#freaks and geeks behind the scenes

[angelbowerz]

bts pics of freaks and geeks is my favourite thing🙏

[k1mk3lly]

freaks and geeks behind the scenes / photos by gabe sachs

[midnightcowb0ys]

Freaks and Geeks bts

[greenishghostey]

Dungeon Master meet Prop Master | part 1

Pairing: Eddie x Drama Club!reader 

Summary: A D&D nerd and a drama geek finally cross paths in their little shared paradise realm - the drama storage room of Hawkins High School.

Warnings: None! Just a good, wholesome meet-cute. There is some suggestive language but nothing is graphic/explicit.

Word Count: 4,639 words (this took on a mind of its own super fast)

Author’s Note: I’ve seen a few fics floating around where the reader is part of the drama class but I hadn’t seen a fic where reader is more behind the scenes, thus spending a lot of time in the drama store room - aka The Hellfire Club room. Also, the official title of the person in charge of props is ‘The Prop Master’ so that worked too perfectly. I couldn’t not go down that route. I was a drama kid in high school so I am definitely projecting a bit but at least I’m being creative with it.

I would like to say a little thank you to @manicpixiedreamcurl , @punk-in-docs​ and @luveline​ whose works and amazing writing styles inspired me to get back into writing after a really really long spell of writer’s block.

/// Part 2

The best part of being in charge of the props and the set for the drama club was the fact that you got to keep the coveted storage closet key. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest honour to the others in your club, but that closet and the rehearsal room were your domain. It’s where all the stuff was, the mass of stuff you had accumulated since freshman year for the club. Miss Butler had told you just last week that the place was “starting to look like a dragon’s hoard,” she’d spoken with her usual encouraging smile, so it really lit a fire under your ass. 

The rickety shelves were weighed down by stacks of old books you’d found in second-hand stores, some of which were actually pretty good - The Hobbit and the first three Oz books being your current favourites. The floor was cluttered with random small pieces of home decor you grabbed from yard sales around Hawkins - the old ladies of your neighbourhood had basically thrown the lamps, ornaments and doilies at you. There were a few pieces of large furniture that had been in the closet long before you were let loose in it - the usual set dressing stuff, small wooden desks, chairs, dusty rugs.

Your favourite piece that had greeted you as prop master was that big, ornate wooden chair - more like a throne - that you barely got to touch because the Dungeons and Dragons club’s leader had basically called permanent dibs. Eddie Munson was known to be a lot of things around the school and had been for what felt like forever. Freak, creep, cultist, asswipe - all the classics. However, to you, he was a chair hog, but that was about it. You’d never really put stock into the satan-murder-super-cult schtick that everyone and their mother spewed. He was the head of a roleplaying game club with its own fun little shirts, so how harmful could he be? 

For how much time you spent building, fixing, or organising props in the theatre room, you would assume Eddie would have crossed your path much more. But you guys always seemed to miss each other, and he was hard to miss, even on a good day. Fridays were Hellfire Club nights, so you would always have to just head straight home after last period. The rest of the week was fair game, and he never dared to stay on school grounds longer than he had to. You’d seen him tearing out of the parking lot yesterday. He nearly rear-ended Carver’s car while blasting Mississippi Queen - part of you wished he had taken the back off of the jock’s car; Jason was a bitch. 

It was Thursday, and you were perched by old plywood and canvas backdrops, surrounded by various shades of brown and grey paints - glasses on because this job was gonna require 20:20 vision or as close as you could get. Miss Butler wanted to direct a show-stopping production of The Crucible this year, so you were getting started on some very sad-looking colonial church backgrounds. The painting had always been one of your favourite parts of your role. Sure, brown and grey weren’t the most exciting colours ever, but you had to give yourself some credit; you really knew how to create faux, mouldy wood grain. Working in total silence just wasn’t gonna work, though, so you dug your cassette player and headphones from your backpack and welcomed the silky rasp of Patti Smith to accompany your Arthur Miller-ifying activities.

With ‘So You Want To Be’ blaring in your ears, you didn’t notice when the door to the theatre room was thrown open, and Hawkins High’s resident super senior rushed in. 

Eddie quickly started busying himself with the usual Hellfire set dressings dotted around the room. He usually set up on Friday afternoon but had some “business transactions” to deal with before the weekend, so after-school Hellfire feng shui it was. Eddie had dumped his backpack against the plywood backdrops behind his throne and started rummaging through scraps of notes, general lint and some old food crumbs to find his good set of metal dice. They always sank right to the bottom of the bag just when he needed them. 

A loud thud bellowed through the theatre room, quickly followed by Eddie’s voice cracking into a yell. 

“Son of a-!”

You shot up from your spot and felt your eyes widen at the metalhead, who was currently hunched under a piece of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, “Oh my god, oh my god, are you okay? I am so so sorry!” you scrambled around the backdrops to heave up the fallen pieces. They weren’t heavy enough to do any damage, but you’d been nearly crushed by them plenty of times. Cardboard, canvas and plywood are a bitch.

“It’s fine, I’m fine. Just dinted my spine is all.” Eddie groaned, rubbing his back and stretching like some old man. “Knew you guys hated me using this room but wasn’t expecting a full-on assault.” He actually looked like he might have been injured from the rogue Cathedral piece. Maybe you were just used to things falling on you or stabbing yourself with craft knives. 

“Eddie, I’m really sorry. Do you want me to get some ice? The nurse might still be in her office, so I’ll run - I’ll be like 5 minutes, yeah?” You were scrambling for ways to make sure Eddie knew you were sorry. Rambling, really. God, you pride yourself on seeing past his mean and scary persona when others didn’t, but you’d gone and basically winded him with a church tower. Maybe if you took the hallways that the janitor had already mopped, you would be able to pick up speed and slide to the nurse’s office. 

Eddie took notice of your frantic state, eyes shifting around the room and towards the door, shoulders bunched up - you looked like the really nervous stray cat, Frankie, that wandered around the trailer park. “Hey, hey. I was just messing with you, specs,” he chuckled lightly. It was a new experience for him to see someone, let alone a girl, get worked up on his behalf in any capacity. Usually, he’d get an insult at worst or a grimace at best. He stood up straight and did a small half-spin so you could see for yourself that he was, in fact, fine. “See, I’m a-okay. Little offended at getting smacked by a church, but hey, it was gonna happen eventually.” 

“Oh, fuck you.” You huffed, a smile sliding across your lips, “fuck you, Munson, I thought I’d actually hurt you!” you swatted him with the paintbrush you’d put in your back pocket, a few specks of grey paint hitting his jeans. You turned to make sure everything was secured to avoid another workplace accident. Then, you heard him laugh, it was something between a snigger and a giggle, and it was actually kind of sort of cute. What fresh hell was this?

“Fuck you,” he said, in a high-pitch, mimicking voice - Eddie had jokes now. Brave of him. “Fair enough. I’m sorry I made you worry about little ol’ me.”

“Wasn’t worried. More frantic concern,” you tried to shrug off his playful comment. It did bring a little heat to your face, but he didn’t need to know that. “What are you doing in here today anyway? It’s Thursday; you’re a day early.”

“Ah yeah, well, I’ve got some important business to attend to tomorrow so…” his voice trailed off as he leaned against the edge of the long table. He could have just said drugs, you were quiet around school, sure, but you weren’t a total square. Possibly more of a square with rounded edges. 

“By business, you mean weed?” You asked. 

“Yeah, weed.” Huh, he sounded a little bit discouraged in his reply but quickly covered it with a chuckle and a smirk. Typical Munson. “You wanna buy or?”

“God, no. I mean, I'm not judging it, but it’s not really my thing. One of my friends said she’s gonna buy from you for Willis’ party on Saturday, though.” Penny had been raving about scoring some weed for that party since Monday. She’d only smoked a handful of times in her life, but the guy she had her eye on was like a chimney attached to a house on fire. His name was Chris or Keith or something that started with a ‘C’ or a ‘K’. All you knew is that he was a glorified benchwarmer for the basketball team and had ‘sexy’ hair - Penny’s words, not yours.

