#cruel summer s1

[jayciethings]

Just finished s1 of Cruel Summer and feel vindicated because I already couldn't stand Jeanette, even when she was "proven" innocent, then I saw the final twist. She never fully sat right with me and even when it seemed like she hadn't known Kate was there I couldn't shake the feeling she was not right in the head and had obsessive sociopathic tendencies. She repelled me even when I felt sorry for her.

I decided to check out what Reddit had to say about her, expecting to find the majority had also been repelled, and was shocked to discover that not only had Kate been the hated character in real time, an alarming number of ppl were *still* defending Jeanette even after the final reveal. (I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks a 16-year-old deliberately leaving a kidnap victim begging for help and smirking about it can be chalked up to being an awkward teen needs to see a therapist 😯)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I know that Redditors also were loud in despising Beck from S1 of You and defended Joe's actions but still🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ Yes, I found Kate irritating and at times incomprehensible but when you look at her upbringing and how she was groomed and traumatised, I think it's her that should have been given the understanding of "she's just a teen". Not fecking Jeanette.

The actress who played Jeanette was brilliant as it's left me with a feeling of uncomfortable slime I can't scrape away. I can't stand that character and hate even more that she got away with it.

So, bravo, writers 👏🏻

I need a shower....

[maddy-ferguson]

Ngl i am a little bit tired seeing ppl come up with excuses for why Will was sidelined and receives minimum screentime each season bc supposedly he will receive all of his screentime in the finale. It just makes no sense for your supposed centre character to receive minimum screentime for 4 seasons straight. And i would agree that its all intentional if the show doesnt follow the fanservice agenda with giving more screentime to characters like Steve and Dustin and Hopper bc they are liked by the audience meanwhile Jonathan and Will and even Joyce sometimes have been shat on for a long time. There is no way to fix this only in the finale season. I dont want to sound like a hater but it is really screaming bad writing.

it's annoying because on the one hand i like the story of will being replaced by el after vanishing and i like to think of that being reflected even in the fabric of the show. because she did replace him, people (mlvns) think of mike el lucas and dustin as the core four because she took his place while he was in the upside down and then started dating mike which is obviously what will wants, and because if it all goes as planned season five will make people see that will was just as important all along (a girl can dream) (i don't mean in terms of screentime). i think that story's very fun, cruel summer season 1 (something i've said before in the notes of this post from a while ago) except the girl who replaces will does it without meaning to and she helps save his life so it's very different. on the other hand...as i said in april...

the byers being sidelined? for will i guess you can rationalize it and come up with great and convincing meta reasons as to why his character was sidelined in seasons 3 and 4 (which, yeah, fascinating, i will still hate it ten years from now, no matter how important to season 5 will is), but what about jonathan? what about joyce? how does one justify the fact that winona went from being the reason 75% of people older than 15 started watching the show to having less screentime than fucking jason in season 4? it is annoying when people act like byler endgame will make everything right and will make stranger things a perfect show because it really won’t

also i'm not sure about joyce having less screentime than jason i actually just saw people say that and i can't find a s4 screentime chart to confirm lol. but yeah the thing is...when it's all of the byers not just will getting sidelined to make room for characters like steve it's like. this is not my stranger things cruel summer-like story (that i admittedly made up) where will got replaced in his own life while he was kidnapped anymore. it's fanservice and it's steve somehow lowkey becoming the face of the show because shawn levy apparently loves joe keery so much lol. and of course fans will make the show their own and steve is not the most important character when you watch the actual show but idk. i just don't understand why they let it get to this point was jonathan not your self insert underdog miserable guy who gets the girl when the show started like why did you stop liking him when he got the girl😭😭 it just sucks because whether you like it or not the byers made the show it was them and the kids that made season one what it was. i know the will and jonathan stuff is still there (in season 4 because in season 3 despite spending a lot of time together they...have nothing?) but oh my god the joyce and jonathan relationship is...like do the writers know that jonathan is joyce's son before being will's father figure. i think the parentification stuff is great and very interesting and i hope he doesn't go to emerson OR lenora but oh my god. i just don't understand because it's RIGHT THERE in the show but why don't they do more with it. it's just insane to me. he's not all alone out there in the world but he very much is and i don't know how much of it is joyce being a struggling mother and how much is the writers not giving a fuck. do you think joyce and jonathan will have even just one conversation in season 5. that would be crazy.

the will getting replaced à la kate wallis in cruel summer and that being reflected by his absence even when he's back from being in another dimension and from being possessed thing i'm talking about i both like and dislike. because some of it feels very intentional (cf first post i linked) but some of it really doesn't, especially when the sidelining is a problem with all the byers like i just mentioned. and the end result is that a lot of people are like no will isn't important at all yes he's the one who disappeared and his vanishing kickstarted the show (some of them don't even say that they're like el opened the gate so it's her show WELL i'm very sorry guys but had will not disappeared mike never would've fallen in love with her in her yellow benny's burgers t-shirt so thank you will as always) but the only thing he does is cry and be gay and have a bowlcut now so he doesn't matter, which is always annoying. and it's not the el show but it kinda is the el show yk, do i think we could do with a little less el sometimes yes but it's not really el's massive screentime that bothers me because again, i think the willel juxtaposition swapping places thing is very interesting. what i cannot in good conscience defend is the steveification and simultaneous debyersification of stranger things i just can't!

and as i mentioned in the tags of my post from april and like you said, i think people are setting themselves up for disappointment if they think season 5 being will heavy is gonna fix it. it's too late. he probably won't get as much screentime and focus as will fans have come to expect because stranger things is not skam lol. i don't even know how much screentime would make it fair and would make people happy? i think you can enjoy the meta posts and reasons that read like excuses while still wishing they hadn't sidelined him that much. because the posts and the discussions are great but i also like having a good time while watching the show and it's not just tumblr willuminatis that feel disappointed by how little will we got these past seasons, a lot of people feel that way. at the end of the day i still think will is one of the most important characters and i think season five will reflect that but i still wish season three and four had been different in the will department. and i don't expect season five to make it up to me because it never will like seasons three and four will forever be like this! you can't convince me they couldn't have done them in a way that didn't accidentally reveal too early that he isn't gonna end up gay sad alone and dead for the crime of being gay or that he actually matters in the supernatural side of things you know.

