up and make your way to your closet and swing the double doors open.

“Now the hard part.” You mutter to yourself.

You let out a puff of air looking at the options in front of you. You didn’t know what to dress for. Casual? Fancy? Would it matter to Robin? Definitely not. You decide to go with a safe option and pull out a mint colored pleated dress.

After getting dressed, you check the time. Steve and Robin should be here any minute. Yes, Steve. Because you and Robin rely on him to drive the both of you places. You feel guilty having Steve chauffeur the two of you around all the time, but according to him, it’s not a big deal. He enjoys seeing Robin happy, and he never misses a beat to tease her about it when given the chance. You totally would drive, but you don’t know how, and neither does Robin. It’s quite the pitiful dilemma.

You look out your window and see an empty driveway. Your parents have already left for the night to have their own date night adventures and they’ll be out late, which means (according to you) you can also be out late. You wonder what kind of shenanigans you can get up to later.

A car turning into your driveway breaks you out of your thoughts, and you notice immediately that it’s not Steve’s car. In fact, you don’t recognize the car at all. Could Steve have gotten a new car? You tilt your head thinking. The car turns off and sits idle in your drive away. You notice movement in the driver’s seat, but the darkness of night prevents you from clearly seeing anything distinct.

Curious, you step away from the window and start heading downstairs.

Who’s car is that? Is Robin okay? Is Steve okay? Am I about to be kidnapped by someone driving a Volkswagen Dasher?

You start thinking critically about the many different ways you could escape being tied up as you make your way down the stairs and to your front door.

You confidently walk to your front door and swing it open with so much force that you create a tiny gust of wind on yourself. You expect to see a creeper standing in front of you, but to your surprise, it’s Robin standing there, being illuminated by the porch light, looking incredibly dashing. She’s still as stone. Her hand is halfway raised looking like she was about to ring your doorbell. Her other hand is behind her back.

“Hi, pretty girl.” She blinks at you, taking in your worried expression. “Are you okay?”

“Robin!” You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding. You stand on your tiptoes to look over Robin’s shoulder at the car in the driveway. “Did Steve get a new car? I don’t see him. What’s going on?”

Robin smiles wide, a beautiful blush spreads across her cheeks.

“Um. I drove, and that is actually my car.” She says proudly.

“What?!” You take her arm and drag her inside your house and close the door behind her. You want to ask a million questions.

“Wait, wait!” You can hear her laughing behind you. You take a deep breath, trying to keep it together.

“Robin, you know you can’t drive. You don’t even have a license! Please tell me you didn’t really-” You whip around and Robin is holding her hand out. She’s holding a beautiful, single red rose. Whatever else you were about to say dies on your lips.

“Surprise!” Robin says shakily. Her voice cracks like she’s suddenly nervous.

“Oh!” You squeak at the unexpected gesture. You’re caught completely off guard at the romantic act. You carefully reach for the delicate rose, bringing it to your nose.

“I um. I’m sorry that it’s just one. I would have totally gotten you more but uh, I wasn’t even sure if you liked roses, you know? Roses are like, super expensive too. Did you know that? I wanted to save as much money as possible to take you anywhere you wanted to go tonight so-” Robin goes on one of her famous rambles. You watch her go through a myriad of different facial expressions, eyebrows twitching up every so often.

You smell the rose again and the combination of the flowery fragrance and Robin’s scratchy voice calms your wired nerves. A kidnapper, really? You curse your imagination for running wild.

“Robin.” You grab the front of her jacket and pull her towards you, careful not to crush the rose. She stops talking and flashes you an toothy grin. “Thank you so much. This is really sweet.” You lean up and give her a soft, quick kiss.

“Yea?” Robin visibly deflates in relief.

“Of course, silly…” Your hand comes up to caress her cheek and she nudges into your palm like a cat. “But!” You break the cute moment and give her a sudden, harmless, tap on her cheek. “Did you really drive here? What’s going on?”

