#save me nerd lucas….. nerd lucas…… nerd lucas save me……

[sinclairstarz]

biting and gnawing on him

[petrichor102]

Something that always bothered me about Stranger Things 3 and 4 and romance.

It's so...

It's too...

It's like—AH! I got it: It's a game!

In ST3, romance is a game—

—a game Mike knows he's losing. He has

• lifelines

• saving throws, and

• even HP in this game.

The game has in-game consequences, like upsetting Hopper, disappointing the entire party, and El dumping him (game over, try again?). Romance: Mileven edition is still just a game—for Mike, a game of testing limits. He can try again later. But it's also a stageplay: the only reason he was winning in the first place was because he has a really good coach watching and helping him—someone who's already on round six or seven of this game and Act II of this play:

Lucas, who is playing Romance: Lumax edition quite successfully with Max, even if he's gotten Game Over a few times. However, he always has to tell Mike the answers, which is completely out-of-character for Mike, but he keeps winning with Lucas’s help—as long as El doesn't realize she's playing.

(I just realized this "romantic" shot is super dark, and we can barely see their faces)

Still, once Mike starts being, well, "a total asshole," El starts playing, too. Romance for her is a treasure hunt. She's

• making allies

• finding treasures and solving puzzles, and

• earning EXP

She has a better coach: Max. She doesn't quite understand El's choices in this game, but teaches her that it is a game, and she offers amazing advice that makes her a better player.

Romance: Lumax edition was (in ST3) a similar game with similar in-game consequences, like breaking up, but Max and Lucas both want to keep playing... until they can't anymore, and for good reason. When the party falls apart in ST3:8, Max loses her stepbrother, her stepfather walks out, her mother is busting her ass working two jobs, and they have to move after just getting settled a few months ago. Between this and Lucas struggling with his own social identity (becoming a jock or remaining a nerd) and comprehending his own trauma, and as Lucas and Max became more serious about each other and themselves, this is the first time Lumax splits for real, even if they remain on good terms. The game is over—in fact, this isn’t a game nor an act anymore—but the love and friendship remain strong.

By ST4, Mike, however, is still playing. And so is El.

They continue to play as long as someone is watching. However, unlike Lucas and Max, Mike and El have almost always been playing against each other in ST3, and now in ST4, they are both playing and acting, as convincingly as they can, to maintain... a lie. That they're happy, that they are happy with and without each other and without the party; that they will always be there for each other and understand each other; that the distance and time apart hasn't made them think about not playing anymore. After all, what's the point in winning if no one sees? But they don't want to keep playing—it's exhausting.

And they convince someone of the act:

D&D? That's a game, but love? No, Mike is so serious about the people he loves. Mike and Will have built their party from the ground up. Their friendship is irreplicable. It doesn't require acting, strategy or outside influence to maintain. It doesn't even require gifts. And, most importantly, no one watches them "win" at friendship. It only requires them being genuine. When one of them is no longer being genuine, there are real-world consequences—it puts their friendship and everything it built in jeopardy.

It was never a game, and Mike knows this because he can't lose Will. And he realizes too late (by their rain fight) that not only is Will not interested in whatever show Mike is putting on, but that he never had to play this game to begin with. Mike could have somehow spent the rest of his life with Will sitting in the basement playing games for the rest of their lives, if he realized soon enough that this was an option.

So, when Mike and El "ignore" Will, Will thinks it's because they're deeply in love, and they're genuinely happy and very much without him. It even confuses Will when Mike makes it crystal clear he isn't happy. When Mike tells Will that he and El had "a fight that you can't come back from," he fails to tell Will that he's losing and perhaps... he doesn't want to keep playing the romance game if it's game over. This is because he's been acting this out for so long, and it causes him to unwittingly mix love and romance with two different relationships. Will deduces, Okay, there's a problem with Mike's relationship and he wants to fix it. I love him and I should help. Will was of no help last time (not understanding the game) and nearly walked out on their friendship, and Will doesn't want to do that again. He provides a real-world solution. Mike tries again to tell Will the truth, that it's an act he doesn't want to maintain, and again Will, thinking Mike wouldn't lie about something as serious and genuine as love keeps giving genuine advice. It's almost funny rewatching it.

Finally, Mike just straight up tells him the truth. He's dating El because it's "simple dumb luck" and he doesn't know what he'll do once "she doesn't need [him] anymore." Still, it's only half-true. He doesn't elaborate that he's spent so much time throwing his relationship with El in everyone's faces just to look normal as the reason he's pushed so many people away.

Will, realizing being genuine isn't working... finally starts playing the game.

He lies to Mike about El's feelings for him

and is rewarded for it.

(I need metric data on how many times this van scene was replayed)

Will's in-game objective is to help Mike become a better player, and Mike finally has the peace of mind from Will that he'll be okay if he just stops playing entirely. It flipped.

So by the time Mike realizes he actually traded love for romance, where does that leave them? Oh.

Here.

(I forgot where I was going with this, sorry)

Will applies game logic to real life—which never works without consequences—thinking it's the only way they can survive and we have Mike's "confession." Mike has lied to everyone and now can't stop playing. He's told Will last summer that Will needs to at least pretend to play, and now he can't go back on this. He can't go home, or explain himself, or repair all the damage.

Lying is his life now.

The way they showcase both love and romance in this show just hurts my soul 😅

[itsnotthesamewithoutyou]

El! I don't know if you can hear this, but… but if you can, I want you to know I'm here, okay? I'm right here. And… I love you. El, do you hear me? I love you.

"Mike. Don't stop, okay? You're the heart. Okay? Remember that. You're the heart!" "These past few months she's been so lost without you." "You make her feel like she's not a mistake at all, like she's better for being different. And that gives her the courage to fight on." "El needs you, Mike. And she always Will."

I'm sorry I don't say it more.

"You never say it" "You can't even write it, Mike"

I… It's not because I'm scared of you. I'm not. I've never felt that way. Never.

"Why would you do that?" "What's wrong with you?" "Holy shit, El. What did you do? What did you do?"

But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore.

"I dump your ass" "There's more to life than stupid boys!" "I make my own rules." "Not Hopper, not Mike. You"

And I thought if I said how I felt, it would somehow make that day hurt more.

"Sometimes it's scary to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Especially to people you care about the most. Because what if they don't like the truth?"

But the truth is, El, I don't know how to live without you.

"What did I do wrong? Women act on emotion and not logic." "Will! Will, I'm sorry, man, alright? I was being a total asshole! Please, can you just come outside and we'll talk? Will!"

I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods.

"We have to do something! Will could be in danger" "I'm the only one who cares about Will." "When I stumbled on her in the woods, she just needed someone. It's not fate, it's not destiny, it's just simple dumb luck." "I just walked up to you and I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend and you said yes, you said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."

You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers T-shirt. And it was so big, it almost swallowed you whole. And I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you.

"That's not Will."

"You boys are the future of Hellfire. I knew it the moment I saw you. You sat on that table right over there, looking like... looking like two little lost sheep. You were wearing a Weird Al t-shirt, which I thought was brave."

And I've loved you every day since.

"We'll send her back to Penhurst or wherever she comes from." "She's a weapon! We're no use to Will if we're dead." "Mike? Mike what? You were supposed to help us find him alive. You said he was alive. Why did you lie to us? What's wrong with you?" "Are you deaf?" "You hurt me, do you understand? What you did sucks." "Lucas was right about you. All along."

I love you on your good days.

"They're conspiring against me!" "What are you doing here." "What is she, your little pet?" "Why do you treat me like garbage?"

I love you on your bad days.

"She didn't look fine."

I love you with your powers, without your powers.

"El can find them!" "Mike, look at her!" "You do realize El saved the world twice, right?" "You know what I think of you, you're the most incredible person in the world."

I love you for exactly who you are.

"His name is Yoda. He can use the force to move things with his mind."

"She's like a Wizard." "She has superpowers!" "More like a Yoda."

You're my superhero.

"Not anymore." "You speak of monsters, superheroes. That's the stuff of myth and fairytales. Reality, truth, is rarely so simple. People are not so easily defined."

And… I can't lose you. Okay? Do you hear me? I can't lose you. You can do anything. You can fly. You can move mountains. I believe that. I really do.

"I'm just some random nerd who got lucky that Superman landed on his doorstep."

But right now, you just have to fight. Okay? El. Do you hear me? You need to fight! You have to fight. Fight! Fight!

"Yeah, well, boyfriends lie.

All the time."

[layce2015]

Stranger Things (Steve Harrington x Female!Reader)

Chapter 8: Suzie, Do You Copy?

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summer of 1985

It had been months since Max and I had first moved into Hawkins and finding out about the dark secrets the small town held. We also made some friends since moving here. Max became friends with Mike, Will, Lucas and Dustin but she barely got to see Eleven as Hopper had to keep her secret and safe at his home.

And also, Lucas and Max were dating which I thought was great, Lucas is a good kid. Robin and I became best friends but I also grew close with Steve as we started talking and hung out after school. About a month ago, we both graduated from high school and Steve had tried to get into college but he never got accepted. And because of that, he had to get a job at an ice cream parlor, Scoops Ahoy, in the brand new mall called Star-court Mall.

And he wasn’t alone in getting this job. Robin and I ended up getting this job as well. I needed this job cause I wanted to save up to get an apartment as I wasn’t gonna go to college because I didn’t want to go. The only downside to this job was wearing these ridiculous sailor outfits.

The three of us were working tonight, which was extremely busy, and Steve and I were in the back parlor as I was cleaning up and he was gathering up supplies when we hear the bell ring and Robin call out to us. “(Y/n), Dingus, your kids are here!” 

Steve goes over to the window and open it up while I come up next to him to see Max, Mike, Lucas and Will at the front desk and I sighed. “Again? Seriously?” Steve asked them and they all look at us, trying to look all innocent.

Steve and I lead them to the back of the parlor and into the door that connected to the back area of the mall where they could get around to stores or the movie theater without anyone noticing. “I swear, if anybody hears about this...” Steve threatens the kids as they walk out of the door. “We're dead!” They replied in unison as they keep walking.

Steve sighs and I shake my head. “Kids.” I muttered as we walk back into the parlor and got back to work. Then a few minutes later, the power to the whole mall went out and everyone gasped as we look around. “That’s weird.” I muttered as Steve goes over to the light switch and keeps flicking it, like that would do something.

”That isn’t gonna work, dingus.” Robin said. “Oh, really?” Steve said and he aggressively flicks the switch, repeatedly, as a way to annoy Robin. I place my hand over my face and shake my head at this while Robin was beyond annoyed.

Finally, the lights came back on and Steve shrugs. “Let there be light.” He said, smugly, and he walks away and Robin scoffs then she turns to me. “You seriously have a crush on him?” Robin asked me, quietly, and I shoot her a glare. “Shut up.” I growled at her before I walk away and got back to work.

Yes, in the last couple months I’ve developed a crush on Steve. I mean sure, he can be an idiot at times and a bit irritating…but he can also be sweet and caring. He did try to protect the kids and I from Billy after all. We really got to know each other back in December and never stop talking through out the rest of the school year. Before I knew it, I had developed feelings for him.

The next day, I was driving Max over to Lucas’ house since Billy went to his work as a lifeguard at the pool. Dustin had been gone this past month at camp and today he was supposed to arrive back home, and the others wanted to surprise him. 

“So, you excited to see Dustin again?” I asked her. “Yeah, honestly, I missed that nerd.” Max said and I chuckled. “Yeah, that kid’s special.” I said. “So, how’s it at Scoops?” Max asked me. “Not too bad. Although, Lucas’ little sister is getting on my nerves on coming in every day just to taste test the flavors we got. I’m about to charge that little brat.” I grumbled and Max giggles.

