#there needs to be ONE episode max of pining and that’s it

[saveahorserideaneddie]

“i want buddie to kiss in the last episode and end the season with it”

tell me you have never seen bones without telling me you have nev-

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - In which we all feel the collective meh

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2025 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 8 of 10 - so the premise is such fun! It's like "if the red thread was a multiverse." I guess that makes it a 4th dimensional red tapestry? All the parallel world Cirs interconnected via a shared dream world and trying to manifest their relationships with their respective Phus via interference from the ones who have figured it out. I like it. Makes me wonder if the mastermind Cir lost his Phu and that is why he's so vested in fixing the relationship in all the other timelines. That said this was a relatively boring episode with Cir mostly in the hospital and lots of plot talking. Yet still fun because of this premise. Especially at the back end.

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 12 of 13 - Nice to see Po being savage to his ex, his first major OGT. Bit of a sadsack of an episode though. Looking forward to next week.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 18 of 24 - I love these two together so much I can’t stand it. Also the bathroom trope scene was particularly lovely. Great lighting in that bathroom.

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 6 or 10 - This show is not good. The seme is overly aggressive, but I still like the sides. The more time we spend with anyone but the leads, the happier I am. 

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 8 of 12 - I don’t even have the energy to get annoyed that they put my beautiful Thor in a terrible wig. This show has already stretched my annoyance to the max, no more fucks to give.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 1 of 8 - Stars Wei's Kim Jun Seo. Adapted by Cradle Studio (Kakao). This displaying all signs of a classic Kdrama: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. And as a result I absolutely love it. This one was entirely made for me. I love a lead suffering because of his situation. I love that all the boys are interested. I love that there’s lingering crushes and long-standing misunderstandings. Everything about this appeals to me. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - Queer robots are the best robots. Also, have I mentioned recently that I love a good butt slap? Very underutilized move in BL. Thank you Taiwan. Wow Kevin’s English is perfect. I mean i expect the best of Taiwan but this is the best. (Inquiring minds want to know if it is all those international competitions he flexed at?) Also perfectly kinky. 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - New boy is very sus. But I like him for it. Adore the sides! Must be so novel for an idol to have someone tell him he actually needs to eat. Wild. How gay is this damn football team? 

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 4 - it’s perfectly serviceable. Which seems to be a lot to ask of Vietnamese BL right now so... yay!?

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) ep 8 of 9 - Well, hello side couple. That was very nice. Thank you Taiwan. Meanwhile, I'm over here idly wondering if Will Wen could be persuaded to pull a hat trick and appear in a Thai BL and a KBL as well as this one - since he apparently speaks most major BL languages fluently.

The stuff dreams are made of.

Heart Stain (Korea Weds IQIYI) eps 7-8 end - this classic love triangle KBL had a classic separation in the final eps, nobody is surprised. But 4 years is a long time to pine. 

Conclusion:

This was a serviceable high school KBL, based on the love triangle standards for which Kdramas inevitably wave the last flag. It was mildly enjoyable if you don’t mind a triangle, certainly earnest, if somewhat forgettable with a lackluster ending. 7/10

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 4 of 8 - This episode was very rough going. How annoying. But also now realistic. Not that I want realism in my BL.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 12 - this is all a lot darker than I thought it was going to be from Taiwan. Although it still remains primarily just very weird. Also not enough of the second couple in this episode.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 20 end - well it was the final episode last week so here we go! <rant>

Judgement

An interesting premise with two decent couples that failed to commit to the BL side of the equation and thus got mired in a never-ending commentary on bullying. The show could’ve been 8 eps and covered exactly the same material. The entire relationship arc (stepbrothers, my FAVORITE, argh) hinged on lack of communication. And that’s just the beginning of the mire of frustrating flaws. An all round bummer of a show, because the chemistry was decent. This is not a romance and there is no happy ending so don’t expect one. I wasted my damn time and I’m mad about it. Don't make the same mistake. 3/10

It's airing but......

Gelboys (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - I’m giving this show a pass. It’s just too far out of my wheelhouse. I don’t have patience right now.

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. I'm wathing this only if I feel like it.

The Last Time (Thai WeTV) trailer - from 2024, not sure about this one, looks dark. Since it's also difficult for me to get hold of I am giving it a pass until I know about the ending.

A Perfect Match (Taiwan iQIYI) - A not very well regarded Taiwanese sports BL from earlier this year picked up for rerelease. Anyone watched it and like it? Not sure if I should bother.

In Case You Missed it

End of 2024 wraps are here (last chance to read):

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming March 2025

3/2 Last Meal Universe (Thailand Sun ????) 10 eps - Trailer. An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually.

3/12 My Golden Blood (Thailand Weds YouTube) 12 eps - Trailer. GMMTV taking on Weds nights and midweek discourse (they hope) with this hotly anticipated vampire series. I happen to find Joss watchable but this looks very bad and also very Kissable Lips. But at least Thailand is finally giving us the trashy gay vampires we richly deserve? Just realize we don't deserve much.

3/12 Lost in the Woods (Thailand Weds Gaga) 7 eps - Announced for 2023, adapted from a novel of the same name. Fifa just graduated high school and travels to a remote province to take care of his grandma, before starting uni. There he meets Chief Hem, a forest ranger.

3/20 Top Form (Thailand Thurs WeTV) ?? eps - Trailer Adaptation of a Japanese manga. Boom (Chains of Heart) opposite Smart (Don't Say No). Actor recognized as the "The Sexiest Man of the Year" has his first-place position usurped by newcomer. But while he sees them as rivals, turns out the new kid has other ideas. I'm super excited for this but hate watching on WeTv so gonna be a challenge.

3/28 Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri ????) 10 eps - Adaption of the comic by Lily, about a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend who somehow also ends up his school's relationship counselor. Supposed to have completed filming in 2022, the fact this has been in dev hell since then somewhat mitigates this being my most anticipated BL of 2022. I still kinda doubt we are actually getting it but new stills have been released (so something got filmed in the last 3 years).

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Got nothing. Another unmemorable week.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[startedwellthatsentence]

I would like to remind everyone in the Doctor Odyssey fandom that while “closed triad that replicates monogamy in every way except there’s three people now” is one hyperspecific way that polyamory can be practiced, it is not the only way that polyamory can be practiced.

It’s not even the only or most common form of non-monogamy that has been shown ON THE SHOW. We’ve had hierarchical non-monogamous relationships, both toxic and healthy (Man with wife, girlfriend, and mistress; gay couple who enjoy group sex); we’ve had people with multiple partners, both toxic and healthy (wedding couple fucking the best man and also many other people; Single Sam having sex with the majority of people during singles week; the other background characters during gay week); and we’ve seen ONE other closed triad (captain’s brother and boyfriends).

Exploring other forms of polyamory is actually one of the best ways, IMO, of us getting to have the Ody3 together while still getting multiple seasons of a network show (which NEEDS relationship drama to be viable — we KNOW they can’t sustain this show with just their silly “medical” plots).

Tristan seems to have quick, surface level attractions with a lot of people (guest with the heart problem, Vivian, Spencer, Max) but it takes him a LONG time to act on them (he pined after Avery for years without making a move; he told Vivian that he wants to take things very slow) — what does that look like if he’s in a poly relationship? How can Avery deal with her jealousy in a healthy way when she doesn’t know which of Tristan’s flirtations may turn serious? How does Max deal with not having all the information at all times?

Avery has jealousy issues that she is VERY MUCH in denial about — rationally she knows that Tristan and Max are allowed to be in whatever relationships they want, especially when she has specifically told them that, so she shouldn’t feel jealous or upset and hates that she does anyway. She has to figure out how to deal with both not wanting a monogamous relationship and not having a healthy way to deal with jealousy. Potential plots: Avery successfully achieves a polyamorous relationship, realizes that this doesn’t actually fix the disconnect between her thoughts and feelings; they talk about their relationship and how it will work, Avery agrees to things that are rational and then gets upset and then is angry about being upset, etc etc etc.

Max likes to be knowledgeable and in control. If he ever seriously considers the whole poly thing, he might start reading every book and article available, throwing around words like metamour and compersion — and then do what he seems to prefer, which is use that orthodoxy to protect himself from actually reflecting on what he really feels. We know that Tristan doesn’t like when Max gets arrogant, and we know that Avery is going to have a lot of trouble with the whole compersion thing — would this affect their relationship? Would Max use relationship anarchy to further run away from his dual needs for control and hedonism? Speaking of hedonism:

Max also loves to put himself into plausibly deniable situations in which sex might happen — taking Tristan to his quarters, watching Archer in a hotel room with Tristan, going to Avery’s quarters, taking Ken to the cryotherapy room, taking Tristan AND Avery to his quarters, taking Brooke to his quarters (I had to go back and add more because I kept remembering examples). How many more times will this happen before Avery comes completely unhinged? This seems to be his primary method of flirting — would he stop if he were in a relationship, or would he keep doing it with the “it was just ___” excuses?

Joshua Jackson called the show pro-polyamorous — if this wasn’t just a bunch of PR bullshit but was actually true, then I’d like to see some explorations of polyamory in its multiple forms. And considering the textual evidence from the show itself, which has already in 9 episodes explored many kinds of non-monogamy, I don’t actually think this is impossible.

[wanderinginksplot]

What to watch during the writer's strike:

Don't pay attention to companies who blame writers for delayed movies and television shows! The WGA strike comes from people who are trying to make things better - not only for themselves and other writers, but the films and tv shows we all love.

While we wait for a resolution, I thought I would share some existing television shows that I enjoy. I didn't bother with too much well-known stuff. Instead, I focused on shows I feel many people missed because of the glut of content that all premiered at once over the last few years. (I may make another one of these for movies later on, but this one is about tv.)

[Update: Movie version here]

Feel free to add on! Just try to give a quick, spoiler-free synopsis for the show and the streaming service where it can be found.

List under the cut!

Netflix:

The Good Place (2016-2020) - A 'bad' woman is accidentally sent to heaven. She and her moral philosophy professor of a soulmate try to save her soul by making her a better person. Genre: Comedy with deeper implications and one of the best endings in television history.

Russian Doll (2019-2022) - When Nadia dies at her birthday party, she's more than a little confused to come back. Especially when it keeps happening. Genre: Time loop drama with a wicked sense of humor and a dash of theoretical physics. Potentially not ended?

Narcos (2015-2017) - The fight of the American DEA and the Colombian army against cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and his reign of terror. Genre: Drama with thrilling elements. Lots of violence, some sex and language. Lots of subtitles. Features Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook, if you need some extra incentive.

Derry Girls (2018-2022) - Five teens grow up in Derry, Ireland in the 1990s, amid the final years of the Troubles, a low-level war that lasted roughly 30 years. Genre: Comedy. Some sexual content, some religious content, less violence than you would expect, and the best nun ever to appear on film.

Arcane (2021-?) - Two sisters are alienated when one accidentally kills their adoptive father. Their different paths threaten the fragile peace of a city already on the breaking point. Genre: Drama with elements of action-adventure. Though it's animated, Arcane's animation is beautifully done with tantalizing steampunk elements that will keep you invested.

Disney+:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020) - If you haven't seen any of the Star Wars animated series, this is a good place to start. Set in the time gap between Episode II and Episode III, this series helps flesh out Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi. It is also a great introduction to some of the characters and plots of The Mandalorian. (Star Wars: Rebels is another good choice.) Genre: Adventure with some drama. Violence and death are a large part of The Clone Wars, but it's usually appropriate for children. The clone troopers will steal your heart!

Gravity Falls (2012-2016) - Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel are sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to live with their great-uncle for their summer break. But when Dipper finds a mysterious book in the woods, the pair find that Gravity Falls is far more mysterious than it seems... Genre: Adventure with a lot of comedy. Though it's billed as a children's cartoon, Gravity Falls is an intriguing watch with mystery subplots that will keep anyone guessing. It also features a famously strong and cohesive series ending. I was in my late 20s when I first watched this and I was still invested!

Daredevil (2015-2018) - After being blinded as a young boy, Matthew Murdock trained his other senses to replace the sight that he lost. He uses his skills to protect the helpless in the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. Genre: Action and superhero. Features a lot of incredibly choreographed violence. (Jessica Jones is also an excellent show to watch, especially if you think of David Tennant as the consummate 'good guy'. He's got range!)

HBO Max (Just 'Max' now, I guess):

Ghosts (2019-2023) - Petty roommate squabbles don't stop just because you're dead! Alison and her husband Mike inherit a house, then a near-death experience allows Alison to see its ghostly inhabitants. Chaos and humor ensue as the ghosts try to adjust to the house's new owners. Genre: Humor. Ghosts is a British sitcom, but since the writers are comedians (writing and performing in Horrible Histories), the show is done in a style that feels more natural to American viewers. Hint: watch the BBC version, not the American one. They're fairly similar, but definitely not the same!