Robin stands up a bit straighter and takes a huge breath through her nose.

“You want the long version or the gist?” She asks.

You snort, knowing you’ll get the long version either way. “The gist please.”

“Okay. When we started dating, it really sucked not being able to um, hang out with you freely. If you know what I mean. I wanted to get my drivers license, but my parents didn’t have the time to teach me and didn’t have the money to get me into any classes. We were totally poor. Well not really. They were just-”

“Babe.” You gently interrupt her.

“Right, right, sorry. Anyway, I started picking up more shifts at Family Video so I could pay for the classes on my own. Even Dingus let me take some of his shifts.”

You think about all the times you wanted to see Robin after school and on the weekends but it always seemed like she was working. Your heart broke every time she told you she couldn’t. If she wasn’t at band practice, she was at Family Video. It was definitely hard to get through some weeks. You nod your head to signal for her to continue.

“Yea. Yea. Eventually, I had enough to pay for driving classes. I was super proud of myself. I sat through the classes and, god were those classes boring. Steve would even let me practice driving with his car. You should have seen his face every time I would brake too hard. Thought he was gonna strangle me and accidentally commit a hate crime. Anyway! I aced the actual driving test on my first try!”

The image of Steve losing his shit over his car and Robin behind the wheel makes you laugh out loud. You think about what Robin said, and a realization occurs to you.

“Wait, so you learned to drive without telling me, and somehow bought a car? You kept all that a secret?” You’re a little hurt that Robin would keep something like this from you, even though it’s facetious to think she did it for malicious reasons. She notices the hurt on your face and begins to sputter.

“Well, hold on! I wanted to surprise you. I figured wow, wouldn’t it be so cool if I could take my awesome girlfriend wherever she wanted whenever without having to rely on my best friend to take us everywhere like a couple of children? My parents noticed how much I wanted this, and they made me a deal that if I did well in school, kept up with band, and paid for my driving classes, they would pitch in to help buy me my own car! I really wanted this for us.”

Us

The confession almost sweeps your legs from under you. You’re dizzy from the amount of pure adoration and genuine sincerity coming from Robin’s words. Robin worked herself to the bone for months for you?

Noticing your still unconvinced expression, Robin reaches into her back pocket and pulls out her beat up wallet. “Look.”

She opens it and right there on the front, is her drivers license. Picture and all. She is smiling so wide in her picture and your heart does a little flip of how happy she looks. You know she was so proud of herself that day. You smile warmly and Robin lights up and your reaction. She shoves her wallet back into her pocket.

Robin gently plucks the rose that’s in your hand and places it on top of a nearby side table. She takes your hands and intertwines your fingers with hers. Your skin makes contact with her rings and the touch sends a cool chill through you. You gaze into your eyes, her expression tender.

“I’ve got the girl, and now I’ve got the car. I can take you to school, pick you up. Take you out on the weekends. Maybe, Um. Maybe take trips somewhere. Just the two of us. Without worrying too much about…well you know…”

Your heart is full. Robin is staring at you like you’re the only thing in the universe. You shake your head in disbelief of how utterly lucky you are.

“So you did all this in what, a couple of months?” You question.

Robin shakes her head up and down a little too fast. “Mhm. Four to be exact.”

You feel like an ass. Here was Robin, your amazing girlfriend, working way too much for a high school student, going to band, learning to drive and keeping her grades up all the while you’d mope and complain about your lack of time together. Obviously, you didn’t know what she was doing, but you can’t help but feel terrible with how hard she had to work over the last few months. Hell, you’re sure even some adults would crack under the pressure of it all.

Robin notices your brows knitting together in thought. She grabs your chin and turns you to face her.

“Hey. Don’t worry, pretty girl. It was worth it. Trust me.”

