#is there redemption for jonathan?? no... and he gets worse

[queenie-ofthe-void]

Part 1

Eddie’s propped up against the door in the backseat, warm breath fogging the window, eyes open but completely sightless. Nancy wonders what’s going through his head, if he’s figured out why Steve’s upset and Robin’s angry enough to pick a fight. 

She doesn’t think he knows that Steve’s bisexual. Clearly Robin’s constant meddling hasn’t spurred his confessions. At the very least, Eddie has to be confused about how abruptly Steve reacted. Nancy could see the helpless anguish in Eddie’s face as he watched tears shimmer in Steve’s eyes. 

The sight of a heartbroken Steve Harrington is awful to bear. It isn’t something she’d wish on anyone, let alone someone as amazing as Eddie. Now it’s just another shitty thing she and Eddie have in common, like surviving the apocalypse or having curly hair. 

She shifts her eyes sideways and finds Argyle slightly more relaxed than Eddie but still unusually quiet. It could be the high, she supposes. But she’s seen him smoke almost twice as much as he had tonight and be completely fine. She doesn’t even know him that well and the silence is still unsettling. 

They’re about five minutes into the drive when Argyle’s eyes flash to the rearview mirror. “So, Eddie, I didn’t know you and Johnny were a thing.”

“We aren’t,” Eddie startles, almost like in his brooding he forgot where he was. Nancy catches him shifting in his seat. He’s clearly uncomfortable, biting his lip as his eyes skirt back and forth between his lap and Argyle’s in the mirror.

“Sure looked like you two were pretty into each other,” Argyle says. His tone is an honest attempt at light and carefree. It lacks the signature Argyle vibrancy. 

Eddie catches her looking in the rearview mirror, faster than Nancy can avert her gaze. He huffs, nostrils flared, though his eyes are wide with anxiety. “It’s not like that,” he tries to argue back. 

Argyle scoffs. “Seemed like Johnny thought it was.”

“Well it wasn’t.”

The boys almost simultaneously cross their arms and slump back into their seats. It’s quiet until they pull up to Argyle’s new apartment. Once out of the car, he leans back inside. Big brown eyes downcast, his hair hangs loose around his face, shielding him from view of the backseat. Nancy can practically see his heart on his sleeve when he looks at her.

“Nance, let me know how he’s doing?” The question is vague enough that he could mean any of them, but Argyle’s heart is four sizes bigger than anyone she’s met. Of course he’d care about Steve even now that he’s got his own problems.

She smiles, small and sad but hopefully reassuring. “It’s a deal.” He taps the roof of the car, moving to close the door before she surprises herself by calling out to him again. “But if you need anything, you know, maybe someone to talk to–” she hesitates, scrambling for the right words. “It’s just– I know Jonathan better than anyone, other than you, obviously. So if you want to talk, you can always call me.”

Now more than ever Nancy cringes at how socially out-of-place she always feels. It sounds like she’s placing some sort of weird claim on Jonathan, implying that he’s still somehow, inarguably hers after all this time. Even after Robin. 

She quickly gathers her wits to explain herself, wishing she could just shove her tiny foot in her mouth when he cuts through her anxiety with a smile. It matches hers from only moments ago: small, sad, but hopeful. “Sounds like a deal, Big Wheels.”

Nancy chuckles at the new nickname, pulling a more genuine smile out of the both of them. She watches as steps inside before pulling out of the lot and back onto the road toward the trailer park.

Argyle’s absence somehow only makes the tension worse. Eddie stays sitting in the back, slumped forward enough that Nancy worries he’s not actually buckled in. His head is in his hands, face hidden away. 

Her and Eddie have grown close since the final battle with Vecna, just barely making it to the hospital in time to stop him from bleeding out. Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Dustin had sat by his bedside in shifts almost every day for two weeks until he finally woke up. She’d driven him to his appointments, helped him with errands, and made an easy, detailed schedule for his medications.

They’d sat around watching shitty TV reruns. She’d smoked her first joint with him, just two of them sprawled out on the couch talking about all the shit they’d been through. Except every single time, no matter how their conversations started, they always ended with Robin and Steve. 

What started as delicate conversations turned into late night confessions. Eddie was the first person she turned to when she started questioning herself. Nancy knows she was the only person he’d told about his crush on Steve. He’d made her promise not to tell anyone– especially Robin, obviously– and she’d agreed to take it to the grave. She’s fairly sure Robin made a similar promise to Steve. Though, that didn’t stop them from constantly encouraging the boys to just talk to each other.

After what happened today, it’s painfully obvious that Steve likes Eddie just as much as Eddie likes him. Robin’s reaction to everything almost outright confirms it without Steve even having to say anything. At least, it’s obvious to most people.

“I don’t see what the big deal is– why anyone even cares.” Eddie’s words are barely discernible, mumbling into his own hands pressed against his face. He runs his hands roughly through his hair as he leans back against the seat, looking at Nancy through the mirror with wild, angry eyes. 

“I maybe get why you would be upset,” Eddie continues his rant, gesturing at her. His voice begins to rise with frustration, his movements a bit erratic– ‘worked up’ as how Wayne puts it. “You’re with Robin now, and I know you don’t feel that way about Jonathan anymore. But… It just doesn’t make sense.” 

He’s pulling at his curls, and she wants to wrap her hands in his to get him to stop. “Robin’s never been mad at anyone before, and she looked like she was trying not to hit me. She wouldn’t even let me talk to Steve, which is bullshit considering I spend just as much time with him as she does, spend just as many nights there as her. I deserve to know why he’s upset!”

She stays quiet, knowing she’ll get her moment when he runs out of fuel. He always does eventually, it’s just a matter of patience– something she’s grown a lot better at between being best friends with Eddie and dating Robin.

He slumps down into the seat, strings cut. Eddie fails to stop a stray tear from breaking loose as he tips his head back. She sighs as they finally pull up to the trailer, throwing the car in park before she fully turns around to face him. When he refuses to meet her gaze, Nancy sighs again, loud and obnoxious to get his attention. 

She puts a steadying hand on his knee and heaves herself over the center counsel, pushing herself clumsily into the back seat. Eddie yelps in surprise when her knee hits something soft, but they eventually sort themselves out. They turn to face each other, legs tangled up in the middle.

“Nance,” Eddie sighs, his quiet voice tinged with sadness, “why do I feel so shitty about a stupid kiss?”

She reaches across the seats to grab his hand, gently running her thumb across the top of his knuckles. “Do you like Jonathan?”

“Of course I do. What’s not to like?” He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself it’s true, eyes scrunched and brow furrowed. She shoots him a scrutinizing glare, and he rolls his eyes in response. “Jesus Christ, Nancy, just say whatever you want to say. You look like you’re trying to kill me with your brain.”

“No, El kills people with her brain. I shoot guns.”

He chuckles nervously, trying to pull his hand away, but she grips it tighter.

She sighs and asks him again, with pointed emphasis. “Do you like like him, though?”

“Do I like like him?” Eddie mimics her, his teasing laugh strained with sarcasm. “Never thought I’d see the day where Nancy Wheeler– my actual fucking best friend, despite the odds– holds my hand and asks if I like like her ex.”

“Which ex?” Nancy shoots back, quick as a whip.

“... What?”

“Jonathan or Steve?”

“What–” Eddie tries to pull away again, and this time she lets him– “I thought we were talking about Jon?”

Nancy hums in thought. “Are we? Is this about your feelings for Jonathan?”

Before Nancy can stop him, he scoffs and throws himself out of the car. She scrambles across the seat and follows him out. His legs may be longer, but even after almost a full recovery, she’s still faster on her feet. Nancy catches him by the wrist just as he jams his key into the front door.

“Eddie, stop acting like a child and talk to me,” Nancy says. “Don’t storm off and pretend like we both don’t know why you’re upset.”

“It was just a kiss!” He rounds on her with red fury in his cheeks, tears clinging to his lashline. “It was just a stupid, fun kiss. I shouldn’t have to feel this way because someone kissed me at a party and I kissed them back. I don’t see why it’s a big deal, it’s not like it matters.”

“Seems like it mattered to Steve.” It’s about as close as she can hint without getting into trouble with Robin. Nancy knows Steve’s still playing his cards close to his chest, but she also knows sometimes it’s best to just go all in. 

Air rushes out of Eddie’s lungs, breath punched out of him as Nancy hits her proverbial target. Although she does wish she could actually punch him sometimes. Which is why it almost feels like a small triumph when she watches the poorly-obscured implication settle over him. 

Another tear breaks from its hold. He uses the back of his sleeve to wipe his face and drag it across his sniffling nose. Absolutely disgusting, but she doesn’t say anything, even though she desperately wants to offer him a tissue from her car.

“He was just upset because of the–”

“‘The shitty weed?’” Nancy finishes for him, quoting Robin’s awful excuse from earlier. “Do you mean Argyle’s personal stash?” It’s the best marijuana Nancy’s ever smoked, although that only includes Eddie’s wrinkled joints he re-discovers in random pockets and bags.

When Eddie opens his mouth, she’s already one step ahead of his ridiculous arguments. “And don’t you dare say he was upset because he’s homophobic.”

