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artiststarme · 1 year

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Where's The "Talk"?

Based on a prompt from @samcoxramblings. I hope this meets your expectations! Please leave your thoughts in the comments and if you have any more angsty prompts, send them my way!

~*~*~*~

After coming out to the Party, Eddie and Steve were on their toes for days just waiting for someone to give them the ‘Talk’. They were amped up, prepared to receive loads of various threats ranging in creativity and snipe. But the days came and went and no one mentioned anything. Anytime Eddie would mention expecting a shovel talk to protect their babysitter, the kids awkwardly looked between one another before changing the subject. When Steve mentioned to Robin and Nancy that no one had warned him against hurting Eddie yet, they just rolled their eyes and ignored him. Neither man knew what the Party was waiting for.

After a week, Eddie loses his patience and asks the kids at their Hellfire session. “Okay guys, what gives? Where are the outlandish threats of violence, the creative insults about my character, the whole shabang? I’ve been on the edge of my seat for fucking days.”

“Eddie, what the hell are you talking about?” Dustin asked him, sounding puzzled.

Eddie snorted a sound of frustration. “The shovel talk! Steve and I told you that we were dating a week ago and no one has said anything! Is this a gay thing? Are you too scared of being homophobic to say anything? I can take it!”

The kids looked uncomfortable but Mike spoke. “Look man, we just don’t want to waste our time. You and Steve aren’t going to last. I mean, look how different you guys are! You’re awesome, you DM for Hellfire, and you’re in a band. What does Steve do? He works at Family Video all day and sure, he looks kinda good without a shirt on, but he has nothing else going for him!”

Lucas and Dustin looked at him in confusion before Dustin cleared his throat. “Eddie, we know you’re not going to hurt each other. You’re both our big brothers and you’re not actually dating. Steve likes girls! I’m sure he’s just looking for a way to let you down easy. I’m sorry, man.”

Meanwhile, Eddie looked at them indifferently. He couldn’t believe that these little assholes would say that to him and at a DnD session no less! He whipped his head to look at the original Hellfire members only to find Gareth, Jeff, and Grant looking shellshocked.

“Do you boys feel the same way?” He asked them, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Jeff shook his head slightly, “no way, man. We just don’t know Steve well enough to give him a talk. You know we’ve always supported you, if you want us to threaten him a little, we can.”

“Yeah, we’ll threaten the socks off of him!” Grant nodded. Gareth though just continued glaring at the kids.

Eddie nodded, it seemed there was a division of true friends and posers around the table. If his little sheep didn’t want to believe he and Steve would last, he’d show them. He and Steve were for life. Eddie was like a parasite, a viral STD if you will. Once you got him, you were stuck with him forever.

“Well, thank you for sharing your opinion. Does anyone else feel that way?” He asked them. Did the rest of the Party share the same views? He desperately needed to know.

Lucas nodded slowly, “well, yeah. Hopper says you guys are only seeing each other because you’re trauma-bonded and Robin said that it doesn’t mean anything anyways.”

Eddie chuckled sardonically. Oh so, the entire Party was against them? Fine, he didn’t need to be a part of the group that tore his life apart anyways.

“Alright, Hellfire’s disbanded. Get your stuff and get out. Corroded Coffin, we’ll continue the campaign as a three-piece on Thursday before band practice. I’m going to go see Steve, the guy I’m in a relationship with. You know, the one that ‘doesn’t mean anything’ since we’re ‘too different’ and ‘trauma-bonded’ and ‘waiting to get let down easy’? Go fuck yourself and fuck your precious Party too.” And with that, Eddie stormed out.

He drove straight to Family Video and was ashamed to find that frustrated tears had started leaking from his eyes. He couldn’t believe this. After all they’d gone through together with the Upside Down and psychic killers and murder accusations, being in a relationship with Steve was the tipping point? Absolutely ridiculous. He darted into the video store and didn’t even slow his stride as he threw his arms around Steve where he was talking to a customer.

“What the- Eddie? Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?” He asked him before turning back to the customer. “I’m sorry, could you talk to Robin over at the counter please? Have a nice day.”

Steve gently herded him into the employee lounge and pressed his teary face into the crook of his neck. “Eds, hey, what happened?”

“I’m so sorry, Stevie. I never should’ve said anything!”

“About what? What’s going on? Weren’t you supposed to be playing DnD today with the kids today?” Steve asked him. He wiped the tears from underneath Eddie’s eyes and rested a hand on the back of his neck for comfort.

“I asked the kids why we hadn’t gotten a shovel talk from anyone yet before we even started. They said that no one in the Party thinks we’re going to last. Hopper thinks we’re trauma-bonded, Mike doesn’t think we’re fucking compatible, Dustin thinks you’re faking it, and Robin thinks we’re not serious. They’re not interested in ‘wasting their time’ giving us a talk.”

Steve blinked in surprise before his face hardened. “We don’t need their acceptance or their approval. We know they’re wrong and that’s what matters. We don’t even need a talk from them. Fuck ‘em! We can give ourselves a shovel talk if our good-for-nothing-friends can’t do it!”

“Steve-”

“I’m serious, who gives a shit about their opinions? Who are they to judge? Dustin’s dating a girl over the radio that lives in goddamn Utah or some shit. Lucas can’t judge because Max broke up with him again for like the tenth time this month. Mike’s only girlfriend was a girl he found in the woods that didn’t know any better than to date him. Robin’s never even been in a relationship so she can’t judge us for having one. And Hopper is 100% going to be in the doghouse after I tell Joyce about what he said. Fuck what they have to say.”

“But Stevie, how are we going to give one to ourselves? That doesn’t even make sense,” Eddie told him gently.

“Fine, then we’ll give one to each other. Eddie, if you break my heart, I’m going to give Wayne adoption papers and take your last name whether you want me to or not.”

Eddie sputtered, “what the fuck? What kind of talk is that? You’re supposed to threaten me with physical harm, not whatever mindfuckery that was!”

“Don’t belittle my shovel talk! Like you could do any better,” Steve scoffed at him.

“Oh yeah? Steve, if you break my heart then I’m going to break your kneecaps so you can’t leave until I win you back. And if I break your heart, I’m going to finish what the bats started.”

“Jesus fucking Christ, Eddie! Are you okay? That’s fucking violent!” Steve yelled.

“That’s the point!” Eddie screamed back.

“No it’s not!”

“Yes it is, you’re supposed to threaten to hide the body with a shovel,” Eddie said like it was obvious.

“Dingus, stop talking to Eddie and get back to work. We have a line,” Robin said exasperatedly, poking her head into the back room.

“We’re giving each other shovel talks since you losers wouldn’t do it. You know, since this means something. I’ll be out when we’re done with that,” Steve told her bitchily.

“Fuck off Buckley,” Eddie hissed venomously. Robin looked shocked at his mutiny but backed away regardless.

Steve stared at the door for a moment but Eddie drew his attention back to himself with a whispered, “if you don’t hurt me, I’ll help you hide a body.”

Steve cackled and murmured back, “you already were accused of murder once, you need to stop being so violent!”

They continue to date until marriage is legalized in the state of Illinois, where they move shortly after they deliver their truly remarkable shovel talks. As payback, they get a marriage certificate at the courthouse and don’t invite anyone from the Party to act as witnesses. Instead, Uncle Wayne, Jeff, Gareth, and Grant surround them and hear the clerk declare them husbands.

(Hopper and the rest of the Party find out at Christmas that year and everyone loses their shit in synchrony. They all learn a valuable lesson that day that Eddie Munson holds the meanest of grudges.)

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#Eddie does in fact show everyone that he's serious about Steve #whenever anyone ever asks him if he's serious he says “yeah as serious as I told you I was about Steve and I dating.”#Steve is a little bit nicer about it but some bitchiness comes out when his relationship is questioned #stranger things #steddie #steddie ish #fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #chief hopper #robin buckley #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #mike wheeler #uncle wayne #grant #gareth emerson #jeff #corroded coffin

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bibylers · 3 months

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Byler vs Mileven

So, I haven't ever really "actually" thought about this question before. Mileven or Byler?