Robin smiles down at you and leans in closer. You naturally gravitate toward her and meet her halfway, her soft lips make contact with yours in a sweet and slow kiss. You are overwhelmed by everything Robin just said to you. You never doubted Robin’s devotion, but this was the most amazing gesture anyone has ever done for you.

Robin’s hands are on your waist and she pulls your hips flush against hers. You can’t hold back the moan that escapes you. Robin’s hums and smiles against your mouth at your reaction.

“Now don’t go making those noises or else we might not leave this house.” She jokes, but you can’t ignore the way your body reacts to her words.

“Hmm.” You tap your finger on your lips and act like you’re deep in thought. “What if we stayed here just a little longer before going out?” You bat your eyelashes innocently, but your request is anything but.

Robin understands but raises an eyebrow in surprise anyway. “I would love nothing more pretty girl but um…your parents?”

“Gone, and will be for a while. It’s their date night too you know. Plus, I don’t think I’m quite ready to be in a car with you behind the wheel yet, Buckley.” You jest, and Robin laughs, low and warm.

Robin grabs your face with both hands and blows a gnarly, wet, raspberry on your cheek. You yell in disgust at the crude noise and you try to push her away but you’re laughing too much. She’s got you wrapped up tight in her arms now, and you can barely budge.

“Did you not hear me when I said I aced the test on my first try?”

“Beginner's luck.” You strain to say against her body. You manage to wiggle free from her grip.

“Huh. That’s weird. Sounds like someone with no license is trying to talk to me.” She cups a hand to her ear and leans toward you.

You act quickly. Robin is making this too easy. You stick your finger in your mouth and aim right for her ear. Robin acts like she just got sucker punched. She jerks back, holding on to her ear and twirls in place a couple times. She’s repulsed.

“Augh!! A Wet Willy?!” She’s rubbing her ear, a look of betrayal on her face. “That’s sinful!”

You’re doubled over in laughter, tears threatening to fall from your eyes, but one look on Robin’s face has you sobering up quickly. A predatory gleam darkens your girlfriend’s features and you know you’re in trouble. You gulp.

“Oh shit.”

Robin reaches for you and you only just manage to evade her. You run to the living room, Robin hot on your heels. You’re joyous screams and Robin’s heavy footsteps fill the house. Your heart is beating so fast at the thrill of your girlfriend chasing you. You thank the heavens that Robin is so uncoordinated. You manage to evade her swipes every time she’s within reach. Robin chases you in circles around the couch a couple of times. You’re both laughing at the ridiculousness of it.

You are starting to lose your breath. “Wait wait! Truce!” You stop in front of the couch with your hands raised in front of you. Robin stands on the other side of the couch, you’re both panting. “Let’s call a truce before we break something!”

“Fine.” She says breathlessly. “You wanna apologize you little hellion?”

You laugh at her choice of vocabulary. Despite the wonderful news Robin told you about her recent achievements, you are in a spunky mood. You want to keep pushing Robin’s buttons a little more.

You smile crookedly and cross your arms defiantly. “I have nothing to apologize for.” And you stick your nose in the air.

Robin vaults, actually vaults over the sofa that was separating you two and you don’t even have time to blink before she effortlessly wraps her arms around you in a crushing bear hug. You squeal in amusement and flail like fish trying to escape, unfortunately she’s got her hands securely locked around you and she starts peppering your face with a dozen tiny little kisses. You’re laughing uncontrollably now. You don’t even really care if you go out tonight anymore. Robin being with you, like this, is way more than enough.

You’re overwhelmed with emotion. You kiss Robin deeply, and she makes a delighted noise deep in her throat. You feel the tiny vibration shake your whole body. Her arms forget their hold on you and instead fall to your waist. Robin starts to move her feet as you continue attacking her sweet mouth with your own. You absently follow her, unable and unwilling to break the kiss. Robin collapses onto the couch and positions you to straddle her lap.