She hears the click of his teeth for how hard his jaw snaps closed. Nancy slips her hand down from his wrist and slides her fingers between his. This time when she squeezes, he squeezes back.

“He’s straight, Nance. You should know that better than anyone.” He sniffles and– to her horror– doesn’t let go of her hand when he uses the same arm to wipe his face again. God, men are animals. At least she’s never had to watch Robin pick her nose, even though the way she flosses is pretty graphic.

She sighs, throwing her arms around him in a hug, if not to get away from his snotty hands. “Seemed pretty upset for a straight best friend.” Nancy kisses him on the cheek before pulling away, making her way back down the stairs toward her car. “But you’re right, I would know better than anyone how Steve could feel right now.”

Driving home, she hopes her message landed, that maybe she’s helped and not overstepped. Especially when it comes to Steve. She can’t bear to see him heartbroken again, up close and personal in a way she selfishly distanced herself from last time. 

But she thinks, unlike the last time, Steve has a chance to be truly happy with someone who loves him more than anything in the world. The chance to be with someone who wants to take care of him, and be doted on in return. She’s finally found that in Robin, and she damn well knows Eddie’s the one for Steve. So if it means she toed the line on saying too much, then it’ll all be worth it if it’s the nudge Eddie needs to find his courage.

~~~

I always upload to Tumblr first but follow on ao3 if you prefer

Part 3

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[dross-the-fish]

Why is Jonathan not going to be a key player in your AU? Seems like with Dracula there and Quincey being his son he'd be an important part of the crew.

Really says something about the state of the fandom that I had actual anxiety about answering this. I'm still not sure I even should but I feel like if I don't I'm just going to keep getting them.

In terms of the plot and how I write the character, Jonathan is a dad in his mid 40's. He's got a life and a family and honestly? He doesn't WANT to face Dracula again. The first thing he does when he hears Dracula is back is have a sobbing breakdown, of course afterwards he gets back up and tries to grab a weapon because if he has to be brave he'll be brave, but the crew convinces him that it's ok for him to sit this one out and focus on protecting his family at home. Jon hates that this is on Quincey's shoulders now but he also knows that he has a wife and other children he can't just up and leave. He goes through all the grief that a father would if they were sending their oldest son off to war and it's a harrowing and emotional moment for him.

In terms of my personal decisions for not making Jonathan part of the crew?

It's not Jon's story. It's Quincey's. Jon's story ran its course during the events of Dracula and unlike characters like Adam or Edward I don't feel like there's anything left to write for him. It would just be "Dracula the sequel."

Adam benefits from having a redemption arc, Edward/Henry has a personal journey to go on, Larry's story just started and Quincey is a new character experiencing things for the first time.

Jon wouldn't make a good protagonist for my AU because there's nothing new I as a writer can add to him. His arc is already complete.

On a more biased personal level? I don't really gel with how the fandom approaches Jon and it has soured me on the character. Even this ask is kind of indicative of a weird bias towards Jon over Mina because it's actually the third or fourth one of this nature and so far no one has really shown the same interest in Mina's role in my AU despite me previously having stated that Mina starts relapsing into vampirism once Dracula wakes up. In fact Mina has a larger role than Jon because she can sense when Dracula is gaining power and even to a point determine his location. This DOES play a part in my AU but more people have been bombarding me with questions about Jon and his knife.

Fandom attitudes are also a driving point because whenever I do see people talk about Jon and Mina it's always "Jon is such a BAMF he would throw himself into a pit of live snakes and swim through a shark tank just to retrieve something his wife dropped" and "Wow Mina is such a lucky girl to have someone like Jon!"

It's bad enough that some people define Jon by how much he loves Mina but it's even worse that I see people defining Mina by how much Jon loves her.

It's fine if Jon is your favorite character, I think he's alright but tbh even when I read Dracula he never was my favorite and I don't gravitate towards fandom Jon much at all.

[greenlikethesea]

deleted scene from the jargyle!

Hi all! I am most likely not putting this in the final chapter, because I am taking the story in a much more nuanced direction, so here's the fight that is mentioned in Three Weddings and a Funeral!

there's some stuff in this that i'm not super happy with, which is why i'm glad it won't be included, but please know that mike WILL have a redemption round it what is eventually published.

“Jonathan,” Joyce says.

Sometimes I wish it had been you that died instead of him, Jonathan thinks in a flash, and instantly has to grip the side of the table to grapple with how evil that thought is. Wrong move, of course, his knuckles screaming in protest, but the pain helps dispel the thought a little bit. Push it away like an embrace he doesn’t want. He looks at Joyce, who is looking at him expectantly, her foot tapping on the floor with impatience. He grimaces as his wrist burns from the exertion of squeezing so hard.

“Sorry, slept kind of weird,” Jonathan grits out, even though he didn’t sleep at all. “I just need a minute and then I’ll get to it.”

“You didn’t sleep at all,” Argyle says. 

Jonathan can’t help it – his gaze snaps toward Argyle, the hurt and betrayal cutting through him worse than the dull ache of his skin, the sensitivity of his scalp. Argyle knows to not get involved in this. They’ve talked about it, how the burdens of Jonathan’s family are Jonathan’s alone to work out. And he’s agreed, has bowed out of conversations even though Jonathan could see his jaw twitching with some kind of remark. So why stop now?

“Just drop it,” Jonathan says, biting his lip to stop himself from tacking on a pet name. He wants to, desperately, wants to soften the blow despite his annoyance, but he feels the tightness in his jaw, the fear creeping up in his gut, hot and acrid like his acid reflux when he eats even a smidge too much.   

Argyle is staring at a fixed spot on the wall, but his tone cuts as if he’s making direct eye contact. “No, actually, I’m not going to drop it. Joyce, maybe you should ask one of your psychic kids instead of your disabled one.” 

“What,” Joyce says, not a question, and oh, Joyce doesn’t know this part of Argyle. None of them do, not really. This isn’t something that Jonathan has had to share.

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Joyce, really, I am,” Argyle says. Jonathan can’t keep his eyes off the two of them now, his skin burning from embarrassment. It’s rare that Argyle drops the surfer boy effect, but when he does, it’s so frightening. “Hopper was a good man and died too soon. And I know you need support. But you have three kids, and two of them are more than capable of putting in some effort. You have me. We’ve got this covered.”

“Of course I have you three,” Joyce says, her smoothing over voice, the one that has everyone else convinced that she’s perfect and oh, that’s just nasty, just cruel, she’s a good mom, she is –

“So what do you need from us?” Argyle says. “From the three of us, that is.”

Joyce stops herself from snapping back with something hot, something mean. Jonathan can see the tension in her neck from her restraint, the tight chord of anger stiff and menacing, but Argyle is immune. This is tame shit compared to Irma, he’s learned, whose posture alone makes her opponents slink away, tail between their legs. 

She heaves a sigh. “He knows he can talk to me if he ever–” 

“He doesn’t tell me when he’s hurting. Why would he tell you?” Argyle cuts her off. 

“I am his mother,” Joyce says.

Argyle laughs, this bitter, mean thing that isn’t new, but it’s rare. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“I beg your pardon?” Joyce says.

“Joyce, I love you a lot,” Argyle says, which means he’s about to completely rip her a new asshole. It hurts to withhold his wince. “And I know you love Jonathan. But you have not been good to him. You weren’t good to him when I met you, and you haven’t gotten much better.”

“Please tell me how much I failed as a mother,” Joyce says. “You do not know what it’s like. You will never know what it’s like.”

Jonathan has been seeing his mother as a person since he was very young, but it’s rare that he sees the confused young woman underneath her self-assured mature self. It’s even rarer that he sees this version of her face off with anyone that isn’t her own reflection, staring herself down when she thinks no one else is looking. But Argyle’s got a glance that could cut through anyone, and he’s not backing down. 

“It’s not that deep, Joyce, so chill out,” Argyle says. “I didn’t say you failed as a mother. But you can’t deny that you put him dead fucking last, and that’s not fair. Everything you know about him is something that doesn’t exist anymore. And I can’t sit idly while you continue to take him for granted. I can’t.”

Argyle’s not just talking to Joyce right now, Jonathan doesn’t think. He’s talking to Irma, and he’s talking to Isabela, and he’s talking to every person he’s had to keep level and cool around while his own emotions get cast to the side. Jonathan feels paralyzed, glued to his chair as the two people he loves most face off in Casa Byers-Hopper’s busy, mismatched kitchen, still too shiny and new to feel like a safe place to Jonathan. 

“Argyle –” Joyce starts, takes in a deep breathe to no doubt launch into some kind of argument – 

– but a crash comes from the living room that completely snaps the three of them out of their tense trance, all moving in unison toward the direction of the sound. It’s El and Will. There’s been a tension between them that has been growing since Hopper was admitted into hospice, festering like a disease, but any other time than right now Jonathan would be oddly grateful for it. Will and El have both been permissive of each other’s bullshit for far too long, both in the habit of preserving Mike’s equanimity by avoiding their own myriad issues. It’s been time for them to have conflict, instead of just skating around it. It’s good for them to hate each other a little, so that they can build the love back up. He just wishes, for all of their sakes, that they would have picked a different time to have a blowup. Leave it to his younger siblings to interrupt the one time anyone has stood up for him.

“Why don’t you fucking do it?” Will yelps, with that awful, sniveling tone that has crept in from years of embodying what Eddie has snidely called New York Will in their conversations whenever he’s come up. 

“I have been doing the laundry,” El says, with that jagged staccato leftover from her youth that still graces her vocal delivery every so often. “You have done nothing.”

“Oh sure, caring for our mother is doing nothing,” Will bites back.

“You do not care. You are an asshole.” Another crash, followed by a yell from Will – something expensive that belonged to him, no doubt.

Fuck, Jonathan’s gotta get in there. He starts to get up, wincing at all of his awful bones creaking, and Joyce and Argyle immediately turn their attention toward him.

