#‘but dacre said’- I don’t give a shit what dacre said

[mioakem]

Oh this man needs to go

[eriquin]

The Prophetic D&D Game, Part 11

Oh no! Cursed! And also a ghost! But mostly the cursed part.

(master post)

Part 11

Eddie went back to the main table, where Jeff and Dustin had worked out a plan for buying a scroll. Lucas talked about setting everything up in the graveyard, and they were ready to have Dustin use the scroll. They confirmed that they definitely didn’t want the paladin to use it, and Eddie could tell from the look Jeff gave him that it was because they didn’t trust him not to screw it up intentionally. 

Eddie had to work very hard to keep a serious look on his face the whole time. Jeff and Dustin argued over which skill to use, but eventually they successfully cast it. When they turned to him to ask questions of the ghost, he smirked a little.

“Lucas, make me a roll against your constitution,” Eddie said. He leaned over the table to look at what Lucas rolled. It came out very low, and Eddie whistled. 

Lucas looked genuinely scared. “Is that bad?” 

Eddie rolled some dice of his own, just as confirmation that he should move the plot in this direction. His results looked better than Lucas’s. To the players, he said, “Well, the first thing the ghost tells you is that you should be paying attention to the cursed girl. Sadie’s eyes have rolled back in her head. Lucas, you’re in a trance. Guys, good luck!” 

The group all flew into a panic, and Eddie settled back into his chair and watched with glee. Eventually, he got them calmed down enough to treat it like combat. The only trick was that there was no one to fight. He had a certain set of stages that Lucas’s character would go through, and he wrote down how many rounds it would take to get to each. Lucas couldn’t do anything in the meantime, and his friends scrambled to figure out how to help. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Dustin said. He looked at Jeff. “What do we do?”

Jeff threw his hands up. “What does Joe think?”

Eddie raised his eyebrows. He rolled some dice. “Joe is just as clueless and freaked out as the rest of you are.”

“We don’t know how to fix this!” Dustin screeched. “It’s too soon.”

“Ask the ghost!” Lucas yelled, slamming his hands against the table.

“Lucas,” Eddie said in a warning tone. “You’re in a trance. You can’t speak.”

“Yeah, but Gaten would know to ask the damn ghost he’s talking to,” Lucas said. He glared at Dustin.

“Shit, you’re right. What does the ghost know? Can he help us?” 

“Crap,” Lucas said. “What if he doesn’t want to? He and Sadie were cousins but they weren’t friends. What if he’s bitter that we let the demons kill him?”

Dustin whipped off his cap and smacked Lucas with it. “Don’t jinx it!” he yelled. 

“Is that what you’re doing this round?” Eddie asked. “Trying to get help from the ghost of Sadie’s cousin... What did I name him?” 

“Dacre,” Dustin said. “And yes. If he knows something, he has to tell us. We get a certain number of questions to ask him and he has to answer to the best of his knowledge.” He kept his voice level but he spoke very fast, like he was focusing all his anxiety into recollecting the spell rules.

“Yeah, Dustybun, I know how it works. You get four questions. I’ll give you him telling you Sadie was cursed as a freebie.” 

Dustin, Lucas, and Jeff put their heads together to come up with a list of possible questions. Eddie sat back and let them discuss it. Grant and Gareth had come back to the table. Eddie wouldn’t let them sit back down until the party had regrouped, so they just hovered behind the other three and watched anxiously. 

“Are you really going to kill Sadie off right now?” Gareth asked. “Can’t we do something?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Don’t metagame, dude. You wanted to split the party. You’re not there.”

“Fuck,” Gareth said. He and Grant looked at each other. “We have no idea that they’re in trouble, but we need to get them this information, right?”

“What fucking information?” Grant said. “All we know is that it required divine intervention to pull someone out of the curse. Natalia’s the only cleric we have. She’d have to get there, figure out the right cleric spell, and literally pray the demon away. And we don’t even know what’s going on!” He huffed and glared at Eddie. “You’re really sadistic, you know that?” 

“I know,” Eddie said proudly. He turned back to Dustin. “What questions are you asking the ghost of dear old Dacre, Gaten?” 

“Okay, first question,” Dustin said. “Does he know how to stop what’s happening to Sadie right now? And I want to make it clear that this means I want to keep her from dying, but I would love to get her uncursed or no longer targeted or whatever. Out of character! Do I need to come up with specific wording for this question to keep him from screwing us?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not a damn wish, Dustin. He knows what you mean and if he’s going to be an ass about it, it’s because he’s an asshole, not a rules lawyer.” 

“Okay, then what does he say about fixing this?” 

“He says he does not know how to stop her from dying, but that if you let the same things that killed him kill his cousin then he’s going to fucking haunt you.” 

“Oh shit, extra information,” Gareth said. “He confirmed it’s the same demon.” 

“We’re not there,” Grant said. “We don’t know that yet.”

“Yeah, but they’re going to fill us in later. It’s fine.” 

“First of all, we already knew it was from the same demonic place,” Lucas said. “Second of all, he said ‘things’, plural. Not ‘thing’. So more than one thing is involved here. He didn’t clear up anything, he’s just confirming that they’re related.”

“Shit, he’s right,” Gareth said. He glared at Eddie. “Sadist.” 

Dustin refocused the group. “Should we ask for more information about the demon?”

Eddie grinned. “Are you asking the ghost if you should ask him for more—”

“No!” Dustin snapped. “We’re still out of character here! Jesus.” He snorted in annoyance.

“We should stop wasting time,” Jeff said. “If we don’t do something, Sadie is going to die.”

“Yeah!” Lucas yelled. He sounded frantic. “This isn’t the kind of game where you just roll up a new character, guys! Think of something already!” 

“Okay! Okay, just give me a second,” Dustin said. 

“One round down, guys,” Eddie said. “Who knows how many more you have before Sadie starts to float...”

“Shit,” Dustin said. Eddie grinned. The ticking clock of combat was entirely made-up but it still worked to stress his players out. “Uh, okay, my next question is: Do you know anyone who has survived this curse?”

Eddie forced the grin off his face and tried to look serious. He deepened his voice a little and straightened his back. “No. I’ve never seen this before. I’ve been dead, remember?” 

Dustin had slipped fully into character as well. “Then how do you know that what’s attacking her is the same demon or demons that killed you?”

Eddie snorted. “What the fuck else would it be? It’s a demonic presence attacking teenagers in Kiteshire. You guys might’ve closed the portals but it’s not like you killed the thing on the other side of them. It was bound to happen.” He slipped out of the voice. “That’s two more questions down and two more rounds gone. Sadie’s twitching and her head tilts back to stare at the sky.”

“He’s not telling us anything we don’t know already,” Jeff said. “This is a waste of time.” 

Dustin counted on his fingers. “Fuck, we only have one question left. I should just not ask it and leave this asshole trapped between death and undeath.” He rolled his eyes and added, “Bet you’d hate that, wouldn’t you?” 

Eddie laughed and slipped back into the ghost voice. “Yeah, I would have. Too late now, sucker. Try not to let my cousin die,” he said. 

“Wait!” Dustin yelled.

“And with that, his ghost vanishes,” Eddie said. “And another round has passed. What are you doing next? Sadie is looking more and more cursed by the second.”

“Well, shit,” Jeff said. “Good job, Dustin.”

“That was supposed to be out of character,” Dustin said. 

“That was supposed to be out of character,” Eddie mocked. “You’re lucky I’m still letting you speak out of character at all, Dustybuns. Now get on with it before I tick off another round.”

“Fuck. We need to get in contact with Natalia and Maya,” Dustin said. “Where are they? Are they close?”

Lucas rolled his eyes so hard that Eddie thought he was imitating his character for a moment. “Dude, you’re a bard. Use magic.” 

“Oh shit, you’re right. Uhhhh...” Dustin grabbed one of the books and started flipping through the pages. “I’ve got nothing but druid spells though. Nothing for long distance communication! Fuck!” 

“Summon something,” Jeff said. “Birds or something that can go find them.”

“Shit, yes, I can do that,” Dustin said. “Okay, I want to use Animal Summoning I to summon birds that will carry a message to Natalia and Maya to tell them that Sadie is cursed and we need their information.” 

“Granted,” Eddie said. “You can do that. It’ll take some time.” 

“Caleb and Joe can write up the messages while I’m summoning them,” Dustin said. “They’ll include where we are and that it’s dire.”

“Dire indeed,” Eddie said. “The birds arrive and grab the messages, then fly off in every direction, looking for your remaining two party members. Who, of course, have no idea where you are.”

“We include location in the note, but it’ll be faster to send a reply by bird,” said Jeff. 

“Do we see the birds?” Gareth asked. 

Eddie raised his eyebrows at Gareth. “Are you looking for birds for some reason, Gare-bear?” 

“God damn it, Eddie,” Gareth said. “It’s not like we have any magical communication devices.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you split the party, Gare.” Eddie rolled some dice. “Okay, a bird finds you. We’ll pretend this will all work out. What are you writing back, specifically?”

“Specifically? Oh shit,” Gareth said. “There’s a trick to this.”

Eddie sighed and rubbed his forehead. He watched Gareth and Grant put their heads together and whisper to each other. “Time’s a tickin’, boys,” he said, tapping his watch. He looked back at the ones sitting at the table. “Are you guys doing anything other than waiting for the birds to get back?”

“I mean, praying?” Dustin said with a shrug. “I think we’re out of ideas. Joe has cleric spells, right? Can he cast anything?”

“Anything in particular you want him to cast?” Eddie asked. “He mostly focuses on healing and protection spells.” 

“Protection from Evil?” Lucas suggested. “Or maybe Augury, to see if we’re on the right track?” 

“I’ll give you a Prot-Evil at the beginning from him, since that’s a no-brainer. It had no effect.” 

“Shit. Okay, then have him cast Augury,” Dustin said.

“That’ll just tell you if you’re on the right track, but sure. He can start casting that and you can work on a question while he’s casting it.”

Grant and Gareth wrote down their message on a spare sheet of paper. Once they agreed on what they were saying, they passed it to Eddie. “We attach that to the bird, and then we try to follow it back.”

“It gets there faster than you will,” Eddie said. He quickly read the note over. They had included as many minor details as they could remember. He rolled it back up and passed it to Dustin. “By the time the bird gets back to the graveyard, Sadie has started to float in the air. What are you doing now?”

Dustin spread the note out on the table and he, Jeff, and Lucas read it together. “Okay, this says that the madman was trapped in the curse, but that he got out because of an angel singing,” Dustin said. “But it specifically says he heard an angel singing in his hallucination, so it could have been divine intervention, or it could have been environmental.” 

“Is Joe ready with his Augury?” Jeff asked. 

“Yep. You got a question for the gods?” 

Jeff rubbed his chin. “Ask if there’s any action we can actually take at this point to save her.” 

“Seriously?” Dustin gave Jeff a disbelieving look. “That’s it? That’s what you want from the gods?”

“Either it’s up to us, or it’s up to them,” Jeff said with a shrug. “Which would determine if it’s...”

Dustin snapped his fingers. “Divine or environmental! Shit, you’re right.” They turned back to Eddie and waited.

Eddie sighed. “The gods indicate that there is something you can do, if you can just figure out what.”

“Environmental!” Dustin said. “If we can reproduce the environment of the last time someone snapped out of the curse.”

Eddie ticked off another round from his sheet. “Sadie rises higher above the ground. Her arms and legs stretch out from her body, going rigid.”

“Guys!” Lucas yelled. “We don’t know anything about the environment of the madman. He was hallucinating.”

“But he heard an angel singing! Which might mean he just heard music,” Dustin said. He turned back to Eddie. “I’m a bard! I can sing to her and play my lute!”