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) - A pie-maker with the ability to bring back the dead helps to solve murders. He's helped by his once-dead childhood sweetheart. Genre: Comedy with some dramatic elements. Some of the CGI-heavy moments haven't aged particularly well, but the show has a unique premise and an incredibly talented cast!

Hulu:

Abbott Elementary (2021-?) - This mockumentary series showcases an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. The teachers and administration do their best for the kids, but they're constrained by budgets and the limitations of the educational system itself. Genre: Comedy mockumentary. Though Abbott Elementary is fictional, some of the issues brought up are all too real. This is a funny and incisive look at the American public school system.

Amazon Prime:

Fleabag (2016-2019) - The unnamed protagonist of the show struggles through life on her own with limited support from her alienated family and the memories of her recently deceased best friend. Genre: Comedy with lots of dramatic elements. Lots of sexual content and references, some language, breaking the fourth-wall, and several characters you just long to hit. I watched the second season in a single day, that's how good this was.

Unknown Streaming Service:

Black Sails (2014-2017) - This prequel to Treasure Island features elements from the book, original characters, and real pirates from history in a setting that emphasizes realism. Captain Flint and his crew search for a legendary prize... one that might allow them to claim Nassau for their own. Genre: Action and adventure. Think Game of Thrones, but with pirates. Incredibly well-written and well-acted with gorgeous scenery, LGBTQ representation, and just enough historical accuracy to keep things grounded. Black Sails also boasts one of the best endings ever given for a television show.

Like I said, please feel free to reblog and add your own television show recommendations onto this list! There are plenty of things to watch and plenty of ways to support the WGA strike that don't involve giving in to big studios.

[itsmiahshemakessense]

The "i'll be okay." moment (Big brainrot rant incoming)

i don't think you realize JUST how crappy this would be. like imagine this with any other show. they make you feel all bad because Will's pining and everything, mike magically has no more issues expressing himself, and then he just accepts they'll never be together and dates someone else. with like some teary eyed "I'll be okay." moment, like, what?? so what's the point of even making that a plot point? that's terrible writing at best and heavy queer bait at worst. In most shows, the "i'll be okay." moment, is because the main character has to choose between two ppl they like and it's difficult because one is good for them and one isn't, despite all the romantic/trusting moments they've shared together.

Or, it's because a side character realizes how deeply in love the mc is already, and decides bc they love them they should let them go, or recognize their love is one-sided. In the show, will has been operating under the assumption mike doesn't like him back for 4 seasons, (already a super long time) and has been there for him from the beginning, through every breakup and argument.

Now, let's ignore their relationship issues, and say mike is straight. congrats, will officially is a nothing character, a token gay there for no reason other then queer bait, and a product of underestimating your audience's ability to spot bullshit, it's not 'Realistic for the 80's' or 'unrequited love for gay guy plot point' It's lazy.

And why even give them relationship issues and a love triangle if everything works out in the end for them? why is mike an ass? why is will the one to tell him what to say? Why is plot point?

Unrequited love is fine, if you spend maybe an episode or three teasing your audience with it, but making a character pine on screen for 3 seasons with no payoff is actually insane, especially considering you have a gay actor promoting it.

If your reason, is "sorry, hes gay so that would be unrealistic." You shouldn't be writing or analyzing gay characters, because you don't fundamentally understand that love is love. And your operating under the assumption that gay love is somehow different, and everyone needs to be explicitly out of the closet, realize their gay overnight, and be single/dating the same gender for a story like that to be possible. as if sexuality isn't a spectrum and being attracted to the same gender makes you a better person or a perfect partner.

Anyway, rant aside, if your story ends on the note that not everyone has happy endings, that's fine. but not when literally everyone else has happy endings. At the end of s4, mike and el are together, Lucas and max survive, Dustin is grieving, Nancy and Jonathan are together, along with Joyce and hopper reunited but otherwise preparing for s5, and Will is in the same position, next to mike, like he always is. Why is this the only relationship thread left hanging?

Byler is canon, (or should be) that's why.

[foxwmulder]

I just found my list of when I categorized every xf episode (mostly through s7) during quarantine lmao

MONSTER OF THE WEEK CATEGORIES

Cultural

Shapes

Fresh Bones

The Calusari

Teso Dos Bichos

Hell Money

Teliko

El Munda Gira

Theef

Prison or Military

Deep Throat

Space

Sleepless

The List

The Walk

Unrequited

Trevor

Religious

Miracle Man

Revelations

Grotesque

Kaddish

All Souls

Signs and Wonders

Millennium

Cult or Satanists

Gender Bender

Red Museum

Our Town

3

Syzygy

Die Hand Die Verletzt

Sanguinarium

Terms of Endearment

Nothing Lasts Forever

Lone Gunmen- or CSM-Centric

Musings of a CSM

Unusual Suspects

Three of a Kind

First Person Shooter

This

Skinner-Centric

Avatar

Zero Sum

SR 819

Brand X

Hollywood AD

Kitten

Arthur Dales’s Tales

Travelers

The Unnatural

Agua Mala

Scully Side Quest

Irresistible / Orison

Chinga

Never Again

Milagro

En Ami

all things

Home Again

Ghouli

Mulder, They Already Destroyed the Evidence!

Ice

Firewalker

Dod Kalm

F. Emasculata

Wetwired

The Pine Bluff Variant

Drive

Wait, It’s Actually Aliens?

Pilot

Jose Chung

Control the Elements

Fire

DPO

Soft Light

Schizogeny

Rush

The Rain King

Medical Anomalies

Young at Heart

Eve

Home

Small Potatoes

Postmodern Prometheus

Founder’s Mutation

Guys Who Need to Eat Weird Stuff

Squeeze / Tooms

2Shy

Pusher / Kitsunegari

Leonard Betts

Hungry

Switch Lives or Linked Brains

Lazarus

Roland

Oubliette

Paper Hearts

Mind’s Eye

Dreamland I and II

Fight Club

Plus One

Time Travel or Warp

Synchrony

Monday

Lost Art of the Forehead Sweat

Ghosts or Past Lives

Shadows

Born Again

Excelsis Dei

Elegy

Aubrey

The Field Where I Died

Triangle

How the Ghosts Stole Christmas

AI Is Out To Get Us

Blood

Ghost in the Machine

Kill Switch

Rm9sbG93ZXJs

Half Man, Half Monster

The Host

Jersey Devil

Humbug

Detour

Bad Blood

Folie a Duex

Chimera

Mulder and Scully Meet the Weremonster

All Monster, No Man

Darkness Falls

Fearful Symmetry

Quagmire

War of the Coprophages

Alpha

Arcadia

Field Trip

X-Cops

Magic, Psychic, or Lucky

Beyond the Sea

Clyde Bruckman

Unruhe

Tithonus

The Amazing Maleeni

Je Souaite

The Goldberg Variation

MYTHOLOGY CATEGORIES

They’re Closing The X-Files!

The Erlenmeyer Flask / Little Green Men

The End / The Beginning

Fight the Future

Uh…Samantha?

Colony / End Game

Talitha Cumi / Herrenvolk

Sein Und Zeit / Closure

I’m Literally On Board Already, Scully

Fallen Angel

EBE

Nisei / 731

Piper Maru / Apocrypha

Tempus Fugit / Max

Tunguska / Terma

Agent Mulder Is Dead! Or Is He?

Anasazi / The Blessing Way / Paper Clip

Redux I and II

This Is Not Happening / Dead Alive

Mulder…You Good?

Demons / Gethsemane

Biogenesis / The Sixth Extinction

The Syndicate Hates Scully

Duane Barry / Ascension / One Breath

Memento Mori

Christmas Carol / Emily

Patient X / The Red and the Black

Why Was This Made

I Want to Believe

Discarded Categories

Creepy White Guy Predator

This Is a Small Town, We Don’t Lock Our Doors

A Nice Trip to the Forest

[thatsrightice]

Hello! My name is Olie (She/Her) and I am the aviation-obsessed person running this blog.

main: @waitingforsols

the boys in the boat: @savvylittlecoxswain

band of brothers: @magnoliasforyourmedic

BACKGROUND: I have a mechanical engineering degree with an aerospace minor and I work in the aviation industry.

WHAT DO I LIKE?

Masters of the Air (esp Harry Crosby)

Top Gun (esp Tom “Iceman” Kazansky)

✨ F-14 Tomcat ✨

EAA AirVenture

Research & History

Fighter Pilot Podcast

WHAT DO I POST ABOUT?

Masters of the Air headcanons, prompts, writing ideas, fanfictions, rants, etc.

A LOT of 100th BG historical information

Top Gun headcanons, prompts, writing ideas, fanfictions, rants, etc.

F-14 Tomcat highly technical deep dives

Tons of interesting facts about the F-14, B-17, and aviation history

MY FANFICTION

in your arms i hide away

masters of the air, crosie whump one-shot

main theme: croz has a minor crash out after finding out he was promoted on what was supposed to be his last mission, minor protective rosie

something to hold on to

masters of the air, crosie hurt/comfort, one-shot

main theme: rosie is in the hospital after crashing on September 10, 1944 and receives some visitors (and bad news), established crosie, they’re so soft for each other, rosie & everyone

out of the fog, you’re calling my name

masters of the air, crosie whump, one-shot

main theme: crosby gets a mysterious phone call, set one month after Rosie was shot down (March 1, 1945 to be exact), they’re in love your honor

a lesson in international relations

masters of the air, Croz whump, one-shot

main themes: croz and bubbles get jumped by the Riff RAF, hurt croz, croz & everyone, smart croz!!!

the war is over and we are beginning

masters of the air, Croz/Rosie, one-shot

main themes: buck’s rosebush, croz/rosie, rosie with a rose, fluff, they’re both so soft for each other

and maybe if i hold you now

masters of the air, croz x bubbles one-shot (like 4k words)

main themes: Crosby x Bubbles, post-reunion in episode 5, misunderstandings, mutual pining, fluff and angst and smut (in that order), Harry Crosby is insecure AF, explicit sexual content (see Ao3 for specific tags), sharing a bed, Harry Crosby definitely experimented in college, Harry Crosby is the dumbest smart person, these boys deserve to be happy

we rest amidst the tumult of war

completed masters of the air croz x rosie multi-chapter fic (8k words)

main themes: crosby/rosie but can be read as platonic, part 6 rewrite, flak house, horseback riding (like actually), fluff and hurt/comfort but mostly comfort, basically 10k words of flirting, these boys deserve to be happy, ft. Rosie’s Riveters, lots of good-natured teasing and jokes, short jokes, insecurities, everyone needs a hug

penguins are flightless birds and so am i

iceman one-shot

main themes: iceman angst, surprise homecoming, hurt/comfort, big fluff, flyboys being flyboys, found family, emotional and physical pain, some military lingo, military accurate (hopefully) underlying future icemav, background HollyWolf, iceman returns home from deployment early but not on his own terms

flying is hard but falling (for you) is easy

multi-chapter icemav fic (WIP)

main themes: iceman AND slider angst, icemav, major platonic slice, hurt/comfort, the boys ™️, flyboys being flyboys <- to the max, flyboy shenanigans, things will get worse before it gets better, everyone needs a hug (especially iceman), takes place a couple months after top gun on the USS Enterprise, soft Iceman and protective everyone else, emotional pain, iceman knows he’s in love but refuses to do anything about it and maverick doesn’t know he’s in love but is doing everything about it <- that’s it, that’s the fic

FOR YOUR REFERENCE :)

F-14 Tomcat Accidents & Issues

The following is a compilation of issues with the F-14 Tomcat that have been encountered by pilots throughout its lifespan due to both mechanical and other reasons. Some are based on individual accidents and some cover epidemics in which many aircraft were lost to the issue *cough* compressor stalls *cough* basically it’s a bunch of ways you can hurt your fav characters in your fics.

F-14 Tomcat Variants

A beginner’s guide to identifying and differentiating the different F-14 Tomcat variants using three distinctive, easy-to-spot features: Glove Vanes, Engine Exhaust Nozzle (aka “Turkey Feathers”), and Sensor Pods.

Flight of the Tomcat

Flight basics of the F-14 Tomcat with diagrams

What Did F-14 Tomcat Pilots Wear?

A little guide including links to videos from a former F-14 Pilot showing and putting on what he wore when he was flying the Tomcat.

FREQUENT TAGS

# just a little thing I wrote

where you’ll find my Top Gun h/c’s, writings, musings, rants, prompts, analysis, etc.

# mota musings

same as #justalittlethingiwrote but for Masters of the Air and Harry Crosby

#FFFOTD or #F-14 Fun Fact of the Day

want to learn something new about the F-14 tomcat?

