#villain steve era???

[munsster]

I just rewatched 10 Things I Hate About You and can’t stop thinking about Billy x a reader who is similar to Kat (Idk if you’ve watched it, if not then just ignore this) but could you do any headcanons or anything for this?

10 things i hate about billy hargrove

A/N: i fuckin love this movie and i love miss kat stratford and her hot grungy bf

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader, 10 Things I Hate About You AU

Warnings: 10 things i hate about you AU, fluff, enemies to lovers, pet names (doll), fem!reader

the story the headcanons

dustin, lucas, and steve are 100% the ones trying to set billy up with you

at first it was dustin and lucas trying to befriend max

then realizing they’d have to distract her scary ass brother

“i heard he smokes 10 packs a day” + “didn’t he just get out of jail???” + “no way, all he did was break some guy’s leg” “dude, he’s gonna murder us” + “i heard he has a chainsaw collection. and it’s stored right next to his hunting knife collection” + “dude… he’s gonna murder us”

THEN realizing steve is acquainted with him

and, finally, realizing steve has other connections

like you, for instance

clever, stubborn, and most of all: distracting

turns out, you and billy already know each other!!!!!

also, turns out, you and billy already hate each other

like fr loathing, foaming at the mouth, seething sexually charged hatred

so when dustin bribes steve into bribing billy into dating you, it doesn’t go so well

(“you think i’m fuckin’ stupid, golden boy? there’s no chance in hell—” “actually, i think you’re a loser and… i have a debt to repay” “so you think $30 is gonna convince me to take some shrew on a date?” “fine, i’ll give you $50” “$100” “$75. and if it goes well *sigh* i’ll give u the $25” “one date?” “yup” “deal”)

so now he’s got 75 bucks in his pocket and a cigarette between his lips and his sights set on you

you’re right outside the music room perched on an amp with a stratocaster in your lap

and you KNOW this asshole stalks up to you and flicks your amp off WHILE YOU’RE PLAYING 🤬

oh and he lays it on thick, he is working for that extra $25

“hey, don’t i know you?” + “shit, you sit in front of me in history” + “sooooo… how ‘bout that mrs. click, huh—ow, jesus” + “play nice” + “so… you know any whitesnake?” + “c’mon, doll, how ‘bout you let me take you to a party friday night—lemme guess, not your scene, right?” + “what..? you want a drag?”

he is definitely being too nice to you

so you tell him to scram and he gets all defensive and oooooH he is fuming

dustin and lucas are watching from behind a tree or bush or something and they just *facepalm*

and max like BEGS steve to pay him more and steve is all like mumblegrumblebrbrbrb i already paid him

but steve gets PISSED at billy like “give me my money back if you’re not even gonna try”

and billy scoffs like “hey man, i’m tryna work a miracle. shit takes time”

then he finds your car in the lot after school, leaned against the driver’s side like

(“nice car. y’know, you can bum a ride with me anytime.” “as… radical as that sounds, i prefer riding in cars that don’t smell like smoke” “hey. the camaro’s a smoke-free zone, doll face. keepin’ it clean just for you” “bite me” “don’t have to tell me twice”)

at this point the three stooges—dustin, lucas, steve—and max decide to do a little digging

and actually????? you and billy are scarily alike

same music taste, hang out at the same places, hate the same people

it’s a wonder nobody thought of this sooner

so steve keeps giving billy advice like “she goes to that one really weird place with the loud music on thursdays so go and… try to look nice, alright?”

“are you sayin’ i don’t look nice, harrington?”

“NO. 😐” steve likes to rethink all of his life choices sometimes

anyways, billy goes, of course, and he spots you immediately

and you look hot

you’re dancing up by the stage, and even the bassist is making eyes at you

if he didn’t think you were a bitch, he probably would’ve bought you a drink by now

he’s also wearing a shit ton of cologne because he got nervous he prioritizes smelling good 🥰

and he looks down at the little piece of paper steve gave him and labeled ‘USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY’, so he opens it and it says “say ‘can i have your number because i lost mine’ and then make a cool face, the ladies love that one”

jesus christ, harrington, how did you ever get laid

then you’re blowing past him in your miniskirt and boots headed for the bar, so he follows you and leans up next to you

(“you come here often?” “do you?” “you kidding? this is my favorite spot” “yeah, right. now, if you’d excuse me, should be getting back to my—” “aw, come on, doll, let me hang around. i’m good asshole repellent” “is that because like repels like?” “har har”)

despite your resistance, he’s right

this place is a breeding ground for weirdos, and you were actually kind of glad that billy stuck around

that and he didn’t dance with anyone else the whole night, even if he wasn’t exactly dancing with you either

he stayed close, but he knew he’d get chewed out if he touched you

it was nice to have—

a friend??? you’re not sure that’s what this is, but having someone is better than having to look out for yourself all of the time

and at the end of the night, he walked you to your car after realizing you were drinking water the whole night

“yunno, my offer for tomorrow night still stands.”

ah yes the party

and you get in your car like “good to know😶”

he’s about to walk away when you roll down the window and say “pick me up at 8”

ohhhh you better believe he’s smirking to himself the whole way home

billy calls max at lucas’s, telling her to ‘keep herself busy tmrw’ because he’d be gone

max hangs up and bolts to the living room to tell the three stooges (who have been joined by mike and robin):

“BILLY’S TAKING HER TO THE PARTY TOMORROW—YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?????” “moviE NIGHT AT STEVE’S HOUSE!!!!” “NO!” “YAYYYY”

anyways, this date-not-date has him all palms sweaty, knees weak, arms heavy

Nervous with a capital n

he pulls up, walks to the door (a first, he’s the honking type), knocks, and is pretty much floored when you open the door and slam it behind yourself

“oh hi.”

and you half smile like “oh hi”

and he is alarmingly close to you, but you are determined to keep your arms/body about half an inch from his chest while he just

blink blink

stares down at you

“are you… feeling okay?”

he SNAPS out of it

“feeling fine. let’s go” but he definitely had that glazed over, pale but also sweaty and feverish, lifeless flu-gaze just then

true to his word, his car actually smells…. kinda sweet

vanilla somethin-or-other. some kind of baked good. you can’t really place it all too well. pancakes?

DOESN’T MATTER 😟 were u really just thinking about how good his car smells???

embarrassing 😳 for u

all the while he is just about ready to implode while tripping along behind you into the loud ass party

you’re gorgeous

and lost immediately

you roll your eyes when a pretty cheerleader runs her fingers through the curly ends of his hair and coos his name sweetly

you’re out of sight when she plants a kiss on his cheek, and he unceremoniously shoves her away

he gets that treatment all night

people are suddenly obsessed with him?????? god 🙄

by the time he actually finds you again, it’s two hours later, and you’re watching cartoons in the living room in some guy’s lap leaning against him like—like ?? i dont know but GOD billy could die right there

you’re just giggling to yourself, suddenly tame and half-lidded and pressing yourself against some stranger in a dark room with a red solo cup in your hand

“alright, doll, time to wrap it up, it’s gettin’ late” “no it’s not. why do you care?” “cmon, i’m playing chaperone, let’s go” “nuh-uh—”

and then sideburns over here goes “think the lady can speak for herself, buster” and that’s pretty much billy’s last straw

it’s no secret he has a talent for physical altercations with assholes, so he manages you off the guy’s lap before yanking him up by the collar and laying him out on the floor

just wailing on him really, and you’re slurring out some curses to yourself, trying so hard not to watch but billy is undoubtedly stunning

even while yk beating some sicko up

“alright, let it go!” tommy shouts from the back of the crowd that inevitably formed when someone yelled fight “billy, come on”

and he uses his sleeve to wipe at his bloody nose before tilting his head back, grabbing your hand, and jetting out the back door

“the hell wh—just happened?????” …. you are three sheets to the wind i am afraid

“leave it. i—he was… dunno, you’re gonna be mad no matter what i do so”

and you stop on the sidewalk by his car, tugging his hand and impulsively—drunkenly, gently, coyly, with your lip between your teeth—reach for one of his loosely wound curls

“that guy was pretty weird anyway” your eyes go wide, and he chuckles

“let’s get you home”

“it’s like ten??????????”

“so you’ll be asleep by, what? eleven?”

“better race home then.”

you slump into the passenger’s seat with a—for lack of a better word—sauced smile

not all there, googly eyes, half drooling, it’s a sight

and when he glances at you, you’re staring back at him and it makes him nervous

he finally gets you tucked into bed, sitting next to you with a sigh

“you always get shitfaced at parties?”

“you always abandon your date at parties?”

“touché.”

and he just messes with your blankets, making sure you dont throw up on yourself while you’re still awake

“you’re bleeding. riiiiiiiight”—you poke his temple and he hisses—“there!”

“got it, dollface. thanks.”