[aurevell]

not to be an ad supporter and I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I love the tumblr desktop vibes right now. the annoying Y2K sticker that won't disappear. the tv background. the ancient windows 97 toolbar. can i keep it?

[dl-bug]

.🩷.

[squidthoughts]

collected thoughts on the creloise matter (Big And Detailed Spoilers Ahead):

if it’s dual character assassination, it’s dual character assassination and irredeemable and frankly uninteresting and unfortunately the show becomes unwatchable for me personally. if it’s purposeful setup? it’s bloody brilliant. i mean it could actually be bloody brilliant. there are a few lines that feel very purposeful: pen’s “did you ever truly like her?” and the moment with cress and her mother when cress protests being cruel to the btons. both of which come after the creloise breakup and, you know, the uhhhh cessation of scenes together. creloise was dead. there was no reason to continue to examine the corpse. unless it wasn’t truly dead. ok, so there is now incredible potential in the CreloiseSituation(tm).

they hate each other. perfect! cressida was suffering all season and eloise was a truly terrible friend - i mean, comically selfish and villainous - that is to say, cressida’s actions (antagonistic as they were) were explained and justified within the narrative and eloise’s were not. ok! that’s fine. in the past, cress has been the unjustifiably cruel one. if anything, they are now on equal footing in terms of illogically hurting each other. so, they hate each other. which just means their growing back together could be that much more satisfying.

eloise’s choices didn’t make sense. they just…don’t. if her arc this season was to show her growth separate from pen, and it ends with nothing mattering to her but pen, it’s just nonsensical. (dont get me wrong- i’m glad they made up! their friendship is a core pillar of the show! but taking a season of development apart and introducing new dynamics into eloise’s life only to end her precisely where she was in season ONE is just…huh??) that is, unless elosie’s decisions don’t make sense YET. unless the point of her abandonment of a friend IS the abandonment. unless this is precisely the base a following season would need to portray el from a starting position of moral inferiority- a facet of her character not yet explored.

creloise both out of mayfair now. coincidence? well…maybe! i guess! but also, outside the set and setting of society. idk, that just screams landscape of possibility to me.

they’re both on the cusp of substantial development! cressida at rrrrock bottom and eloise striving to find experience and purpose. we’ve never seen cress this low and tortured or el this alone and unsure. idk. parallels.

nothing that made us love them so much in the first place has changed. they’re still mirrors. they’re still unflinchingly honest with each other - often the only ones who are. they’re still (deliciously) (occasionally) mean. the foundations are still there. and tbh, if all of this was purposeful, there is SO much conflict and strife between them that i actually really love it. the angst! the tension! the possible banter! eloise abandoned cress at the worst possible time in her life and cress betrayed eloise (out of desperation but facts are facts) and neither of them got an explanation. and for a summer and a season they were very much alone together and enjoying each other and the betrayals sting because the friendship mattered in the first place. and that broken dynamic is just. so yummy. and the hate is there because the embarrassment is there and the embarrassment is there because….i liked you. and you burned me. and i cant believe i was stupid enough to like you. but i did like you, i did.

also, i’m sure the showrunners were understandably wary about how the audience would react to cressida this season. up until now, she’s been a glorified extra; the personality-less stereotype of the loveless, callous debutante bridgerton’s grand love stories exist to subvert. in s1 she was a joke (daphne and simon laughing about her scripted flirting) and in s2 she was the hopeless and petty mean girl. there was no reason for the audience to like her, because she was hardly a character and certainly not a person. i imagine suddenly linking her to everyone’s fan favorite eloise was seen as a huge risk— in case of a negative reaction, cress could hardly be established as a romantic prospect as well, possibly guaranteeing a large portion of screentime to someone the audiences don’t even like. creators obviously shouldn’t feel the urge to cater to an audience’s whims of how they think a story should go - this would be very bad!! - but i do think the extreme outpouring of appreciation for cress this season might enable the writers to utilize her more in the future. she’s a real character now with depth and her story has established loyalty in fans- narratively there is freedom there for some satisfying payoffs.

all this to say, this season reduced my expectations to not quite zero, but somewhere around one. the finale was crowded and unfocused and more than a few things just did not make sense and the queer rep felt very sudden and trite - for shock value, practically - and we were forced to watch creloise hacked to pieces….but, i maintain, if it was all purposeful….idk. i personally don’t think all hope is lost.

[smutwritersstuff]

disclaimer! everyone in this series is of age and yes the cannon events are a tad bit off, I don't feel comfortable writing about such strong subjects with minors. thank you for understanding. this series DOES contain heavy themes of emotional abuse, mentioning of anxiety disorder, mentioning of eating disorders, drug use, and a bunch of other really heavy topics... please DO NOT read if sensitive to these issues.

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⤷ 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫

S1, E1: "Pretend you love me."

y/n comes home after spending the summer with her mom in France, away from her brothers but Voldemort has some news for her… whether she likes it or not.

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The daughter of Voldemort was finally coming home after 3 months away from home. She had stayed with her mom in France, exploring the country from deep cities to forests and greenery... of course, nothing lasts forever.

Here she is, sitting in the car that her father had ordered for her to pick her up from the airport, questioning "What if I hadn't come back?"