The kisses started out soft at first, but the longer your make out session went on, the more furious the kisses became. Each slide of lips and tongue only got you more worked up. You couldn’t help but move your hips back and forth in her lap, trying to find any kind of friction. Robin moves her hands from your waist to your ass, giving your flesh a bruising squeeze over your dress as you moved against her. You feel a white hot ache in your lower abdomen at the rough touch.

Fuck. It’s suddenly too hot.

Feeling daring, you catch Robin’s bottom lip with your teeth, giving it a harsh tug. Robin winces but growls pleasingly at the sensation. She retaliates by slinking a hand in your hair and harshly tugs, pulling your head back and forcing you to bare your throat. You feel a spark of desire ignite through your whole body at slight pain and let out a wretched moan.

“What’s got my pretty girl so feisty tonight?” She asks in a cool voice. She places open mouthed wet kisses all along the base of your throat.

“Robin…” You’re breathless and whiny. Robin takes pity on you and lets go of the vice grip she has on your roots. You stare at her. Her eyes are cloudy with desire and you know you must give off the same look.

“What do you want, baby?” Robin’s voice is coarse and low.

You want to make Robin feel good. You want to reward her for all the hard work she put herself through over these past few months. You want to let her know how much you appreciate her, and how lucky you are to have a woman like her in your life.

You whimper and shift against her. “I want to taste you. Please Robin.” You blurt out. You can see Robin’s eyes go a little wide, like she wasn’t expecting you to say that.

“Yea? That’s what you want?”

You nod your head excitedly, and Robin chuckles at your enthusiasm. “I owe you from last time, remember?” You give her a sly wink.

You can see Robin thinking very hard about your request. You pout cutely, and give her some serious puppy dog eyes. She clicks her tongue and relents. Like she could ever say no to you.

“Get on your knees for me then.” Robin commands, you start to move a little too quickly, your eagerness taking over your mind and body. Robin roughly grabs your chin to stop you. “Slowly.” She says in an almost dangerous timbre. Your cunt throbs at her tone of voice. It lacks the usual tenderness you get all the time from Robin, replaced by something more sharp and assertive. This dominant side of your girlfriend is nothing new to you. You know exactly what to do when she wants to play this game, and you are more than happy to oblige her, especially after all that you learned today.

You give her an apologetic look. She lets go of your chin with a flick of her wrist, and you sensually crawl down her body. Slow, just like she wants. She watches you with a ravenous gaze. She brings her thumb between her teeth as your body slides deliciously down hers. You maintain eye contact as you sink to your knees and nestle between Robin’s legs. You can see the darkness in Robin’s eyes grow large. Her pupils are blown wide at the sight of you on your knees for her. You reach for her belt on her jeans but she pushes your hands away. You look up at her curiously.

“Not yet, baby.”

Robin sits up and takes off her jacket and tosses haphazardly. It lands somewhere with a thud. You don’t even know. You continue watching her through a hazy lens of desire. Robin leans forward and cups your face with a hand. Her thumb lazily caresses your heated cheeks. You smile and hum happily for her, a reassuring noise to Robin that lets her know that you’re okay. She beams lovingly down at you.

“Such a sweet thing.” She traces two fingers down your forehead to the bridge of your nose. You let out a light, little laugh at the tickling feeling. She pauses at your lips. “Open that pretty mouth for me.”

You obediently part your lips and eagerly take Robin’s fingers in your mouth. You maintain eye contact with Robin as she slowly slides her fingers over your tongue to the second knuckle. Robin watches you through hooded eyes. You ball your fist in the hem of your dress, knuckles turning white trying to be patient. Robin presses down against your tongue just slightly but it causes your head to jerk back out of instinct. She laughs darkly. You fight the urge to bite her and wipe that dumb grin off her face.

“Go on then pretty girl. Give me a show.” She presses a tiny bit further in your mouth.

