#if there was a s4 I would’ve loved to see these two work together

[prest0-art]

Elder Maddox and her bodyguard

[grace-williams-xo]

RAMBLING THOUGHTS AFTER FINISHING PART TWO. GONNA ADDRESS MY P1 THOUGHTS FIRST. SPOILER WARNING.

1 & 2: I think Debling could’ve worked in the second half, and I’m kinda sad Cressida didn’t get a happy ending. The Creloise fell of a CLIFF after ep 5 but I think it could still be saved

5: no cishet man has ever loved his wife more than Anthony Bridgerton I’m gonna be ill

6 & 12: kanthony’s absence was felt BAD in the finale, I think their reactions to LW were sorely needed. Also Jonny and Simone have both said they’ll be at every sibling’s wedding and stick around for years but they missed Francesca’s??? Also felt their absence too much then. They’re both booked and busy I think we’ll continue to only get a couple episodes a season from them

8: Francesca did get to thrive happy in pt 2 my baby I love her

9: I think they managed to disconnect the mondrich plot even further like 😭 once again, I don’t mind them their plot just feels very empty

10: Pen and Delacroix CONTINUE to be my fave duo I love them so freaking much and they can never get rid of it

13: Portia’s growth this season continued to be 10/10 I loved her and Penelope’s relationship it really showed what it’s like to be closely related to people you oppose and the process of needing to forgive and understand them for your own peace of mind

14: that was not how I was expecting Colin to find out about Whistledown

15: Marcus felt a little rushed in part two but I think I need to watch the whole season together to fully decide

17: this was indeed the longest 27 days of my life I got Covid day after it dropped lmfao

MY ~NEW~ THOUGHTS:

We finally got character development from Cressida and if they write her out I’ll be inconsolable (as will Jessica Madsen)

I hope they paid Golda Rosheuvel good for her feet exposure. Worth more than titties in this economy

I feel the need to tell everyone that £5000 in 1815 is in the realm of £500,000 today and we cannot brush over the fact Penelope has made herself the equivalent of a literal millionaire

Anthony has two moods ‘I’m obsessed with my wife’ ‘I want to win this game’ like it is comical how drastically different his facial expression is in the game of charades compared to pretty much every other scene

Anthony saying the marriage is perfect and not hard work and Kate being like BOY I will humble you,,,, doing the lord’s work I love her so much

At some points I felt like Francesca was fighting Anthony for ‘Violet’s least favourite child’ award lmao

John saying he’s off to look at the wainscotting was unfairly funny

Cressida in the red dress is even better than I imagined fuck even if she’s not gay then I am

Peneloise back together the universe is healing I love my babies all we need now is creloise lovers and peneloise friendship simultaneously I don’t like it being one or the other sue me

However much Brimsley is getting paid isn’t enough,,,, Hugh Sachs the man that you are

I adored Penelope’s wedding dress so much and as bitter as I am still about no kanthony wedding in s2, it felt kind of right somehow for Polin to be the first wedding we properly see in this show

Most of the costumes and makeup feel like they got worse,,,,, big ‘I hired a 14 year old’ energy. I don’t need historical accuracy but I would like a modicum of care and the costume/hair/makeup dept looking at a single historical reference from before 1850,,,, please

We all got the bi Benedict we’ve been asking for and I appreciate it, and recognise that he needed Tilley to explore that, but I still would’ve preferred if they first main queer experience was not a threesome

If they go straight into benophie in s4 (which idk, I’m so torn bc I feel like F, E and B all could work well next season) then I also feel like bi Benedict was just them throwing a bone for 5 mins but meant nothing

The CONTENTIOUS Michaela Stirling,,,,, I was undecided until I saw it but that was the definition of gay panic from Francesca and it worked so well I am so excited.

As your resident peerage expert, it is much easier for women to inherit titles in Scotland than England so I wonder (not that anyone on this show knows anything) if that was a reason they chose Francesca to be sapphic [general peerage info and female inheritance info if you care]

On the above, if they can canonically end racism with one marriage then they can end homophobia with one marriage as well

We all know Eloise was the easy and obvious choice to be the queer love story but part of me does kind of like them not taking the easy route, and them going something more unexpected, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want Creloise/Sapphic El like they had eight children let’s be honest

Finch’s sneeze and Phillips’s “now Varely! The bugs!” were unfairly funny

Everything Lady Danbury said to Penelope about suspecting her and what not felt very in character and you can fight with the wall idc

Did they tell us the name of Polin’s baby boy???

Hyacinth saying she thinks of Gregory as the family pet,,,,, girl you an icon walking amongst mere mortals

Predictions I got right:

Anthony didn’t kill Colin, but “are you gonna duel your own brother” lmao I was on the right track

I knew Polin would win the Featherington baby race and I love that for them (but why were Prudence and Phillipa pregnant most of the season, barely showing, Kate was showing almost immediately, and then in the epilogue the sisters all had baby’s similar-ish ages???? Give the writers room a calendar please)

I SAID FROM DAY DOT THAT THE FURNITURE THEY BROKE FROM SEX WAS A CHAISE I CANT FIND THE POST BUT I KNEW IT I FUCKING KNEW IT WHERE DO I COLLECT MY PRIZE SOME OF YOUR GUESSES WERE TRULY FUCKING COOKED

Okay that was too long if you made it this far I’ll make you cookie ily

[underoossss]

the way you move - s.h – 3

pairing: jock!steve harrington x ballerina!reader

warnings: language, brief s4 mention, some angst

words: 1.5k

an: part 3 is here and they’re so so close to jumping! this hurt a bit to write but hurt comfort with Steve is always so wonderful to write. I hope you like this! Please let me know if you 💕✨

part 2

✰✰✰✰

There’s only been a few times when Steve’s felt helpless. One of them, that incident in the Upside Down. Even now, he’s sure he would’ve died if it wasn’t for his friends getting the bats off him. It had been hard to breathe or think back then, but he eventually found his footing once he had help and that allowed him to defend himself too.

Now though, he’s truly helpless. You’re crying in his arms, and he doesn’t know what to do.

It had been a normal day, a happy day even. Steve woke up and got ready for the day, then after a quick coffee and breakfast he set off to pick you up. You had ballet class at 11am as you did every Saturday and there had been a skip to Steve’s step at the thought of seeing you again. So he arrived to your house and picked you up at your door, hugging you close and breathing you in for a moment before leading the way to his car a big smile on his face as a result of your own.

You’d been excited all week for your teacher would be announcing the parts assigned for the nutcracker after Saturday practice. Steve had his fingers crossed so you’d get to be the fairy, not only for his own benefit of seeing you dance front and center at the theater, but for your happiness. You’d worked hard, never once complaining even as your feet hurt while you prepared to audition. Today you’d find out for sure though but showed no sign of nerves as you talked animatedly with Steve in the car.

Then that Bad Boys Blue song you love had played and the two of you sang along, off-key but happy; you, pretending to know French for some of it and Steve laughing at your ridiculousness. A warm feeling had fallen over Steve, and he knew he’d just fallen in love again with you. It happened every day, and when the studio was on sight, Steve was grateful to see it. Another moment with that smile of yours next to him and he would have done something stupid like kiss you silly.

Once at the parking lot, the two of you had bundled up for the cold weather and crossed the street to the studio. Then upon noticing Madame Laverne wasn’t there yet, Steve followed you inside where he leaned against the mirror and smiled while you got ready for class. You’d been wearing that black open-back leotard he loves on you, with a lilac chiffon skirt wrapped around your waist. The probable wrath we could have faced from your teacher had been worth it then, to see you look so pretty in front of him. When you heard a car park outside the studio, you’d ushered him out, laughing and smiling when Steve picked you up and spun you around in farewell. You’d bashfully said goodbye, knowing all eyes were on you and self-indulgently Steve placed a gently kiss on your cheek.

But then after practice, the day took a turn for the worse. You weren’t the sugar plum fairy, Agatha Francis was.

Steve had to give you credit for being an excellent actress though. He had no idea of what’d happened when he picked you up later that day. You’d left the studio with a bright smile, said goodbye to some of your classmates and skipped to his car where he had the passenger door already open and waiting for you. Steve assumed you were given the role you wanted, with how happy you looked. But when you wouldn’t meet his eyes and silently buckled your seatbelt, he began to wonder if something went wrong.

As he drove out of the parking lot, he glanced at you in worry. “Everything okay, babe? How did it go?” He’d asked and your happy façade vanished.

Big tears began cascading down your face and you pressed your lips together when they began to tremble. “Awful.” You’d whispered between tears, “awful, Stevie.”

It broke Steve’s heart, especially when he offered his hand out to you and you clung to it as he drove you home.  It wasn’t until you’d arrived at your house and Steve walked inside with you, that you let yourself crumble. The weight of your disappointment sat heavy on your hunched shoulders, and you let your bags fall on the floor in favour of hugging your arms around yourself. It tore Steve to pieces to see you like that and it filled him with another level of protectiveness he didn’t know he had.

“Oh baby, come here.” Steve gathered you in his arms, which is where you’re now. Your body curled up against his chest, legs over his thighs with your face hidden under his chin. Your cries don’t seem to stop, the disappointment you’re feeling overflowing in the form of cascading tears.

“They don’t know talent.” Steve huffs against your hair, feeling angry beyond words for you but keeping calm to help you. “You would’ve been a better fairy, beautiful. You know that.”

“I’m not good enough for that Stevie, they made it clear.” You sniffle between words, hugging him tighter and trying to make yourself smaller. Your voice breaks in between your next words and it hurts Steve even worse than a physical punch ever could.  “I’m playing a petal. A petal.”

“Then you’re going to be the best petal there ever was,” Steve’s voice is quiet but fierce with honesty as he holds you closer and kisses a spot above your brow. Fuck them for making his girl feel like this, no one gets to do that. “They won’t know what hit them.”

You shake your head against his chest, but Steve continues earnest in his reassurance. This isn’t like you, to get stuck in a negative mindset but then he supposes it’s hard not to be when your dream role was snatched away right in front of you. “They’re going to look at you and say, ‘why wouldn’t they make her the sugar plum fairy, that petal is so beautiful and talented the play should be about her.’”

When a weak laugh escapes you, Steve finally feels like he can breathe a little easier and his shoulders relax the tiniest bit. “Come on, look at me.” His thumb and index finger hook under your chin gently, bringing your gaze to his. You meet his eyes hesitantly and Steve gives you a small smile he hopes can comfort you.