"Almost there, Ms. Y/N." The driver peaked in the rearview mirror, glancing at her numb expression.

She replied with a simple "Thank you."

It did feel nice to get away from magical London for a bit... but magical France? That was a dream. She'd give anything to go back right now, anything to not face her father.

When she first told her father about the plan to go stay with her mother all through the summer, he got angry. Of course, he was angry... his only daughter trying to broaden her horizons to see that this isn't the only life she could lead... harming muggle-borns, exterminating muggles?

When she was young, y/n definitely would've said "Yeah, muggles are terrible." but now that she grew up, and interacted with a few muggles, she understood that people shouldn't be judged based on their blood status. Of course, she'd never admit any of this... she couldn't defile the family name as "blood-traitors" when her father was the Dark Lord, and her brothers were next in line to take over the Death Eaters...

The car had pulled into the driveway of the house, and the driver set the car in park. "We're here, Ms. Y/N."

Again, a simple and concise "Thank you." escaped her lips as she had gotten out of the car.

“Ah! Y/N! Welcome home.” your oldest brother, Tom, came to greet you at the door. He must’ve seen the car pulling up in the driveway and rushed to get you. “How was your mom’s?”

“It was beautiful, really…” she replied, holding her arms out in a hug which he quickly reciprocated. “Where’s dad?”

“He’s with Tom, they went to talk to the Malfoys.” Mattheo said, dropping the hug. “Do you need help with your bags?”

The driver was unloading the trunk of the car, the suitcases were being pulled out… and then all of the feelings she tried to escape sunk back into her head and body.

“That’d be great, thank you.” she said, looking down at the graveled driveway and then up to the large, dark house.

“Go on up to your room, I’ll take care of it.”

▃▃▃▃▃ !— Her room —! ▃▃▃▃▃

You turned on the light switch, only to find your room was exactly the same as you left it, ink and an unfinished letter sitting on your desk. The black bedsheets with matching pillows and blankets, along with a stuffed animal you had gotten at your first year at Hogwarts. The clothes that haven’t been traveled with still in your wardrobe. Your private bathroom still as glamorous as you had left it, the curtains were tied back with a silver rope.

You were back home and that meant only one thing… school was starting soon.

The feelings all set in again, the expectations that your father has of you is too much. He expects you to step up and lead the army of Death Eaters when he becomes unable to… meaning if the boy who lived defeated him… to be honest, that’s what you wanted. As cruel as it is to say, you wish Harry would’ve just killed him already… your life would be much easier.

Barely even an hour home and you already want to go back to France, you missed your mom. From everything you’ve heard about her from your father, you expected her to be a vile, evil, self centered woman with a wicked heart… but she was nothing like he described.

You closed your eyes and laid down on your bed, bundling yourself up in the comfort of your blankets that still had remnants of your perfume. Feeling like a hopeless child, you muffled your sobs into the plush fabric of the blankets, tears hitting your pillowcase.

The life you were born into has all been planned for you… no one had ever asked you what you wanted. You wanted to be different but now it seems like you’re stuck in this predicament… stuck in the hell that your father trapped you in and your brothers were stuck right there with you.

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THANK YOU SM FOR READING!!! 🩶🩶 i kinda ditched this series for a bit bcs i’ve been in my dr so much trying to get everything I can and put it into a series! I love u all sm and please please please reblog & follow bcs i’m gonna start posting more regularly <33

msg me to be on the tag list!!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, September 5th and Friday, September 6th - Part Two

[Fandom Discussions]

season two is metaphorically about how dangerous and predatory a relationship between a high schooler and adult is by comradesummers

the show’s inconsistent and often straightforwardly self-contradictory worldbuilding by coraniaid

Xander is a very human and ordinary character by Girl4Music

angel in s1 ep 1 of btvs was so funny by moistvonlipwig

Season six is like ... by nicollekidman

Out of Mind, Out of Sight Fashion Part One by theoverlookedoneedits1997

Buffy and Angel should have been a sibling dynamic by bufferingsummers

in amy's first appearance in btvs she says she lost a lot of weight ... by hiddencreature666

A list of cute Cangel moments in the Angel books by vampandvisiongirl

What If: Spike did stake Harmony by nightshade

Willow’s power by Joan the Vampire Slayer

Angel in Band Candy continued by sybil

What happened to the parents in Buffy? continued by multiple posters

Was everything around The Scourge sloppy writing? by Ok_Frame_4117

Hair scene continuity by giddylid1uk

Is there anyone in the BuffyVerse that can defeat Illyria pre-Nerfing? by jdpm1991

Episode 2x02 [Are You Now or Have You Ever Been] by samof1994

What are your top 5 episodes? by bjack20

Whats your favorite scooby hideout? by okey-then

Your least favorite lines said by Buffy Summers by jdpm1991

Is the Buffybot an AI? Or just a sophisticated machine? by AndrewHeard

Your favourite minor characters by Hungry_Walrus7562

stunt double, used quite excessively, noticeable on cleaned up HD version by needchr

Something just occurred to me [about Xander's "Kick his ass" lie] by GHBoyette

Big Bads Ranks by Big-Purpose2130

Who is a more possessive friend? Xander or Willow? by Obiwankimi

This was cruel [Amber Benson in the credits for Seeing Red] by DanTrueCrimeFan87

Cordelias locker 😭 by lawyered2020

How does the chosen slayer work exactly? by VikTone

Favourite performance as Glory? by rav4boy

I waited 23 years for this…. [OMWF quote] by Bostonterrierpug

Buffy & Final Fantasy soundtrack used the same source? by Galbadia_Garden

Xander? ["Kick his ass"] by AscendedXSaiyan

Finally working through Chaos Bleeds and love the FOX nods by UKMegaGeek

Between Angel and Spike who was the most attractive? by sKullsHavezzz

What I think happened between Buffy and Angel at their off-camera meeting in season 6 by spectacleskeptic