#research or #information

basically what it says

#top gun or #masters of the air

makes sense

#f-14 tomcat

kind of a given, but will likely include primarily technical posts

#reference

some guides and information stuff you could use to help better understand aviation or the f-14 tomcat

#f14 tomcat has ✨issues✨

if you’re looking for ways to hurt your favorite top gun characters without it being pilot error, check out this tag

MY AVIATION ORIGIN STORY

Basically, and I’m not exaggerating, I randomly decided to make a sad-excuse for a helicopter as a part of our wood shop unit in middle school. I genuinely do not know why I chose a helicopter, there is no reason for me to have chosen a helicopter lol. My wood shop teacher is like “I’m actually very intrigued on why you picked a helicopter like what made you pick it? I’m impressed!” And I literally had no answer for him.

My interest was solidified when I went to EAA AirVenture. Watching the F-22 Raptor fly was and always will be breathtaking to me. That demo gave me the love for military aviation and especially fighters that I have today.

[byleriscanon713by]

So I might be reading too far into this but I took the duffers funko pop thing and sorted it

Code:

Yellow- friend pairings

Green: romantic pairings

Blue: familial pairings

Red: not currently present

Okay so we’ll get into the friendship parings first.

So I think will and robin will get to have a fun friendship this season. I think they prob want robin to hang out with someone other than Steve and Nancy so will and her would bond well since they’re both part of the lgbtq+ community. I also think there’s potential for her to help in the buildup for byler. i also see a lot of potential for Mike and Lucas to kind of mend their friendships that’s always been a little rocky throughout the seasons. I think they’ll get some (not a large amount) of interaction together to kind of mend their holes throughout the seasons. I also have seen the theory that Lucas will be integral in helping Mike realize his feelings for Mike which is possible. It’s 50/50 but I do think Lucas may just say something unintentionally that triggers Mike into being like “oh god I’m a homosexual.” (Even tho he probably ALR knows that from the ending of season 3)

The Dustin/Johnathan/Nancy/Steve pairing is interesting and I think it’s gonna be a great quartet thing-a-ma-bobber. So we know Dustin and Steve are joined at the hip and Nancy and Johnathan are also super close so they’ll def stick together. However we’ve also seen previs’ of steve and Johnathan having a conversation in episode 1 of st5 so I think the two of them will become friends. There was also a previs from episode 5 I believe and it looks like they’re in the upside down and you could see Dustin in the passenger seat of a car and Nancy and Johnathan in the back. I think it’d be weird for Dustin to just casually be hanging w/ Nancy and Johnathan so I bet Steve is driving. Also, we know Eleven is gonna be an integral part of the series and so is Will, so the four of them kind of are on the outskirts a little. They’ll prob have a more separate storyline where they’re discovering things unrelated to the core problem. Now why would robin and Lucas not be with that group? Well Lucas just lost max so I think he might need some separation time from that group and he might want to rekindle with mike and will cuz he was kind of distant with them in season 4. I think Robin may be with that group part time, but I also think she may take up some sort of fondness for Will where she wants to protect him (especially if he’s susceptible to vecna) Also if Will is susceptible to Vecna, Lucas has seen Max get vecnad and saved her the first time so he might have that instinct to “I need to save Will since I didn’t save Max.” Robin may be there because she’s the one who discovered the whole music thing and she may want to be wills lesbian protector idk. And obvious mike would want to be there but we’ll get into that later.

Now why did I put Steve/Nancy/Jonathan in green? I think they’re gonna be a love triangle. Not the love triangle where they all date, but just the fact that Steve and Johnathan are both obviously pining over Nancy. As much as I hate admitting it, I think stancy is endgame with the way they set them up in st4. I also think there’s a large possibility of Johnathan well… perishing. I’ve seen a lot of people saying “omg stonathan” cuz they saw Steve and Johnathan touching heads in that photo but I am skeptical of stonathan ever happening. I think they’ll be friends, but I think the head touching could still meaning there’s some head butting over Nancy going on. They both love her so I do think they’ll both have romantic moments throughout the season with her. Idk. That love triangle is quite a mystery. Let’s get into the best ship: Byler! I believe Byler is endgame and I could go on for probably eight hours about all the proof and all the queer coding they’ve gone through. Now why do I think byler is a logical thing going to happen in a straight to the point way? Well you saw Mike at the end of st4 when Will was talking abt feeling Vecna. Mike looked terrified. Mike has that instinct of needing to protect Will, and I think as st4 went on Mike started gaining it back and releasing el didn’t love him as much and that will was the one who needed him. The duffers have also teased a lot about circling back to the og relationships and dynamics from st1, but they’ve also said a lot of it is based on st2. Now in st2 Mike was practically attached to Will since he was possessed by the mid flayer. I am 100% sure Will is going to be under Vecnas trance and I’m pretty sure that’ll happen early in the season. I think once Mike sees that he’ll snap right back into his protector mode and be joined to Will for the rest of the season. From there, the potential of the painting being recalled and basically them confessing their love is quite obvious. I’m not gonna get too into byler here but it you love hearing about byler you should follow me cuz I post about them a lot :) (Also if your a st account or like any fandom I’m interested in I’ll prob follow u back and stalk ur page cuz I adore reading yalls theories and fics and ahhhh)

Now let’s get into the familial relationship!!! I forgot to circle Joyce and hopper in green but that’s okay cuz they’re endgame and it’s obvious. Now since Joyce lost hopper for so long and it took so much tension building over the seasons for them to get together, I think they’ll be partnered up again. They typically are anyways. I think Eleven will also be with them. I think Eleven is going to break up with Mike and become her own character. Now I think eleven is going to die at the end of the season by using all her powers and instead of fainting, destroying the upside down for good and killing herself in the process. I think it’s a full circle but also depressing and plausible ending for her. It’s very likely. This season I think they’re going to focus on her character. In every season her character has either been based on her powers or on being mikes girlfriend. I think her having time with Hoppet and Joyce will give her some good character qualities and depth that we haven’t seen. She’s also reeling from the death of Max and I feel she’ll just want some space (especially from what we see at the end of st4) However she also misses Hopper cuz he was the primary influence in her life and personally I think he loves her more than anymore. She wants to makeup for the lost time with him. Also wherever hopper is Joyce will be too, especially since she’s always had that kind of motherly dynamic towards El (and she is her mom now technically.) I’m just so excited for el to finally get to be her own person.

Lastly I think Max will be MIA for a while. I think that she will come back but not until later. She may help fight Vecna from inside his mind, but I doubt she will truly not come back till Eleven is able to kill vecna. Not seeing Sadie sink in this season much would kill me cuz I love her, but it’s realistic.

Anyways thank you so much for reading this super long rant!!! Reblog and add your opinions cuz I would die to see them. Like I love hearing new theories!

[castlebyersafterdark]

fucckkkkkkkk i just realised that it's been a year and a half more pining for both mike and will, this is sad af, theyre halfway through high school and they still havent gotten their act together! come on lads! he loves you! and HE loves YOU!

wahhhhhhh its soooo sad :((((

What does a time jump of 1.5 years mean for Mike and Will?!?!

Hahaha, it's so fascinating thinking about how they're gonna pull this off, exactly. That's a LONG TIME in the formative years of teenagerdom. We're missing the entirety of sophomore year. I've seen three schools of thought for this one.

IDEA 1: Episode 1 - Mike and El have a moment where they break up by the end of the episode, since I really am pretty sure this episode will entirely be pre-1987 jump. I feel like it's going to be a full episode instead of just a small portion. It's a big ask to go from the end of season 4 to Hawkins in 1987. Possibly, we establish by the end of this that Mike and El are separating as she needs space and she's going into hiding.

IDEA 2: Time jump, Mike and El were unclear/together at the end of episode 1, time jump, then we see that they have broken up or slipped away from each other like we saw with Lucas and Max in season 4. I'm not sure the show would repeat this twice, though we know that sometimes they do repeat lines - but with a switch up! So I'm not sure. A tell not show situation.

IDEA 3: Mike and El are technically together in concept only. El's in hiding, they don't see each other or talk much, going through the motions, but then we see them have a conversation about where they stand, their friendship, etc.

I'm sure there are more IDEA 4, 5, 6... I can come up with. What ideas and timeline possibilities do you guys think? My mind can spin about a dozen others but these are common ones I've landed on listing. It's so damn complicated it drives me crazy.

WILL THOUGH it's so much, it's so sad. A lot of people say that he's going to have taken the time to have moved on from Mike because he's lost all hope - that's so unrealistic, he's not going to move on from that boy. He's in love and that love is painful. I think he's definitely lost most hope, but that doesn't mean he's not going to drive himself crazy with pining and longing and hating himself for feeling the way he feels. It's just going to be worse than ever before, and Henry is going to capitalize on that to torment and torture the poor boy. All the while, the plot throwing Will into even more tension and confusion being with Mike all the time. I'm really starting to lean into him having lived at the Wheeler's for a significant amount of time.

They are so entwined. What life experiences have we missed from them? That's a lot of time. A lot of time to grieve, to rekindle friendships. Are the boys still playing DnD? Have they reunited as the Party? They've got lives to live - they can't have been just plotting vengeance and living on the edge all that time. We are missing 2 summers!! That's a lot of downtime away from school. The Mike and El factor is incredibly frustrating - in the way that there are sooooo many ways it can go and I honestly cannot settle on how I feel plot-wise. A YEAR AND A HALF is such a significant span of time for every element of the show.

AND HOW DOES THE PAINTING FIGURE IN TO ALL THIS?? HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THE PAINTING?? Wow it's getting wild out here, I literally forgot about this very important aspect. Gotta move on. Continuously confused and insane.

[mychlapci]

for the character ask game i've got three for you!

standford pines

five pebbles

prowl (idw specifically)

i've been trying to get to this all morning but i had to go to the grocery storeeeee. anyways...

Ford... the character of all time...

How I feel about this character

Normal. Obviously. Very normal. But seriously, he was one of my favourite gravity falls characters, i feel like he's very much misunderstood by the fandom, either deeply villanized or has his reletable flaws whittled down to be more palatable. there is so much wrong with him to explore. alas, i am not smart enough to dig as deep

All the people I ship romantically with this character

no one. no one at all. In all seriousness, i was never that much of a fiddauthor fan, but i've read some good fanfics of them, so that counts i suppose

My non-romantic OTP for this character

the Stan twins duo, of course. Although I really enjoy to imagine the dynamic Ford and Mabel could've had

My unpopular opinion about this character

I think he was actually quite reletable and not to have a kin moment or anything, but I saw a lot of myself in his flaws, so I can't really imagine why someone wouldn't sympathize with him.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

canon old man birth Ford and Mabel bonding episode!!!!! PLEASE

Pebbles, my good friend Pebbles... i have not played much nor have I really done a deep dive into the lore yet, so forgive me if I don't have much to say

How I feel about this character

stinky rude little guy. i enjoy it very much. as i said, i'm not up to date on the lore, but i know he's kind of having a fucked up time and i love me a man in peril.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

not well-versed enough in the lore to ship him with anyone. i can't even imagine who. people have probably found a way. god i hope he's ship-elligible, because if there is a reason why he wouldn't be... then i have to go delete some drawings

My non-romantic OTP for this character

pebbi x the spear i throw at his head

My unpopular opinion about ths character

Not many. Though I've noticed in let's plays that many people straight up hate him with with a lot of vigour, I think they should give him a break

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

I don't know. Perhaps more interaction? although i wouldn't want to actually travel through unfortunate development more times than once, tbh... I think the game utilizes him well. AND you can throw shit at him, so that's all i need to amuse myself

Proooowl!!! baby girl. i am gonna sound so stupid here. I am not good with. remembering what happened in the comics.

How I feel about this character

He's an asshole. And I love him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I mean... everyone knows what i'm all about, as long as that robot's holes are full, i'm game. I don't quite get jazzprowl in its entirety, but I find it fun and compelling enough so I suppose I'll go with that. And I've been a fan of prowlop lately, I think he an Optimus could have a really fucked up dynamic together. Constructiprowl is a favourite of mine. And I have a little guilty pleasure spot here just for Prowl/Fort Max

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Not quite sure, I think he would be extremely fun to pair with anyone just because he's such a dick and no one likes him. I honestly think that a chapter dedicated to him and Rodimus getting into shenanigans would be hilarious

My unpopular opinion about this character

Not sure if this is necessarily me going against the popular opinions, perhaps just me against the expectations i had when i heard everyone else talk about him, but... I don't think he's actually as evil and twisted as people make him out to be? he's an asshole, yes, but I don't think he's actually a heartless bastard incapable of not feeling guilty for his actions, as i've seen him portrayed sometimes. if anything, guilt eats away at him so much that he's doing everything he can to stay in control of it. if he keeps stubbornly assuring himself that he did what had to be done, he'll manage to stay sane. i don't know. re-reading that, it sounds stupid as hell but i don't have anything else to say so i can't delete that....