“Their decision says nothing about you,” Steve whispers softly as he wipes the tears that have cascaded down your cheeks. “They lost the most talented lead. Let them bore people to death with Agatha, it’s their loss. Babe, you’re too talented to believe their choice has anything to do with whether you’ve got it.”

“Told you Agatha’s Madame Laverne’s favourite.” You murmur, brows meeting in the middle as you look away from his searching eyes. Yes, you’d told him so a while ago, right after you told him Agatha said you shouldn’t get your hopes up. God, no wonder you’re so hurt, you think she was right.

Steve kisses the wrinkle between your eyebrows away, not giving any second thought to you perceiving all the affection pouring out of him. “You’re mine.” He smiles brightly and is rewarded with the most beautiful teary smile of yours in return. “Okay? You’re my favourite; I’ll cheer so loudly for you they’ll kick me out.”

His words have the intended effect, they make you laugh despite your red eyes. They fall closed while you throw your head back. When your laughter fades you look at him, soft and teary eyes vulnerable with an ocean of affection. And Steve… he feels lightheaded with love, it takes all his willpower not to kiss you right there.

“You’re everything, Stevie.” You whisper as you look into his eyes, amazement and something terribly close love shining in the tears that gathered in your eyes. “You’re everything.” With a shake of your head, you lean closer and hug him tightly again. A wave of love bigger than a tsunami washes over Steve when you do, both of your hearts synchronizing immediately.

If he had any doubt your feelings weren’t the same as his, they’re close to none now. What he’s feeling is all-consuming and powerful; and it must be because it’s mutual. The very thought of it makes his heart skip several beats which he ignores to hold you close. He’ll hold you as close as you want, for as long as you want, because you’re everything too. His everything.

✰✰✰✰

Part 4

reblogs are always appreciated!

masterlist

[ben-crytalker]

coming up on two days to process part 2… did i truly really love the angst and tension? 100% yes. did i also feel like there was not enough of a payoff or satisfying, complete resolution of said angst and tension? very much.

-----*more in depth critique warning*-----

i was mostly disheartened that it felt like we never got back to that playful, lighthearted polin after the LW fallout. polin were still gorgeous and sweet, but the power dynamic didn’t feel equal and their connection didn’t seem as joyful. i get we had the epilogue with smiles and cooing but i didn’t see my goofballs giggling over silly inside jokes. and maybe that’s just the arc of this story? people and relationships change, i just had assumed it was going to be about them embracing and getting to be their true dorky selves together on equal and honest footing but it never felt like we fully achieved that.

i’m also happy penelope found her confidence and self worth, but not at the cost of colin’s. i’m all for girl power but colin is his own person and saying “if his only purpose in life is to adore [her] that’s enough” lowkey broke my heart. i would’ve preferred to see him shine and come into his own (only with her help) just as brilliantly as she did (with his). they didn’t feel like a team to me in the end. i think it would’ve been way more romantic to see them solve the LW problem together, but even if that's how it happened, we didn’t get to see it. i wanted to see lord whistledown helping to create a new society paper with his wife, and penelope working with colin to adapt his diary into the published book.

lastly i do agree with other viewers who felt overall polin didn't have enough time together on screen. that played into the lack of resolution for me. i wanted them to talk things out, even if it was tearful, and i wanted to see moments of healing between them. instead they each individually seemed to work out the struggle on their own, and then the last maybe 4 minutes colin humbly kind-of apologized in a public setting, we got a twirl on the dancefloor, flash of them in bed, and then a shot of them with their first child and it was over. like the show was trying to just tell us it had been happily resolved but we didn't have any time for it to actually feel that way.

there was a lot i did love about part 2, but the LW/polin story didn't stick the dismount for me. i'm gonna just live in the first 6 episodes and hope s4 does some damage control

[ssahotchnerr]

Ok idk if anyone else does this BUT I like to imagine an au where instead of Haley, Hotch is married to reader from the start and she’s Jack’s mother 🤭 cause its fun and I like imagining Hotch having a loving and supporting marriage throughout the entire time hes on the show (cause I mean its the least he deserves with all he’s been through 😭)

And in this au reader is like really close with the BAU team like she brings in baby Jack during paper work days, remembers the team members birthday’s and gets them small gifts, them going to her when they feel they need someone to talk to cause she’s like the mom/sister of the BAU 🥺. I like to make up so many scenarios with this AU in my head especially one where she and Jack go through the same thing with Foyet but reader survives 🫣

This isn’t a request or anything just like a idea or thought i’m throwing out there for you to enjoy or expand on in any way, shape, or form you’d prefer ❤️

PLEASE the way everything about this is perfect <3333 and honestly how the show should’ve gone from the start

having that contrast between aaron being all stoic and stern, BUT then he goes home, or reader visits with jack, and he turns into that complete softie we all know he has buried deep in him within seconds ☹️ or after a tough case, he always has a sense of stable comfort waiting for him 🥺 ughshsj i would’ve loved to see him switching between the two fronts more vividly- from hotch to aaron.

AND that with the foyet storyline?!?!?! pure genius. like obv we saw him under stress and pressure with haley, but just IMAGINE how it would be with a partner who he’s so so deeply in love with and can’t be apart from for more than a couple days at a time. like a part of him was truly missing and there's no telling when or if he would see the two of them again :( he would be distraught, so so much more tense, and just the whole process of getting foyet would’ve been more frantic, because he can't live without them and he needs his loves back or else he can't function :(

and their reunion afterwards 😣😣😣😣 the way he would just crumble and be so relieved the nightmare is finally over and refuse to let reader and jack out of his arms :(((((((( like just imagine once foyet said rip, he goes running to wherever reader and jack are and within seconds he's pulling the two into his embrace, just weeping softly and giving them both kisses and saying how he's sorry, how much he missed them, or a "it's okay, it's all over now" :( ugh what we should've received rather than him being all traumatized :(

also ALSO the ending of s4 with reader?!?!?! imagine they're in bed, they can hear aaron getting home and they're all smiley to finally see him after a few days (and aaron mentioned the pig farm disaster and how tough it was:(, so they're waiting to console him), and then a gunshot just rings through the air </3

and i love the idea of reader being close with the team :( <3333 haley wasn't at all to begin with -like the scene where she's at the bau with baby jack, she's not on a first name basis with any of them (while all other bau s/o's were referred to by their first name), it's kinda just awk completely, because they just know each other through a mutual being aaron. but reader being an outlet for them <3 like they're not in the bau, so whenever someone needs a break, reader is an easy person to turn to, for a sense of normalcy. or reader bringing them all dinner if they're working late, going out with the girls for girls nights and just being including in all family get togethers :( <3 they would just complete the bau fam overall :(

AND just reader having more babies with aaron <33333 that would've been the cutest thing ohmygodjdnd aaron wants a big family <3 it's canon in my book <3333

aaron just deserves a happy life 😣 that's all

[aemiron-main]

need to know if you guys see the Vision TM

older byler in their 40s and they’re That gay couple who’s been together forever and are still completely in love and can basically read eachother’s minds

and will still wears flannels even though his hair’s shaggier now, not as much of a tight bowlcut but still vaguely bowlcut shaped.

and mike’s hair has grown out a fair bit, not super long, probably about the same length as his s4 hair, maybe a bit longer, but he’s grown out the bangs into longer bangs/shorter in the front with a middle part and he’s got grey streaks in his hair and will teases him about it because “going grey at 45, Mike? am I really that stressful to deal with?” and Mike laughs and tells Will that he’d deal with a million grey hairs for him and that if Will-related stress was the reason for his grey hair, he would’ve been fully grey by the age of 13 between things like Will’s disappearance and the upside down and his own feelings for Will.

(will “making fun of his husband” byers and mike “responds to the teasing in a genuinely affectionate way” wheeler)

Both of them still play dnd, and so does the party, and they’re a successful writer-artist duo, and Will still sleeps with a lamp or nightlight on and Mike still turns said lamp/nightlight on for Will because he’s been doing it for the last 30 years and isn’t gonna stop now.

They’re still just. Themselves. Mike grins at Will in the same way that he did in s1 during dnd, and the same way that he did in s3 after the “Not possible” scene, except he does it more often now, every morning while Will complains about being awake at an ungodly hour because he stayed awake painting until 4 am the night before, and his shoulders are sore and Mike makes fun of him for his poor choices but also makes Will coffee and presses down on Will’s shoulders to try and loosen them up.

They’re!! Domestic!! And able to be with eachother!!!!

And El visits all the time, by herself but also with Max and Lucas and Dustin in tow, and Mike still makes comments about how having Will and El, two twins with both telekinetic powers AND a mischievous streak, powers aside, in the same room is a “workplace safety hazard because I work from home and therefore the whole house is my workplace”

Max makes fun of Mike’s taste in home decor but then Mike is a petty freak (affectionate, as always) and so lies dramatically and tells Max that “Will picked out that piece of decor and it has a deep sentimental meaning to him, actually,”

And max has to point out that “she’d buy that excuse and feel bad about making fun of Will’s taste in furniture (not mike’s), if it wasn’t for the fact that the item in question is literally the beefy dragon poster that El told her had been hanging in Mike’s bedroom since highschool”

Mike sputters and tries to accuse max of being homophobic because “it’s an artistic representation of my sexuality actually, because I’m gay and it’s a dragon man” and Max laughs her ass off because a.) she’s bi and b.) mike please it’s a shirtless buff dragon just give up at this point

(will and Lucas witness the whole exchange and are sharing a Look TM and quietly laughing with eachother.)

Mike is back to his dramatic self, the one that screeched and flailed during dnd games, the one with wide gestures and dramatic monologues and a borderline comedically expressive face. Will watches him quietly, with a smile on his face, because despite Mike’s bantering with Max, mike is grinning, and he’s a great host, surprisingly, despite his years of reclusive, snarky lone wolf behaviour- which, don’t get Will wrong, that side of mike still absolutely exists- but it’s nice to see Mike so full of life, see how just his presence makes their house into a home regardless of any buff dragon decor. Especially considering the frigid atmosphere that seemed to coat the Wheeler house over the years, every part of it except the basement, no matter how hard Karen tried to be hospital, or how bright of and orange cough they bought to put in an even brighter, yellow-cream painted living room, there was still always an air of coldness. A distance.