Eddie grinned. “And what do you sing, my bardic friend?”

“And Caleb would know her favorite song!” Jeff said. “He has to know it. He’s the closest one to her. He’ll tell Gaten—”

Dustin jumped to his feet. “And I know that Gaten can play it. I get out my lute and start strumming and singing for my life.” He grinned. “Well, for Sadie’s life.”

Eddie grabbed his dice and nodded for Dustin to get his. “Roll high, my friend.” 

The boy grabbed his D20 and rolled it across the table. It bounced and landed on a sixteen. Eddie rolled his behind the screen, but he was able to honestly say that it beat his twelve. He only held a stern face at them for a moment longer, to make them worry. “Sadie twitches, her arms turn out at an odd angle, and then.... She wakes! And drops to the ground, unbroken.” 

“Oh, thank God,” Lucas said. The whole group relaxed. Eddie gave them a moment to regroup, and had Grant and Gareth rejoin the table. They described what else they’d learned from Sir Englund.

Tagging by request: @weirdandabsurd42, @10moonymhrivertam

[sortagaysortahigh]

I need to rant about an “opinion” I’ve just seen on twitter (which is why i do not participate in fandom twitter because jfc the takes are terrible) about stranger things, and more specifically Billy Hargrove. 

Yall...once again he is a RACIST. it is not a “hot take”, it is a fact, and any black person or person of color can literally see that. I do not give a shit what the Duffer brothers said, nor do I care what Dacre Montgomery or Joe Keery think/thought of the character, he is a racist and was literally written as a racist, to the point that they had to CHANGE ONE OF HIS LINES BECAUSE DACRE WOULDN’T SAY THE *ASSUMED* RACIAL SLUR?????, and instead substituting it with the whole “certain type of people” and blatant hatred/abuse of Lucas Sinclair in comparison to the rest of his friends/Max’s friends who are all lil white boys. He is canonically a racist, it is not a hot take to say he’s a racist, like girl??????? that’s not a hot take, that’s a fact. 

Racism isn’t just throwing slurs at people and hateful racially charged language, it goes way beyond that, and now, in 2023, I feel like we should be able to know and acknowledge that YOU HAVE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES SOMETIMES, especially when you don’t automatically register the red flags. Which does happen for some people because if you’ve never experienced any form of subtle racism, then yea you might not be able to register racism as racism, but eventually when people have been pointing this shit out for YEARS, you cannot sit here and continue to uphold the argument that Billy Hargrove wasn’t a racist. Let’s also take into account the fact that stranger things takes place in the 80s, and bitch racism was EVEN MORE COMMON THEN THAN IT IS NOW. Especially SUBTLE RACISM, through comments like “those kind of people” and increased amounts of aggression specifically towards specific racial or ethnic groups. Like let’s all be so fucking forreal.

You can love Dacre and think he’s the hottest mf on the planet if you want to, but sitting and defending Billy Hargove...and arguing that he’s not racist...girl bye.

[dusterson]

11, 12, 13 for the questions left unanswered mun edition (imtheircleric)

11 : What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to RPing?

Hmm. Honestly it's kind of hard to peeve me off in RP; not a whole lot of passive stuff i.e. writing style/skill or canon character portrayal gets on my nerves unless it's just outright illegible or moves nothing in the story we're writing together as RP partners. And even then I'm more likely to be driven to give advice than be annoyed. I guess when people just plop a ship on me. EspECIALLY when it's with my older characters, which is where it happens most often. I'll be writing one of my miserable grandpas with someone's younger character and I'll be like, "Aww I'm so happy my character has a son/daughter figure in their life :'D" and I kid you not they IMMEDIATELY will go "They should get together 8)" The kicker's when, if I agree, they go straight to the Smut. Don't even ask me, don't take no time to see what kind of dynamic they have in said relationship, just getting straight to the goddamn point. Don't spring intimate relationships on my characters. OH MAN and if someone does then gets mad at whatever kind of relationships my character's in (someone tried to smut my OC and then read his info and cHEWED ME OUT BECAUSE HE WAS POLYAMOROUS???), I'm out. I might also bite your face off, then I'm out.

12 : What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to the fandom you RP in?

NOBODY WRITIN WITH DOUBLES OF THE CANON THEY PLAYYY! It's a silly and pointless peeve I know, but I really really want Dustin to meet another Dustin and then they can COMMENCE

THE

CHAOS.

Ok but for a more serious one I would like to Complain and I am sorry ahead of time but I have a lot of Feelings about my boy.

Note, I enjoy Billy as a character, I really do. BECAUSE he's not a decent person!

And I. Love. Jason. And feel horribly bad for him.

He was written to be doomed from the start and condemned for doing what he thought was right. But Billy is a better person despite TRYING TO RUN OVER KIDS??? even if he didn't intend to actually hit, do you think Max knew that??? what if he’d messed up and HAD hit one or more of the kids? think you that risk crossed his mind? Clearly not long enough for him to think twice about traumatizing his little sister. also it's tOTALLY not racist for him to say "hanging out with THOSE KINDS OF PEOPLE--” or whatever like. didn’t dacre like, BEG the duffers to make billy LESS racist? in my books that intention’s still there and it was still pretty,, blatant to me that he didn’t like Lucas SPECIFICALLY.

Everyone saying they were frightened for Erica’s safety because he forced the door open? I getchya. I’d rather a door than a fuck-you-miles-per-hour vehicle. I can kick someone holding my door open. You don’t think she would have kneecapped Jason in the nads if he tried? Also he was in the middle of a psychotic breakdown and You Do Not Act Right during those. Y’all have no idea how upset I was that Jason didn't even get a respectful death. People are all like "duffers said 5 people died well that was a lie lol" INCORRECT. 5 PEOPLE DID DIE. They just didn't give a shit about them. They're both racist because THAT'S HOW THEY WERE RAISED and they were both traumatized teenagers but the one that's less forgivable is the one that was TRYING TO PROTECT HIS FRIENDS? TWO OF WHICH WERE BLACK? Also anyone else notice the cops broke the fucking law and didn't take down his statement which you're SUPPOSED TO DO NO MATTER HOW OUTLANDISH THE STATEMENT IS?? (Also anyone else notice how GODDAMN RIGHT JASON WAS EVEN THOUGH HE HAD ZERO! CLUE!! WHAT WAS HAPPENING!!!)

(Also he brought a gun because he was p sure he was going up against Satanists in the middle of summoning said goddamn-literally Satan. I’d fucking gear up like that if I thought someone could mutilate me just by looking at me. Did we all forget that he also saw that happen? Not just the blorbie morbson? He saw his best friend fucking die but hey you know)

Just. He wasn’t written to be a person. He was written to be an inconvenience that was swept under the rug-- ALSO I WANTED TO SEE A MOB. WHERE WAS MY HELLFIRE CLUB OUTRUNNING THE YUPPIES. If I don’t get more Satanic panic next season I’m mutineering.

So in conclusion: hypocritical interpretation and demonisation and/or woobifying. Keep it away from me. Keep my boy's name outta your mouth if you're gonna slander it then turn around and be all googoo eyed at the other, arguably shittier boy. Conclusion of conclusion: I love Jason and I will braid Billy's mullet. Also Jason was right to call Eddie out for harassing ppl in the cafeteria :P ok done being a bastard

13 : Who is your least favorite character in the fandom you RP in? List three admirable traits about them.

UHM. I love all of them, your honour. WAIT-- Except that lady Hopper slept with in season 1. CAN'T YOU TELL A BITCH BE DEPRESSED? give him a hug or smth don't nag him for the D and get huffy that he don't wanna give you the D 'cos a KID JUST WENT MISSING AND HIS FRIEND SUPPOSEDLY KILLED HIMSELF like jesus murphy No admirable traits no sympathy get outta jimbo's house

[two-sides-samecoin]

On the topic of actor opinion, I absolutely agree with what you guys said. People pick and choose what actors say and what they think is then canon. Like Natalia mentioned countless times that Nancy can be cruel but it gets ignored. Same with her saying Steve was Nancy's first love, while I personally also don't agree with that given how in the show Nancy emotionally cheated from the beginning, people also ignore her because it shatters their illusion that Steve was good to Nancy at one point, so much that he couldn't surpress her emotions for a year or so.

I also hate how Dacre denied in interviews that Billy was racist and that he simply was protective of Max. It just gave people an excuse to ignore the whole racism argument when it's clearly there in the show. They also ignore Caleb when he says Billy was racist towards Lucas. Like two actore two opinions what should you believe now? If you play a questionable character you should own up to it. I don't mind actors giving inside to their characters, I know Dacre fought hard to try to humanize Billy and he related to him on the abuse level but he shouldn't have downplayed Billy's obvious faults. You can acknowledge both. And I get why you're so anti Billy if his stans harassed you at one point. Like the other anon said there are extreme people on both sides. I've seen people wish death on others, calling them names just for liking Billy and the other way around. Both sides fuel this war which just escalates. You should be able to put your opinions on Billy in the tag, without getting harassed as an anti when you analyze his behavior. But because his stans get bullied and also harassed, they are extremely hostile towards anything negative even if it's written in a respectful way. This is just an observation I made the past few months. I had two friends being harassed by Billy stans who purposefully go in the anti tag to argue. But there are also Billy stans who keep it respectful. There should be a way to discuss his character in a way that's respectful. Like I find him interesting with how Billy reacts to abuse and what it does to him, while still being able to recognize his actions hurt other people and should be discussed as such.

sorry about the late answer. anyway yeah people really be picky about the actor interviews and it’s soo weird to me. ngl i don’t really know what natalia says about nancy cuz nancy isn’t a character i think that much about except when i’m discussing her with other people (also i don’t really watch those interviews) but yeah people just pick and choose.

honestly anything that dacre says about billy annoys me and it’s just him giving the advantage to billy stan’s despite him saying/going harmful shit. to me dacre is just weird about this whole thing. the fact that billy’s racism is just throw under the rug annoys me soo much especially cuz billy stan’s just always ignore that shit and when you bring it up they’re like ‘well his father was like that’ BUT BILLY IS THE ONE DOING THE ACTIONS ON SCREEN! like bro they need common sense and need to stop harassing people who don’t like billy (yes i’m glaring at that one person who purposely goes into anti billy tags and argues with people about billy’s horrible actions). lol typed this out before fully reading bjt yeahhhh exactly everything that you said! i never would go send hate to billy stan’s i’ve only lashed out when they’ve been mean to me like constantly replying in my posts about how billy wasn’t obviously going to run over the boys because what was he going to do leave their bodies there like he would have gotten caught and he had to think about getting arrested like it’s such a weird thing to say. yeahhh anyway point is people are so weird about billy and it’s just weird and annoying at this point

[why-what-no]

HI AGAINNNNN , i keep getting ideas in my head thats why ive sent more than one request in a week

but basically another billy hargrove x reader (ive been obsessing over dacre montgomery recently) i want it to be based off of the quote “i always thought u were the most beautiful girl ive ever seen” and i want u to make up everything else, let ur imagination take over fully, thats all ask, thank you so so much dude, and im sorry for only sending billy request rn but i appreciate it lots 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

Prom?

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Notes: Thanks for the request! I was getting bored today and was wishing for something to write. And don’t worry about only giving Billy request, I like writing them.

Prompt: “I always thought you were the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

The strobe lights above Billy were a pale imitation of ones at clubs in Cali or house parties thrown by kids with rich parents, he thought wryly.

It was his prom, and while he hadn’t ever really thought about what his prom would be like, he had always thought it would be in California. Not in Hawkins, in their little gym class with students dancing along to Top 100 music.