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

all that said, i think some people should have punched him a little bit harder

[onekisstotakewithme]

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? 🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write? 🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one? :D :D :D

thank you Remy!! 💜🥰

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more?

I need to write more Max and Soon-Lee 🙏🏻 I have such a good time every time I write for them, and YET!!

Also Henry Blake. (I have exactly one older fic - and I do mean older - that I wrote in 2018? where Henry goes to Hawk after Sometimes You Hear the Bullet because he realized he likes men 😂)

🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

Uhhhh. I write so much canon-compliant/missing scene (that's more of an AO3 tag vs a trope). I also love me a good secret relationship. Longing looks across the room!!! (Since I'm here: Pining. All the pining. So much pining).

In terms of smut tropes... First Times babeyyy, it's the lapsed presbyterian in me.

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

MUCH LIKE YOU, the obvious answer is I'm going to keep writing about Oh, How We Danced. Also there's like a three day missing window of time in Mr and Mrs Who so I will write ALL the Charles-Donna bonding during that timeframe :D also also Welcome to Korea + The Party. <3 (sorry, I am Incapable of being Concise!)

[miss0atae]

The Jungle - 9th Episode Review

It’s already episode 9 of the Jungle and here is my review of this episode. Before, I just want to say that last week I didn’t really like episode 8 and even contemplating dropping the series but the episode today was quite fun so I’m glad I haven’t stopped watching it. Obviously there are still many incoherence in the synopsis and it still not the best series but I found it more enjoyable. By the way I just noticed that there will be 16 episodes! I thought they would have 12 max so I can still hope for improvement.

Anyway we start the epusode with Nathee working with his computer at the bar like it’s a place to do that. Of course there is a woman not far away from him who would really to do him but he will spend time he talks to her to do some bullshit philosophy about how numbers are better than girlfriend. What do you want me to say? I don’t mind people who prefer to stay single. I’m one of them but I never say this nonsense to others when they ask me why I stay single. Of course, he was just playing with the girl. While bringing her out to have his way with her, he saw Irin and Hack. There are too many secrets among this group for no reason. They are supposed to be brothers/best friends but all of them hide something from the others. How are we supposed to believe they are friends? So, Irin and Hack are doing it (again) and they wake up in the room of the RV side by side. He ask her how was it... Who says that? Aren't you supposed to check with your partner during the intercourse that everything is alright and that you both enjoy it? He wants to do it again with her and she is contemplating the possibility. I guess we’ll get a friends with benefits relationship between them.

In the next scene, Irin is posing for a product. When the photoshoot is done, she goes to eat with the production team and ends up drinking too much... That girl can't hold alcohol. I mean all the girls in this show can’t hold alcohol. Seriously they should advertise how drinking in moderation is better for you because it always bring the girls in terrible situation. Irin is not feeling good and the photographer appears at this moment. He has this weird vibe that makes me question him. Why all the men wants to abuse women here? Especially Irin! She always has all those predators after her. She needs a bodyguard at this point or to learn self defense. The photographer tried to molest her but she escaped by smashing a bottle on his head. Yeah girl! You did well! He deserves this. Ditch the high heels and run! Frankly it's super scary to watch. Woman never feel safe. While hiding, she uses her phone to reach for help and has to choose between calling Hack (her new lover) or Pine (her one-sided love). She decided to call Pine --". Why girl?! He showed you last week that he can't help you whenever you need. She is trying to hide from the crazy photographer but unfortunately he found her. He truly disgust me. Luckily, Pine arrived with most the Junggle (Nathee, Phethai/Wayu and Naanfah but no Hack because he is doing something outside) to save her. I am glad we didn’t get a repeat from last week when he didn’t help her. I knew someone would save her but I’m glad he came anyway. Yeah! We love a badass entrance. Now kick his ass!

They are celebrating their rescue with beers. Irin shouldn’t drink more because I wouldn’t feel safe if I was her but it’s a minor problem. The Jungle are remembering their first encounter with Irin which was also a rescue time from another abuser. She needs to be free from them. I don’t remember that Phethai wasn’t there (I should rewatch the episode to be sure). The rest of the group leave Irin with Pine. She talks about her feelings with him again telling him she got hopes when he came to save her. Girl forget about him! It's not going to work. He doesn't love you this way. Hack receives a call and meet Irin in the room. She wants to have sex with him to forget but he doesn’t want that right now. Naan was the one who called him after the incident. Why is she accepting that people threat her badly because of that gossip news? She should be furious. No one should treat you this way because you enjoy clubbing. What the fuck?! Hack tries to explain it to her and tell her to sue the photograph but she wants to drop it. Listen to the man! This industry is shit. Modeling seems to be hell. I don’t know if she is really genuine with him or not. He is bitter and angry about the fact she called Pine and not him.

In the bar, Nathee is talking with Hunter about the relationship between Hack and Irin, then we get Hack, Phethai, Naanfah and Nathee talking at the bar. Irin is alone in the Jungle room (they actually call it this way. XD) Nathee is trying to reveal Hack's relationship with Irin. The way he looked at him with his wide open eyes, it was funny. Hack really thought they were discreet? He is trying to dodge the question and ends up looking even more suspicious. Naanfah is too cute now. I can't believe I called him evil Naan. He is my favorite now. Irin is trying to get Hack's attention but he doesn't see her. He forgot his phone and she was trying to reach him to give it back. To help him find his phone, Phethai/Wayu will try to call him because Hunter can turn off the phone jammer who is apparently located behind the bar. Poor Pladao, she was so close everytime and never found it when she needed it. By the way, I am still rooting for my Pladao/Naanfah romance at this point and now that I know we have 16 episodes in this series, they better give me a good romance (I can always dream). Finally Hack noticed Irin with his phone. He stops Phethai but it’s too late. Irin and him are tying to made up some lie about the phone to hide the fact they were together. They look so suspicious. Everyone can understand they were indeed together. Naanfah still being this annoying sibling. I really appreciate him more and more. Only Phethai seems to not understand. This guy play the clueless part really well. Bravo!

I was waiting for the next scene. My baby is here, Florence! Finally! She is with a man drinking champagne. She is gorgeous. So, she was supposed to have this passionate night with the man but he finished too soon. Dude how is it even possible? I mean she is beautiful okay but you lasted 30 seconds. I don’t know what is the worst, him finishing too fast or him being proud about it. She hasn't even feel a thing. Terrible! He hasn't even removed all his clothes. I feel sad for her. She needs to find a better lover. For a second I thought he was an escort because of the phone call she has after their two seconds intercourse, but no, he was more like a matchmaking boyfriend/fiancé. The father of Florence is infuriating. He thought the man was the best thing? Dude, he couldn't satisfy her. Florence is fed up obviously because the man doesn't love her and he is more interested about a business relationship with her father. I feel like her father is really old-fashioned. He believes he knows best what would be a good boyfriend for her. He even say she doesn't know men? She seems to know better than him. Why would anyone ask their father to find their boyfriend? We see the differences between them, she wants love and he watch a business relationship. Anyway, Her father organized several meeting with different men for her after their talk. I feel bad for her because he doesn’t seem to be able to find the right one. In the company where her father is working (maybe she is also working there too), Nathee is sleeping instead of taking care of the servers who are not working. She wakes him up and he restore the server very easily. Everyone in this company is unskilled apparently. Nathee saved the day and attracted Florence's attention. Oh no! They also met in the past. It's Gale and Wayu's story again. Why do they have to be acquaintances from the past to fall in love? It's so stupid. I would never date anyone I met in the past. I changed too much for that.

Why is she following him to the bathroom? So noisy. Privacy girl! It's a time when you don't want to be disturbed. Turns out he went there to sleep. Shameless. I understand why he is friend with Naanfah. Back to Irin and Hack at the RV. She wants to know if he is still mad at her and obviously he is. She wants to be forgiven and he kisses her, in plain sight. Nannam and Hunter saw them so she panicked and slaps him/step on his foot before leaving. Again super suspicious. They are the worst. Hunter has this little smirk because he knows and Nannam has the most funny reaction: “I need a martini”. I would also need to drink if I had to witness these two idiots. Hack and Irin are kissing and cuddling in the jungle room. She worries about the others knowing about them and I would say it's already too late. She doesn’t want people to know and he is jealous of her past affection to Pine. The relationship is not progressing well…

We found that Irin is friend with Florence and told her about Hack. Florence explains to her that she is lucky to have him because despite their arguments they appreciate each other while she never had good sex. Our girl wants to have fun so Irin offers her to go to the RV. Maybe she will get laid. Hunter again is here with his cocktails and rules of the house. So funny! Hack is yearning after Irin. She decides to follow him leaving her friend behind. Lovers before friends as always. Florence is not resentful but she doesn't really have fun. She got some cryptic blathering from Hunter. This guy loves acting this way, deep down. Suddenly, Nathee arrives and Florence sees him. He is like a vision to her. We get another flashback from the past when she didn't get top score but it was Nathee who was again sleeping in class. The guy is narcoleptic or what? Okay everyone stops, he has a Rubik cube which in any series means that he is a total nerd and a clever guy. No really, have you ever seen a character with a Rubik cube who is not a genius? It is their accessory. She was impressed by him but he is not rich. He is just another poor intelligent people who relies on scholarship and that is victim of injustice. He is a cliché! Rich girl fall on love with poor boy trope here for this couple. Wow he is poor, intelligent and abandoned. He really got the combo. The teacher was a dick to him and he really handled the situation badly. Florence wanted to help him but he preferred to mock her because she is rich and not him. Back to the present, she found the guy she wants to have sex with and it will be her old crush.

We get another cut where Irin doesn't want to fight with Hack. She is trying to pursue this relationship. He kissed her again and she answers this time. As for Florence, she waited for Nathee and followed him in the lift while Irin and Hack go to the bathroom to have a sexy alone time together. The room must not be available. Of course Pine needs to wash his hands right now. So Nathee went to the roof to hear what Florence has to say. Is the roof the confessional of the RV? He gives her 3 minutes to talk like he has better thing to do. Why are wasting your time asking him dumb questions Florence? Get to the point. You want to have sex with him and you want to enjoy yourself. He is cute, you are gorgeous and you just want to have fun. The jungle are supposed to be the kind of men that are excellent for this. Finally, she asks the real question! Of course he doesn't sleep with people he knows... They are never useful when you need them. Boring! Now she wants him more. I like this character. Back to Irin/Hack love scene. I think that what Hack is doing is shitty. He saw that Pine was here and made sure he heard them but we don’t get the reaction because it’s already the end of the episode.

As I said before I really enjoyed this episode. I want to know what will happen in the next one.

[marcelloandtyler]

By the time he reached the summit, snow had begun to fall. It was light and pretty and he wasn't too concerned, figuring it might just be a dusting in the mountains. It wasn't uncommon in the winter for such things to happen, as evidenced by the depth of the snow towards the top of the 3,000 foot mountain he'd ascended. Marcello wasn't an expert in the mountains, but he wasn't stupid. He was aware of weather dangers and how things could quickly change, and this didn't worry him. Besides, he'd past by a few other hikers - some going up, like him, and some descending. It was nice knowing he wasn't alone out here.

Instead, he focused on the beauty of the fresh snow clinging to the needles on the pine trees and the way everything sagged with the weight of it. At the top, he felt better. Marcello knew Levi. His depression was coating his brain, like a plague seeping into his thoughts and tainting everything into something ugly. Max had been trying to get under his skin and when he talked to Levi later, he would tell him how it all made him feel and get his take on it. He had to trust Levi. They'd talked about all of this in the past and he'd warned Levi about his depressive episodes, so he knew his boyfriend would understand. He just had to trust it, had to trust Levi. They were together for a reason.

At the top, he snapped a few photos because it was too gorgeous not to. He had no bars and he realized his battery was pretty low, so he turned his phone off to conserve it for the way home. He had an orange and a protein bar before he made his way back down. It was, admittedly, more difficult to descend with the snow making things a bit slippery, but his mood was better and he took it slow.

It was the late afternoon when he got back to his car and he realized almost immediately that the snow was sweeping through the whole area. The parking lot was coated and not yet plowed, but he didn't think it looked too bad. He dropped his bag in the backseat, started the engine to warm it up, and grabbed his brush to dust off the car. Once he finished, he got into the car to leave. As soon as he put it in reverse, his heart sank. His tires spun and he could only back out about a foot before it stopped. He tried a few times, rocking his car back and forth, but it was useless. He was stuck.