“noo problemo, billy-o. heheh.”

he snickers and shakes his head, finally standing from the bed and flicking the lights off

“gonna be alright, sweetheart?” you nod “alright. i’m gonna trust you on this one”

and JUST as he turns to leave—

“billy?” 🥺

its sososo soft and he whips around like “YES!!”

and you pucker your lips

and GOD

as bad as he wants to, you’re too plastered for a goodnight kiss

and this night doesn’t exactly warrant one either

admittedly he had been a shithead

maybe next time

he pecks your cheek quickly before heading home

oh and now you’ve got a Grudge

you do not speak to him. you do not look at him. but try as you might, billy hargrove is really hard not to think about

not with the longing glances you catch him giving you or the way he tends to linger around wherever you are or the way he calls your name as you storm out of the gym

and then he FINALLY starts leaving you alone

no glances or shouting or longing

but homeroom, friday morning, one week after the incident (if you can really call it that)

*tap tap* “is this thing on”

over the loud speaker???? that’s definitely billy’s voice, and you have to laugh at the shrill screaming of the woman who takes care of attendance in the background

“good morning, hawkins high, this one goes out to someone i should have apologized to a week ago. hey,”—he doesn’t say your name, but your entire class swivels their heads to look at you—“if you’re listening, i’m sorry, about last week and i’d like to take you to prom if you’ll have me. and if this announcement isn’t convincing enough then…..”

everyone seems to hold their breath in anticipation of his next words

oh but what comes next is so much better than that

“without you…… there’s no change—”

he’s singing. he’s singing over the loud speaker to the entire school.

and your homeroom riots.

there’s howling and cackling and someone shouts “billy’s down bad!”

you cover your face but you cant hide that smile from a mile away

“my nights and days are gray”

he couldn’t have picked a more embarrassing song, and you’re relieved when the principal bursts in to the office

theres muffled shouting while billy tries to croak out the next line and then a manic “sorry, hawkins high, this is your principal. we formally apologize for the—”

“there’s no place for lovers in this world thanks to hard asses like you” billy grumbles from the background

then there’s a fumbling and an expletive and a short and high-pitched tone to signal the end of the announcement

you find billy at lunch, and his buddies hoot and holler when you grab his wrist and tug him away

“what the hell did you do that for”

“you”

“yeah i got that”

“well?”

“well what?”

and he gives you this look like he’s lying in wait for an answer

and you soften and let go of his wrist: “that was stupid”

“but you liked it” he shrugs

“yeah”

“so…… is that a yes?”

“yeah—just…. yeah, alright? but don’t do that again”

“i wont”

“promise?”

“i promise”

“thank you”

and his nose scrunches because before you can walk away, he catches you by the hand and taps his jaw and turns his head and you roll your eyes

“whatever”

but you kiss his cheek anyways

and then like ten minutes later, steve find him and slides him a fifty like “dude, that was solid, i cant believe you pulled it off”

but billy shakes his head and crumples the bill back into steves hand like

“nah, don’t need it”

and steve’s eyes r so wide like…… ogey…. what just happened

and then cut to saturday—prom—and billy is like FREAKING out, he did his hair all nice and spent the money steve’s been giving him on renting a tux and buying a corsage and boutonnière for the two of you

“ay, mallrat, here”—and he hands max a $20–“get lost for a couple hours, alright?”

“why?”

“‘m fucking busy—”

“with what? or… who?”

“get out”

dude max is doing a VICTORY DANCE on her way to lucas’ house because holy shit???? it worked??? and billy’s actually paying her for her freedom???? this is the life🤩

and billy knocks on your door, knowing he’s early as hell and over eager

what’s gotten into him. he doesn’t just do things like this. he doesn’t show up early or feel all tingly and actually pleasant. ever. for anything or anyone.

and god do you look beautiful. like youre glowing.

he opens the door for you and holds his breath when you pin his boutonnière on and holds your hand on the drive to the venue

“may i have this dance” he is putting the moves on

“you do know i’m your date, right?”

“doesn’t hurt to ask”

so you two dance together and then….

the slow dance 🥺

he holds you to his chest and PRAYS you don’t feel his heart beating wildly

it’s just. you look at him like he’s more than his reputation and more than the things he pretends to be, and he’s never received something as tender as that before.

and about an hour into the night, steve grooves over with a devious look on his face, butting in while you two dance together

“so this is what you spent all that money on? man, i would’ve given you more if i’d’ve known”

and billy’s eyes go wide because you’re SCOWLING at him like

“what money?”

“nothing, he’s—he doesn’t know what he’s talking about”

“billy? what money?”

and steve just backs away… 😟

“did he….. did he pay you to take me out?”

“no, that’s not—it’s not what it sounds like”

“yeah right. hope he paid you a shit ton, cause im a handful, right? god, i can’t believe this—i really hope he made this whole deal worth it to you.”

oh man……..

weeks go by

you brush him off and avoid him and sometimes don’t even show up to the classes you have together

but if only you knew

he feels so guilty and on edge and like he could punch steve in the face for being such a dickhead

then comes the final project in your shared english class

“can i present first?”

it’s you.

billy almost perks up until you look him in the eye and you do not look happy

“i hate the way you talk to me…”

(i’m not gonna rewrite miss stratfords iconic poem, but i will rewrite the first + last line for dramatic effect)

“but mostly, i hate the way i don’t hate you. not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all”

and you sit back in your seat, leaving billy feeling more dejected than before

he can’t help but look to his own little sister for help

“what are you, a sap?

“shut up, i need help”

“what’s in it for me?”

“i won’t say shit when you go over to your boyfriends house” he groans

“deal”

and he explains the whole thing and his shit luck and how he needs to get you back

“well how about special interests? maybe make up with concert tickets or a puppy or something—"

“got it. thank’s max” and he ruffles her hair and she whines about it but she’ll be fine

next day, you’re literally just walking to your car when you see a guitar leaned up against the door

and you 🫢

“surprise”

he comes up behind you, glancing over your shoulder when you grab for the teal mockingbird in utter silence

“how did you—wha—why did you—billy….”

“it’s alright, you can say thank you”

“you suck”

“i know”

and you look between him and the guitar with a grin “i love it”

“i know” and he sighs and pushes a hand thru his hair

“i never did it for the money. maybe at the beginning, but steve’s an idiot. i would’ve done it for free. you weren’t some thing to just conquer, and i shouldn’t have treated it like a game. i’m sorry, doll. and i’ll get it if you never forgive me. you can still keep the guitar”

he puts his hands in his pockets and looks away

but you just jab at his chest and grin like

“you can’t just do that, you know? and a guitar won’t make up for everything”

“yeah, i know, i know” he pulls something out of his pocket, mirroring your smile when he puts the small box into your hand

“that’s exactly why i came prepared with this”

“a ring?????? jesus christ”

“not one of those rings. its like… like a promise ring. but more like…. i promise not to be an asshole ever again.”

“i dunno billy, that’s a pretty big commitment for you”

“shut up. i’ll do it for you, dolly” oh and he’s cheeky with it, one hand on your hip and tilting his head to the side with a smirk

“oh and one more thing” he says, watching you slide the ring onto your middle finger

“mhm?” you blink up at him, but he’s gazing a little lower than the tip of your nose

he leans closer and closer, and you lean back against your car, lips parting as he smiles wife and kisses you hard

“been waiting to do that for a while now”

“well…….. what took you so long?”

masterlist

[daydreampending]

Unknown Phenomena

After narrowly escaping another trip to the Upside Down, no one’s prepared for the sudden new abilities you all seemingly gain overnight.

As you try to navigate the changes you’re all experiencing, how long will it be until this affects more than just your day-to-day life, and how soon until you all need to venture back into the depths to fix what’s happening to you, and to Hawkins?

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, Steve Harrington x Reader

Special Powers | Friendships With Feelings | Love Triangle

Main Masterlist

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 (coming soon)

[Currently on hold]

[evansbby]

Alpha I knitted this scarf for you and Rosie, so you guys can match for winter 🧣🧣

-Omega 💖

*throws it in trash*

—Steve🏈💪

[duckapus]

So in Mario Plays Minecraft Mods, the place they're hiding is pretty clearly some kind of small warehouse, and Mario and Steve are playing in this little corner office that has a window facing out into the main room that's only partially in-frame, and the office isn't soundproofed at all. So sometimes the audience gets glimpses of whatever the rest of the group is doing, including a loud argument between SMG1, Smg3 and Marcy that Melony tries to mediate and Lil Coding comes into the office to get away from.

And at the end of the episode we see and hear the warehouse's main door get opened from the episode, which is a massive cliffhanger all the way through Meanwhile in Adminspace that only gets resolved in Welcome to the Resistance when it's revealed to just be E. Gadd.

[forwritingwork]

May the fourth be with you 🌟 💙

But stucky is ripe for SW AUs! Are there any good ones out there?

[raziiyah]

Since you made that post about the Monster World and their Beauty standards

How attractive do you think Randall is by the monster world standards?

Obviously in Monster's University he's MEANT to be seen as this wimpy, scrawny geek and a loser 🤓

But what about during the Monster's Inc era?

Out of the 3 Main Monsters (Mike, Sulley, and Randall) we see that Mike is the only one who isn't "Bitchless" or "Maidenless" (as the Twitter crowd would say 🙄)

Which I find hilariously ironic considering Mike is the only of those 3 who wasn't a scarer nor does he really fit into any of the Beauty standards 🤔

(Now from a real life perspective I can understand why Randall and Sulley are single due to Randall's status as the villain and giving Sulley a love interest would've distracted too much attention away from his relationship with Boo)

But it is kinda funny from an In-Universe perspective because you'd think Randall and ESPECIALLY Sulley would both have an army of Women (and Men 🌈) trying to vouch for their attention due to their status as the 2 biggest Top Scarers

Tho with Randall I suppose you could argue that his personality was probably a turn off for anyone who actually might've tried to date him or get to know him (I love the dude but honestly he seems like he'd be kinda difficult to deal with in a relationship).