“Is that the redhead chick who makes you run lines at lunch when there’s a play? She’s bought from me before but didn’t know what papers or filters were.” He couldn’t hold back a snigger when remembering how he had to explain the fundamentals of a joint to the poor girl. 

Eddie’s laugh was nice, you decided. You couldn’t find a word to describe it other than nice at that moment. Penny could take being thrown under the bus for a minute as long as you got to hear him laugh again. She’d made you read as Romeo one too many times, so, if anything, this was like karma. 

Wait. 

How did he know what you got up to at lunch? Penny was sometimes a little too loud when she got really into a monologue but you usually distracted yourself with your sandwich and soup when that happened. But Eddie had noticed. He had noticed the heavy-handed performance of your friend, but more importantly, he had noticed you. God, what if he had heard your crappy take on the witches from Macbeth? You’d done voices. 

“That’s her, yeah. Her name’s Penny. If you call her “chick” she’ll go nuclear. Just warning ya.” You needed to keep this conversation on track. You liked talking to Eddie. It felt easy. Like you’d always thought it would. “She’ll buy from you, but it’s for this dude she likes.” 

“Awww. That is so gross.” He replied in an airy, cooing tone. You’d moved to join him at the table, getting yourself comfortably seated. You really didn’t want to go back to painting. Eddie was actually kind of funny, and not in his usual loud, antagonistic way - you did still enjoy that, obviously, but seeing a new side to a pretty guy wasn’t something you were gonna complain about. 

“You going to Willis’ this weekend? Since pennies and some other drama nuts are, I’d assume you are to make an appearance?”

“Drama nuts, huh?” You questioned, raising your eyebrows and trying your best to look genuinely miffed at the comment. He was right, though. Everyone knew theatre kids were fucking nuts. 

“It’s not a bad thing. Everyone’s a nut about something - sports, drama, music, sometimes math for whatever unholy reason.” He was now sitting on the table with you, leaning back on his forearms like he was getting comfy to stay there for some time. God. 

“And what are you a nut about exactly?” 

“Getting an answer about your party attendance, if I’m honest.” Oh. 

True be told, Eddie didn’t flirt all that much. When he did, it was usually to get a rise out of people or make them uncomfortable. But he’d had at least one eye on you for a while now. You were cute, which was the first thing he noticed - all big wireframe glasses and funky sweaters with weird patterns on them. 

The more he glanced your way, though, the more he liked. You were definitely the most level-headed of the drama nuts, reining in their impromptu lunch rehearsals. You were always jotting down notes in your little red, paisley-patterned notebook with “WORK STUFF” written on the front. You also snorted when you laughed at one of his comments in history like a month ago, so that had done a number on him for at least a week.

You were a little weird, honestly. But, he liked weird. Weird looked good smacking him in the spinal cord with theatre backdrops. Maybe you could smack him in other, more friendly, situations. That’d be cool. 

“Oh? You’ve got some lines, huh? I thought the charm was only for the jocks and Miss O’Donnell?” 

“My charm has many layers, thank you very much,” he smirked, the expression taking up his entire face. This guy’s Dante’s Inferno of charm was gonna have you ready to lose layers if it kept up. Wait, what cesspit of your brain did that thought crawl out from?

“Okay, okay, noted. Back to the weed party. Not really my kinda scene, too busy, too loud.” You smiled, a little sad at your confession. Big parties had never really been your thing, even when it came to birthday parties in elementary school. A cast and crew wrap party was always fun but you knew everyone at those, so it took less effort. Penny had been nagging your ear off for the past two weeks to “let your hair down,” but you knew you’d wind up being a buzz kill, regardless of what hairstyle you went for.

“The weed party? I’m gonna steal that one, specs. Could use it for my summer sales and marketing scheme. Business ventures aside, what is your scene if it isn’t weed parties?” He giggled a bit when he spoke. You weren’t going to be able to forget ‘weed parties’, but, hey, it could be an inside joke between the two of you, like friends. 

“Well, this, more or less. It’s all like my own big extracurricular craft project, I guess.” You said, gesturing around the theatre room, glancing towards the storage closet door, the backdrops, the variety of sword props you’d made for Othello last year, and stacks of old paper that you had meticulously aged. It wasn’t much of a “scene”, but theatre was your life. Creating all of those little details that could elevate a play and bring it off the page alongside the actors was a great feeling. Most people didn’t understand why you liked painting backdrops or making stuff out of plywood or foam. Penny tried to. Bless her heart, but maybe Eddie would get it. Maybe he could peek behind the curtain and understand.

“Wait. So like, you make all of this stuff? Dude, seriously?!” Eddie lept up from the table quickly and dashed towards the “weapons bin” - it was the name you’d lovingly given to the big crate that was full of fake swords and daggers from previous productions. Miss Butler loved a good Shakespearean tragedy to get her thespians ready for their future Tony award nominations. Eddie rummaged through the crate and pulled out one of the more “adventurous” pieces you’d made. The blade itself was pretty basic, made from some foam with a wooden base to keep the shape and covered in metallic paint you borrowed from your dad. The handle and guard were what you were really proud of. And, apparently, so was Eddie. 

It was an aged gold colour, made to look like the metal had been held numerous times but was still well-crafted. You’d taken way too much time to shape the handle to look like finger grips had been hammered into the gold. There were detailed patterns etched into the guard that you’d done with a craft knife at your kitchen table. It had been a bitch to work on since you’d stabbed your fingers a lot, but it looked fucking sick. Eddie held it like it was real, like it was a gift bestowed upon him by the gods themselves. 

“You’re telling me you made this?” He spoke earnestly. It was the first time you had ever heard him sound that way. His big, dark eyes felt like they were scanning your whole body, not just your face. 

“I don’t handmake everything, but the swords and other stuff that’s production-specific, yeah, I have to make it.” 

“This sword. This sword, here. It’s the fucking crown jewel of our Hellfire campaign right now,” he stated. He’d started running his hand along the fake blade while maintaining eye contact with you and wearing an awestruck look. This must have been another layer of that charm he mentioned because warmth was crawling up your neck. There was an innuendo about stroking a sword rolling around in her head, but you weren’t ready to embarrass yourself that quickly - things were going too well.

“The Sun Strike. The most sought after and powerful magical sword. The guys are gonna use it to destroy this cursed rogue knight dude. Or, at least, that’s my plan. The new freshmen might fuck it up; who knows.” He swung the sword around as he told you all about the tale of the weapon, spinning it around in his hand. Eddie was so weirdly unpredictable - the scary satan worshipper could go sword tricks and was grinning like a big goof.

You didn’t speak for a few moments. You just stared at him and the sword from your perch on the table. This guy really was insane but in the best way possible. He looked like an excited little kid with your prop in hand. 

Your parents had always supported your passion for building and crafting pretty much anything your little mind could think of - you’d once made a magic staff out of a gross tree branch you’d found on a hike. However, they never really got the enjoyment and sense of pride that crafts gave you. Breathing new life into something that might otherwise be viewed as mundane or as nothing. Transporting even the smallest object back in time to any period with some paint, some brushes and a whole bunch of all-nighters. 

It was more than just fun. It was more than just a hobby. And Eddie Munson, of all people, seemed to understand that loud and clear. He’d even named one of your creations. How adorable was that?

“Hey, specs? Specs? Sorry, I should have asked to use your stuff. I didn’t know any of this was actually made by some-”

“No, no. Do not say sorry. Nuh uh,” you yelled, moving towards Eddie and grasping his upper arms. “The Sun Strike. That name is way cooler than anything I could come up with, so no sorry’s. And - and it's magic? Like good magic or bad magic?” Your quiet shock was long gone, and you started shaking Eddie by the shoulders. The bright grin on your face was infectious as Eddie stared at you, his expression slowly matching yours once the reality of your questions had set in. You were excited and asked him about D&D and liked the sword's name. Eddie had never been concerned about how smoking would affect his breathing, but you had him near gasping for air. 