Byler, of course! But that's just what I think. What if we just think about it in general.

I decided to split this in three different questions.

1. Which one is better written? (long answer)

2. Which one is most likely endgame? (medium answer)

3. Which one has more fans? (short answer)

So, let's start with the first one!

WHICH ONE IS BETTER WRITTEN?

Let's start with Mileven.

Mileven has been canon ever since season 1, and is still canon in season 4. Let's think about how Mileven started.

A very original "love at first sight" scene. Mike, Lucas and Dustin are in the forest, searching for Will, but instead of finding Will, they accidentally find El. The camera right away starts zooming towards Mike instead of the other party members, which at least gave me the "oh okay so they're gonna be the main young couple" thought when I first watched s1.

I have personally never liked the idea of "love at first sight", which is one of the main reasons I do not like the way the writers started Mileven.

But, thinking in general, a love at first sight start is a normal and basic way to start a relationship.

We through st get to see how Mike and Elevens relationship escalate quickly from friends to lovers.

Now - what l'm about to say is of course very according to the writer, but as a (non professional ofc) writer myself, I don't enjoy writing a fast burn love story. And this doesn't just come from me, but many other writers too. A slow burn adds way more to the tension than what a fast burn does.

But, of course again, thinking in general, many people enjoy fast burns too.

Mileven in s2 is very well written in my opinion. I love how they made a long exhausting wait before finally letting Mike and Eleven meet again, after a year of not being able to even see eachother. They did not get a lot of time together, but they still got the emotional, slow motion reunion.

Season 3 Mileven is where Mileven were in their "honeymoon phase". Mileven shippers LOVED it, meanwhile, others did not. It started getting a little boring almost, with the same repeating cycle.

S1: Mileven get together, Mileven gets ruined (El "died")

S2: Mileven aren't together, Mileven get together (reunion)

S3: Mileven are together. Mileven break up. Mileven get back together.

Were the duffers EVER going to let Mileven just be together for a whole season?

Season 4 proved that the answer was definitely no.

S4: Mileven are together, they "break up", they get seperated, they reunite, and still do not officially get back together, despite Mike's love confession to El.

So, the basic compilation of Mileven:

Very healthy from s1-s2, got a little confusing in s3, getting completely ruined in s4.

Now, Byler time.

S1 Byler gets barely any screentime together, yet we still get the understanding that Mike and Wills relationship is very different from the other relationships (for example Dustin and Lucas.

Were shown that Will cannot lie to Mike & that Mike is the most concerned from the party about Will's missing.

S2 Byler on the other hand, has a lot of screentime together, and a lot of adorable moments.

For example, these:

Crazy together scene (2x02)

Mike coming over to take care of Will (2x04 & 2x05)

Mike tells Will that meeting him is the best thing that's ever happened to him (2x08)

Of course there are many others, but those are my favorites by far.

S2 was a great season over all for Byler. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.

Not yet generally thought as anything but platonic, but still, adorable.

S3 for Byler sadly wasn't the best season for them. Of course, Mike had ALOT of queercoding in this season and so did Will, but the Byler scene amount in particular were not even close to the same amount of Byler scenes in s2. We of course get the "It's not my fault you don't like girls" Byler rain fight (3x03), but that wasn't a very positive scene either.

This scene was the definition of Murray's "curtain explanation". The general audience does not usually try to look that deep under the curtain, meanwhile, hard core fans, st theorists and Bylers in particular LOVES to look behind the curtain. Search for clues everywhere.

And that search of course lead to this statement.

The duffers are building up a romantic plot between Will and Mike, specifically a Will Byers "gay plot" and a Mike Wheeler internalized homophobia plot.

And was that statement correct, 3 years later when S4 came out?

Oh yes it was.

S4: the Byler season

Bylers took over the whole fandom. (I'm not even joking).

S4 was of course mostly known for Max's plot, but secondly?

The byler plot.

Now, Byler compilation:

Very healthy from s1-s2, not at it's best in s3 (if you don't look behind the curtain), shining bright like a diamond in s4.

FINAL ANSWER TO QUESTION NO 1:

Byler.

Byler is better written.

There, I said it. Please do not MURDER ME.

Now, question NO2.

WHICH ONE IS MOST LIKELY ENDGAME?

Starting with Mileven, let's think about how s4 ended.

Broke up, seperated, never got back together.

Adding to this, El hadn't even spoken much to Mike after his love confession.

Now, that might sound a little strict, but the fact that all l just said was completely true, not even from behind the curtain, makes it just so clear how Mileven is obviously not at it's best, and most likely at it's end.

So, as a quick answer, I say: Mileven is most likely not becoming endgame in s5.

Now, Byler.

Awkward -> strong -> romantic.

Realize the buildup?

Their bond in S4 was absolutely adorable and strong.

Mikes face expressions towards Will:

I mean, do I even have to say anything?

So incredibly in love.

So, once again as a quick answer:

Byler is almost 100% becoming endgame. Reasoning to why some of the general audience doesn't realize this is once again, because of the curtain. But, looking behind it, you realize right away how incredibly endgame they are.

Final question!

WHICH ONE HAS MORE FANS?

Well, basic explanation to this:

Yeah. Byler it is.

So, FULL WRAP UP!!!

QUESTION 1: WHICH ONE IS BETTER WRITTEN:

Answer: Byler

QUESTION 2: WHICH ONE IS MOST LIKELY ENDGAME:

Answer: Byler

QUESTION 3: WHICH ONE HAS MORE FANS:

Answer: Byler

There you go everyone. Mileven vs Byler, who wins?

Personally: Byler

Generally: Byler

Answer?

Byler!!!!

#byler #<<target audience #will byers #mike wheeler #anti milkvan #milkvan is bones #platonic elmike #stranger things #byler st5 #st5 speculation #byler theories #byler endgame #stranger things 5 #byler is real #byler tumblr #byler is canon

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willel · 1 month

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A thought on my mind I wanted to type before I go to bed.

Although there are a lot of allusions to time and time travel, I'm thinking there won't be literal time travel. If you don't know what I mean, my two main focus points being:

Will's original S1 outfit being a reference to Marty McFly from Back to the Future and various other Back to the Future references

Henry/Vecna's obsession with time and clocks

Even though I don't think time travel will literally happen, what if the team has to figuratively "step back in time" to find the answer to something? Retrace their footsteps?

They revisit vital locations from the past, finding clues to defeat Vecna along the way.

I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I saw all the movies once and I'm aware of the "horcrux" lore. Did they do something similar in the final movies to find all Voldemort's hidden soul pieces to kill him?

I have a different similar example from my favorite manga/anime called Natsume Yuujinchou (Natume's Book of Friends). To keep it simple, Natsume is an orphan who has been passed around from family member to family member and suffered a lot of abuse along the way. Why? Because he has the rare ability to see, interact with, and talk to yokai. Despite his best efforts, he can't lie about his abilities to himself or the people around him. Luckily, at the start of the series, he is taken in by distant relatives of his father and his life finally starts to get a bit better. I highly recommend you check it out.

In Natsume Yuujinchou, there is a chapter about a powerful mirror that is split apart by a thunderstorm. While venturing in the woods, a piece of the mirror falls into Natsume's eye. The owner of the mirror (a yokai) demands Natsume help them piece the mirror back together or else (threats, as yokai tend to do). How? Well, because a piece of the mirror fell into his eye, Natsume feels pain whenever he starts getting close to another shard. The pain is only relieved when he finds it.

The locations are a little random, but they're all around the small rural town Natsume now lives in. Some places are recurring important places in the story like a shrine, he's friend's house, or Natsume's school. Others not so much.

So think of it this way. The team with Will and El in the lead going from spot to spot looking for.... "something" that will help them learn information or maybe grow stronger? Maybe a way to defeat Vecna who knows.