But now, Mike lives in a house full of life and joy and warmth- scratch that, the house is full of life and joy and warmth because Mike’s in it.

While Max is making fun of Mike’s taste in decor, and Lucas and Will are laughing at Mike’s expense, Dustin and El aren’t letting Will off the hook that easily. They’re snooping around his art. They come out of his and Mike’s shared office/studio area with grins on their faces, and Will immediately feels his heart drop.

El and Dustin have totally seen Will’s latest painting for Mike’s birthday- Will paints for Mike every year, and every year, El jokes about having commissioned it, and this year won’t be any different. Dustin and El are giggling amongst themselves as they walk up to Will, pulling him away from where he’s still watching Mike and Max argue, out of earshot of Mike, and Will knows what’s coming when El starts pointing out things like “Will, I thought we agreed on no dragons for the commission,” or “I think that the sky is slightly too blue,” or “I don’t really think that shade of orange really shows your-I mean, my love for Mike.” and Dustin is laughing his ass off the whole time and Will rolls his eyes and laughs along too, firing back at El and telling her that’s he’s surprised that she finally figured out what a commission is (harkening back to El’s confusion from years ago when Mike had asked her about her commissioning the painting from Will and she’d had to ask mike what a ‘commission’ was)

Mike, who’s rolling his eyes dramatically and throwing his hands in the air and muttering something about “taste,” and when he sees Lucas laughing at him, something about how “max has absolutely none of it and that’s why she’s dating Lucas,” and Mike stomps over (good-naturedly) to Will and El and Dustin, to see what’s so funny, and Max and Lucas follow him, and immediately, El stares wide-eyed at mike, cutting off her own sentence and trying not to laugh because Will is giving her a look that says “okay yes our banter is fun but if you spoil his birthday painting, i Will explode you with my mind”

and El gives him a “no I’m gonna explode YOU with my mind” look right back.

but they both still smile at eachother and El doesn’t spoil the painting and Mike is watching this all go down and whining about Will and El and “telepathy, I swear they can read eachothers’ minds, guys, you should be worried about this too, because once they take me out, they’re coming for you next-” and then whines about “friends don’t lie!” and El snorts at that one because come ON, mike you can’t still be pulling that card, and technically she isn’t lying because she hasn’t said anything.

And Mike flops dramatically onto Will, who’s still standing, and to his credit, barely falters when mike drops the entirety of his weight onto Will, going full ragdoll mode and acting as if his death is imminent. Will, who’s holding mike up under Mike’s arms, in a more comedic version of of how Mike was holding an unconscious Will outside of the hospital in s2, except mike is very much conscious, and facing Will, and looking up at him with fake sad eyes as he monologues about his demise and how he can’t go on and how he can’t believe that Will is keeping secrets from him and Will just hoists Mike’s still-limp and pretending to die body upwards and gives him a little kiss because he loves his dramatic husband.

Everyone in the room makes fake gagging noises at the two of them and mike flips them off, but he’s grinning as he does it because “holy shit even though it’s been like this for 30 years I can’t believe that Will Byers is my husband and all my friends are here and I get to flop dramatically onto him whenever I want and even if my friends complain they’re not actually judgemental and they complain the same whenever Lucas and Max or Max and El are being a couple,”

And then Mike un-worms/de-limps/de-ragdolls himself so that he can stand behind Will and wrap his arms around Will’s shoulders and chat with his friends and rest his chin on top of Will’s head and grab Will’s hand and fidget with Will’s wedding ring while Will has a long conversation with Dustin about some drama in the comic book/artist community, and while Lucas stretches out on the couch and El sticks her tongue out at mike in a “your dramatic fake death didn’t break my resolve, sorry mike, you’ll have to wait to figure out what Will and I were talking about,” way, and Mike sticks his tongue out right back at her in a “I don’t actually want the surprise to be ruined but I AM petty and dramatic” way and El flicks Mike’s face and Mike shouts and dramatically starts complaining again and Will is unfazed and just keeps talking to Dustin and reaches a hand up to soothe Mike’s mortal face wound, and Mike leans into Will’s hand like a particularly pathetic cat and starts fiddling with Will’s wedding ring again.

And they’re all just!! Happy!!! And Mike eventually abandons Will (sorry will, Mike gives him a kiss on the head in apology) to go and bother Lucas because he was fine listening to Will talk, because he always wants to listen to Will talk, no matter what the subject is, but he’s not sure how much longer he can listen to Dustin rant about variant covers and drama between publishers and why he’s certain that if Will would just give Dustin the address and name of the one writer that Will did artwork for but who didn’t pay him, Dustin could persuade him to pay Will what he owes by getting Suzie to hack into his computer and ransoming his data.

Which also means that Dustin might get some ~ insider info~ about new releases and how that’s totally not the ONLY reason he’s do it because the mean reason is to scare him into paying Will, but it’s a nice little side benefit. (you’re late to the party, Dustin, Mike thinks, because Will already had to talk Mike out of marching over to the guy’s house and kicking his ass, let alone ‘ransoming his data,’ whatever that means)

And so Mike goes over to bother Lucas, and they still swat at eachother like 12 year olds, and Max kicks Mike in the shin and Mike howls over it and then kicks Lucas in the shin in retaliation because Lucas was closer and also he’s slightly afraid of Max if he was to kick her (usually he’d go head to head with her but he hasn’t forgotten about the time a few years ago when she picked Mike straight up around the waist like how one awkwardly picks up a pet dog and threw him into a pool despite her being, like, half of mike’s height.) And El laughs at them all and goes to join in with Dustin and Will because Will looks genuinely exasperated now because “no, Dustin, I’m not giving you his address- no, I’m not giving you his his mother’s maiden name either, how would I even know what it is?? If Suzie’s such a great hacker, why does she need it?? And even then, she’s not hacking into his computer!!”

And El distracts Dustin by claiming that she’s “going to get her commission” and running into Will and Mike’s office/studio room and Will appreciates her distracting Dustin but also bolts after her because “oh my god, come ON, El, the painting isn’t THAT gay,” but El is already laughing because “even the clouds have heart shaped in them”

and Dustin is making comments about how “he thought the heart on the shield in the first painting was a little too obvious but somehow the subtle hearts hidden in the pattern on Paladin!mike’s shirt and in the clouds is even worse” (worse in an affectionate way, worse in a “oh my god dude you are SO in love” way)

And once everyone heads home, and does that thing at the door where they keep saying that they need to be heading home but keep talking with eachother instead, but then finally actually go home, Mike closes the door and holds Will close and buried his face into Will’s hair and fidgets with his own wedding ring while his arms arm across Will’s back because he can’t believe that this is his life, that they made it out of everything, that he gets to be with Will, gets to be with his friends, gets to be himself.

[daryldamnson]

Surprise, Surprise Part 5

part i - part ii - part iii - part iv - part v

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Cheerleader!Reader

Summary:  Eddie has to reckon with the fact that the rich cheerleader he thought he could brush off as another basic conformist has a few surprises up her sleeve.

Follows the basic plot of S4 (kind of), sarcasm, soft!kinda-touchstarved!eddie, soft(for eddie)!reader, wayne and reader bonding, pure fluff really

Reader: has she/her pronouns and in a previous chapter is referred to as wearing a bra

Word count: 3.3k (aka as long as parts 1-4 combined - wayne's fault)

ao3 link

Roughly two weeks after Eddie gets out of the hospital and four weeks after the last chapter:

“Hi, Wayne!”  You call out towards the figure sat in the armchair, an open newspaper obscuring the lower half of his face.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” is his soft response, accented voice warm with affection.

You’d spent a good amount of time with Wayne while you were both anxiously waiting for Eddie to wake up.

It’s amazing how much bonding can be done in sharing the space of his nephew’s hospital room; doing coffee runs one at a time so you wouldn’t have to leave him alone, packing late lunches and dinners for two, passing books and newspapers back and forth, finishing each other’s crossword puzzles, and cheekily playing some of Eddie’s mixtapes quietly even after the nurses had scolded you for it.

Wayne had smiled sadly, full of pain and love - two sides of the same coin, really - as he murmured about how much Eddie would enjoy the rule-breaking.  It was the first time you’d truly connected with him as he watched you stare at his nephew’s obliviously sleeping face, the fondest of sad smiles - almost an exact mirror of his own - growing on your lips as you call him a “goddamn troublemaker”.

If it had come from almost anyone else in town he knows it would’ve been said scornfully, words sharp and full of hate.  There’s nothing sharp about the way you say it - like it’s a compliment, like it’s a prayer.

Wayne isn’t a stupid man; he knows what the look on your face means, just the same as he knows what the look on his nephew’s face means when he sees you together after he’s received the best phone call of his life.

“Eddie’s awake,” you’d told him in place of answering his sleepy “hello?”, voice giddy and almost breathless with it.  His sleep-addled brain takes a beat too long to realise what you’ve said, and when it does he feels his knees buckle beneath him.  “The nurses have checked him out and everything looks about as positive as it can do.  Steve, Rob, and Dustin are in with him now, but the doctor should be coming by to look him over anytime now.  Do you need me to pick you up or have you had enough sleep?”

The fact that you know his schedule is old news now, but he still feels a thud of warmth at your worrying - you were a sweet kid.  Work had been generous with giving him time off.  For about a week.  Then he’d had to get himself back in if he wanted to keep his job.

It was late morning and you knew that meant he’d likely only had a couple of hours to sleep off the night shift before the shrill ring of the phone had woken him up.

You were a good egg, and he was glad Eddie had you in any capacity - even if he were to find out that his nephew didn’t reciprocate the feelings that were written over your face every time you looked at him.

If you showered the boy with the same care and attention you had Wayne, and the kids, and the older kids - which he knew you did as he’d watched you swap out the uncomfortable hospital blankets for fluffy and comfortable ones, watched you sneak in a cassette player with tapes that seemed entirely too metal to belong to you, watched you brush his nephew’s wild and untamable hair with careful, gentle brushstrokes - then he was pretty sure you probably had his boy wrapped right around the same little finger that tapped out the beats of Eddie’s favourite songs.

“I can drive,” he’d managed to get out before he practically threw himself out of the trailer.

It’s two days later when his nephew’s animated voice - still brightening a room even after he’d almost died (how anybody could look at Eddie and see anything but sunshine would always confound Wayne) - suddenly trails off, eyes drawn to the opening door, that he sees Eddie’s expression morph into something he’s never seen before.