You close your lips tightly around her fingers and suck. You slowly move your head up and down the length of Robin’s fingers and you watch as she bites her lip absently. Robin pumps her fingers in tandem with your movements. The pressure of Robin’s fingers sliding against your tongue makes you moan around her. Robin shivers at the sensation. Even though you’re still fully clothed, you feel extremely exposed, not to mention small. You love this feeling, you decide. So much so, that you start rocking your hips into nothing. You let out a symphony of obscene moans as Robin’s fingers work your mouth.

The sucking noises combined with your whiny, needy mewls only spur Robin on. “You like getting your mouth fucked like this?” She says in a cracked voice. Her deep blue eyes have been replaced by her blown pupils and an almost animalistic veil cloaks her features. You clench your thighs together at Robin’s arrogant tone. You can feel arousal start to pool in your underwear. You don’t reply to her verbally. You only speed up your efforts hoping that satisfies her for an answer. Robin is pleased it seems, judging by her wicked grin. You’re making a mess of yourself, and Robin loves it. Your saliva has coated Robin’s rings and you feel more of it drip down your chin.

You try to hold down a gag after a particular hard thrust but it chokes out of you anyway. Robin gently cups your face signaling for you to stop. You open your mouth and Robin slips out her fingers. A string of spit follows, attached to your lower lip. It breaks and sticks to your dress. You try to be disgusted with yourself, but it turns out it doesn’t faze you, and it only turns Robin on even more. You look up at Robin with shimmering, needy, eyes. Your lips are puffy and trembling.

Robin wipes her hand on top of her jeans. She leans forward again, this time, to tilt your chin up and kiss you. A kiss so sloppy and hot you feel it scald. She groans in your mouth and you are reduced to a puddle under her.

Robin breaks the kiss and kicks her red converse off, careful not to accidentally hit you in the process. She settles back into the couch.

“Go ahead, pretty girl.” She says breathless. Her voice comes out a little shaky.

You need no further instruction. Your hands come up to her knees and you slowly glide them up, massaging her thighs along the way. Robin is already bucking her hips up in anticipation. You finally reach that damn belt of hers and hurriedly unbuckle it with careful precision. Robin is watching your hands attentively as you work on the button and zipper. She’s quiet, for once, and at first you’re a little concerned, but she’s already lifting her up her hips for you expectantly. You smile to yourself.

Your fingers dip into the waistband of her underwear, and you pull down her jeans and underwear in a flourish. You free both articles of clothing from her long legs and toss them behind you. Robin scoots down the couch a little lower, her bottom half almost hanging off the edge of the couch and invitingly spreads wider for you. You can see her glistening slick sticking to her inner thighs and some of it is coating her dark, fine hairs. The sight and smell of her shatters you completely.

“Baby, please.” You hear her say, barely louder than a whisper. Robin blushes a deep crimson. Normally, Robin isn’t one to beg for anything from you. You’re usually the one doing that. You want to make a quip, but think better of it. You figure that you teased Robin enough. You don’t want to be that mean. At least not tonight.

You waste no more time. You start leaving a trail of open mouthed kisses along the inside of her thighs, getting closer to her to center after each one. You can hear Robin whimper above you as you get closer to where she needs you the most. You place a feather light kiss directly on her clit and her whole body twitches at the touch. She’s so hot and wet.

You adjust your kneeling position one last time before indulging. You flatten your tongue, and burrow yourself deep into Robin’s folds and god she taste so fucking good.

Robin bucks her hips almost violently at your first lick and her hand immediately grabs fistfuls of your hair. She pushes you in deeper, and you let her. You can’t help but be pliant under her touch, addicted to the way she controls you. You groan against her when her taste engulfs your senses entirely.

You want to go feral on her cunt. You want to see how fast you can make her cum. It takes every fiber of your being to control yourself and push those urges away. Your girlfriend deserves to have her pussy eaten slow, lovingly, and for however long she wants in whatever way she wants.