There was a red plastic cup in his hand, filled with spiked punch. He took sips every so often, standing to the side of the room and watching his peers bittersweetly celebrating the last days of their childhood. He, on the other hand, was just relieved for his education to be over.

“Billy!” Tina stumbled over to him, clearly having had too much of the punch. “You wanna dance?” She asked, smiling up at him.

“Didn’t you come with John?” He asked her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah. But he’s hanging out with the other guys. He won’t mind.”

Billy considered it, but… “Maybe later, Tina.”

He had planned to go to the prom alone for a while, reasoning that he could dance with more girls that way. (The fact that the girl he wanted to ask already had a date might have played a part in that as well). But now that he was here, he wasn’t really interested in any of the girls.

Well, except for one.

He saw her across the room, sitting at one of the tables. Alone, which surprised him. (Y/N) had mentioned to him that one of the guys on the basketball team had asked her out, so he had no idea why he was currently dancing with Tina and not with (Y/N). With her dress, makeup and hair done up all pretty, it was a surprise that her date wasn’t sitting with her all starstruck.

“Hey, sweetheart.” He sat down next to her, seeing the glum look on her face. “Not dancing with Daniel? Isn’t today supposed to be one of the best nights of your life or whatever?”

She scoffed. “Right back at you.” Sighing, she looked over at the jock. “He’s barely looked at me all night, I feel like it’s pretty clear he’s not interested in dancing.”

That surprised him, although not much. He knew what a dumbass prick Daniel was. In fact, it had taken all Billy’s self control not to tell her that when she had first told him she was going to prom with that guy.

“Well that’s pretty fucking stupid of him.” Billy said, a twinge of annoyance in his voice.

“You think that?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“Shit. Maybe I should’ve gone with you.” She looked around. “Who’s the lucky girl, anyway?”

“I’m here by myself. So, I guess the lucky girl is you.”

(Y/N) laughed, reaching over to take a sip of his drink. “I guess so.”

He just looked at her. “Were you serious? About going with me?” He finally asked, his tone less joking then before.

“What happened to going alone?”

“Well. In my defence, I would’ve asked you but Daniel got there first.”

(Y/N) looked up at him, shock in her eyes. “That’s not funny.” She told him.

“Wasn’t joking. I actually…” He paused, wondering if he was actually going to say what he was thinking. Fuck it, he thought, might as well. “I always thought you were the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” He told her honestly.

“Really?” She was starting to smile, but a hesitant look still in her eye.

“Of course.” All he wanted was for her to know that he meant it. “Listen, I know it might be a little late for this, but.” Billy grinned at her. “You wanna go to prom with me?”

(Y/N) smiled for real this time. “Sure.” She responded, taking the hand he offered her as he lead her to the dance floor. Both of them ignoring Daniel, who was starting to look a little regretful of his decisions over the evening as Tina went back to her date and he was left all alone.

[cityfccl]

Noah Schnapp x Fem!Reader

Pairings - Noah Schnapp/Fem!Reader, Noah Schnapp & Fem!Reader, Noah Schnapp & Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp & Millie Bobby Brown, Caleb McLaughlin/Sadie Sink, Sadie Sink & Millie Bobby Brown

WARNINGS: swearing, friends to lovers (that doesn’t need to be a warning but if there are picky people out there who give a shit then here it is), that’s it I think???

Prompts: “Love you” “Love you, too.” “No, like I actually love you.”

💛11:00 AM💛

Y/n went out to her car, ready for the hour drive she had because she was going to Millie’s house. She lives in a different town than Y/n, but Y/n was comfortable with driving and hour to see one of her best friends.

Millie was not her best best friend though. That spot was taken by Noah Cameron Schnapp. They have been friends since they were six, and when they found out they both had a part in Stranger Things, they got even closer. Until they found out they were playing each other’s love interests.

They were close enough to say that they love each other, but it was platonic, not in a romance type of way.

Millie always had a fun picnic after each season was finished. She’d have a big red and white checkered blanket in her garden with three picnic baskets full of food. The grapes were Y/n’s favorite. Somehow, Millie always had the best fruit.

Y/n turned her Spotify on while she drove the hour, and listened to Breezeblocks by Alt-J. She listened to other songs too, but for some reason, she loved Breezeblocks more. (If you haven’t heard of Alt-J, you should listen to their songs. Fitzpleasure and Breezeblocks are my favorite, hence the mention 😂)

💛12:15 AM💛

She arrived at Millie’s house a few minutes late because there was some traffic. She got out of her car and was immediately greeted by a great big bear hug by Noah.

“Wassup?!” He said as he almost tackled her to the ground.

“Oh my God! Don’t ever do that again!” Y/n yelled. Noah had an embarrassed and confused look. He always did that to Y/n when they met. “Kidding, kidding! Never stop doing that.” She laughed.

Noah breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you were either being serious or going crazy!”

They walked inside and were greeted by a loud hello from all of the cast. Y/n was apparently the last one there.

Millie was the first one to hug her. This time it wasn’t a bear hug. Sadie hugged her next. The boys just nodded and said “Hey” and continued snacking on the vegetable platter that was sitting on the counter.

“Well that was the biggest hello I’ve received all day!” Y/n said to the boys.

They knew not to mess with her because she could break your nose if she wanted. She did it to Dacre once. Only because he was making fun of her. But that’s still not a good excuse to breaking someone’s nose. (He was jokingly making fun of her, but she felt really bad after she did punch him.)

So, they got up and gave her a side hug and said a more enthusiastic hello and went back to eating.

“I love how they’re all scared of you because you broke Dacre’s nose.” Sadie said.

“Noah’s not scared of me, right Noah?” She asked. Noah didn’t respond, but instead looked down. “Noah!” She playfully hit his arm.

“I’m kidding!”

“Yeah, you better be.” The girls burst out into a fit of laughter, and once the boys saw, they questioned what was so funny.

“What’s so funny? Why’re you laughing?” They asked.

The girls stopped laughing. “Well, it’s not funny anymore.” Millie said.

“Guess you should’ve been listening.” Sadie picked up two picnic baskets that were sitting on the counter in the kitchen and walked outside. The boys followed.

“Really! What was so funny? we want to know.” Finn asked.

“We can’t really explain it now. You wouldn’t laugh at it. It’s lost its humor.” Y/n suggested. She really couldn’t explain what was so funny anymore.

💛2:00 PM💛

A few hours after they had eaten their food, they decided to watch a movie. Of course, Noah picked High School Musical which was quickly turned down, not without an impression of Zac Efron from Finn.

Y/n picked Stranger Things, for them to binge watch it in a celebration of finishing season 3.

💛10:30 PM💛

They finished season one when they decided to stop watching because they were all cringing at themselves, so they pulled out Uno.

Noah won the first two rounds, and Caleb won the third.

“I’ve gotta get home. I want at least six hours of sleep before my flight at two tomorrow.” Y/n had to go back to Y/h/t (your hometown) at two in the afternoon tomorrow from Georgia.

Millie was staying in Georgia for a few more months, Noah was going to California, Caleb was staying, Finn was going back to Canada, and Gaten was going on a a vacation in a few weeks to Italy.

“Here, let me ride with you so I can make sure you get home alright.” Noah said.

“Yeah sure. As long as it’s not a secret way to have a sleepover at my house.” Y/n laughed.

“Whaaaaat?! Pfft no…” Noah said sarcastically.

“No, it’s fine. You can have a sleepover whenever you want, but I have to leave at 12:45.”

“Damn, why so early?” Gaten asked.

“You know I have to be there early so I don’t accidentally miss my flight.”

“Good point.” Caleb added.

They all said their sorrowful goodbyes and Y/n and Noah walked out the door to her car.

“So, are you actually going to sleep over?” She asked.

“No, you’ve gotta get enough sleep. And if I know you, pack too.”

“True, true.”

They got in the car and drove off.

Once they arrived at Y/n’s house, she realized something. “How are you supposed to get home if you are riding in my car?”

“I’ll walk.” He answered.

“Uhm, no.”

“Uhm, yes.”

Y/n sighed and walked up to her door to unlock it. “Love you!”

“Love you, too!” Noah said and he started to walk off.

She stood there and spoke up again. “No, like I actually love you.”

He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Not like, platonically, right?”

“Not like platonically.”

He walked up to her and cupped the sides of her cheeks. “On a scale of one to ten, how mad would you be if I kissed you?”

“Negative thirty five.” She answered.

So he slowly put his lips on hers, and that was the start of a great relationship.

A/n: sorry I made Y/n such a bitch. I act like this and after writing a character like that, I’m embarrassed

[emzular]

Caleb Mcloughlin (a black actor who knows so much more about what is and isn’t racist than the majority white fandom) explicitly said Billy was racist (and that Jason was a better person) and the duffer brothers specifically wrote him as a racist villain (it’s really ok to write some characters as interesting VILLAINS that’s what character are made for it’s fiction) I just don’t understand what’s not clicking in the Billy fandom??

firstly, the duffers wrote him as a racist villain and then dacre had them make him not racist.

secondly, i didn’t know caleb had said this! and thats very interesting because billy’s actor has said he isn’t racist, so again i suppose that reinforces what i said in my other response. dacre, and the billy fandom don’t see him as racist because they see through the exterior, whereas poc do see him as racist and it’s intended to be that way. though maybe we wouldn’t be here if the duffers had just been clear on whether he was or wasn’t racist and didn’t give conflicting answers every time.

am very sad that caleb has focused on that aspect of billy but that’s his belief and i won’t tell sit here and say he’s not racist cos if that’s what caleb thinks then i can’t argue on that cos i’m not him.

but on jason being a better person than billy? that makes me laugh - jason went crazy on lucas and the entire town because he lost his girlfriend vs billy who was literally mind controlled and abused by his own father and the mind flayer so that’s just not true but 🤷‍♀️ if that’s what caleb thinks then that’s up to him, i love and respect caleb but i don’t agree with him about billy vs jason - one was a rich kid who lost his gf and the other was a literal abuse victim.

but yeah, i didn’t know caleb said any of this and it gen upsets me. but again, that’s calebs belief, i can’t say shit about that. and we fully accept billy is a villain. we just wish maybe they hadn’t made the villain the only relatable character for some of us.

[buddiebeginz]

This is exactly the kind of messed up stuff I keep seeing lately:

You can’t say you love Max and then not give two shits about how she feels. You can’t say you love Max and not understand her connection with Billy or why he’s important to her storyline.

Also you can see Billy as racist if you want but everything having to do with Billy and Lucas was definitely open for interpretation. Billy told Max to stay away from Lucas after she saw them arguing and her crying. And it makes sense to assume given Neil’s behavior and use of the word fag Neil was likely racist. Billy likely didn’t want Max near Lucas because he was a boy who upset her but more so he knew that his dad would beat the hell out of him (and not Max) if he found out what she was doing. When Billy went to the Byers place and grabbed Lucas I fully believe he would have done the exact same thing had it been Dustin he had seen Max spending time with. He was angry and hurting and taking out what his father did to him on Max, Lucas, and Steve. I don’t believe he was targeting Lucas because he was black.

There’s also the fact that Dacre even said he didn’t see him that way:

Which means he didn’t play the character that way. And while the Duffers said Billy was racist what matters is what was translated on screen and it is all very much open for interpretation. Everyone doesn’t have to see Billy or those scenes the same way. Stop trying to make people feel like shit because they don’t see a fictional tv show the exact same way you do.