“Good magic, don’t worry. The best kind, actually. Like the light of the world, that type of stuff. Crafted by the fair hands of a Sun goddess herself.” Eddie explained with a lopsided smirk. Fuck, he was so proud of that piece of lore now; he could use it as a line on a cute girl. That had never happened before. 

“Was that pre-established, or did you just make that up for me?” You laughed, not giving a single shit about what the answer was because you were a fucking Sun goddess. Now that you had calmed down, you made sure to let go of Eddie before you gave him minor whiplash. You were also becoming increasingly aware that being so close to him was feeling a little too nice.

“Nah, ‘fraid to say that I came up with that when I first saw it last year. But how about we change your name from ‘specs’ to ‘sunny’? How does that sound?” It almost amazed Eddie how easily he was laying it on thick with you. 

“Keep ‘specs’ gives me the chance to redeem a name from middle school. Besides, one of the other girls in drama gets called Sunny, so no dice.” You were cursing Sunny to high heaven in your head. Her real name was Mary-anne, and she only got the nickname because her last name was Sunderland. But, you didn’t need to start gaining a God complex over a fake sword, so ‘specs’ you would have to remain. 

You and Eddie continued to talk about your projects and if he had worked them into his campaign. Funnily enough, he had only used the gold handled sword since he’d never had a real inspection of the other treasures in the theatre trove. You were starting to grasp the fundamentals of D&D, and you could clearly see how fun it could be. What Eddie did with his club was sort of similar to you and the drama club - transforming, transporting, reviving. While helping him move some new stuff into place for Hellfire Club the next night, you both fell into a calm rhythm. You would suggest setting and props that could work for what he had planned in the session, and he would ‘hm’ and ‘haw’ about the place for them. You’d given him a few more fake weapons - two daggers and a wood-cutting axe - along with some weathered books and candlesticks. 

This Hellfire set was one of the best you’d worked on, and it wasn’t even for the drama club. It was still just as theatrical and imposing but was also cosy and welcoming. Kind of like Eddie, you’d realised. After the evening you had spent with the town pariah, you were even more against the vile opinions people held about him. He was a huge cheeseball, inside and out. You had handed him a huge, beat-up, leather bound bible, and he nearly shrieked with excitement as he put it on the table. Behind the hair, the leather and the bite was one of the sweetest guys ever. 

Eddie lounged back in his ornate, dark wood throne, surveying the upgraded Hellfire Club set-up. Candelabras, weaponry and some gothic patterned fabric draped over the ladder against the back wall. The place had never looked so right, so good. The best addition to the room, however, was you. You, organising the extra boxes and crates to clear up the space around the long table. You, who was giddy while dashing around the room and trying to get the fantasy-medieval-heavy metal aesthetic just right. 

“Gotta hand it to you, specs. You can craft a damn good set. Very metal.” He chimed, giving you a soft round of applause from his throne. 

“It’s all pure, raw talent, Munson.” You stated, standing proud with your hands on your hips and smiling smugly. Eddie was still glancing around the room with a look of childish wonder on his face. He’d put on the lights and bathed the room in a cosy, honey glow. You couldn’t help but notice his eyes. Wide, burnt umber, and so full of appreciation. This doe-eyed metalhead was past the point of doing it for you. You could feel the budding beginning of a crush - hadn’t had one of those since freshman year when Patrick McKinney was your biology partner for, like, two weeks. 

“You know, I used to think you were just a chair thief. I’ve wanted to put that huge thing on stage for ages, but now I’d feel bad if I accidentally tainted its reputation.” You gestured to Eddie’s throne - you were more willing to call it that now. 

“Well, I called dibs like a year before you even started here, so there. This bad boy is dripping in my glamorous reputation. I mean, look at this butt groove.” Eddie proclaimed, standing up quickly to reveal a pretty impressive imprint in the leather seat. You were being encouraged to inspect his ass, and who were you to pass up an opportunity like that. His dark jeans hugged his legs subtly and were definitely doing him favours. “Also, it’s 6:30 now, so we should probably think about vacating the premises. Higgins gets antsy if he senses that I’m around for too long.” 

“Shit, it’s that late already? I gotta get home. I promised to watch MacGyver with my mom after dinner.” You quickly grabbed your backpack from behind the backdrops, only for some of its contents to spill onto the floor - your tapes, some almost dried-out pens and your copy of A Wizard of Earthsea. 

“Oh ho, what you got there, specs?” Eddie, ever the gentleman, gathered up your stuff but didn’t hand it over right away. A chance to see what kind of music you were into? That was far too valuable. “Some Patti, a solid choice. And… Yes. Unexpected, but I’m pleasantly surprised. Didn’t peg you for a prog rock kind of gal.” God, he was annoyingly good at this. Making you flustered but still comfortable - making you want to match him toe to toe.

“I like cool ladies and funky guitar riffs. I’m very easy to please.” 

“Noted.” He grinned. The bastard grinned from ear to ear. And you ate it up. “Anyway, you need a ride home? It’ll be dark out by now, and you can even have stereo privileges.”

Riding your bike home in the dark was always a dicey experience. You’d done it a few times after staying late at school accidentally and ended up walking most of the way since you were too worried that a car would run you off the road. Plus, Eddie had a van, so getting your bike home would be easy too. 

And control of the music? That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

“That’d be great, actually! I live over on Fletcher; I think it’s kinda close to your place.”

“It’s on my route. So, let’s make like a tree.” Eddie picked up his backpack and headed towards the door, nodding for you to follow. 

You had to restrain yourself from practically skipping through the halls. Staying late for theatre stuff was always fun, but it did start to get a little lonesome. Theatre kids in Hawkins loved being on stage, but they weren’t huge fans of being behind it. 

But Eddie. He was on the stage, behind it and in the goddamn audience. He had a sort of omnipresent energy that followed him around. Most of the student body saw it as annoying, obnoxious or just plain evil, but you knew better. He was passionate - that was the best word for him. He was passionate about his game, he was passionate about his music and- 

“Specs? This your sweet ride?” Eddie asked, ringing the bell on your bike. It was a dull, low ding - your bike was old as balls, and so was the bell. 

“Yep. That’s her. Gorgeous, right?” You boasted, slapping the bike seat. The bike had been your mom’s many moons ago, and while it was a senior citizen, it was still a great shiny silver. Isopropyl and a wire brush kept her pretty. 

“Maybe a little old for my tastes, but got the silver fox thing going, which is doing- something for me.” There he went again - the invitation, the tease to keep the banter going. You were about to quip back at him when he hauled your bike onto his shoulder. He held it so carefully even though it was just a bike. “Van’s across the lot, so I’ll carry the old girl. Come on.” 

You just nodded, maybe a little too excitedly, but better than talking with your foot in your mouth. You jogged a little to catch up with Eddie, falling into a brisk pace with him. It was early October, and the wind was starting to get its bite back. 

But you couldn’t help but feel a little warmer when you watched Eddie awkwardly shift himself and wrestle to get your bike in the back of his van. 

[chirpsythismorning]

The Hellflire Club Foreshadows Mike's Monologue (and More Than You Think...)

Several fans have noticed already that there are direct parallels between Mike's monologue in The Piggyback, with Eddie's monologue in The Hellfire Club.

While we've been grappling with all sorts of supernatural creatures over the course of Stranger Things' entire run, here Eddie is warning us about forced conformity and how that is the real monster.

This has also led fans to joke painfully about the fact that Max 'died' because forced conforming; that's what's killing the kids, aka Mike's whole speech to El wouldn't have happened the way it did in the first place, had him, Will and El not been trying so hard to be who they think they're supposed to be, instead of who they truly want to be.

However, what I want to add to this discourse, because I haven't seen anyone else acknowledge it (correct me if i'm wrong!?), is that this scene at lunch has two extras with whom Mike sits between, which are very likely meant to represent Will and El.