“Hi…”  The word fell breathlessly from Eddie’s mouth and he looked almost stunned for a moment before the brightest smile Wayne had ever seen grew on his face.

It was an important smile.

The same kind he’d seen the first time he’d called Eddie ‘son’, when he’d surprised him with half the cost of that damned electric guitar he’d been saving up for, when he’d remembered his birthday after years of living with a father who’d never bothered to.  It was a smile full of joy.  A smile reserved for the important moments in life.

“Hey,” you smile back, smaller but still infinitely soft.

There’s a beat where you linger in the doorway, eyes locked with Eddie’s.

Wayne remembers what it’s like to be young and crazy about somebody, so he lets the time tick by without commenting.

You finally notice him as you step further into the room.

“Hi, Wayne,” is your greeting, same as always.  This time, however, you’re brighter; face and tone lacking the worried tension he’s used to.

“Hiya, sweetheart,” is his answer, same as always.  He grins, knowing he’s equally light-hearted.  His eyes slide over to his nephew’s lovesick expression and he tries not to huff out a chuckle at how accurately he’d predicted his feelings for you.

Wrapped around her little finger indeed.

All of this is why half an hour after your arrival at the Munson’s four weeks later, you find yourself sat on the armrest of Wayne’s comfortably worn recliner, heads both bent over his paper as you exchange potential crossword answers.

Eddie comes ambling out of his room on a quest for water, movements still slow and twinges of pain still common, and neither of you hear his approach over your shared laughter. 

Hearing his uncle’s low chuckle always brings a smile to Eddie’s face - it’s a rare sound these days - and he can’t help the way his smile widens when he hears your laugh in tandem with Wayne’s.

It’s not the first time he’s caught you palling it up with his uncle and, though he complains that you’re supposed to be here visiting him, he loves how well you get along with the most important person in his life.  The only real father he’s ever had.

But because he’s Eddie, he still has to put on a theatrical show of protest.

“Oh, come on.  How long have you been here this time?”

You don’t even flinch at his interruption, instead turning your head to beam over your shoulder at him.  Eddie tries not to visibly melt.  Based on the amused look in his uncle’s eyes, he’s failed.

“Hey,” your voice is heavy with affection as you ignore his question in favour of asking your own - the same thing you ask every time you see him now.  “How are you feeling?”

“Hurt,” he laments, a hand flying up to not-quite clutch at his still healing chest.  “One of these days I’m gonna start to think you aren’t really here to visit me.”

Even as he whines he waltzes his way over to you and holds his hand out to pull you off the arm of the chair.  You follow through quickly to prevent him actually having to do any real lifting, holding on a beat too long before your hands part.

Wayne watches all of this with a fond look in his eyes even as he rolls them in exasperation, the movement going completely unnoticed by the two blind, lovesick kids in his living room.

“Alright, I’m gonna get out of here for a while.  Put the crossword - and the old brain - on pause.  I’ll see you kids later.”  Wayne stands and pats your shoulder as he walks past you to head towards the door.

He’s about as subtle as a brick to the face.

You shoot him a parting smile before turning it on Eddie.  He feels his heart pick up its pace in response and finds himself flexing his fingers a little awkwardly, as if this wasn’t a regular occurrence by now.

Heading to Eddie’s room and settling next to each other against his headboard is practically instinctual now.  He’s got Black Sabbath playing quietly in the background, also not unusual, and you smile a little at how comfortable your routine has become.  Turning to look over at him, you find his gaze already fixed firmly on your face.

“What?”  Your nose scrunches a little in embarrassment at the slight whine to your question.

“What?”  Eddie mocks, voice falsetto and exaggerated.

You let out a soft laugh at his teasing even as you lean over to gently shove at what you know to be the uninjured area of his chest.

It’s barely a tap but Eddie, ever the dramatic, sends himself flying backwards, bouncing a little as he falls to his back on his old, creaky mattress.

“Wounded!  I’ve been wounded!”  He yells, hands coming up to gently clutch at the area of his chest that he can still feel tingling from your brief touch.

“Stop it; that’s not funny!”

You know for a fact he’s not in pain - you’ve seen him in enough of it in the Upside Down and throughout his recovery to recognise it instantly, even if he wasn’t so clearly struggling against a grin and you didn’t know exactly where his wounds started and ended.  That doesn’t mean you’re on board with him pretending you’ve aggravated his injuries when all you’ve ever tried to do is soothe them.

It does mean you can let out a soft chuckle at the idiot’s behaviour, though.

“Oh, it’s not?”  His brows shoot up as if in shock as he finally lets the beaming grin break out across his face.  “Then why are you laughing?”

He’s pulled himself up to rest back on his elbows, eyes meeting yours in a challenge.  The position pulls uncomfortably at the still-healing skin of his chest but he likes the way you look down at him so much he’d stay there for at least a week if you’d just keep doing it.

“I’m serious,” you say, trying really hard to sound so and failing miserably.  You shove your hand gently at his uninjured shoulder this time, unable to stop yourself from leaving it there as you lean over him just slightly, making a valiant attempt to hold back the amused smile you can feel tugging at your lips.

“I’m serious,” he mocks you again, tilting his head left and right a little as he does, long hair bouncing along with his movements.

He’s learnt that making fun of you makes you smile in that one particularly embarrassed way where you scrunch your nose a little, but you always giggle like he’s the funniest person in Hawkins, so he makes sure to do it at least a couple of times a week.

You do just that as if on cue and he feels himself melt at the sight.  He lets out a fondly amused huff of air - more at your predictability than his own joke.

You roll your eyes as your laughter tapers off, head shaking slightly.  Your hand is still pressed against the front of his shoulder and he’s trying his hardest not to freak out over it.

There’s a beat of silence.  Your eyes are locked, mouths split into matching fond smiles and faces just slightly too close to be considered friendly.

And, really, with the constant visits, and gentle touches, and warm gazes, and the way you laugh at even his shittiest jokes, it shouldn’t feel like the biggest surprise yet when you press your lips against his.

He supposes it comes from the fact that he’s Eddie Munson and he doesn’t get the things he wants, and he certainly never gets the girl, so why would this time be any different?  Why would he read into you making him a mixtape of your favourite metal songs so you can compare notes?  Why bother daydreaming about the way you gently scrape his hair back into a loose ponytail for him because he still can’t lift his arms that high?  Why add more meaning than friendship borne through hardship to the affection that blooms in your eyes every time you see him?

Why bother when he knows all he’s doing is setting himself up for disappointment?

So, yeah, maybe it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it does.

He freezes, and you’re already pulling back a little before he’s even fully processed what happened, your eyes flitting over his face to gauge his reaction.  His big, expressive eyes are widened and his eyebrows have shot up, disappearing under the unruly curls covering his forehead.

You try not to panic that this is a bad sign.

You’d been so sure he liked you back; all his shy grins when you let him ramble on about DnD, his dumb excuses to find a way to touch you - even if it was just brushing his hand against yours when you pass him something he doesn’t really need, the utter delight on his face every time you came to visit - especially when you woke him from a nap that one time and he was all soft smiles, and sleepy eyes, and he’d fallen back asleep against your shoulder.  You’d looked down at him and felt warm affection bloom in your chest.  It had spread and spread and spread until it reached the tips of your toes and you couldn’t stop the smile from growing on your face.

You were also pretty certain you’d caught him staring before you even knew each other, but you’d always just brushed it off before.

It had become difficult to deny over the past month, though, since he’d woken up from his coma and held your hand and you’d visited him most days - both at the hospital and, later, his trailer.  It felt like his eyes were almost always tracking you, only stopping when he’d look away quickly, a little bashful at being caught.

It was adorable, frankly.

Which was why you had eventually built up enough courage to press your lips against his the way you’d been imagining for a while now.  Since it had become increasingly obvious that he wasn’t going to bite the bullet, you figured you’d go for it yourself.

A not so stupendous idea, apparently.

You lean back further, pulling away enough that your hand slips from his shoulder.

“I’m sorry; I–”

Almost as soon as you’d ceased contact Eddie had followed you, pushing himself up onto one side and leaning over to interrupt you with his lips.

He really, really hopes you aren’t sorry at all. 

The way you lean into him almost immediately is answer enough.  Your head tilts slightly and he takes the opportunity to deepen the kiss, bringing up his free hand to cup your jaw.  The soft sigh you let out when you pull back a little has him chasing you once more and, based on the way you grasp at his shirt to pull him with you as you lie back, you’re more than receptive.

It’s Eddie’s turn to pull back with a sigh this time, but you immediately recognise it as a sharp one of pain.  You pull your hand off his chest instantly.  So wrapped up in finally, finally kissing him, you’d slid your hand right over a slowly-healing bite.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” concern is practically dripping from the words as you look over his face to assess his discomfort.

Eddie’s brows are pulled together as he breathes a little sharply through clenched teeth.  He seems to have frozen all movement as he lingers over you, left hand clenching at your hip where it had been placed so hesitantly just moments before.

It only takes a few seconds for him to huff out a small laugh, the pain evidently fleeting enough for him to recover quickly.

“Sexy, huh?”  He grins, stiff stature melting onto you comfortably as he rests his forehead against yours.  It’s so casual - like you’d done this a hundred times over.  “You touch me once and I fall apart.”

He’s joking, his tone and his smile couldn’t make that more clear, but it makes your brows come together in a regretful frown anyway.

You should’ve been paying closer attention.

Concerned by your silence, Eddie pulls his head back a little and catches sight of your expression.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m fine, I swear,” he promises, bringing his hand up to brush down the side of your face in a soft, comforting gesture.  “Or is it…?  I mean, do you not…?”

He trails off but his meaning is clear when he begins to pull away further, his hand dropping away.

Is it me?  Do you not want me?

“Hey, no, no, that’s not…”  The comforting is up to you now as you lift a hand to gently cup his head and guide him back down over you.  He follows so willingly it makes you smile.  “I kissed you, dummy.”

“Yeah…  Yeah, you did.”  He grins so wide he’s practically beaming at you and you let your gaze wander over his crinkled eyelids, and his dimpled cheeks, and his pink lips, and the sparkles in his chocolate-brown eyes as you imprint this picture in your mind, hopefully forever.  You can’t help the way your own mouth slowly slides into a similar smile when he says, “do it again?”