“Jonny,” Argyle says, his tone a warning.

“Jonathan,” Joyce says, voice sharp. 

“Later,” Jonathan says decisively, and both of their mouths snap shut in unison, which makes him laugh. It’s all so fucking stupid, all of it. “We can sort this out later. Let’s make sure the kids don’t destroy the living room, please. My cane?”

There’s a beat where neither of them do anything, just nervously glance toward each other, like working together is not allowed now that they’ve fully reamed each other out in front of God and everyone. Whatever, Jonathan does not have time for either of their damage. His siblings are about to destroy the living room. “My cane, please, I don’t think I can make it there without it.”

Argyle springs into action, walking past Joyce to reach Jonathan’s cane, which for some reason is precariously leaning on the refrigerator. He hands it to Jonathan, who grasps on its handle and uses that and the table to pull himself up. 

Alright, Jonny boy, he tells himself. One foot in front of the other. You’ve got this. Be the big brother they do not deserve at the moment.

It takes Jonathan far longer than he would like to get to the living room, Joyce and Argyle walking at a glacial pace to avoid stepping on his heels. When he gets there, the first thought that crosses his mind is loud and panicked: I am so glad Hop is not around to see what this looks like. His old record player is smashed on the floor, not irreparably broken but in at least a dozen pieces that are scattered on the ground between them. Blood is pouring from El’s nostrils. When Will turns his head to look at Jonathan, he can see Will’s telepathic tell – all the capillaries in both of his eyes have burst, giving them a demonic glow. And fuck, they’re not even taking turns with their telepathic blows – what isn’t already broken on the floor is up in the air, including Mike’s camera, which they’re both going to be upset about destroying later. 

In a split second of panic, he throws his cane into the melee.

In a matter of seconds, it is crunched into a ball, but the ensuing noise from its destruction and clatter on the floor is enough to shock the both of them out of their fight.

“Enough,” Jonathan says.

Apparently, that used all the strength he has in his body, because he feels himself start to wobble. The both of them rush forward and catch him before he really stumbles, the evidence of their psychic exertion on their faces, both their hands shaking as they guide Jonathan to the couch. Upon a more careful glance, Jonathan can see that Will’s eyes have no white in them, pink and red with burst capillaries, obscuring his irises. His slender body heaves with exhaustion. The cascade of blood from Eleven’s nostrils has painted her lips and chin a murky red-brown, and Jonathan can also see blood leaking from the corners of her mouth, as if her gums have also splintered. When Jonathan settles in the center of the couch, they flank him on either side. Will’s already crying, and El is going to be there in about thirty seconds.

“I’m sorry, Will,” Eleven says. She’s not great at apologizing, but she will if she has to.

Will laughs wetly, wiping at his eyes. “Fuck, I’m sorry. To both of you. Jonathan, your cane –”

“I’ll figure something out,” Jonathan says. He’s not sure what, but Max and Claire are staying at the house instead of getting a hotel, so maybe he can get something from her. 

“Super happy that we’re all sorry, but let’s clean this up, yeah?” Argyle says. He turns to Joyce, who is leaning against him like he’s a support beam. Their size difference is comical, Jonathan notes, not remotely for the first time. “I would like to finish what we started afterward, if that’s chill with you.”

“I think we can have the conversation without yelling at each other,” Joyce says, nodding and squeezing his arm. “Will you join us, Jonathan? Please?”

Jonathan looks at the both of them, these foundational pillars. The woman who raised him and the man who keeps him steady. They’re both looking at him, not expectantly, but…hopefully. He hasn’t seen that expression on Joyce’s face in a long time, one where all she wants from him is him, rather than something he’s doing. It’s all very kumbaya. Hopper’s eyeroll would be practically audible, if he were here.

Jonathan smiles at that mental image, but also at the people who are alive to see the mess. He squeezes Will’s hand. “Yeah, of course.” 

Without warning, there’s a jangling at the door, as someone attempts to open the three-lock system that Hopper had installed when they renovated the house. It’s a bitch on a normal day, but it’s especially a struggle if you’re doing it with one hand…which Mike, who went out to get groceries and some Aleve for Jonathan, would be doing, since he’s the type of person who tries to get it all done in one go. Of course Mike missed the entire fight. In a way, Jonathan’s glad for it. He knows that Will and Mike are better now, that the three of them have a stronger bond than ever, but witnessing his two favorite people attempt to kill each other would have probably melted his already anxious mind.

Upon walking into the destroyed living room, he immediately drops the bag he’s holding and springs into action, picking up items off the floor. “What the fuck happened here? Is everyone okay? Will? El? Jonathan, fuck, your cane –”

Jonathan doesn’t mean to laugh, really, he doesn’t. And when he does, it’s not at Mike. He just…he looks twelve again, instead of nearly thirty years old. His handsome face is completely overtaken by concern as he springs into action, starts to pick up things off the floor. Argyle, with a gentle nod toward Joyce, joins him in an instant.

Mike holds up the cane – or, rather, the mangled mess of what’s left of it. He holds it out in front of him while glaring daggers in the direction of the Byers siblings. “You guys really had to destroy Jonathan’s cane to work out whatever bullshit’s been brewing for the past two weeks? C’mon. You know that’s bad.”

[pictureofdoriaaaaaangay]

chaotic book ramble so I can stop spiraling into the abyss: my childhood favorite books that I've been thinking about lately

I start college in four days, where I'll be pursuing an English degree. I've been both a reader and by extension a writer my whole life. lately, I've been thinking about the books I loved when I was younger that fueled this passion and thus helped me along to where I am now <3

The Land of Stories series by Chris Colfer. I still have my old copies of these books, and when I tell you they are well-loved, I mean they are well-loved. they're sort of fairytale retellings, and take place in the Land of Stories, which exists as a parallels world to this one where fairytale characters are real and living beyond their happily ever afters. the books follow twins Alex and Connor, who find out (spoiler?? lol) that their grandmother is the fairy godmother. all sorts of stuff goes down, and honestly I only remember half of it like a fever dream, but I remember really loving it in book five (?) when they get to meet the characters from stories Connor wrote. honestly, I probably read the entire series over fifty times, and that's not an exaggeration. first read them the year the third book came out, when I was nine. waiting for the rest was, I recall, absolute torture.

the Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. this is so funny to me, because these books basically set me up for my later teen years and loving the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black - but I digress. I first read these at age eight in a high-stress time of my life, and as a result they were likely deeply formative. they follow twins Jared and Simon (more twins ??) and their older sister Mallory (thinking back, she was absolutely part of my bi awakening). they move with their mother into the old Spiderwick mansion, and soon discover a fieldguide all about faeries and different fae species that live in the woods surrounding the house. I honestly think that the plot of these books is batshit, but I still sort of love them. there's a movie, but it's terrible, and aggressively condenses the plot into something completely unrecognizable.

Harry Potter, by... Harry Potter. isn't it great that, after his time at Hogwarts, he decided to write a seven-book autobiography?? so funky of him!! anyways - I read these at the ripe age of ten, and stuck by loving them since. HP was my first fandom, and maybe the one I'm fondest of (actually, thinking on this, no), and Hogwarts in general holds a lot of nostalgia for me. this being said, I still love the books, but I have to say that I reread them last year for the first time since I was maybe 14/15 and um. wow. Mr. Potter you are?? problematic??? someone please tell me why the adult man who was allowed to abuse children in a position of power for sixteen years got a redemption arc but the literal CHILD who was born into an abusive and power-hungry family didn't. also why is Dumbedore hailed as such a bloody saint?? he's worse than fucking Voldemort. I said what I said. also it's super confusing that Harry never mentioned in his autobiography that his Sirius and Remus were happily married and living at Grimmauld place. weird storytelling choice I guess!!

all those damned Warrior cats books by Erin Hunter. I swear to god these books had crack in them I ATE THEM UP from the ages of like. eight to eleven?? maybe??? genuinely, I must've reread them a hundred times, but I could tell you NOTHING about the plots. a few vibes, maybe, but zero plots. did they even have plots?? were plots a thing in those books??? how was I so obsessed with them???? funniest part is the fact that I see people talking about them on the internet now and it's just. insane. actually insane.

Lockwood and Co by Jonathan Stroud. full transparency: I read these for the first time at age eleven (around the time the fourth book out of five came out) and now remain an active member of the fandom. I love these books, and these characters, with my whole heart and I want nothing more than them to be happy. the Netflix show, though I have some pretty severe gripes with it, is still really amazing and absolutely deserves a second season. the books are set in London, where ghosts are real deeply dangerous, and follow the main trio of Lucy, Lockwood, and George. I reread them at the start of the year in preparation for the show, and they're genuinely just incredible works. I sobbed a lot reading them. they're absolutely comfort reads for me; 35 Portland Row is home.

wow. that was a lot. there's honestly several more I could talk about (School for Good and Evil, Percy Jackson, etc), but this is a long enough post for now, ha. love you all <3

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Ghosts from the Past&nbsp;

by DDDDDDt Two new kids and a baby enter the league's radar, this isn't even that new, but the lack of interest they have in relation to the league and any heroes affiliated with it is worrying, the thing only gets worse when these new heroes have practically the same stock of powers as a Kryptonian. Meanwhile, Batman is going gray because he doesn't know anything about the unknown beings. Superman is ecstatic, it's not every day that possible Kryptonians appear! Words: 1628, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Jonathan Kent, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Kent, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Lex Luthor, Tim Drake (DCU), Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Diana (Wonder Woman), Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Other Character Tags to Be Added Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Dan Phantom & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Diana (Wonder Woman) & Danny Fenton, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added Additional Tags: Kryptonian Danny Fenton (DCU), Protective Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom Redemption, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Clark Kent is Kon-El | Conner Kent's Parent, Clark Kent Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Other Additional Tags to Be Added via https://ift.tt/Awt4oBr