We've seen a lot of (love) triangle blocking used with these three before, often with Mike between the two. This screen-cap below has gotta be one of the most iconic and so I feel the need to mention it briefly:

What also makes this shot relevant as an example for this post, is the costume choice for Will and El here: the same shade of dark blue (hints of gray), and the fact that this doesn’t align with the colors/style they usually wear as individual characters. However, this was presumably one of the few times Will and El have genuinely interacted beyond supernatural happenings. And so now, with both of them standing on either side of Mike, after two seasons of him having only one of them beside him, and while the other was out of reach, what we're seeing is that these two are more or less two sides of the same coin. Whether Will and El are actually blood related (I'm like 75% sure they could be) remains to be seen. However Mike's bond between both of them individually is causing him to sort of be at war with himself (and his identity).

Now bear with me, because I know so many of you see theories/analysis involving set design/blocking/costumes and you just instantly check out and stop taking it seriously. But I can assure you, this is the real deal.

What follows, is so outrageously easy to overlook. And yet upon thinking about what it actually requires to film a scene, especially a scene like this with dozens of background extras, along with how this scene actually turned out, I'm going to explain why there are several factors which make me feel fairly confident about what these two specific extras represent.

To start things off, we know how this scene begins, with Eddie dramatically reading a Newsweek magazine:

"The Devil has come to America. Dungeons and Dragons, at first regarded as a harmless game of make-believe, now has both parents and psychologists concerned. Studies have linked violent behavior to the game, saying it promotes satanic worship, ritual sacrifice, sodomy, suicide, and even... Murder."

After they give us a short introduction to some of the faces of the Hellfire Club (notably Eddie), they cut to this point of view shot from Mike:

Here we are instantly introduced to the two extras that are going to dominate a majority of this scene outside of the main characters themselves, aka Willel...

note: interesting they don't include Mike in the shot for that specific sound bite below... almost as if he considers himself a freak for a different reason...

Yes, on the surface this scene is establishing that Mike and Dustin are finding a place in High School, as the freaks and geeks, but a place nonetheless.

Though, is that really all there is to it?

You'll see what I mean.

note: there's no meaning behind the circles touching here. i just wanted to acknowledge here that the El extra is visible at first, only for her to become hidden the moment that the Will extra becomes visible.

Now, this shot right here below is kind of iconic, because it's what made me realize that this girl extra here in the scarf represents El.

To provide a little more context, the Will extra next to Mike has already been picked up on by a decent amount of fans. I've even posted about it at least once. This guy definitely resembles Will at certain angles, to the point where he could arguably be a stand in/stunt double for scenes that don't require a close-up of him.

Also keeping in mind, this is a scene of the party in high school, in a D&D club. Assuming Will could have stayed in Hawkins and went to high school with the party, he would've more than likely been right here beside them. So that's what I initially got out of this scene and still partially do get out of it, regardless of these other observations I'm discussing here.

What's so fascinating about the Will extra though specifically, is that they avoid showing his face as much as possible, which is a unique choice that we're just not seeing be applied to the other extras in the frame. They even let us see the face of the guy across from the Will extra (blue/yellow striped shirt guy) multiple times, but apparently they really wanted to avoid showing this guys face (there are a few notable, but fleeting side profiles from an outside POV), almost to keep up this guise that we could imagine this is Will and hell, it could be him, bc it's pretty damn close.

However, upon recently rewatching this scene, I remember looking for other points when this Will extra might have been prominent, to see if I could find anything else.

And that's when I realized this girl in the scarf, directly blocks the Will extra at the most convenient time.

And that's when it hit me...

FORCED CONFORMING!!!!!!!

The following images below is when it really starts to get obvious that there was an intended direction going on here with the blocking of these two extras, in accordance with Mike's placement in the frame.

What sealed the deal for me, was noticing how the other extras surrounding them (excluding Willel), do not seem to be granted much importance in the continuity of this scene.

Continuity between shots is pretty essential to filmmaking. It's gotta be the main thing about film that just bugs me, which is that you can tell very visibly when a shot is followed by another shot, but from a separate take (has the capacity to ruin the illusion that this is real and not all fabricated).

For example, what I gather from the beginning of this following conversation, is that there were at the very least 2-3 takes done for these reaction shots of Dustin and Mike, and it's because the extras in the background give it away. Sometimes they're in the frame, sometimes they're not.

The Will and El extras provide a contrast to all the other extras, in that the continuity for their blocking in the frame is fairly spot on each time, equal to the standards of the main cast arguably. Meaning they had a mark and they had to stick with it.

Check this out:

side note: star wars reference (luke & leia??)

The most obvious thing that gives away the importance of these two extras, besides the blocking, is them both sporting an almost identical color in their costume. While the Will extra wears a maroon shirt, the El extra wears a scarf in that same color.

This is so simple yet sort of genius, because again, from what I understand, no one has noticed this, and so it's pretty epic once you finally do pick up on it.

The Will extra is almost always in the frame on Mike's right? The El extra is facing the the opposite direction as them (not on the same page), and wearing a scarf, which is there to represent the tentacle choking her during Mike's monologue...

This theory does take a turn for the hilarious, when at a later point Eddie starts monologuing again, while Dustin and Mike look at him fondly (w/ Mike in focus), the Willel extras are now nowhere to be found...

I think this choice was made to indicate that Mike's attraction to Eddie is based on the most basic type of attraction, while what he shares for Will and El is so much more complicated (and deep). When you're just experiencing everyday attraction, you're not thinking about your significant other or your hearts desire in that moment, because this moment is just a blip encounter that isn't going anywhere, it's attraction and that's all there is to it. Whereas what he feels truly for Will is true love, while what he feels truly for El is familial love. This tiny moment isn't about his conflict over his romantic feelings, it's about the fact that Mike is attracted to men.

And then what follows directly after this, is that little snippet of Eddie's monologue, which echoes Mike's monologue to El at the end of the season...

Oh and look who it is?! The El extra has made a reappearance, just in time!

This is one of the few times they made a point to have the El extra in the frame while the Will extra wasn't, which I also think is intentional because it could be a hint to how Mike's speech about falling in love with El the moment he saw her is a fabrication (copyright to be exact), and it also doesn't resemble the love that Mike has for Will, hence why he was almost entirely left out of those shots. (Also similar to Mike's monologue at the end of the season, where Will was in certain shots but not others, because the words did/didn't match Mike's feelings for Will at those points).

Lastly, we get a Gap (gay and proud) reference for Mike. And low and behold, the Will extra is making a reappearance, just in time!

I think what makes this scene easier to understand on a basic level, without making it too complicated for yourself, is comparing the implications that come with it, to the implications that came with Mike's monologue.

The choice to put Will in most of the shots, directly behind Mike as he professes his love to El, who is lying before him unable to look in his eyes or even respond, leads those truly paying attention, to the conclusion that this is not how you shoot a satisfying love confession. Therefore it can't be a genuine love confession.

Instead what this scene more so depicts is a character having a confession practically wrenched out of him. And because of all the other details happening over the course of this season and just the series overall, we can gather that Mike feels pressured to go through with this because he thinks he has no other choice.

They didn't beat the big bad this time, instead they lost. Because forced conforming, that's the real monster.

With only one season left, they're going to have to face the truth if they want to make it out alive this time (and happy!).

[findafight]

With the whole "Munson doctrine" bs. Eddie wasn't just against the jocks and the bullies (and there's no proof that he was seriously bullied? Just a bit of an outcast?). He was against anyone that was a part of what he called conformity. In that stupid speech on the table he called out people in band and those who like science for forced conformity. Other outcasts, other people that would have been bullied. Because they liked something he didn't.

It wasn't about self defense, it was an I'm right, you're wrong mentality, that his interests were the only valid interests.

Also, this is why I *hate* the idea of Eddie and Robin being friends or having some sort of alliance pre-s4 (or even pre-s3) because she's in band and likes band and he canonically criticized being in band as forced conformity. Why would she be friends with someone who is so vocally against something she enjoyed?