It’s just a soft press of your lips this time, and you’re very careful about placing your hands over non-injured skin; one holding his cheek and the other on his shoulder.  You feel his hand brush down your side to rest on your hip once more, thumb rubbing back and forth slowly.

You’re hardly even separating your lips from his but the instant you begin to move back a little he requests “again?” and “again?” and “again?” after every kiss until you giggle against him.  He swallows the sound in his mouth as he presses against you once more.

You’re both smiling too much for the kiss to deepen but he’s still a little upset when you pull away enough to look him in the eye.

“Hey, listen.  It’s our song!”  You let out a soft laugh at your own joke as he hears the familiar opening of Black Sabbath’s Digital Bitch flood the room.

He groans, throwing his head back dramatically.

“You can’t hold that against me forever, you know.”  His voice is whiny but there’s an undeniable grin stretching his lips and deepening his dimples.  Giving in to an urge you’d been quashing for weeks now, you reach a finger out and gently brush it over the deep line of the dimple on his right cheek.

“You’re so pretty,” you murmur, relishing the way his eyes widen before dropping bashfully, his lips parting as his smile grows.

The pink flush that creeps up his neck and covers his cheeks is just the cherry on the cake and you decide you’re going to start telling him just how pretty he is as often as possible.

His gaze lifts to meet yours once more when you lean up to gently nudge your nose against his in an affectionate gesture.  He clears his throat and you feel the fingers of the hand resting on your hip flex a little, like he’s still nervous.

“Um, you are too, you know?  Fucking stunning, actually.”  He lets out a breathy laugh and you’re so close you feel the puff of air on your face.  “Always thought so,” he mutters quietly, eyes dropping down to your lips before slipping back up to meet your gaze in question.

As if the answer could ever be ‘no’ when he looks at you like that.

You close the small gap to press your lips against his once more and only pull back minutes later when the menace in him comes out and he tickles at your ribs.

Watching you giggle and gasp his name in faux outrage with your lips still spit-shiny from the kiss, it’s no surprise he can’t imagine how he ever convinced himself he only maybe had a crush on you or was halfway in love with you.

headcanon/drabble requests open for eddie :)

tag list: @a-hopeless-fan​ @waylandmorgernsternherondal-blog @aedicn

[stranger-chichka]

Dustin, compasses, magnets, coke and eating (p.2)

After “Dustin’s “This is the answer” the accent is on the fridge in the Wheeler's house with a 7 made from the magnets. 7 is Mike's and Will's number. 7 is L upside-down. 7 is Love. Mrs Wheeler gives the police officer New Coke (which is associated with Byler) instead of water. By the way, do you remember what Dustin and Steve put in Byers' fridge in s2? The Demogorgon. If my theory's right, it also represents Byler in some way. I won't write about it here in detail, so check out the original post, but few interesting things that are connected with this scene:

most tadpoles are aquatic, but Dart isn't. He doesn't need water;

Dart hates the sun, it hurts him (Will is associated with the light, and it hurts Mike to feel that way about his friend. It hurts to think you're never gonna be together because it's not right in the community they're growing up in. Actually, that's what Dart represents - Mike's being afraid of his feelings toward Will;

Mike wants to take Dart to Hopper (=the police officer). In the same season, we see Mike having his breakdown while talking with Hopper. He calls him a liar, but he actually talks about himself. "You've been hiding her this whole time! Protecting her? You're a stupid, disgusting, lying piece of shit! Liar, liar, liar!" In s3 we see him constantly lying to El, to others, and to himself. After Snow Ball, he realised he has romantic feelings for Will but hides them deep inside to protect both of them. He knows what it means to be a gay kid in the 80s. Dangerous. And we know Mike also hates lying. Friends don't lie. He hates himself. I'm stopping here because it's a bit out of the topic, but I'll write a separate post on this scene.

"Water it down" and "Water still works" both said by Nancy seem to be important lines, considering later Dustin offers someone H2O right after. It definitely has smth to do with Byler in a negative context, but I need more time to think about it (maybe @dinitride-art has some ideas about what the Duffers are trying to imply). I want to focus on Coke. Steve is talking about El while there's Regular Coke near Eddie and Skull Rock. Later we see some Stancy scenes in that very location.

Regular Coke = Stancy, Mileven = not endgame. New Coke = Byler = endgame.

Here are some scenes with Coke I n s4, but also I highly recommend you to read this post by @awhstrangerthings. Keep in mind, the thing = love, because in s4 Mike even says to Will: “Maybe I should’ve said something, and if I would’ve said that thing, then maybe she’d wanted me there with her, wherever she is.”

New Coke on the clock during Mileven's fight above Mike’s head = he’s thinking about the relationship between him and Will at that moment.

Regular Coke during the reunion scene, where we see El's disappointed because he wrote “From, Mike” again.

At Rink o Mania we see Regular Coke 2 times - when Angela takes El to the roller rink and Mike shows zero concern about it, ignoring the fact she definitely looked scared and uncomfortable near Angela (she even looked at him for help, come on, Michael), and when we see devastated El after the accident, sitting alone and Mike, again, showing zero concern.

Regular Coke during dinner, when Mike says “She didn’t look fine.”

Regular Coke during their interrupted talk at Surfer Boy Pizza, where Mike starts talking about their fight and we don’t happen to know what he wanted to say, because Argyle brings pineapple pizza (pineapple pizza and New Coke both represent Byler) and Mike looks very uncomfortable with but later calls it good and eats pizza.

Eating = loving. El dumps Mike and he starts eating.

Mike looks at Will's painting the same painting behind Max.

We also have THIS in Starcourt Mall teaser. A blue triangle. Two pies where the boy in a blue tank top picks one.

"And don't forget, a state of the art food court is just an escalator ride away."

Talking about the food, who was "foraging for food" in s2? Dart. And what season has the most Byler moments? Season 2. And who initiates most of them? Mike.

+ this parallel once again ties Dart to Mike. Not to mention the word "dart" means a small pointed missile that can be thrown or fired. The synonyms are “arrow”, and “barb.” And who is associated with arrows in s4? Michael Wheeler. Also, “to dart” means to move or run somewhere suddenly or rapidly. And who’s always late? Whose playlist’s full of songs about running? No way, it’s Michael Wheeler again.

Let's return to the scene in Jonathan's room and how it parallels with other scenes from previous seasons.

Again, "thing" = love. Games [DnD & Nintendo] = their relationships.

During their talk in 5x03 someone knocks and Mike decides it's his mom. Doors = being in the closet.

But it's Nancy, not mom, so he opens the door. Will he come out to his sister in s5? Or does it mean he was open with her in s1?

Losing, loving and hearing.

It’s interesting that El is listening to Mike’s monologue trapped in front of the door. The door with so much Byler symbolism (credit to @themacklemorebrothers for that observation). Mike's in the closet.

And, finally. Gay love wins because that's what the whole show is about. There upon a rainbow is the answer to a neverending story.

Part 1

[honorhearted]

TURNsgiving Day 4: “What If?”

For mine, I’m leaning towards three (two that could’ve been interesting for Ben’s arc, and one that just SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE REGARDLESS).

1) Keep Patience Wright alive.

I would’ve liked seeing Ben interact with a woman who A) wasn’t an enemy of sorts, or B) a close childhood friend. In the short time Patience was onscreen, I instantly loved her and was excited to have an actual female spy. And then, just like that, the writers scrapped a perfectly awesome character for no real discernible reason. The real Patience Wright survived, so I would’ve liked to have seen her involvement in the ring!

2) Team up with Philomena Cheer.

As a friend pointed out, Philomena’s exchange with Andre in earlier episodes suggested she was a double agent, herself. She kept asking subtle questions that got Andre to open up to her (i.e. “Tell me: how many men are under your command?”; “Will you at least tell me where your next secret mission will take you?”), so if that was, indeed the writers’ original intent, I wish they hadn’t dropped the idea since a woman in her profession would’ve been the perfect agent for Ben to employ. They could’ve worked together once Andre scorned her. Yes, it wouldn’t have been historically accurate, but I don’t think the writers were too concerned about that lol. 

3) Include James Armistead Lafayette.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never been overly fond of Abraham, but I was incredibly salty during my first viewing when they didn’t include James Armistead Lafayette, and instead, gave his very crucial role to Abe. Armistead is arguably one of the most important historical figures in the AmRev, yet he was passed off because the writers CLEARLY didn’t know what to do with Abe (further proof that the show should’ve been told through Ben and Andre’s dual perspective in S1-S3, and then Ben and Hewlett’s in S4, I SAID WHAT I SAID).

Armistead served under Lafayette’s command and posed as a double agent, collecting valuable information from the British to give to the Americans, and then provided false intel to the Brits in return. His intelligence helped win the Battle of Yorktown, thus securing America’s victory. I highly encourage you all to read more about him, because he was a very interesting man who deserves more recognition! This is a pretty good write-up about him (and you can discover the reason behind his taking Lafayette’s name):

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/james-armistead-lafayette

[spextronaut]

My thoughts on this week’s episode of the Mandalorian:

Rip Nevarro ig and they were doing so well smh

If this is another filler ass episode I will be so upset what happened to this being a show about Mando

I wish this wasn’t a Disney show bc these bitches need to be able to curse each other out so bad

Oh thank good Mando is here

BABY GIRL <33333

I do truly miss this being the Mando + Grogu show but I don’t entirely hate what’s happening (I don’t like it tho)

YEAHHHH GROGU <33333

lmao they just have. a fucking talking hammer it’s very funny

You should lay your lives down bc Grogu is cute as shit

Oh okay. That. That’s not what i expected but that’s a slay good job Paz

when people call Din by his proper name <33333

Okay this episode has gotten better since the start that’s fun

Din is being such a goddamn babygirl today I adore him

Mandalorians are really just born to slay huh

Paz is being a badass again I do love him sometimes

This feels like they’re fighting a losing battle and I’m not crazy about thatttt

Well they are at least on the ground

The Armorer my fucking beloved I love when she gets to beat the shit out of people

And the Mandos are winning again they’re slaying so fucking hard <3333

SLAYYYYY I LOVE THEM <333

Once again we’re proving that Din and Bo-Katan work best when they’re together and that’s some sibling shit right there

GROGU!!

omfg they’ve got a fuckin home now <3

Oh god the Armorer wishes to speak with her

Where in the flip flap fuck are they

Oh it’s the sewers it’s been a hell of a minute

Remove her fuckin,,, excuse me what now

The Armorer is making her break the Creed???? Her of all people???