”Yeah, and I’m sure it’s nice to work there since you got Steve there to look at.” Max teased and I scoff as she starts to make kissing sounds at me. “Stop it!” I said and she laughs again. “Come on, (y/n). It’s obvious you like him.” said Max. “No, I don’t.” I said, defensively, and I glance over to notice her giving me that look that said Really? 

“Okay, fine, I like him! But I don’t even know if he likes me in that way.” I said. “Have you ever tried talking to him about it?” Max asked me like it was so obvious. “It’s complicated.” I said. “How? Just go up to him and say hey, Steve, do you like me or not?” Max said. “When you get older you find out dating is a lot more complicated and complex.” I said and Max scoffs.

”Or maybe you’re just making it complicated.” She said and I rolled my eyes. “Look, it’s just…I don’t want to ruin the friendship we got now. Because I just know that if I ask him and he turns me down, then it’ll just be weird between us and I don’t know how to handle that.” I said before I let out another sigh. “Besides, he hits on any pretty girl that comes into the parlor to get a date with them. Robin’s been keeping scores.” I added.

”Is it bad?” Max asked and I chuckled. “He’s had five girls reject him.” I said. “Oh, damn.” Max mutters just as we pull up to Lucas’ house. “Okay, enough talk about my nonexistent love life. You go and have fun.” I tell her as she unbuckles her seatbelt and gets out of the car. “Will do.” Max said. “Love you.” I said. “Love you too.” Max said. “Tell Dustin hi for me.” I called out as she shuts the door. 

At work, Robin and I were in the back area of the ice cream parlor when Robin looks out then pats my shoulder. “Oh, he’s trying again.” She said and we stand by the open window that leads out to the front desk where I see Steve serving ice cream to a couple of pretty girls.

“Alrighty, one scoop of chocolate. That's a buck-twenty-five. Anything else?” Steve asked but one of the girls, who was wearing a college shirt, hands him the money. “Ooh, Purdue. Fancy.” He said. “Yeah, I'm excited.” The girl said and he ran she friend chuckle.

“Yeah, you know, I considered it, Purdue, but then I was like, you know what? I really think I need some real-life experience, you know, before I hit college, see what it feels like. Kinda like, uh, I don't know, see what it's like to earn a working-man's wage, you know? Uh...” Steve stumbles as he works on the register. Both Robin and I share a look at this as the register beeps.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I think that's, like, really important.” Steve said, embarrassed. “Yeah, totally.” The girl said. “Yeah, anyway, this was, like, so fun. We should kind of like, you know, I don't know, maybe hang out this weekend or...” Steve said as he tries to hand the girl her change but either she didn’t catch it or he missed her hand.

“Oh, sorry about that. Uh...I don't know. Maybe next weekend or...” Steve stammers. “Yeah, I'm busy.” The girl said, obviously not interested. “Oh, that's cool. I'm...I'm working here next weekend, so...the following weekend's better for me.” Steve said. “No. I'm sorry, I can't. Okay. Thanks.” The girl said as she chuckles, politely, then her and her friend leaves. 

“Board?” I asked Robin and she nods and I grab her board, which on one side that said You Rock and the other side said You Suck which had five tallies under it, and hand it to her. “And another one bites the dust.” Robin said. “You are oh-for-six, Popeye.” She said as she adds another tally. “Yeah, yeah, I can count.” Steve grumbles as he turns to us.

“You know that means you suck.” Robin said, a bit proudly. “Yep, I can read, too.” Steve said, annoyed. “Since when?” Robin asked, in fake surprise, and I chuckled a bit. “It's this stupid hat. I am telling you, it is totally blowing my best feature.” Steve groans, gesturing to the sailor hat on his head, as Robin sets the board aside. “Yeah, company policy is a real drag.” I said. “You know, it's a crazy idea, but have you considered...telling the truth?”

“Oh, you mean, that I couldn't even get into Tech and my douchebag dad's trying to teach me a lesson, I make three bucks an hour, and I have no future? That truth?” Steve asked me and I shrugged. “Honesty is the best policy.” I said, obviously, and Steve scoffs then Robin looks over Steve’s shoulder.

“Hey, twelve o'clock.” She said and he turns and I look over to see a group of girls walking in. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Okay... Uh...” Steve mutters as he turns back to us. “I'm going in. Okay? And you know what?” Steve said and he grabs his hat and tosses it aside. “Screw company policy.” 

“Oh, my God, you're a whole new man.” Robin said, sarcastically. “Right? Ooh.” Steve said then he turns around to the girls. “Ahoy, ladies! Didn't see you there.” Steve said, loudly, making the girls gasp. “Would you guys like to set sail on this ocean of flavor with me? I'll be your captain. I'm Steve Harrington.” Steve said and the girls laugh a little.

“Can I get you guys a little taste of the Cherries Jubilee? No? Anybody? Banana Boat? Four people, four spoons? Share it in the booth? Anybody? It's hot out there.” Steve said and Robin and I share a look before she hands me the marker and I go over to the board and add another tally.

*3rd Person POV*

“Suzie! This is Dustin. Do you copy? Over.” Dustin said into his radio that he built at camp. He brought all of his friends outside to a hill just so he could show off that he has a girlfriend that he met at camp. But as the day turned to evening and no response from Suzie, Mike and Eleven had already left to go to her house. 

That left Lucas, Will and Max with Dustin as he continues to try and contact Suzie but still nothing as the evening turns into night while the other three were laying in the grass. “Suzie, this is your Dustin. Do you copy? Over.” Dustin said again but nothing but static. “Suzie...” Dustin said again but then Max speaks up.

“Dustin, come on! She's not there.” Max said, exasperated. “She's there, all right? She'll pick up.” Dustin said, defensively. “Maybe Cerebro doesn't work.” Will suggests as he sits up. “Or maybe Suzie doesn't exist.” Lucas says, annoyed. “She exists!” Dustin exclaims. “She's a genius and she's hotter than Phoebe Cates? No girl is that perfect.” Lucas said and Max sits up and glares at him.

“Is that so?” She asked and Lucas sits up, realizing his mistake. “I mean...you're perfect. I mean, like, per...perfect in your own way. In your special...your own special way.” Lucas stammers and Max chuckles. “Relax, I was teasing. I'm obviously perfect and Dustin's obviously lying.” Max said and Dustin frowns as Max gets up.

“Come on, Don Juan.” She said as she helps Lucas up and they start walking. “Where are you going?” Dustin asked. “Home.” Max replied and her and Lucas leave. “Well...guess it's just you and me, Byers.” Dustin said. “Um... it's late. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow we can play D&D. Or something fun. Like we used to?” Will suggests. “Yeah, sure.” Dustin mutters, upset.

“Welcome home.” Will said and he walks away, leaving Dustin all by himself. “Yeah. Welcome home.” He grumbles but then his radio starts to chatter. “Shit.” He said as he gets down on the ground. “Suzie? Suzie, is that you?” He asked into the radio but it wasn’t Suzie.

It was a man speaking a foreign language. 

He was speaking Russian.

*(y/n)’s POV*

I walked out from the back of the parlor, finishing up closing down the place, only to notice Max sitting in on of the benches outside of the parlor. “Hey, what are you doing here? Figured you’d be at Lucas’.” I said and she shrugs. “I’m a bit tired. Wanted a ride with you.” Max said and I nod. “Okay, well I’m done here.” I said and we start to leave.

”How did it go with Dustin?” I asked and Max goes on to tell me how they’re day went and that it kinda go boring when Dustin tries to contact a girl he claimed was his girlfriend from camp. “Dustin has a girlfriend?” I said, surprised, as we get into my car. “Well, he says he has one but I think he’s full of shit.” Max said and I shake my head. “I don’t know, Dustin doesn’t seem like a kid that would make that up.” I said and Max gives me a look of disbelief.

”Well, I mean, yeah, he has a great imagination but…lying about getting a girlfriend…I’m not sure.” I said. “Seriously? You believe it?” She asked me as I start the car. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just I want to see you guys happy, especially after what happened a few months ago.” I said and Max shrugs and we leave the mall and head back home.

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

“So,” Nancy says, all business. Steve knows her, knows she’s pushing down whatever feelings she has. Knows it won’t last. Appreciates it anyways. “Barb?”

Steve nods, leading her back down the hall. “Listen up,” he says. “Our top priority right now is saving Barb and Will from the Upside Down.” He looks around. “Jonathan’s already out looking for Will. We’ll need to read him in before we go, but he deserves to be part of the rescue mission for his own brother. First things first, though, we’re going to need weapons.”

“They’re vulnerable to fire,” Robin continues. “So Molotov cocktails, and lots of them. Nancy, you had a gun last time. Any idea where that would be?”

Nancy frowns, shakes her head. “I don’t have one.”

“It’s Jonathan’s.” Steve runs a hand through his hair. “So we’ll need to bring him in soon. He also had a bat filled with nails, which I ended up taking. Dustin, Mike, Lucas, I need you to think up ideas on flamethrowers. If nothing else, lighters and cans of hairspray. Let one of us know what you need, and we’ll find a way to get it for you.”

“And me?” Eddie asks.

Steve grins. “Oh, you’re gonna love this.” He tosses a tape at Eddie. “Metallica, Master of Puppets. 1986.”

Eddie looks down at the tape, then up at Steve, open-mouthed. “Holy shit,” he whispers.

“I’ve got a player in my room. How fast can you learn the second track?”

“Oh, my guitar!” Eddie says, scrambling up. “Holy shit. Uh, depends on how hard the song is. I’ll let you know once I’ve listened to it a few times.”

“Eddie,” Steve says before he can leave. He freezes in the doorway. “If you want to back out…”

“You’re a distraction,” Robin says softly. “The bats follow the sound. The first time around, you die because you weren’t willing to let them get to Dustin.”

“Which we’ll fix this time,” Steve says firmly. “We know what went wrong. We’ll make sure to close the vents this time.” He works his jaw. “I’m not losing anyone.”

Eddie looks at them. Robin, to Steve, to everyone else. “I’m in,” he says quietly.

Steve nods. Eddie leaves. They hear his footsteps heading upstairs. Steve’s door closes, and a few seconds later the song starts up.

Steve tenses. “I’m never gonna not think of that.”

“Steve,” Robin says, and nods to the couch beside her, inviting him to sit down.

He does, taking her hand and squeezing it, breathing out harshly. “Okay,” he says. “Boys, start brainstorming. Nance, can you go find Jon? We need him and his gun.” She nods and walks out.

El approaches Steve. “You gave me a hug,” she says seriously. “When they were being loud. Your head is being loud. Will a hug help?”

Inexplicable tears burn at the corners of his eyes. “Y’know what? I think it just might.”

She smiles and hugs him, and he hugs her back, pulling her to sit beside him. “Y’know what?” He whispers.

“What?” She whispers back.

“Your hair grows out, and it looks so pretty.”

She looks excited at the prospect. “It does?”

“Mhm. Right, Robs?”

“Oh, yeah,” she agrees. “Bitchin’, even.”

“What is ‘bitchin’?” El asks as Steve slaps at Robin.

“Something Robin shouldn’t’ve said,” he says, pretend-glaring at her. “Timeline, Robs, c’mon.”

She snorts. “Okay, nerd.”

“Band geek.”

She squawks and launches herself at him, and Steve laughs as he curls over El, who’s giggling.

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[roseareeh]

Trauma Candy Salad - Stranger Things Edition (Crackfic)

Because God gave me free will, creativity and TikTok

"Hi, my name is Will, I was abducted into an alternate reality, and I brought the bowl."

"Hello, my name is Eleven and I spend my childhood in a laboratory and I brought M&Ms."

"Hi, my name is Mike, I watched at least 50 people be ripped to shreds by demodogs and I brought Sour Patch Kids."

