#Eddie in the comments when this gets posted online: TikToker?? That’s what I’m known for? Frowny Face

[morganbritton132]

A reporter comes up to Erica on the street and asks, “Senator Sinclair, is it true you are friends with TikToker Eddie Munson?”

Erica, without missing a beat, is like, “I’ve never met that man a day in my life.”

A different reporter asked, “What do you think of his husband, Steve Harrington?”

“I think he can do better.”

[cc-tinslebee]

ive heard some pretty unsavory things ab you from someone and i want to clear them up if thats ok?

- do you ship hellcheer (eddie x chrissy)

- are you a billy hargrove apologist?

- do you call charlie nuwanda?

ok that's all i just wanna know

I wish I could say that I’m not a little hurt hearing this, that someone is gossiping about me like this, but I suppose I can’t help what other people do. I’ll try my best to explain my side.

I hope this clears things up. @j9grd I really appreciate you bringing this up to me and giving me the chance to share my side. The last thing I want is for anyone to be hurt by the things I post. And — as a general note — if anyone sees anything on my blog that is incorrect or offensive, I understand just hitting the block button, but if you’re willing and able to reach out to me to correct me, I will listen to you and attempt to correct myself. I’m only human, still learning and willing to do so.

1. Do I ship hellcheer?

The answer is a little more complicated than yes or no. I like the actors’ chemistry, I agree with Joseph Quinn and Grace Van Dien’s comments about the two, and the dynamics of the ship are very appealing to me. Ultimately, however, I think in my mind, the ship works best in the context of them reuniting in the future, when they’re both grown adults, and Chrissy has come more into her own and become the person that SHE wants to be, not who her parents and Jason want her to be.

I feel like the underlying question here isn’t about them in particular, but rather the discomfort surrounding the age. And let me tell you, I’m very vocal about uncomfortable age gaps in media. The Billy/Karen situation sickens me, but even more than that, I understand that even amongst teenagers, there can be gross power dynamics. I’ve witnessed first hand the grooming of a freshman friend at the hands of a senior.

Ultimately, I have very strict rules in terms of shipping and age gaps. I think that if your partner will be old enough to drink whole you’re still in high school, that relationship should probably not be happening. In terms of adults, however, usually I prefer no larger than 11 year age differences.

2. Am I a Billy Hargrove apologist?

I made a post about this, actually, but the tdlr is that I’ve been attached to Billy’s character for a while, but am just now realising I don’t like him that much. I just want more for him.

He’s an example of a messy abuse victim. And, unfortunately, the reality of the fact is abuse victims still living in that situation are not going to be perfect or even good people.

Billy has racist ideologies. He’s violent. It’s all he’s ever known.

But the way some people, especially on TikTok, talk about him, like he deserved to die, doesn’t sit right with me. Because another reality is that the way you talk about abuse victims in fiction effects the people they mirror.

And by all means! Tear fictional racists a new one! Seriously, I wholeheartedly mean it! Racists shouldn’t get to feel safe in their ideologies, because they don’t let anyone else feel safe with it.

But saying that an abuse victim — not yet able to leave his situation and grow — deserves to die? It doesn’t do anyone any good.

The bottom line in my mind is, I like fanon Billy. That’s the character I like. The one who worked through his shit and actively became a better person. The one who apologises to Lucas and Max for being shitty to them without expecting forgiveness. The one who protects Max and the kids. The one who had a chance and took it.

3. Do I call Charlie “Nuwanda”?

Short answer is: no.

I initially did when starting out in the DPS fandom, but quickly discovered the problems with his chosen name, as @j9grd so kindly provided the link to in the ask (thank you, by the way). To me, Charlie choosing that name is a prime example of what I’ve witnessed online, which is (some) white trans choosing name from other cultures as their own; which is a problem as non-white people have been mocked for having those same/similar names while white people are praised for it.

I’ve written, I believe, a singular fic where Todd calls Charlie “Nuwanda,” though I was sure to disclaim in the notes that it was a display of Todd’s respect for Charlie (a canon observance, that after Charlie’s announcement, Todd hardly called him by his birth name again), not my own point of view, hopefully reinforced by the fact the name was only uttered in dialogue, not the actions and descriptors. I’ve also posted a fic on behalf of my friend where Neil notes that he’s having a hard time getting used to Charlie’s name change, but respects it. Again, this was out of characterisation, not agreement. In the informal sequel to this fic, my friend, the author, has Charlie realise he needs to find a name that better suits him (one that’s not a mockery of a culture that is not his own).

I would like to say, in the light of the Stranger Things questions, I will be minimising what I post regarding Billy and Eddie as I do not wish for my intentions to be misinterpreted further.

Thank you for your time.