Not sure what the excuse for Sulley is tho lol

hi i will gladly talk about randall’s hotness 😋

okay for real though i think randall would actually be considered handsome (i swear im not biased) randall definitely possesses scary traits, from sharp teeth, big independently moving eyes, multiple limbs, etc., and has a general scary appearance, so i think it’s fair to say he’s considered quite attractive. also the fact he was in ror; the top frat in MU, presumably the most elite university in monstropolis, and is a scarer, the best career you could ever have (and with him and sulley being the two candidates to get the all time scare record, one of the best in the whole monster world??) probably helps too

another thing i want to mention that i’ve thought about is there are many round cyclops monsters like mike and big horned furry monsters like sulley, but there isn’t really any monster in the monster world (or in other media) that quite looks like randall.

joy has reptilian features but she looks very different from randall (though i’d like to point out that she was the number 1 scarer at fear co., which could be more evidence that randall is very scary and therefore more attractive) mr. crummyham bears some resemblance to randall, but he has smoother skin, a skinnier body, and a very different face

other than the fact that the vas in mi bear resemblance to their characters to me, randall has such a fine distinct design, so something i thought about is randall’s attractiveness could be compared to his va steve buscemi in our world. there are many people who consider buscemi as handsome, and i've also seen some people describe his look to be “unique”. with randall having a design so distinct from the other monsters and possessing scary/attractive traits, i feel like randall’s attractiveness in the monster world could also be described the same way

i definitely agree with the idea that they didn’t include any romantic stuff for sulley and randall because it would be unnecessary and distracting, but that aside,,

i’m sure there are many monsters who were attracted to sulley. sulley's been the number 1 scarer at monsters inc for a very long time, is the son of a famous scarer, and is shown to be very popular both in and at work. for one, these two in mu seemed attracted to him

in mi, on his way to work, basically everyone knows him and greets him, both on the street and at work. so in that way, there are actually a lot of monsters that vie for sulley's attention (including the fcking CDA 😭)

maybe some monsters are nervous around sulley and think he's out of their league. even though he is friendly, he does have a very high status so he may be intimidating to talk to; like look at how nervous needleman is here when talking to him hehe

on randall’s end, though he’s probably not nearly as social, he probably gets a fair share of recognition (though is probably very overshadowed by sulley) but there are likely some monsters that don’t like his personality and because of that aren't interested, or are scared/intimidated to actually talk to him. but they can admire him from an appearance and achievement perspective, though perhaps from a distance

but as you said, i definitely think that personality plays a big role into which monsters are considered attractive

first, mike is full of personality, being charming, funny and witty. he's shown to be a smooth talker, whether flirting with celia or distracting waternoose and randall with convincing lies. mike may not fit into the "scary" beauty standard, but i think some monsters don't really care. and i know that celia genuinely thinks mike is handsome :] mike was also very likely the smartest scaring student on mu’s campus. but judging by mike's locker in the credits for mu, celia may have started crushing on mike around the time when he was just a cafeteria worker and i like to think she fell for mike early on for both his looks and personality 🩷

sulley on the other hand is shown to be a bit clumsy and not as smooth with his words, so he probably has no rizz 😔✊️/jk (it's v cute though)

randall's personality is pretty self explanatory LOL, though interestingly, even though randall is a prick, his coworkers were genuinely happy for him when he became the scare leader and when they thought he broke the scare record. so i feel like he’s only directly mean to sulley, mike and fungus, while he just tolerates everyone else (unless they cross his path) like his coworkers are probably aware of his bitter attitude but may undermine it since he's not directly mean to them and randall probably has respect for being #2 in the whole comany, because i don't think all those monsters would be happy for him if he treated all of them how he treats the three i mentioned. and i mean he showed a liking towards johnny so we know he's capable of not feeling utter hate for everyone. though he may not always be directly mean to his other coworkers, i’m sure his attitude is still noticed and deemed undesirable for lots of monsters. i feel like randall would be viewed as skilled and attractive but a dick lol

but in the end i think a big reason why i think sulley and randall aren't in a relationship is because they’re so career focused.

sulley probably wasn't interested or focused on getting into a relationship since he was focused on his career and reaching the scare record. before he met boo, he didn't have much else going on for him outside of scaring. he does work out as a hobby but even that was scaring related; mike even calls him out for this

it was likely the same with randall, and between the scare record and the scream extractor, he probably has no time or desire to get into a relationship. and his commitment to his job and one-upping sulley could impair his attention in a relationship (you better believe this is something i incorporated into lia and randall's relationship but lets not get into that right now haha ☉‿☉) there may have been monsters who were brave enough to confess to him but he's likely rejected him because his priority is the grind 😤💯💰

in maw sulley may have lost some of his reputation by bringing laugh energy to mi, plus jill broadcasting to all of monstropolis that sulley cheated in the scare games, got expelled, and was associated with the convicted criminal who is waternoose, probably didn't help his popularity. though after the end of maw season 2 i know more monsters will warm up to him, not to mention there are probably many who admire him already

(where did they get this image 😭)

if anyone johnny is probably the pinnicle of monster attractiveness, from appearance, skills, demenour and status. i was cracking up over how much game this man had, like everyone wanted him 😭 he got with claire, then it was shown that jill, tylor's mom, and his grandma were shown to be down bad for him (not the generational thirsting) not to mention chet and randall wanting to get his attention, like fck this mf has game, he was probably on a magazine with "sexiest monster alive" on the cover LMAO

he was whole package, well until, you know

[mrwinterr]

The Nerve

Pairing(s): former!Steve Harrington x Female Reader; eventual!Eddie Munson x Female Reader

Summary: The nerves of some people. 

Warnings: Cliché af. Toxic behavior. When they go low, I go lower. Revenge. Not a girls’ girl here bc once you fuck around w/ another girl’s man it’s “yes, and?” from there. Implied smut. Language. We’re probably not gonna like Steve (or even the reader for a bit) here. 

Disclaimer: Typical !former and !eventual pairing. Some time hopping. None of the spooky events of the Stranger Things (2016) series take place in this piece. Everything is just where it’s at because this is made up. 

Pre A/N: This is embarrassing. I was in my villain era. I was certainly in the business of misery. I was angry (still am sometimes), so I wrote this. We all cope differently.

The nerve. 

She had the nerve to steal your boyfriend. 

It had been a few weeks since Steve broke up with you, only to start dating a girl you had harbored no ill will toward until that night. He even had the guts to reveal who she was and how long he had been losing interest in you. You weren’t going to lie, it hurt – a lot. Discovering his real need for “space” during the last two months of your relationship was painful to realize because in that time, while you were being understanding, he was finding a way to end things with you.

Looking back, you couldn’t help but dissect the memory. It was an ordinary day. School was let out for the weekend, and you were spending it with Steve, a cozy night in without interruptions since he was often left alone at home. The two of you lay on the couch, cuddled up, bodies parallel, his arms around you, the room dimly lit by the TV screen. 

“I have something I wanna talk to you about…and it’s been on my mind for a while,” Steve says, loosening his grip and pausing the movie that was mindlessly playing midway. 

“Okay,” you reply, pushing yourself up from the couch to make space for him to sit up. He shifted, swinging his legs over to plant his feet on the carpeted floor, settling into a seated position and scooting aside to allow you room to sit back down next to him.  

The atmosphere shifted noticeably, and it made you nervous. The way he ran his hands through his hair and avoided meeting your gaze – it all felt ominous, and you couldn’t prepare yourself for what he was about to say. 

“I met someone,” he revealed. 

It wasn’t the news you expected, and you could feel your heart sink into your stomach as you absorbed his words.

“Oh,” is all you manage to say, now turning your gaze to the ground too, unable to look at him. 

A whirlwind of emotions swept through you – hurt, anger, brokenness, betrayal. The signs had been there. Why hadn’t you seen them? He had been growing distant – more withdrawn, fewer “good mornings” and “good nights”, less calls, more canceled dates. You had been looking forward to tonight, thinking he was just preoccupied with work or his upcoming graduation, believing whatever he needed space for was resolved. Turns out, he needed space from you. 

You had so many questions, even though you weren’t sure why you needed the answers. In that moment, you wanted to know what you had done to make him lose interest in you. You had thought the relationship was salvageable. 

What? He was breaking up with you. 

When? He’d been feeling like this for almost two months. 

Where? At work.  

Who? The other girl he worked with, also attends Hawkins High, but she's a year above you, therefore had more classes and events with him. 

How? It just happened. 

Yeah, that last one was a classic, but not as much as him telling you that you did nothing wrong and that you both could stay friends. Bullshit. With Steve, would come her, and you couldn’t believe the nerve of her to pursue another girl’s boyfriend. You’d seen her while visiting Steve at his job, but you hadn’t felt threatened by her. The hurting phase was brutal, but now all you could feel for her was anger – after all, who didn’t know that you were dating Steve Harrington? 