And you know even if Billy had some racist ideas from his fucked up father he didn’t deserve to die. Especially not the way he did. I mean are all of you with problematic relatives ones who have ever said anything remotely racist, homophobic, misogynistic, etc also wishing for them to seriously death a horrible suffering death? I don’t understand this way of thinking that anyone who does or says anything hurtful or was brought up with the wrong ideas about things doesn’t deserve a chance to change.

How can you literally talk about getting enjoyment out of watching a teenager die an awful death? How can you say a person who suffered abuse their whole life and made some mistakes deserves to spend the afterlife suffering too? I honestly think some of you genuinely need to look at yourselves and your own lives because it feels like you’re projecting anger onto Billy that isn’t warranted.

[xaerais]

⠀⠀⠀⠀Billy Hargrove.

⠀⠀⠀⠀Let’s talk about him.

We’re gonna start this off with a 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚. This post will absolutely mention some dark && mature themes such as gun violence, racism, homophobia, narcissism, murder and abuse. Audience discretion is advised. Now let’s get into it.

For the longest time, I felt I couldn’t quite yet speak on this topic out of irrational fear of getting bullied or targeted over a fictional character. But now I’m at the point where if that does happen, at the end of the day, he’s still a fictional character and people are more than welcome to block me if they see fit. After all, this post is only for those who are willing to listen, have a conversation and keep an open mind. Thank you.

So, everyone knows that Dacre Montgomery’s character, Billy Hargrove, is an asshole. He was written to be that way in the rawest form, and it’s nothing new. He didn’t try to mask it—anyone could’ve guessed just by meeting him that he wasn’t exactly the friendliest guy to be around. And boy did a LOT of people start hating him for his horrible actions throughout the course of S2 of Stranger Things. All of which were completely valid, mind you. Most people only really seemed to like his character not because they particularly enjoyed the way he acted, but rather how “pretty” he was. And that’s about as far as any love for him went.

The hate, however, stemmed from the horrible things he said about the same girls he attended high school with to the blatant racism targeting a young Lucas Sinclair, threatening him and intimidating him to stay away from his younger step-sister, Max Mayfield. Then there was his abusive nature towards Max, herself, when the two had scenes together, displaying their very clear, very obvious dislike for one another.

Why would anyone like someone like that? Why would anyone forgive someone like that?

It made Sadie Sink’s character super relatable right off the bat for some people, and that’s purely what the writers wanted. After all, more often than not when a new character is introduced in a series as young as Stranger Things at the time, there’s bound to be some sort of hesitation from the fandom as far as acceptance goes. But there are too many people who live in tough family situations, that giving Max a shitty older brother made her seem like the perfect person to attach to because she made those of us in similar situations feel seen. Hence the intense love for Max, and the only evergrowing hate for Billy.

Furthermore, as someone who’s followed up with the show since 2017 ( the release year of S2 of Stranger things ) with every single season after the fact, I agree with many who strongly dislike Billy’s character, and saw how wrong his actions were. He shouldn’t be forgiven for them, regardless if it was the 80s, and regardless if that behavior was a lot more normalized than it is today ( although even now that’s a little up for debate, but that’s a different conversation entirely ).

But what I don’t particularly like is the plain and simple fact a lot of Billy haters out there like to cherry pick what they focus on in a character, bringing out only the problematic aspects of him specifically, and not his full character potential. Especially after the release of S3, which has been out for officially three years now since July 4th of 2019.

When I continue seeing Billy hate/slander today, it makes me wonder if people watched the same show that I did, or if they completely skipped S3 as a whole.

For starters, I’ve seen people claim things like,

“If that was your son, would you support him if he acted like that? Would you raise him to be that way? No, because it’s fucking disgusting.”

and...

“Billy is a racist and abusive piece of shit... be serious, not every white horrible man needs redemption.”

“Billy never cared about Max.”

“Did ya’ll not listen to Max’s monologue?” ( in reference to S4 ).

All of which I’m upset about because these claims, to put it plainly, downright don’t make ANY sense. The first quote, especially, because it just goes to show that some people straight up ignored Neil Hargrove.

Neil Hargove, played by Will Chase, made his appearance briefly at the end of S2. It was a confrontational matter between him and Montgomery’s character, asking about where Max may have disappeared to since it was late at night and her bedroom window was wide open with her nowhere to be seen. For context, Billy was supposed to watch over her while Neil and Susan, Max’s mother, went on a date. Billy claimed that Max was old enough and suggested she went to the arcade and that he didn’t feel the need to watch over her after apparently doing so all week, and Neil grew angry with him and that’s where it all went downhill. Here’s the scene below.

As we can see, Billy must’ve retained his abusive and homophobic nature from him. We later find out in S3 through Billy’s memories that he primarily grew up with his father after his mother abandoned him due to no longer being able to handle the abusive nature Billy’s father displayed. And for those who don’t remember that scene either, here it is below.

Neil Hargrove had a huge part to play in Billy’s actions now as an adult, and why he’s such a hateful person. So, to see people sit there and say that he actively chose to be that way, that’s... not entirely true. He has trauma of his own, and the best way any man of the 80s knew how to take that out, was through anger. And that’s what we saw between him and Max, and him and Lucas.

Referencing back to that quote, the answer is yes. Neil did, in fact, raise Billy to be that way through abuse.

Onto the second quote where it states Billy being an abusive, racist piece of shit not in need of any redemption—I both agree and disagree. We already know his actions for being abusive and racist were unacceptable. We no longer need to hear people tooting that horn over and over again. However, to say he didn’t deserve redemption goes to show how many people are willing to deny someone who’s hurting deep down the love and compassion they clearly need.

Billy was traumatized and abused by his father, hence why he’s become the abuser. Because in his eyes, that’s where power comes from. Holding fear over others, especially Max and Lucas, and proving to people that he’s the top dog since showing up in Hawkins. ( Cue the intense stare-down he had with Steve after beating his record as Keg King, and the comments he made to him during their basketball session back in S2 ).

But as we go further into S3, he completely loses all that power he had the second he became flayed. And damn near every scene we’ve seen him in after the fact, he’s always been crying. Now we don’t know for sure since it’s never been confirmed, but it could be safe to say he was aware and regretting every uncontrollable action he ever made after losing himself to the Mind Flayer. Automatically, those actions became quickly excused/dismissed by the fandom because at least they knew that much. That he wasn’t to blame for what he did.

But, that’s as far as that goes. Because despite all that, and despite his ultimate sacrifice in the end—this now ties into the third quote—there are still people out there preaching that Billy never cared about Max.

Clearly, a lot of people don’t understand how important that scene was between him and Eleven when she reminded him of his mother, how much he missed her, and how happy he was. It was the first time in a very long time, if at all, that someone finally understood him, and showed him affection he’s never had before since being a child. If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, here it is below.

Immediately after she temporarily breaks him free from the Mind Flayer’s control, he gets up and protects Eleven, Max and Mike from the Mind Flayer, sacrificing himself in the process and dying.

I don’t think someone who didn’t care about Max would go out of his way after being freed to save the three of them. But he did, and he died for it, and I’m sure he knew he would.

Furthermore, his last words to Max when it could’ve been anything else, was “I’m sorry.”

I firmly believe that he deserved a redemption arc because those two scenes right there proved to us as the audience that he did have a heart, and that it would’ve simply taken a little bit of effort to see it had he lived. I’m sure he would’ve been trauma bonded to Max, too, after the fact, and would’ve grown to care for her more as a little sister than some girl he feels he’s been forced to take care of since a young age. And Max who could’ve helped encourage him to stray from being such a terrible person like we knew him to be from S2.

Unfortunately, however, that’s not how things played out, so last but not least we push ourselves to S4 of Stranger Things, referring to Max’s letter to Billy and later her monologue in the season finale.

As we know, Max wrote several letters to several characters in Ep. 3 of S4 after figuring out she had been cursed by S4’s antagonist, Vecna. She even wrote a letter to Billy, and there was an entire episode named Dear Billy to focus on what she wrote in her letter to him before she was tormented by illusions of Billy thanks to Vecna’s curse.

In her letter, she talked about how since he’d been gone, life for her and their family had gone completely down the gutter. Neil left Susan and Max behind, Susan became overworked and an alcoholic, and she continued on with her letter saying she deeply regretted never attempting to save Billy or pull him away the night they fought the Mind Flayer. She even included wishing that if she had, they might’ve been able to have a real brother and sister relationship like she wanted. To start over and try to become good friends with him to achieve that.

Here’s what she says in her letter:

Max later adds on how she thought it might’ve been silly given they hated each other, but it goes to show she really did care about him in some way, and wanted to be a true little sister to him.

There are people, however, that choose to brush off what she said in this letter. Because somehow her monologue during the season finale suggests the exact opposite. How she wanted him dead for ruining her life, and that she remained hopeful it would happen. That she hesitated to run to him for that very reason. But it should go without saying that she didn’t really mean any of that.

Why?

Prior to her sitting down in the attic with Lucas at her side, she was calling out to Vecna. She was going to be the bait to lure him out so Steve, Robin and Nancy who were in the Upside Down at the time, could find their opening and kill Vecna once and for all per their plan. She was REPEATING what Vecna had said to her after reading Billy’s letter so she could draw his attention towards her. She manipulated Vecna just as she clearly manipulated a large portion of the audience with her monologue.

Let’s keep in mind that, again, Lucas was at her side. He heard the entirety of her “confession,” something that if she truly meant what she said, would’ve kept to herself exactly how she did with her letter to Billy. Both times, mind you, she knew she was going to potentially die.

It was a trap designed for Vecna, because otherwise, why wouldn’t she have included any of that in her letter to Billy in the first place? Especially when it was her sitting alone at his grave. That was a perfect time for a confession like that, but instead she wrote and talked about wishing she saved him. Not wished him dead.

This isn’t something that should have to be explained because it’s quite literally common sense at that point, but it’s there for people who didn’t understand and continue to bash both Billy and Max for it off of either side.

All in all, those were just a couple key points and huge examples of excuses I’ve seen so many people use when wanting to hate on and slander Billy.

And in no way am I trying to encourage people to love Billy after this post, because that’s not what I’m after. I more so want people to fully understand that he’s not as bad of a person as he’s often believed and depicted out to be. He was heavily traumatized and misguided, and S3 showed us he had the potential to be put back on the right path as a decent human being had he lived.

However, just a final note if some people do choose to continue to send hate, slander or paint Billy as a terrible person. I am gonna include a small list of some pretty terrible things SUPER LOVED/SYMPATHIZED characters of the series have done. And I fully expect said people to hate on them and keep the same energy for them, too.

⠀

⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗧𝗢𝗡

Slut shamed Nancy Wheeler.

Committed vandalism.

Publicly humiliated Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers.

⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡 𝗕𝗬𝗘𝗥𝗦

Committed candid.

⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀𝗝𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗩𝗘𝗥

Hunted after Eddie Munson, an innocent teenager, and got the whole town of Hawkins in on it.

Threatened one of Eddie’s bandmates, Gareth, to tell him where Eddie was. Nearly broke his hand knowing he was a drummer.

Threatened Nancy Wheeler.

Had his friend tackle an 11 y/o to the ground and threaten her.

Pulled a gun out on Lucas Sinclair and threatened his life. He also shot at him, then fought and nearly strangled him to death.