[anthonybialy]

Buffalo Bills Await Time Turning Over

That’s almost a game Buffalo Bills fans would want to watch again.  The suddenly spoiled are getting bratty about wins rising to the level of being sufficiently entertaining to consume despite knowing results.  Remember to cherish moment so nice that those who lived through them hope they’re sustained as blessings.

As with awareness that Ryan started the fire not preventing an 83rd binge of The Office, having the surprise of the ending gone doesn’t eliminate the appeal.  Clicking the info button while seeing which games the NFL Network are reshowing is almost tempting if you follow a team that’s won 80 percent of its games without seeming truly dominant.

Prevailing in an interception battle was refreshing as a change of pace even if infuriating.  Novelty isn’t always desirable.  There’s no way this game should have been tied in the second quarter.  Naturally, it got worse.  Charitably calling the Bills a second-half team reflects the value of staying tuned.  But even Clint Eastwood must be tired of making movies about redemption.

Buffalo’s second-best quarterback helped as much as he could.  Throwing to the Johnsons was Joe Flacco’s way of emphasizing how many were on the opponent’s roster.  He didn’t throw one to Ty, but that’s only because he was denied the chance.  Taron and Austin even sound like they could be siblings named by parents with cutesy tendencies.  

The Bills stole the ball like Flacco stole Damar Hamlin’s Comeback Player of the Year Award.  Hamlin himself took one as a replacement for the trophy.  The object is better to have, anyway.  It can be redeemed for points.  But the shiny token rightfully belongs to him, too.  Buffalo’s zombie literally coming back to life is a super special example.  A league that can’t manage to incentivize returning kickoffs unsurprisingly failed to recognize the most obviously deserving candidate they’ve ever had.  At least the Bills settled it on the field.

It’s not that Hamlin deserves an All-Pro spot based on Brandon Beane not adding sufficient safety depth.  Jonathan Taylor outflanked him, but at least Hamlin wasn’t the only one.  Getting gashed by Taylor has become a Buffalo tradition.  The franchise has had almost three years to figure out how to contain him.  Maybe the defensive coordinator will have a plan in action for 2027.

Colts fans feel understandably awkward residing in no man’s land.  There’s nobody’s jersey to buy.  Attendees booed Flacco like he’s Andrew Luck except for how they wanted him to retire.  Indianapolis’s faithful want Anthony Richardson back for the future and Flacco for the present.  But the latter isn’t helping now while the newer guy creates more questions than answers.  Every other timeframe feels comfortable.  Like the benched option, they must be tired of this.

Buffalo's defense outscored both offenses for the first quarter.  This is an endorsement and also an embarrassment.  They managed to win just like it’s supposed to happen in games with a score on a turnover.  It’s not a statistic like winning when a running back gains 100 yards that may be an effect rather than a cause: a defensive touchdown is sure to alter the result.  Taron’s touchdown had a monumental impact at the beginning and end.

Waste interceptions by contributing your own.  Two horrible ones by Josh Allen are at least surprising despite a dull online narrative.  It’s not to excuse icky turnovers by calling the misaimed throws out of character.  To be fair, they did look like the sort of throws Allen’s delusional Twitter enemies thinks he makes on about 20 percent of attempts.  

Allen made history by refusing to throw.  He tied that deceased double murderer for second-most rushing touchdowns in team history.  Allen is best running back the Bills have ever had.  It’s not shade like his aforementioned trolls cast upon him: I’ve seen him throw, too, and it’s largely impressive despite a few flubs this week.

A wider range of options would help.  There are better ways to incorporate Curtis Samuel than to wait for two players ahead of him on the depth chart to get hurt.  A theoretically high remaining option only managed four receptions for 35 yards.  The fact he had eight targets doesn’t help the case that he’s neglected.

The slightly different position could use more attention, too.  Worried fans have been assured repeatedly that tight end is just big receiver in this advanced era of primitive terms.  Then they see Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox combine for only four catches and realize instincts were correct.  The offensive staff should know members of the category are more than just blockers these days.  Light usage was a problem even factoring the former’s time lost to injury.

Other games have helpfully distracted from how slowly clocks move while waiting for the looming threat this Sunday.  And even the result against the Chiefs will be overshadowed by the potential postseason conflict.  Time won’t move faster; I’ve asked.  But at least there’s less of it to waste until reaching this season’s truest test.  Mitigate the stress of waiting now by knowing anxiety will reach Red Alert levels Sunday afternoon.

The Bills managed another win by force of will that looks like more convincing than it felt.  Their playoff prospects are stellar because the AFC East has one pro player like Allen at Wyoming.  But now they face a challenge that’ll require rising.  If nothing else, the Bills won’t have to worry about playing down to an adversary’s level.

[alwaysthesitter]

@swimrule continued from HERE.

"I - " Steve should have known that this would come up tonight, considering that was practically the reason they were here. After everything that had happened, he had filled in the gaps that he could for those that had survived. Robin had been filled in throughout the process, but once they were out of crisis mode he figured it had been time to sit her down and tell her everything he knew. He'd done the same for Heather when she had asked. He'd done the same for Billy as he had been in recovery.

One thing he was absolutely terrible at was lying, especially after having put on a false facade for most of his high school career. Everyone had insisted that Steve had changed, had some big redemption arc, when really it had been inside of him all along. He had done what he had to do for what he had considered survival at the time. The kind of survival they were facing now? They would need all the man power (and woman) that they could get.

"I can't say that with certainty." He took a chug of his own beer, just for good measure. For some sort of liquid courage, as if he needed that. He had faced demogorgons and demodogs and now Russian conspirators head on without problem, but having to sit there and tell a scared girl that had been dragged into this that he didn't know if it was over or not? He hated that. "We uh, I mean....we thought it was over before. Before Billy, I guess you could say. Pre-Billy era." He snorted, shaking his head, waving the can of beer around in his hand. Italians: talking with their hands at all times.

"A lot happened, back in Hawkins lab. I think we all thought we had stopped it then, but that wasn't the case clearly. And yeah, this gate that the Russians opened seems to have been pretty much destroyed, but how do we know if there's gates elsewhere or not? If the Russians can create a gate, who is to say others can't? What if this is going on outside of just Hawkins?" He was rambling, and he blamed the alcohol. Plus it felt nice to have someone to talk to about all this. Not that he hadn't previously, but up until Robin, he had felt pretty isolated.

He couldn't talk about his fears and concerns with the kids, not wanting to scare them or make things worse. And well, he still felt incredibly uncomfortable with the subject of Nancy and Jonathan. So yeah, this was nice. Incredibly so. "But I think if anyone can stop this, it's us. Someone needs to stand up, and the rest of this shitty town turns a blind eye to all the crazy bullshit that is happening. I don't know if I can say it's over, but I do know that whenever it ends? We're going to win."

[astro-b-o-y-d]

I keep bouncing between whether or not I should make Jonathan a regular human who ends up getting power, or a being who’s already able to have that power.

And honestly, I much prefer him being a regular human, as a mirror to who Bill used to be back in his home dimension. But rather than be some outcast or someone low in the caste system, Jonathan is/was probably revered by the people he surrounded himself with. A man who loved power, gained power then lost that power.

But rather than experience what Bill’s going through after his fall from grace (which is probably SOME form of redemption, self-reflection, etc), he just decided to get worse and seek even more power🤭

[the-teddy-bear-butch]

If you stan B*lly Hargrove, and/or you ship B*lly with Steve or especially Eddie, I need you to get the fuck off my blog and block me.

I’m dead serious. This man is an abusive, racist, misogynistic asshole. Yes, he was a victim of a abuse, but that does NOT, in any fucking way, excuse his shitty behavior. I’m tired of seeing shit using his past as an excuse and how he’s secretly a good guy. He’s not. Full stop. He continued to perpetuate that abusive cycle when he was aggressive with Max. He was very obviously racist towards Lucas. You cannot just blatantly ignore the way he treated Lucas and Max. He’s not a fucking marauder either. There was no “redemption arc.” He didn’t spend time unlearning his hatred and becoming a better person. He made one split second “good” decision, and that does not just erase his racism and abusive behavior.

Not to mention, y’all don’t even characterize him right most of the time. He isn’t soft. He is harsh and cruel. He’s not a fucking leftist? BRO WHAT

Look, I’m not a huge Jonathan Byers fan (the whole photo thing remains stuck in my mind, I’m sorry) but he is an interesting character foil to B*lly. Jonathan also was a victim of abuse, but he GREW from that. He put in the effort to end that cycle. He made sure Will would be protected from that.

You want to talk about characters who have been abused who aren’t massive dickwipes? Look at Jonathan. Hell, look at Max.

You want to talk classism? Again, the Byers family! Max! Robin even! Eddie for all I care! You don’t get to use his shitty situation as an excuse for his shitty behavior! Get a fucking grip!

What’s even worse is how many B*lly stans hate Nancy Wheeler. Why? “Because she was mean to Robin” and therefore “ableist.” Say you’re pulling buzzwords to excuse your misogyny and go. :) Nancy was NOT mean to Robin. There was obvious miscommunication between both of them. Nancy has spent FOUR seasons not being taken seriously, so it’s understandable that she was a little irritated when it seemed Robin wasn’t taking her seriously. That’s why she was mad. It wasn’t “ew Robin is being autistic.” By the end of the library scene, they are already more agreeable, and it didn’t take long for them to sort out their differences. I also saw her get called manipulative and I’d love to know where you got that idea?