He took a deep breath and relaxed back, trying to figure out what to do. He had no service, but he figured a plow would be around eventually; though, would they really prioritize plowing a small parking lot with a trailhead? The only thing that made him feel a little better was small pickup truck and an SUV in the parking lot and he assumed they belonged to the people he'd passed on the trail. Maybe they'd be able to help in some way.

Marcello sat there for nearly an hour before two women who looked to be in their 20s exited the trail and began heading towards the SUV. He sucked up his anxiety and hopped out of his car, walking over to them, giving them a wave.

"Hey! Uh-- My car is stuck and I've no service," he said.

"Oh no! We have no service either," one of them said. "Do you need a ride? This baby can get through anything." She patted the hood of the SUV as the other girl grabbed a snow brush out of the car and began dusting it off.

Marcello's brows furrowed. "Uh-- Maybe? I don't really know what to do. I was hoping someone would be by to plow," he said.

"They probably will eventually," she said, glancing around. "We're happy to give you a ride, though, and maybe you can call a plow company for help?"

Marcello nodded, considering. He really wasn't sure he had any other options unless he wanted to possibly sit in his car until morning. Without service, he had no way of getting out of here.

"Okay," he said. "Thank you. That's really kind of you."

"No problem," she said, smiling. "I'm Lucy and that's Megan."

Megan waved. "Sorry about your car," he called as she scraped the back window. Lucy opened the driver's side and got in to start the SUV.

"Yeah, it kind of blows," he admitted, managing a smile. "Let me just grab my bag."

He went back to his car and turned it off, taking his keys and bag, making sure he had his wallet before he returned to the girls.

The SUV had difficulty navigating the streets and they drove slow, Lucy gripping the steering wheel. Marcello learned they were from Massachusetts, too, and were renting an Airbnb to enjoy winter sports for the week during their college winter break. When Lucy nearly slid off the road, they decided to head back to their Airbnb since it was close by. Marcello hated the idea of driving all the way home in this weather, but he supposed the plows would be out and he'd just go slow and get home late.

"Oh god, I just remembered," Megan said as they pulled into the snow covered driveway of a little, yellow house. "We barely have service here."

"Is there wifi?" Marcello asked. "I just need to make that call and text some family."

"Yes, and there's a phone, actually. Which we both thought was weird because like what is it, 2005?" Lucy asked, laughing. "Who has landlines anymore?"

They went inside and stomped off their shoes on the mat. The girls shed their clothes and boots and they invited Marcello to do the same, allowing them to dry by the heater. Lucy retrieved the Wifi password for him, which he used to first google who to call about plowing. He found a number and got no one, then tried a few more that he found until someone finally picked up. Basically, they were all hands on deck and he gave them the location of the trail where his car was stuck and they said they'd get to it as soon as they could, but it'd likely be hours.

"Fuck," he said as he hung up.

"Hey, no sweat, you're like... gay, right?" Megan asked.

Lucy smacked her arm. "You can't just--"

"He's got a rainbow pin on his bag and--"

"Oh my god," Megan sighed.

"Um," Marcello said, blushing. "Yeah. Definitely gay."

"Okay, well you can totally stay here, right?" Megan asked, looking at Lucy, who nodded agreeably.

"We're not psycho murderers, promise," Megan added.

Marcello laughed a little. "I'm also not," he said. "Alright. Uh. Let me text my boyfriend..."

MARCELLO: Hey, so sorry. Went for a hike in NH and it snowed. I'm stuck. Long story, but bad service and dying battery.

"Hey, do either of you have an iPhone charger?" he asked. It turned out they were both Droid users and of course the one he'd packed was in his car, so he was out of luck. He kept typing.

[cont.]: Be home as soon as I can tomorrow. Love you.

He stared at his phone, seeing how long it was taking to go through when he looked up at the Wifi. It was down to one bar. He sighed, holding his phone. He powered the screen down, hoping to preserve battery and praying it would go through. As he waited, he chatted with the girls who were very nice but extremely nosy.

Finally, it looked like the text went through just as he saw a couple messages from Levi pour in as the service restored. Before he could read them, his phone died. He wanted to cry, honestly, but he had to keep it together as there was nothing he could do. He was just glad he'd gotten the text through. Too bad he had no one's phone number memorized and he hadn't thought to write it down before or he'd at least call his twin.

He needed a distraction.

"Hey, do you want me to cook dinner? I'm a professional chef," he said, hoping to dodge more questions from them and offer them something up for his gratitude. They were very pleased to accept the offer.

Levi worked through the day, focusing on making sure his oil changes went okay. He was moved up to working on a car with one of the other employees after lunch and was grateful to be able to get in there and really show off his skills.

He felt like he'd done a good job of it when the other said he was impressed after checking over his work, and he smiled at him, giving him thanks.

He went to clean up at the end of the day, wiping the grease from himself before changing out of his uniform and into his clothes.

When he was all cleaned up, he checked his phone, furrowing his brows when he didn't see a message from Marcello. He wasn't sure if that meant he didn't want food or if he'd forgotten, so he typed up a quick message.

LEVI: Hey, I'm going to head out. Did you want dinner?

He sent the message and then went to punch out before hopping in his car. He figured he could check his messages closer to home because there were some good, fast places out that way.

[i-like-gay-books]

my eyes have been opened to the possibility of rory x paris oh my GOD

[loorain]

So I thought it might be fun to add my two-cents to this as well!

If you don't want spoilers about the second game don't read under the cut! Also, THIS IS SUPER LONG. I got way too into this. If you read even a portion of my ranting, you have my upmost respect 😆

So I do agree the sequence of how we're introduced to Abby needs to be changed. I think the reason why people are still so adamant on hating Abby is that we spend so much of the game on a murder mission after seeing characters we already are attached to get pulled through the wringer by her, so by the time we're introduced to her side of the story it's a lot harder for people to connect to her humanity because you want to be hellbent on hating her. So...

The second season is going to have to be a lot of flashbacks and cross-connecting. I think the best option for the introduction is actually beginning with seeing a new scene of Joel and Ellie; something that hasn't been made yet. Maybe it's a continuation of Ellie and Joel returning to Jackson after their final conversation in season 1, or maybe we just see a normal day for Ellie and then cutting to the "golfing scene" (I hate calling it that but you know what I mean lol) with her on the ground. I agree that we should see Ellie begging Abby to stop, Owen telling Abby to finish it, and the final blow without seeing what the blow connects to, leaving viewers questioning if Ellie was hit or someone else. For this to work, there needs to be a rearrange of the lines that establish that the person hurt and on the verge of death is, of course, Joel. So we'll omit any lines that refer to a third party outside of Ellie and Abby (examples: "Joel get up", "Let him go", etc.). Cue title credits.

We come back into the show at the zebra scene and that whole thing plays out. Then we jump back to the present-day with Abby coming into contact with Joel and Tommy for the first time, and then we cut to the scene where 17-year-old Ellie questions Joel about the Fireflies and the eventual confession about his lie. Here's a recap of all of that visually:

(Initial new scene of Ellie in Jackson, maybe Joel and Ellie together)

(Couldn't find a good gif of Abby and Joel's initial interaction but this scene plays out up until the point they start to run from the infected before cutting again).

I think this is a good point to end episode 1.

From this point, there's a multitude of ways this can go. Ultimately, I think the next stuff we should see is more of Ellie in Jackson, present-day. So for our cold-open for episode 2, maybe a 5 minute max sequence of Ellie playing her guitar in her place, and then there's a knock on the door from Jesse and Dina, so she puts the guitar down and leaves the frame to go with them with the shot remaining on the guitar, slowly dolly zooming into the moth on the guitar neck. Cue title sequence. Then, maybe more info about Ellie and Dina's first official meeting, or maybe Ellie making reference to it while hanging out with Dina and Jesse who are still dating at this time. You can see Ellie sorta pining for Dina but respecting their relationship. Ellie can be walking around Jackson with them and sees Joel, but they awkwardly look at one another and she walks past, while he looks at her with a stoic longing to connect before heading off in his own direction. There can then be a scene where maybe Ellie is hanging out in her place playing her guitar and Tommy comes over for some trivial reason, but in reality he wants to ask her about forgiving Joel, to which she gets defensive and tells him to leave and to never bring it up again.

We can continue on with finding out that Dina and Jesse broke up, which eventually leads into the dance scene. Ellie and Dina kiss for the first time, the fight breaks out with Joel defending her, and the final blow up between them happens. It might be wise to extend this scene a bit, but maybe we see an extension of it later. For now, we need to bring Abby back into the narrative. We might need a new scene to connect all of this back to Abby and that would lead to the end of episode 2. So the second episode will be almost all new information and expanding the environment of Jackson, giving context to Ellie, Dina, and Jesse's friendship, and the troubled relationship Ellie and Joel have now, ending with a connecting scene that brings us back to Abby and setting up for episode 3.

For the third episode's cold-open, we can use one of the dream sequences Abby has about her dad. The viewers still won't know that it's her dad that's been killed of course, so what I'm thinking is Abby runs through the hospital and opens the door to the surgery room to see a pool of blood and a foot on the ground, but the audience doesn't see anything else for now. Cue title. After that, the next scene is her at the WLF base with her being woken up by Manny, hearing them talk, getting backstory on Owen and Mel, and going with her on the call that leads to the first Scar encounter. Pretty much, all of this can play out like it does in the game sequence-wise, and we stay with Abby all the way until the scene where Abby tells Owen about the lead on Joel. The only scene I think needs to be moved somewhere else is the sequence of Abby going after Owen and being captured by the Scars. As a reminder, the game sequence (and how we're going to keep it for the show) goes:

Abby in the base with Manny.

Mel's introduction.

Heading out and the scar ambush.

The meeting with Isaac that reveals Owen is gone, and Abby's decision to go after him.

Flashback to the ferris wheel incident and aquarium.

Abby's capture scene happens after this flashback, but we're omitting it for now. Which brings us to-

The flashback of Abby finding Owen and telling him about the lead on Joel's whereabouts. The episode will end with us bringing it back to the "golfing scene" and now it's revealed that the person at the end of her club is none other than Joel. He's not dead yet, we just see him bloody on the ground, followed by the shot of Ellie on the ground yelling and saying "You're gonna fucking die!" Credits. End of episode 3.

Episode 4 should open with the scene of Joel playing and singing for Ellie. The full scene can play out but we of course can trim it down a bit, and that leads to the title sequence. After the title should be the flashback of Joel taking Ellie to the museum for her birthday. The whole scene plays out: them on their way there with Ellie trying to guess what the surprise is, the audience learning that Ellie can swim now (which might need a little more blatant explaining that she didn't know how to swim prior) when Joel pushes her into the river (and her payback), all the way until the end when she gets the ultimate surprise with the spaceship.

I think cutting to a new scene here is good, and I think this scene needs to be of Joel. The scene should begin with Joel's own PTSD and fears that he can't protect Ellie manifesting in his own nightmares that wake him in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Maybe he makes himself a cup of coffee in the middle of the night because he doesn't want to go back to sleep, and he looks at the few relics of his old life before losing Sarah: their photo together, the now-once-again broken watch, etc. He lets himself feel the emotions deeply for a moment but stops himself before he's full-on bawling, sipping somberly on his coffee. We can cut to a new scene of Joel and Ellie together, with Joel teaching Ellie how to swim. She's scared of drowning, but he's being the good father he is and holding onto her every step of the way until she's comfortable enough for him to pull back and let her float on her own. She doesn't even realize he's not holding her up anymore until a minute or so in, and she gets so excited that she's doing it that she stops and literally almost makes herself sink, but Joel's got her. They try again, and the scene ends. We can now cut to a new scene of Ellie getting one of her many guitar lessons and complaining about the pain in her fingers from plucking the strings, to which Joel explains that she's gotta build calluses on her fingertips in order to overcome that. She might ask what those are, so he scoots closer to her and shows his hands so she can see a visual example. The moment is calm and cozy, the two of them getting lost in banter. Tommy interrupts them and the two brothers have a serious chat while Ellie goes off to do whatever (maybe meet up with her friends or go to the stables, doesn't really matter). Tommy might ask about what they should do moving forward with Ellie in terms of her immunity, and that turns into Tommy questioning Joel about not telling her what really happened. Joel has another heart-to-heart like they did in the first season, in which he confesses that he couldn't lose her again after the conversation gets heated. He and Tommy realize this slip of the tongue and Joel corrects himself, saying he couldn't let her get hurt. Tommy decides not to push further, but says he'll have to tell her the truth eventually. He leaves Joel by himself, staring at his guitar, and that's the end of episode 4. So this episode will be a lot of new stuff, but we get a good beginning portion of previously known information.

Episode 5 brings us back to Abby's story. Now, we see her father having the conversation with Marlene about the experimental surgery, which Abby overhears a portion of while bringing him some food. She then states her opinion and that she'd want him to do the surgery if it was her.