James Marsters on that Seeing Red scene by PastimeOfMine

What’s your headcanon? by bjack20

He’s very good at it [Oz at being calm] by AndrewHeard

Favorite Anya Hairstyle? by IceStorm22

Does becoming a Vamp make you beautiful in the Buffyverse? by Own_Faithlessness769

Buffy TTRPG by exitstateleft

Was Angel as a vampire a shock reveal back in the day? by Creative-Bobcat-7159

Pride Flag in Angel S1E1 'City of ...' by roasted-paragraphs

Whatever you do, don't think about how faith got her money... by thefroggitamerica

Do you remember the first time you watched "Becoming", Part II" by jdpm1991

Giles and Buffy by Available_Quality954

What is the "Hope" in "Faith, Hope, & Trick" by TruckinApe

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Video: Robia LaMorte Q&A Panel - 2003 posted by Entertainment Goes Pop

Video: Hellmouth Con 2024 Q&A panel - Bad Girls of Buffy - Drusilla and Darla behind the scenes, posted by Maven of the Eventide

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Join the editor team :)

[killerlittlerejects]

How I would Make My OCs Story Into A Morgue File Case

A possible series?

So since we have no idea how long it’s gonna be until Case 5 comes out (no rush, take all the time you need), I thought it would be fun to try and make my story for… I would say A LOT of my oc’s would be made into a Case File.

Reminder: This is just for fun and in no way impacts the Story of the Morgue Files!

The Morgue Files - S1 Case ???: The Camp At White Tail Lake

- Case takes place in 2019 during the summer

- Focuses on a new camp called Camp RedMoon that’s advertising itself as a place to help troubled youth, for ages 14-19

- Main protagonist is eighteen year old Issac Snow (my boy!), a troubled graduate that has fallen into the wrong crowd

- Very reluctant to go, but his older brother makes him to agree to go as some of his behaviour has turned worrying (some weird Forest Lawn fuckery you know?)

- Roadtrip to the camp, they get there and small hints are already starting to the camp/the counsellers being off

- More characters are introduced, and things actually seem to be going alright besides a few little mishaps

- That is until it starts being noticed that some of the campers are starting to go missing. The counsellors brush this off as issues coming up to be sent him, but it becomes so frequent that Issac gets suspicious enough to investigate

- Overheard conversations of the camp counsellers taking about a “project”

- Strange behaviour is described in Isaac’s letters to his family

- This builds up until one night, Issac is attacked and knocked out, walking up in what seems to be an underground facility

- It is revealed that the camp was a set up to get “volunteers” for an experiment to make soldiers to fight against the Hive Mind (probably refered to something else but can’t think of another name at the moment)

- Issac then starts being used as a test subject, and we get to see the cruel horrors of this project

- Switch to another characters prospective to see what’s going on above ground?

- Isaac’s letters keep coming but they get weirder and weirder, becoming more disoriented

- Isaac snaps and along with the other subjects starts attacking and killing their captors

- The facility was found out and the other campers left come to help, lots of chaos insues

- Isaac’s brother has had enough and ends up driving to the camp himself to get his brother, only to find the camp/forest up in flames and Issac gone, alongside the other test subjects

- Insert dramatic morgue files ending

And yeah! That’s it! I know it’s a bit jumbled, but I think it would be a fun idea to explore in the future!

[soppingwetguywife]

you know what boggles my mind about these takes on guillermo and his great big betrayal this season? it's the fact that some people have managed to so thoroughly divorce this arc from what happened last season as if the two don't correlate. as if the fact that nandor betrayed guillermo first and in one of the worst ways he could think of has nothing to do with where they are now

okay so there are Four of these and they're all SO correct so im gonna put all of them and my thoughts under the cut (yeah i know nobody comes to my blog for Hot WWDITS Takes (or.... for anything) but this whole situation has me pressed okay) thank you so much anon i NEED to talk about this

"and i don't mean that in the way that some have meant it in a guillermo is doing this for revenge type of way but just that freddie was his last straw but instead of leaving like he would have before he decided to stay on his own terms. he decided that for once fuck what nandor wants, he'll do what he wants instead. guillermo literally started of season 4 saying he was looking out for number one and then he didn't for MONTHS but sure he's a monster for following up on his promise to himself" "and freddie isn't just some isolated incident that doesn't have any context. take this from guillermo's pov, he spent weeks (maybe months? unclear on timeline here) preparing a wedding, being asked to do impossible shit but somehow coming through and his reward was that one moment of nandor admitting he cares for him by calling him his best man (we know he meant best friend so did memo i'm sure) and then nandor had to take that away." "'cause just so we're clear best friends don't fuck your boyfriend. there might have been some extra steps there but ultimately that is what nandor did and he didn't think to stop for a second why he was doing it, if it would hurt guillermo, just nothing. so guillermo i think was back to square one, nothing has changed nandor can be kind for one second and do something so blindingly selfish and cruel the next and this fandom really expected him to lie down and take it"

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I MEAN!!! YOU GET IT ANON!

so, i must start with this. every season, almost always, continues in a sort of vacuum. not so much that there's no continuity, because there usually is! so let's just follow guillermo, because there's a point i want to make here.

S1- guillermo learns he is a slayer. S2- guillermo reveals he has spent the past summer killing vampires to keep the house safe, which leads into the finale; guillermo goes and rescues the vampires from the theatre in a Beautiful display of murder. S3- guillermo is trapped in a cage, because of that Beautiful display of murder, which leads into the finale; guillermo agrees to go away with nandor on a world trip and eventual turning (this goes wrong, which leads to) S4- guillermo finally returns from being stuck in england, a year AFTER the end of s3, which leads into the finale; guillermo goes to derek to be turned.