Im so confused what is happening rn

Ohhh bitch Din was the one who was supposed to get this arc fuck you >:(

Din has the Darksaber he should be the one uniting them you fucking whore >:(

She can do it without the Darksaber??? What’s Din meant to do?? Is he gonna lead the Covert while Bo-Katan unites the Mandalorians???

What in the fuck is that it’s very very threatening

Ah hell Moff Gideon is back smh I’m sick of his shit

Mandos rescued Moff Gideon??? What???

Overall this was just… not that good of an episode? Like it was fun and I enjoyed the battles but it really made me realize how far we’ve strayed from s1 and how the writers seem to just not give a shit about Din and Grogu and their arcs anymore

I’d rate it a 3/5 bc there were good scenes but overall it just isn’t that good anymore? Save for designs and acting the show’s gone seriously downhill and I’m hoping that if it gets renewed for a s4 (if it hasn’t already) it starts going uphill again considering all the other shows coming out that can set up future Star Wars projects

Just a side note, but I hate to say that TBoBF did a better job with Din and Grogu than Mando s3 is, and that is really really sad imo. But that just… did better with interactions and characterization, especially with seeing the two of them separated? I think it would’ve been better for Grogu to be seen in TBoBF, have Din give Ahsoka the chain mail, but then we just don’t see Luke give Grogu the option to leave or not? So that way we get to see Grogu hijinks while he’s on his own with R2-D2 and/or Din trying to rebuild himself without his son around or trying to get Grogu back throughout s3

[murphallo]

Hi, I totally understand your disappointment in how chenford got together. I too thought it was going to take something dramatic for them to finally be together, something like DOD.

Lucy spent 5 seasons not dating cops because of Bishop's advice about her reputation and career. I thought that would play a big part on her hesitation to start a relationship with Tim. But it wasn't even mentioned lol.

And Tim always seemed super aware of the fact that he was Lucy's superior at work, he even listed that as an obstacle in his conversation with Lopez. But then he and Lucy got together and Tim seemed to forget that it's a problem. A "Lucy Lesson" was needed to remind him it's an issue.

But I can't say I'm suprised. The Rookie can set up interesting conflicts and then drop them like hot potatoes. I mean, Ashley says she never wants to have kids and Tim is just "oh well, okay then", and keeps dating her until *she* breaks up with him lol. I mean, what was the point of that?

no LITERALLY bro like…

like bro if i wanted to see a ship get together the way chenford did, i would specialize in fast burns. i get into slow burns bc my ooey gooey hopeless romantic bleeding heart likes to see the moment where it all comes together. now, i will say, i never really wanted chenford to have the near death confession just bc i think it’s been done to death and they’re both in near death experiences like everyday. i personally think it would’ve been interesting to see an arc where they think they’ll lose each other and have to confront what their lives might be like without the other person and they don’t wanna do that yada yada, like jisbon, (yes i’ll be comparing chenford’s get together to jisbon’s for the foreseeable future). what i didn’t think would get them together was like one blurted line that made no sense and riddled the story with plot holes

as for the work thing………… if i think too long about how the work boundary has been handled, my brain might actually explode lol like… the work thing was their BIGGEST boundary and not only did they give 0 shits about it when getting together but they solved it in one episode over what was basically a prank like… i have a pet peeve in slow burns and it’s when i feel like they probably could’ve gotten together forever ago and i really thought all their story was building up to something but if he was just gonna ask her out on a bench outside work in broad daylight and they were gonna solve the work boundary in one episode via prank, i would’ve just wished they did that after her rookie year. that’s another problem with how they got together like fr if it was gonna be that simple why not just get them together between 3x10 and 4x02 when they were both single and there was no work boundary or if there was it would’ve been significantly weaker like… and im saying that as someone who loved s4 😭 i really did love s4 and how 5a was going before 508 and now it all feels so pointless idk

as for the alt s4 love interests……….. oh boi…… okay so. one thing about me. when it comes to fiction… i love me some emotional cheating like it hits every time lol so was it fun to see tim and lucy carry on with 0 respect for their relationships even though i knew they were being terrible people?? hell yeah. but like… when there’s a REASON. i do not understand the purpose of either of those two being in 5a. let’s start with chris. okay so chenford would’ve hooked up in 501 if chris didn’t almost get killed and lucy stayed with him out of guilt? right? that i could understand. but THEN 508 happened and the haunting words of “if we do this” left lucy’s mouth. now…………. if she knew tim wanted to be with her romantically (which is a whole other thing bc bitch how) her staying with chris is absolutely hilarious. her justification for staying with chris was that if she got with tim it might not work out but brother… forgive me if i’m remembering incorrectly, no one was holding a gun to lucy’s head and threatening to shoot if she didn’t get with tim as soon as she broke up with chris. it’s completely out of character TO ME for lucy to stay in a relationship she wasn’t happy in bc she was scared to be with tim. like… lucy is not allergic to being single, i do not GET IT. like if chris died in 501 and lucy was too riddled with guilt to date the guy she was about to cheat on him with, i would ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THAT but this is outrageous.

now onto ashley……… hooooooooo ashley…. okay like….. it’s hard to verbalize how fucking inane the inclusion of ashley was to me… like just goofy. silly. unserious. if tim didn’t realize his feelings for lucy until 422 or 501, it is, TO ME, COMPLETELY out of character for tim to lead ashley on knowing he’d prefer to be with someone else. that’s why i honestly still didn’t think he realized he wanted to be with lucy even after 501 because like… you’re telling me TIM BRADFORD stayed in a relationship with someone telling him she was in love with him knowing he was severely interested in someone else?? that’s never been tim like omg. did he almost cheat on her a lil? yeah <3 but like idk there was a whole ass time jump and he stayed with ashley that whole time that is CRAZY. i didn’t want either breakup to be off screen but honest to god, if they knew they were about to get chenford together, i would’ve preferred an offscreen breakup during the time jump over an onscreen breakup THREE EPISODES BEFORE getting chenford together like omg OMG

*woosah break*

anyone who’s heard my rants (and it’s been a LOT) know that the episode i have the most beef with is 506. because like… we know tim probably didn’t care that much for ashley (despite the whole ass year relationship and debating retirement to travel with her but i digress) and it’s a common supposition that he was more wounded by the way she dumped him than losing her. sure, whatever, let’s go forward with that assumption. but you know who didn’t know none of that shit? LUCY. from her pov, it wasn’t that long ago that tim said he could see himself marrying ashley and we know lucy took that to heart. and then in 506, lucy finds out tims been moping for a week because they broke up (and specifically ASHLEY dumped HIM) but she’s still confident enough that tim us really into her for the “if we do this” like… and if the uc op brought up real actual romantic feelings between them, i would understand, but it didn’t. it brought up horny. it brought up that tim was sexually attracted to her. which… correct me if i’m wrong… she knew that… long before the uc op… so lucy spending an adrenaline filled weekend with tim with makeouts required and then he’s like “aye im feeling a lil something” does not equal feelings and i personally feel like lucy wouldn’t have made that leap like that when he was like… with someone. idk like… if i could take out any episodes in the 5a sad excuse for an arc, it’d definitely be the episode where lucy witnessed tim moping over his fresh ex for like two days and then blurted out that they like each other two episodes later.

so yeah the timing, the supposed trigger, the other love interests… no matter how you try to spin it, you will never ever get me like “oh no that definitely made sense” bc no matter how you look at it shit was dumb lol

[literatikoo]

Lane Kim deserved better

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I would only write Lane Kim meta when I am very very angry because I need to be powered by spite and petty energy to unravel exactly how much of a disservice this show was to Lane and by extension any Asian kid with a similar life. And, well, it's happening now, so buckle up kids, this is going to be a loooong ride because I have a lot to say.

Before we start on the negative aspects, the show got a lot of things about Lane right, which is why I care so much about her character. Yes, ASP obviously didn't know how to write a POC experience and it's seen in the way some very harmful stereotypes were propagated (the tiger mom trope, Mrs Kim's religious beliefs, the depiction of the Kim extended family etc) but at the same time Lane was beautifully written as a character, unlike her plot which left much to be desired. Lane Kim was an Asian girl with rock n roll dreams who had an extremely fraught relationship with her mother and had to fight for even a semblance of independence. And I hate to say it but a lot of daughters of Asian households are forced to hide a part of themselves from their families, so Lane's story was authentic.

Not only was Lane amazing as an individual, she was also a great friend. She was the only one who was really in Rory's corner; she never judged her and supported all of Rory's relationships (my favourite example of this is when she barely tolerated Jess in S2/3 and then did a complete 180 like 5 episodes later, all because Rory decided to finally accept she liked him). Lane never pointed out what Rory was doing wrong not because she was afraid of doing so but because the two of them had been friends for years and Lane believed that Rory would figure it out one day. Lane shows this unconditional kindness not only to Rory but to everyone. She takes in her Korean cousin and teaches her to have fun even when she's afraid that Mrs Kim has replaced her, she lets Gil be in the band because she empathises with him, she takes care of the band and prevents it from breaking up multiple times. And these are only a few examples of Lane being the kindest character on GG.

One of the best things in Gilmore Girls is that the most unproblematic, amazing guy is given to Lane. Dave Rygalski is the best love interest on the show hands down (Sorry to my boy Jess but Dave was LEAGUES ahead of him at 17) and Lane definitely deserved someone like that. Their story was adorable and I would have loved for them to be endgame. However, what grates me is that when I see people talking about Lane "deserving better," it's usually about Dave vs Zach. When Lane actually deserved better as a WHOLE and not only in terms of love interests. I always thought it made more sense for her to end up alone at the end of the og series. Because Lane was a person who craved independence and she was not going to get that while tied to some guy (even if that guy is boyfriend extraordinaire, Dave Rygalski). It's even worse when we see that Lane is the only female character on the show to be treated this way. Rory rejects marriage for her career while Lane ends up with marriage as her storyline. Lorelai and Luke get back together but their relationship is still left open ended, though arguably it would've made more sense if they got married when Lane and Zach did. Paris gets into Harvard Medical school and gets a great relationship, similarly Sookie gets the family she wanted and continues to be amazing at her job. But Lane... god Lane is the only one without an open ending, without any space for speculation of where her life might lead her. Not only did they marry her off, they also gave her a terrible first time and twins, effectively locking her to Stars Hollow. The show even cut down all hope of her being a rock n roll mom as one of her S7 storylines is choosing the kids over going on tour with Zach. She doesn't get to be her own person for more than ONE season; she's stuck with being a daughter and then a wife and then a mother.