So that leaves us with what are the "vital places" where they would find such clues to Henry's defeat. Let me put my brain to work

The Byers home. Reason? From the audience's point of view, this is where everything kicked off. The place where Will was taken. I find it unlikely though simply because the real life Byers house got sold off a while ago and might be inaccessible

Mirkwood, the street where Will first encountered the Demogorgon. It's also near where Castle Byers was and where The Party found El. Many significant things happened there Upside Down related or not. I find this one very likely since they posted a picture of what is probably a flashback in Castle Byers

Hawkins Middle School. Like Mirkwood, a lot of significant things happened here. It was where the Mind Flayer finally caught Will. It was also the place of El and Henry's reunion even though it was taking place in Max's mind.

Ruins of the Starcourt Mall. This might be unlikely but depending on how much has been cleaned up/repaired, maybe there is something to be found there as well.

Hawkins Lab. Of course, the lab is the true place where all this begins. Surely if there's a vital place that will help them figure things out, it must be the lab right?

Hopper's cabin. Maybe a stretch since they were only briefly there in S3 to hide away. But it was attacked by the Mind Flesher and deeply wounded by El there. It was also El's special safe place for such a long time relative to how long it's been since she was free.

Mike's house??? Nothing supernaturally interesting has happened here but it's a vital place of safety for most of the cast for pretty much every season so I dunno. Eh, this one is probably a stretch.

Well, that's all I had on my mind but maybe someone else has other ideas for these "vital places" and what they might find there?

#stranger things #theory

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timetobeaghost · 2 years

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I can't with the complete ignorance of people claiming Mike is not the heart of the party because another character seems squishier or something. Anyone watched the show?

There is no party without Mike, There is not looking for Will, no finding El. If there was any finding El, there would be no keeping El because Dustin and Lucas were nothing but freaked by her until THROUGH MIKE they had a lot of possibility to bond with her and appreciate her day saving abilities. MIKE luckily gave her a chance before she did anything useful just out of empathy and general heart matters, or there would have been no Will and general day saving. Mike also holds the connection to El through S2 and well, until now.

There is no indication that Will would ever be friends with Lucas or Dustin if it wasn't for Mike. He repeatedly implied he feels disconnected from them and they treat him like a freak and wouldn't understand him. (seems harsh but he feels that way)

MIKE has a full blown bromance going with both of them tho. "I call bull on your logic because you are my best friend too" *jumps off cliff for Dustin*. And this supercute scene of Dustin finally reaching Mike in the Supermarket in S3 is one of my all time faves. Obviously they gave strong bff vibes in ep1, S4.

Lucas was in the original pitch and by Dustin in S1 described as Mike's best friend and this is definitely showcased in S3 where he seems very motivated to hang out with Mike and pissed off only when he doesn't spend enough time with or pay enough attention to him - same way he felt in S1 according to Dustin. S4 also continues this dynamic although it is a bit generalized with Lucas wanting Mike and Dustin to come to his game and being hurt they don't. (And they want to come for his sake, they're just led astray by Eddie)

Max did not join the party through Mike LOL (She was added by the romance with Lucas.) This was a problem for her and she certainly tried to win Mike over. In S3 she was somewhat antagonistic towards him, a payback for the rejection. Then in the end they had to work as a team and at one point Mike tries to defend her from possessed Billy which leads to him being knocked out and her fearing he died...

Which leads us to S4 in which we see Max sitting next to Mike in class, pushing through the crowd to stand next to Mike at the game, mentioning him before El(!) and Will when giving out letters, which together with Mike mentioning her first when listing his friends back in Hawkins really starts to mean something. Mike is also Max' emotional support of choice, if she can choose.

While other party members have interesting, cute relationships with each other, the only one that is deeper than those characters' relationship with Mike is Lumax.

He is the reason the party exists, he is the center and not because he is some kind of political leader they chose to follow based on his vision and mission, but because he is the Mike they love and are drawn to emotionally. He is the heart of the party. Over and out.

#mike wheeler #will byers #byler #dustin henderson #Lucas sinclair #max mayfield #eleven #stranger things #mileven #madwheeler #and so on #XD #everyone who read all that gets an eggo

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thegayhimbo · 8 months

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Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons Review

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from this comic and Season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Synopsis: Taking place before and during seasons 1-3, this comic chronicles the origins of The Party, their discovery of D&D, how the game impacted their lives, and how their shared love for fantasy and adventure allowed them to bond.

Observations:

Fantasy has always been appealing to me since I was a kid: The idea of creating worlds with your own characters, creatures, mythology, and story. The idea of universes out there more extraordinary and unique compared to the one we live in. The idea your imagination can bring some semblance of peace and security to your life. I know this and have lived through it. Even 27 years later, despite becoming more cynical and jaded through trauma and bitter experiences, I will always understand those who use fantasy to confront the harshness of the real world. It's why Mike's words hit home for me when he's telling the bookstore owner about why he's interested in D&D and wants to spend money on it:

"It really is like a war. We just want to fight on our own terms." Isn't that how we all feel at times? Some days, you're trying to survive the chaos of life, while other days involve you making choices between what is right and what is easy. Some days, everything is a shit-show, and you're trying to find something to keep you motivated. Some days, you have to deal with truly vile people and accept that they exist whether you like it or not. We all fight battles of some kind. We all have different ways of coping with how cold and indifferent reality can be. We all crave some sense of control in our lives.

For Mike and his friends, D&D provided that. Not only did it allow them to process their world easier, but it also gave them a sense of liberation from how oppressive the (as Eddie would put it) "forced conformity" of their society is. It's their world, and it's where they are the masters of their own destinies.

Now I'll admit I never really got into D&D. Both my brother and my college roommates tried to rope me into the game, and at the time I didn't have the patience for it. However, I do understand its appeal, and respect how it's a game for both kids and adults that forms friendships and can be a fun, shared experience for everyone. Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons is not only a story of how D&D influenced each member of the Party, but also a love letter to both the show and the game itself.

The artwork for this comic is incredible and some of the best I've seen so far. I love the drawings of the various D&D campaigns and the creative designs for the creatures the group encounters during their travels.

I also love how each campaign either draws upon the Party's experiences from school and their daily lives, or from the trauma they've endured since their encounters with the horrors of the Upside Down:

That last part is significant because at one point in the comic, Mike seriously questions whether or not D&D has any real meaning for him or his friends following his first meeting with the Demogorgon and the revelation that monsters exist:

Just like in the short story "The Game Master," Nancy is the one who comforts Mike during his crisis. She helps him realize that even though things can't go back to the way they were after everything that's happened, he still has his friends, and what made D&D valuable to them in the first place (aside from it being a means of dealing with the world around them) is that it brought and kept them together as companions.

Nancy recognizes the value D&D has to Mike. It's why she dressed up as an Elf for his Elder Tree Campaign all those years ago, and it's why she still encourages him despite his doubts.

(Side Note: I've always enjoyed the sibling dynamic Nancy and Mike have, and I'm praying season 5 includes more interactions between the two of them).

Speaking of which, this comic does a great job cementing the importance of D&D to Mike and Will's relationship. Mike is the one who introduced Will to D&D and even coined the nickname "Will the Wise" for him:

On top of that, in a deeply heartwarming moment, Mike goes out of his way to craft a specific campaign for Will following Will's rescue from the Upside Down. He knows Will is struggling and scared due to what happened to him, and works to help Will feel better and regain his confidence by giving him the opportunity to be a hero again. As Mike explains to Nancy:

This even extends to Mike handing over the role of Dungeon Master to Will by the time Max and El join The Party:

I know it's pretty common these days in the fandom to bash Mike for being insensitive and oblivious, but moments like these demonstrate he is capable of putting thought and effort into helping and encouraging his friends and loved ones. A big reason Will is passionate about D&D is because Mike inspired Will to embrace his talent and imagination. Will isn't likely to ever forget that.

Another aspect I enjoyed was getting to see how Mike, Will, and Lucas met Dustin. Back in season 1, Dustin remarks that he didn't become friends with them until around 4th grade, and the comic elaborates more on the circumstances of their meeting:

Turns out D&D appealed to Dustin's love for math and probabilities. There's also how he expressed interest in the game and didn't belittle it like Mike's other classmates did. Dustin is a curious person after all, and is more interested in figuring out how something works instead of dismissing it like other people do when they can't understand it.