"My name is Dustin, I brought Twizzler Bites and I had to watch one of my brother figures die in my arms."

"I'm Lucas, I watched my girlfriend be nearly killed by Vecna and then had to helplessly watch her as she fought for her life inside her mind, and I brought Nerds."

"Hi, I'm Max and shortly after watching by step-brother be murdered in front of me I was almost killed as well. I brought Reeses Pieces."

"Hello, my name is Nancy and when I was 16 my best friend died while I was making out with my boyfriend at the time and I still blame myself for her death. I brought Jolly Ranchers."

"Hi, I'm Jonathan and when I was a child my father abused me, my mom and my brother. I brought Mike and Ikes."

"I'm Steve, and after I was attacked by demobads that could've killed me, my crush fixed me up while my best friend kept asking about rabies. I brought Swedish Fish."

"My name's Robin, I brought PEZ, and I'm a lesbian in the 80s."

"I'm Eddie, and after I was framed for murder and had to go into hiding, I was killed by demobats and never got to clear my name. I got us gummy bears."

"Hey, I'm Billy. After my abusive father made us move to Hawkins from my hometown, I was possessed by the mindflayer, which forced me to kill people. After all that, I sacrificed myself to save Max's friend. I brought strawberry rings."

"Hi, I'm Joyce and I had to watch my late and current boyfriend die in front of my eyes. I brought sour spaghetti."

"I'm Hopper, I brought bubblegum cigarettes and my daughter died of cancer because I was exposed to Agent Orange."

"Hello, I'm Barb and I was murdered by a supernatural being while I was at a party I didn't want to go to in the first place, and I brought sour gummies."

"Hey everyone, I'm Chrissy and when I went to someone house to buy marijuana, I was brutally murdered while being exposed to all the verbal abuse my mother put me through. I brought Starbursts."

[itsjustbyler]

If the byler actually happens, it will be rushed. The GA won't understand, they should have done this before. They've been building Mileven for so long that they couldn't change everything last season.

Sorry, but it's the truth.

Well hi there... (this is going to be a big one, sorry)

See, I'll never understand this argument that it's going to be rushed and that the last season doesn't have time to build Byler or whatever. You've never seen films or series with a single season in which a couple meets, falls in love and ends up together?

I can give you the example of Eyewitness. Several people in the fandom like to talk about this series and I have to thank the bylers for presenting it to me.

The show has 9 episodes, at the beginning we meet Lukas and Phillip. Lucas suffers from internalized homophobia. This series managed to introduce us to the characters, make us understand them, make us understand the reason for each one's actions with just 9 episodes and still in the middle of a murder plot, with several horrible things happening and other characters developing.

And the series is simply wonderful. I highly recommend it, so that people can learn about internalized homophobia (which we theorize Mike has) and how far it can go. Maybe you even recognize some parallels with Byler. Remembering that eyewitness was on the inspiration board for one of the seasons, i think it was season 4.

"They have been building up mlvn for 4 seasons", well... they also did that with byler. The advantage of Stranger Things over eyewitness is that we already know the characters, we already know the dynamics between them, we know the problems in each relationship, there will be no need to waste time on that. The building up for byler its at its peak by the end of season 4!

The season ended with:

Mike and El not talking to each other after the monologue that was supposed to save the relationship

The truth about Will's painting yet to be revealed

Will confirmed to be in love with Mike

Mike is still oblivious to Will's feelings

Eleven didn't say anything about the monologue and what she thought of it all

Will is already sure that Mike doesn't like him and he tried to help Mike and El's relationship, which didn't work.

Mike doesn't know that Eleven doesn't actually feel what Will said she feels and that those were his words

As I said, we already know these characters. We know Will lied, we know El doesn't feel that way. We know that Mike feels inferior in the relationship because El doesn't seem to like anything he likes and ignores his interests, which is why he thinks he's just a random nerd. Mike only knows how to praise El by associating her with her powers, something El doesn't feel comfortable with. We know about the ambiguous relationship between Mike and Will and that Mike seems to separate Will from all the other members of the party, including El. We know that Will is in love with Mike. Everything is waiting for it's conclusion.

Also, we still have some questions hanging in the air like: Why write Will in love with Mike if he already has a girlfriend? Why not give him a boyfriend in Lenora, which seems to be a freer place with mlm and wlw couples going on public dates in the middle of Rink o Mania? Why not have Mike reject Will in season 3 so Will can move on, like they did with Dustin and Max? Why the painting and the meaning behind it? Why constantly separate Mike and El throughout the seasons while strengthening Mike and Will's bond? Why, instead of having Mike the whole season saying that he needs to find El and telling her that he loves her and that she's amazing, they decided to have Mike complaining about his relationship and how bad he feels about it? Why did this love triangle reach season 5 still without a clear solution?

They just need to pick up the pieces. If you think they can't do that in a single season, remember that St*ncy ended the first season together but we clearly knew something was wrong and in the second season they perfectly managed to end St*ncy's relationship and start J*ncy's even with Jonathan dealing with everything that was happening with his brother and everything else.

And hey... give the GA some credit. I clocked byler without even knowing it was a thing and I had never been in a fandom before. They are not stupid. They just don't engage with fandom disclosure but that doesn't mean they are oblivious to everything that it's happening. They just don't care or have heterormativity blinding them.

Now could the writers just ignore everything they had been building up and send it to trash? Damn right they could. However, we will have to wait and see...

ty for the ask, sorry for the big one <3

[hendersister]

that's all

summary: steve is concerned when he finds out that you're going to start tutoring billy.

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!sister reader

title 🎵: that's all by genesis

You’ve just finished grabbing some books out of your locker before first period starts. You close your locker and turn to see Steve Harrington approaching you. Your eyes widen. What is he doing here?

Even though you and Steve had become friends while you helped save the world last fall, you both still mainly stick with your different cliques during school hours. Steve’s social status has gone down a bit over the past year, but he’s still popular. He just won “Best Hair” in his senior class superlatives. Steve is one of the cool kids and you definitely are not. As president of the National Honor Society, a tutor and only girl in the school’s Mathlete team, you are considered a nerd in the Hawkins High social hierarchy. It’s all very The Breakfast Club.

“Hey Steve! What’s going on? You lost?” you joke.

Steve’s locker is at the other side of the school. This is the first time Steve’s visited you at your locker.

“What? No!” Steve shakes his head, and then, “Hendseron told me that you’re gonna start tutoring Billy Hargrove. Is it true?”

You nod. The only reason you were assigned to be Billy’s tutor is because you’re the best tutor at this school. Billy is on academic probation and needs to get his grades up if he wants to play on the basketball team next season. In rural Indiana, high school basketball means everything. You didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If you said no, you mostly likely would’ve faced some repercussions. 

“Yeah. He was just assigned to me. We have our first tutoring session tomorrow during study hall,” you explain.

Steve sighs. He looks concerned.

“C’mon, Y/N, do you really think that’s a good idea? Billy’s an asshole. Remember when he got violent with the kids? I mean, Billy’s a piece of shit…” 

You take a deep breath. Remember when he got violent with the kids? Of course you remember! How could you forget? Billy attacked Dustin’s friend Lucas at the Byers’ house a few months ago. He was scary and aggressive. Steve had to intervene to protect Lucas and the rest of the kids. The fight between Billy and Steve was rough. Steve lost that fight but won your respect. You were impressed and proud of Steve for keeping the kids safe.

“Yeah I know,” you quietly agree, “It’s not like I asked to tutor Billy. Mr. Carpenter assigned him to me…”

“Can’t you just ask Mr. Carpenter to assign him to someone else?” Steve tries.

You shake your head.

“No,” you answer coolly, “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m meeting Billy in the library. He won’t get violent in a public place.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Steve mumbles. He sounds uneasy.

You roll your eyes.

“Relax! I’m just tutoring Billy. It’s not like we’re eloping to Vegas or anything.”

“I’m not joking, Y/N!” Steve shrugs.

“I’m not laughing, Steve,” you brush off his concern, “Why do you care so much?”

Steve scrunches his forehead, confused.

“What?” 

You cross your arms against your chest.

“Why do you care if I tutor Billy or not?” you question him.

“Dustin was worried,” Steve gives you a non-answer.

“And you?” you keep pushing.

“I’m… I’m just trying to look out for you because… Dustin asked me to,” Steve stumbles through his response.

You raise your eyebrows. 

“That’s all?” 

Steve is quiet for a beat. Deep down he knows the truth but he’s not ready to admit it to himself just yet. Steve really cares about you. He’s trying to convince you not to tutor Billy because he’s trying to protect you. Steve doesn’t trust Billy and he doesn’t want you to get hurt. 

"Yeah, yeah that's all," Steve sighs.

You shrug, unconvinced. Since becoming friends with Steve, you’ve felt a spark between you two. You’re starting to believe that Steve feels the electricity too. But he won’t act on it. He’s an athlete and you’re a mathlete. And even though Steve is set to graduate soon, he still takes the high school social hierarchy seriously.

“Look, I appreciate the concern but I’ll be okay. I can take care of myself just fine. I’ve been doing it for a long time now…” you tell him.

Steve nods his head, defeated. He leaves without another word. You watch Steve go. After a beat, you turn and walk away in the opposite direction.

[kennahjune]

Just got a very unlikely idea but oh well

Steddie AU where they get together cause of Mike.

It’s post-s3 pre-s4 maybe or post-s4 with Alive-Eddie; either way, Steve and Eddie are constantly around each other because of the kids.

And it’s Mike that realizes it first, when he notices that Steve looks at Eddie like how he used to look at Nancy. And yes he would know, Dustin, because he was forced to learn what knocking was after walking in on them one too many times.

But really, Mike doesn’t want to believe it. Because why would Steve be looking at Eddie like that? Adoration Mike can understand— what about Eddie wouldn’t you adore? But unconditional romantic love? He didn’t get it.

Not because they were both guys! Mike was in no place to make any remarks about that. Not anymore. But because they were so different from each other.

Mike was there during every Hellfire meeting when Eddie went on rampages about “King Steve”. He was there at the sleepovers when Steve would utter under his breath about “Asshole Metalheads”. He was there when Steve and Eddie finally met for the first time outside of school, when Steve was picking them up for Hellfire, and Steve looked ready to kill when Eddie brought up “Losing the Crown.”

And sure, Mike may seem oblivious and aloof and “give no fucks” most of them time, but really it wasn’t true! Ok— maybe the oblivious part. But he didn’t “give no fucks”— he has a lot of fucks to give, actually.

And sure maybe he doesn’t seem to care about most things. But he does! A lot more than he should sometimes. He cared when Nancy and Steve first broke up (maybe not for Steve’s side until he knew the full story but still). He cared when Barb died (she was his friend to, maybe not as close as her and Nancy but still!). And he cared when Max got dragged into everything. And he cared when Hopper “died”— and sure, maybe he stopped trying to care after that. Because caring got him hurt in more ways than one.

But Steve and Eddie? They’re things he cares about. People he cares about a lot more than he cares to admit. Steve saved his life on more than one occasion and showed him more affection in a month than Ted Wheeler did in Mikes whole life. And Eddie was the one of the first to show Mike that “hey, it’s ok to be a nerd.”

So yeah, they mean a lot to him.

But them being romantically together makes no sense to him. And when he tries to bring this up to the rest of the Party, he was told he was insane.

“Steve and Eddie aren’t interested in each other romantically,” claimed Dustin, “They’re just friends.”

“Not even that,” called Max from the couch.

Lucas snorted but otherwise said nothing.

Mike looked at Will for help.

“Well— why do you think they are romantically involved?”

Mike huffed. “Do none of you guys see it? Steve might as well have heart eyes!”

El nodded. “I agree. Mike is right.”

Suddenly all eyes were on El. Mikes were shining with hope and everyone looked incredulous.