Something else that angers me about Lane's storyline is that we never really get to see how badly her relationship with her mom affects her. Don't get me wrong, I adore Mrs Kim's redemption arc and I think it was beautifully juxtaposed to Lorelai and Rory's crumbling relationship, but having a mother like that is hard. Not only did Lane have to hide 90% of her personality from Mrs Kim but she also lived with the fact that one day she might have to choose between her dreams and her mother. In the end, Mrs Kim makes that choice for her and deals with it by kicking Lane out in S4, and yet we never really see how that negatively affects Lane. Hell, Jess acts like a broody teen for two seasons, Rory wastes six months of her life away at the DAR and they both come out of it successfully. Lane gets kicked out, figures out her own living conditions, gets a job, works insanely hard for her band and... ends up having to give her dreams up completely.

Lane and Paris shared a lot of similarities too, even if they both had different friendships with Rory. They both came from terrible families and looked to Lorelai as a mother figure, they both cared deeply for Rory, and they were both incredibly passionate about their careers. Paris made calendars and flashcards and went crazy studying for both pre med and pre law. Lane was a walking, talking music encyclopaedia, she bought CDs obsessively and organised them by genre under her floorboards, she taught herself to play the drums and then found a band to play for. And yet... only Paris becomes successful in the end, whereas Lane takes over Kim's antiques. Lane was still a musician in AYITL and she can be rock n roll even with kids but this is all hypothetical and we never see it on the show.

There is a lot of terrible, lazy writing on the show and a lot of characters get ruined because of it but with Lane, her character stays the same, they just ruin everything else for her. I think she'll be an amazing mom and will probably make her best out of doing music casually. But the writers also took something so special and destroyed it just because Lane stopped being as important to the plot as she was in seasons 1-3. Lane and Rory drifting a little after Rory leaves for Yale makes perfect sense, that's just how relationships are, always changing. And yet as Lane's importance to Rory decreased so did her importance to the writers.

Lane wasn't the kind of character that needed character development or a redeeming character arc- she was never a bad person and nothing about her had to be fixed, unlike Jess or even Paris. All she really needed was for her dreams to come true because for the first 4 seasons her dreams were the biggest fixture of her personality. Like how Jess needed to overcome his trauma and Rory needed to figure out where she fit in and Paris needed to become a girlboss, Lane needed to realise her dreams because that's where her arc was leading her. But it just didn't happen. Instead, Lane becomes 2-dimensional; a large part of her screentime is taken up by Zach problems, her dreams fall flat and she becomes tied to Stars Hollow for the rest of her life. Not to mention we see less of Lane in favour of Logan and the dickhead posse.

This is not me hating on all the other characters I've mentioned in this meta, I'm just pointing out the lack of respect the writers have for Lane in comparison to all these other people who fulfilled the role they were made for. Why would you write Lane to have all these dreams and make her struggle so hard for 4 seasons just to smash them to pieces? And why is it that one of the only POC characters on this show is treated like this?

And you can't tell me the writers didn't know what they were doing, not when this is a direct quote from Lane in S7:

"It was such a small window -- a peephole, really. For years, I was this repressed kid, and then there was the briefest of windows. And then -- slam. All of a sudden, I'm this overburdened mother. I barely got to do it, Zach. I barely got the chance to be a person."

[unnecessary-dinosaurs]

SEASON FIVE SPOILERS

final full thoughts on s5

i went into this season excited, but not expectant of the quality of seasons 1-3. i knew it was gonna be better than s4 but i wasn’t sure by how much. that being said i was completely blown away by this season. it was everything i could’ve wanted from a final season and more.

this shows biggest strength has always been its characters. and this season is an exemplar of that. every character is so well written this season, especially kenji. kenji’s arc through this season just proves why he’s one of my favorites. he can be obnoxious and entitled, but even when he has everything he’s ever wanted, he chooses the camp fam. i love that he also didn’t come to his senses on his own. he needed help from mae, bumpy, ben, like a real person would.

i loved the dynamics between the nublar six this time around. wether it was focusing on established relationships like brooklynn and darius, or new ones like ben and yaz, it always felt very genuine and there was a very real sense of love present.

obviously the most important thing that happened this season was YASAMMY CANON. literally this blew my mind. the best relationship in the show finally payed off after five seasons in the most satisfying way possible. the kiss was amazing and i’m really glad we got to see them just being girlfriends for a bit. a lot of endgame ships just build up for the whole show and then end with them becoming canon. but i loved that we got to see them dating for a little bit.

also reintroducing brand, dave, and roxie was a great choice and their dynamic added so much to this season. i literally missed them so much.

i’m not going to analyze each specific character because i’m lazy but every character had their time to shine. sammy’s scene with mr kon at the end, ben being yaz’s wingman, ben freeing bumpy, brooklynn and darius’ scene, kenji and mae looking out for each other. everyone was great.

now i’m gonna talk about the plot. at first i was worried about the dinosaurs being controlled thing, and it’s honestly still not my favorite, but the action and emotion behind said action made everything work. i loved the two separate plots. the camp fam trying to stop mr kon from mantah corp island, and kenji and his dad on nublar.

i never would have guessed that we would go back to nublar, or that we would spend so much time there, but i absolutely loved it. it brought back so many memories from earlier seasons and tied together some loose ends, like the drone and distress beacon.

the final stand between the watering hole dinos and mantah dino’s was seriously so cool. i know it was ridiculous but that’s kind of why i loved it. it was like completely nonsensical dinosaur battle royale and it was a blast to watch. the spino got some cool moments and the eaties got their happy ending. some awesome action and an all around great climax.

one of the best parts of season 5 was daniel kon as the villain. so easy to hate. he was great not only for the plot but he was more involved with the characters than any other villain. i don’t think it’ll be too controversial for me to say he’s the best villain in the jurassic franchise.

and my final compliment to this season is that it was very true to itself, despite backlash to season 4. i’m really glad they didn’t shy away from any of the concepts introduced in s4 that were disliked. it would’ve felt out of place to just immediately drop brookenji, the brads, and kash. but instead s5 found a way to make them more believable/likeable, or ease them out. like how kash was killed off pretty early, but in a believable way that still developed his character.

anyways this season was a blast and just such a beautiful end. these characters have been begging for resolution since day one, and finally giving it to them was immensely gratifying. this show will always have a special place in my heart. i’ve been obsessed with it for two years, and so i’m understandably very nervous to fall out of love with it, but i’m happy it ended so well.

CampFam4Life!

[coalitiongirl]

Fic Recs (under 300 edition)

So I wanted to get back to reading Swan Queen fic regularly, and I asked people to rec longfic that they'd read (not written) and loved that had fewer than 300 kudos! I haven’t read most of these, but I’ve collected them here so y’all can go through the list and discover some new fics with me! Please try to kudos and review every fic that you read! It means the world to the writers and will keep em writing, and then we all win. 😁

Atonement by SgtMac (M): With Regina's magical heart failing thanks to years of previous evil, Emma and Regina and Henry (and Granny!) set out to save her life by traveling to the Enchanted Forest and requesting help from ancient magical beings known as the Guardians. Given a mission as simple as it is impossible - to achieve atonement by creating peace - the ladies find themselves joining a rebellion and fighting for the very soul of the Enchanted Forest all while trying to help Regina to understand that the self-loathing and guilt which have driven most of her actions don't have to doom her chance for a new beginning or even, a chance to live and love again. A S4(ish) SQ love story set against the turmoil of war and the chaotic savagery of the old world.

Blood and Sand by cheshire6845 (E): A/U The Savior is a slave forced into the role of fighting as a gladiator for the House of Hearts. The odds are against her survival as she will have to win in the arena, navigate Cora's schemes, outlast a general's vengeance, and not be killed out of spite by the current House of Hearts Champion - Regina the Undefeated. This story follows the major plot points of Starz Spartacus with some twists along the way.

But what if there was no time by KizuRai (M): When she wakes up, it's dark. She can't move, she can't see, she can't feel and she can't hear. Where am I? She feels a forceful oppression, pressing her down, draining her of her energy and she's powerless to stop it. How did I get here? The question of here is relative, she's not even sure where here is. What happened? There must be some reason for being stuck here but her memory is fuzzy, like all her thoughts are being sifted through a filter. Who am I? She's not sure if she actually exists or she suddenly became sentient in the darkness.She hears a voice reverberating in the distance, it's distorted and quiet but she hears it all the same. It breaks the monotony of the silence. Someone's coming for her, they will get her out. She's just not sure she wants them to as the price might be too great.

Finding Home by evl_rgl (T): “I wanted to remember you so badly that I pulled back your cursed town just so that the memories would make sense. I needed you so badly that even when I had no memory of you, I still tried to find you.” Regina gave Emma and Henry memories of a happy life together before they fled Pan’s curse, leaving them with no memories of their lives in Storybrooke. However, when the memory spell shows signs of failing, threatening to rip apart the minds of both Emma and Henry, Regina makes a drastic choice to go back and fix it, understanding that it will mean living alone in a world where her son doesn’t know her. Was the spell really faulty, though? (swanqueen)

Five Flames by MariaComet (U): In the past, Emma Nolan disconnected from her peers in high school, preferring to keep to herself. In her sophomore year of high school, she decided to try and join the boy’s wrestling team because she was bored. She didn’t expect herself to become the champion of the most bullied kid in school or the secret best friend of the school queen. She also didn’t expect to join a club that would change her life. In the present, Emma is trying to cope with a humiliating loss in her martial arts career. She claims to be “training” but is stuck in limbo between wanting to retire and try again. She is isolated from her former best friend, Regina Mills, a local celebrity chef and the rest of her old friends. When one of them calls her with an idea to honor their deceased teacher, she is confronted with unresolved feelings and questions about how powerful love truly is.

A Glamour of Truth by PrincessCharming (T): After 2x10, Regina uses magic to show Emma the obvious truth. A tentative trust forms between them amid hilarious bickering. With Emma's help, Regina struggles to regain a place in her son's life... until Cora arrives, wanting her daughter back. Pieces of Regina's past emerge showing that the board was set long before the game started. The final battle begins soon.