Finally, there's Lucas's interest in D&D. At the beginning of the comic, when he and Mike are hiding from Troy and James, they go into a bookstore where they see the owner has created a display of The Battle of Waterloo, which is something that impresses Lucas:

There is the possibility I'm reading too much into this, but Lucas's comment about his dad's service in Vietnam and his refusal to talk about it makes me wonder if Lucas's interest in D&D isn't just because of the fantasy-adventure elements, but because it's his way of trying to understand what his dad went through during the war. The game has those battles between good and evil, as well as teaching people about making tough choices and relying on your companions when the going gets tough. Lucas is smart enough to piece things together, and even if his dad was reluctant to talk about Vietnam, he may have figured out aspects of that war based on what he was taught in school and whatever small details he could have picked up from his family.

Mike talks about how D&D for him is about fighting a war on his own terms, and the same goes for Lucas.

But it goes beyond that: D&D gave the boys memories to cherish, and the means to not feel alone while growing up:

Something else I want to discuss are the dates presented in the comic:

I don't know what information (if any) that Jody Houser or Dark Horse Comics were given about season 4 when this comic was written (which came out in late 2020/early 2021), but I find it to be a pretty big coincidence that the date Mike and Lucas discover D&D for the first time is on September 8th, 1980, which is exactly one year after the Massacre at Hawkins Lab took place and El banished Henry/One/Vecna to the Upside Down.

We also find out Mike's birthday is on April 7th, 1971. Granted, this is what the comic presents as his birthday, so I don't know if it's his actual birthday on the show. Regardless, it's still a cool detail.

And this was the gift Mike's friends gave him on his 10th birthday:

Finally, there's the last D&D campaign the Party plays in 1985 before El and Will leave Hawkins for Lenora. On the surface, there are callbacks to season 2, with Will's character in the game getting taken over by an evil entity (similar to how he was possessed by the Mind Flayer) and the Party having to work together to save him:

The big difference is while Will was able to be rescued in season 2, his character dies tragically in the game:

Again, I'm not saying the comic creators have any foreknowledge of what's going to occur in the final season, but I've been firm in believing that one or more main characters will end up dead before season 5 is over. I did a post a while back speculating that Mike was marked for death (and giving my reasoning for why), but I also wonder if it could also be Will, especially because of Vecna's creepy interest in him. There's a connection between the two of them the show hasn't fully explained yet, and (as I talked about in my review of Stranger Things The Other Side), I've seen fans on social media note the parallels between Vecna and Will and speculate on the idea of Will possibly turning evil in the last season. I'm skeptical of that happening (mostly because of the backlash the Duffer Brothers would face for it), but I do question what Will's fate will be in the final season. For what it's worth, Ross Duffer mentioned in an interview that Will's arc in season 5 will tie the whole series together, so make of that what you're able to.

There's also the final battle:

I remember the vision Vecna shows Nancy in season 4: A dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. A creature with a giant gaping mouth. An army of monsters invading. The death of her family (including Mike). Most of this is likely foreshadowing for what's to come. Just like the Party faces down an army of demons in their final game, they will also be facing down Vecna's army of monsters in the final season.

But in spite of how bad circumstances get, the one thing I trust is the Party will still have each other to rely on. I will be sad to see them all of them go once the show is over.

Overall, a solid comic and one of my personal favorites. I highly recommend it.

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Kamchatka Review

#stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #dustin henderson #lucas sinclair #el hopper #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #vecna #henry creel #number 1 #the mind flayer #stranger things season 4 #stranger things comics #stranger things and dungeons and dragons #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #the duffer brothers

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michaelgruberfan · 9 months

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A first person story from Michael for the Broadway Buzz! about his experience with A Chorus Line! (X) Published Feb 19, 2008

Michael Gruber: My Twice-in-a-Lifetime Experience in A Chorus Line

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About the author: Through a combination of talent and timing, Michael Gruber is making theatrical history as the only actor who appeared in both the original Broadway company of A Chorus Line including the legendary final performance, no less! and in the current Broadway revival of the show. In a career spanning almost 20 years, Gruber has amassed a resume that includes yet another record-breaking Broadway show Cats, in which he played Munkustrap, plus Kiss Me, Kate, Swing, Miss Saigon, My Favorite Year, The Wizard of Oz and the Encores! production of Stairway to Paradise. His regional credits include starring roles in Singin' in the Rain, Easter Parade, White Christmas, Godspell and many more. A former all-American diver who trained for the Olympics, Gruber has also composed three musicals himself. He recently shared memories of his unique experience of appearing in A Chorus Line then…and now.

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A Chorus Line was my first Broadway show. I was only 24 years old when I got the role of Mike Costa, the cheerful young dancer who sings "I Can Do That," and I was so stagestruck about being in the show. It's the typical story: I had seen A Chorus Line in Cincinnati when I was a junior in high school and said, 'This is what I want to do.'"

What I remember most vividly about the final Broadway performance on April 28, 1990, is that it was out of control! It was a Saturday, so the matinee that day was really the last time we as a company felt we were doing the show itself. The final performance that night was more about the audience, which included a lot of original cast members and others who loved the show and had come back to say good-bye. I remember the wonderful neon sign that flew in to center stage with the number of performances—6,137—lit up.

For me, the most startling thing was having to stand there after my number for what seemed like a full minute. They just wouldn't stop applauding. I've never experienced anything like that, even when I was in Cats on the night it passed A Chorus Line as the longest-running Broadway show. I realize now that the applause was not really about me; it was about the show itself. It was the end of an era.

I met the original Mike, Wayne Cilento, at the closing night party, which was held at the old Mamma Leone's. He was charming, but the original cast didn't socialize with us much; they were all on one side of the room and we were on the other. It hurt our feelings at the time, but now that I'm over 40, working with kids in their 20s, I understand. They were all friends, and they had their own nostalgic bond.

Since then, I've auditioned for several companies of A Chorus Line, but I'd never done the show again until I was offered the opportunity to replace Michael Paternostro as Gregory Gardner in the Broadway revival. It's been such a fantastic gift to work with Baayork Lee, the original Connie, who was at the epicenter of the creation of the show and has restaged it all over the world. Director Michael Bennett had passed away by the time I joined the cast, but Baayork remembers everything: Anything you want to ask, even after all these years, she can tell you.

I was fascinated to hear about the original Greg, Michel Stuart, who reinvented himself as a cultured, artistic personality. Playing a Jew from the Bronx is far from me, a Midwestern Catholic, but I can understand someone who creates a character from his own life and aspires to taste and sophistication. The fact that Greg is gay should be somewhat of a surprise to the audience; the character has a superiority and a confidence because he's been around. Baayork and Michel were very good friends, so my character's relationship with Connie is strong, and also with Cassie because they're the older dancers. That's why Cassie stands between Sheila and Greg onstage. The audience may not get all that, but knowing the background of the show anchors and orients me.

As I look at the show now, I'm struck by how contemporary it feels. It was ahead of its time back then; that's what made it revolutionary. Michael Bennett embraced the idea of presenting the real-life stories of ordinary people, knowing that audiences would be interested. It's a testament to Nicholas Dante and Ed Kleban, who wrote the book, that A Chorus Line doesn't feel dated. It's timeless because it's so truthful and not based in pop culture. The show is as perfect as it can be, which means that as an actor, I don't need to reinvent the wheel. When you muck about with it, it loses its crispness. My task is to take my ego out of it and serve the show so that its truthfulness comes through. Keep it simple. Keep it real.

I went into the revival last summer with nine other actors, and during rehearsals, we skipped the numbers that didn't involve the replacement cast. So it wasn't until our first performance that I had the great thrill of watching Jeffrey Schecter's brilliant performance of "I Can Do That." Feelings of nostalgia washed over me as the realization of how lucky I was to be standing on that white line again after all these years came vividly into focus. Later, Jeffrey and I shared another "full circle" moment: He remembered seeing a tape of "I Can Do That" on Nightline during a story about the original production just before it closed. "You were in that last company," he said to me. "Did you do a standing back somersault at the end of the number?" When I said yes, he replied, "I saw you on TV when I was 14. And I said to myself, 'I want to do that.'"