You continue your slow strokes, gliding up and down Robin’s cunt, greedily lapping up her wetness in the process. You lick from her entrance all the way up to clit and back down. Repeating the motions over and over. You moan against her, and the vibrations send a heavenly shiver throughout Robin’s body.

“Fuck. Feels s’good.” Robin sighs in pleasure and her head falls backward against the couch cushion. You stare up at her through your eyelashes as your mouth continues to worship her. She’s looking up toward the ceiling with her eyes closed, her free arm resting behind her head and her mouth slightly agape. She has a pure, blissed out expression on her face. You are enamored with the sight of her being so relaxed. Something about Robin reclining back and enjoying herself so leisurely while you’re on your knees eating her out sends some kind of unknown feeling to your brain, and it’s definitely not a bad feeling either.

You can feel her hand tug tighter in your hair, and she’s guiding you a little higher. When your tongue makes contact with her clit, she keeps your head there. You don’t need to be told what she wants. You bring your tongue to a point and circle the spot with just the right amount of pressure you know Robin likes. A wave ripples throughout Robin’s body and her arm comes from behind her head to yours. She’s got both of her hands clutched on either side of your head. Securely locking you in place. Her chest starts to rise and fall faster. It’s a beautiful display.

Robin whines and starts to slowly roll her hips in time with your tongue. “Right there pretty girl. Right there.” She strains to talk clearly and her voice cracks. Your own cunt is begging for any kind of relief. Each roll of Robin’s hips on your face sends an almost painful throb straight to your core.

You alternate techniques, switching between sharp tight circles to long, broad strokes. Occasionally closing your lips around Robin’s clit to suck. You’re eating Robin’s pussy with purpose now. It’s hard to be slow when Robin is grinding against your mouth. You whine harshly against a mouthful of pussy as your own desperation rocks you again. Robin dares to look down, and she’s met with your hungry and needy eyes.

“You’re doing so well babe.” Robin coos. The fire burning in your lower belly only grows at her praising. All you can do is let her fuck your mouth while your tongue tries to keep up with her erratic thrusting. Her breathing is coming out in short, shallow breaths and she’s clutching your head tighter. You hum excitedly below her, knowing she’s getting close.

You tap her thigh, signaling to her. Robin lets go of your head and you pull back gasping.

“Fuck my face Robin.” You cry out, you don’t even recognize your own voice. “Please can you-”

You don’t even get to finish what you were about to say. Robin grabs the back of your head again and forcefully shoves your face back into her cunt. You let out an embarrassing salacious moan at being manhandled.

“What my pretty girl wants, she gets.” Robin says with a growl.

She clutches your skull with both hands again and you lay your tongue flat against her swollen clit, bracing yourself for what’s to come.

Robin mercilessly thrusts her hips into you, grinding herself at a furious pace against your mouth. You can only take short breaths through your nose in between her thrusts. Fuck. You can barely breathe, but you couldn’t care less. The way Robin is abusing your face and tongue makes your cunt quiver once again. You know for a fact you are soaked through your panties. You can feel it every time you shift.

“Touch yourself.” Robin grunts, as if reading your mind. “Want…want you to cum too.” Oh thank god.

While Robin continues her ruthless bucking, your hand flies under your skirt and quickly dips inside your panties. You’ve never been so wet in your life. You don’t know whether to be impressed or embarrassed. You don’t give yourself time to decide. You hurriedly find your clit and frantically start getting yourself off. You want to catch up to Robin’s own imminent orgasm.

Robin’s high pitched moaning and the wet sounds of your face being fucked is a cacophony of the most unholiest music, and your empty house amplify each note.

Your jaw is starting to ache, but you don’t dare try and pull away. You wanted Robin to use you like a toy and that’s exactly what you intend to stay as.

Robin’s eyes have screwed tightly shut and her eyebrows knit together in concentration. You know this face all too well. You furiously rub small tight circles against your clit.