Literally shut the fuck up, I’m so tired. B*lly is a horrible human being. Nancy has literally not done anything to excuse the hate so many of you spew at her. You’re just being misogynistic. I have not seen one good take explaining why B*lly is a better character than Nancy. Or why B*lly is a “good guy.” Just admit you’re a misogynistic asshole and want another uwu boy to stick in your mlm ships

[dirtytransmasc]

y'know what really gets me about billy antis? They're normally:

Karen stans

Steve stans

Jason Carver apologists

way to neutral about Neil

all of the above

Like, Karen drooled over and tried to fuck a teenager, a boy the same age as her daughter, and had her husband and daughter not been asleep by the door, she would have gone through with it. Plus she's kind of a shit mom like she has a few moments with her kids, but normally she only notices their not ok once they're way past their fucking breaking point. it is obvious her (and ted, he definitely holds some of the blame) shit parenting fucked her kids up

Steve, as much as I love him (I literally kin him as hard as I kin billy, but I still acknowledge his past), was a fucking dick in season one and even part of season two, and he lived a pretty similar life as billy. But he gets a redemption arc and all of the fandoms fawning because he's a palatable, 'simple' abuse victim (I hate having to say that cause that doesn't exist in actuality, only in the minds of assholes who don't actually give a shit about mental health). But because billy was more reactive than steve, which is warranted given his whole situation and the way his abuse presented itself, and didn't live long enough to even start trying to become a better person, he deserves to die painfully, right? Make it make sense cause steve checks all the boxes billy did; bigotted (homophobic and classist towards Jonathan, sexist towards nancy after they break up, I'm putting good money on him being racist in high school because he's rich and white, and its the fucking 80s), classic highschool douche bag. the double standard is gross.

Do I need to explain why the whole Jason apologist thing is bad cause they love to attack billy stans for being racist but defend the kid who was only friends with Lucas cause he was 'one of the good ones' only to try and shoot and beat the shit out of him once he was no longer 'one of the good ones. like he held him at gunpoint and made him beg for mercy... totally wasn't racially motivated. And the way he had his goons tackle erica, an 11-year-old girl. He also got him shit-faced (Lucas was a freshman, Jason is a senior, and I don't know much about how party code is around other places and what it was like back then, but major red flag in my book). Not to mention leading a literal manhunt for an unconfirmed suspect and being prepared to hurt and/or kill anyone who got in his way, no matter who or what age they were. Like y'all will defend him, the picture-perfect white boy who did all that, but not the 17-year-old abuse victim who lashed out what? Twice in the literal 3 weeks of screentime he got? Jason did all that in a week's time, which is way worse than anything Billy did.

Wanting death for an abuse victim, acting out because they were abused, but not giving half a shit for their abuser is fucking weird. Like how can you do that? It's canon that Neil beat his last wife and billy, and by the way we see Susan act, probably hit her too. Like if your gonna hate billy, at least hate Neil too.

Like I could go on about the hypocrisy in the billy anti fandom, but these are the major things. I have so many words for billy antis tbh, but they don't have a long enough attention span for it to matter.

[thewordswewrite]

Lonely Is Our Lives

Chapter 2 - Dyer’s Eve

Pairing | Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader

!!VERY IMPORTANT A/N!! | I want to preface this by saying I DO NOT condone Billy’s actions throughout the series. I DO NOT condone his violence or abuse, ESPECIALLY against Lucas but also including Max and the others. At the time season two came out in 2017, nearly FIVE years ago at the time I'm writing this, I was very angry and frustrated at the world, resentful of a younger sibling, and disconnected from the people around me so I kind of latched onto Billy as a character and what he represented. I absolutely DID NOT understand what his actions against Lucas truly meant and I DID NOT register it as the racism it was. Knowing what I know now I've decided to write a fic where Billy is able to let go of some of his anger and have someone there to check him and his actions in order to set him on a better path. I wrote this for me as a bit of a redemption fic for both of us.

Playlist | Link | Chapter Two: Songs 5-8

Story Summary | One fateful 1983 night you narrowly escape death on Steve Harrington’s property while Barbara Holland is presumed dead. Left jaded and angry, you carry on towards your senior year in a haze of sex, drugs, and alcohol just to get through the day. But, when Billy Hargrove moves to Hawkins, Indiana during the fall of 1984 things get worse before they get better.

Chapter Summary | You deal with the fallout of Tina's Halloween party at school the next day.

Story Warnings | explicit language, angst, abusive parents, smut 18+ minors DNI, heavy drug and alcohol usage, alcohol/drug abuse

W/C | 3.6k

Taglist | @youcantbesirius​

A/N | Man ao3 saw it first cause tumblr is a bitch to do when ur obsessed with italics. -Smoe

|Masterlist|  |Chapter One|  |Chapter Three|  |Chapter Four|  |Chapter Five|

Steve left the party without you. He. Left. You. At a house party at two in the morning shit-faced and exhausted and he left you! So, that morning when you pulled into Hawkins High’s parking lot and saw Nancy get out of Jonathan Byers’ car, you looked the other way and parked next to a familiar-looking blue Camaro. Normally, you would park next to Steve and Nancy so you could talk before class and maybe burn through a few smokes, but today Harrington could go to hell.

Not only had you gotten drunk, stoned, and fucked the new kid but now, as you flipped open your only true relief from the real world, you realized you’d smoked your pack away and your headache was only starting. You were normally better about limiting yourself to about two a day and bumming off whoever after that to tide you over, but that party had done enough damage that you’d needed them. Alcohol, drugs, and sex helped keep the suffocating knowledge of having lived when you weren’t meant to in the recesses of your mind but something about the taste and thick smell of clove brought you back to winter nights with your mom, before Barb, and away from the terrors of Hawkins, Indiana. Your head was pounding with a hangover and all you wanted was a cigarette. 

With a sigh, you turned your head to see the owner of said Camaro, who, lucky for you, was having his morning smoke, and more importantly sat with his passenger seat unlocked. You smiled to yourself and hauled your backpack out of the backseat before climbing out of your car and yanking open the door of Billy’s. You could see he was briefly startled, having gone tense head-to-toe, and gave him a grin.

“Hey, California,” You grabbed the Marlboros off the dash, your lighter already in your hand, and slipped one between your lips. “Mind if I bum one?”

His face was bewildered and angry but his shoulders drooped slightly. “What the fuck?”

You exhaled a smoky laugh. “What happened to all that charm from last night?”

Recognition lit up his face and he scowled. “We fucked, it’s over. Now get out.”

Hands held up in surrender you conceded. “All right, Hargrove, cool it. I only came for a cigarette.” You tossed him back the carton and prepared to exit the vehicle while weighing your options until ultimately, you turned back towards him. “Although, if in the future you want a repeat of last night, I wouldn’t mind…no strings attached, of course,” You gave him a once over. “I don’t date.”

Billy looked contemplative for a moment before focusing his gaze out the window at the group of girls who’d been watching the two of you and sneered. “Neither do I.”

Despite your attempted indifference, Billy had been a good lay. He knew what to do and what spots to hit which was more than could be said for the majority of your school’s male population. You couldn’t stand his piece of shit attitude like the world owed him something, but he had one thing that no one in this town did. He was so far removed from what made your hometown unappealing to you which made him that much more desirable. From his sun-kissed skin to the way his eyes shined as blue as his Camaro, Billy Hargrove was a vision compared to the greyscale that was Hawkins. So, fuck it. If you wanted an escape and he could provide it, why not ask?

You could feel as he leaned closer to giving in and decided to give him a nudge. “So, have we got a deal? Because if not, Nancy and Steve are pretty much through, and rebound sex is-”

“Fine,” He huffed, rolling down his window and flicking his bud outside. “But no more of this shit, understand?” He craned his neck to show three angry, purple bruises littering the underside of his jaw.

You smiled wickedly and leaned out towards him, grazing your thumb over the marks as he reeled his head back from you. “That’s some fine work right there. Impolite to be so…unappreciative.”

Billy snatched your hand from his neck and threw it away from him. “What I don’t appreciate is getting a lecture from my father about sleeping around with townie sluts.”

The name made your nose twitch but you kept your composure. “Well, he’s not wrong, is he?” You forced an empty smile onto your mouth and finally opened the door. “It’s been lovely, California, but I’ve got to get to class,” You rose from the car and started to make your way to the school. 

You shielded your eyes from the newly risen sun and relished in the cool autumn air. Billy’s car had been stuffy with cigarette smoke and this half-baked arrangement the two of you agreed to had you wishing you kept your mouth shut. You weren't sure that it was a good idea to be getting yourself involved with Billy Hargrove but the monotony of your life made it hard for you to resist the distraction. Almost to the doors, you’d nearly made it when you saw Steve hurriedly get out of his car and jog over to you.

Steve ran a hand through his hair and quickly started talking. “I’m sorry. Please, just listen-”

“Oh, please! Save it, Harrington. I don’t want to hear it,” You interrupted, sticking a finger into his chest.

Steve grabbed your shoulders and stopped you. “Please. I was drunk and angry and I…I just forgot!” You stiffened and realized he knew not to grab you like this.

You took a second to truly look at Steve and register the dark circles under his eyes and overall ragged appearance and shrugged out of his hold. “Fine, maybe by lunch I’ll ‘forget’ about you leaving me there.” You crossed your arms and looked away but found yourself being pulled into a hug. Your breathing stopped and you felt like ripping off your skin.

“I think things between Nance and I are over,” He mumbled into your hair. You always had trouble staying mad at Steve so, when you could hear the unshed tears in his voice, you quickly conceded, forcing yourself to relax as much as possible into the hug.

You sighed and uncrossed your arms, pulling Steve against you. “Cmon, Steve she was drunk-”

“No, she doesn’t love me.” His voice choked up and you felt it as he shook his head against you. Finally unable to control yourself you pulled away and held him by his shoulders. His eyes were slightly glassy and you could see just how unkempt he was in the light.