She had the nerve to act all innocent.

The school hallways were not pleasant for you. A few days after the break up, rumors circulated that Steve left you for someone else, though apparently their relationship hadn’t been made public yet, sparking widespread gossip. 

How would you have known that though? His business wasn’t yours anymore. In fact, you’d made a deliberate effort to distance yourself from them because the breakup was still fresh. Fuck trying to be friends. This time you were the one that needed the space. The last thing you wanted was to think about them together. 

Steve had the audacity to point the finger at you because you were supposedly the only one aware of the relationship. Even when you tried to explain, he left you hanging. The disbelief on his face hurt to witness. He didn’t believe you. 

“How do they know about us?” Steve demanded as he approached you at your locker, hands on his hips in typical, upset Steve fashion. No hey, hi or hello. He just went right in. 

“I don’t know,” you scoffed, continuing to unload your textbooks from your backpack.

“Well, you’re the only one who knows,” he persisted, leaning in closer, determined to get an answer. “And your name is going around.” 

“Look, Steve,” you finally turned to face him, your tone sharp, catching him off guard. “Your new relationship isn’t my concern.” This is a side of you Steve isn’t used to. “Why would I go around telling everyone that you left me for her? In all the time you’ve known me, have I ever given you a reason to think I’d do something like this?” 

You could see him reconsidering his accusation. The questions seemed to stump him, as if he knew the rumors were absurd and gossip wasn’t something you partook in. 

“Why don’t you go talk to your girlfriend and figure it out?” you suggested, turning back to your locker, not in the mood to continue the conversation. 

All Steve did was stare at you before shaking his head then going into a tangent of how some of the rumors were negatively affecting her when they weren’t true and how she shouldn’t have to endure them or receive any of its backlash…as if you did. But when he started saying something along the lines of how she wouldn’t do that because she told him she didn’t, you knew this was all a wasted effort on your end because he had already made up his mind. He believed her. 

Did he truly think you cared that much about them? Did he really think you'd stoop so low as to announce his new relationship? Did he ever really know you? 

She had the nerve to lie. 

Steve apologized to you when he discovered it was actually his new girlfriend that spread the news. He recognized his rash behavior and conceded that he should’ve believed you. Why would you waste energy on them? They weren’t worth your time anymore. 

“Hey,” a voice calls from behind, and you turn to see Steve standing there, looking contrite. Unlike before, you receive a greeting.

“Hey,” you reply, briefly acknowledging him before returning to organizing your locker, now cluttered by your chaotic friend’s belongings - stashing the shit that no one would suspect the good girl to possess. It didn’t bother you much, except for the occasional stench it left behind. 

“You were right,” Steve admits, hands in his front pockets and moving to the side to look at you. Pausing your task, you wait for him to continue. “She was the one going around telling everyone that I left you…for her.” Boy, that was awkward and lowkey stung. It hadn’t even been that long and he didn’t fail to remind you how you all got here. 

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he continues, visibly ashamed, “I should’ve known better than to believe that.” His apology didn’t really move you. The damage had already been done. You were branded as the ‘psycho ex’ and all Steve had to do was trust you from the start. 

She had the nerve to act like a girls’ girl. 

She never directly apologized, but she had the nerve to claim that she harbored “no hard feelings” toward you. Hard feelings? Why? Because you’re the ex? Was she fucking stupid? How did she expect the girl whose boyfriend she stole to feel? Everything that came out of her mouth infuriated you.  

It was no ordinary day – it was your birthday, and your friend had organized a night out to celebrate. You never liked to make a spectacle of your birthday, but it was also a good reason to go out, distract yourself, and avoid dwelling on unwanted thoughts. 

“You’re lying,” your friend responds, baffled by what you just told him, “she really said that?” 

“She fucking did!” you exclaim, still grappling with her impeccable timing. She wouldn’t know it was your birthday or would she care. 

“Jesus. Of all the days…” he says with a low whistle before attempting to lift your spirits, “But, hey, we’re not gonna let her ruin your birthday!”

“I know, and I won’t!” Your voice wavers as you try to convince yourself this wouldn’t affect you. You were determined to not cry today, but the truth was, it still hurts. Her little stunt reopened a wound that was almost healed.  

“He’s such a fool,” he remarks, followed by a brief silence. You were preoccupied with regaining your composure, fighting back tears, unable to respond. “He didn’t know what he already had in front of him. Lucky son of a bitch,” he added, and you’re not sure if he was speaking to himself or he meant to say that outloud, but you heard him nonetheless. 

“Stop,” you reply, turning your away from him. You’re not gonna cry. “I know what you’re trying to do, Eddie.”  

“What am I trying to do?” He asks adjusting to move to your line of vision, but you keep your focus averted.

“Hype me up, make me feel better…I don't know,” you answer, finally meeting his gaze, the tears now freely falling. 

He understood how hard you were on yourself, replaying what could’ve been avoided. Your relationship with Steve wasn’t something you anticipated. Steve pursued you, and initially, you were fine with a casual fling, but he insisted on something more serious. You had doubts about whether he was the right person, but what if he was? It’s a reminder that life isn’t planned; it’s lived.

Eddie’s support during your breakup was invaluable. He watched you cry a lot – at home, at his trailer, at school, at work. He watched you criticize yourself for the breakup. He watched the light go out and he was determined to reignite it. He simply wanted his friend back. 

“Sweetheart, I promise you,” he assures, hand over his heart, “everything I’ve said is sincere,” accompanied by that charming, stupid trademark Eddie grin. He was so endearing. 

“Well,” you begin, but he’s got you. He had a knack for flipping the script, leaving you wondering why you were arguing in the first place. 

Despite your curiosity about what attracted Steve to someone else and away from you, you had to accept that you probably wouldn’t ever know. 

If there was one thing you knew about Steve, it was that when he falls, he falls fast. With that realization, it sparked a wicked plan in your mind. If you could bag him once, you could probably do it again. 

The nerve. 

You had the nerve to lie. 

The only person you had confided in about your breakup with Steve was Eddie, and you had the right to do so. You needed a friend. You also knew he had no interest in high school gossip, so it couldn’t have been him that told the whole school. You trusted him. 

People liked to talk and they didn’t hold back. Although the lies bothered you, you had a strong support system in Eddie and his friends. If any group could shrug off that nonsense, it was the Hellfire Club.

“Are you sure you didn’t tell anyone?” Steve asked, continuing to badger you, even suggesting Eddie as the culprit. You knew Steve well enough that he couldn’t take gossip about him for this long. After all, he had a reputation to uphold, and not all of the rumors were in his favor. 

“Eddie?” You asked, confused but also guilty because you had done just that. 

“Yeah, I know how much time you’ve been spending with him lately.” 

“Why is that any of your business?” You countered, a bit snappy.  

“Because,” Steve began, grasping for an excuse, “people talk.”

“And you really think Eddie would? He doesn’t care about shit like this or you-”

“Please,” he interrupts with an eye roll, in the annoying way Steve always did. 

“You don’t know him,” you defended your friend, “so get off your high horse and go talk to your girlfriend about your problem,” leaving him questioning everything again.  

You had the nerve to act all innocent. 

The birthday incident, as you tried your best to keep thoughts of Steve at bay, she unexpectedly approached you, alone, feigning sweetness and innocence. You listened as she spun her lies – lies about overhearing people gossip about her, Steve, and you; lies about rumors allegedly started by you; lies about having “no hard feelings” toward you. It was all fabrication.  

Politely, you attempted to have her understand your side of the story, clarifying that you had not spread any rumors and had discussed the situation with Steve, as civil as that could’ve been, and ultimately, how she should address the matter directly with him. What were you now? A couples counselor? You didn’t have time for this or them.

You weren’t going to start lying to yourself now, but it angered you. All you saw was red. So, you gave it right back, feigning innocence yourself, doubling down on it, subtly planting a seed of doubt in her mind. 

“Watch out for him,” you said sincerely, your warning devoid of malice. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked genuinely curious. God she was fucking stupid. Did she think she would walk out of this situation without a scratch? She had just proven she was not a girl’s girl for actively pursuing your boyfriend while he was with you. The world is a jungle, and it was every woman for herself now. 

“Nothing,” you shrugged, maintaining composure, “...just a girl looking out for another girl,” you added, offering her an innocent, warm smile. 

“Okay,” she replied, sounding confused and a bit shaky. You could sense her discomfort, and she deserved to feel uneasy. 

Ultimately, you weren’t lying. Yes, she should watch out for Steve – what made her think he wouldn’t treat her the same way he did to you? However, if you were in her shoes, you’d watch out for yourself. 

You had the nerve to not act like a girl’s girl too. 

The sudden breakup with Steve left some unresolved feelings, but he was now with her, not you, yet that didn’t stop the urge to act on them. Steve was weak and you realized that soon enough. 

With your head turned to the side, you observed him, listening to his ragged breathing, how his lips parted, emitting small puffs of air, his chest rising and falling, the sweat that dripped from the top of his forehead, and eyes closed in post-bliss. Your gaze traces the freckles that speckled his skin as you studied his profile, wrestling with the questions swirling your mind.

“Do you want to talk about it?” you asked cautiously, breaking the silence. Why fight for him?