This continues into the next scene like it does in the game, with Abby running through the hospital and discovering her dad's body, which then cuts back to Abby standing over Joel's body while Ellie begs her to stop. Before we see the final blow, it cuts to title sequence. When we return, Jesse is knocking on Ellie's door. That whole scene plays out, leading into Seth apologizing to Ellie, then Maria mentioning Joel and Ellie's relationship, the snowball fight with Dina and the kids, and Dina and Ellie heading off on patrol with them finding the weed, smoking, and then proceeding to have sex. Then we cut just like the game does back to Abby, who's now on the run from infected with Tommy and Joel before it goes back to Dina and Ellie. Ellie tells Dina the truth about her "chemical burn", Dina doesn't believe her, Jesse finds them and updates them on Joel and Tommy. Joel, Tommy, and Abby make it back to the others WLFs, they go inside and the two brothers introduce themselves, and the payback begins. We cut to Ellie looking for Joel in the storm, and eventually finding him in the cabin. She comes in ready to attack, but they pin her down. The episode ends with her screaming on the ground.

In episode 6, we finally see the scene play out, starting with Ellie on the ground yelling at Abby. After he's killed and Ellie's knocked out, Dina finds her, Tommy, and Joel. She gets help while Ellie looks at Joel's dead body crying. That's the end of the cold-open, bringing it to the title sequence. Afterwards, the conversation Ellie and Tommy have with Ellie being determined to get revenge begins, followed by Ellie at Joel's grave and then going to his house only to be confronted by Maria, who tells Ellie and Dina that Tommy has gone off on his own to get revenge and that they're free to go too. So they begin the journey in Seattle trying to find Abby.

This is a lot of gameplay portions so this will probably be the first major time we see quite a bit of action in killing infected, but it'll also serve as time to strengthen the audience's perception of Ellie and Dina's relationship by utilizing the small bits of dialogue and actions that happen in the midst of all of this, like Dina telling Ellie the first kill she made and Ellie playing a guitar she finds. Then of course we get to the part where the two figure out Tommy's tracks by finding killed WLF soldiers using a technique Ellie recognizes from Joel's retelling of it. Dina and Ellie head out on Shimmer again, only to trigger a tripwire that injures Shimmer and sends the two of them flying. Shimmer is killed and Ellie is captured, and that's the end of episode 6.

Episode 7 starts right where we left off, with Ellie waking up and seeing her captors, members of the WLF that were there that day. Jordan pulls the blade of his knife to her throat, asking how many are with her to which Ellie states that he "can't stop this". An intense staredown occurs before we cut to the opening title. Afterwards, we're brought right back to the situation, finding out that they didn't get Dina and Ellie is almost killed. Dina saves the day, Ellie kills Jordan, and the two get out of there. When they're safe, they go over the new lead of the TV station posting, deciding to try their luck. They make their way there, find the place wiped out with all the WLF soldiers dead, including their main lead. Ellie looks for a new lead, finding the pictures of all the members of the WLF that were at Joel's death. Ellie and Dina try to get out of there as reinforcements make their way, eventually escaping through some rubble where originally there are spores.

Now here comes the tricky part. The show has removed the spores concept from the world, so this portion and Ellie's immunity reveal to Dina has to be rewritten. That leaves us with not a lot of options. I think what might be best is Dina sort of attempting to use herself as a sacrifice against one of the infected to save Ellie, but instead Ellie jumps in front of her and maybe sustains another bite. This is going to be one of the hardest parts for them to rewrite because they've already kinda shot themselves in the foot here. For now, this is the only thing I can come up with that makes sense, so I think it's best that they escape to the safety of the theatre and then realize that Ellie's been bitten somewhere, maybe on the leg or something. Dina freaks out, and Ellie has to explain again that she's immune. Then Dina confesses the pregnancy with the episode ending on Ellie's shocked face.

Episode 8 picks up with Dina saying she's pregnant to Ellie again, and we see the rest of that conversation before Ellie leaves her to rest and look for supplies/clues. This is where we can cut back to the second portion of Ellie's birthday flashback, where we see the writings on the walls and see the Fireflies being called "liars". Now this flashback doesn't technically have to be on the same day since we're splitting it up, so it could be in another random spot and still have the same outcome. We return to present-day Ellie finding Dina throwing up into a trashcan. Dina has fixed the radio and they find their next lead, and in it find out where Tommy is. The episode and the season ends with Ellie leaving Dina behind in the theatre to rest while she goes after Tommy.

And that's what I think should generally happen for season 2! This leaves quite a bit left for season 3 so I think this is a great point to leave the story until then. There might be a necessity in the final episode to flesh it out with some additional scenes or something, but I've spent way too many hours on this already and my creative juices are running low, so that's all from me for now. Maybe if anyone's curious, I can do my ideas for how season 3 will go! That is if anyone actually read this long ass post lol

Let me know your opinions! I'd love to discuss further with anyone who wants to!

The Last of Us Season 2 Predictions

So if you are like me and patiently waiting for The Last of Us Season 2 updates you probably have thought a lot about how they are going to break up that huge story with frequent flashbacks and multiple protagonists. I thought I would make a post on how Season 2 could unfold. My predictions are below and BEWARE there will be spoilers from The Last of Us Part 2, and therefore seasons 2 and 3.

If you enjoyed this please interact, and I'll do my episode 2 predictions next.

Episode 1:

For the opening scene, I see it going as one of two ways. One way I could possibly imagine is they open with the final fight scene between Ellie and Abby. We are left questioning who is this other girl with this young boy(Lev), what the fuck has happened to Ellie, and why are these two fighting to the death?

The other possible way I see the first scene playing out is we open on Ellie begging Abby to “pleas stop,” but we don't know who or what she is begging for. Owen tells Abby to "finish it," and we then see Abby swing the golf club and everything goes dark. It leaves the viewer to question if Ellie begging for her own life or someone else's? And again, who is this girl with the big muscles?

*Cue theme music*

Next, they are going to have to make Abby appeal to the viewer as much as possible over the next few episodes before they reveal exactly who she is, who she hit with the golf club, and why. I think the Zebra flashback with her father is the best way to do this.

We then are introduced to present-day Abby the same way we are in the game. She's near Jackson, we don't exactly know why but we can infer it has something to do with Ellie. There is a buildup of sexual tension between Abby and Owen of course, and then Abby attempts her solo mission only to be met by a herd of infected. Abby flees and comes close to death only to be saved by the Miller brothers.

Once they escape the herd of infected Abby leads the brothers back to the cabin where she and the Salt Lake Crew have taken shelter. The episode ends with this famous line.

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter 13: Happy Endings...

Raining Hellfire: Season One | Season Two

Raining Hellfire: Season Two [Finale]

Word Count: 6710 words

Warnings: swearing, lots of fluff, mentions of adoption, slight mention of death, visions, I tried my best to make it a happy one okay

[A/N: This is the last chapter for Season Two and wow I didn't think this many of you would love my story. Thank you all for reading and keeping up with me. I know we've come so far from an Eddie x Reader story but I really wanted to give the reader more of a role in the episodes than just pining over eddie all the time. Anyways, please enjoy and read til the end for an announcement :)]

Happy Endings...

One month later…

December was easily your favourite time of year. Something about the buzz of Christmas and how the cold felt right just made you happy. It was almost peaceful.

After a long day of shopping for outfits and presents, you make your way home so you could start getting ready. You had volunteered for the Snow Ball at the middle school a while ago with Nancy, both promising over the summer that it would be fun just to sit and chat in nice clothing. It hurt a little to know that promise meant nothing now.

You would both be there, especially since you’re too polite to cancel on the school, yet you will probably end up in different corners of the room to just exchange small smiles once in a while. At least the kids would be there. Dustin was over-excited to find out you would be attending.

Letting the door swing open, you struggled with the bags as you tread fallen snow through the hallway. With a sigh, you drop the shopping and kick off your shoes. You may have gone overboard on Christmas presents this year. But, after the month you had, you figured everyone would need some kind of cheer.

You lazily flicked on the light to the living room, removing the scarf from your neck before you saw something shift in the corner of your eye. You glance over and find a figure sat in an armchair, just staring at you.

You screamed.

“Hey! Woah, calm down. It’s me!”

In the time it took them to stand up and walk closer into view, you had reached around the corner to grab your trusted bat, bringing it up in front of you.

“Talk about deja-vu.” He laughed and your eyes widened.

You didn’t lower the bat. Billy was in your house. Billy was in your house. How did he-

He holds both his hands up in surrender, a familiar set of keys dangling from his fingers as he slowly sets them on a table. You had completely forgotten about the Halloween party, how he had swiped your keys.

In all fairness, you had a lot to worry about that didn’t include shitty exes.

“I’m just here to talk.” He glances in your general direction and lowers his arms, shoulders slumped. He almost looked… scared.

“What do you want?” You practically spat the words at him.

The last time you saw him was the night he tried to attack Lucas, the night he actually attacked you and Steve. If Max hadn’t stopped him, he would have killed your best friend. You did return his car, but you didn’t stay long enough to even see him.

“To…” He takes a breath, finally bringing himself to look you in the eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Once he says it, it’s like a dam was burst in his mind, allowing his true thoughts to finally escape.

“I’m sorry for everything, Y/n. I… I don’t even have any excuses anymore. Everything went to shit. Everything and… I don’t know what happened to me.”

You lower the bat and prop it against the wall within reaching distance.

“You realise an apology won’t change anything, right?” You risk a step closer, “You hurt a lot of people, Billy. Innocent kids. Hell, if I weren’t there- if Steve wasn’t there, then you would have hurt Lucas-”

“But I-” He tries but he’s not the only one in need of closure.

“And Steve, oh my god, you almost killed him. I- I don’t even know why I’m talking to you right now.” You raise your arms in exasperation, moving to walk away and yell at him to leave.

“I know.” He follows you into the hallway, practically begging. It was more than unusual for him. “I know and I hate myself for it.”

That took you by surprise. You stop, turning back to look at the boy stood just outside of the living room.

“Then why?” You shake your head, trying to process the fact that Billy Hargrove was apologising to you. “What the hell happened to you?”

He stays silent, avoiding your eyes yet again.

Billy used to be the sweetest boy you knew, even with an abusive father. But you knew that was because of his mother. They had a bond that could never be broken. That was until she left.

“Billy…” You try, crossing your arms across your torso for comfort.

“You left.” He whispered, staring at the photo on the desk next to him; it was one of you as a child, sitting with your aunt when she had visited once. “I thought… I thought you just left. I thought it was my fault.”

You try to respond but nothing seems to leave your lips. He takes your silence as his cue to continue.

“I deserve it. All of it. I was an asshole. I treated you like shit and you never did anything wrong. It was never- But… Lillian died. You had fought her and that’s- that’s when I realised.” He looks up to you, eyes foggy, “I did that.”

“No, you-” As much as you hated Billy, you weren’t letting him take the fall for something you did. You weren’t that kind of person.

“You were always so kind, so patient and… I took my anger out on you. Because it was easy.” He stepped closer, shaking his head as all the pieces in his mind fell together, “And then you did the same to your best friend. Don’t you see, Y/n? It’s an endless fucking cycle of pain and misery all because my dad wasn’t given enough fucking attention.”

At this point, you had nothing to say. You just stared, speechless.

“When you left, before I could explain anything… it felt like any hope I had for redemption was ripped out of my body. You were the only person in California I gave a shit about. And I ruined it. Just like I’m ruining it now.”

“What are you talking about?” You ask before realising as soon as the words left your mouth, “Max.”

“I never had a sibling before.” He shrugs, shaking his head.

“You can’t treat her the way you treated me.” You blurt and he whips his head up to you, “She won’t be your personal punching bag.”

“I never wanted to-”

“I know. I know you never wanted to, but you did. You did hurt me, even when we were friends. And I let you. Because I met Neil and I saw how he manipulated you, poisoned your mind and for that, he will always be my enemy. But you can’t use that as an excuse-”

“That’s just how any kid in that position would react! There is no way around that!” He yells but you won’t be intimidated.

“No.” You say, determined fire in your eyes, “No. Shitty fathers are around much more than you think. Abusive ones… just look at Jonathan Byers. You may not see him the way I do, the way all of his friends do, but have you ever stopped to think that he was in the exact same position as you? You both broke from the pressure, had to deal with a father-figure that only wanted to tear you down. But the one difference? Jonathan used that pain to protect his friends, to become the person he wanted to be. Don’t ever tell me that there isn’t a choice in any of this!”

“What do you want from me, Y/n? To be like Byers?”

“I just… I just wanted you to talk to me, Billy! That’s all. Maybe if you did…”

“Nothing would have changed.” He says with so much certainty that you stepped back in surprise. “That party would have still happened. You would have still moved away. Nothing between us would have changed. We wouldn’t be together.”