“I love you, and even if she's not in love with you, I know Nancy does too.” You gave Steve a reassuring smile and he returned it in earnest.

“Thanks. I love you too,” He seemed reluctant to leave but caught sight of something over your shoulder, suddenly looking flighty. “I’m gonna go, see you at lunch?” You turned to see Jonathan hugging Nancy and your mouth tightened.

“Mhm,” You nodded and by the time you turned back, Steve had already walked away.

With a sigh, you walked into the building towards your first-period class. As you passed through the hallways you aptly avoided any contact with the people around you, your skin still crawled from Steve’s hug and you didn’t want to risk a breakdown that day. When you made it to your class and sat safely at a desk you sagged in relief and hoped that things would get easier as time went on.

~ ~ ~

Your day, passed agonizingly slowly, classes dragged on and you were exhausted from the night before. Unfortunately, it was only noon as you sat at your usual table in the lunchroom. Typically, the table was reserved for Steve, Nancy, and you but now you sat alone, with ten minutes left of the period with Nancy across the room and wondering if Steve was even going to show up. Mid-bite of your pizza, a light touch met your back and you stiffened but, again, forced yourself to relax, knowing it would only be Steve.

“How’s it goin’ Stevie?” You mumbled around your food.

Steve walked around you and took the seat opposite yours. “Ya’ know it would be better if I knew why Billy Hargrove was asking me about your underwear and then throwing me to the floor during gym basketball,” He had an expectant look on his face. “You wanna explain that?”

Your eyebrows shot up. “What?” You coughed out, wiping your mouth. Billy was asking about you?

“Yeah, he’s got a bunch of hickeys on his neck so, of course, I was teasing him about it, court talk ya’ know, and then he brought you up and was all ‘wonder if you have a pair of her underwear too or if that’s just me?’” Steve mocked Billy’s voice and you could feel a grin begin to split onto your face. “And I was all-” Steve stopped and stared at you incredulously. “Why are you smiling like that? It was horrible! Why does he think I care if he has your underwear and why does he have your underwear!” He huffed and crossed his arms.

You couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. “He-he said that? To you? During gym?” You could feel your stomach start to cramp at how hard you were laughing.

Steve began to look around tentatively at the other students in the lunchroom as they stared at your table. “Would you keep it down?” Steve whisper-yelled and groaned into his hands.

You couldn’t believe it. Billy had done the whole ‘I don’t care about you, we��re not dating’ shtick only to go and prod at Steve about you behind your back. You’d told Billy you weren’t going to date him but you didn’t date anyone and you definitely didn’t go around bragging about sleeping with him to every girl that made an offhand comment about his particularly tight jeans that day. He’d seemed so indifferent this morning and you’d really never have guessed that Billy Hargrove was the bragging type. Despite his outward bravado, he seemed like the type of person to keep most of his life pretty private and try to keep the social advantage of his mysterious new kid title. 

Steve was now looking at you in horror. “You slept with him didn’t you?”

“Do you want me to lie or tell you the truth?” You asked, sipping your Coke.

“Lie.”

You smiled sweetly and folded your hands on the table in front of you. “No, Steve. I did not have sex with Billy Hargrove.”

Steve dropped his head in his hands and groaned again. “Oh my god. Why? He’s a grade ‘A’ asshole and he just got here yesterday! How have you already had sex with him?”

You rolled your eyes and pushed your lunch tray away from you. “I seem to remember being abandoned at a Halloween party, alone and destitute after one of my best friends viciously insulted my character. So sorry if I needed a bit of a pick-me-up.”

“You couldn't have just gotten wasted?” Steve argued but the fight left his voice all but vanished at the mention of Nancy.

“Oh, I did that too,” You reassured him. “And smoked some weed.”

Steve sighed out your name and eyed you in concern. “I thought things were getting better?” He shifted his leg over so his knee was touching yours. Comfort without constraint.

You felt bad for lying but you felt worse knowing that Steve constantly worried about you. He knew you struggled with coping with what happened and you held Steve while he hyperventilated on the floor enough to know he struggled too but for you it was different. Steve was only involved because of Nancy and Nancy was only involved because of Barb. But you? You bled out for fourteen minutes and then flatlined three times while in a coma for two weeks and then woke up to find out that Barbara Holland was missing, presumed dead, and that the only people who’d come to see you in the hospital were the ones fucking fifty feet from your dying body.

You were resentful. You knew that, and you knew it was horrible because comparing your trauma to theirs was unfair when they’ve done nothing but support you. But, when Steve looked at you, his face the image of crushed hope, and Nancy’s big brown eyes welled up with tears,  her neck strained as she held back sobs at your failed sobriety, you couldn’t feel bad anymore. It had been almost a year and somehow they hadn't noticed that you’d given up, or maybe they’d just stopped looking.

“They are,” You nibbled at your lip and felt your stomach weigh down at your lie. “It was just hard last night.” You’d agreed to drink no more than two beers and to draw the line at cigarettes but unsurprisingly you’d succumbed to your cravings as you always did.

“It was.” Steve nodded in agreement but still held that same look of pity in his eyes that you hated. Suddenly the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and as you stared longingly at your half-finished lunch, your resolve broke.

“Whatever, what I do and who I fuck is none of your concern anyway. I’m fine.” Before Steve could stop you, you quickly stood up and grabbed your backpack, storming out of the lunchroom and directly into someone in the process. A strangled cry escaped from your lips and your eyes scrunched closed.

The contact whipped your shoulder back and it ached. You tried to avoid straining your shoulder as much as possible since your accident and the doctor’s ‘optimistic’ six to twelve-month recovery prognosis. Your rotator cuff had been entirely torn by that thing’s claws and according to the hospital, it was a miracle you could move your arm at all. The pain was blinding and you swayed on your feet while you tried to get your eyes to stop stinging.

Steve, having been right behind you on your way out, caught you against his chest and you let yourself be held for a moment until you could get your body under control. You forced yourself to blink until you could see straight and quickly removed yourself from Steve’s grip when you felt you wouldn’t fall over.

“Are you alright?” Steve worried, his arms hovering around you, ready to catch you if you fell.

“I’m fine.” You felt like throwing up but the pain only fueled your anger. You slowly began to take steps away from Steve but he swiftly blocked your path.

Steve held up his hands and pointed in the direction of the front office. “What are you doing? You need to go to the nurse.”

“And have them do what? Give me an ice pack? Call my dad to come get me? Yeah, sure.” You brushed past him and continued towards the main doors of the school.

“Where are you going?” Steve called after you.

“To sleep it off.”

~ ~ ~

A sudden knock on your window jolted you awake. It didn’t take much considering you were barely asleep, to begin with, but the jarring noise left you panting in fear. You looked out the window frantically only to see Billy peering in at you. You lifted your hand to wipe it across your face but quickly stopped and hissed in pain. With a sigh, you dropped your arm and rolled up the window in lieu of easing yourself back into consciousness and decided to attempt to talk to the boy looking at you harshly through your window.

“Billy,” You greeted him with a scratchy voice.

Billy’s eyebrows were pulled together and he seemed even more annoyed than he had that morning. “Care to explain why Harrington came up to me looking for a fight and screaming about me fucking you?”

“Actually, if I remember it was more me fucking you but I guess the details aren’t that important.” You lazily smiled up at him and stifled a yawn on the back of your other hand.

Billy sucked his lower lip between his teeth and let out a sardonic laugh. He leaned over the roof of your car and gnarly stuck his head through your window. “I thought you weren’t fucking King Steve?”

You rolled your eyes and laid your head back. “I’m not.”

“Then care to explain why he looked ready to start throwing punches?”

“Sure, I’ll dumb it down for ya’. He hates you, but he loves me. I fucked you, he can’t hate me. He fights you,” You began to roll your shoulder, stretching it out. “You starting to understand?”

Billy shook his head and leaned back against his car, beginning to study you. His tongue darted out as his eyes roamed your body and briefly paused to watch as you massaged your arm. As soon as he noticed you noticing him, his eyes were back on your own. “It gonna’ be a problem?”

“Stevie? No,” You scoffed. “He’s just upset because of your ‘court talk’ during gym. You were asking some pretty personal questions there California.”

Billy grinned wickedly at that and laughed, breathy and low. “Harrington should really learn to plant his feet,” Billy crossed his arms and squinted, ticking his chin up in question. “You free tonight?”

You squint back. “No, but I’ll be free Saturday.”

“Why not sooner?”

You huff and began to explain. “My dad’s home and I've got work today. Besides as much as I loved our first location, I’m not the biggest fan of car sex. And Friday is the basketball game, which you’ll be at, and afterward, Steve, Nancy and I go out for food,” You paused. “Or did. It’ll probably just be Steve and me.”

“Cancel,” He challenged.

“I heard all the girls say how pretty you are but no one told me you had a sense of humor too,” You deadpanned.

Billy’s face dropped into a scowl. He went to retort when suddenly his head whipped towards the sound of his name coming from where a red-haired girl with a matching scowl was stomping towards the car. She quickly came up to him and tried to open the door he was laying against.

“Do you mind?” She sassed.

“Sister?” You guessed, amused.

Billy’s teeth clenched. “Step-.” Billy leaned off of the car just enough for the girl to get through and slammed it back closed with his butt.

You laughed at the irony of the two identically angry siblings not even being related by blood. “I honestly would’ve never guessed.”

“Why?” The girl had rolled down the window and was now aiming her anger toward you and you couldn’t help but laugh again at how similar it felt to Billy’s.

Your eyes flitted between their faces and you smiled harder. “I’ll tell Billy some other time and he can tell you.”

The girl’s face morphed into one of confusion and then disgust. “Gross,” She then backhanded Billy’s side and he whipped around. “Let’s go.”

You look at the clock by your stereo and sigh. “I’ve gotta go anyway.” You watched as the redhead put on a pair of headphones and pressed play on her Walkman. A bit quieter you added: “See you Saturday?”

“I don’t even know where you live,” Billy grumbled, taking out a smoke.

You glided on your sunglasses with a smirk. “Ask Steve.”