“But why?” Dustin asked exasperatedly. “They’re— they’re nothing alike!”

“I know!” shouted Mike. He stood and paced. “But Steve always looks so fond of Eddie! And we’ve all heard the typical “King Steve” rant from Eddie and the “Asshole Metalheads” one from Steve, right?”

Max, Dustin and Lucas all answered with a unified “yes” while El and Will answered with a unified “no”.

Mike waved his hand and continued to pace. “But maybe it’s an opposites attract kind of thing? Like Max and Lucas?”

“Excuse me?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Or maybe it’s not! Because nothing about them is really opposite other than their styles.”

“But—“ Dustin was quick to interrupt, “—they are pretty opposite. Jock and Metalhead? Seems pretty fucking twisted to me.”

“Yeah but you’re looking at the cliques,” Will added, finally catching on. “Mikes looking at personality.”

Mike clapped happily. “Yes exactly! They’re both bitchy and quick-witted! They’re both dramatic in their own ways—“

“—they’re both oddly parental and protective,” added Lucas, also catching on.

Mike nodded aggressively.

“Ok—“ Max shook her head. “—say we believe that Steve and Eddie actually are romantically interest in one another. What are we supposed to do about it?” she put extra emphasis on “we”.

Mike looked at them each one by one. Max, who was sprawled on the couch like she owned it. Lucas, who had Max’s legs in his lap and was gently rubbing her thigh. Dustin, who was sat in a chair at the end of the couch with his thinking face on. El, who was looking at Mike with a sly grin— an expression he rarely saw on her. And Will, who was looking at Mike with something like Steve to Eddie.

But none of that right now.

Dustin stood up and walked to stand by Mike. He threw an arm around his shoulders (Mike bending with the action) and loudly proclaimed “We need to get them together!”

Will stood hurriedly and joined them, El right behind him with a grin on her face. Lucas shrugged and looked to Max as if saying “what can you do?” before gently pushing her legs off of him joining them as well.

They all looked at Max expectantly. She groaned and stood to join them, a chorus of cheers ringing out.

…

Idk if I’m gonna continue this or not but eh

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

A/N: I had to write this. I needed Nancy and Steve being parental as well as Steve being bitchy. Everyone's relationship is up in the air except for Robin and Joyce's. Joyce is clearly with Hopper. Robin is always with Vickie because people hate on Vickie for no reason. Anyways, love to all, no matter what you like. Unless you like Billy, then I'm judging you harshly.

Steve was already annoyed because his date backed out at the last minute, but now he was even more annoyed when he found out from Robin that they wouldn't be at Lucas's game. Just for one night, Lucas wasn't asking them to abandon the game completely but to take one night off. Don't they understand that this is what Lucas was afraid of? Not being able to be a jock and to be able to still be a nerd? Of losing his friends? One night wasn't an unreasonable thing to ask for. Sometimes, being a good friend means supporting them when they need it even if you don't like it or understand it, not all the time but sometimes. How do they expect Lucas to compromise for them when they need it if they never do it for him?

Steve was too in his own head to notice that someone else was striding towards the drama room. He arrived at the doors at the same time as Nancy. Their hands reached for the door handle. They stared at each other, and for a moment, Steve had forgotten what he was doing. Nancy looked so beautiful when she wasn't angry at him. Oh, she was angry. Was she angry at the same thing he was? Oh, right, Mike, Dustin, and Erica.

"You mad at the kids for abandoning and replacing Lucas, too?" Steve asked.

"Yes!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Well, let's do this together then, shall we?" Steve asked.

They opened the doors, causing them to bang loudly against the walls. Nancy and Steve stormed in, their hands on their hips.

"Hey, assholes!" Steve and Nancy exclaimed in unison.

They paused and looked at each other in surprise for a moment before turning back to them.

"Oh my God! They're together and they're both pissed!" Dustin shrieked.

"You're damn right we're pissed!" Steve yelled.

"Lucas asked for one night for you guys to be there to support him, and you couldn't give him that?" Nancy asked.

"It's not our fault Lucas went to the dark side!" Mike exclaimed.

"The dark side? So, all people who play basketball are Darth Vader?" Steve asked.

"You know Darth Vader?" Dustin asked.

"Of course, I do! I can be a little nerdy sometimes!" Steve exclaimed.

"He reads comic books, too!" Nancy yelled.

"What? Why didn't you say?!" Dustin asked.

"Whenever I try to join in on your conversations, you brush me off and scoff!" Steve yelled, and then his eyes went soft, as well as his voice. "Do you guys just think of me as a dumb jock who gives you free rides?"

"Nice mom guilt," Nancy whispered to him.

"Thanks," Steve whispered back.

"I mean, really, everything that Steve’s done for you. . .for Lucas, especially in Starcourt. He saved Dustin and Erica's life!" Nancy exclaimed. "And do you just think that all people who enjoy basketball are assholes?!"

"Nice dad guilt," Steve whispered.

"Thanks," Nancy whispered back.

"Hey, Mike, didn't you promise Will that you wouldn't join another party?" Steve asked, snapping his fingers at him.

"That's right, I mean, if D&D means so much to you, then why are you sitting here in another party?" Nancy asked.

Mike opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to find the answer. Dustin looked incredibly guilty. Good, Steve thought. Eddie scowled and stood up.

"Who gives a fuck about some stupid laundry basket game?" Eddie asked. "This is when we play. It's not our fault that Sinclair chose the wrong game."

"Lucas gives a fuck about that laundry basket game!" Steve snapped. "He wasn't asking for you to give up the game completely, he was asking for one fucking night so he that he wouldn't feel like a freak for enjoying both games! He wanted his friends to accept him for that and for someone who stood up on a fucking table to preach against forced conformity - yeah, Robin told me about that - here you are trying to force Lucas and his friends to only comform to D&D!"

Steve was pleased to see that Eddie looked like he had been slapped in the face.

"That's not - I mean - ," Eddie stuttered.

"Yeah, Robin was pretty much agreeing with you until you went after science and band," Steve said. "I mean, are you telling me that all of you have the same exact interests? Do you all like the same food? Do you all like the same music?"

"The problem isn't basketball. The problem is that every group has their assholes but they also have their good people, too," Nancy said, looking at Steve.

"And sometimes people can crossover into other groups," Steve said. "It happens."

"We didn't think Lucas actually enjoyed basketball," Dustin said.

"Yeah, he told us he wanted to stop being bullied," Mike said.

"Hm, and which group was he talking about?" Steve asked.

"What happens when one of your players gets sick?" Nancy asked.

"Well, yeah, we postpone then because it's a good excuse," Gareth said.

"A championship is a good excuse," Nancy replied. "But it's nice to know that you guys aren't completely heartless."

"Heartless?! We're not the ones beating the shit out of people because of what they like!" Eddie snapped.

"No, you're just letting them know that they're replaceable if they decide they need to explore other options," Steve said, and then he scoffed. "Can't believe I ever had a crush on you."

Eddie's eyes widened as the whole table gasped dramatically.

"You're fucking with me," Eddie said.

"No, I'm not," Steve said. "I like men and women. I know that liking more than one thing is a hard concept for you to grasp."

"That's not, I mean, you can like whatever you want, but liking basketball and D&D is different than that," Eddie frowned.

"I don't see how," Nancy said, shaking her head. "Do you guys play every day of the week?"

"Well, no," Eddie said.

"Well, if you don't play every day of the week, then it's not going to be the end of the world if you wait just one more day?!" Nancy asked.

"Okay, enough of this. I don't care if you guys come or not, but Dustin, Erica, and Mike, you guys are coming to the game to support your friend," Steve said clapping his hands.

"But - " Mike started to say.

"You heard your mother! I mean, your Steve! You heard Steve!" Nancy exclaimed, shaking her head again.

Mike and Dustin ducked their heads as they gathered their things. Erica held her head up high as she did the same thing.

"I didn't do anything wrong, they tricked me!" Erica exclaimed.

"Erica!" Nancy scolded.

As they were leaving with the kids, Steve overheard one of them - Frankie? - speak up.

"I wasn't ever going to say anything, but I, uh, kind of like watching basketball," Frankie said.

"Fine, fine! We'll go to the goddamn game," Eddie said.

It didn't take long for them to catch up with the group.

"Decided to join us assholes, huh?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, look, you were right, and Nancy was right. . .it's not going to be the end of the world if we wait one more day," Eddie said. "And of course, I know that Sinclair isn't going to turn out like those assholes especially if he has the support of his friends."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one you need to apologize to," Steve said.

"Yeah, that's true. . . So, you have a crush on me?" Eddie asked.

"Had. As in past tense," Steve replied.

"Yeah, I suppose I deserve that," Eddie said. "I am curious to know if you are seeing anyone, though."

"I just tore you a new one," Steve said, looking at him in confusion.

"I know," Eddie grinned.

"Well, I'm kind of seeing someone," Steve said.

"Kind of?"

"It's on and off."

"Is he being intentionally vague?" Eddie asked Nancy.

"I can't say," she grinned.

"By the way, was I little too bitchy in there?" Steve asked Nancy.

"No, you were perfect. I know someone else who would have loved it like a certain someone did," Nancy said.

"Okay, you two aren't bad assholes, just annoyingly vague assholes," Eddie said, and they both giggled. "This is going to be a long game."

The game wasn't so bad as Eddie had thought it was going to be, especially when Chrissy jumped up and waved excitedly at the sight of him. He eventually got caught up with it when Lucas was sent in to play. He was glad he did come when he saw the pure joy on the young man's face when he saw almost everyone he cared about was there to cheer him on. When Lucas scored the winning shot, Eddie hugged Nancy and Steve both tightly. He needed to be reminded every once in a while that it's not just about him and what he likes. He started Hellfire to give lost sheep like Lucas a place to belong, and he almost ruined that because of a few bad eggs who happened to like basketball. Besides, people needed to know that just because you have different interests doesn't mean you have to be enemies.

"Thank you for making me come," Eddie told them. "I would have regretted it."

A week or so later. . .

"So, Nance, what were you saying about it not being the end of the world if I postponed the game for a day?" Eddie asked with a cheeky grin as he laid in his hospital bed.

"We stopped it before it could happen," Nancy rolled her eyes. "Do you regret going to Lucas's basketball game?"

Eddie grinned as he thought about the pure joy on Lucas's face.

"Nah!"

"Well, no one stayed dead, so there's that!" Chrissy grinned.

"Well, Hopper's still dead," Steve said.

"Oh, yeah," Chrissy frowned.

Suddenly, there came a knocking at Eddie's hospital room door. Robin got up to answer it.

"Steve, you were wrong. Hopper is very much alive!" Robin exclaimed. "Holy shit!"

Robin let Hopper and Joyce into the room. Moments later, Vickie skidded in behind them.

"Hey, guys, did you hear? Someone said they saw Chief Hopper wandering the hospital!" Vickie said and glanced at Hopper for a moment. "Hiya, Chief! Isn't that crazy, Robin? He's supposed to be dead, right?!"

"It takes her a moment," Robin said. "She gets there eventually."

"Oh my God! . . . Eddie, is that your mom?"

[bellysoupset]

Halloween Part 2 - Lucas

Halloween was Bella's favorite time of the year. She started shopping for it early, often buying things that she had no intent on using to "spook" people, but just as regular decor year around. So it was much to her pleasure when she got a text from Wendy asking if she could tag along the latest Halloween haul.

"Jon said what?" Bella asked, lazily pushing the stroller around wallmart and browsing through the spooky themed pillows.

"That I have to throw a Halloween party for Leo," Wendy repeated, hurrying up to catch up. This always happened whenever they went shopping together, Bella walked far too fast.

"Leo's birthday is in April," Bell frowned, then grabbed a pillow shaped like a pumpkin, throwing it inside the cart.