He didn’t respond immediately, but didn’t linger too long before replying, “Not really.” 

“We’re gonna have to,” you said and it sounded almost pathetic. Why were you trying to hold onto him? 

“I…I think we shouldn’t talk for a while,” and when he said that, you knew that actually meant this was done. He was done with you. Why did you want to change his mind?

The realization hit you like a ton of bricks. You knew it had to end eventually. There was no intention or hope of remaining friends. 

That night, you went home feeling hurt, broken, angry, and disgusted. You knew what you did was wrong, a sad attempt on your part. He probably wanted that reaction from you. You were more than willing to feed his male ego. What guy didn’t enjoy the idea of two girls vying for him? If it was easy for her and it was easy for you, it would be easy for another. What made him so special?

You had the nerve to try to steal her boyfriend.

It was a toxic situation. You found yourself doing exactly what she had done to you. What did that accomplish? Bragging rights and a fleeting sense of revenge, perhaps, but it didn’t bring you and Steve back together. It only highlighted how destructive you both could be. You sought revenge at the expense of homewrecking a relationship. You were no better, yet in a twisted way, you didn’t care. You wanted them to feel the same pain you did, even though deep down, you knew Steve was capable of sabotaging his own relationships. 

You told Eddie of the misdeed, feeling ashamed. He wasn’t upset with you. He understood that you would follow your own path no matter what. He didn’t have the right to control you. Both of you recognized that this would only lead to your own suffering. Unfortunately, you had to learn this lesson the hard way. 

“I know you’re upset and that’s okay,” he tries to console you, “...your feelings are valid.  But I don’t think you need to find the answers to everything. They’ll just lead to more and it’ll never end.”

He was right. The more you held onto what happened between you and Steve, the more questions arose. He was living rent free in your head. 

“I just-” you struggled, trying hard to make sense of the situation, “I just wanna know. What did I do wrong? How did he get bored of me? When was I not enough?” 

“Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule?” he asked, and you shook your head. “It’s basically a theory that when someone cheats, they are drawn to the 20% in another person that is missing in their current partner.”

You’re not sure how much that helped you because it begged the question…”And I know what you’re thinking, so stop that!” Eddie’s quick to read you, “you’re lacking nothing, alright?” 

“Everyone knows I’m not a big fan of Steve Harrington,” he said, scrunching up his face at the mention of his name, “...but he’ll regret this. His type always comes back…fucking roaches.” That last remark elicited a small cackle out of you. 

He then took your hand in his. It’s a stark contrast to your own hand – larger, a bit rough, warm and slightly clammy – but it provided a sense of comfort. You don’t realize how long you’ve been staring at your hands clasped together until he gives it a light squeeze and says, “He’ll realize he was much better off with the 80% he already had.” 

Damn Eddie Munson. He was too good to you. It gave you a new perspective. Why were you being so hard on yourself? Why were you trying to convince yourself that the relationship’s downfall was your fault? It was Steve who started pulling away from you. It was Steve who did pull away from you. It was Steve who was actively pulling away from you. Everything that happened wasn’t solely on you. 

These kinds of things happen to everyone every day. Feeling hurt, broken, angry, betrayed and ashamed were normal and acceptable emotions. You just have to learn to swallow your pride and accept this as part of life. You live and learn – not necessarily forgive or forget, but move on in your own way. 

You were once happy without Steve, and you could be happy again. You gave up or changed a lot for Steve, losing sight of what made you happy. Now, you were committed to reclaiming your happiness. Fuck, when did you start crying? 

“You alright, sweetheart?” Eddie’s voice laced in concern, bringing his other hand up to wipe the stray tears running down your face. 

“How do you do it?” you asked, looking down to compose yourself. 

“Do what?” he responded, amused. You didn’t answer verbally, but twist your hand in his to thread your fingers between his. The small smile on your face conveyed your question, softening his features. It’s a rare emotion from Eddie, mixed with vulnerability accompanied with a newfound awareness. 

He brings your now interlocked hands to his lips but not before saying, “...because I’m a big fan of you,” and kisses the back of your hand gently.

The nerve.

Steve had the nerve to lie. 

Several months have passed with minimal communication from Steve. Occasionally seeing them together around school and town didn’t bother you anymore – well, not entirely. You can’t deny it still stirred up certain feelings, but you didn’t give it a second thought and eventually they weren’t a blimp on your radar. The past no longer consumed you, but unexpectedly, it started consuming Steve. 

Evidently, he still knew your schedule and had been desperately trying to find a chance to talk to you – just the two of you, without Eddie, other friends, teachers, classmates, or family around. When he approached you, you were confused; unsure if he was still with her or anyone else. You intentionally tuned out gossip and never paid attention to their situation. Besides, you had a better reason to not care about Steve anymore. So, when he starts pouring out his feelings, you take it with a grain of salt, this time with a clearer mind. 

“Hey,” Steve calls out as you step out of your front door, ready to head out with your ride nearby. 

“Uh, hey, Steve,” you reply with uncertainty. 

“Can we talk?” he asks hesitantly. 

“Now might not be the best time,” you respond with unease. 

“Please, just give me five minutes,” he begs, his eyes full of hope and pleading. What could there possibly be left to talk about? Despite your instincts telling you to stand firm, you reluctantly agree to hear him out, which you soon regret. 

Steve begins with an apology and offers to explain his actions. What more was there for him to explain? You no longer desired an explanation. It was simple – he grew tired of you, became interested in another girl, and left you; perhaps grew tired of her too and now he’s back. You had moved on from your failed relationship with Steve months ago. However, he felt he “owed” you an explanation. Was this all a joke to him?

The more he spoke, the more you got lost in your thoughts trying to comprehend the reality that he was standing before you, admitting to his mistakes, and seeking a second chance. His voice started to fade into the background as you felt the weight of deciding how to respond, all while knowing your ride would arrive at any moment. When the pressure got too much, you finally managed to step up. 

“Steve,” you interrupt, “I don’t know what you want me to say to you.” 

“You don’t have to say anything right now. I just–” he’s cut off by the sound of loud, muffled music, causing both of you to turn your attention to the bulky van that just pulled up in front of your house. 

You glanced at Steve sending him a tight lip smile before taking the short few steps to the curb, not looking back, knowing you were never going to get that "owed" explanation.

Steve had the nerve to try to act all innocent.

The atmosphere in Eddie’s van is tense the moment you climb into the passenger seat. Neither of you expected to see Steve today, let alone right before a date. And it happened. The lingering feelings had unearthed between you and Eddie and you welcomed it, a testament to your decision to move on from Steve. Right when things are looking up, life throws you a curveball in the form of your ex. 

“Are you okay?” Eddie asks cautiously, stealing a quick glance at you before focusing back on the road. 

“Yeah,” you reply unconvincingly, then quickly retract, “no,” followed by a sigh, “I mean, I was…I am. I’m just annoyed at Steve right now. I swear I had no idea he was stopping by.” 

“You’re fine,” Eddie assured, dismissively waving his hand to convey that it wasn’t a big deal to him, though his mind was racing with a million questions. When he saw Steve with you, he couldn’t help but wonder: Why was Steve there? What were you two talking about? What did Steve want? Had you been in contact with him and not mentioned it? Not that Eddie could control who you talked to, girlfriend or not. 

“I can’t believe he had the nerve to say he ‘respects’ my feelings!” Your emotions spill out as you unload on Eddie, “After everything he did to me, does that look like someone who ‘respects’ my feelings?” 

“It is a pretty shitty thing for him to do,” Eddie agrees, not just coming from the boyfriend perspective, but from any perspective. 

Steve thought that by acknowledging your feelings upfront, it would ease his case. However, upon reflection, you realized it was more about saving face for the hurtful way he left you, attempting to depict himself in a more favorable light.

“Right?!” The audacity Steve had to arrive at your door, unannounced, just before your date with Eddie. God, Eddie. It was a brief but uncomfortable moment. Steve knew you were friends with Eddie, he never bothered to understand the depth of your relationship because he didn’t care enough to meet your other friends. “I’m sorry, Eddie,” you say, feeling remorseful.  

“For what?” he chuckles softly because can’t believe what you're apologizing for.

“I didn’t expect to see Steve today,” you explain. 

“That’s not on you,” he assures, “remember, I told you they always come back.” 

“True,” you agree, “but that’s not what I want.” 

“What do you want, then?” he asks.

“You,” you admit, “just you, Eddie,” reaching for his free hand to hold for assurance. 

Yeah, Steve wasn’t going to fool you.  

Steve had the nerve to try to steal you from your boyfriend. 

During the initial months, Steve made attempts to regain your favor. You questioned repeatedly whether you could genuinely consider being just friends with him. That had been his original intention after breaking your heart, but he failed to uphold his end of the deal. Was it worth attempting to rebuild a friendship with him? Would it reflect poorly on your judgment if you did? Could you bear being around Steve in any capacity? If Eddie hadn’t arrived on time for your date that evening, you didn’t know how much more of Steve's admission you could take before you hit another breaking point. 

“I’ve been thinking a lot about you,” Steve begins, pausing, his mouth opening and closing as he carefully chooses his next words, “I miss you.” He observes your lack of response before continuing, “I miss us. We worked…and I really want to try and get to that again…to what we had.” 