[memes-saved-me]

so i kind of want to go on a bit of a tangent about the whole billy is racist situation. Dacre has stated before that he did not play or make billy out as a racist but no one ever takes this into consideration? they never listen to him, the guy that literally acted as the character. If they think the scenes with him are racist that doesn’t automatically make them racist because it’s just what they think but it’s not what dacre intended them to be? they take their thoughts of the scene in the car with him and max and completely see it as whats presented on screen. they won’t even try to look into it deeper, billy’s words aren’t what they actually think they are. his way of thinking and talking makes a helluva lot more sense after we get to see the scene with him and his father and his flashbacks. Billy not trusting any guy he comes across makes a shit ton of sense as to why he’s so aggressive towards everyone. Knowing what Neil did to his mother and seeing Max coming out of school in s2 constantly annoyed or angry and it all being a result of interacting with lucas gives us then an indication as to why billy gave Max that car talk. He could’ve very well meant Black people if that’s what people want to think but that doesn’t mean that’s actually what it meant. It could have meant how he sees every man as neil and thus think every one of them will do the same thing neil did to his mother. The talk very-well could have meant for her to stay away from people like Neil. People who abuse their partners and go on to abuse their own children. He was scared for Max thinking if she got involved with Lucas she could end up the same as his mother or Susan. The byers situation yeah billy was definitely wrong by going for lucas, he never should have laid a hand on him. But people always seem to think he singled out lucas because of the colour of his skin. Billy has not seen Max interact with anyone else in the party, ever. There’s obviously something going on between Max and Lucas so why the hell would he bother going for the others when he knows Lucas is the one who’d been ‘bothering’ Max. People are free to think whatever they want to but it pisses me off when they don’t even bother delving deeper instead of just reading and watching what’s on screen and barely even bothering to listen to what’s actually being said. Billy antis point blank refuse to do any sort of reading or listening that might potentially shatter this image they have of him and i’m quite honestly tired of it. There are many points to counter theirs yet they cover their ears whenever we say them. It was never about the actual characters, it was never about “calling out billy” or defending lucas it was always about having a group of people in the fandom to bully and ridicule 24/7. It was always about having a punching bag in the fandom. They think it’s so funny sending death threats to innocent kids or just the people on the internet over liking a fictional character just because they don’t like them. It’s extremely worrying how they think it’s okay and acceptable to act the way they do simply because someone doesn’t tailor to their fucking expectations. It’s disgusting. + side rant: After s4 was released, they took a fraction of the hate us Billy fans get and redirected it towards Chrissy/Edissy/Grace and it’s fucking awful. No one should be told to off themselves over liking different characters regardless of how “bad” the character is. They think they’re fighting some weird hero-complex fuelling war whenever they talk about us it’s borderline deranged. Sorry this is so long btw

I honestly don't mind genuine criticism or call out posts for things we might be doing wrong or pointing out flaws in someone's logic is fine but jesus christ most of the hate comments and posts in the tags are so wrong about the harringrove fandom its insane. They come at us trying to tell us to do certain things we literally already do ffs

If you're gonna be a dickhead at least be correct

[stina-is-a-punk-rocker]

so i watched ‘the broken hearts gallery’...

Oh boy. Oh boy.

I want to be generous, I really do- for my baby Geraldine and my baby daddy Dacre, if no one else. I watched Blockers a while back, and anyone who’s been in my general vicinity for the last two months knows I have a hot, pulsating mega-boner for Stranger Things.

Two people I like as the leads of a movie? It’s bound to be great, right?

… Right?

I’m gonna be honest; I’m probably not the best audience for a rom-com. Grand gestures make me uncomfortable, and cheesy love confessions make me want to hurl. Myself. Into the fucking sun.

But I’m willing to overlook all that if the film is enjoyable (the first To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before movie is bottled sunshine and rainbows and unicorn farts). Which The Broken Hearts Gallery was… sort of. Moderately.

Maybe it’s the whole premise that didn’t work all that swimmingly for me. The first time I had my heart broken was on March 25th, 2015, when Zayn left One Direction; and I’ve hoarded plenty of trash memorabilia, from the first bus ticket I bought for myself to chocolate wrappers I got from my friends in the ninth grade. But I can’t imagine anyone else would be interested in my junk- and I’d definitely not give half a shit about anyone else’s.

Maybe this is why I’m a STEM major. I don’t get art people.

Secondhand embarrassment is an exquisite form of torture. Forget waterboarding; if someone replayed that part where Lucy storms into the bistro and makes a scene and Nick has to physically carry her out, I’d just keel over and die.

Geraldine did justice to what she’d been given. Lucy might not make it to my list of favorite leads, but she’s got a charm that kind of grows on you. Like a dandelion, sort of. Technically a weed, but nice enough.

Dacre’s acting came across quite stiff- even the way he walked as Nick seemed like he had a nail-studded baseball bat up his arse. If I’d first encountered Dacre in this movie, I’d’ve thought him in the league of Noah Centineo and whoever the fuck played Hardin in After. Thankfully, I know what he’s capable of (with great difficulty, I hold myself back from choking this with gifs from Stranger Things)- so this, my guy, is a prime example of Bad Writing- or, what I like to call, Who the Fuck Thought Normal People Talk and Act This Way.

Not all, but a decent amount of conversations felt stilted and awkward, and fairly cartoonish. Not to mention that ending, where everyone at the gallery becomes a fucking hivemind and chants… that’s just cult behavior.

[picture me flailing my arms wildly at this part] It’s just. No.

Also, not to be that asshole, but why on god’s green earth does Lucy take Nick to meet her mum? Why are there are so many retirement home scenes in YA?? This is YA, right???

And Nick just… casually plays the piano. Unprompted. Just… sits down and starts playing. Because people do that.

Circling back to my antipathy for grand gestures: how awkward would it have been if that sign Nick drags halfway across New York just flickers out and dies when he confesses? “I love you,” he says, and the thing just goes out. Poof. Just like that.

And this movie made me realize how fucking. much. I hate music montages.

That being said, The Broken Hearts Gallery was not devoid of merits.

I adored the characters, for one. Magpie Lucy was a bit too quirky at times, but Geraldine’s performance put her more to the cute side than the annoying one on the quirkiness scale. Marcos and his wife (… does she get a name? I called her ‘Obama lady’ in my head) and Jeff belong in my pocket.

The female friendships were wonderful. Gosh, I loved Nadine and Amanda (even though I called them ‘Lesbian Friend’ and ‘Psycho Friend’ for a solid 95% of the movie because I forgot their names haha oops), and I loved how they had more personality than other best friends in typical YA. Their dynamic was super sweet and lovable, and I adored them. Me. A heartless bastard. Maybe there is hope for me besides eternal damnation.

The actors had really good chemistry- despite Dacre’s less-than-stellar performance (please don’t attack me; I want the man to father my children- I’m only being this harsh on him because I know what he’s capable of and this was far from his full potential), him and Geraldine worked really well together, and made one of the few cishet couples in media that don’t make me want to put my head in a microwave.

I really liked the little callbacks to the beginning of the movie; Nick’s in the front seat and Lucy’s in the back seat when they first meet, but when they’re coming home from visiting Cheryl, they’re sitting next to each other.

And Jeff finally talking after being on his phone for nearly the entire runtime? That’s literally the cutest fucking thing ever. I love how enthusiastic he is over meerkats- tell me more about their itty-bitty little legs, you cinnamon roll, you.

And this scene. Just, this.

And I don’t want to go on for too long about Dacre’s voice, even though I probably am, but GOOD LORD the man could read a grocery list and I’d be on my knees. His gravelly voice is everything. Even though I had trouble understanding parts of what he’d said because of aforementioned gravel.

Was art gallery lady in Ugly Betty? I think art gallery lady was in Ugly Betty. It was nice to see an old white lady giving a young brown padawan advice, for a change.

Okay, I don’t know how to end this, so here are gifs of Dacre Montgomery from Stranger Things:

[onceuponastory]

Coming Back Home - Chapter Five: The Time of My Life

“So I'll tell you something This could be love, because I've had the time of my life No, I never felt this way before Yes I swear, it's the truth And I owe it all to you” - (i’ve had) the time of my life: bill medley and jennifer warnes (aka the song from dirty dancing)

Plot: Six years ago, Y/N left her hometown and all its bad memories behind, and never looked back. But now, she’s come back to be the maid of honour in her sister’s wedding. Returning ‘home’ means she has to confront her past, the last thing she wants to do. When she meets the handsome best man Nick, she feels more comfortable…until her sister asks her to show Nick around town…a town that Y/N fell out of love with a long time ago.

Can Y/N fall back in love with the town she left behind, and maybe find love of her own along the way? (based on prompt by @orphicodysseywrites​)

Tag List: @shinydixon​, @baker151910​ and @thesundrop​. Let me know if you want to be added!

Warnings: Some mentions of alcohol

Note: I’m so sorry this chapter took so long! I’ve been super busy during Christmas because I work retail, and when I got home, I was so drained and unmotivated to write something, but here we are! I hope y’all enjoy the emotional roller coaster this chapter will take you on ;) Also, this chapter has some parts told in Nick’s POV for the first and definitely not the last time

Read the other parts / Read this story on Wattpad!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Nick or his character! I just used Nick bc he’s the only character of Dacre’s that fits this prompt. Aside from Nick being in this, this fic has NOTHING to do with The Broken Hearts Gallery. But you should all see the movie if you can, because it’s adorable!

Later That Day

“How about this one?” Nick suggests. I scrunch my nose up. We were both trying to figure out what song to dance to at the wedding. Yes, we’ve left it late, but given everything that’s happened since we got here, can you blame us?

“Absolutely not.” Nick sighs. “What?”

"It’s a fun song! It’ll get people dancing.”

“Nick, even though we both look good, I don’t think dancing to Sexy and I Know It will be a good idea. Unless we want to give our great aunts a heart attack.” Sighing, Nick nods, crossing it off his list. “Now, I have made a playlist for this very occasion, so let me put it on...” I announce, crossing over to my phone.

“Of course you have. Katie’s told me about how many playlists you have Y/N. How many do you have now? Fifty?” Nick teases. Ignoring him, I hit play. Soon, the sounds of Waterloo by ABBA fills the room. Nick gives me a look. “ABBA? Seriously?”

“What do you mean, ‘seriously’ ?!” I ask. “They’re iconic! This song won them Eurovision!”

“That’s true, but no. No ABBA." I roll my eyes.

“No taste.” I shake my head. Ignoring me, Nick hits skip. The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing starts playing. Nick and I look at each other. My mouth drops open, and he raises an eyebrow. “What?! This song is iconic! This scene is iconic! Patrick Swayze is an incredible dancer in this scene!”

“That’s true. He’s a great dancer. But I’m not that good.” 

“I can’t judge that Nick, I’ve never seen you dance.” Nick laughs.

“That’s a good thing. You’ll see at the wedding.”

“Come on! Get some practice! Dance with me.” I urge, holding out my hands. “Please?!”

“Oh, no. Did you hear what I just said?” Ignoring him, I take his hand, gently leading him into the centre of the room. “Y/N. I’d only ever do something like this for you, but I’m telling you that I’m going to stand on your feet and you will regret ever asking me to dance with you.” He sighs, taking my other hand. I start dancing, whilst Nick stands there, awkwardly moving. 

“See! This isn’t so bad!” I smile. “I’ve had...the time of my life....” I start singing. Nick laughs. “I get to endure your dancing, and you get to endure my singing. It’s only fair.”

“Guess that’s true. In that case, I should dance properly.” Nick moves closer, places his hand around my waist, and takes my other hand in his. I gasp. Did not expect him to be so close. Nick twirls me under his arm. 

“I’veeee, had the time of my lifeeee...” I sing to myself. Nick laughs. “What? I know I’m not that good at singing, but this song is SO good, can you blame me?!”

“You’re not that bad.” Nick smiles, continuing to twirl and dance with me around the room. “Do you even remember the dance from this film?” He asks.

“Kinda? To be honest, all I remember is the lift. You don’t have to lift me by the way.” Nick frowns.