~~~

You were late. You needed to be home before your dad and you were late. You parked and held back tears as you sat in the driveway. It would be worse if you cried so you wouldn’t. You heaved yourself out of the car and trudged up the steps of your porch. As you reached for the doorknob the door was simultaneously wrenched open and you’re met with the angry glower of your father.

“Where were you? And why was I getting calls from the school about you skipping class?” He rumbled.

“My um-,” You started, voice shaky. “My shoulder was bugging me so I went and sat in my car. I didn’t want them to disturb you at work.”

“Well they did that anyway, didn’t they?” He grabbed your upper arm and squeezed while using the other hand to point in your face. “And that’s my car. You don’t own anything.” 

You nodded, staring past his face. Your dad pulled you into the house and threw you towards the stairs. You stumbled but didn't fall and swiftly began to climb up to your room. The room itself was simple, with white walls and carpeted floors but was covered from corner to corner in every single thing you’ve ever owned. Because no matter what your father said these things were yours.

Despite the relief of your sanctuary, your entire upper body throbbed with pain and when you felt tears prick your eyes again, you gave in and let them fall. You desperately wanted to relax but knew you couldn’t take a moment to rest. You still had work and that started in less than thirty minutes since you arrived home late.

Tears still falling, you grabbed your work shirt off of where you had it laid out on your bed and in a swift motion removed your current one. You had no plans to look in the mirror but your eyes caught your reflection and you couldn’t help but stare. The scars held some morbid curiosity you had difficulty denying and often had to stop yourself from looking at for hours.

Your mind had cataloged the size and shape of each claw mark that ran down your body and if you severed your reflection from your identity enough you could almost see them as something other than a reminder. But right now you were too aware of your body and could only cry: cry for your constant pain, your father’s anger, Steve’s optimism, Nancy’s words, Barb.

But you had to look away. You had work.

[shares-a-vest]

Alright, let's see if I can craft something mildly coherent about my precious boy Eddie Munson

Lengthy post (and spoilers) under the cut.

I talk about 'The Piggyback' contradicting some core elements of ST and character development, the use of Eddie throughout the season and what happens with him and the epilogue of the ep.

Why Exactly Did He Need A Redemptive Arc?

I can't help but see Eddie's death as a redemptive 'dying as the hero' arc. Why was this crucial for this character? The only people who disliked him was Jason and his friends - and they are antagonists of the Hawkins Squad throughout the season. Aaaaand they are positioned as bad people (and they got much worse in the last ep - the stuff with Jason and Lucas was fucked up). It's not like Eddie had to redeem himself to the Hawkins Squad either. They protected him throughout the season and then he jumped in Lover's Lake with the rest of the Fruity Four towards the end of Vol.1. The 'he needs to believe he's a hero'-moment already happened in the conversation with Steve in the Upside Down. Why repeat that and have him die? He never did a 'bad' thing - people only thought he did and we (the audience) knew his side/perspective, it's not like his character was ever up for debate.

Punishing 'The Freak' is a Contradiction

This is obviously where we get into queerbaiting territory. Eddie was a queer-coded character. His last moment with Steve was clearly going to be something directly to him but then he hesitated and instead just spoke about Vecna. I'll die on that hill. Eddie dying also completely ignores the countless parallels with Robin, an openly gay character.

What I think I hate the most about him dying was that we know that he isn't this evil 'freak' that the town and Jason label him. He uses 'freak' multiple times in a queer-coded manner - or perhaps just in an attempt to own the moniker for his own sake. But the season was so overtly critiquing the Satanic Panic of the 1980s through Eddie and Hellfire so I find it this MASSIVE contradiction to then kill the every character the Duffers are using to criticise/explore a damaging moment in American culture. I find it even more fucked-up seeing as Eddie is queer-coded because the obsession with the Satanic Panic (something 'happening' in US society that completely made up) happened simultaneous to the AIDS/HIV crisis (which was a very real issue).

I don't mean to sound like I need to be babied through tv, but for me ST has the whole good vs. evil in a fantasy or sci-fi manner running through it. And Eddie was never bad. Bad people (if we can categorise into that binary for a moment) thought he was bad/evil etc. And the town still thinks that, more so now that the 'murders' are news. Example: you can't tell me the dumb Wheeler parents knew who Eddie was beyond Mike talking about him (as the cool leader of Hellfire) and yet, now they are at home watching the tv seeing him portrayed as a murderer.

Throughout this series, people's differences are their strengths, they are embraced through stuff like the found-family trope and they find goodness in each other and FOR EACH OTHER. We literally saw that in 'The Piggyback' with the Jonathan/Will exchange and also El's whole arc of rejecting both Vecna's and Brenner's influences on her power. Mike's love for her (in terms of his and the party's more pure intentions about her powers) literally becomes the very element that resolves this season. I find it sooooooooo contradictory to be continually using these elements and peppering in other similar media (Eddie loving Lord of the Rings) throughout the season and then just completely go against that in this instance. I cannot see any reason why this was done.

The 'Two Days Later' is Dismissive

As more time passes and I consume more television, the more I think flashing forward as a conclusion/epilogue to a series or season within a single episode positively suck. I'm actively pissed off about the epilogue to 'The Piggyback'. You cannot tell me that the Hawkins Crew wouldn't have recovered Eddie's body, the fact that we didn't get that (or at least a reunion between Steve and Dustin) is soooooooo weird to me. I almost feel like at the last-minute Eddie was kinda cast aside. In these last two eps in general I found the pacing to be off where scenes with El and Brenner then El and Vecna to be excessively long rather than building tension (not saying I dislike El, I'm talking about the writing).