Oh yes I think Eddie has a bee in his bonnet about people who don't......conform.....to his brand of nonconformity. But I do think part of it is self preservation, or at least started out that way but grew into something else? Eddie is an outcast, has a non-nuclear family, and is poor, and all that shapes his view, but it also doesn't stop him from ostracizing people who he thinks aren't outcast enough or in the correct way (Subconsciously, at least.) Eddie thinks the only way to be a weirdo and a freak is to be loud about it, to be purposely obnoxious, to not even consider the normie hobbies or interests as something worth your time.

But as you've said band geeks and science nerds would also be in the crossfire. Heck, the party are all science nerds! I guess that didn't actually interfere with Eddie's interests though. Until inevitably a big county/state science fair or something would be on Hellfire night, and then it might have (except the Duffers would not have done that because they want to continue the nerd v jock thing happening that's just so stupid). He left Lucas out to dry, what's to say he wouldn't do the same to the other boys?

Part of what makes Eddie a fun and interesting character is that we get a glimpse of him starting to realize the strict us vs them, jocks vs nerds, conformity vs nonconformity binaries he's built around himself are not so clear-cut when he talks to Steve in the upside down. But it took him seeing Steve being a chill and kind guy, as opposed to Lucas who was in Hellfire since the beginning of the year to make him see that. Maybe he viewed Lucas as betraying them by joining basketball, but Steve, moving in the """opposite direction""" away from ""jockdom"" was what made it click for him. Eddie has a lot of issues to work through regarding expectations and nonconformity.

Oh. Yes I don't think, in canon, Eddie and Robin would be friends pre S4. Like I think aus that show us how he works through things (or at least tells us he did) can be fun. But when there's just the assumption that they'd be friends pre S4 or even pre S3 without either of them changing from how we were introduced to them? Uhg. Robin thinks Eddie is an annoying weirdo who stepped on her lunch one time :( and said the band uniforms were stupid and she took offense to that because he acted like it was their fault and not the school's. Eddie thinks Robin is some boring band dweeb and never thinks about her unless it's a vauge sort of "oh she's talking to Dustin" way.

It's also frustrating because Steve is often left behind in these AUs, and Eddie replaces him as Robin's best friend [at least at the start] One of the reasons stobin is so powerful is because they were both lonely losers who happened to find their forever friend in scoops ahoy. Robin having a close friend she's out to before that doesn't make sense, especially since it's heavily implied Steve is the first person she's told, which is why that scene means so much!

[space-blue]

Arcane Bloopers

Tomorrow, Netflix Geeked will feature new Arcane content of... unknown nature. My silly ass would love for it to be bloopers.

———

I want to see Vander and Silco get awkward in the chocking scene in episode 3. They try to hold it in but Silco bursts a fat laugh in Vander's face.

I want to see Marcus forgetting his lines and losing his cool, because Silco keeps making faces at him but you can't see it from the camera's angle.

I want to see Jinx fall from the blade of her lair on mat below.

I want to see Sevika headbutt Vi for real by mistake and they both go OW OW! Bitch!

I want to see Powder riding Mek's shoulders through the set, pulling on his ears to give directions.

I want to see Jayce do nervous vocal warm up exercises and shyly admit to the behind-the-scenes cameraman that he struggles with the confident Jayce persona because he's so shy. Viktor rushes by just then and pinches his butt and Jayce is like "AAH!" in a nice high voice.

I want to see Cait kiss Vi's nose in the Kabedon scene and hear laughs from behind the camera while Vi goes 😳

I wanna see Silco be like "You're making a mess" in that one scene. But Sevika forgets her line and goes "Sir—" trying to summon the rest...

So Silco just goes "You're ruining the carpet!"

"Sir!"

"You're LEAKING ALL OVER THE PLACE!"

"SIR!"

I want Singed drinking a boba tea in his actor chair and when asked a question, just answers in his VA's pure, undiluted Australian accent.

I want kid Viktor, Powder and Ekko riding Rio in the background while her handler explains how long she's trained her for and how many films she's in.

I want Ekko, Viktor, Jayce and Jinx to take their child actors out for a photoshoot. Do clothes swap, or dress in the same clothes. I want Silco turning to the camera in extra close up and say "They didn't do a child version of me, because I'd be too F##ing cute."

Vander in the background : "You f##ing wish!"

Silco, turning around, waving an unfinished kebab: "What did you say you—"

I want Mel answering questions about the filming process outside her trailer and full armour Ambessa beeline to them and say "WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO MY DAUGHTER" — She isn't Mel's mom though of course, but brags about Mel like she is for the entire shoot.

I want Ren to squeak a desperate "Daddy, help!" in the middle of the scene with Silco and his goons at his flat, making both him and Marcus freak out. Dustin and Ran set her up to do it.

I want Deckard and Deckard's swole body double doing a little dance routine that ends up in DBZ's fusion dance while Vi makes an ugly snorting sound, slapping her thigh like it's the funniest thing she's ever seen.

I want to see Claggor and Mylo do a super intricate 30scd long choreographed handshake. Mylo jokes that he's glad it'll make it to the DVD and Claggor nods like "we can't believe they wouldn't let us use it in the show!"

I want Cait and Jayce mock up the argument scene in her room and devolve into squeaking "mee mee mee!" at each other.

I want Shoola caught picking her nose with one of her gold finger claw prop and be like ∑(ΦдΦlll

I want Heimer falling down some stairs doing soft little puppy sounds at every bump and half the set rush in even though he's perfectly fine.

I want to see Mel and Sevika sharing a trailer and playing at insulting each other in character while they get their makeup done.

[xadian-daydreams]

Just creating a clean notes of what's been said about S6E1 from various sources. I'm going to update it if I get more clarification on things.

Edit: Update from Geeked Week.

Episode shown was only 18 minutes long (Giehl said to have mentioned ~3 min scene at end was deliberately omitted) and lacked credits/end cards.

Aaravos is sobbing hard while staring at water with a galaxy reflected within. A Startouch, the Merciful One (they/them), comes up behind him and says "We are all of us stardust, held together for a moment by love."

Camera pans out to show it's all galaxy around them.

Screenshot thanks to @aaravosaa

So, probably what's being referred to by the Sea of the Outcast statues.

Similar opening to S4&5, however Viren's statue crumbles to dust when Aaravos tries to pick him up.

Book Stars Chapter 1 Startouched

Soren blindfolds Opeli. She's ushered to a secret Council meeting.

Ezran gives a summary to a guard of what dragang got up to.

In Viren's secret dark magic lab Soren takes off Opeli's blindfold to reveal the Pearl prison on the stand Zym's egg used to be.

Opeli thinks keeping the Pearl is a bad idea. Soren calls them the fellowship of the Pearl. Callum, aware of Aaravos' ability to manipulate from within the Pearl, advocates to destroy it. Rayla counters that destroying it is too risky - it could just release Aaravos. Ezran's plan is to keep it protected and hidden away in Katolis.

Zym spots the (damaged?) painting of Zubeia and starts howl-crying.

Callum notices the Stars rune on the Key of Aaravos is glowing. He suggests the Celestial elves in the Starscraper may know how to safely destroy the Pearl.

(I think a scene cut to just Callum and Rayla after leaving meeting).

Callum suggests Rayla and him go to the Starscraper together so they can also free Moonfam from coins. Rayla is still not ok with the risk. Callum is still very afraid of getting possessed.

Scene cut - Callum's bedroom.

Callum gets up and starts sleepwalking, with one of the baitlings following him. He goes to the dark magic lab and grabs the Pearl. He finds himself inside Aaravos' study. He excitedly looks at the books, then curious about the chair which he sits in and sees the broken mirror, realising where he is.

Shot of Aaravos holding the Pearl while Callum is trapped inside. Aaravos throws the Pearl down and it smashes.

Then Callum wakes up, only to discover his hand on the Pearl. He is suitably freaked.

Scene cut - Rayla's room.