“I think...he dips her like this.” Nick mumbles, and before I can even do anything, he gently but effortlessly dips me. I let out a little squeal, and he quickly pulls me up, asking if I’m okay. Still breathless, I can’t even reply.

“For someone who says he can’t dance, you’re...really good.” I gasp eventually.

“Guess I’m full of surprises.” He grins. As the song draws to a close, Nick continues to hold me close. It was nice...really nice. I could stay like this forever. The music changes in the background behind us, but neither of us notice. “So...” Nick begins. “Which song do you think we should choose?”

“Well, if we pick this one, everyone will expect you to lift me.” He nods. 

“We could try if you want?” He asks, dropping his hands to my waist.

“No, no, no, no, no, NICK!” I squeal as he lifts me off of my feet. “I’m ticklish! No!” I start giggling and squirming, so much so that Nick drops me. As I fall, so does he, and he lands on top of me.

“You okay?” He asks, his voice husky. I nod, breathless. He moves some hair out of my face, gazing into my eyes. “Good.” He smiles. His face has never been so close to mine before. I can see little flecks of gold in his eyes. They’re beautiful...like he is. Nick sits up and gently helps me up onto my knees. “Sure you’re okay?” He asks, and I nod again. 

“Nick, it’s okay. Honestly. Thanks for today, though.” I smile, scooting over and hugging him. “Sorry you had to endure my singing though.”

“Sorry you had to endure my horrible dancing.” Nick replies. The two of us sit there for what feels like forever, but is probably just a few minutes, holding each other. Reluctantly, I pull apart.

“I better go. Katie wanted me to help finish up some of the stuff for the bachelorette party.” I announce, getting up and picking up my phone. “Bye, Nick.” I give him a small wave before walking out of the room. As soon as I’m out of his eyeshot, I lean against the wall and sigh. What is it with me these days? I had suddenly started to feel an intense desire to stay close to Nick, and spend as much time with him as possible...but gotten way more awkward at the same time. Sighing, I walk upstairs to meet Katie.

It’s probably nothing...right?

~~~

A Few Days Later: The First Night of the Bachelorette Party Weekend - 6 Days til the wedding.

“Okay, so this is the number for the hotel, even though you’re not meant to be texting or calling me....but I won’t tell!” Katie talks to Adam as I carry my suitcase towards the stairs. It’s finally here: the bachelorette party. Katie, the rest of the bridesmaids and I were travelling to a nearby town to go drinking and dancing. To save driving back to Saint Chase in the middle of the night, we were all staying in a local hotel. Sighing, I pull my suitcase towards the stairs, ready to walk down them one step at a time, whilst also trying to keep a hold on my other bags. I stifle a yawn. Since Katie and I were going down early to set up the hotel rooms, it meant we all had to get up super early, and I was nowhere near close to functioning. Not that I was usually, but today was worse.

“Need some help?” Nick asks suddenly, popping up behind me, causing me to jump and almost lose my balance. My suitcase is close to tumbling down the stairs, nearly taking me with it. But Nick holds his hands out and catches it as best as he can.

“Shit, Nick! You need to stop sneaking up on me like that!” I scold. Even though I liked seeing him, I did not like it if it meant a heart attack came along with it.

“Sorry, I just saw you were struggling, and I saw those stairs, so I thought I could help.” He shrugs. I sigh. I mean, he was right. I did need help.

“...Yeah, you’re right.” I nod. “Can you take these?” I ask, passing him most of my bags.

“God, what is IN these things?” Nick asks as he gets increasingly more laden down. “I thought you girls were only going away for the weekend?”

“Yup.” I nod, popping the p. “These bags have our sashes, some balloons, other accessories like the mini veil and tiara, headbands....the photo booth props....” I trail off when I notice Nick looking at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “Yeah, bachelorettes are intense. And Katie and I are going down early to set up, so I have to bring everything now. Hence...all this.” I gesture around with my free hand. “And this suitcase has our makeup, outfit changes, and spares, just in case.” Nick still looks horrified. 

“We’re just gonna stay here, play some video games and drink some beers.” He states, making me laugh.

“Welcome to the world of the bachelorette party, Nick. Trust me, I was the same when I first started planning. Now...I am the master.” I strike a pose, and Nick laughs. “And besides, if you think this is bad, wait till you see our stuff for the day of the wedding.” Nick’s eyes go wide again, making me laugh. Nick helps me down the stairs with everything, and he and Adam help Katie and I pack the car full of our things.

“Okay, that’s us all loaded up! Bye, handsome.” Katie tells Adam, pulling him into a kiss, whilst Nick and I stand around slightly awkwardly. 

“Well, uh...have fun. Be sure to...show me pictures?” 

“Only if you show me some from the bachelor party too.” Nick nods. “Well...bye Nick.” I smile, giving him a small wave and walking towards the car. 

“Y/N, wait!” He calls, and I turn around. He walks up to me and gently takes my hands in his. I immediately feel shivers up my arms. Nick speaks again, his voice now hushed. “If you have a nightmare again, or if you need someone to talk to, give me a call, alright? Doesn’t matter how early or late it is. I want you to know I’ll always be there for you.” I feel tears rising in my eyes all over again.

“Nick...are you sure?”

“Positive.” He pulls me into a hug before I can even react. “Have a fun weekend.” He whispers, squeezing me so tightly that I swear my heart stops. In a good way, though. Nick and I pull apart, and as I gaze into his blue eyes, I realise that I don’t want to go. Even though I knew I had to support my sister, and I knew I did want to go....a stronger part of me just wanted to stay and hang out with Nick.

“Come on, Y/N!” Katie orders. “We need to go if we’re going to have any chance of setting up before the girls arrive!” Blushing slightly, I turn back to Nick. 

“Bye Nick.” I smile. He wishes me goodbye, and I get into the car besides Katie. The two of us wave as we pull out of the driveway, Nick and Adam waving us goodbye as we go. As the house fades out of view, the feeling from before, the desire to stay, returns. I try and ignore it, but it’s intense. “What is wrong with me?!” I think to myself. Whatever it is, I better forget it soon, or I’ll be thinking about Nick for the whole night.

~~~

That Night

Pushing open the door to the karaoke bar, the six of us walk in. 

“YAAAAAY! KARAOKE!” Katie calls, slightly tipsy already.

“I cannot believe you’ve talked me into this. I’m not even that drunk or a good singer!” I hiss. I know I’ve already sung in front of Nick, but this was different. I was comfortable with Nick, but there were people here. People who could hear me. People who I don’t know.

“Come on, Y/N! It’ll be fun! And don’t you worry, once you get some more shots in you, you’ll be right up on that stage.” Sam grins. Sam was another member of Katie’s bridal party. Altogether, there was me, Caroline, Sam, Sam’s wife Vanessa, and Katie’s college roommate Brooke. I was so thankful that Katie has such a small bridal party. It makes my life so much easier. 

“And besides, you don’t have to be a good singer...to be honest, most people aren’t.” Brooke smiles.

“If you say so....” I mumble. The group of us sit in a booth and order some drinks to get started. I’m going to need a lot more of these to get through this karaoke. If they think I’ll be up on that stage, they have another thing coming.

~~~

Two Hours Later

“Cause tonight for the first time....just about half-past ten....for the first time, in HISTORY....it’s gonna start raining meeeeeen!” I sing into the microphone. The girls cheer from the table. “IT’S RAINING MEN!” Brooke and I both sing/shout into the microphone, our arms around each other.

“I mean we’re gay but yessss!!! Love that!” Vanessa and Sam shout. It turns out it only takes a few more wines to get me up on the stage. Who knew? Brooke and I continue the song and finish to thunderous applause, mostly from the rest of the girls. 

“You’re right!! That was so fun!!!!” I grin, jumping up and down. “I’m sorry for doubting youuuuu.” I pull Brooke into a hug, which she returns. The two of us sit back down at the table. “Katie! Katie! Did you see me?!” I ask. “Wasn’t I good?! Can you believe....Nick had the cheek to say I wasn’t that bad. I’m a star in the making.”

“Who’s Nick?” Sam asks. 

“Well. He’s Adam’s best man. And he is cute as hell.” I grin. Fumbling with my phone, I open instagram to Nick’s profile. “SEE?!” I exclaim, showing them my phone screen. 

“Babeeee, your thumb’s in the way.” Katie tells me, trying to swat it out of the way. I move it, and soon a chorus of ‘awwws’ and ‘wows’ fills the air. 

“You’re right, he’s gorgeous!” Brooke nods. 

“Right? I wish he could see me now. I’m so hot.” The girls agree. “Wait. Katie...I have an idea.”

~~~

A Few Hours Later

Nick’s POV

Yawning, I put my phone on charge and place it on the nightstand. The boys and I had had a fun night together, but I was exhausted, so I decided to go to bed. As I close the curtains, I hear my phone start buzzing on the nightstand. I pick it up, and a bunch of text notifications from Katie pop up on the screen. Chuckling to myself, I open the texts. If I know anything about Katie, I know she’ll most likely be drunk by this point. A picture of Y/N flashes up on the screen, accompanied by a text saying: 

“LOOK HOW GORGEOUSSSSS MY SISTER LOOKS!!!!!!! BET YOU MISS HER, HUH?!” and about a million emojis. I tap on the picture of Y/N, enlarging it. Katie obviously took it whilst she was getting ready, unbeknownst to Y/N. She’s smiling as she applies her makeup, and is looking over at one of the bridesmaids, probably laughing at a joke or something. I smile. She looks so...natural? I’ve been so used to seeing Y/N being fake happy to appease either myself or her sister, and seeing her naturally, with a big smile on her face, not knowing anybody’s watching or taking her photo...she looks beautiful. I mean, she always looks gorgeous, but this time...she looked even more gorgeous. Radiant even. I didn’t even know that was possible. And Katie was right. I do miss her. It was crazy, I’ve only known her for two weeks at this point, but she was quickly becoming someone I cared about, and someone I wanted to see after the wedding. I mean, we had almost kissed...which I initiated...and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t wished that we had kissed. I don’t think I’ll be forgetting her that quickly. 

I scroll down, and notice a video, which Katie has helpfully captioned with “4 u ;)” I hit play. Y/N Is standing by a karaoke machine, wearing a black sequined jumpsuit, a pink maid of honour sash, and a tiara. She looks great.