Possibly the biggest problem here was that there was no acknowledgement of any Hellfire members about Eddie other than the (genuinely touching) exchange between Dustin and Wayne. But then that was it. Where was a scene of Mike finding out? And to be a Steddie/Fruity Four feral for a moment, there was also NOTHING from Steve and Robin about him? The two people who totally embraced him into the crew and fought and plotted alongside him.

[freedom-from-choice]

You know thinking of stranger things and the lack of good character writing has me thinking of the wasted potential of Billy’s character.

He could’ve been a true villain we could’ve seen him getting worse leading up to him being flayed. He tears through Hawkins and we see max lose her brother. Going from annoying pain in her ass older brother to vile human on a true warpath. Leading to her feeling guilty about wanting him to die. Because she loved him once but the brother she knew was gone even before he got possessed. Also I’m a sucker for a good 80s type irredeemable asshole/villian.

Or

We have him be this complicated figure, the original idea that the writers couldn’t commit to. We see him being what will and Jonathan could’ve been. Shown his father controlling his every move which leads him to anger. He does whatever his father tells him to do because of fear. Whether he’s hurting people he cares about or if it goes against his own beliefs. And what happens in the end. He is a puppet for something even bigger. And he dies not being controlled for once. Clearly some writer had this idea in the writers room but it was so poorly executed.

The second option was clearly what the writers wanted, but tone-wise couldn’t nail it. (These guys aren’t known for being able to write coherent characters either) And instead of building up to a bully they go for the cheap shot of a racist character. Which in media we use that as a “pure evil” no redemption. But they couldn’t even commit to that with purposefully leaving even that open ended. As Lucas is the only kid he saw max alone with.

Anyway that’s my weird hopefully coherent rant on how once again the ST writers just can’t commit and write a decent character. They even have already existing archetypes and characters to work with too.

(Both versions of this idea he still dies, I guess I just wanted some form of emotion with his death…..just one is more in that cheering slasher movie way and the other is in a gut punch way)

[wozwaid]

JJBA Incorrect Quotes

Narancia, texting Bucciarati: mom help im being kidnapped

Bucciarati: Where are you?

Narancia: im in a car with some strange person plz help

Bucciarati: I’ll call Abbacchio.

Abbacchio, answering his cell: Yo.

Bucciaratti: Where’s Narancia? He texted me saying that he was being kidnapped!

Abbacchio: Narancia? Whaddya mean? He’s right next to me-

Abbacchio:

Abbacchio: I’ll call you back. *hangs up*

Abbacchio: THE NEW HAIRCUT ISN’T THAT BAD!

Narancia: WHO ARE YOU?!

Emporio: If you bite something and you die, then it’s poisonous. If it bites you and you die, it’s venomous.

Foo Fighters: What if it bites me and it dies?!

Ermes: Then you’re poisonous. Jesus christ, FF, learn to listen.

Jolyne: What if it bites itself and I die?

Jotaro: That’s voodoo.

Weather Report: What if it bites me and someone else dies?

Jotaro: That’s correlation, not causation.

Jolyne: What if we bite each other, and neither of us die?

Anasui: That’s kinky.

Jotaro: Oh my God.

Josuke: *gently taps table*

Rohan: *taps back*

Okuyasu: What are they doing?

Koichi: Morse code.

Rohan: *aggressively tapping*

Josuke: *slams hands down on the table* YOU TAKE THAT BACK-

Cop: You’re receiving a ticket for having three people on one motorcycle.

Joshu: Shit...

Jobin: Wait, three?

Cop: Yeah?

Daiya: OH MY GOD JOSUKE FELL OFF-

Rohan, setting down a card: Ace of spades.

Josuke, pulling out an Uno card: +4

Okuyasu, pulling out a Pokémon card: INKAY, I CHOOSE YOU!

Koichi, shaking and crying in the corner out of pure confusion: what are we playing

Jonathan: *screams*

Dio: *screams louder to assert dominance*

Zeppeli: Should we do something?!

Speedwagon: No, I want to see who wins this.

(this is literally just a summary of part 1)

Mista: Is letting someone win at chess sapiosexual bottoming

Fugo: Does anyone in this godforsaken group ever think before they speak

Dio: I went through an entire character arc during quarantine

Dio: I became more evil if you’re curious

Jonathan: We’re still in quarantine, don’t worry! There’s still time for a redemption arc!

Dio: I’m going to get worse on purpose. 

[jojiship]

What do you expect or want to see from Druck season 7?

Sorry for taking so long to respond to your ask. I haven't been that active in Tumblr and even less so when it comes to Druck.

Actually, I would have loved to see Ava as season 7 main. I think that was what the writers were trying to do, but due to fandom's racist response to her last year, they changed their plans. It's sad and totally unfair, but hopefully, if Druck gets a next season, Ava will be main.

In terms of Muslim representation, I want faith to be an integral part of this season's. I want people to constantly be reminded that Ismail is Muslim. Usually, in Western media, LGBTQ+ Muslims are written as being non-practising or just culturally Muslim, so it will be great to see Ismail have a closer and better relationship with his/their faith rather than what we've seen so far in Skam recent seasons (still bitter about Kassim). I think that Druck should definitely write his/their family, specifically the parents, as accepting to Ismail. I'm personally done seeing Muslim parents be homophobic, non-accepting and borderline abusive (or straight-up abusive) to their LGBTQ+ children. Also, I would also love to see some nods to Turkish culture like we did with Fatou and Kieu My when it came to their ethnicity.

In terms of Ismail's sexuality and gender identity, I don't think I'm the person to talk about this. There are better people who can talk about this than me. I just hope writers will put a lot of attention and care to this part as it needs it. From what I've seen, I don't think Ismail identifies as non-binary yet as many characters do refer to Ismail as he/him. So, the season could be about Ismail's journey to discovering his gender identity. Or it could be that Ismail already is non-binary, but prefers the pronouns he/him like Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye does.

In terms of Ismail's friendship with the Instas, I expect a lot of things. Since eight months have passed since the last episode of Druck, I think a lot of things would have changed between the Instas. In season 6, it was implied many times that Zoe has grown tired of their behaviour, specifically Ismail and Constantin. So, maybe by the start of season 7, she has already withdrawn even more from the group. Now for Finn, I don't know if I want him to follow Zoe or stay a bit closer to the group. I'm opting for the second option as I want to see more of Finn acting more independently. However, he's still not that close as he was before. As for Kieu My, there were also times where she grew tired of Constantin as well (Remember the weird things he said about Fatou? Did not pass the vibe check.) So, I also don't think she's that close to Constantin as she was before which leads to her not being that close to Ismail either. So, this leaves Constantin and Ismail to hang out a lot. A lot of what will happen in the season and Constantin's past actions lead to Ismail realizing that this is a toxic friendship. After a lot of struggle, at the end of the season, Ismail drops Constantin as a friend.

In terms of Ava and the bullying, I want it to be painfully clear that Ismail was in the wrong because when it comes to Ava, the fandom needs to get it spelled out. So, how to do that? Make Ava and Ismail childhood best friends. They were best friends, Ismail met Constantin, they started to hang out together and became very close, Ismail started to distance from Ava and one day, Constantin started to make fun of Ava and Ismail joined him. This turned to bullying and it got so bad that Ava left for Alaska for a year. I also want Ismail to be racked with guilt what he did and for Ismail to say themselves that it was the worst thing he/they did. Would love to see him apologize to Ava and Ava NOT to forgive him. I think it will be nice to tell victims of bullying that you don't need to forgive your former bullies who have become better people.

In terms of romance, while I was writing this, I realized that it's better that Ismail not to have a love interest. The season should focus on redemption, toxic friendships, gender identity and religion. I think a love interest would make it too convoluted for me. Besides, I think it's about time a Skam main didn't have a love interest. If there is a love interest, I hope they don't follow the Skam route of romance (it's getting boring at this time) and I hope that it's not Constantin or Ava (don't know which is worse).

I hope you liked my answer which is honestly maybe too long.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Ghosts from the Past&nbsp;

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Awt4oBr by DDDDDDt Two new kids and a baby enter the league's radar, this isn't even that new, but the lack of interest they have in relation to the league and any heroes affiliated with it is worrying, the thing only gets worse when these new heroes have practically the same stock of powers as a Kryptonian. Meanwhile, Batman is going gray because he doesn't know anything about the unknown beings. Superman is ecstatic, it's not every day that possible Kryptonians appear! Words: 1628, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, M/M Characters: Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Jonathan Kent, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Kent, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Lex Luthor, Tim Drake (DCU), Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas, Diana (Wonder Woman), Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Other Character Tags to Be Added Relationships: Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Danny Fenton, Danny Fenton & Dan Phantom & Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Diana (Wonder Woman) & Danny Fenton, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added Additional Tags: Kryptonian Danny Fenton (DCU), Protective Danny Fenton, Dan Phantom Redemption, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Clark Kent is Kon-El | Conner Kent's Parent, Clark Kent Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Other Additional Tags to Be Added read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/Awt4oBr