“Shit….” Robin whispers low and broken. Her fingers grip your hair and her hands shake with how tightly she’s pulling. You wince at the intense pain but it only fuels the fire of your growing orgasm. “Gonna cum. Gonna fucki-” Robin’s eyes roll in the back of her head and arches her back as an intense orgasm takes over her body, and god, is it a spectacle. She unleashes a guttural moan as her hips convulse in a broken rhythm against you. You relax your tongue, letting her ride out her climax, and without warning, your own orgasm catches up to you. It takes you by surprise and you find yourself cumming against your fingers. A deep groan falls from your lips and the vibrations make Robin twitch away from you.

The both of you ride out the last waves of your orgasm together until Robin can’t take any more stimulation. She relaxes and frees your head from her clutches. You swiftly sit up straight and take deep breaths, trying to fill your lungs back with air. A cold breeze hits your chin and nose, letting you know that your face is drenched in a mixture of Robin’s arousal and your own spit. You groan as you slip your cum covered fingers out from under you and wipe them against your dress. Fuck it. You never really liked this dress anyway. You lift the hem of your dress up and wipe your face dry. You feel so dirty, and you kinda love it. In your post orgasm stupor, you look at Robin, who’s fallen on her side and nestled into the couch, lazily watching you, looking completely fucked out. You look away from her, embarrassed that she just witnessed you clean cum and spit off yourself.

“Mmm. Y’look s’pretty.” She says dopey and slurred. You snort and shake your head.

“You good there, Buckley?” You ask sarcastically.

She gives you a shaky thumbs up as an answer and you laugh. You can see Robin’s usual goofiness start to creep its way back into her features.

“Can uh. Can you get my clothes pretty girl? I don’t think I can move.” She confesses. You quirk an eyebrow questionably.

“Really? After what I just did for you?” You ask teasingly. Regardless, you get up on shaky legs and start gathering her discarded clothes in your arms.

“Mmm, and I loved it baby believe me, but I kinda did most of the work.” She says jokingly, but then immediately regrets it.

You’re standing at the edge of the couch, looming over her. Her clothes raised high above your head. Now Robin is the one to visibly gulp.

“I love you?” She says nervously.

You slam the bundle of clothes right on top of her with all your might.

—

A few minutes later. The two of you are sitting on the couch, Robin’s arm draped over your shoulder. You’ll never be able to look at this couch the same way for a while.

“It’s still early. Did you still wanna go out?” Robin’s scratchy voice breaks you out of your thoughts. She sounds hopeful. You hum happily and nestle into her arm.

“Sure. I definitely need to change first though.” You look down at your stained dress and grimace. Robin follows your eyes and nods her head.

“Right.” She says. “Your dress kinda reminds me of pistachio ice cream, and I mean that in a good way. Minty. Did you want to get ice cream? I know of a decent place. Obviously it won’t be as great as Scoops because it’s not made by yours truly, but I hear good things about it and it’s not that far-”

You listen to Robin ramble, and you fall into the warm familiarness of it. As much as you love the Robin from earlier, this is the Robin you fell in love with, and you wouldn’t change a damn thing about her.

You don’t have the heart to tell her that you’re actually beat, and you know how much she just wants to drive you somewhere, anywhere.

“Sure, ice cream sounds great.” You say happily.

Robin pumps her fist victoriously and you giggle at her reaction. You suddenly can’t decide if she was more excited about driving you somewhere or getting ice cream.

“By the way Buckley.” You say suddenly serious.

Robin whips her head to you, expression also turning serious at your tone.

“If you ever compare my articles of clothing to types of food again, you can say goodbye to any future driving dates.” You smirk, letting her know you’re just teasing.

Robin clutches her heart and exaggeratedly falls off the couch. You laugh loudly at her theatrics, clutching your stomach.

You leave her on the floor as she pretends to play dead, still laughing as you make your way up the stairs to change.

You can faintly hear her say “I said pistachio ice cream in a good way!” Just as you enter your room.