“This is for youuuu Nick!” She calls, sounding pretty drunk, pointing directly into the camera. The music starts playing, and I start laughing as soon as I recognise it. It’s Dancing Queen by ABBA. Of course. Y/N immediately starts singing and dancing around the stage. She told me earlier on she couldn’t sing, but she was actually pretty good. I find myself softly singing along as she sings. Soon, the song ends, and she takes a bow to thunderous applause from the bar. She comes running up to Katie’s phone. “Were you filmin?” She asks, before looking right into the camera. “NICK! I hope you enjoyed that, even though you have NO TASTE!!! See you on Sunday!” She blows a kiss to the camera, making me smile. “...Oooh is that more champagne?” She asks, immediately walking away, making me laugh. I type out a text to Katie:

“You’re right. She does look gorgeous. Tell her I enjoyed the song. Enjoy the rest of your night girls x” I put my phone back on the nightstand and get into bed. Sighing, I look up at the ceiling. What is it with me? Y/N has been occupying my thoughts ever since she and Katie left, and I have no idea why. “You know why, you idiot.” Part of me tells myself. “It’s because you like her.” No, that can’t be it...can it? I mean, I had almost kissed her. Oh shit. Maybe I did like her. I prop myself up on my elbow and pick up my phone again. I start scrolling through my photos from the past two weeks. Y/N’s in almost every one. I feel butterflies within as I see her face smiling back at me. Oh god. I think I do like her. But there’s no way she feels the same. 

~~~

The Next Morning

Y/N’s POV

Groaning, I sit up in bed. My head is starting to pound. Getting out of bed, worming my way around the pairs of heels and accessories left on the floor, I walk into the bathroom, gasping when I see myself in the mirror. My mascara is running, my eyeshadow is smudged, and there is glitter all over my face. Sighing, I get undressed and hop in the shower, letting everything wash away with all the soapy water. Once I’m out, I hear Katie’s voice from the other side of the door, and she frantically knocks. 

“Y/N! Y/N! Are you in there?!” She asks. I open the door and see her shocked face on the other side. 

“What? Do you need to puke?” I ask, standing aside.

“NO! LOOK!” She thrusts her phone at me. I take it and look down at it. It’s displaying her texts to Nick. 

“You sent him the video of me singing karaoke?!” I exclaim. Katie frowns. 

“You told me to? And no! I don’t mean that!!” She snatches her phone back and scrolls down. “Look what Nick sent!” She orders. Taking the phone back, I read the message.

“You’re right. She does look gorgeous.” I immediately block out the rest of the message. Those words replay in my mind. Nick....thinks I look gorgeous? Katie is staring at me, clearly waiting on my response...but I can’t think of anything to say. My mind and my heart feel like they’re racing at 100 miles per hour. I mean, it’s not like he outright admitted he was in love with me or anything...but in a way...he kind of did? Holy shit. I don’t even know how I feel about him. I mean, we have almost kissed already, but that doesn’t mean anything, does it? Who am I kidding, of course it means something. It means that I must like him too, or I wouldn’t have almost kissed him. My mind immediately flashes back to the times people thought Nick and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, or telling us we would make a cute couple, how I didn’t want to leave Nick for this weekend...and realisation dawns on me. The reason why I liked being told that, and why I enjoyed being with Nick...is because I wanted it. Do I...like Nick? As in...like, like? ...I think I might?

“Y/N...are you okay?” Katie asks. “You’re kinda spaced out.”

“Yeah, I’m wonderful.” I lie. I feel like my world has been turned upside down, or like the rug has been pulled out from under me, and I might collapse at any moment. Katie raises an eyebrow.

“Y/N...you promised me that if something’s going on, you’d tell me what it was. I can tell something’s up, and I want to know what. Please? You’re my sister. I want to know if something’s bothering you.” She reminds me, and I sigh.

“Fine. We’ll go for some coffee before brunch, and I’ll tell you. Now, will you PLEASE let me get dressed in peace?!”

~~~

Later

I take a sip of my coffee, letting it soothe me and my slowly developing hangover. Katie sits across from me, looking expectantly as she waits on me admitting what’s been going on with me...that I think I have a crush on Nick. Sighing, I meet her gaze...and start telling her everything. How close we’ve grown, how everyone we’ve met thinks we’d be cute together, our almost kiss, how excited I was to see him again, and...how I think I’m falling for him. When I’ve stopped, Katie stares at me silently for what feels like an eternity. I knew she’d need some time to process this...but not this long. “Uh...Katie?” I start, and she immediately cuts me off.

“I KNEW IT!” She gasps, letting out a squeal that makes some of the people in the coffee shop stare. I flush pink, but she doesn’t even notice. “God Y/N, I thought it was going to be something worse than this.” She admits. She sees my pink face and continues. “Y/N. A few days ago, I told you that I’ve seen how happy he makes you, and how it’s like when Adam and I first met. It’s SO OBVIOUS that you like him. Actually...” She giggles, stopping only to take a drink of her coffee. “I didn’t tell you, but last night you were talking about him all the time. Like for the whole night. I think the rest of the girls were too drunk to notice, but I wasn’t. Every five minutes, it was ‘do you think Nick would like this?’ ‘Nick said this...’ ‘Nick said that...’ ‘He’s so cute!’ ‘I want Nick to know how cute I look tonight!’ And now, he does! All thanks to me.” She grins triumphantly. “But seriously Y/N. It’s so obvious. To be honest, I knew that you probably liked him from that first meal in the diner, when you kicked me in the shin.”

“Sorry about that by the way.”

“No, no, don’t be silly! It’s fine. You did that every time I almost spilled your crushes to Grandma. I know you too well. BUT, I did NOT know about this almost kiss though!!!” She squeals again, thankfully quieter this time. “My sister’s getting with the best man!” I quickly shush her.

“No! Nick cannot know. At least, not yet.” She frowns at me. “For one, I have no idea if he even likes me in that way, and second, I am not doing anything to jeopardise your wedding.” Katie scoffs.

“Who cares about my wedding?! My big sister’s finally found the one!” 

“Okay, that’s a bit much, I don’t even know if-”

“Oh, please. I have a feeling that he likes you too, and that you two will be happy for many years to come.” She taps the side of her head as if she’s made a breakthrough, before going back to her coffee. “So...when are you gonna tell him?”

“Katie, did you not hear what I just said? I’m not going to. At least not yet. I do want to know if he likes me back, but I don’t want to take away from your wedding.” She reaches over and takes my hand. 

“Y/N. As your little sister and the bride, you have my blessing to declare your feelings to Nick before my wedding. Seriously. It’s okay. I just want you to be happy.” I smile.

“Thanks sis.” I sigh. She gets down off her seat and hugs me.

“I love you.” She whispers.

“I love you too.”

“...Oh by the way, when I said ‘who cares about my wedding?’ Yeah, well I still care about it. Even though you have my blessing, please don’t let anything go wrong.” I chuckle.