You can see it was difficult for him to admit this. Seeing your unphased reaction, he begins to ramble and talk out of his ass, “I mean, only if you want to. I can understand if you don’t. I do respect your feelings.” 

You knew you didn’t have the mental or even emotional capacity to deal with Steve at that moment, and fortunately, the interaction didn’t progress any further. More importantly, it didn’t ruin your date with Eddie. 

Steve’s graduation, once an event you looked forward to celebrating, was now a canceled event on your calendar. While you wished you could’ve joined in celebrating, Eddie had unfortunately not passed his exams again. Hopefully, on his third attempt, he will be able to graduate and walk the stage with you next year. 

You had started working at a music store, which you enjoyed because it allowed you to be surrounded by something you loved – music. Eddie particularly appreciated the employee discount, a place to hang around during your shifts, though he seemed less excited about the store’s proximity to a certain video store.

It was inevitable that Steve would eventually walk in. Initially, your classmate and presumably Steve’s co-worker, now friend, Robin accompanied him. Over time, Steve started coming in alone, conveniently when Eddie wasn’t hanging around. 

It wasn’t that you were afraid to be alone with him, and Eddie trusted you; he simply didn’t trust Steve. Despite Steve not being the same person from high school, multiple events humbling him, his efforts to revive your past relationship persisted. Although his approach was more subdued than before and masked as friendship, there was still an underlying motive. It was no secret either that you were in a relationship with Eddie. 

Given the small-town geography of Hawkins, you accepted Steve wasn’t going to just disappear. You managed to adapt to his presence. While you couldn’t deny that this attention boosted your ego, you were resolute about not revisiting the past with him. 

“So, I’ve got a copy of Pretty In Pink hot off the press,” Steve announced, showcasing proof of the video tape during another lunch break he spent at your workplace with you on a slow day. “Interested in watching it with me tonight?” he asked, trying to sound smooth and hopeful, adding and emphasizing “as friends,” though not convincingly considering you haven’t agreed to any plans with Steve let alone as that. 

You glanced at him, then at the tape in his hands, and then back at him. “Thanks, but I’m not really into rom-coms,” you replied with a small smile. 

“What? Since when?” he asked, visibly surprised. 

“Since forever…” you answered with a light laugh that almost sounded like a scoff. It internally annoys you because as a former partner, he should’ve known that.

“Oh,” he said, setting the tape down on the counter between you. 

“Yeah,” you drawled, trying to fill the ensuing awkward silence. Fortunately, the door chimed, signaling a new customer – saved by the bell, literally.  

“Babe, you’re gonna love me! I convinced Robin to save me a copy of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and she fucking delivered,” Eddie exclaimed excitedly about tonight’s movie, barely noticing Steve’s presence until he reached the register. “Oh, hey, man.” 

It’s amusing yet endearing to see Eddie straighten up and square his shoulders around Steve, as if they were in competition. You couldn’t blame Eddie for feeling that way, though he really had no reason to worry he’d lose. 

“Hey,” Steve replied, shoving the copy of the romantic comedy aside, embarrassed that he had forgotten your preference for horror movies. 

As you and Eddie enthusiastically discussed the sequel, Steve felt out of place, as if you and Eddie were in your own little world, completely forgetting he was still standing there. He couldn’t contribute to the conversation because he hadn’t seen the first movie and didn’t know anything about it to share in the excitement. Eventually, he quietly slipped away with the tape in hand, on the short trek back to Family Video concluding his lunch break. 

The notion of ‘forgive and ‘forget’ was bullshit. While you could be civil, deep down, you still harbored hurt and anger over what happened. Much of the past year was spent in an emotional decline that affected various aspects of your life – home, social interactions, physical and mental well-being. Now, however, you were focused on reclaiming your happiness. Places and things around town that once reminded you of Steve and your past relationship no longer brought sadness; you were forging new memories with someone else.  

Whether it be in a friend or significant other, Eddie was like your rock. He was there from the start, witnessing your first date with Steve and even expressing his reservations about him. Yet, he knew he had to let you navigate life, love and mistakes on your own. Despite any reckless choices you made, even those that disappointed him, Eddie remained a source of comfort and support because he genuinely cared for you. 

Growing closer to Eddie was a breath of fresh air compared to Steve. You didn’t feel the need to impress Eddie; he was always impressed by you. Reflecting on it, you realized how much you had changed to fit in Steve’s world, which now seemed almost pathetic. With Eddie, you don’t have to change anything – your clothes, your diet, your friends, or your interests. He respected you for who you were. 

It’s ironic that just as you’re back on track and happy, Steve wants to interfere. What’s even sadder is that he promised an explanation but hasn’t delivered, yet he’s actively pursuing you. So what? You tell your ex you still have feelings for them and miss what you both had. What did he expect? That he was Steve Harrington and you’d jump back into his arms? No. He had moved on, supposedly, and so did you, finally. 

Part of you cherished early memories with Steve, and you weren’t going to fail to admit that during the initial attempts, you entertained the thought of what if you got back with him. However, he’s the reason why you struggled to move on and became recluse. Who knows? Maybe he learned from his mistakes or not. What he did to you, he did to her and would likely repeat to others. He only proved that second chances sometimes didn’t matter because rarely do people change. You concluded you couldn’t be more than what you currently were to Steve. 

He was the one who chose to end the relationship. He was the one who decided you weren’t enough for him. He was the one who chose to engage with another woman. He was the one who strung you along. He's the one who decided to cut you off. And now, he’s the one seeking a way back in. It was comical because all the tactics he used the first time he convinced you to go out on a date with him didn’t work this time. It had him trying harder and he was failing miserably. You were now the one living rent-free in his head. 

The events of this whole situation have allowed you to build emotional strength and learn to love yourself and someone else again. You were happy, and happy with Eddie. You weren’t going to let something silly as an 80/20 rule or a past relationship with Steve interfere with that happiness.

Yet, it goes to show the nerves of some people. 

Post A/N: I wish I had this happier ending in real life. Please like, comment and/or reblog. It’ll motivate me to write more and you know also help my self-esteem.

[betweenlands]

why you should vote herobrine in every single Tumblr Sexyman poll

he's one of the originals: look, a lot of these upstarts are new to the party. they may be sexy and they may be men, but they lack legacy. not so with herobrine. herobrine's been around. he's been around before sans. he's been around before bill cipher. he's one of the original originals alongside the onceler himself. know your herstory etc etc

he fits more of the criteria: look. i love benrey, i love reigen arataka, i love raymond animalcrossing. but look me in the eyes and tell me: is there a significant portion of people who ship them with themselves? once upon a time that used to be a requirement. and guess who does fit that requirement? that's right. herobrine. i mean, yeah, there's also herosteve i guess, but i was there back in the mid-2010s! i know what i saw! even to this day people will make new herobrine variant ocs! and guess what! sometimes they smooch!

he's a trailblazer: i think quite possibly one of the few more influential video game creepypastas you could cite would be BEN Drowned, but with all my respects -- he does not have the advantage of being in one of the longest-living games of the decade. herobrine, meanwhile? herobrine comes from the same time as first-era MCYT, and no matter how you feel about the phrase "MCYT" as a whole, you should know that interpretive roleplay and storytelling in the confines of video games is very, very cool and very, very important. and the first villain of every 13-year-old's minecraft roleplay? if it wasn't herobrine, he almost certainly made an impact elsewhere.

he's been through a lot: if i had a nickel for every time i saw whitewashed herobrine i would probably be a millionaire. despite being blocks he gets drawn as a stereotypical muscleman (twig herobrines get a pass they have a je ne sais quoi about them). his alive half-brother is a total asshole. people hate him on instinct because some famous jackass or another happens to play the game he's originated from. he's gotten banned from minecraft at least 10 separate times. he doesn't deserve this. he's just really been through the ringer and he really deserves this win.

i love your other guys. i do. except one or two of them but i don't want those guys anywhere near my blog so i'm not naming those fuckers. but for the most part i love like 90% of them and if it were up to me they'd all be given titles for their individual contributions to sexymandom.

but c'mon, y'all, it's herobrine minecraft. someone changed four pixels on the original steve skin and made a complete and utter legend and we can't just let that go unaccoladed forever.

[ID: an image of Herobrine's skin at a 3/4ths angle facing right. /End ID.]

the universe loves you very much, be gay do minecraft and vote herobrine.

[bluxhi]

Ohhhh!!!

CHAT fms/tss fandom wya.... I need yr help.... :3

I need uhh um writing prompts yea. For favremysabre/steve saga stuff. Actually mainly steve saga bc idunno enough about the other ones to write for them :(( but it can be like sabre centric (is that the word??) Or not. I really wanna write about them but idk what :( and the very few ideas I have are loose and I cant even do bc no motivation to start them 💔💔💔

Anyways tss/fms writing prompts or ideas or smth PLEASE I've gotta get SILLIER also feel free to suggest literally anything ever whenever. Like if this post gets old feel free to still add stuff or if you've already suggested and get more ideas u can add them on if u want I am.steugglign

They can be like prompts or requests or aus or whatever I'm literally sillyign rn

Hahahahghssj ok bye ty in advance !!!