"It's not a birthday party, it's just... A costume party. He's upset that they don't get trick or treaters in their neighborhood."

"Okay, so Jon could throw a party, no?" Bella shrugged, continuing to walk, "it's not like they don't have the space. Way more than you do, to be honest."

"Leo can't know it's for him," Wendy rolled her eyes, "look, it's just Jon babying Leo. So are you gonna help me or not?"

"Sure, sure, no need to get harsh," Bella giggled, inspecting some cute mugs covered in skulls, "what do you need from me?"

"Well first off, to help me buy the decor-" Wendy dug through her purse, then raised a black credit card, "Jon's paying."

Bella let out a whistle, "alright, now we're talking!"

Wendy chuckled, putting the card back inside the purse, "and I need a band, you're the biggest music nerd I know... Can you get us a band?"

"What type of band?" Bella turned around, resting her back to the bar of the cart, "metal? Grunge?...Pop?" Her voice dripped with disdain at the last word and Wendy snorted at her unbiased reaction.

"Well, something people can actually dance to, Bella," Wen poked her side, "alternative rock?"

Bella wrinkled her nose in distaste, turning back around and starting to push the cart again, "let me think."

"Okay... Oh this is very cute," Wendy held up a plug-in lantern, with little ghosties drawn on the side. Bella agreed, barely paying attention now that she had been put on a mission.

Wen was right, she was a music nerd and participated enough in the local music scene to know bands...But an alternative rock band?

"Oh, I know that guy..." She mumbled, fishing her phone out of her jacket's pockets, "what's his name..."

Wendy raised her eyebrows, watching Bella go through her contacts list, with a laser focus, "that guy?"

"I only saw him play once..." she wasn't paying attention, "he had this long, super pretty hair..." Bella gestured to her own head, mimicking a long flowy hair, "he had a tattoo with his band's name... Something -shee..."

"Do you remember the name of the party you met him?" Wendy asked, pulling her own phone out. Bella thought about it for a second, before shaking her head.

"No, but I must have the post saved here..." she clicked around quickly, scrolling through multiple posts and then lighting up, turning her phone so Wendy could see the screen, "here!"

"On A High Note," Wendy read out loud, typing the name in her own instagram and going to the concert's page, "let's see... Cipher of Lies?"

"Nope," Bella circled her, so she could see the poster Wendy was reading the names from, "no, it ended with a shee..."

"Inferno Banshees?" Wendy guessed, clicking on the profile and then scrolling down. The main guy had long hair, like Bell had described, black with red tips.

"Yeah! That's him!" Bella pointed at the screen with such force that Wendy accidentally liked the post. She rolled her eyes, deleting the heart.

"And he's any good?"

"From what I remember, they were decent. Here, listen to this-" Bella scrolled up again, until they landed in a video post of the band performing. Wendy frowned, they were good, indeed. More than "decent", but she guessed Bell's ear was more nitty picky than hers.

"They're probably preeetty expensive to book," Wendy worried, as they moved further inside the candy aisle and she started to load up the cart. Bella let out a scoff.

"Don't worry about that," she fumbled with her own phone, checking the guy's name again in the insta bio, before switching to her texting app and Wendy squinted, noticing there was almost no text history there. Before she could say anything though, Bella was pressing the little mic icon, holding the phone close to her mouth.

"Hi Julian, it's Bells from the High Note party, do you remember me? I forgot my wallet in your room and we had lunch at the Pavillion?" she released the icon, sending the message and Wendy let out a huff.

"So he's an ex-hook up," she deduced and Bella's cheeks turned red as she shrugged.

"Don't look at me like that," she pouted, "you saw his hair!"

"I did," Wendy snorted, chuckling, "are you sure about this? I mean Luke-"

"Is a big boy and he knows I had hook ups while we were on break. Hell, I bet so did he-" she cringed at her own words and Wendy grimaced too. She doubted Lucas had slept around, "besides, that's not the point. We're married, he's an adult, he'll be fine."

"I guess," Wendy shrugged, agreeing, "but maybe tell him before hand-"

They were interrupted by Bella's phone buzzing with an income voice message and she smiled smugly, clicking on it. Julian's voice was deep from sleep, despite it being late in the afternoon, "oh hi ginger, you completely ghosted me, that wasn't nice," he said playfully, "what can I do for you, beautiful?"

"Beautiful," Wendy repeated in a mocking deep tone and Bella elbowed her side, bringing the phone back to her mouth.

"I might have a gig for you."

--------------

Lucas was not feeling well. He was having a pretty shitty week - his supervisor for Poli Sci had asked him to rework the last 30 pages of his thesis, he had to hand in extra credit in one of his History classes if he wanted to graduate alongside his class and the team had flunked hard the most recent game. It didn't disqualify them, yet, but it made their odds pretty bad for the future.

So it had been already on a very shitty mood that he had gotten the news that the lead singer of the band that was going to play in Wendy's Halloween party, the one Luke knew damn well was more of a Wendy-and-Bella shenanigan, was Bell's ex-hook up.

He had already been sulking during lunch, jamming his fork in the food while Vin and Leo chatted, but he had practically sent his filet flying when Leo said "I don't think I'd be cool if it was Jon's ex playing tonight, that's all."

"Jon doesn't have any exes," Vince rolled his eyes, "you're the only lunatic willing to date him."

"You mean I'm the only lucky one to land him," Leo squinted at Vince and Lucas glared between his two best friends.

"Whatever are you talking about? Whose ex?"

"Bells, duh-" Leo's face suddenly turned red and he cringed, interrupting himself, "oh shit, you didn't know."

"Bella doesn't have exes," Luke rolled his eyes, ignoring the throbbing behind them. He dropped his fork back down, glancing up in time to catch Vince glaring at Leo, as if reprimanding him for speaking up, "what?"

"Nothing!" Leo squeaked, still red as a tomato, "so uhm, what's gonna be your costume tonight...?"

Luke let out a huff and turned to Vince, levelling him with one cold glare, "who said Bella's ex is playing tonight? Wendy?"

"I don't know anything," Vince shrugged, refusing to meet his eyes, "ask your wife."

"Jonah and I are gonna be matching," Leo continued to speak, attempting to change the subject. Lucas let out a scoff, turning his attention back to his plate.

If he was already thinking of ditching the party, his desire now all but doubled. A wish that was promptly squished when he arrived home five hours later and found Bella already hunched over the bathroom sink, doing her makeup while sporting just panties and a strapless bra.

"I thought you said you'd be home sooner today," Bella pouted, spreading grey body paint all over her face, "get in the shower, I still need to do your makeup."

"I don't wanna go," Lucas leaned on the bathroom door, crossing his arms to his chest and scowling. Bell raised an eyebrow and he realized she had painted them a dark brown, almost black.

"Why not?"

He shrugged, not quite managing to put into words the fact his head was throbbing and his humor was soured by the prospect of her ex being the lead singer and Bella not telling him.

"I just don't wanna go," he repeated and Bella rolled her eyes, grabbing the thin eyeliner and leaning in so close to the mirror she was almost touching it, drawing fake stitches on the side of her face.

"You can't be serious, you know it's my party as much as it's Wendy's," she said, squinting to her reflection as she focused on the drawing, "get in the shower."

"So it was your idea to hire your ex and not tell me?" Lucas blurted out and Bella was so surprised by his bitter line that she missed a line. She let out a frustrated groan, putting down the eyeliner.

"What are you talking about, Luke?"

"Your ex," he repeated, "the guys told me."

"You mean Vince told you," Bell rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I don't have exes, you know that, babe. It's just some dude I hooked up with, it's not impo-"

"Why didn't you tell me? It was fucking humiliating to realize Vince and Leo all knew about this before I did," Lucas glared at her and he knew his headache was exacerbating his temper. He wanted to shut up, but he also just really didn't want them to go to this damn party.

"Honestly I didn't think it was important and I kinda forgot," Bella's voice had an icy undertone, "it's literally just some dude, Lucas, c'mon. You're not the jealous type, what's up with you?"

He rubbed a hand over his face, "I don't know, I don't like you lying to me."

"Lying to you," she repeated, brows raised, unimpressed, "okay, I don't know what the fuck is going on, but there was no lying. Now, I've been looking forward to this party and you know it, so if you wanna sulk home over some random ass guy I hooked up with once, then be my guest. I'm going," Bella turned back around, once again starting her make up.

Luke snapped his mouth shut, rubbing his neck. He really didn't want to go anywhere, but the prospect of Bella going alone was even less appealing. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he simply didn't want her there at all.

"Fucking hell," he grumbled, entering the bathroom and stripping his shirt. Bella didn't spare him a glance, but she did let out a pleased noise at getting her way, which only annoyed him more.

He was not gonna let her paint him like a clown, Luke decided, when he shut the shower off ten minutes later, the hot water having dulled the headache just a bit, but the quiet minutes only making him more annoyed.

Bella was now in their bedroom, putting on the stockings that were covered in fake stitches. Her hair was down now and Luke did a double take, noticing her curls were all gone, flat ironed away.

"Alright, your costume-"

"I'm not wearing a costume," he interrupted, grabbing a random array of black items in his closet and throwing them on the bed, "this is good enough."

Bella's eyes, decorated with purple eye shadow, scanned him up and down, "you cannot be acting this childishly over a hook up," she said slowly, "we are literally fucking married, Lucas, grow up."

"I'm already going to the stupid party, I'm not gonna dress like a clown too!" he rubbed at the side of his head as the throbbing started back again and Bell rolled her eyes at him.

"You can be such a dick when you want to," she said quietly, grabbing the patchwork dress that was stretched on the bed and putting it on, "I'm leaving in ten minutes, if you're not dressed, I'm going without you."

"And I'm the dick," Luke scoffed, slipping on the black track pants.

They didn't talk at all during the fifteen minutes long drive to Wendy's place. Twice Lucas opened his mouth to apologize, twice he snapped it shut when he noticed Bella with her arms crossed and glaring out of the window.

The party wasn't in her apartment, but in the last floor of her building, where there was a conventions ballroom. Lucas had to give it to both Wendy and Bella, they had done a spectacular job decorating. It was fancy and beautiful, Wendy's job, but still spooky, with a fog machine and bats glued to the windows. All Bella.

"Looks nice," he said, hoping it was apology enough, squinting at the blue and purple lights of the room. Bella let out a scoff, ignoring his compliment.

"Bell!" Wendy rushed to her, skipping from across the room. There were some people already inside, people Lucas did not recognize at all. Other med students, maybe?

Wendy was dressed in a green mini dress, with wings coming out of her back and Bella let out a giggle, "oh hello, Tinkerbell!" she teased, pulling the shorter woman into a half hearted hug, "you look great!"

"Not as great as you do!" Wendy smiled brightly, covered in glittery body paint, "It's from that Tim Burton movie, right?"

"Nightmare Before Christmas," Bella grinned, turning around to show off her outfit and Wendy nodded in approval, then turned to Luke and frowned.

"And you are... No, let me guess, Jaso-"

"Not in the mood," Lucas cut her off swiftly and Wendy raised her eyebrows, taken back by the curt manners.

"Alright, Debby Downer himself," she rolled her eyes at him and Luke was about to snap something he knew he was going to regret, but was luckily interrupted when someone wrapped an arm around Bella's waist and twirled her around, causing her to let out a squeal.

A man dressed like a vampire put her back on her feet, smiling at her, "give me your bloood," he said in a creepy voice and Bella chuckled, stumbling back on her feet.

Luke started to feel a steady, lancinating pain behind his right eye, "Isabella?"

"Hi, sorry-" she snapped her head, then gestured between them, "Lucian, this is Luke-"

"Her husband," Lucas interjected, forcefully, offering a hand and Lucian pouted at Bella.