#michael gruber #A chorus Line #Broadway Buzz #2008 #2000s #Articles

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korkiekenobiconfirmed · 2 years

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Note to self: don’t be gay (or queer-coded) in Indiana.

No, seriously.

I want to start with Robin, the only confirmed queer character we have on the show (and that alone is a bullshit statement considering the broad cast of characters the show’s working with).

She was originally intended to get with Steve in the end of S3 but Joe and Maya, in a push for them to remain platonic rather than romantic, actually brought up the idea of her being gay. The coming out scene was a great way to bring Robin further into her own, making her more of a distinct character than she would have been as just another love interest for King Steve, but it was also an amazing way to show Steve’s development as a character.

Come S4, we met Vickie, and it looked like we’d finally get a queer relationship on-screen until this scene.

And was this scene really necessary? Was it? Why did we need to see Steve hyping Robin up only to have her hopes for Vickie liking her shattered in the middle of a fucking gun store?

While the end scene with them in the gym gave me some hope, it’s still nothing concrete. This following quote is from a Netflix article about Vickie and Robin:

A “glimmer of hope”? Seriously? Even the one character confirmed to be gay can’t have a happy, on-screen relationship, however minor it is to the plot. FOUR seasons in and we can’t get a single queer couple.

Which brings me to my next point...Will.

He’s been queer-coded since S1 and it’s only gotten worse as time went on. In school, all of the Party members were bullied for being weird and nerdy, but there were also more specific things the bullies would target each of them for; Dustin’s lisp, Lucas’ race, and Will’s sexuality. He’s called various gay slurs by classmates, Lonnie Beyers, etc.

Then S2, and “It’s not my fault you don’t even like girls!” They can try and play that off as Mike saying Will just never seems to have crushes, but the delivery of the line, the fear in Will’s eyes as Mike says it, tells a far different story.

S4.01 upped the ante by a huge amount. Yeah, there were littler moments like the Alan Turing hero project or the girl in Will’s class, but it was no longer about throwaway lines or middle school bullies. We, the audience, watched Will’s growing jealousy and resignation towards Mike and El. We saw the pain on Will’s face when Mike said “We’re friends! Just friends” with a little too much force.

It was hard to watch, but 4.02 left a chance for the Duffers to fix what they’d started… They did no such thing.

Right out the gate we got the scene where Will was giving Mike advice about “El”. Will spills his heart out all over the floor of that van without ever saying what he truly wants to say and what comes of it? Nothing.

This scene was heartbreaking. It was a punch to the gut. It was a huge, fat fuck you from the Duffers.

Because Will bared his pain and his love to Mike in the only way he thought he could get it all through to him and in the end it’s just a device to further Mike and El’s heterosexual relationship. Not only that, but the encouragement and love Will shows to Mike before the final battle is used to help El defeat Vecna.

And yet maybe I could have forgiven them for all that, maybe, if we could just get 100% concrete evidence that Will is gay. The scene before the freezer bath when Will and Jonathan were talking could have been the perfect moment. “I’m gay,” Will all but whispers into his shoulder, and Jonathan just wraps his arms around his brother even tighter because it’s the only way he can convey that he knows and he loves him and he’s so goddamn proud…

…But we can’t even get something as simple as that.

Queer pain being used to win a battle and advance the plot while seeing no fruition for the queer character himself is worse than having no rep at all.

I want to wrap this up with my last point, the Duffers’ final slap-in-the-face to queer audiences.

Sweet, sweet Eddie Munson.

The town pariah, the outcast, the freak. The godless Satan-worshipper who was corrupting the youth.

When I say Eddie was queer-coded, that’s what I mean. I don’t mean his metalhead style or the handkerchief in his back pocket. I mean he was a misunderstood loner who’d distanced himself from other students as a form of protection, who was being literally hunted for a crime he didn’t commit.

A young man who died a violent death trying to be a hero and save a town that had never wanted him.

And who do we see mourn him, in the end? Just Dustin, who held him as he died, and his uncle, who always advocated for his innocence. He died the kind of death millions of queer people suffered during that time thanks to AIDS: largely alone and hated by most of society, with only the few people who had known him best willing to try and carry on his memory.

#stranger things meta #stranger things #will beyers #robin buckley #eddie munson #queer coding #ronance #steddie #byler

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eddievanhammettmunson · 2 years

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Trips. (Part 1)

Eddie Munson x Fem reader

Message from author- hi everyone. I’m so excited to be writing this but also insanely nervous because I haven’t written fan fiction since the ripe year of 2014. That being said there will probably be errors that I will do my best to avoid. The writing may not be the best cause I’m rusty but I’ll give it my all. If you want a part 2 please let me know :)

Warnings- Mentions of drugs and drug use, fluff (I’ll write smut someday when I’m ready but today ain’t that day hunny), takes place in season 4 ig but it’s my imagination so the Byers are still in Hawkins and people are actually able to be happy?happy ending? But also not really cause I wanna write a part two so if your interested in a part 2 let me know.

Summary- Being stuck between popular and nobody has always been a fine line. But when a few of your freshman friends ask you to join in on their adventures with the hellfire club is y/n ready to risk their safe haven of a reputation to join the freaks? And maybe even a certain freak in particular?

“So what you’re saying Sinclair has been taken in by the dark side” Eddie said as he was eyeing both dustin and Mike waiting for their response.

“Uh something like that” the moment Mike Wheeler said this suddenly there was a piece of food being thrown at his face.

“Something like that? And rather than find a Sub for him you’d like to POSTPONE the cult of Vecna”. Upon saying this Eddie could already feel the freshman growing worrisome about what the next words out of Eddie’s mouth would be. That is until Will finally showed up at the lunch table. Seemingly distracting everyone with the book in his hand.

“You’re late Byers. You here to ask me to postpone the cult of Vecna too?” Eddie said not even looking Will in the face fully knowing Will would say yes.

“Yes actually. I know I know you’ve been planning this forever Eddie and it means a lot to all of us and that’s why I think Lucas should be here. And I know how important the cult of Vecna is and if you let us postpone it by even just a day I’ll work on character sheets and help you prepare for the campaign and everything Eddie I promise. But Lucas is our friend and a party member asking for support and as his party I feel like we should be there for him” Will said this so confidently and calmly that it left the entire lunch table stunned.

Eddie thought on this for a moment. He stood up and walked behind Dustin, Will and Mike.

“Okay Byers. One day I’ll postpone it for one day and you have to keep up your end of the deal by helping me setup for the campaign. Now as for you two” Eddie said as he put his hands on Dustin and Mikes shoulders yanking them up from their seats.

“Now you two who had the nerve to ask me to postpone the cult of Vecna without any sort of plan or bargaining chip, you two get to go out and find 2 little lost sheep to join in our hellish crusade” Eddie said shoving the freshman forward into the sea of high schoolers.

“Wait what why 2 there’s no way we’re gonna find 2 people from this school to join us Eddie” As Mike said this he realized it was not going to change Eddie’s mind at all. Hell he’ll be lucky if they don’t have to find 3 members now.

“Isn’t it obvious 1 new member for each of you. Now get out there and find somebody”.

With lunch nearing its end y/n sat in the cafeteria just dozing off at the useless conversation happening around you. And since you weren’t really all that interested in the conversation let alone any of the people you were sitting with really you decided that maybe you’d just skip next period to go outside and read by yourself. That is until you walked past Jason’s table and Jason and his girlfriend Chrissy approached and stopped you.

“Hey y/n you’re coming to the game tonight right?” Chrissy said and she looked at you with a wide eyes and a wide smile to match.

“I hadn’t originally planned on it but Sinclair gave me this ticket and I’m always down to support a friend” you said looking at their table and giving Lucas a small wave. You didn’t totally understand why he’d decided to join the basketball team and sit with these people but you couldn’t really judge him for it. And of course you were gonna be at the game to support him no matter what. He’s one of your closest friends really.

“Well I’m sure Chance will be real happy to see you in the stands” Jason said looking at you. He had a slight smirk on his face.

“You know I’m not gonna be there for him Jason. We broke up end of story Jason”. As you finished saying this you decided this conversation wasn’t worth anymore of your time and just continued on your way outside to read your book and clear your mind.