NOW. let's assess where the VAMPIRES start and finish throughout the seasons.

and the answer to that is; exactly where they fucking started. because s4 was right. nothing changes. colin robinson dies and is reborn and grows and in the end, he's exactly where he started. nadja grows and learns and tries to forge an identity for herself, and then she fails, and she's exactly where she started. laszlo... okay, laszlo's just along for the ride. and he LIKES where he started. nandor started as a neurotic, cool-hearted washed-up-warlord who tries to be strong, passionate, the leader that everyone looks up to. he doesn't seem to notice nobody looks up to him except guillermo, because duh, why would he notice guillermo? and every season, we're right back to where we started. we see them grow closer, and then we see them ripped apart! and every new season, we're back to joking at his expense. the only notable difference this season is that nandor sort of HAS grown more tolerant of him, a building through-line that we have only seen through guillermo, the only character that changes enough for a bond to be formed rather than assumed (ie; the foot locker, the self-help book, the being insanely jealous that laszlo is spending his time with him) (as opposed to his friendship with the vampires, one that has always been sort of assumed except for with colin robinson, something that s5e6 pretty thoroughly shattered)

this season, we are seeing the inevitability of five seasons and nearly fourteen years of guillermo assuring himself that he would get what he wanted, that he hadn't given up his family and his job and his emotions and the parts of his brain that are... well, human, for nothing. he has been promised and promised and promised that this is the time, this is when the time is right, just TRUST in the inevitability of change in a house full of people that never change and never want to. he has been growing and changing every season, growing stronger, more confident, more capable, unlike the vampires.

but because guillermo is the butt of the joke, because he HAS to be, right? because he has to always be the one that suffers (learning his bloodline kills the very thing he loves, being LOCKED UP for PROTECTING the very thing he loves, being locked in a COFFIN just when he was going to get it, and FINALLY being turned only to be turned wrong and in the most horrible, ugly way???? (well, for him, for me it was a visual treat, love me a man covered in blood)) it turns out that there's this cute little rule! one that we've never seen before (though there is some hinting toward this, i suppose, in the case of celeste, right? she never poached, only took unattached familiars. did she know? we'll never find out, i don't think!) and now the thing he loves (person he loves the most) will be his end, because of course it is, right? and of course he definitely deserves it, right? because he's the butt of the joke, the silly little human who dared to make his OWN life better rather than waiting for a day that was so clearly never gonna come unless he held them at stakepoint or he did.... exactly what he did.

nandor is the deciding factor. and from what we've seen of him for the past five seasons, he's gonna bluster and threaten and probably challenge him to a fight to the death or something stupid like that, but it's not like he has any real bite anymore anyway? but he's NEVER gonna let this go, i don't think, which is INSANE considering how much guillermo has been letting slide for YEARS in terms of his behavior.

if nandor wanted to do it himself, he should have considered 'why the hell would guillermo EVER be late to the one thing he's been telling me for years that he always wanted?'

instead we see in s4e1 that he BLAMES guillermo for leaving him, and refuses to hear anything to the contrary. and again in s5e5, he blames guillermo for not being there for them, and refuses to hear anything to the contrary. to him, the human will always be at fault, and he will always be their better, and it is going to take guillermo not BEING a human anymore to shake that out of him.

from there, it's all up to him, really! (we have to also account for the classic wwdits 'yeah they're all just idiots, they'll be totally fine with it and they'll be back to being besties by s6e2' because i have little faith in any sort of emotional continuity after every season's constant stunting of everyone's Almost-Emotional-Growth)

i genuinely do not know if this made any sense. but i wanted to talk about how the way we've watched guillermo grow and take responsibility for himself makes it so clear that he SHOULDN'T just sit down and take it, even though he seems very much like he's more than willing to. i'm not gonna touch the whole virginity and slut-shaming metaphors, because i do NOT feel qualified to discuss them, and better people have done it (though i do think a lot of them are biased toward nandor rather than guillermo) but i just think that in the lines of continuity, this was EXPECTED, and it being treated like a season-long punchline isn't particularly fair to guillermo! which is the point of the show, and the counter-point of this rant!

guillermo deserves better, he got it, and now they just have to let him HAVE it.

[alohastyles-x]

𝐦 𝐲 𝐭 𝐞 𝐚 𝐫 𝐬 𝐫 𝐢 𝐜 𝐨 𝐜 𝐡 𝐞 𝐭 - s.h.

"I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace | And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves | You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same | Cursing my name, wishing I stayed | You turned into your worst fears | And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain | Crossing out the good years | And you're cursing my name, wishing I stayed | Look at how my tears ricochet"

note: this is apart of my cruel summer (Stranger things version) project, running all summer long! this was the first song I thought of doing for this project, and I just knew it had to fit with s1 steve. hope you enjoy!

Wordcount: 1.8k

trope / pairing: fem!reader x asshole!Steve (s1 Steve) | angst / hurt fic

warnings: mention of a forced kiss at a party, but no other descriptions given.

Materslist | Stranger things masterlist | Cruel Summer S.T. Version Masterlist

Silent tears rolled down your cheeks as you stood, all eyes on you. The hallway fell into hushed whispers as Steve stood before you, a ghost of a smirk on his face. This wasn’t what he had wanted, but it’s what Tommy and Carol advised was best. The public humiliation of you, that painted him the hero. 

There, behind him, taped to your locker was an image of you and Tommy, with “slut” written in red lipstick on the door. The photo was from a couple nights ago, after Tommy’s party. You were helping Tommy pick up the trash around the house, while Steve was passed out on the couch. Tommy had cornered you in the kitchen. The next thing you knew, he had his lips on yours. You pushed him away, and threw the remainder of someone's beer on him, but of course Carol didn’t get that on her camera. 