"Uhm, it's Julian, beautiful," he said, squeezing Luke's hand, before doing a double take, "oh wait, husband?"

"Yes, beautiful," Lucas mocked and Wendy let out a snort, planting both hands on Bell's shoulders.

"Awkward... Anyway, bye guys, we have party stuff to figure out. Julian, I need you on that stage in twenty minutes. Where are the rest of your buddies?"

"Fuck me if I know, Tink," Julian shrugged, eyes glued to Bella, so Lucas squeezed his hand a little harder in his.

"Well, figure it out and get them on that stage," Wendy said, then proceeded to push Bella forward, mixing them with the small crowd of strangers and introducing her around.

Julian dropped Lucas' hand hastily, mumbling a "excuse me," and vanishing into the crowd too, although in the opposite direction.

"Great, just great," Luke sighed, walking towards the bar.

He was nursing a lukewarm drink and trying to ignore the painful pulsing behind both his eyes, when the microphone let out a feedback noise and then Julian's voice came in, "good night, everyone," he said, smiling, "we are the Inferno Banshees, let's rock this place."

"I fucking hate musicians," Luke whispered, chugging the rest of his drink and then flinching when the alcohol hit his stomach at the same time the band started to play and the noise made him feel like he had just been punched.

The drummer was going all in and Luke could feel every beat of the song. It didn't help that the lights were strobing now, flickering between red, blue and UV lights. He let out a loud groan and scanned the crowd in search of Bella.

More people had arrived, half the football team and a bunch of people Lucas hadn't ever seen. He squinted, tugging at the roots of his hair, the vague pain doing barely nothing to distract him from the migraine.

It took him a moment to find Bella, the lack of her signature curls making him completely miss her even when she was directly in his line of sight. She had her back pressed against a blonde girl's, whose long blonde hair was styled in a voluminous blow out, clad in a sequined jumper.

Vaguely he recognized her from somewhere, he just had no idea where. Luke stumbled forward, feeling dizzier the closer he got to the loud noise. It didn't feel like music was playing at all, but rather someone stabbing him right in the temple.

"Bell," he grabbed her wrist and she looked up, blue eyes sparkling for a second, a tentative smile springing up. She thought he was going to apologize? No way.

"I'm leaving, I'm not feeling well!" he yelled over the music and Bella frowned, getting on her tip toes, not hearing him.

"What!?"

"I said I'm going home!" Lucas repeated and she frowned, pulling back.

"It's not even been an hour!" Bella yelled, just as Julian started a guitar riff and the lights all flickered red, "at least try to have some fun-"

His stomach churned, the lights throwing him for a spin. Lucas rubbed a hand angrily over his face and shook his head, "stay, I don't give a crap," he scoffed, even though he did give a crap. He really didn't want to go home alone, not when his head hurt this much, not when the singer on stage kept looking at his girl like she was his next meal.

Bella's frown deepened, "you're acting like a teenager," she said calmly, leaning in and not bothering to raise her voice, so he had to really strain his ears to hear, "I'm not leaving."

"Suit yourself," Lucas groaned, turning around and stumbling over his feet. It was getting difficult to make out which way was up and his stomach was making known just how done it was with this whole night.

He wasn't gonna make it to the bathroom, Luke realized quickly. Instead, he made a detour to the balcony area of the party, stumbling towards the railing, only to slam against someone.

His stomach jumped to his throat and as Vince exclaimed "Hey, don't run me over!" Lucas let out a sick belch and bent in half, bracing against his knees and throwing up on the space between them. He missed Vin's black boots by a couple inches, the man jumping back.

"Jesus, Luke!" Vince exclaimed, circling him and it was a good thing he did, because Lucas swayed forward and only his best friend grabbing him by the arm stopped him from face planting the puddle of sick.

"What the hell did you drink?" Vince asked, thumping his back and Lucas let out a whimper, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Nothing... Migraine," he groaned, closing his eyes and leaning against Vin's side. The other man let out an unhappy noise.

"Can you sit here for a second? I'm gonna get Bella-"

"No," Luke reached out blindly, squeezing Vince's coat. He blinked, trying to situate himself. Vin was dressed as Captain Hook, with eyeliner and all, "I don't want Bell."

Dark eyes measured him up and down and Vince let out a huff, "you two are fighting over the stupid fella? This is ridiculous..."

"Can you just drive me home?" Luke sighed, leaning in and planting his forehead to Vince's shoulder. At least he managed to conceal the lights, but that did very little to his raging migraine. Lucas knew he had only a couple more minutes sounding coherent in him and he was too proud, he really didn't want Bella now.

"She's going to tear me to shreds," Vince groaned, but then tugged on Luke's hoodie, looping one of his arms around his neck, "okay, keep your head down."

He could've cried from relief at the change of tone in Vin's voice. Luke buried his face on his best friend's shoulder and allowed him to be steered around, feet stumbling over each other, Vince's arm around his waist the only thing keeping him from keeling over.

They stumbled outside the party area and Lucas muffled a sob, swallowing against the persistent nausea, "m'hday"

"What?"

"M-head..." he groaned, pressing his forehead with more force against Vince's chest, feeling the impatient vibrations of the other man tapping his foot as they waited for the elevator, "grends"

"Green?"

"Nuuh-" he squeezed his eyes, "grenade."

"Oh," Vince let out a sigh, a hand coming to shield Luke's exposed ear, further muffling the noise, "you'll be lying down soon..."

Lucas let out a heavy sigh through his nose, gulping down the bitter spit pooling in his mouth. He was starting to feel detached from his body, head too heavy to lift it up even when the elevator stopped on their floor and Vince shuffled inside, stumbling a little with his weight.

"Mgonuke..." Lucas whined, daring to open his eyes and staring at Vin's black leather boots, "sry..."

"What?" Vince pulled back and good thing he did, because Lucas gagged again, unable to stop the mess. A dribble of bitter, watery vomit fell on the space between them and Vin let out a scoff, "are you hell bent on fucking up my boots, dude?"

"Sorry..." Luke groaned, swaying on his spot, "I'm- I'm sorry-"

"I'm joking," Vince pulled him back in, wrapping both his arms around him, mess on the ground be damned, the fact that he knew everyone in this building be damned. His best friend was hurting. Lucas sank into the hug, muffling a sob against his shoulder and Vin bit down his lip, praying the elevator came to a stop sooner.

As soon as it stopped, Luke undid Vince's hold on him, staggering forward and collapsing down with a heave.

"Luke!"

A retch answered him, followed by a whimper and more sobs. Vince closed the small distance between them, crouching down next to his friend and rubbing his back in a reassuring manner, "hey, breathe, man..." he whispered softly, supporting Luke's forehead with a hand, "take a deep breath for me."

Instead of breathing in, Lucas fell back on his heels, ass meeting the cement of the parking lot and then he slammed his fists to his forehead, causing Vince to let out a surprised gasp.

"Luke, don't do that!" he whisper-yelled, rushing to grab Lucas' wrists before he could try punching himself again, "this isn't gonna help, bud."

"Hurtsssss," Lucas cried, eyes bloodshot and his nose all congested.

"I know, I know, c'mere-" Vince grabbed his arm, pulling Luke up, "Uhm- Ah fuck... Okay, do you have your keys?" he didn't expect to get an answer and he didn't. Vin let out a heavy sigh, shoving his hand in his friend's pockets and praying he had his car keys with him, otherwise things would be tricky.

His bike was parked next to Wen's pink car, but her car keys were upstairs in her own apartment and well, he didn't feel like leaving Luke...

"HA!" Vince let out a victorious shout when he managed to fish out Luke's keys from his hoodie' front pocket, only to make the other man whimper and curl on himself, "sorry, sorry, sorry!"

He carefully maneuvered them around, getting to Lucas' green car and forcing him on the passenger seat. No sooner he had shut the door, he rushed to the driver's side and got in just as Luke was once again thumping his head, hard, against the window.

"Luke, you're going to give yourself a concussion on top of the migraine," Vince berated him lightly, pulling him away from the door, "close your eyes."

"I feel sick," Lucas answered instead of obeying, not bothering to muffle a sick belch, "Vince..."

"Shhh, eyes closed, c'mon," Vince pressed his hand over his best friend's eyes and felt him lean forward with more force, "deep breaths."

"It's like I got fucking shot in the head," Lucas slurred, before a new heaving fit caused his tears to start back up. Vince flinched in sympathy.

"I really think I should go get Bell-"

"Nuhhgh..." Lucas mumbled, bracing against the dashboard, "no, fuck no. Let her be with the fucking vampire."

"You are an idiot," Vince sighed, starting the car and keeping a hand on Luke's nape, "lean back, you'll just make it worse."

It took him a second, but then Lucas' obeyed, leaning back with a sigh, eyes squeezed shut. He wiped the tears off his face, sniffling again, "thanks, Vin."

"Don't thank me, I still haven't decided if I'm not just gonna drive you to a hospital."

TBC

[cottagefork]

I’ve been on a stranger things kick lately so I thought I’d share some of the things I wanna see in stranger things 5:

1. The core 4 boys together again. It has been a HOT minute since we’ve seen them all together, and even then, I feel like their interactions are limited. I want more of their friendship since that’s really what started it all.

2. MORE WILL. I mean let’s be real. He’s one of the main characters and such a vital piece to the story line. I just want so much more of him on screen.

3. Dustin-Erica friendship. Something about these two together is just *chefs kiss* I want more of them together using their nerd powers to save the world.

4. Lucas fighting someone lol. Because my guy beat the SHIT out of Jason. Lucas channels his passions and emotions into everything he does (including beating up an asshole jock to save the world) and I wanna see him kick some ass again.

5. Heartfelt Steve moment with either Robin or Dustin. Steve has had arguably some of the best character growth in the show. However, I still feel as if he has walls built up around him, and would like to see him have some more genuine interactions with people that are NOT with Nancy and NOT romantic. Less of him being the “comic relief babysitter” and more of him being a genuine caring friend pls

6. Robin and Will to be HAPPY. Even if they don’t end up with Vicky/Mike, I don’t want them to spend a majority of the season downtrodden with unrequited feelings. Just because it’s the 80’s doesn’t mean that closeted queer sadness is the only option.

7. Max’s recovery to be realistic. Now I really really hope that we get to see Max again as she is such a great character. BUT, I need her storyline to be realistic. I don’t want the end of episode 1 for her to be magically all ok and ready to go kick some ass right after leaving the hospital. There is some real physical and emotional healing that needs to happen, and I don’t want it to be phony and rushed.

8. A not-so-happy ending. Ok HEAR ME OUT: I absolutely hate it when shows like this wrap up and in the end everyone is all happy-go-lucky and the world is perfect again. NO. I’m not saying I want people to be suffering, or for there to be multiple major character deaths, or for Vecna/the mind flayer /whoever to still be out there. But, I really want there to be an ending that makes me think something along the lines of “they’re broken and bruised, but they’ll be ok”. Not everyone and everything has to be happy and perfect for it to be a good fulfilling ending.

[noxcorvorum]

Do you have any horror podcast recs

I liked tma and old gods of Appalachia but I'm caught up and need to BINGE

hello! youve come to the right place :)

Ghost Wax feels kindof similar to tma, especially tma season 1, with the main character (Owen Voncid) taking statements of people who've encountered the supernatural. However, Owen is a necromancer (the last Reclaimer!) who briefly reawakens the dead so that they can tell their final story, and all of the statement givers are dead. He also has an assistant, Luca Eso, who made the wax cylinders that he uses (he's been around for a very long time, and the remembrances are beginning to slip from his brain) and is a pop culture nerd. They work with a seer, Pip (or Phillipa Le Fay, to respect the stagecraft), who uses her grandmother's tarot cards.