Callum bursts in calling for and waking up Rayla. Rayla attempts to defend herself with pillows before realising it's Callum and those are pillows rather than her butterfly blades.

Callum explains what just happened - Aaravos took me over, had the Pearl in my hand. Rayla points out it's late and he was dreaming, but Callum insists and Rayla says she believes him, but what can they do?

Callum says he has a idea and runs off with Rayla's blanket.

Stella complains and Rayla replies, he took our blanky, before collapsing back on the bed.

Callum visits Barius the baker. He requests Barius make something special and innovative to stop Aaravos.

(Not sure how scenes are cutting or locations for next few bits).

Zym is still sad about missing his mother. (Soren mentions wondering where his mother is). Soren tries to comfort Zym by howl-crying with him.

Callum tells Ezran that he has a new plan.

Callum sews spell blocking runes onto blanky.

Barius enters dark magic lab with a decoy Pearl. Rayla doesn't get what's going on. Then Callum swaps the Pearl for Barius' decoy and wraps the real prison in spell blocking blanky.

At dawn Rayla and Callum, with concealed Pearl, leave for the Starscraper.

Also, Soren leaves with Zym to search for Zubeia. (Riding Pyrrah?)

Scene skip - Terry and Claudia.

Eyes blinking POV of sleeping Claudia looking very corrupted, haggard and bloody. Cuts to show a waking up Terry. Claudia is using Sun staff as make shift crutch.

Claudia goes on about how her mother and brother left her, and now her father's dead. So, to make sure Terry never leaves her - she then raises her staff, scaring Terry- she's going to leave him instead. Then she drives the staff next to his head.

Terry is devastated as Claudia limps away, calling out he loves her and would never leave.

He stumbles to the ground and calls out he'll be waiting here for her.

(There should be another scene, but it wasn't shown).

[mrsillymccoolguy]

here’s a poem I made about a month back that reminds me of Abed

(Intro To) Romantic Cinema

I want one tear rolling 

Like the credits on the silver screen

Late nights and a single rose

Painting portraits of you in my daydreams 

One hand that touches mine during scary scenes 

Or maybe an arm that slides behind my back, grounding and leaving me with goosebumps 

A boom box held high at my front porch , an open window waiting for someone to come on in

An exciting new adventure 

A thrilling new chapter 

Maybe it’s dumb

To want the typical romance I see in the theaters

A dare leads to true love

If your a bird then please, show me your world

Your mythical fantasies 

From love triangles to misunderstandings

Hell even ‘under the sea’

Engraved into my brain is our everlasting memories 

Maybe one day I can have love like in the movies.

But for now I’ll blow out 16 candles

And every wish will be for you

From the freaks, the geeks, and the classic hits

The fists raised high , disastrous parties and wings in the sky

I hope to be an idiot teenager

And wish to be one of a kind.

-DanFran 2023

this is my first time sharing my poetry on tumblr so I hope you enjoy it!! should I post more of my poetry on here? Let me know please! If I do I might add a little voice message too bc I prefer reading out my poetry and stuff<3

[alexanderpearce]

ooh i would absolutely love a media rec list from you (im a different anon but 👀)

omg u flatter me.. here are some pieces of media that i really love that i consider to be somewhat lesser known outside of my circles.. i do have lots of favourites not mentioned here that are far more mainstream (my favourite book ever is, embarrassingly, still The Secret History) but it's nice to shine a light on the more niche. i'll add content warnings but they're not comprehensive because i am just going by memory. im also not tagging gore because To be honest with me that's a given.

books and plays

Hypnerotomachia Poliphili (1499) by Anonymous/Francesco Colonna; very strange book where the author (who is actually revealed in an acrostic poem in Latin made by the first letter of each chapter) clearly has a sexual fetish for buildings and architecture. cw misogyny.

Seneca's Phaedra (1st century AD); i live here. Seneca's tragedy about doomed fatal diseased love. sorry i don't have a translation to recommend but you will be able to read mine one day i promise. cw pseudo-incest, misogyny.

The Pepsi-Cola Addict (1982) by June Alison Gibbons; vanity-published in the 1980s and only existing in five libraries around the world (until i suppose its republishing this or last year), this is a fascinating and very weird little book, and the story behind it too is very sad and interesting. i have a pdf if anyone wants it. cw predatory relationships, incest references, suicide.

The Doloriad (2022) by Missouri Williams; strange and swirling little debut set in a post-apocalyptic future, some really incredible prose. cw incest.

Geek Love (1989) by Katherine Dunne; What if the mother of sideshow freaks was purposefully consuming poisons and alcohols and cetera while pregnant to engineer her kids to be attractions Would that be fucked up for what. cw incest and the ableism inherent in the sideshow "freaks" scene.

Equus (1973) by Peter Shaffer; just read this fucking play man (or watch the 1977 movie!). cw animal death

movies

Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008) dir. Darren Lynn Bousman; sorry not sorry but this is my favourite movie ever. i've seen it 17 times. complete garbage trashy 2000s comedy-horror-gore-musical. insane cast. literal genius.

Caligula (1979) dir. Tinto Brass; Do you want to watch a two and a half hour long porno filled with torture and gorgeous costumes and conversations on power. well do i have the movie for you. cw rape, incest, i know i said i wouldnt tag gore but this one does have explicit penis mutilation so.

Van Diemen's Land (2009) dir. Jonathan auf der Heide; a pretty good movie adaptation of alexander pearce's first descent into cannibalism!! my main real criticism is that they desaturated the gorgeous green and vibrant west coast to grey doomy fakeness. cw beautiful gay love

Żywot Mateusza (1968) dir. Witold Leszczyński; incredible little Polish movie set in a rural village, on youtube with english subtitles.

May (2002) dir. Lucky Mckee; literally the most relatable movie of all time to me. socially awkward (super autistic) girl has trouble with love, you won't Believe what happens next

The Lair of the White Worm (1988) dir. Ken Russell; peter capaldi and hugh grant's earth shattering gay love story... super campy phallic lesbic homoerotic vampiric wyrmesque weirdo horror. peter capaldi wears a kilt and plays the bagpipes. you MUST watch this movie.

Ravenous (1999) dir. Antonia Bird; can cannibalism represent manifest destiny AND homosexuality? find out now!

And Then There Were None (2015) dir. Craig Viveiros; Agatha Christie could only dream of writing Burn Gorman's gay homophobic character in this. transcends the book hundredfold and if you disagree you genuinely have shit taste.

albums

At Least For Now by Benjamin Clementine; just listen to this right now i mean it this shit is fucking phenomenal. incredible voice and lyrics and piano and strings.

Stygian Bough Volume I by Aerial Ruin and Bell Witch; gorgeous atmospheric doomy metal

Ludevo by Ifi Ude; Polish folk with a modern twist as well as influences from Ude's Nigerian background, songs about death and drunkenness and love and ancient pinewoods

Songs About Teeth and To The Dark Tower by Cake Bake Betty; the vibe you have created is so freaky and awesome

Juniverbrecher by The Indelicates; something something brexit punch and judy isn't englishness awful etc etc. seriously underrated.

Bath Time by Maija Sofia; super atmospheric devastating album with lots of songs focusing on specific female figures throughout history. her recent album is also great.

honourable mention to The Thick of It (2005-2012) which if you follow my sideblog you will know ive been spiralling into depravity over for months now. you may ask, if you compare my posts to what the show is actually like, What on earth is she talking about and to that i have nothing to say

[liamthemailman]

GRAHH IM SICK IN THE HEAD WITH ACESOAP!!!!! FUCK IT

Movie with the bro(s)!

pre relationship acesoap watching a VERY shitty movie late at night at the lounge area or whatever and they're roasting the shit out of it together

Lt Ace is wearing a stolen hoodie from Sergeant Soap and Sergeant Soap has his arm stretched out behind Lt Ace to be more comfortable.