It’s weird being the person in between. You’re not exactly the queen of Hawkins high like Chrissy but everyone knows you. You’re at every party, almost every game. Hell you dated one of the guys on the basketball team for over a year despite the fact that you’re not some pretty pom Pom cheerleader. If anything the crowd you run with the most would be the party people. Your wild hair colors and dark clothes and chains have you bordering on freak territory but for some reason nobody ever treats you like one. You’re not invisible but you’re not seen. You exist and everyone know who you are but very little know you.

You’d thought about maybe heading to the yearbook room to talk to Nancy but you knew she’d be busy since she’s taken on being the chair of the Hawkins high newspaper and you didn’t want to distract her or get your eyes clawed out for distracting her. She’s very high strung but besides Robin and Steve she’s pretty much your best friend. And you would go hang out with Robin but you really didn’t feel like sitting with the band kids and all their instruments today. So outside alone is where you ended up staying with your book.

As you sat there reading your book you didn’t realize how much time you’d spent sitting there reading. Not until you heard the last bell and realized you’d accidentally skipped all your afternoon classes. Wouldn’t be the first time but your grades are good enough to get by. As you’re walking off campus you hear Mike and Dustin arguing in the distance but decide to just head on your way and ask them about it another time. That is until you hear their footsteps and voices coming up behind you running to catch up with you.

“Y/N WAIT UP PLEASE WAIT WE WANNA TALK TO YOU” Dustin yelled at the top of his lungs as if he was dying. Worried this might be an upside down situation you quickly spin around.

“What’s wrong are you guys okay? Is it?…” your voice trails off as you look at them with wide eyes. Out of breath Mike and Dustin realize what you mean and Mike trying to catch his breath says

“No no no sorry nothing like that but we do need your help” Mike looks like he’s going to continue but gets cut off abruptly by Dustin.

“Y/n we need you to join hellfire club with us please it’s life or death” Dustin looks at you pleading. Not a bone in his or Mikes body actually thinks you’ll say yes but they’re running out of options.

“Guys I can’t I promised Lucas I’d go to his game tonight. Wait are you guys not going to his game????” As you said this you realize you may have snapped at them a bit but waited for their response anyways.

“No no we are but we had to talk Eddie into letting us Postpone it and he agreed but we have to find 2 people to join hellfire with us tomorrow instead and we haven’t been able to find anyone, Y/n pleaseeeeee this is important” Dustin was begging you at this point and Mike looked like he was about to pass out waiting for your response.

“Okay okay calm down I’ll be there. You guys meet in the theatre room right?” You say as you start to turn around and continue your walk to the parking lot.

Both the boys looked stunned that you’d agree so easily and Mike stumbling after you managed to cough out

“Uh yeah YES we meet in the theatre room. Y/n wait do you need any help setting up your character cause you have to come with a character and a sheet and-“ before he could continue talking all you say is

“Don’t worry about me I’ll be there. You guys should be more worried about the second member you’re gonna get to join”

“Shit shit shit!” Dustin exclaims feeling the victory they’d just secured fading away in realizing the task is only 50% complete.

“You know you guys there’s more than one Sinclair in this town who’d like to play D&D I believe” you said with a smirk as you watched the two boys run towards Hawkins middle school.

As you walked into the gym you’re suddenly hit with a fresh ounce of anxiety. Where on earth are you gonna sit. You can’t sit with Robin because she’s playing with the band but you see her standing next to Vickie and you give Robin a slight wink paired with a wave and Robin just gives you a slight laugh and a nod. A little further down you see Steve and the latest date he’s brought and decide you don’t really wanna third wheel with Harrington but return the wave he gives as you pass by. You think for a moment to just go stand next to Nancy for the game but she’s so caught up in getting the story that you don’t want to intrude. You’re so lost in thought you don’t even realize it when Chrissy runs up to you and gives you a hug.

“IM SO GLAD YOU CAME!!” Chrissy said with a wide smile that made you laugh.

“Chrissy I told you I would be here” you returned her hug and took a step back so you could hold a conversation.

“I know but after what Jason said to you about Chance and how you left I figured you might not wanna show after all. But I’m glad you did”

You watched as Chrissy ran back to her cheer squad and you continued on your path to look for a seat. When you thought all hope was lost you see Mike, Dustin, Will and Erica deep in conversation. As you stared at them suddenly Will notices you and starts waving you towards him and when Dustin and Mike notice him waving you towards them they do the same. And you make your way to them in the stands.

“No eleven and Max tonight?” You asked them as soon as your were close enough to where you knew they could hear you.

“Eleven and Max should be here soon. They’ve been hanging out all day so they’re probably just late” Mike says as you pass by him and go sit in the seat that Erica and Will made for you between them. As time ticked on the game started and all of you guys just chit chatted amongst yourselves while Lucas sat on the bench. Eventually Max and Eleven showed up late but with snacks for everyone that they shared. Max sat next to dustin as they discussed the game and Dustin annoyed max with probabilities of who would win. Eleven and Mike sat together and were very touchy feely and upon seeing this you notice Will grow uncomfortable and sad. You knew why. Will didn’t have to tell you and you weren’t going to pry it out of him. You’ve known him long enough to know so you decide to distract him.

“Hey Will did Dustin and Mike tell you I’m coming to hellfire tomorrow?” Upon saying this Will perks up and turns towards you ready to discuss tomorrows events.

“Yeah they did both you and Erica are coming and I’m super excited. So y/n are you ready to put your secret dungeons and dragons skills to the test?” Will said nudging you with his elbow.

After you’d gotten to know the gang after Will went missing and you and your friend Steve got tangled up in the whole upside down mess. When Will came back and all of the upside down mess started again you would spend time with Will in the hospital and he’d talk to you about D&D. You had a soft spot for the kids so you would listen to what he’d teach you. And the summer Dustin was at camp and Lucas and Mike were too busy with their girlfriends to play D&D Will asked if you wanted to hangout and learn more about D&D and you said yes. Mostly cause you felt bad for the kid but partially cause you were actually interested. You and him spent a lot of time building your character and preparing although this would be your first actual adventure.

“I wouldn’t call them “secret” skills Byers. I just haven’t gotten to use them yet” you said nudging him back with a smile. When Erica chirped in

“You’re all a bunch of nerds” upon hearing this you turn towards Erica who’s dawning a wide smile.

“Says the queen of nerds herself. Don’t try to hide it Erica, Dustin told me all about how he taught you to play D&D after you’re adventures with the Russians” you say as you nudge her and laugh. You, Will and Erica spend some more time discussing the hellfire club and your plans for tomorrow. It was decided that you would pick up Mike, Dustin, and Erica and take them to D&D tomorrow night. While you guys are discussing this suddenly Max interrupts everyone’s current conversations.

“Guys Guys look! They’re pulling Lucas off the bench!” Everyone quickly turns and looks towards the court to see Lucas stepping off the bench. You all watch with baited breath as the game continues and you all erupt in a loud rawr of cheers and laughters louder than anyone else in the gym when Lucas Sinclair makes the winning shot. You’re all so proud of him and when the game is over all of you go to congratulate him.

Since it’s Saturday luckily you don’t have to wake up early so you spend most of the day getting or being high. Like most days really. It’s only weed though. You quit the harder drugs after the night Barbra went missing. You’d been in the woods behind Steve’s house making your way to the party to try and get some drugs from Tommy. You saw Barb there at the pool one second and vanish the next. What you saw in the woods after that changed your life. One of those Demogorgons. After that you quit the hard drugs and became very close friends with Nancy.

No matter what happened between her and Steve you always stuck by Nancy cause you felt so bad about that night. Maybe just maybe if you hadn’t been a messed up druggie maybe you could have done something..anything.. to save her friend Barb. Suddenly your pulled out of your thoughts by the phone ringing. Almost as if God had heard your thoughts you pick up the phone and hear Nancy’s voice.

“Y/n? You there?”

“Yeah Nance I’m here. What’s up?”

“Mike told me you’re joining Hellfire tonight?”

“Mike needs to shut his mouth”

“Well are you?”