To say the two of them didn’t like you dating Steve was a vast understatement… and some days you debated if even Steve liked you. This only further proved that insecurity, as they stood before you, staring you down. 

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Steve asked, hurt. He was hoping you would apologize, and beg for him to take you back.  

But you just looked at him, trying your best to stand straighter, to act like this didn’t feel like death itself. There was no coming back from this. The finality of what he had just done felt so similar to the finality of death. You wiped the tears that fell from your eyes, and squared your shoulders. 

“No.”

It came out firm, unwavering. It was what you needed to say, to get him to realize the consequences of his decision. He hadn't even confronted you before this. There was no getting back together in a week after this like before. 

It was done. 

The hallway rumbled with whispers, as if everyone else also realized the finality of it all. A martyr's death before them. 

You saw the hurt flash in his eyes, as you turned and headed towards the doors. The tether between you two had frayed and snapped with the single word uttered from your lips. 

“Fuck you!” Steve yelled, the humiliation surrounding him as you walked away from him, in front of the entire school. 

The crowd in the hallway dispersed, heading to their classes. Tommy and Carol laughed, tugging Steve away from your locker, but he stood still. 

As he turned around to face your locker, the red writing hitting him hard in the gut. Guilt rolled over him, and he instantly got nauseous. 

“You guys go, I’m gonna clean this up,” Steve said.

“What? Come on, leave it. Everyone deserves to know what she did.” Carol scoffed. 

“Not like this!” Steve yelled. A clarity washed over him as he watched the way Carol and Tommy exchanged a look. 

“What?” He asked. 

“Nothing!” Carol said quickly, scurrying off, with Tommy close behind her. Steve shook his head and turned back to the photo. 

Staring at it, he noticed something he hadn’t seen at first. Your hand balled in a fist, pushing Tommy’s arm away from your shoulder. He had thought you were grabbing Tommy, but it was just the opposite. Rage and hurt boiled inside, as he put the pieces together. How Carol just so conveniently got this on her camera, how you didn’t even bother to explain yourself.  

Why had none of this occurred to him before? 

He slammed his fist against the locker, setting the picture free to flutter to the floor. 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he yelled, running his hands through his hair. He was going to kill Tommy for what he did to you, and for what he just did to Steve- setting him up for failure. It killed him, knowing he hurt you worse than  anyone had before him. 

He sank against the locker, his head in his hands as he tried his hardest to wash the feelings away. 

Outside, you were headed into the woods, to a spot where you and your friends congregated. The tears were freely flowing now, broken sobs escaping as you sped walked. You hugged yourself tighter, trying your best to self-soothe. 

Eddie was already sitting at the bench, waiting for you. He had heard what happened and immediately went to your spot, knowing you’d escape there. He had stolen Dustin’s lunch box too, so that you would have snacks and a drink waiting. 

He heard your broken sobs before he saw you, the heartbreak devastatingly drenching your aura. 

“He’s a fucking ass, y/n, and you desereve better,” he said immediately, getting his thoughts out of the way so he could comfort you properly.

You climbed onto the table next to him and let it all out. The fear, the pain, all of it was excruciating.  Your head found his shoulder, and his arm wrapped around you tightly. He hated seeing you like this, knowing there was nothing he could do to make you feel better. 

He remembered the lunch box behind him and grabbed it. 

“I, uh, stole this from Dustin. He usually has the good snacks.” Eddie said, passing the lunch box to you. Sniffling, you took it and placed it in your lap, carefulling unzipping it. 

Inside lay a half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a bag of chips, and some fruit snacks. You looked up at Eddie with a face that read ‘really?’. 

“Okay, I swear he really does! Of course today is the one day he doesn’t,” he rolled his eyes, frustrated with his little friend. 

You started laughing. The gesture was so kind and so out of character for Eddie, that it not going his way is entirely on brand for him. Once you started laughing, you couldn’t stop… Eddie eyed you curiously, before starting to snicker himself. 

The two of you were interrupted by the sounds of crunching leaves, and soon Steve’s face appeared from behind some trees. You straightened instantly, nauseous at the sight of him. How dare he, you thought to yourself, gripping Dustin’s lunchbox. 

Eddie stood, meeting Steve at the edge of the little clearing. He was beyond pissed to see him here, already knowing exactly what Steve was about to try and do. The same thing he always did… do something dumb, and then come back five minutes later to end things. Eddie was tired of seeing you hurt. He never had admitted it, for fear of losing your friendship, but he had loved you for a while now. He tried his best to stay supportive, and to be on your side… but this was a final straw. 

“What are you doing here Harrington?” Eddie asked, stopping Steve before he could get any closer to you. Steve didn’t even bother glaring at him like he would usually do. He just looked defeated… hurt. 

“I wanted to apologize. I was in the wrong,” Steve said, loud enough for you to hear. You looked up, shocked. Steve was never the one to apologize first. 

“You think?” Eddie scoffed. 

“Look, y/n… I want to know what happened that night. After you left, I looked at the photo more closely, and I… I realized that Tommy and Carol lied, or at least I think they did.”

“Steve… are you serious?” You whispered, completely taken aback by his statement. “You believed those two idiots instantly, without even giving me any credit. You automatically assumed I would cheat on you with the one person I hate the most in this world, all because of a very convenient photo that was taken.” 

“I know, and I’m sorry.” Steve attempted to move closer to you, but Eddie pushed further against his chest stopping him. Steve glanced at Eddie who just shook his head. 

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.” You said, setting Dustin’s lunch box down and standing up. 

“Y/N, please…” Steve pleaded, but Eddie cut him off. 

“Leave Harrington. She said she didn’t want to talk to you right now.” 