Lt Ace looks over at Sergeant soap- no, Johnny- as the blue hues of the screen are reflected softly onto his face and as the colours swirl drawing out his stupid pretty blue eyes and the amusement showing in Johnny's eyes

and Lt Ace snaps his head back at the television screen just as another badly shot scene plays out

and Lt Ace immediately makes a snide comment about the framing, the positioning of actors, the lighting- geek shit, really- and sergeant soap looks over

LT Ace- actually, just Ace- yapping away uncharacteristically, lips pulling into a smirk, so much so the corner of his eyes crinkle more, revealing the sharp canine fangs as he barks a laugh, really really loudly, criticizing the film with colourful words

Lt Ace turns back to glance at Sergeant Soap, meeting face to face, suddenly all too aware of how close they're sat together on that shitty base couch, faces barely inches away

and for a brief moment it was just Ace and Johnny looking at each other

then they laugh, real loud, at each other and themselves because bro? that was so cliche bro. imagine falling for each other more over close proximity bro. couldn't be me fr man. no homo (full of homo energy)

then they continue watching the movie while internally freaking out <3

bonus if the whole team is watching the movie together and they're unwilling witnesses to these two idiot's mutual pining. seriously? right in front of my salad?

just might make a fic about it but have this poor excuse of a drabble/word vomit

[storiesbyrhi]

Serious Moonlight Tour

Eddie Munson x Reader

1771 words

Warnings: N/A

Synopsis: Meet cute. You’re going to be a music journalist, even if there’s no music scene in Hawkins.

Author’s Note: My first Eddie Munson fic because it was bound to happen. She’s back, baby. This one is dedicated to my best friend @kookygranger because since I met her, I’ve felt more sane, less alien, and filled with love.

It was as good as you were going to get in a place like Hawkins. The Hideout wasn’t exactly Madison Square Garden; hell, it wasn’t even really a venue. It was a grimy bar that sometimes let bands play from the corner of the room. There was no stage. There were no tickets. There was barely an audience, save for about five drunks that sat unaware that the town’s freaks and geeks were setting up equipment around them.

You picked a table that seemed the most out of the way and pulled out your notebook, laying it in front of you next to the glass of Coke you’d quietly ordered from the bar and crumpled set list you’d found in 1983.

In the days after you’d found it, you’d tried to ensure its longevity by using clear tape to cover the back and front. Almost waterproof and definitely tearproof, it was a makeshift solution but it had worked. The set list lived in your notebook, folded in half carefully. Having it all neatly out on the small round table put you in the right state of mind.

Part of you was playing pretend. Pretend professionalism. Like it was really your job. Like Rolling Stone has sent you out there, to the middle of nowhere Indiana. The other part of you though, wasn’t playing at all. It was escapism.

‘Corroded Coffin, The Hideout, 1986’ you wrote at the top of the page. ‘The band are already enthusiastic, not dismayed by the lack of a turnout for their weekly show.’

They bounced around, tuning guitars and mic checking. You wondered where they sat in the school social hierarchy, willing to bet it would be somewhere near the base. In the following week, you’d find out.

“I know leaving behind all your friends is going to be hard,” your father had said. “But you’ll make new ones.”

You had smiled at him and nodded, reassuring him that he’d done his fatherly duty. There were no real friends to leave behind, just people you spoke to when you absolutely had to. And, yeah, starting at a new school for senior year was going to be rough. The friendships had had a decade to form, and the cliques were all but set in stone.

That didn’t much matter to you. You weren’t there to make friends. You were there to coast, pick up your degree, and ride off into the sunset.

Still, you were sure that even you were probably going to have an easier year, socially speaking, compared to the four members of Corroded Coffin.

The drummer was cute enough, with curls and freckles. He had a baby face and all the red plaid and safety pins couldn’t save him from that.

Holding a guitar was a leather jacket clad guy with short dark hair. He was looking through a guitar case, a little frantic. The drummer was laughing at him.

On bass was a guy that looked too old to be in a high school band, but then again, so did the singer.

The singer was holding his guitar like if he took it off, he’d cease to exist. You were on the other side of the room but could still see the whites of his knuckles from where he was gripping the neck of the B. C. Rich Warlock tightly. He had long wavey hair and wore a denim vest that had pins and patches across it.

Metalheads like him were one of your favourite contradictions. All attitude and anarchy, but they had still learned the craft of sewing. Take that one, for example. At some point, he must have cut up a Dio t-shirt and sewn it onto the back of his vest. It was that or he had someone else do it for him; either way, a soft thing against an otherwise prickly social mask.

“Yeah, uh, thanks for coming out,” the singer said, looking around the room, grinning at the ridiculousness of his statement. He was playing a part too.

Their short set was a mix of covers – Iron Maiden and Judas Priest you recognised, the others were too metal for you to know – and two originals. He said that they were works in progress, the singer. “But you’re a good crowd, so what the hell.” They stood out from the other songs. You didn’t know enough about the genre to be able to articulate why, so you noted it down in your book.

‘Need to research: metal

KISS?

Idea for article: metal versus glam – men who wear makeup’

As the set ended, you clapped dutifully, then made your very quick exit before anyone could ask to see ID or the drunks woke up from their semi-sleep in the wake of the band’s sound.

Backpack on and pushing your bike from the parking lot, you heard a voice call after you. Naturally, you ignored it.

“Wait. You forgot this!”

That stopped you. It could be a line, you thought. Against your better judgement, you turned around and saw the band’s singer standing in the middle of the lot. He was holding up your 1983 set list. As you headed over to him, he looked at the piece of taped paper.

“Serious Moonlight Tour,” he read out loud. “25th of July, 1983. David Bowie,”

“Yeah,” you said, accepting it as he held it out to you.

“Were you there?”

“Uh-huh.”

He smiled and looked at you like he was expecting more. “Was it… good?” he asked.

“Life-changing,” you said. He waited again, holding back another grin. “My older brother took me for my birthday. It was my first real concert. We were all the way at the back, so when it was over we went down to the front, just to see the stage, you know? Found this in a pile of trash,” you told him. Was it the most information you had volunteered to a stranger? Possibly.

“I mean… He’s not really my type of music, but I got a lot of respect for him. You think he’s really an alien?”

You studied the singer’s face for a second, trying to figure out if he was being mean, like so many people had before. He wasn’t though.

“Do you think Ozzy Osbourne really bites the heads off bats?” you asked back, feeling brave.

He clapped his hands and jumped on the spot. “You know Black Sabbath? That’s impressive. You don’t look like the type,”

“What type do I look like?” you asked before you could stop yourself.

“I don’t know…” he started, taking a dramatic step back and looking you up and down. “Not pop… None of that True Colours Madonna bullshit. Maybe some of that sad stuff like The Cure… I bet you like synth,” he paused briefly to play an invisible keyboard and smash his head up and down. It made you laugh, which he seemed proud of. “Everybody Wants To Rule The World, right?”

“You know Tears For Fears? You don’t look the type,” you replied.

“I’m a man of many interests,” he quipped.

“Right. Got to have that front man magic,”

“An enigma,” he agreed, bowing to you.

You nodded and looked back down at your Bowie set list. “Well, thanks, for this,” you began. 

He watched you put it in your backpack.

“I’m Eddie,” he offered, along with his hand outstretched.

“Uh… Hi,” you replied, then gave him your name. You shook the hand, feeling too hot and too cold. “Anyway, yeah, thanks, I’ve got to-” and you tried to leave because suddenly you could hear your heart beating.

“You said it was life-changing,” he interrupted. When you looked at him blankly, he clarified, “The show. Bowie. How… did it change your life?”

It was a big fucking question. Although you felt somewhere in your soul that this boy would probably understand if you poured your heart out about Bowie and music and poetry and gigs, you had never shared that part of you. You weren’t about to begin in the parking lot of The Hideout.

“It made me realise I want to be a writer. A music writer. Journalist,” you answered, truthful but simplified.