“…..maybe. Would it be bad if I was”

“I mean y/n I wouldn’t say it’s bad but it is social suicide”

“It’s one session as a favor Nance and even if I was becoming an official hellfire member I mean would it be so bad?”

“Not really I was just confused to hear that you were joining them. Do you even know how to play”

“Let’s just say I had a very wise teacher. Anyways enough about me what are you up to tonight?”

“Oh not much just going on a date with Johnathan after he drops Will off at Hellfire”

“Well that’s cute I hope you two have a good time. I’ll make sure to let you know if decide to officially join the school cult Nance. I gotta start getting ready to go but I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay?”

“Alright just try not to become a social piranha talk to you tomorrow”

You get ready in a t-shirt and jeans making sure to add your wallet chain and put on your special big combat boots. And you got in your truck and went to pick up the kids. When you got to Erica’s, Erica told you Lucas was already at the school cause he’d had practice. You arrive at the school and head to the theatre room with character sheets and the D&D binder Will had made you in hand. As you followed into the theatre room you took a moment to appreciate the setup of the room. Clearly Munson puts a lot of time and effort into this and you had to give him props for that.

Your eyes dart to him across the room as he sits on his throne with a nerd on both sides like guards. His eyes scan across you and Dustin and Mike. His eyes land on Erica and he finally speaks.

“Absolutely not”.

“You asked for new members and we delivered new members” Dustin says confidently gesturing towards you and Erica.

“This is Hellfire club. Not babysitting club”

Eddie says leaning forward eyes still focused on Erica. For a second you think about stepping in and putting him in his place but you know better. You know Erica and you know she’s ready to defend herself.

“I’m 11 you long-haired freak” Erica spits out at him.

At this Eddie smiles and stands. “My my. The child speaks. So what’s your name, child?”

“Erica Sinclair” Erica says confidently.

Refusing to back down in any way as Eddie walks closer to the two of you.

“So this is Sinclair’s infamous sister” Eddie says through a slight chuckle while looking over at Lucas who appears stunned to not only see Erica there but to see her so confident when confronted with Eddie.

“What’s your class and level? Level one dwarf” Eddie says obviously trying to intimidate Erica. Upon hearing this you know he’s in for a show when you see Erica ready with her comeback.

“My name is Lady Applejack. And I’m a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison soaked Kukri and I’ll smile as I watch them die a slow agonizing death. So we gonna do this or we gonna keep chit chatting like this is your mommy’s book club” upon saying this she leaves everyone in the room momentarily stunned including yourself.

Eddie looks around momentarily at the other members and smiles, puts his hand out to Erica and says “Welcome to Hellfire”. You hear Erica release a breath and realize she must have been nervous and just hiding it well. Suddenly Munson turns his attention towards you and gets closer.

“How about you y/L/n? What could you know about playing dungeons and dragons?”

“Well Munson I’m a chaotic neutral rogue tiefling, level 13. I’ll do anything to be loyal to the people I trust whether they’re good or bad and I will not hesitate to slit the throats of anyone who dare to betray me or my party”

Upon hearing this Munson pauses and just holds eye contact with you. He looks genuinely confused to see that you know anything about dungeons and dragons. But as he holds eye contact with you his eyes soften and he reaches out his hand towards you.

“Well then welcome to hellfire y/n”

As the night continues and the cult of Vecna ensues you find you’re enjoying yourself a lot more than you thought you would. Eddie seems to have put together a very fun and enthralling campaign that has everyone just absolutely invested. When the team chants to the death you find yourself really getting into it. And in the team huddle where you all debate on running away you find yourself wanting to continue the fight. You came here to win and you will.

It’s up to you, Erica, and Dustin. You’re all that’s left against Vecna. Dustin rolls and it’s a miss. You’re next and you manage to hit but it’s not enough to defeat Vecna. You all watch with baited breath as Erica rolls and gets a critical hit and wins. You all scream and cheer and huddle around Erica congratulating her on her victory. As the gang calms down and everyone starts packing up to go home there’s a knock at the door of the theatre room and Nancy and Jonathan walk in.

“Will are you ready to go home?” Johnathan asks and will grabs his stuff and walks towards him.

“Hey y/n” Nancy says as she walks in the room and gives you a hug.

“Hey Nance. How was your date?”

“Pretty good. It’s actually still going but obviously had to pick up Will”

As you go to respond suddenly you hear Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Erica all berating Johnathan for a ride home and you begin to laugh.

“Looks like your date might be on pause for a while” you say as you look at Nancy who looks slightly annoyed.

“Ah being a babysitter never quite ends does it?” She says and you pat her on her shoulder as she makes her way out with Johnathan and the kids. You turn around to grab your stuff noticing you’re now alone in the room with Eddie who is cleaning up by himself.

“You want some help?” You say without really thinking it through. Upon hearing you he looks up surprised to even see you still here.

“Oh uh no really it’s okay I got it thanks” he says this but you start cleaning anyways. Grabbing the trash and snacks left on the table and throwing it away.

“Seriously y/n you don’t have to. You can go home it’s okay” he didn’t sound annoyed that you were helping he just sounded confused.

“It’s okay Eddie I wanna help. Not like I had any better plans tonight”

“Really? No raves or ragers you wanna hit up with Harrington” he says with a smirk looking over at you.

“I’m sure there are some out there but I don’t really uh…do that anymore” you choose not to elaborate on why and silently thank him for not prying.

You two clean up and make small talk as you do. While talking you go to pick up some drink that you assume Dustin left cause it was closest to his seat. As you go to pick it up you drop it and it spills all over your shirt.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT GODDAMIT. I really liked this shirt” you say through somewhat of a pout.

“Yeah I don’t think that one’s coming out. Sorry y/n” he says and he does look like he genuinely feels bad. As you try and wipe the liquid off and at least dry the shirt somewhat you notice Eddie walk over to a box on the ground and start digging through it. He turns around for a second and studies you squinting for a second. He grabs something from the box and walks back over to you.

“Here try this. It’ll at least be dry” he hands you the shirt and you hold it up and look at it. Realizing he handed you a hellfire shirt.

“Woah thanks but you don’t have to give me this I’ll be fine really”

“Eh all hellfire members get one so might as well just give it to you now. Tell me if you need a different size I tried to guess by looking at you but sadly I’m not a wizard”

You walk behind some of the stage curtains and change shirts really fast and walk back out.

“So what do you think” you say getting Eddie’s attention again as he finished putting some figures away. As he turns to look at you he suddenly just stops and freezes looking rather stunned. You feel a bit self conscious

“It looks horrible doesn’t it? I look silly?”

Suddenly Eddie snaps back to reality and registers what you said to him.

“No no no not silly at all sorry you look really great actually” he tears his eyes away from you and continues packing up the figures.

Trying to change the conversation he says “so uh did you have fun tonight?”

“Mmmm not really I had to fight falling asleep a few times” you say in an obviously sarcastic tone. He’d watched you most of the night so even though he asked the question he already knew to an extent that you had a good time. What he really wanted to know is if you’d come back. He was shocked enough to see you, the y/n y/l/n joining his hellfire club for the night. But he was even more surprised to actually watch you play. You could be at any party across town right now so why are you here cleaning up with him?

“Ah you wound me y/l/n”he says putting his hand to his chest and falling back as if he’s been hit. The action gets a laugh out of you just as he’d hoped.

“I actually had an amazing time tonight. I must say you put a lot of word into this Munson. It was really fun” for some reason you get embarrassed admitting this to him and don’t look at him as you say it.

“So you had fun? Does that mean you might join the party on its next adventure” he says walking much closer to you.

“You know what Munson. I just might”.

You two finish cleaning up the theatre room and head out to the parking lot and you watch him get in his van as you get into your truck. As you try to start it all you hear is some sad attempts at a start up.

“Come on you gotta be shitting me” you whack the steering wheel a few times and hit the dash and nothing. It’s late and you know you won’t be able to get it towed until morning so you decide to just walk home. Sure you live a few miles across town but you’ve walked further and at least it’s not raining this time. So you get out of your truck and begin to walk when you hear Eddie call to you from his Van across the lot.