[restinslices]

I found your twilight post with the Lin Kuei brothers amusing and relatable 🤣

Can you do headcannons on watching marvel movies with the reader? Captain America is my favorite character in the movies lol

The MCU is huge so lmk if there was something specific you wanted to know about

Bi-Han

I don’t see any of them watching a lot of movies so you definitely introduced it to him 

He takes the longest time to finish the movies because it’s not on the top of his list when it comes to concerns 

He’s one of those overly critical watchers so he’s annoying as fuck to watch movies with 

I can see him liking Ultron

Why? I think he’d like the concept of Ultron and understand why he’s thinking the way he is 

The type to agree with Thanos until someone points out he could’ve just doubled the resources 

His favorite Phase is Phase 3 purely because Hela is his favorite character in the entire MCU 

He’s legit upset she was killed off 

I’d say which show is his favorite but I only watched Wandavision and TFATWS so moving on-

I don’t know if I see him reading the comics. Maybe if he’s curious enough 

The Avengers and The Guardians of The Galaxy are pinned against each other a lot, but what does he think?

I think it changes a lot. Depends on his mood

One thing’s for sure; he prefers the OG Avengers 

Not one of those Marvel fans that remembers everything and he doesn’t really stay up to date

Hasn’t even watched any of the shows yet 

Please bring Hela back and stop pissing him off. She ain’t do nothing wrong 

Quick afterthought 

He’s Team Cap

He don’t even wanna listen to Liu Kang. Why the fuck would he agree with the government controlling The Avengers?

Kuai Liang

NOT one of the overly critical watchers so thank fuck 

If he spots something that’s off, he’ll call it out but that’s as bad as it gets 

He likes a mix of villains and heroes

If the villains got a point, then they got a point. That’s just how it is.

He likes villains that can become better people. The pure evils ones he’s like “yeah you suck” but villains that are actually victims or who have done certain things but try to become better, he likes 

Because of that I’d say his favorite villain is The Winter Soldier 

He’s done terrible things but Kuai Liang feels pity for him and enjoys his story 

I think either Avengers or Civil War is his favorite movie 

He prefers the og era of the MCU and I think the Avengers as a whole reminds him of his family (petty as fuck towards each other but there’s ultimately love there) and Civil War was a banger

A situation where there’s technically not a right side is a topic I can see him liking 

With that being said, he is both Team Cap and Team Ironman 

Since he follows Liu Kang I can see him being like “sometimes teams need to be reined in and need someone to follow”

But in the same breath this is the same government that is corrupt and has proven themselves as not trustworthy 

And people could always die before the heroes are able to help

Then there’s Bucky and he once again understands why Steve wouldn’t tell but he also understands Tony’s anger 

He stays somewhat up to date when it comes to the new movies and shows 

He knows when they come out but he doesn’t see them right away 

Tomas

I can see him staying up to date and seeing the movies whenever he could 

Has possibly read some comics too?

Prefers Heroes 

Do I wanna say his favorite character is Spider-Man because the PS5 Spider-Man voices Tomas?

Yes

So that’s what imma do

Does he have a favorite Spider-Man?

I’m not sure. I can see him seeing the positives and negatives of all the Spidermen 

Team Cap for the accords 

Team Ironman for the Bucky situation 

His parents were killed so are we surprised? No

The type to see the positives of Phase 4 instead of just saying it’s shit 

Is it the best? No. But it’s not all ass. Damn.

He prefers the Guardians so when Gamora was killed, his heart was in SHAMBLES 

“Maybe Gamora and Peter can fall in love again”

I have bad news 

Favorite Phase is always changing. Each Phase has bangers and non bangers so it changes day to day 

I know I said he loved all the Spidermen but his favorite movie is probably a Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie 

Do not tell him the Avengers are more like coworkers than family. Do not fuck up his day 

He likes found family movies so he enjoys the movies that focus on the groups 

[siremasterlawrence]

Mystic knights Set 1 & 2

Part 1

Steve Rogers Aka Captain America and The Winter Soldier Aka Bucky Barnes are swept up in a secret mission as they stand across from the main building on a roof top with a heavy surveillance with Fury calls in every half an hour.They are watching a military base across from them as reports say the base goes down to the twentieth floor basement of the facility and thanks to Tony Stark’s last invention suggestion and the x-ray vision goggles.The goggles scans the base heavily as they are tracking the elevator at the end of the base to the basement as they make their move stand up and they do a back flip off of the roof top and use a grabble hook to shoot hooking on the gate.They land on to the ground scaling over the gate landing on top of the gate with cat like skills as they jumps off of the gate with max effort and they leap in to the window five feet up lifting up the window as they climb in.

Racing over to the end of the hall they press the up button to the elevator stepping on to it, they enter on to the shaft as it it speeding to the basement they all prepare for him in a Steve unleashing his shield and Bucky ready to fight.The men flip out as the alarm system goes wild immediately as his best pal old era guy Bucky accidentally press a panel to set it offand he loses it grabbing his gun as the troop fills up the area shooting them endless as they are falling before him.Steve walks around the corner to the other side of the hall to find longer stretch watch him in excessive excitement as he kicks his shield up and falls from its sheath in to his hands and sliding on to his hand he throws it like the professional that he is letting it be his own personal distraction bouncing on the walls. The crew does it best to unsuccessfully try to avoid the shield in failed attempts as it hits them all across the head sending them into a world of pain they have never felt in their life and eventually Steve loses with gasbags he smashes through them all as if he is human ram of worry’s a wreckingball it’s pure genius.

“Relax! It’s me Bucky put down the guns it is me.” Steve warns as they bust through the door in to the lab.

The man who they are tracking a young guy who was kidnapped by some evil, maniacal, demonic beast of villain but the young man is not very happy of entertained at all.

“You arrived finally, I was beginning to worry if you ever get here.” He says.

“Sorry to much going on.” Bucky adds as he approaches him.

“I am not worried but you shall be.” The man states stomping his feet.

“This no time play” Steve’s warns before the floors begin to light up.

“Wait! You are not the asset you are criminal” Bucky yells.

“All ways late to the party Buck” to Bucky’s shock Steve is saying.

“Yes! I have managed to control him.” The voice adds.

“Hear me carefully! You two will be loyal army.”

“We are Avengers!”

“The Avengers huh?”

“No the Mystic Knights “

“Those panels below you will help your see my point of view soon.”

“How is that you damn fool?”

“Observe! Boom”

“Nnnoooo! Steve help!”

“I only obey Master”

“Do I help him?”

“Steve zip it”

“Oh FUCK!”

“I am commander of The Avengers “

“What is your favorite word again?”

“Oh yes!”

“Language Bitch”

“Don’t pull that switch”

“Why?”

“One more and”

“Correct! We will be yours “

“Mwahahahahaha “

“Bastard”

“Precisely “

“So join me”

“Be my Slave”

“Nnnnooooo”

“Fuck! “

“Flip switch “

“YES”

“We hear and obey “

“Perfect!”

“Begin total submission and return to me”

“I am about to cum the good out of me”

“Me too”

“Aaaaahhhhhuuuuuggggghhhh”

“How may we serve you Master Lawrence?”

Part 2

A set of tubes descending on to both Steve and Bucky as they drop to the ground as it all settles in forever, a light emits through his body covering up the area as nothing can be scene from either of them as all of their life flashes before him. In the same roof top across from the darkly lit building as he shot a grappling hook to the other roof top across as he swung along with Robin and they both land so swiftly on to the other end and he flips into the roof top as he lands to the basement in utter like excitement.

Bruce Wayne’s grips his hands on the edge of the roof doing a back flip kicking in to the windows as he land on to the hall way as he does a backflip on to the end of the hall with the elevator and Bruce opens his bat gloves using a wire to override the the system as they rocket to the ground.The end is near as the tubes containing the first of my soldier uplifting in to the air reveal The Captain and The winter soldier in all of their sexy glory as they both approach me in heat and Captain America wraps over me a bit pulling me in to a kiss and Bucky follows suit shoving Steve away to kiss me.

The alarm system alters us as Steve facial expression becomes unnervingly undone at the sight of someone aiming to attack his Master Lawrence as he is rushing in to the costume amoury and grabs his costume and grabs his shield and at last placing his mask on his face. Steve smirks pushing me back as he stood in toe protecting me then giving Bucky the eye to prepare for the fight with a smile he goes in attack mode as well because I can not escape and he throws a fist in the air as he screams happily in excitement the two bat freaks enter.

“We followed you here because of this sick megalomaniac.”

“Batman they are looking weird “

“Mind control perhaps “

“Psh! Foolish punks”

“Let’s take them Cap”

“Agreed! Go get the bird Buck”

“I’ll break the Bat”

“Steve Rogers stand down”

“Whatever “

“Stand down��.i said “

“Ugh! Shit this he fuck up”

“Language “

“Capture them my knights”

“With pleasure “

“As you command “

“Kneel for the Master”

“Not with my last breath”

“You shall die then”

“Still fawning in the Bat kid”

“At least I am in control of my actions you old fart”

“Old fart? You little asshole I will drag you if I have too.”

“Why are you working for him ?”

“You have no idea…do you ?”

“Tell me then”

“The Great Detective “

“Speak now!”