“No! I’m not giving up that easily. You think I don’t know? The way you look at her? The way you’re conveniently always there when we fight!” Steve yelled, his face turning red with anger. 

“It’s called being a friend, dumbass! I know that notion is foreign to you, seeing as you have none!” Eddie yelled right back. 

“Fuck you, dude!” Steve yelled back. They were five seconds away from physically fighting each other, each bucking up to the other, waiting for the first punch to be thrown. 

“Steve!” You shouted, cutting both of their attention to you, their eyes wide. “Why don't you do what you didn’t do the first time and actually listen to me. Leave.” 

The final word hit deep Steve with a force of a thousand knives, the finality settling deep in his bones. His eyes sunk as he dropped his arms and slowly turned to leave. He didn’t dare look back as a sob rustled through the trees after him. 

Weeks had passed since the breakup, and neither of you were doing any better. Your grades had dropped, and his focus on Tommy and Carol was almost nonexistent by this point. You noticed he had befriended Dustin Hendersen and his goons, after seeing them all in the hallway. The kids had frantically run up to him screaming about something you couldn’t make out and then they were gone out the school doors. 

It was endearing the way he handled them, almost as if they were his own kids. The idea brought a smile to your face, as you remembered a time when the two of you had once discussed your future. He had always wanted kids - a minivan full of them. The sense of longing that crept up as you reminisced made your stomach nauseous. 

“Why did you have to be so stupid Steve?” You whispered to yourself, shutting your locker door and heading out of the school. 

Steve and the goons were still in the parking lot. The kids were arguing over which way to go, but Steve had stopped listening. The sound of the door opening caught his attention, and he turned to see you walking towards the entrance of the school. You were wearing his favorite sweater on you, the lilac color standing out against your hair, which you had styled the way he liked. 

His heart ached, yearning for you to be near him again. To smell your perfume and your hair. To hear the sweet sound of your voice that always sounded like it was laced with honey and dipped in sugar.  

“Steve!” Dustin yelled, his voice cracking at his loud register. The kids had already climbed in his car and were waiting for him. 

“Alright alright, calm down,” he muttered, stealing one last glance before walking to the driver's side door. 

| Feedback is greatly appreciated |

[tomfoolies]

hi future me this is a free pass to answer all the questions you want to >:))

hi past me, thank you for this opportunity >:))

Cruel Summer: Was there anything that stopped you from shipping with your f/o at first or was it love at first sight? Are things more complicated than they appear?

> FUN FACT: i remember watching the s1 finale for the first time and when kendall was going through it for a second i was like "hm. that's awful. that's so good. maybe he will be my guy...." which IS WILD. HE WAS NOT MY GUY.

i'd found tom handsome and interesting as a character but like, he didn't really become important to me until like. season 2 finale. i recall very vividly suddenly feeling Something over his struggles, and it kinda brought him to my mental spotlight so to speak. and then i started to look out for him and it kinda spiraled from there... so it wasn't love at first sight, i think that i had to see his development and the way the story and events began to affect him to start catching feelings. and it caused it to be a bit of a slow burn to me (if you can count a WEEK-ISH a slow burn LMAOOOO). but once he stepped into my noggin he has not left since <3

The Man: What strengthens your f/o in your opinion? What do they believe strengthens you?

> i'd call it his adaptability. being able to take blows while pretending that things don't faze you and fawning and groveling but also holding all the grudges and shittalking when the others aren't around. i love that one description of him that is something like "he's adapted himself to the conditions perfectly" and i'm just like. yeah....... i know..... :') like that is such a "good" skill (as in i wish it wasn't good but it totally is), i relate to it A LOT and i feel like it really carries him.

as for me, sort of a total opposite, he thinks what strengthens me are my sincerity and that certain kind of earnestness i just CANNOT stop expressing no matter how hard i try to appear nonchalant. i have strong emotions about things and more often than not i will make that clear. often it also means i'm very dead-set on things and my opinion cannot be very easily changed. but he thinks that it's really admirable.

Death By A Thousand Cuts: How do you and your f/o handle bad times/how are you there for each other when life gets rough?

> i'd say prior to the cruise drama, we would seek out reassurance but without really getting too deeply into what it is that is bothering us. we would be there for the other physically, maybe say some generic reassuring BUT still sincere things. it wouldn't really be until we have to sit down and talk everything out around s3 that we would dare to like. properly express our worries and truly tell the other what's actually the problem. no longer hiding the real issue. we'd become more honest and communicate much better. i think the biggest thing that'd help us would be to just. unconditionally accept the other's thoughts and feelings and not judge them. making each other feel safe without the fear of a negative reaction or a downplay of the other's emotions. little things like that <3 and handling the humiliation of being vulnerable by being vulnerable together, an even exchange if you will....

False God: Do you think of you and your f/o as soulmates? Why or why not?

> secretly, YES. not sure we'd ever admit it to each other because while we are silly romantics, that might be A BIT too much. especially on my end, i wouldn't dare to say it out loud. but we'd both have moments where we'd realise we're totally meant for each other on a soulmate kinda level <3333

[aziraphalesbowtie]

incredibly upset that i didn’t watch Good Omens S1 before Lover came out because Cruel Summer would’ve been so much MORE insane to hear for the first time had i been an ineffable shipper for months prior…

[deliciouspirateangel]

took like three extra weeks but we finally finished cruel summer season 2 😭😭 literally no one cares about this show but hiding it under a cut for spoilers regardless

It was bad. Bad bad so bad. All the dialogue and pacing and story beats felt like we were accidentally just watching actual teenagers hang out and talk all summer and all the “we just learned THIS new thing” end of episode cliffhangers were weeeeeak sauce. It was SO boring

The first season took place over the course of three years but this literally took place all in one year. Not the worst but I don’t think it did them any favors, and the timelines collapsing in on themselves in the end was weird