“You don’t know that.” You sigh.

“You looked happy.” Billy smiles sadly, hands in pockets. “Getting here and seeing you with that freak-”

“Eddie.” You cross your arms. You’d be damned if you’d let anyone call him that around you. “His name is Eddie.”

“Yeah, Eddie. I, uh… I hated it.” He chuckled lowly, “I hated that you were happy when I was more miserable than ever. I blamed you for everything.”

“Why?”

“I thought you ran away. Left everyone without a care. Max tried to tell me the truth and I didn’t listen. Didn’t want to, I guess.” He leans against the wall, nodding. “I get it now.”

“Good.” You cross your arms, staring at the floor, “I never wanted to leave. Not at the time but now… I know that part of me was glad to leave it all behind.”

“You should be.” He muttered before looking at you, “That night… Lillian-”

You shake your head, cutting off his words. You didn’t need the reminder. “I don’t-”

“I won’t tell anyone.”

You look up with confusion.

“I’m not a narc.” Billy shrugs, “Whatever I saw that night… It’s not important anymore. Everyone was drunk and mad at eachother. Stuff like that just happens.”

“What did happen?” You furrow your brows. You knew what happened, at least with the before and after. But you still couldn’t remember the actual fight itself, how she even ended up in the pool…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smirks, thinking it’s a test, and he heads to the door, careful to keep his distance from you.

“Billy. Wait…” You follow him out the door and he stops before the last step off the porch. You had too many burning questions so you settled for one he could actually answer.

“What happened when I left California?”

The question hung in the air before Billy stepped off the porch and turned to you one last time, smiling thinly.

“I had no reason to care anymore.”

And with that, he continues walking away, leaving you on your porch to process what just happened.

Despite your last visit to the Hargrove-Mayfield home, you forced yourself to ring the doorbell, gritting your teeth once Neil greets you.

“Hello, Y/n. Lovely to see you again.” He smiles. Oh, how you wished you could rip that moustache off his face and feed it to him.

“I’m here to help Max get ready for the dance.” You force a sweet smile onto your face, sighing relief when he points you in the right direction and leaves you to it, clearly not interested.

You find Max in the bathroom, Susan stood above her as she twists her ginger locks into a bun. Max looks as if she is about to throw up any moment as she stares at her reflection.

“Oh, Y/n. Good, you’re here.” Susan comments as if you were just some required visitor. Max rolled her eyes.

“Hey, Y/n. Mom, you can go now.” She turned to face her, eyes wide and practically begging her to leave.

“Okay, okay. You girls have fun.” Susan smiles, walking past you.

Usually, you’d be more than happy for her to leave you alone. But curiosity got the better of you.

“Actually-” You stop her in her tracks and you glance back to Max. “I’ll be right back.”

Your sister gave you a confused nod and continued to fiddle with her hair in the mirror.

“Did you need something, sweetheart?” Susan asked, almost as if the last conversation between you never happened.

You knew you wouldn’t have her attention for very long, so you jumped straight into it.

“Am I adopted?”

The silence was the only answer you needed as your mother stared at you. It took a while before she found the words to speak.

“Yes.” She sighed, relaxing her shoulders.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” You question, fiddling with the bottom of your dress. It was the first dress you had worn since last year’s funeral and it felt nice. Only because you picked it out yourself.

“Because you are my daughter.” She rests her hands on your shoulders. “Blood doesn’t define family. It never did. Sam and I… we were struggling to have a baby. Our last option was adoption and once I saw your beautiful doe eyes staring up at me… I knew there and then that you would be my daughter.”

“Is Max…” You both speak quietly, aware that Max was in the other room.

“No.” Susan shakes her head, “She was our little miracle.”

You take a breath. You had been pondering that question for quite some time now. And now, to see her finally admit it, you felt relief. Like you could start figuring out who you truly were.

“Do you know-”

“If you’re asking about your birth family…” She shakes her head again, “We didn’t know anything about them. Just that they had dropped you off at the orphanage and then left just as quickly as they arrived.”

Great, you thought, more unanswered questions to keep me awake at night.

“I’m sorry for being such a terrible mother.”

That caught you off-guard. “What? No, you-”

“I know, Y/n.” She smiled sadly, “I wasn’t anything like you deserved. It was… it was a terrible time for me. But I’m trying.”

She looks over to Max. “I’m getting a second chance.”

You thought carefully about your next words. “You’re going to be amazing. You were never a bad mother. You were there for me. That’s all I needed.”

“You’ve always been my independent little girl.” She brushes your hair from your face. “You’ll always be my daughter, Y/n. I never wanted to send you here but I was afraid of what people would do to you.”

“I like it here.” You reassure, smiling the first genuine smile you ever gave her, “I have a family here. And… just so you know… you’re always going to be my mother. That won’t change. But… I like living with Uncle Jack. I feel like… we need eachother more than you and I do.”

“As long as you’re safe.”

She kisses your forehead before disappearing to the kitchen. She left you with more clarity than you were expecting.

You make your way back to Max, chuckling as you watch her furiously taking down the bun your mother had insisted on.

“Help me.” She deadpanned when she saw you stood there and you nodded, still smiling.

You swiftly plait part of her hair, bringing it back so the hair was out of her face. She frowned.

“What?” You ask as she points to the hair you currently clipped back. “Oh, I thought you’d want Lucas to see your face when you dance together.”

Her face twisted and you laughed again.

“Ew. No. No, that’s not-” Max keeps shaking her head, “No.”

“You sound so sure.” You smirk, resting your head on her shoulder and looked at her through the mirror. “It’s okay to like someone, Max. Even if it’s someone you’d never expect.”

“Like you and Steve?” She raises her brow and you laugh at the comment. Usually you’d react in disgust. You didn’t know why that wasn’t the case this time.

“He’s my best friend.” You shrug.

“Right.” Max nods, pursing her lips. “Now look who’s in denial.”

“Okay, Madmax. Do you want any makeup?” You change the subject, pointing to the makeup bag at the sink.

“Uh…” She looks up at you, expecting a mocking look. But, instead, you smile, patiently waiting her answer. “Maybe? Won’t that be too… girly?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” You say, reaching for the bag to pull out the mascara. “You can still skate when wearing makeup. I don’t think you have to define yourself to one thing. Like you can be both girly and a tomboy. I guess it just depends on how you feel at the end of the day.”

She hums in response, opening her eyes and you lightly brush some mascara on her.

“Okay, look.” You turn her to the mirror and she flutters her eyes.

“Cool.” She shrugs, a soft smile on her lips. “I’m glad you’re back. I know I keep saying that but… I kept your promise.”

You instantly smile, remembering the last words you spoke to eachother before you left. “Really?”

“I never gave up.” She looks at you with her blue eyes, holding your hand.

You grip her hand tighter. “I gave them hell.”

Footsteps approach and you see Susan walking with Billy before parting ways. Billy stops just outside of the bathroom, looking in. Max simply glares at him before turning back to the mirror. His eyes shift to you and you offer a soft smile. He faintly nods before walking away.

“It must be hard for him this time of year.” Susan comments, shaking her head as she moves aside for Max to grab her coat and head to the door.

“What do you mean?” You ask, grabbing your bag.

She looks to you in confusion, assuming you already knew. You shrug and start to walk away before she finally replies.

“His mother died last December.”

Your uncle had let you borrow his car for the evening. You had both had dinner together as a family the previous night and for once, it felt normal. Usually you’d be too stressed to pay attention and your uncle would still be recovering from a hangover with a beer in his hand. But lately, you’ve both had a breath of fresh air.

You were doing better, taking each day as it came as you reconnected with your sister and rekindled the friendship between you and Steve. Your uncle was 4 days sober, doing his absolute best to be a good parental figure for you and to finally get his life back on track. You both struggled in your own ways but it was worth it.

“Do I look stupid?” Max asked, fiddling with her clothes. “Should I be wearing a dress or-”

“You look amazing. Don't even try to deny it.” You turn off the engine and move to face her. “Ready to go in?”

She glances toward the entrance, frowning. “Yeah. I think I am.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

You both step out of the car and you lock it before snapping the keys shut into your purse and pushing the hair out of your face. Since Billy visited, you hadn’t had time to take care of your hair so it fell loose around your face. You didn’t mind.

“Is that…” Max peered over to the entrance and you followed her gaze. Outside the entrance, a car had pulled up. One you were pretty familiar with.

Dustin stepped out and made his way into the school. Max starts walking and you tap her shoulder, still looking to the car.

“Hey, I’ll see you in there?” You ask and she nods, sending a knowing look.

You make your way over to the vehicle, walking around to the passenger side since you didn’t bring a coat and the cold air was attacking your skin.

As you open the door and slide in, you hear a little yelp from the driver’s seat, making you laugh.

“That’s so not funny.” Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair and glancing back to where he had been looking before you scared him. You notice why he’s staring, smiling softly.

“She looks pretty tonight.” You comment, noticing Nancy stood just in view of the doorway. She really did look pretty.

“Yeah, she does.” He nods, turning back to you.

For a moment, he just stops. Stops moving, stops breathing. You furrow your brows, whipping your head to look behind you. But he was looking at you.

“You good there, Steve?” You laugh, as confused as ever.

“I.. uh…” He stammers before clearing his throat. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m… yeah.”

You shake your head in bemusement before catching a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You had completely forgotten about the outfit, the makeup. You looked… nice?

It was definitely something different that you tried. But the emerald dress was calling your name earlier that morning and you couldn’t resist dressing up. After all, you didn’t get a Winter Formal dance.

“I didn’t, uh, realise you were…” Steve waves his hand toward the school, struggling to keep his eyes off your outfit. He most definitely wasn’t used to this.

“Volunteering?” You offer with a soft laugh. “Yeah, me and Nancy signed up a while ago. I was meant to go with her but… you know.”

“Maybe it won’t be that bad.” He suggests but the look on your face disagrees. “Okay, so maybe it will be completely awkward but, I don’t know, isn’t there someone else you can hang out with in there?”

“No.” You sigh, slumping into the car seat, “It’s Saturday night so I’m all by myself because everyone’s busy and-”

You practically squeal as an idea pops into your mind. Steve jumps a little at your sudden outburst, eyes wide.

“Are you having a stroke? Do you smell burning toast?” He questions, leaning away from you in confused fear.

“What? No.” You say as you lean towards him. You’re too invested in your own idea to notice the way his breath hitches. “You. You don’t have any Saturday night plans.”

“Excuse me, how would you know that?” He objects your accusations, shaking his head.

You relax your face, looking to him expressionless, “You literally just dropped off a child to a middle school dance.”

“Okay, okay.” He surrenders, palms raised. “And please don’t say it like that, it sounds creepy.”

“I’m not the one driving around with a 13 year old-”

Steve’s hand suddenly clamps around your mouth and you giggle, causing him to laugh along with you and retreat his hand.

“Get to the point, tinkerbell.” He finally says, resting his arm on the wheel.

“Tinkerbell?” You question and he shrugs. You weirdly like the nickname. “Anyway, I was thinking that since I’ll be all alone in that dance and you have literally zero plans-”

“No. Absolutely not.”

“What, why not?” You pout and his face twists as he tries to resist.

“No, Y/n. Don’t do this to me. Not that face. I’m not going to chaperone a stupid little school dance just so that you won’t be lonely. It’s your own fault, don’t drag me with you.”

He tries, huffing when you continue pouting and shaking his head profusely, “No. That’s my final answer!”

And just a few minutes later, you walk into the dance, taking in the gym’s decorations that hung neatly from the walls.

“This is nice.” You smile.

“I hate you.” Steve crosses his arms, scouting the sea of middle schooler’s before finding the buffet station you were meant to oversee. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Nah, you love this really.” You smirk, setting your purse onto the chair as he leant against the wall.

“I’m not even dressed for the occasion.” He mocks, pulling at his red jumper.

“You look handsome, I don’t think anyone will notice.” You say without any thought, sorting out the paper plates into even piles.

When Steve didn’t reply, you turned around just in time to watch him shift his eyes away from you, pretending to be invested in the hanging snowflakes.

“It really is nice in here.” You shuffle over to him, leaning against the wall so that your shoulders brushed eachother. “I was kind of expecting just a banner and some bunting.”

“Seriously? The schools always go all out for this kind of stuff.” Steve looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

“I guess California does it differently.” You sigh, looking out to see your sister talking to the Party. They all look very smart, dressed up in their suits.

“You didn’t get a formal?” He questions and you hum, focused elsewhere.

“I didn’t get the chance.” You say as your eyes drift over to where Nancy stood.

She was chatting away with Jonathan, the smile on her face brighter than you’d ever seen. You were happy for her. It’s hard to find someone that was truly made for you. Seeing them together was nice until the pang of guilt beat against your chest.