“I won’t. I promise.”

~~~

The Next Day: Sunday - 5 Days til the Wedding

Nick’s POV

Adam’s practically bouncing on his heels as the two of us wait on Katie and Y/N coming back from the bachelorette party. It was cute, though. I had seen his relationship with Katie grow over the years, and was honoured they asked me to be part of their special day. It was so clear how much they loved each other. 

“Dude, calm down.” I smile. “They’ll be here soon.”

“Sorry.” He blushes. “I’ve just been missing Katie, and it’s so close to the wedding now, I’m just...I’m excited to be her husband! I’ll try and calm down.” I smile.

“It’s okay. I just don’t want Katie to come home and find out her fiancé got so excited I had to scrape his body off of the ceiling.” Adam and I laugh.

“So...how about you and Y/N, huh? You excited to see her again?” I nod. Of course I was. “And then you two can finally have that talk.” I frown, looking at him. Did he...did he know? “Oh please, Nick. I’ve seen the way you talk about her. You don’t make it very subtle. You like her, don’t you?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively.

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Not as a friend, as in...that way.” 

“How did you know?” I ask, not even trying to deny it. He chuckles. 

“It’s pretty obvious dude. Both Katie and I have noticed.” Before I can even say anything, he holds his hands up, stopping me. “Don’t worry. Katie and I don’t mind if you and Y/N get together. We just want you both to be happy.” I stand there in silence for a while, not knowing what to say. I mean, he was right, of course...and he gave me his blessing to be with Y/N if it came to that, so what was the issue? Well, of course, she might not like me back...but it was worth a try. “Are you going to talk to her?” Adam asks, looking at me expectantly. 

“...I guess?” I say before even thinking about it. Adam grins and pulls me into a hug. 

“Good luck.” He smiles. Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? Oh right, everything. Soon after, we hear a car pulling up to the house, and we open the door to see the girls getting out and unloading their suitcases and bags. My stomach twists into knots. Katie and Adam spot each other and immediately run into each other’s arms. Walking past them, Y/N walks into the house, standing in the doorway. 

“Hey, Nick.” She smiles softly. The sun behind her illuminates her hair, backlighting her in a golden glow. God, she’s gorgeous. 

“Uh...Hi!” I gasp, quickly realising I hadn’t replied to her. The two of us stand awkwardly silent for a few moments.

“WELL uh, I think I’m going to take these upstairs.” Y/N suddenly announces, making her way towards the stairs. 

“Need a hand?” 

“No! I mean uh...no, I’ll be fine. Thanks Nick.” She walks upstairs, leaving me frowning in the hallway. Why is she being so weird? You don’t think she...oh no. Does she know? Does she know that I think I like her? Does she not feel the same? Oh god, she doesn’t. That’s why she’s so awkward around me. Well, more so than usual. Katie walks into the house and gives me a hug. She winks at me as she also heads upstairs, confusing me even more. What is going on with those two? Sighing, I decide to make us all some tea. As I sit in the living room, drinking my cup, Y/N comes and sits beside me on the couch. “Oh! Thanks, Nick.” She smiles, taking a cup of tea. “So...did you have a nice weekend without us?” She asks. No. I missed you too much. I want to say, but instead, I say:

“Yeah! It was good. We just played some video games.” I immediately curse myself for saying I had a good weekend without her. Now she’ll think I hate her. However, Y/N smiles at that.

“That’s good. Katie told me you saw my karaoke video. Did you like it?” 

“Yeah, I did. You know, you told me you couldn’t sing, but you’re good.” She laughs.

“I don’t think so, but thanks Nick.” She smiles. She glances up as Katie and Adam walk into the room. “I need to talk to you later.” She whispers, before greeting them both. My stomach starts twisting again. Oh god, she’s going to tell me that she doesn’t feel the same, isn’t she? Dammit. Why do I always fall too hard for a girl then end up disappointed? Katie and Adam continue talking to us both, too caught up in the excitement of seeing each other again even to notice how silent Y/N and I are. The atmosphere is shattered by the sound of a car pulling up outside. The four of us look at each other, clearly confused. Nobody else is meant to be staying here now, just us four...so who’s that?

“Did one of your groomsmen forget something?” Y/N asks. Adam and I shake our heads. “And it’s not one of us, because they’re staying in the local hotel, right, Katie?” Katie huffs. 

“It better not be one of them, because I TOLD THEM this house didn’t have enough room for anyone other than us.” A knock sounds at the door. Huffing again, Katie gets up. “Let me handle this.” She sighs. “If it’s our flower vendors, I swear to god, I told them to deliver stuff to the VENUE, NOT HERE.” We hear her voice disappearing down the hallway, and the three of us go back to our tea, expecting Katie to reappear moments later with a quick explanation. Sure enough, we soon hear: “What are YOU doing here?!” Y/N places her cup down and gets up.

“I’ll help her deal with this. Don’t want any issues, like last time.” She gives me a knowing look, and I chuckle lightly. Adam and I go back to scrolling through our phones and drinking tea, until the sound of “Oh, my GOD!” cuts through the air. Frowning, Adam and I look at each other. That was Y/N’s voice. The two of us get up and walk towards the front door. A man stands in the doorway, looking at Y/N and Katie. He hasn’t noticed us yet. Y/N is holding Katie’s hand, clearly squeezing it for dear life, but neither of them says anything. Either to us, the man or each other. Their faces are pale. The man looks over at Adam and I. 

“Ah! Hello there! Now, which of you is the groom?” He asks. 

“Um, I am?” Adam frowns. The man smiles.

“I see! Wonderful to meet you!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but who are you? Can we help you?” I ask. The man chuckles.

“Of course! Where are my manners?!” He asks. “I’m Robert Miller.” He gestures over at the girls, still ghostly pale. “And these two lovely ladies...are my daughters.”

[skorpiamynx]

TV Show Thoughts 2

Stranger Things

Why is there such a harsh line between what is deemed acceptable as canon and what is okay it ignore or rewrite into your preferred version of a show, movie, or character. People latch onto characters for a wide variety of reasons and no one needs to justify them to anyone else if they don’t want to. Liking a character does not mean the person is at all like them, shares their views, or supports their actions.

I used to be a fanfiction writer (maybe one day I’ll get back into it?) and I have always found myself drawn to the more fucked up characters. Whenever I would write them, I chose to change things I didn’t like about their story in canon. Lots of people do this and I wholeheartedly encourage it.

Why is it so common and encouraged to ignore canon sexuality, relationships, gender, and even deaths, for our favorite characters? Why when a character makes serious mistakes or canonically have bad views on the world, others, or any myriad of things, are we just supposed to except it and feel like shit every time we find ourselves sympathizing or loving?

I know that the Duffers said that canonically, Billy is r*cist and if you listen to that then you can view his actions in that way and that is fine. I’m not going to try to change how you view him but you should not try to change how I or others view or feel about him.

When I first saw the arm-grab-“stay-away” scene, I immediately got angry and I thought the same thing. By the end of season two, I changed my mind and went back to the scene to see if what I was beginning to think could fit.

The first time Billy sees Lucas, Max and Lucas are loudly arguing – including Max exclaiming “You treat me like garbage!” – and Max is clearly upset when she gets to the car. A minute later, we see that Billy obviously saw the whole interaction.

Stop here if you simply want to go with what the Duffers said and move on, that is perfectly okay. If you want to go more with what Dacre said, keep reading.

Later in season 2 we see what is probably(?) just a small glimpse of how Billy’s father abuses him. In season 3, when El goes through Billy’s memories, we see that the abuse actually started with his mother and then turned on him when she left (which I personally find just as fucked up as what Neil does or Susan does).

After seeing his father abuse his mother, and seeing how quickly and easily it turned onto him, Billy probably, like a lot of abuse victims, keeps an eye out for people he thinks will be like Neil, whether it be in his own life or the people he cares about.

A lot of abuse starts with yelling and escalates to physical violence, which is what we see when Neil confronts Billy in season 2.

Even if all we hear for season 2 is how Max is not Billy’s sister, in season 3 it is revealed that they’ve actually lived together for a while before moving to Hawkins. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Max is Billy’s sister and he is protective of her. Any protective older sibling would look at the argument with Lucas and Max and instantly take their sibling’s side. And an abuse victim, who in most fans’ eyes at least has probably worried about Neil turning on Max or Susan at least once, would immediately get defensive and overly protective.

I personally think that (outside canon) you can argue that Billy didn’t give a shit who Lucas was, only that he clearly upset Max and that’s that. After that, Billy’s view of Lucas is practically set in stone and he will do whatever he can to keep her safe, even if the threat is all in his head.

This carries over into when he gets into a fight with Steve at the Byers’s house. Yes, he did go overboard with Steve and I will not try to justify that, other than saying that Billy was not seeing Steve in that moment and I think we all know that.

But the whole situation was 100% sketchy from an outsider, which Billy was, point of view. A bunch of kids alone in a house with an older teen – with quite a reputation that Billy himself set out to take over – is fucking weird by anyone’s standards. And Max being the only girl there makes the whole thing a lot worse – especially by ‘80s standards. Any big brother would think the worst instantly and get pissed off. And if you take away knowing the other boys are there, it’s a significantly older teen and a young girl alone in the woods. Fuck off if you honestly find nothing wrong with that. Billy is already on edge when he gets to the Byers house, he and Steve don’t have a great relationship (I absolutely do not ship Harringrove), and Billy already has a negative view of at least one of the other boys in the house with Max. Is it starting to make sense? I don’t know how much more I can explain this. Bottom line, if you just want to think Billy is r*cist and go on with your life, that’s okay. If you’re like me and you want to ignore canon and see things a little differently, that’s good, too. Either way do not shame or attack other fans or Dacre for their views of Billy. It’s a fictional character. It’s a fictional show. We’re all fans, that’s all that matters. 

[yikesharringrove]

Drabble

So @xgardensinspace and I were talking about Billy becoming part of the party and my brain went OFF with a concept sooo in the spirit of This Post I made abt Billy and one of the Childs, and inspired by our convo and what Dacre has said about his own life, I present:

Dustin doesn’t really know how or when Billy became part of the party,, but one day he just Was and now Dustin guesses it isn’t the worst thing in the world, when Billy may just have the advice he needs.

He finds him smoking out on the porch, and sits down next to him and says he needs advice. Advice about girls. Billy laughs for a second, inhales and admits he may not be the best person for That Job, but can see the kid needs some help so he grits his teeth and says, sure why the fuck not.

Dustin gets this Look, and asks Billy, why Max would choose Lucas over him. He followed all of Steve’s advice and he doesn’t Get It. I mean what is so wrong with him that he keeps getting rejected and the kids in his class keep fucking PICKING ON HIM AND-

Billy has no fucking idea what to do so he just kinda, hugs the kid. He tells him there is NOTHING wrong with him. And honestly, don’t follow Steve’s girl advice that’s how to bag a chick for like a night not for like a relationship and besides, when he said all that shit he was hurting and for how much he’s become better, nicer, more caring, he still has that beautiful streak of douchebag that Billy is just OBSESSED with whenever he sees it and- whatever that’s not the point.

The point IS,, he sighs. He can’t BELIEVE this kid is going to get a look behind this fucking curtain. He tells Dustin that he gets it, he REALLY does. Before puberty Billy was a big kid. He got picked on, a lot. Like, A LOT. He had all this hair and he didn’t know what to do with it and he was always reading, and not cool shit, he was reading like, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit, and like, X-Men and shit. It wasn’t until he lost his baby weight when puberty hit and he figured out how to do his hair (Thank you Dee Snider for the Curlspiration) and all of a sudden, people were nice? to? him? The girls started fawning over him and the boys stopped picking on him so he, he leaned into it.

He worked out, joined sports, lost weight, learned how to wink properly, how to lick his lips all slow like, how to get close to girls and flex just right to get what he needs. He hid his brains and his books under layers of thick muscle, manicured facial hair, and wailing fists. He learned that being beautiful gets you FAR in life and that’s, that’s okay but kid-

He feels like a piece of fucking meat.

No one cares about him. Girls melt when he looks at them, and sure, he can get them into a diner booth or a movie theatre seat or a bed REAL easy, but nobody gives a shit about what he wants, what he likes, (the fact that he couldn’t give less of a fuck about Girls). He uses them (for fun, for image, for information (Thanks Mrs. Wheeler-Karen)) but they use him right back (for fun, for image, to feel something (seriously Karen get a fucking life and quit flirting with a CHILD)).

And besides, he had to change EVERYTHING about himself to get to where he is now, and he’s not that fucking happy honestly. He hides everything about himself. From his stash of books and comics, to his god damn sexuality, he feels like a fraud.

Maybe he shouldn’t have word vomitted all that to this kid though, this kid who is looking at him with TOO MANY emotions to decipher and somehting like trust?

The fuck?

But Billy, Billy has a point, and by God, he’s gonna reach it. So he takes another drag and puts out his cigarette and tells the kid, yeah its cheesey as fuck, but don’t. change. One day you’re not going to recognize yourself and you’re going to wish you were a chubby little nerd with too much hair and not enough brain-to-mouth filter and realize that you don’t even like who you are. And it’s all for nothing because one day, you’ll meet someone, someone who sees right through all the bullshit and loves you for the chubby little nerd with too much hair and not enough brain-to-mouth filter you once were, still are.

So hang in there kid, he says to him. The kids are gonna suck for a bit, the girls are gonna suck for a bit, but one day, you’ll meet the right person. And if you’re very lucky, you won’t have beaten them up before you even got a chance to tell them that you love them. If you’re lucky, you won’t have had to put your ass on the line to earn their trust. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a heart too big for their own good and forgive you anyway.

Dustin and Billy head back inside, both feeling a little less like they’re carrying too much weight on their shoulders, and in his brain, Dustin forgives Max for not picking him. He knows he didn’t go about it in the right way. And that’s okay. He’ll grow up, he’ll figure himself out, and maybe he’ll meet someone that loves him like Steve and Billy love one another.

And of course Steve hears everything. And of course Steve cries.

[mrs-evadne-cake]

I love your insights of the show! Thoughts on Billy? Do you think in the case he survived, he could have been part of the Party, the Scoops Troop or the Monster Hunting trio? Also, in which family situation would be Max on season 4? The writers will touch the matter she's still living with abusive parents and was left with unsolved feelings overall?

Hi Anon! Thank you so much, that’s really nice to hear!

In order to try to uphold my reputation as a straight shooter I will preface this with the fact that I truly viscerally, despise Billy and consider the idea that you naturally love or should forgive someone for truly horrible behavior on the basis of them being family, or that he was probably secretly a good brother to Max despite literally everything we see being contrary to that to be legitimately concerning.

That said- I DIDN’T hate Billy as a character in S2- I mean, I did hate him obviously because he was repulsive as a human being but I really liked the inclusion of him in the show and he was a great version of the over-the-top brutal-too-old-for-high-school-looking-classic-1980′s -Henry Bowers-style bully (Omg...I just realized...are there Henry Bowers fangirls? You know what, don’t tell me I don’t want to know) and that was awesome . 

And then...S3. Oh, S3 Billy. This is the only time I will ever type these words but... Billy (and the audience in general) deserved better solely because literally everything about the character development was so stunningly lazy. Why is he getting along better with Max? Why does she give a shit about him now? (because they’re family is not being accepted as an answer at this time) Just shrugging and shoving ESSENTIAL character development that fundamentally changes a core relationship dynamic between seasons is insane and then making him a mind-controlled husk of a hive mind instead of a Renfield with some measure of agency makes sure he doesn’t get real development during the season since he’s spending most of it literally not himself. And then to take what could have been really interesting aspects of the character (the complexity of the cyclical nature of abuse, the conundrum it could have been for El if the fact that he was at the very least emotionally abusive to Max and had tried to hurt Lucas had actually been examined instead of brushed under the rug and how she should feel about that as someone that survived horrific abuse from a father figure and very much DOES NOT want to hurt people and if she sees parallels with Kali, more into how the Mind Flayer’s MO is practically Silent Hill-level representative of the psychology of being dominated and the parallels with his father, etc. etc.) and reduce it to ‘Look, he used to be a cute a kid before he was abused. He had a mom!’ which is basically the ‘The sky is blue and water is wet’ lowest common denominator of manipulating sympathy for violent offenders and abusers... 

Lazy.

I’m not even going to get into the fact that his big character moment was basically the ‘Save Martha’ scene from Batman V Superman.

Do you think in the case he survived, he could have been part of the Party, the Scoops Troop or the Monster Hunting trio?

No, in all three cases. He has either beat the ever-loving shit out of or threatened to beat the shit out of one member of all three groups for absolutely no reason. This is a poor basis for a friendship.

I guess at least Robin and Erica don’t know him, though I honestly can’t imagine Robin would be able to spend more than twenty seconds tolerating his hyper-masculine bullshit without wanting to commit homicide. And I won’t even go into why he and Erica obviously wouldn’t get along because Dacre Montgomery will swing down from the rafters to tell me ‘people like that’ just means he hates nerds that wear bandannas.

Also, in which family situation would be Max on season 4? The writers will touch the matter she's still living with abusive parents and was left with unsolved feelings overall?

Hm. I don’t think there’s any evidence that Susan is abusive- passive and complicit in abuse obviously, but not actively abusive and S2 Max seemed to mostly be afraid of Billy, not Neal, which obviously doesn’t mean he never would/will harm her but indicates to me that Billy was singled out in the household. 

I honestly don’t know what we’ll see of Max’s family even though it would make sense to sort of be a big deal that didn’t stop them from shoe-horning her character development in between seasons last time so...

Thanks for the ask Anon! I hope it was satisfying even though I obviously have pretty strong personal takes on this one.