There were so many extra characters that could’ve been cut and nothing lost. No one in their friend group outside of Megan, Isabella, Boy, and Brother did a damn thing. That poor kid with the camera. Sorry but he just felt like an afterthought. And literally no one else did anything. Same with Megan’s sister that was only in like three episodes. Just get rid of them all who cares

Obviously we were on Isabella’s side the whole time. Megan was awful to her, constantly switching between “ride or die” and then finding any excuse to get pissed off at her. And what even was that situation? Like Isabella just staying with a random family for the whole summer AND a senior year of high school. Idk it was weird

But anyway that big twist reveal was so fucking funnyyyy it was the only joy we felt watching. But they didn’t even do it right bc the scene on the plane should’ve been the finale scene, obvi

And the big confrontation with Luke at the end was so comical. Megan being like “so you slept with both of us and lied and talked about it to your friends???” Like yeah saying it all together like that really emphasizes how nothing happened at all this season lmao

And then Isabella suddenly being CrAzY at the end was like… ok. So she’s crazy. I still support her ♥️

I was also scared they were gonna pull the last minute wlw thing like they did with Kate and Mallory and I was dreading it. Megan could never deserve Isabelle. Thankfully the exact opposite happened so there was also peace in that

So much of that last ep felt like a horror movie like we were waiting for Jason to pop out of the lake or something 🛶

Ummm what else? Nothing. There’s nothing to talk about. S1 was at least pretty fun but this season was a choreeee to get through

Stan Kate and Isabella that’s all I have to say

But obviously no disrespect to any of the actors lol Sadie Stanley was giving too good a performance in some spots for how nothing this show was 🧑🏼‍💻

[junos-office-drama]

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(This is apparently a marketing attempt for Cruel Summer, which is really unfortunately, because I enjoyed S1 a lot, but holy fuck this is such an unpleasant way to market S2. Repetitive animations like that send me into a rage spiral.)

[juliaswickcrs]

BOOK POSTER :: CRUEL SUMMER ( tsitp s1 - ?? )

Susannah Fisher, Laurel Conklin, and Rebecca St. James had been best friends for years, so when they all got pregnant at the same time it almost felt like fate. Each two kids, all around the same age. Almost like it was meant to be. Este, her sister, and her mom had been going to Cousins for years. It was where her fondest memories had been made. It was where she and Belly became best friends, where she had her first kiss, and most importantly, where she, Belly, and Jere had all made a promise. That no matter how old they got, nothing between them would change. And then the Summer of '22 changes everything. It's the first year at Cousins without her dad, and this time Este has secrets of her own. Including a relationship she hasn't told anyone about, not even her mom and sister. Not even her best friend. But while for Belly Conklin, this summer was the summer she turned pretty, for Este St. James, this summer was just cruel.

tag list: @bisexualterror​ @foxesandmagic​ @iron-parkr​ @jvstjewels​ @camiemendess@a-song-of-quill-and-feather​ @arrthurpendragon​ @villain-connoisseur​ @starcrossedjedis​ @drbobbimorse​ @noratilney​ @stanshollaand​ @kingsmakers​ @elmunson​ @darth-caillic @mystic-scripture@aliverse​ @misshiraeth98​ @chrissymunson​ @asirensrage​ @eddiemunscns

[nikkiruncks]

March Prompt Day 12 - Tribute

Summary: Leia and Gwen come back to the water tower. Takes place post canon S1. Mentions of Neia, Gwikki, & Jeia

And it's new, the shape of your body It's blue, the feeling I've got

"After all these years...can't believe it's still here." Gwen sighs, putting her hand on the place she and Leia wrote their names on.

Seeing Leia with Nate killed Gwen. From the moment she had caught them, and then seeing them as a couple. No matter how hard she tried to be happy for Nate and Leia, seeing them together crushed her. Even moreso that they clearly weren't even into each other, but are still sticking it out.

Leia smiles, "Yeah we really made history, didn't we?" She muses. Things were so amazing last summer, and even more in this one. It just sucks that it's over. "Great tribute to our awesomeness." The blonde teases.

Not being able to take it anymore, Gwen pulls Leia in for a kiss, gripping onto her waist. Leia is initially taken off guard but reciprocates. She keeps her arms around Gwen's neck and sighs.

It's cool, that's what I tell 'em No rules in breakable heaven

The girls break off the kiss and let their foreheads touch. "Wow." Leia and Gwen whisper at the same time. Gwen shakes her head and pulls away, making Leia raise an eyebrow in question.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I should have done that. You're with my brother and you still have feelings for Jay and I just.." Gwen begins to panic until Leia wraps her arms around Gwen's waist.

"Gwen, look at me. Please?" Leia put a finger under Gwen's chin to meet her gaze. "Me and Nate broke up today." She whispers. Gwen raises an eyebrow, "Wait what?" The blonde nods, "Yeah. that's actually why I wanted to meet you here. I wanna be with you...and Jay too. I talked to him and he's completely fine with me wanting both of you."

A small smile appears on Gwen's face. "Nikki told me the same thing. That it's fine that I want to be with both of guys." She shakes her head, "It was killing me all this time. Seeing you with Nate, and Nikki with Jay and now..." Leia shakes her head, "Me and Nate were never going to last. I just want to see how I felt about him after we almost kissed. I was really confused because I never thought of him an option before, but I felt a spark with him that moment we almost kissed. It felt good to find someone who understood me. And we both are hopeless romantics and Nate's a good guy. But I didn't feel that spark with him when we were dating. It was always going to be you and Jay. I always knew I was in love with you both."

Gwen chuckles and pulls Leia back in for another kiss. Leia puts her arms back around the brunette's waist to keep her close.

But ooh, whoa, oh It's a cruel summer With you