You look to Steve with a grim face but were surprised to see him smiling in their direction.

“I didn’t expect you to be this okay about it.” You confess softly and he chuckles.

“Nancy and I ended ages ago. We just didn’t know it.”

“I’m sorry.” You say and he furrows his brows, “If I had any part in tearing you and Nancy apart, I never meant to-”

“Woah, woah, no. You didn’t do anything.” He shakes his head, pushing off from the wall to stand in front of you. You never expected him to be tall for some reason. “Actually, the only thing you did was give us some clarity. Hell, if you weren’t there, I would never have actually realised what an asshole I was.”

“You were a bit of an asshole.” You laugh when he pretends to be offended.

“Wait.” He looks back to the couple across the room, pointing an accusing finger at you, “Jonathan’s here.”

“Yes, I do believe the guy holding the camera is Jonathan Byers.” You shake your head at him.

“So why did you tell me you wouldn’t have anyone else here to talk to?”

“I wanted to see if I could actually convince you to chaperone a middle school dance.” You smirk, nudging his shoulder. “Turns out the pout still works.”

“Cruel. You are cruel.” He says, unable to hide the smile in his face. “And that pout never worked on me.”

“Liar.” You accuse with a breathy laugh. He starts to object but you cut him off. “I seem to remember it working every single time, actually.”

“Oh, really? Name one time.” He waved his hand, waiting. You stand and ponder for a minute. “See? I told you, it’s never-”

“You snuck into the cinema with me when I didn’t want to go alone, you ended up joining an art class you hated to keep me company, you drove me wherever I wanted and I even convinced you to wear matching jumpers that one time.” You take a breath, looking at him, “Shall I go on?”

“So it worked a couple of times.” He winced and you smile. “They were pretty fun times.”

“God, you make it sound like we’re so old.” You shudder, leaning against the table.

“We are so old, though.” He sighed, rubbing his face, “We graduate soon, that’s scary.”

“Oh god, don’t remind me.” You grimace, “Doubt I’ll even graduate.”

“Like hell you won’t.” He snorts before noticing the stress on your face, “Hey, you’re going to graduate.”

“I’ve missed so many classes, I- I’ve spent the majority of my time fighting off monsters that shouldn’t even exist and when I don’t, I just distract myself because none of that shit ever leaves me-”

You stop your rant, fully aware that if you went on, you’d be admitting to your visions. Steve already went through a lot this year, you weren’t about to shove all of your problems onto him.

“I get it.” Steve smiles sadly and you look back up to him. He had walked over to the table, scanning the food.

“You do?”

“Yeah. I mean, I can’t imagine all the shit you went through last year. I wasn’t there until the very end but…” He takes a breath, forcing his eyes to meet yours, “When I finally found out what happened to Barb. I just- I can’t imagine being home anymore. I mean, I hated it there before but now it’s just… someone died in my backyard.”

Your breath hitches and you instinctively grab his hand, squeezing it.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Maybe…” You purse your lips, trying to think of any solution, “Maybe you can stay over tonight? Jack’s working until the morning again and I don’t particularly want to be alone. Especially after today.”

You laugh faintly at the last part but Steve frowns.

“What happened today?”

You whip your head up. Fuck. “Uh, nothing. I just… I’m just not feeling like staying in my house all by myself.”

Steve squeezes your hand and you realise you had forgotten you were holding his.

“Anyway… we could have a movie night? Just like old times.” You suggest and his eyes light up.

“I would love that.”

You smile before something catches your eye. The song choices had slowed down which meant slow dancing was covering the gym floor. You notice Max and Lucas together and you smile a little. Your eyes drift to El and Mike and then to Will with a girl you didn’t know. You searched for Dustin and his mystery date when you see him sat on the bleachers, head down.

“Oh no.” You mutter and Steve looks in that direction, breath hitching. “Should I-”

Before you could say anything, Nancy crosses the room, offering a hand to Dustin. You couldn’t stop the grin spreading across your face.

“Never mind.” You smile proudly as you watch Nancy pull Dustin to the dance floor. Even with all the hate and the tears, you could never be truly upset with Nancy Wheeler.

Steve clears his throat and you turn, not expecting his hand to be held out to you with a soft smile.

“Care to dance?”

You couldn’t stop the giddy smile on your face as you took his hand. “Would be my pleasure.”

‘Every Breath You Take’ echoed, bouncing of the walls as you swayed to the music with none other than Steve Harrington. The boy you first met when you caught his basketball after throwing a terrible shot, quickly sparking a friendship. The friend who always made you laugh, causing small little butterflies in your stomach whenever his skin brushed against yours. The jock who dumped you for Tommy and Carol when they had claimed you were ‘toxic material’, leaving you with nothing but tears. The guy who saved your life, making you question your hatred. The best friend who did everything in his power to make up lost years.

You were dancing with Steve Harrington and you were happy.

Your arms rested comfortably around his neck as his hands lay gently around your waist, allowing you to move with eachother as the song played. You smiled into his shoulder just as you turned to face the exit doors, something through the glass catching your eye. A flash of dark leather jacket and wild hair. Your breath hitched.

You pulled away from Steve just as the song came to a close and he smiled down to you.

“Do you want something to drink?” He asks you while you still glance at the door.

“Huh?” You shift your gaze to his, ignoring the flutter in your stomach. “Oh, yeah. Please. I, uh… I need to get some air but I’ll meet you back at the table?”

“Sure.” He walks away without much argument and you sigh, heading over to the other side of the gym.

Pushing open the door, you step out into the cold air, breeze hitting your bare skin. It would have caused a reaction if you weren’t still so flushed from the dance.

Eyeing the reason you wanted to come outside, you step down, tilting your head and willing the word to leave your mouth.

“Eddie?”

He quickly spun around despite how quiet your voice was. The music from the gym was blaring behind you as you took another step.

“H-hey.” He smiles, glancing down at your outfit before meeting your eyes again.

“Hi.” You breathe, your chest tightening as you realise how much you missed seeing the dimples in his face. “What, uh… what are you doing here?”

Eddie watched as you gestured to the building before letting out a cough, bringing himself back to focus. “Right. Yeah, I remembered that you were volunteering so…”

“So?” You wonder out loud, fiddling with your dress.

Wordlessly, he shifts himself to face you fully, bringing his left arm forward to reveal your Walkman. There’s a pang in your chest at the sight of your tape player.

“You left it at mine.” He clears his throat again, extending his arm to bring the object closer to you, “I figured stealing it wouldn’t be very chivalrous of me.”

“Yeah, I heard it’s frowned upon.” You laugh softly, walking closer and gently taking it from his hand, “Thank you. You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”

“I- I wanted to. It’s no big deal.” He shrugged as if he truly meant it. He stared at you a little longer and you wonder why. Was he waiting for something?

“Oh.” You suddenly speak, remembering. He furrows his brows at you. “I… I don’t have your necklace with me right now.”

You notice how his face falls slightly and you worry that you’ve somehow ruined his entire night by not returning the guitar pick.

“No, no, you don’t have to-” He tries but you’re way too deep in panic and guilt to stop talking at 100 miles per hour.

“No, I have it at home. Maybe I can just drive back and-”

“Y/n.”

“It’s not very far anyway, my uncle gave me a car so it won’t take very long-”

“Y/n!” Eddie placed both hands on your shoulders and you snapped your mouth shut. You didn’t even noticed he had closed the distance between you. He let out a breathy chuckle, shaking his head. “It’s okay. It was a gift, it’s… it’s yours.”

“Are you sure?” Your voice was barely a whisper now, still reeling from the fact that you were staring into his chocolate brown eyes for the first time since you broke up.

“I have the ring you gave me.” He brought his hand down to show the familiar ring on his right hand but you quickly shook your head.

“If there is a single thought in your mind that I don’t want you to have that, then you’re mad.” You declare and he laughed in surprise, stepping away.

“Good. I was kind of getting used to it.” He smirked before his head tilted towards the doors you had pushed through earlier. His eye seemed to have caught something.

You glance back to see Steve talking with Dustin while holding two drinks in his hand. You smiled slightly at the sight. Steve tried his best to look interested but you could tell you needed to save him from one of Dustin’s rants.

“You seem happier.”

Eddie’s words brought you back to him. He lowered his head and you tried your best to smile.

“I suppose so.” You shrug, wrapping your arms around your torso for warmth since the cold was finally hitting you. “I guess I am. I finally got to reconnect with my best friend.”

He chuckles softly at your confession, looking back up to you as he scuffed his trainer against the concrete.

“I should probably let you get back inside. Hero-duties and all.” He smirked and your face lit up when he referenced one of your inside jokes.

“Thank you again.” You say, waving your hand currently holding the Walkman and trying to urge yourself to say what you really wanted. “I’ve missed… my Walkman.”

You mentally slap yourself.

“You’re welcome.” He nods shyly, turning around and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

You assume he’s finished the conversation and you regrettably walk back up the steps, reaching out for the door handle. It was going to be hard but you knew you had to move on.

“Hey, Y/n.” Eddie calls out and you whip your head back to him, mentally capturing a picture of the infamous grin laying on his lips. “Merry Christmas.”

“You too, Eds.” You smile, pulling open the door and finally stepping away from the past.

“Okay.” You sigh, looking at the current display of the living room.

You and Steve had started on turning the living room into a movie room like you used to, setting up the spare mattress on the floor and positioning it against the couch so you had something to rest your backs on.

When it came to pillows and blankets, you had had just chaotically thrown them everywhere. You had both lost energy after the dance so the fact that you had set all of this up was a major achievement.

You place your hands on your hips, grateful to have changed into something comfier. “So now you just put the popcorn between us while I grab the drinks.”

“You may have to grab the popcorn.” Steve mumbles and you turn to see him holding an empty bowl, pieces of popcorn still shoved in his mouth.

“I-” You take a breath, walking over and grabbing the bowl from his hands, “I have no words.”

He laughs as you walk away to the kitchen, currently moving to put Monty Python into the TV while you sort out the snack situation.

You fill up the bowl, sliding the drinks over and moving to head out of the kitchen before you notice the empty pizza boxes laying by the back door from earlier.

Dumping the snacks back onto the counter, you grab the boxes and slip out of the back door.

As you walk towards the trash cans, a taunting shiver strikes your spine, goosebumps prickling your skin. Turning to the sky, you freeze in your place. A flash of red light revealed a shadow.

It went as quickly as it appeared yet you couldn’t take your eyes off the clouds.

“You should really rethink leaving this popcorn out in plain sight.” Steve chuckles as leans against the door, the bowl in his hands. He straightens as soon as you don’t respond. “You okay?”

He looks to the sky just as you are, frowning. “Did you see something?”

You finally tear your eyes away. “Um…”

“Y/n?”

Once the both of you made your way back inside, Steve insisted you tell him everything. Not because he wanted to know, but because he wanted to help you.

It didn’t take much for you to spill everything, to describe your nightmares, how you swore you could hear the demo-dogs. You finally told him about the black dust, how none of it made any sense.

“But if you knew about the black dust, why didn’t you say something?” Steve’s worried eyes stared into yours, the noise from the comedy on the tv long forgotten now, “You could have died when we-”

“I couldn’t risk it.” You whisper and turns his head. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same.”

“That’s different.” He sighs, shaking his head.

“How? How is that any different-”

“Because it’s you!” Steve cries, holding your arms, “You don’t deserve any of this, Y/n. You- you’ve never done anything wrong.”

You stay quiet, a tear finally dropping from your eye. You had decided a long time ago that you would never tell anyone about Lillian. They all thought too highly of you.

“Just-” He sighs again, running a hand through his hair. “Just let me know when one of these… visions or something show up again.”

When you don’t respond, he leans forward until your foreheads touch and the action makes you laugh.

“Swear it.” He says in a robotic voice, making you laugh harder.

“Okay, okay. I swear.” You giggle and he pulls you into a hug.

“Good.” His voice muffled into your hair before he finally lets go. “Now, I’m gonna make more popcorn.”

He stands up and you let out a gasp.

“How did you even finish it?” You were dumbstruck. You could have sworn he hadn’t laid a finger on the bowl since you came back inside.

“I work in mysterious ways.” Steve taunts as he disappears into the kitchen.

You shake your head in amusement, reaching to grab the controller. Your arm stiffens.

You’ve had a lot of cold shivers but this one was definitely the worst. As you struggled to move, a breath leaves your lips and fogs the air. You start to feel light-headed as you shook and you instantly fear what you might find when you turn your head.

When your eyes find your reflection in the TV, you go cold.

Your eyes are black.

“It’s not over yet, Y/n”

[Raining Hellfire will return for Season Three]

Season Three ->

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711/ @eddiesbirdie/ @livasaurasrex/ @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee / @chervbs/ @eternallyvenus