“He is my everything, my world and the king “

“We love him”

“He is our leader “

“The world savior”

“You are a fanatic”

“A psycho”

“This is a cult “

“Save yourself “

“Come Buck”

“What the hell? How did you trap us?”

Captain America grapples Batman chopping his neck as he goes unconscious throwing him into the pod as it encloses in him. Bucky spins about kicking Dick in to the other pod available for use enclosing him too.

The end

[daydreampending]

Unknown Phenomena

After narrowly escaping another trip to the Upside Down, no one’s prepared for the sudden new abilities you all seemingly gain overnight.

As you try to navigate the changes you’re all experiencing, how long will it be until this affects more than just your day-to-day life, and how soon until you all need to venture back into the depths to fix what’s happening to you, and to Hawkins?

Word Count: 4.8k

Series Masterlist

Chapter 13

[byler-alarmist]

And as the prophecy foretold......

I see Bylers gleefully entering their villain eras to defend their hc of Mike's sexuality. Does this mean I can enter my villain era and start posting all the St*ddie I want? Because honestly if I gotta read bi Mike truthiness on the daily, y'all can read some bi Steve truthiness lol

[uniiiquehecrt]

I'm thinking in terms of actual real life experiences I've had when I say this, but I'd imagine part of what makes being a Thor enjoyer so frustrating in 2024/MCU's phase 4+ era is that... you're effectively not allowed to enjoy your favorite superhero.

I once had a conversation with a close friend of mine during a casual outing, and without going into very many details, this particular person is an enjoyer of Ragnarok, and enjoys Tailka's work overall. Now, I should say right off the bat: there is nothing wrong with these opinions. Everyone is entitled to like what they like and enjoy the work of creators just the same as other people are allowed to dislike them. For this particular post, I'm not here to get into fandom wars or "reasons why taika waititi is a terrible director" beef. I have other posts in line for that. But what I will say is that I already knew this about my friend, so it never surprised me when the topic of Thor came up that it would be a point of disagreement.

The issue I've found that continues to circle in the general space of "being a Thor fan" came when I expressed that I don't like Ragnarok, I do think Thor was funnier (and just better overall) before Ragnarok and therefore Taika's involvement, and quite frankly Taika had very little business taking on the mantle of director of a superhero franchise he has never liked or understood in his life just because he had mouths to feed. (There are other opportunities to fulfill that. And filmmakers know going into this industry that it's all gig-based and - if they're smart anyways - work around that.) I hadn't even gotten a chance to go through all of the reasons WHY I feel that way, of which I have had before compiled an organized list of about 16 talking points off the top of my head, so as far as that particular discussion goes... it didn't go anywhere. We were busy at the time.

But namely what I want to talk about is this:

The response I was given, in summary, was something along the lines of "well I think Thor was boring, and he wasn't my cup of tea, so I'm glad he changed."

But, you see, there's just ONE small issue with that: Thor isn't meant for everyone.

In fact, no character is meant for everyone. So why is it that Thor needs to change to be "for everyone" and be the MCU normies' "cup of tea" when no other character has to? Why does he need to lose his core identity (both as a character, as a franchise, you name it, it's been done) just because people like my friend don't understand him as well as Tony Stark or Spider-Man? And why should Thor fans have tow watch their favorite superhero get stripped down and turned into something completely divorced from the character, world and cast we were first involved with from the beginning?

Nobody at any point has been able to answer me that besides "well just because I didn't like Thor personally."

Iron Man won't appeal to everyone. Neither does Captain America, neither does Spider-Man, beloved as even Spidey is. They have their own quirks, their own villains, their own storylines... Every superhero has a core to them that their stories revolve around. He's from DC, but Superman, for instance, has the core of: love, justice and the American Way. Therefore, his stories revolve around challenging that core, and making Superman prove it. Steve Rogers/Captain America has a similar core. Justice, freedom and the American Way, is what I'd mostly boil his core down to. Thor's is "love" all around. I've written about that '(here)' in my post about his 2011 themes. Maybe it's different for other fans, but for me personally? I adore that about Thor. It's one of the many reasons I'm drawn to him over any other marvel Super besides Spider-Man. (not you tom holland ... yes you andrew garfield...)

So when I go to Thor for entertainment, I'm going to him above the other superheros because I want a story that revolves around HIS core and how Thor goes about reckoning with his challenges. I also go to MCU Thor specifically for his quiet, kind, regal nature. I come to him for his gravitas, his passion, his relationships with his cast of companions.

I go to him for high-sci-fi action/adventure, or for the "what if we took norse mythology and made it an alien superhero" route they took him in for the MCU. I go to Thor because he IS different from the rest of the Avengers... and that's the point.

So when someone says to me: "Well Thor wasn't for me so I'm glad he changed", or "Well I really liked Ragnarok because Thor kind of become more in line with the other Avengers"... they're fundamentally missing the point of why Thor has a fanbase at all.

[honeyandthmoon]

ranting about wonder woman's daughter (spoilers ahead)

I gave tom king the benefit of the doubt so many times and i liked some of his most controversial stories... i have lots of his books in my shelf, but that's just insane to me, wonder woman is my favorite one, this is just garbage.

retconning the contest/trial just to have diana punch her mother? to have lizzie punch diana?

it still sucks for me that his idea was to create the sovereign, a "joker/lex luthor" type of menace as if she doesn't already had villains powerfull enough to give her a hard time. it still sucks that he decided to give diana a daughter even if fury still exists (somewhere in the multiverse). and it's not her first child in recent years too! who remembers that one justice league story from a few years ago when they gave her a son that she supposedly abandoned because he was a boy? oh in the same storyline where hyppolita became a mindless monster (also called the sovereign!). that's just recycling of bad ideas. but he probably didn't even knew about that. probably just a bad coincidence. and that's me again giving him the benefit of the doubt.

it still sucks that lizzie is not her biological daughter. it still sucks that she's called wonder woman's daughter when diana herself doesn't see herself as a mother. it still sucks that she's called wonder woman's daughter when diana didn't even raise her? what is up with those weird stories of jon and damian raising her? wonder robin? a mural of batman and superman in themyscira? with batman front and center? IN THEMYSCIRA???

if she's not her biological daughter and was saved by diana and trained as an amazon, what differs her from donna? and why aren't donna and cassie part of her upbringing? why are the supersons responsible for this child?

what's the point of giving diana a daughter if you strip her of every aspect of motherhood?

I defended g willow wilson against people online who hated her run, i thought she was so great, even if she didnt knew much about her at the beginning but she at least was able to reconcile diana and veronica (sort of) and bring her back to themyscira, continue previous plots from the rucka's run and bring ares back (bonus point for putting steve always shirtless and in need of saving)

i was even one of the few that actually enjoyed becky cloonan and michael's run. the stories sure could've been better planned but they got the spirit, build a strong wonderfam in activity and set the ground for a more modern structure of amazons in this new context. they gave me etta and diana acting truly as friends, they gave me three founding mothers for themyscira, they gave me doctor psycho stories (he is really fun to read).

I defended james robinson (!), he at least knew diana was strong enough and had her defeat darkseid and free the gods by herself

i've been reading wonder woman for years. i still have some runs i hadn't had the chance to read fully but basically everything in the past 20 years + perez era formed my love for this character. i hate how out of character she is right now. they should bring back that one rule if you wouldn't do this to batman or superman you shouldn't do it to wonder woman, that's truly disappointing.

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 2

Propaganda Under Cut

Pepper Potts

So many fics make her bitchy and controlling for absolutely no reason she deserves better

So for this we have to think back to like... peak Avengers MCU era. I am sorry. Back when Avengers had just come out it was BRUTAL out there for anyone who didn't like Tony/Steve (Tony Stark, Pepper's canon love interest, and Steve Rogers aka Iron Man and Captain America). While the ship itself is like, fine, it got sour so fast because Pepper was demonized SO much. When she wasn't completely sidelined and ignored, she was a cheater or an abuser (??) or what-have-you in fics so the two men could get together. It's much better now and last I heard Pepper gets some of the love she deserves (bc we do love women in this house!) but oh MAN it was bad back then. TBH all MCU women were treated like garbage by the fanbase but she got the brunt of it because she was in the way of The Most Popular Ship. She was just too #girlboss I guess

Frequently villainized for being a canon love interest for Tony Stark. Often portrayed as a Nag, constantly bothering him about doing "work" for his "company" when he could be working on inventions or spending time with his love interest! Sometimes she just Doesn't Understand Him, inconsiderately pressuring him to stay out of being a hero instead of being who he really is; only the m/m love interest really understands him! Or maybe she's the aggressor, who took advantage of the power imbalance between her and her poor innocent *checks notes* boss in order to pressure him into a relationship he didn't really want where he was treated terribly, and only his m/m love interest can save him from her! Pepper deserves better!

Sharon Carter

she “got in the way” of stucky shippers, in the comics she’s like the love of Steve’s life 

When she first appeared she was unfairly treated by fans for "getting in the way" of the Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes ship. A shame because she's a really good character. I'd talk more about how unfairly Sharon, and her actress Emily VanCamp, have been treated by the fanbase and the creators, but that's a different story.

She and Steve Rogers were meant to have a romantic relationship, but the entire fandom and many Stucky fans dislike her because it wasn’t a good ship. I think she isn’t the best but she doesn’t deserve so much hate