Eddie said your name, then "The Music Writer Journalist,” in a voice slightly deeper than his own. Maybe his radio show voice. The voice that introduces the band before they go on stage. “I’m not making fun,” he said quickly, reading your expression. “It’s… cool. Most people do the whole ‘I’m gonna start a band’ thing after they see a good show. Like that hasn’t been done to death,” he said, rolling his eyes in a self-referential joke. “You just want to see more music,”

“Yeah. I like… I don’t know… Watching people do what they love. Or something. I don’t know,”

“That’s… that’s cool… Is that what you were doing here? You gonna review us for the school paper or something?”

Nodding, you replied, “Not the school paper. I don’t… Publish. I just… write.” You shrugged and looked at him again.

Eddie was studying you carefully. He was trying to place you in the halls of Hawkins High. You were never there, he concluded, having been there long enough himself that he knew almost every face.

He didn’t want the conversation to be over, but he was worried the longer he tried to keep you there the more you’d think he was a creep. Besides, a cool new girl wearing a Dr Martens and an old trench coat was way too good for someone like him.

“Audiences can be a bitch,” he settled on, nodding with kindness. “I’ll, uh, let you go. Might see you around, yeah?”

You returned Eddie’s nod and moved to leave, getting on your bike and taking a breath.

He watched, unable to move. That spark of energy that lived in him, always there going off like a firecracker, pushing him to jump or yell or do something… anything, was vibrating his brain into goo.

“If you do end up writing about me- I mean, my band- the band, uh… I’d love to read it,” he said from behind you.

You glanced over at him, unsure of what to say. Again, you just nodded and offered a small wave.

Eddie waved back and watched as you peddled out of the lot and down the road, the streetlights illuminating your way. He stood there for a couple beats after you’d disappeared around a corner.

“Fuck,” he mumbled to himself, kicking at the gravel.

“Yo, Eddie!” his bassist called from The Hideout’s door. “You get the girl?”

“Shut up!” Eddie yelled back, turning around and heading inside.

End Note: Thanks for reading. I'll be posting this to my AO3 as well. Comments, likes, and thoughts are always welcome! xo Rhi

[donniefrankdarko]

Behind the scenes of ‘Freaks and Geeks’

[snoopysvalentine]

I LOVE BEHIND THE SCENES PICTURES OF FREAKS AND GEEKS THEY LOOK A BIT TO OLD BUT THEY LOOK SO MUCH LIKE SILLY PICTURES YOU TAKE OF YOUR FRIENDS IN HIGH SCHOOL

[thefreakymunson]

Parallels (Eddie Munson)

Annonymous asked: Hi so I heard you would like some requests so here i am.What if as Eddie like transferring a different school and/or does an exchanged program. As he's finding his way around he finally finds the lunchroom and he hears a commotion going on in ther. When steps in there he sees/hears her talking about 86 being her year and/or she does the whole Eddie table walk speech and he just feeling like this is has happened before. Sincerely, an eddie lover. A/N: This could possibly turn into a series if anyone's interested! Let me know!

This school was no different than Hawkins High. Not even in the slightest. You had your preps, your jocks, party-goers, geeks...and then you had the new students. AKA, Eddie Munson.

He slunk through the hallways, avoiding the stares of the other students. They were all looking at him as if he had three heads. And maybe, coming from Hawkins, Indiana, he did have three heads. California was so different that it was almost comical just how stereotypical it was. But little did he knew what he was getting ready to walk into...

He was standing in the line for lunch, telling himself he was only here for a bag of pretzels and a bottle of water that he could finish in the back of his van. He didn’t want to spend anymore time in this shit hole than he absolutely had to. He was almost at the front of the line when a commotion started behind him and everyone turned to look at the loud booming voice.

His eyes fell on the center of the cafeteria where a young female with crazy hair and a battle vest was standing on top of the table yelling something at a group of cheerleaders who were standing at the end of the table. It was an all to familiar scene for Eddie, who had just done something similar last year with Jason Carver.

“What do the three of you want? Why are you staring at us so much, Regina?” The girl said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Why don’t you just shut up, freak?” One of the blonde girls in the cheer uniform spat at her.

He watched as the girl standing up on the table held invisible pompoms up and mocked their cheer moves as she said loudly: “You might be good at football, you might be good at track. But when it comes to Regina Atkinson, she’s just going to end up on her fucking back.”

The entire cafeteria erupted into laughter and Eddie’s jaw was on the floor. He turned to the guy standing behind him and pointed to you as you hopped off the table.

“Who is that?” Eddie asked.

“Oh, that’s Y/N. She’s uh...she’s wild, man.” The guy snorted.

“Dating anybody?” Eddie quirked an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t think anybody could tame that girl, man.” The guy snorted.

Eddie finished in the line and was walking past the rambunctious girl to the exit door when he heard her voice again – this time yelling at him.

“Hey Dio patch,” she said, watching as he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, “Yeah. I’m talking to you.”

Oh no, he thought to himself as he walked over to her.

“You’re new here, huh?” She asked, looking up at him from her seat at the end of the table.

“Yeah.” Eddie nodded.

“Sit down,” she nodded to the seat, “I seen your DnD patch. You play?”

“Dungeon master at my old school.” Eddie nodded, looking around at the table. They were all staring at him as if they knew something he didn’t, “Why?”

“We play, too. We’re a club.” You motioned down towards the end of the table, “Have a seat...we don’t bite.”

Eddie was starting to feel a little bit more relaxed – finally, a few people with similar interests. But he didn’t want to sit at the end of the table. He wanted to sit beside of her.

“What’s your name?” Eddie asked, pulling one of the chairs up next to where she was sitting.

“I’m Y/N,” you gave him a small smile, “I’m just going to call you Dio from now on, but what’s yours for...formality reasons?”

“Eddie,” he said as he sat down and took a sip from his bottle of water, “You’re uh...you’re pretty cool, Y/N.”

And normally men wouldn’t make you of all people blush but the way he said it, the coolness of his voice, made some type of butterflies leap in your stomach and you hated it. How dare him come in with this cool voice and his cool hair and make you feel something.

“Yeah, I could say the same for you.” You said, eyes roving over the logos on his vest.

“Looks like somebodies got a – OW!” The girl to the left of you was cut off by a sharp kick to the shin under the table, “Jesus, Y/N…what the fuck?”

“Shut your mouth, Mikayla.” You gave her a warning smile. There was no way Mikayla or that snot nosed Daniela were going to ruin this for you.

Eddie laughed to himself as he opened his bag of pretzels and leaned against the table with his arms, “So...when’s the next campaign?”

“Tomorrow. My band plays at The Hangout tonight.” You nodded, “You should come...I mean, if you don’t have anything else to do? I’m sure you do. And that’s okay. We’re not that good anyway...don’t come, okay?” You bit your bottom lip to keep from laughing nervously.

You cursed inwardly, trying so hard to regain your composure but he was making it impossibly hard and he wasn’t even doing anything. It was those big brown eyes that drove you crazy. He had a small smile plastered on his face as he looked down at you fumbling over your words. He probably thought you were insane, which, okay – fair but also...maybe he thought you were fun? He didn’t run away at the thought of sitting beside of you.

Eddie found the similarities between the two of you comforting. He was out here in California all by himself since he escaped Hawkins. And you were like a breath of fresh air.

“No, I’ll come by.” Eddie nodded, “What’s the bands name?”

“Casket Crashers,” you said nonchalantly, unaware of how ironic all of this was for Eddie.

Had Eddie Munson just met his soulmate?

[stanleyl]

https://www.tumblr.com/tomdayaland/723366332469575680/sam-vartholomeos-talks-about-tom-x

The way his costars talk about him like ??😭🥰 And I will always remember Tati saying he has the biggest freaking heart and she was almost out of words like she really meant it

And they didn't even film for that long with him, so I wonder what he has said or done for her to just geek about him being the sweetest🥹

Anon, I can't open the link cuz I'm blocked 🙃...

I mean, most of us can tell he's a great guy and we don't even know him personally ☺️ I remember when they released some behind the scenes clips it looks like they were having a good time... and they barely have any scenes together, lol. In a different time, I could totally see them being great friends.