All three of these people work for the Order of Hamsa, which fights the supernatural. Hamsa are incredibly powerful entities who have magic such as geomancy and necromancy, and usually inhabit a human body, though generally not for an incredibly long amount of time. There are several Hamsa in this podcast, including Owen. Owen has remained in his body for much longer than usual. Some other characters I enjoyed are Emea, the apiarist as well as Owen's best friend and a Hamsa, Cosa, the android librarian/archivist, and Azem, who is very thoroughly haunting the narrative. Don't look away.

I absolutely love this podcast, its easily in my top three. There's several incantations/spells which are so fun to me, found family, and really fun sound effects. It has 46 episodes as well as 2 Tales from the Vault, which are filled with smaller stories (I submitted a story to the second one!), there's content on patreon, and season 2 is in production.

Malevolent is about Arthur Lester, a 1930s private investigator from Arkham, Massachusetts, and the voice in his head and his eyes. Episode 1 opens with Arthur coming to on the floor of his office, suddenly blind, a strange entity speaking to him, and his business partner dead on the floor. Arthur and John, as the entity comes to be named, must now figure out how to navigate the horrors, try to find a way to separate themselves, and figure out where John came from. There's lots of cosmic horror/lovecraftian influences in here, and they have so many miles to go before they sleep.

There's a LOT of audio gore/squishy flesh sounds/Arthur screaming because the horrors love ripping into him, so if that's no good then this podcast is not for you. Some of the more eldritch characters also have voice filters, most notably John, which could make them hard to understand, though there are transcripts available. the plot can also be a little hard to follow sometimes.

I really enjoy this podcast, I'm currently relistening to it and having a great time. It's kindof forced family? because Arthur and John physically cannot get away from each other and yet they Have To communicate. They're so so much "its rotten work" "not to me, not if its you" AND "its rotten work" "especially to me, especially if its you, ill do it but christ alive". It's currently 42 episodes at usually 40ish minutes each, and still going, with new episodes releasing mostly monthly. There's also one voice actor, everyone sounds similar because it's the same guy.

Hello from the Hallowoods is a post apocalyptic show about identity, grief, family, and survival. It's formatted as a radio broadcast by an entity named Nikignik, who narrates everything. There is one voice actor for the majority of this show (save for the occasional character speaking outside of Nikignik's broadcast), and they do an amazing job, especially considering the amount of characters.

Some of the characters I really enjoy are Diggory Graves, a nonbinary frankenstein's monster with knife hands and a leather jacket, Percy Reed, a transmasc piano ghost, Riot Maidstone, the lesbian punk daughter of a rockstar, Olivier Song, a genderfluid cloud witch, Ray, a ghost possessing an automobile, Moth Scarberry (moth/mothself), Ray's adopted kid, Walt Pensieve, the asexual groundskeeper of the Hallowoods, and Polly, a devil in a floral suit. Some of the antagonists include Lady Ethel Mallory, a gaslight gatekeep girlboss of a marketing specialist for an evil corporation and the Instrumentalist, a religious fanatic who keeps killing people and turning them into instruments. Darker than your dreams, and farther north than you remember, the Hallowoods loom.

Each episode has a different theme based on the title (such as Keys, Names, and Bones), and is split into several different stories that follow different characters as Nikignik jumps around. There's not very many voice filters, because Nikignik is doing the voices himself, though I think there are a few, and transcripts are available. There's 145 episodes at usually 30 to 50 minutes each, and a new one releases every wednesday.

Sidenote, the Instrumentalist is *really* religious as well as homophobic and transphobic, and he regularly misgenders/deadnames a trans main character. He only exists in the show for about 50 episodes, and definitely gets what he deserves.

The White Vault is a found footage podcast with the first two seasons comprising a repair team's trip to Outpost Fristed in Svalbard. They go up to repair some damaged equipment as well as look at some weird readings, and then have to wait out a massive storm. They find a hatch in the auxiliary bunker, and explore the tunnels beneath to find a village beneath the ice. Theres Graham Casner, the survival guide, Walter Heath, the repair technician, Karina Shumacher-Weiß, the geologist, Rosa De La Torre, the medic, and Jónas Þórirsson, the representative of the company sending them. Travel is not advised.

I listened to the bulk of the first 2 seasons at 2 am while playing powerwash simulator, and it made me so incredibly anxious that I had to have my back to a wall *in the game* so nothing could sneak up one me. Highly recommend. There's so much fear and helplessness surrounding what could be hiding in the storm and in the ice, and I absolutely love the concept for the antagonists.

Seasons 3 and 4 are about a different team in Patagonia, season 5 checks back in at Svalbard, and season 6 is somewhere else entirely. 3-4 are pretty alright in my opinion, maybe a bit repetitive as it follows a similar pattern to the first two seasons, but I don't hate them. I think 5 is pretty good, though it has my favorite character in it, so, you know. I think 6 goes in a bit of a different direction, though I'm not caught up so I can't really comment on it. Seasons 1 and 2 are absolutely stunning, though.

The creators and cast of seasons 1-2 also have a horror dnd podcast called Dark Dice. I must admit I haven't finished the first campaign, though I really liked what I did listen to. I'm told the second campaign has Jeff Goldblum in it, and has 2 different parties with one hunting the other, though I haven't listened to it yet, so take that as you will.

Jar of Rebuke follows Dr. Jared Hel, a cryptid scientist with amnesia in a small Midwestern town, and perhaps closer to the cryptids than they realize. They're also immortal, and (for a reason I don't remember at this particular moment) he has to wear a key around his neck, and never take it off. I'm not caught up, though I really liked what I did listen to. There's lots of fun cryptids and supernatural happenings, such as Jared getting a hellhound as a pet. The episodes are about 10-20 minutes each, and it's ongoing.

As someone on tiktok so aptly said, if you have trust issues with your therapist, you probably shouldn't listen to this podcast. Jared is manipulated by their therapists, and we sometimes hear them talk about him like he's a test subject or creature, not a person.

Do You Copy is another found footage podcast surrounding Redtail National Park, which more or less contains an area called the Dead Zone, in which technology doesn't work and other spooky stuff happens. The Dead Zone has a possible imminent ecological disaster, and though the park is evacuated until the emergency is over, there are a couple people still inside. These include two ghost hunters, a hiker and their dog, and two park rangers who have been instructed to stay inside in hopes of hearing from the three others. I found the Dead Zone and what lies inside VERY interesting, both from a horror perspective and a speculative biology/ecology perspective. It is finished at 14 episodes.

The Hyacinth Disaster is a space horror found footage podcast, and easily in my top three (the other one on that list is tma). It is set in 2151, when Jupiter and Mars have been colonized, and the asteroid belt is being mined for resources. There are two main mining companies in the show, Halaesus Mining Co in Lagrange 4, Greek objects, and Lykaeon Minerals Corporation in Lagrange 5, Trojan objects. The Corvus, a ship contracted to Halaesus and ordered to survey and harvest an asteroid in Lagrange 5, was captured by Lykaeon and held for ransom, and Halaesus denies the ransom broadcast is true, unwilling to pay. The skeleton crew of the MRS Hyacinth has gone rogue in the slowly dwindling time limit to survey a possibly incredibly valuable asteroid, hoping to pay the ransom themselves. But they are 6 people manning a ship meant for 53, and there are so many things to go wrong.

Conlin Hynes is the captain of the Hyacinth and is a good friend of Ember Roth, the captain of the Corvus. Con isn't the greatest captain, not by a long shot, but he's incredibly loyal, and maintains a talented crew. Famke Hynes, or Blue, is Con's sister, and the captain of her own ship, the Sibirica. She would have been the captain of the Hyacinth had she won the rock paper scissors match when they first bought it. She's returned to the Hyacinth to run comms for her brother as they bring Ember and her crew home, and to blow things up along the way.

Finch is Con's wife, and doing an admirable job at being an one-person engineering and seismology team. She's doing her absolute best with the equipment they have that corporate refuses to replace or reapir. Dreadnought in exosuit 2 is by far the youngest of the crew at 24. He's a surveyor, and in fact surveyed Saniss 130991, the very rock they're at, himself. He saw the potential and purposefully misfiled it, hoping to make a bigger profit if corporate didn't know about it, and told Finch, who told Con, and now they're all here.

Grimm is in exo 4, one that he bought himself and has carefully maintained. He refuses to tell the others what he's named it. He moves around a lot, as he gets bored of jobs quickly. Seems like a hardass, but he's actually a pretty nice guy. Argus in exo 7 is one of Con's best friends, having worked with him and Grimm on several jobs. He's a pretty optimistic guy, and follows Grimm as he moves from job to job. His lucky object of choice is a surprise tool that will help us later.

There's lots of angst and horror but also lots of comedy. I've seen a couple reactions that thought there was too much comedy for the situation, but personally I really enjoyed it. It's 7 episodes long, at about 2.5 hours total. There's a lot of sound effects for the ship controls that could potentially be irritating, Dreadnought's dialogue is full of static and sometimes difficult to understand because his radio is partially broken, and there's a loud, extended, high pitched static sound often in the first few episodes (It's when they activate the squealer device, it lasts for about 10-15 seconds each time and there's a countdown from 5 right before), so if you have issues with mechanical/static sound effects, this probably isn't for you. There's transcripts for episodes 1-4 on the website, along with a database of more information about the world.

I'm so so normal about this podcast, I have a note full of facts and trivia (Ember was voted into captaincy by her crew, and according to dreadnought, the ratio of greek names to jovian objects is about 1 in 50,000), my senior quote was from here, I've relistened to it so many times. I cannot recommend this enough.

Among the Stars and Bones is another found footage space horror, but this time it's about anthropology and alien technology. The format is mission files being sent back to the company from a large team investigating an abandoned alien settlement. There's about 7 different perspectives, one from each branch of the team (xenoanthropology, IT, etc).

I really enjoyed it the first time I listened, there were a lot of good anxious moments. A couple of my favorite characters are Dr. Celia Pannella, who heads the xenoanthropology section, and Ben Kelleher, who heads the xenoarchaeology section. I found the alien science/speculative biology really really interesting.

Given you liked tma I'm assuming you know of The Magnus Protocol, but if you don't, it's pretty much Magnus but in a civil service job instead of archiving. It has such characters as Colin the longsuffering IT guy, Alice, who is coping with the horrors by ignoring them, Needles, and Chester and Norris, two text-to-speech voices who we have definitely never heard before (/s).

It has 10 episodes plus an Easter/April Fools special, and it's on a break until April 11th.

Mabel is a podcast about ghosts, families, secrets, and connections. Anna Limon is a carer who has been hired to take care of Mabel Martin's mother Sally. The house is odd, the house is alive, and the house is hungry. Anna is unraveling a mystery as fast as she can find the thread, and Mabel, having grown up half-feral and half-faeral, is somewhere under the Hill.

I will admit I haven't finished this show, but I would definitely recommend it. I actually had to restart it because I wasn't expecting to be as invested as I was. It is very much a faerie story, with riddles and all.

The Silt Verses is a story about faith, and what people will do to keep it. It follows Sister Carpenter and Brother Faulkner as they travel upriver, looking for revelations of their outlawed god, the Trawler-Man. There's a whole cast of gods, many of which are capitalistic, and most of the ones that are not have been outlawed. Some examples are the Trawler-Man of the river, the Waxen Scrivener of decay and books, the Saint Electric of radio and electricity, and the Cairn Maiden of graves and death.

I'd say it has semi similar vibes to Old Gods, mostly with the many deities and monsters. I'm only about halfway through it, but I'd definitely recommend it.

Hope you find something you enjoy!

[choicesfandomappreciation]

Secret Admirer Event—February 2024

Thank you to everyone who dedicated their time and talents to make this event possible! Without all of you, none of this could happen! I know not everyone who wanted to participate was able to, due to time and real life responsibilities, but I hope that you can still help support those who did. I will try to host another secret pal event before long. Maybe something in the spring?