His Dark Materials 'verse by MoonlitMidnight (M): A modern Alternate Universe in which Dæmons (the external physical manifestation of a person's 'inner self' that takes the form of an animal) are present. In which Emma and Regina have led slightly different lives and they make slightly different choices.

How Many Miles to Avalon? (WIP) by RavenOutlander (E): Regina would do anything to save Emma from the darkness and bring her back home safe and sound. Even put up with the two idiots, Captain Guyliner and a bunch of dwarves she decidedly wanted to drop off at the nearest exit. But in their search for Emma, they find that she might not need that much saving after all. Caught up in a search for the infamous Philosopher Stone, an all out war between DunBroch and Camelot, and ghosts from the past to haunt her every waking moment, Regina finds herself scrambling to keep her and her family's happy endings from falling apart.

The Hyperion by FrankenSpine (M): After wishing upon what she believes is a shooting star, Emma Swan finds herself aboard the Hyperion, the royal starship of an alien Queen from a faraway galaxy. She quickly learns of the tensions between the Queen's people and her own, but the Queen takes an interest in her and agrees to take her away from Earth forever. Adventure awaits. *(Loosely based on Guardians of the Galaxy with just a hint of Farscape)*

If Wishes Came True (It Would've Been You) by Angeii_K (M): After Regina films a guest appearance on her friend Neal’s popular show, he invites her to spend the weekend with him and his girlfriend. What she never expected was to actually like the woman. Sparks fly between the two, which results in them questioning everything and making choices they will later regret. 4 years later, they meet again in the most unexpected of ways. Now co-stars on the same show, they are forced to work through the emotions from their last encounter. What will happen next? Only time will tell.

The King Doesn’t Have To Know (WIP) by highheelsandchocolate (M): The White Knight had never seen anyone like her before: the Queen was nothing short of mesmerizing. Her possessive yet neglectful husband, however, was another thing entirely.

The Lich by Dangereaux (M): Gay disaster Emma, exasperated Regina, and a monster. A Halloween special.

Maybe if We Close Our Eyes we Can Reach the Stars by wellthizizdeprezzing (T): Emma is a lonely astronaut. Regina is an adventuring alien. Their paths cross leading them onto a journey of new discovery. Between galaxies and many miles of cold black space, despite not speaking the same language, they manage to fall for each other. An out of this world love story.

A prisoner long forgotten by sugarsweet_19 (M): ‘I wish I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood and as black as the wood of the window-frame. Soon after she had a little girl, who was as white as snow, with lips as red as blood and with her hair as black as the ebony of the window-frame. She was therefore called Snow-white.” This is how our story starts but how will it end?The evil queen as been locked up in a tower and forgotten that is until princess Emma looks for a place to hid from her parents after they tell her she has to marry Neal the son of the dark one.

Revenge of the Three Little Pigs by mskyo (M): Regina and Emma find themselves alone and looking for the rest of their party. The Evil Queen must face the consequences of her past actions. Will Emma come to her aid, or understand that justice must be served... *Some chapters have fairly graphic sex, and violence*

Things I Almost Remember by cheshire6845 (T): A/U Despite an oncoming war between the Dark and the Light, Emma and Regina are best friends growing up in the Enchanted Forest. When war does come, they find themselves on opposite sides. Regina will have to defy her mother to save Emma. Will Emma be able to save Regina when Cora curses her daughter to live in the Land without Magic?

What We Make (WIP) by DiazTuna (M): “My mother.” He says calmly. He’d known all along, she’s aware. But he’d known that today would be the day that would get this going. She wants to ask what it was like, to have woken up this morning, laced up his boots and walked into hell just knowing. “It’s programmed the cyborg to kill her. Before I have a chance to be born.” -In which the leader of the future sends his best soldier back to the past to save his mother from a killer cyborg. Terminator AU.

The Wrong Way by pcworth (M): Takes place right after Zelena steals Regina's heart. Zelena offers Regina a chance to go back in time with her and change both of their lives for the better. But what will be the price of that decision. Slow-burn to SwanQueen

zombie trash by 13pens (T): Zelena could have her brain and eat it, too. Fic operates on three premises 1. this takes place in any universe where zelena is a reformed asshole 2. zombies are a thing and exist iZombie style 3. i have NO chill

[oreolesbian]

I think part of the reason Will’s storyline in s4 is so frustrating is bc, in the past couple of years, we’ve been seeing TV shows set the bar higher and higher when it comes to queer rep. Queerbaiting still exists in different, evolved forms across the media landscape, of course, but TV has had a pretty good upward trend of genuine representation.

In the past few years we’ve seen kids shows like She-Ra and The Owl House have, undeniably queer lead protags. We’ve seen shows like Our Flag Means Death w/ no marketing as having queer characters, and then ending up with six of them, furthering to help normalize queer existence (and in a ‘period’ piece, may I add—with actual queer people behind the scenes). And even on Netflix, we’ve had Heartstopper and First Kill. Two shows of varying quality, but with dedication to showing teenage queer protags w/ actual storylines.

So to have Stranger Things, a very popular show which chose to have queer characters, then use said queer characters to further the narrative of two hetero romances, and then have one of those queer characters be only “up to interpretation,” “implied,” etc. after months of marketing where the actors/writers said he would be explicitly confirmed as queer, is just insane. Like…maybe a few years ago we all would’ve hung back and sighed, because we’re used to this. But now that other shows are showing what absolute bullshit queerbaiting is and how easy it is to just have queer characters exist, shows like Stranger Things need to fucking step up.

If they didn’t want to write queer storylines, that’s fine. But if that’s the case—then they never should’ve made Robin or Will queer if they never intended to follow through with anything for them in terms of story. Robin is a side character—I don’t expect a whole ass love story for her, and I don’t need one. But Will is (or at least used to be) a major character. And his queerness was pushed in this season as a story arc for him, only for it to be used to move the characterization of two straight characters. Will doesn’t get to have agency as a queer character. And it’s not about him not being in a relationship, or getting to be out and proud—it’s quite literally just about him being more than a device. Some characters are devices of course, that’s how good writing works—but Will has quite literally graduated to one of the central characters in the friend group, to a background piece. And his queerness is a huge factor in his isolation from his peers, but even in these bloated episode runtimes, there’s nothing, not even in a scene between him and Johnathan that was so clearly meant to replicate a coming-out scene, just without the actual coming out. The Duffers have two queer characters who do nothing more than prop up their straight characters. And that’s not good.

And now they use the “it’s the 1980s” as an excuse, a cover, as if writing a period piece w/ queer characters that have agency and don’t serve as plot devices for, again, hetero romances is an absolute impossible task.

Obviously ST is not going to be Heartstopper in terms of warm-hearted queer stories. I personally don’t even mind sad queer stories about pining—I relate to them if anything. But ST didn’t do that. No, they used Will’s queerness specifically, to help Mike and Eleven get back together. And to top it off they did the classic “beat around the bush” approach regarding explicit revelations about whether Will is gay or not.

It’s frustrating and stupid and leaves a bad taste in the mouth when remembering the shows of old who followed this formula. Quite literally any queer person involved in creative could’ve helped amend this, but no. They instead chose to humiliate their queer fans who had the audacity to believe they could actually see themselves reflected in this show.

[mlchaelwheeler]

I like this season, and I like the vecna plot but the episodes are so long and there’s just a lot going on. For me it makes me realize that less is more. The first two seasons had shorter episodes and were generally simpler, but they were still able to focus on the key characters. The first three seasons only took like six months to film (not including editing ofc etc), and the first three seasons didn’t take as long to write, especially not season 1 and season 2. From the return to filming in 2020 season 4 took almost a year to film the season. Like I can understand that covid would have really impacted the filming upon the return, but I also think a hugee reason why it took so long was because it would’ve been complicated to film with the three plotlines being set in different locations, not to mention how long the episodes are. 

Tbh I’d prefer shorter episodes like in s1 and s2 that don't have too many plotlines to follow, the first two seasons felt so effortless but this season sometimes feels overly complicated. The duffers said that they structure the seasons like they’re a movie almost and I do see that with the first three seasons, but this season it almost feels like we’re watching 3 separate movies lol. Idk, I know they were only going to do one or two seasons at first and sometimes it’s kinda evident imo especially considering s1 started filming almost immediately after season 1 aired and idk it feels like the same show but it also doesn’t at time lol. I want them to go back to the basics honestly lol, and can they just have the byers in hawkins next season because i don’t really want another cali road trip plot even though it’s entertaining hahahaah. Sorryyy this is a bit of a rant lmaooo

No, I totally get your frustration! I also miss the simplicity of S1 and S2 where there was really only 1-2 main plot lines going on. With S4 however, there are 4 main plots, but I feel like only 2 of them really got well-fleshed out: Hawkins and the HNL. The Hawkins plot was my favorite this season, since everything came together really well and all the characters worked so well together. The HNL plot line was also super interesting and connected so beautifully to the Hawkins plot line when 001 was revealed to be Vecna.

The cali plot line was a missed opportunity imo, since they were given almost no scenes compared to the other 3 plots (they weren't even in 4x07!) and 2 of the characters are main characters from S1. It was really sad to see Mike and Will sidelined so bad in comparison to new characters like Jason and Eddie (i love him, but the main characters deserved a good portion of his screentime imo). The Russia plot line also kind of felt like a missed opportunity, mostly bc I feel like Hopper's plot didn't really pick up until 4x06 when he was put in the demopit. His scenes in the first 5 episodes didn't seem to have really any impact on the rest of the plot this season, so I wish they would've allocated this time to the cali crew.

Another thing I was unhappy about is that only the Hawkins and HNL plots seemed to be important to the overall story. The Russia plot has no connection to Vecna at all, and only involved the upside down when the demogorgan was introduced. Now, I know the mindflayer is somehow captured in Russia, but this will probably only play a role in 4x09, or the back half of 4x08. Similarly with the cali plot line, I feel like it started off good--establishing tension between Mike, El, and Will and allowing El to struggle without her powers--but once El was "taken," the plot was seemingly put on gold. It's like the writers forgot Mike, Will, and Jonathan used to be main characters and shoved them aside in favor of El. As someone who loved that stranger things used to be an ensemble show, I'm getting really sick of how much El has been spotlighted recently. I absolutely love her, but her storyline can be developed the same without giving her 50% of the screen time of each season.

This also kind of turned into a rant 🧍🏼‍♂️ oops