Alphabetical by user name of the giftee Please let me know if you see any errors or any links that are wrong

💖 To: @a-cloud-for-dreams 💛 From: @cowboy-eldritch

Bryce x MC Art

💖 To: @aallotarenunelma 💛 From: @abelflints

Abel x MC Edit

💖 To: @abelflints 💛 From: @hydn-jpg

Lincoln x MC Art

💖 To: @aria-ashryver 💛 From: @aallotarenunelma

Quote Edits #1 Quote Edit #2 + Drawing

💖 To: @cadybear420 💛 From: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd

Lucas x MC Art

💖 To: @cowboy-eldritch 💛 From: @peonyblossom

Valax x MC Moodboard

💖 To: @gaiuskamilah

Marya Blades MC Art 💛 From: @storyofmychoices Nia Video Edit 💛 From: @a-cloud-for-dreams

💖 To: @hydn-jpg 💛 From: @cadybear420

Cas x MC Edits

💖 To: @inlocusmads 💛 From: @vampirkit

Trystan x MC Art

💖 To: @lilyoffandoms 💛 From: @gaiuskamilah

Kieran x MC Art

💖 To: @moominofthevalley 💛 From: @tveitertotwrites

COP MC Moodboards and Picrew

💖 To: @noesapphic 💛 From: @moominofthevalley

Desire & Decorum Moodboard and Playlist

💖 To: @oh-so-youre-a-nerd 💛 From: @storyofmychoices

Wind (LOA) Geometric Art Ernest x MC art and drabble

💖 To: @peonierose 💛 From: @totojo2

Gabe x MC Art

💖 To: @peonyblossom 💛 From: @inlocusmads

Kit Jackson x MC Art

💖 To: @storyofmychoices 💛 From: @peonierose (Art by @lilyoffandoms)

Mal x MC Drabble + Art

💖 To: @thosehallowedhalls 💛 From: @aria-ashryver

Woven Threads and Winding Roads (Pt 1&2): Five times Tyril attempts to braid Raine’s hair; and one time those threads begin to come together again as they should. Woven Threads and Winding Roads (Pt3&4) Tyril x MC Edits

💖 To: @totojo2 💛 From: @noesapphic

Come Back to Me, Detective: After Cameron Rose collapsed after saving Marguerite and the grand reveal of who was the killer all along, Trystan has some thinking to do before Cameron wakes up

💖 To: @tveitertotwrites 💛 From: @lilyoffandoms

Derek x MC (AME) Art

💖 To: @vampirkit 💛 From: @thosehallowedhalls

By Any Other Name (fic): Do Kamilah and Carmilla have anything in common besides some consonants and vowels?

[pythoness94]

I love your commentary on the fanon perception of the party

so id love to ask how you'd think the different members would *actually* react to will coming out to them

also thank you for acknowledging byler fights AREN'T one-sided. they're both love struck teens that say dumb things sometimes and thats perfectly fine

I know! It's a thing that's been bugging me because as i'm writing my fic. ( a react fic with the characters watching the show.) I'm forced to watch scenes upwards of 10 times or more while writing, i've rewatched episodes almost everyday, skipping around back and forth to write the characters reactions. By doing this, I have been able to go "WTF IS DUSTIN DOING IN THIS FIC BRO???". Since i've seen the show probably more then I should have and more often than average it's a lot easier to piece canon from fanon when canon is etched into your brain. I'm able to acknowledge every character's faults because I see it and have to write it down into my story, analyzing how each character would react to each situation. I am, of course, not perfect because i am VERY fond of Mike since see myself in him so i'm more sympathetic to him and i'm trying to be better about that.

However, instead of just seeing them as (this is the worst cases i've seen, mostly in 2020 fanfics.) Mike's a dick,( He's a teen boy who's been getting in terrible situations since he was 14, and trying to process that while realizing he's gay and thinking that he's leading El on. He's scared so he's snapping at the hand that feeds him, not being a dick for no reason. ) Will's a sad gay baby, (He's the same as Mike, 14 and trying to process his trauma, except he was a lot more of it. His best friend is wigging tf out over his girlfriend and distancing himself from him, making Will feel even more alone and worried so he's trying his best to save his relationship by sacrificing himself for Mike's relationship. not realizing that's the EXACT opposite of what Mike needs. He's not JUST sad, he's scared, he's scared of things being taken from him, so he's giving them away first.)

Max is mean, (She just lost her fucking brother, she is trying to grapple with the fact that she doesn't really feel all that bad about losing him. That's what is making her snap. Billy was horrible to her, but she was his brother so she should feel bad, that's her thought process and Vecna is preying upon that. Trying to make her feel like a terrible person infecting everyone around her, so Max is pushing everyone away, making herself look terrible and mean so that way they leave her alone to rot as she thinks she should. She's not mean, she's scared.) Lucas is dumb but strong, ( he played basketball in one season guys. He's strong but he's also a nerd. He's loyal, he's funny, he WANTS to protect the people around him. That's what Lucas is, a protector, he wants to keep his party safe and is trying to be strong for them. Trying to keep everyone together and in his sight. He will lose his shit if ONE more person gets taken from him. He's scared not dumb.)

Dustin is funny, (He's a kid who has lost many things, he's trying to cope with the things happening around him. he thinks Dart is his fault, he knows he should have told the party from the start but instead he lied, and it caused a bunch of pain for his party. He refuses to make that mistake again. However, he knows his party is struggling and he doesn't want to add onto that, so he laughs and jokes, trying to keep the mood up despite how he's panicking. Losing Eddie is going to terrify Dustin. he's going to be quieter and more thoughtful. I know that when Mike inevitably pulls his self-sacrifice bullshit, he does in every season to some extent. Dustin is going to flip his shit, seeing Eddie dying, and refusing to let Mike pull that. Especially since he was there for the quarry, he's going to be protective of Mike, not only because he doesn't want to lose him and knows Mike would GLADY pitch himself in front of a Demogorgon if he saw fit. But because Mike knew Eddie to, he was as close with Eddie has Dustin was and he wants to talk about that with him. He wants to keep Eddie's memory alive, and he can't do it alone. He's not just funny, he's terrified.) El is incapable outside of her superpowers. (This is regarding her knowledge to the outside world, but we're past season 1 guys, she knows how the world works, just not all of it. She won't be asking what things are every five seconds, mostly she'll just SUCK at picking up social cues. She wants to be her own person, she'll do her best to learn this stuff alone as time goes on, trying to advance individually to be on equal grounds with her party. She doesn't want to have to rely on people, she wants to be the person people rely on and not just for her powers. She's not incapable, she's not just 'superman.' she's her own person who is scared of people not seeing her as such.)

One thing i've noticed is that everyone in the party is scared, everyone is scared of something. That something is giving Vecna a chance to prey on every one of them. Making them more scared, so, instead of pushing each other away, they are uniting. They saw how going solo worked out for Max and they refuse to let that happen again. So, keeping all this in mind, how would the party react to Will coming out? Not one of them would be disgusted by Will, confused? Yes, disgusted? no. They have all been the weirdos they have always been the weirdos. The party knows that each of them have something about them that makes them "different" and being gay has always been that for Will even when the party didn't know it to be true.

We all know how Mike would react. A bit shocked at first but accepting, (this is if Mike is straight.) he pushed Troy over in season one for calling Will a fairy, he would NOT be homophobic. That man was besties with Eddie along with Dustin, he embraces that kinda stuff even if he's scared by it. If he was gay (because being fr he is.) he would also be hopeful. He would stop distancing himself so much so he can try to be there for Will.

Max would be chill with it. She is Californian and ,coming from a fellow Californian, it has always been way more liberal than any other state. especially Indiana. Cali is more open to change than most other places and even in the 80's it was less homophobic than Indiana. So Max, being from there, she would be more exposed to it and less shocked. She would be supportive of Will, and if told of his crush, would be the ONLY person to go "Oh really? Mike?" and it would be joking. she would totally try to set them up. (Remember season 3 with the magazines, I like to think she would try to do something similar for Will and Mike.) although she would be a bit worried about El after figuring out their...situation, she would be on board with it after they broke up.

Dustin would be curious, he would be like. "Wait...you're gay?" Not connecting all the dots until he looks back on it and goes. "Ohhhh, that explains why you thought Phoebe cates wasn't hot!" he'd be supportive but wanting to look deeper into it, taking a second to process y'know?

Lucas would be on it immediately, I get the feeling he already knew. He would be like, "Yeah, that makes sense." Since he knew Mike and Will the longest i'm sure he already had it figured out. Lucas is literally just waiting for Mike to get is shit together. He would be supportive and tease Will about his crush on Mike until they got together and them he would tease the both of them.

Finally El, she wouldn't understand Homophobia (this is one of those social cue things I was talking about.) however, I think two things could happen. A being I don't think she would really KNOW that boys can like Boys and Girls can like Girls, so she would be like. "Wait...that can happen?" and then she would need it explained to her. Will would be extremely nervous, because El is Mike's girlfriend but while I think El would be a bit sad if she knew Mike had a crush on Will she would understand that you can't really change that. Also that she doesn't deserve to treated like that and should have someone who loves her. The second thing I could see happening is El going. "So? i like boys too??" and needing Homophobia explained to her, to which she goes. "That's fucking stupid. Mouth breather behavior honestly." and being supportive of Will.

Thank you for the ask by the way! I really wanted to talk about this and I hope you enjoy it!

[i-promise-i-am-not-on-drugs]

Just rewatched 03×02! :)

First up, Dustin and Dart!! I haven't talked about them earlier, but this episode is kinda about them, so let's go. Dustin is really cute in this episode honestly-- Love the "I need my paddles!!" thing! XD

Dart is strange, and definitely dangerous, but I have a friend who would've definitely done the same thing as Dustin lol. I'm glad that he likes animals at least?

The party and Dart! I really like these scene where they're all analyzing Dart to try to find out what it is. They're such nerds, and extremely smart nerds at that! All of them!! Also, the "ew, slimy *pass Dart to someone else*" thing was so funny! Love the details of Dustin passing it to his crush, Max passing it to her future boyfriend, Lucas passing it to his best friend, and Will passing it to his crush, and Mike keeping it in his hands(!), bring it close to his face(!!) and saying "what is he?" with that confused little face of his. (Idk if I'm into something here, tell me what you think please!)

Will's flashback was sad tho. :((

Bob and the Byers!! I like Bob, he's such a sweetheart. :)

Now, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan!! It really is time for stancy to break up. I really can't with them anymore, it's just sad. They're both sad. :(

Also I guess trying to save the catastrophic relationship of the Wheeler you're in love with is a Byers thing. 😔

Eleven and Hopper! Love their relationship. But I'm really happy to see El trying to break the rules Hopper set for her. Even if it's fucking dangerous and kinda worrying honestly.

Now, Mike and Max!! Let's be honest, that skateboard scene was funny because of their bickering, but it was also really cute. Did you guys see the smile Mike had while watching Max doing her stuff, and how worried he was about her when she fell? I don't know about you, but for me that looks like the start of a nice friendship!! :)

Love my "same text, different font" duo. :3

Alright, last but not least!! Will's vision! My poor boy's so stressed out and scared I want to wrap him in a blanket and never let him out again. (Though he definitely wouldn't like that at all, so let's just forget about it.) I'm happy he trusted Bob's advice, thought it wasn't a great decision for this situation. That would've worked for a nightmare, but since he's literally in the upside down, it was way too dangerous.

Also, I just wanted to say that for anyone who saw it too. There's so much r@pe references in there, it makes me really fucking uncomfortable. Please tell me I'm not the only one who saw that.