“CAR TROUBLE?” You hear him yell at you.

“YEAH A LITTLE BIT” you yell back and he drives over to you. Parks his van and hops out.

“Pop the hood for me” Eddie says as he walks towards the front of your truck. You do as he says cause I mean really you don’t know anything about cars and as much as you’re able to walk home let’s face it you’d prefer not to.

“Yeah looks like your battery is dead. You leave your headlights on or something?”

“Ugh god I probably forgot to turn them off when I got here goddamnit” you sigh as you kick some dirt around.

“I would give your car a jump start but I didn’t bring any jumper cables” Eddie says scratching the back of his head as he looks at you.

“Well thanks anyways Eddie really I mean it. At least I know what the problem is now and I’ll just have to get a battery tomorrow morning and come back” as you say this you start walking away from him and he looks confused so he starts walking with you.

“That’s cool but uh where you goin?” He says once he’s caught up with you.

“Well I was gonna go home?” You say giggling at him. And he just looks even more confused.

“You know I’ve got that van over there right? With the working battery? That can drive people from one location to another? I mean unless you’d prefer to walk home or just don’t wanna be alone in a car the the freak…” his voice was kind of quiet upon saying the last sentence and you stopped suddenly feeling bad.

“Oh god no Eddie that’s not it at all I just didn’t wanna intrude or assume that you’d give me a ride” you made sure to look him in the eyes to make sure he knew you meant it. You weren’t sure why but you needed him to know you didn’t think that of him. He smiled and the two of you walked back to his van and you told him your address so he could drive you home. Turns out you two don’t live too far from each other. Not even a full mile away. And on the drive home you two actually bonded over some of his music taste.

“I’m surprised y/n your music taste isn’t nearly as bad as I would have thought” Eddie said laughing at you as you flicked through some of his cassettes. You playfully punches him on the arm and turned looking around his van. It was pretty cool. A little messy but it fit the grunge aesthetic of it. And he saw you looking around and he suddenly said “yeah sorry I wasn’t really expecting company otherwise I’d have cleaned up a bit”

“It’s fine really. It’s actually kinda…cool in here”

“Oh if you think it’s cool in here you should see the back of it” upon saying this he realized how suggestive it sounded and looked at you to find you staring with a raised eyebrow. You knew what he meant but you also knew how it sounded.

“Shit sorry I-I didn’t mean like we would..I just meant I have like music and stuff back there shit” upon his obviously flustered response you just laugh

“It’s fine Eddie I know what you mean. When we get to my house can I actually see the back though? Just for a second?” He agreed and when you reached your house you both got out and made your way to the back side of the van and he slid the door open. Sure you could see it from the passenger seat but now you can actually look around. There was plenty of music back here and even some posters. You recognized the setup immediately though. Any stoner would. This is the part of the van where you sit and just get high for hours.

“Well I bet you’ve had plenty of fun trips back here” you say putting a lot of emphasis on the word “trip” knowing if you were right he would get what you mean.

“Oh sweetheart you have nooooo idea” he said confidently. He knew what you meant. He may not have known you well but he knew who you used to hangout with and he knew you probably had your own fair share of trips.

“You know sweetheart we could take a trip now” he said reaching in the van and grabbing out a little bag. Upon seeing the bag you smiled and nodded and the two of you climbed in the back of the van and closed the door. The two of you proceeded to get high and giggle and listen to music for the rest of the night until you were awoken by the sunlight hitting your face.

You finally fully open your eyes and adjust to find yourself right next to Eddie. So close you bet he could feel your breath. He was asleep on his back and you were on your side facing him. For some reason you couldn’t help but admire him. He just looked so handsome? Suddenly it hit you how odd all this was. I mean you practically met the guy yesterday and now you’re asleep next to him in his van after getting high all night? Yet somehow this all didn’t bug you that much.

Yet you decided to wake him up anyways as gently as possible by rocking his arm. As you see his eyes slowly start to flutter awake you whisper

“Eddie it’s y/n we fell asleep in your van” at this Eddie’s eyes fully open and he slowly sits up.

“Yeah it appears we did” he says in a very husky voice clearly full of sleep yet he has a smile. He checks the time on his watch and then simply says “so you ready to go”. Confused, you just look at him with knitted eyebrows and he can’t help but think about how adorable you look every time you get confused.

“Well we’re gonna go get you a new car battery and get your truck working” once his words register with you, you’re very quick to try and reject his kind acts.

“Oh Eddie really really you don’t have to you’ve done enough. I mean you drove me home and even let me smoke from your stash I mean that’s plenty” as you said this Eddie is already making his way to the drivers seat clearly not caring about what you just said.

“So you comin or not?” Upon him saying this you just climb over the chair into the passenger seat.

You’re actually so lucky Eddie did this for you. Your original plan was going to be to call Steve to help you, but as much as Steve loves to be the knight in shining armor of the group. Steve knows very little about cars besides how to drive one. So having Eddie with you to help pick out the battery was a godsend. What shocked you was when he actually tried to pay for it. Upon which you refused adamantly but in return he made you promise to let him install it in the Hawkins high parking lot instead of taking it to some mechanic who would charge and arm and a leg for it and neither of you were backing down so you agreed.

You guys got the battery and he drove to the school parking lot and got to installing your new battery. You have to admit watching him work on your truck was very intriguing to put it tamely. He had his hair up and his tattoos were all on display and you couldn’t help but almost drool. What was going on with you and this guy I mean Jesus you couldn’t look away from him. You watched intensely through the whole process and managed to not learn a single thing.

“Thank you again so much for all of this Eddie. I mean playing through your epic campaign was cool enough but all the shit you’ve done for me in the last few hours I must say you’re pretty cool Munson” Eddie was done fixing your truck and you two were saying goodbye in the parking lot. For some reason Eddie didn’t wanna say goodbye. He wanted to find any reason or excuse to keep hanging out with you and ensure that this wouldn’t be a final goodbye.

“Yeah no problem I actually had a lot of fun with you too” he said looking in your eyes as he walked towards the open drivers side door of your truck that you were now leaning against.

You held eye contact for a second before turning around and grabbing a pen and tearing a piece of paper from your character sheet and you wrote your phone number on it and handed it to him.

“you know incase you ever wanna take a trip together again…we can use my stash next time I promise. I gotta get home though but I’ll see you Monday alright”

He was too stunned to speak at this as he watched you get in your truck and drive home. He got in his truck and went home and made sure to keep your number in a safe place. He knew he’d take you up on your offer he just wasn’t sure when. He didn’t want to appear desperate. But the thing that kept a smile on his face was the fact that you said you’d see him Monday.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fluff #stranger things x y/n #stranger things x reader #eddie stranger things #fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fluff #eddie munson x y/n

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sleepy-moron · 2 years

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Big warning for stranger things season 4 spoilers from the review.... If you don't want to know some fairly major things about the season absolutely DO NOT click read more

I really try not to be negative in general on this account, but I got pretty negative in this post so feel free to just not read it if you don't want to see negativity....I know we're all being negative in the tag right not and I don't really want to contribute to that vibe for the people who are trying to keep our morale up in these trying times

Okay yeah I'm kind of really fucking frustrated if this is for sure not some bs because Mike's feelings aren't explicitly confirmed until episode seven and up until then it's ambiguous, or they straight up were asked to not say anything about Mike's feelings because the Duffers want it to be a surprise: that being said

The one positive is them not treating Will's sexuality like some sort of fucking plot twist because it's been writing on the goddamn wall since season 3.

Otherwise I will be extremely fucking disappointed and have decided to throw hands assuming all of this is true. You're really gonna reduce Will to sad unrequited pining gay kid this season?? Wow can't believe stranger things never got more than two seasons. If they really went through all that goddamn work, especially the fact that Mike initiates basically every major byler moment in the show just to imply Will is gay I just straight up do not understand why?

I really want to think that we get Mike's confirmation in episode seven and they just kept his queercoding more subtle as they have seemed to do in the past. Which is still fucking frustrating but it's still better than the shitty trope that is sad gay pining. Or maybe they had to make it sound unrequited in the review as part of a contract or something.....it would be a major plot twist that would not be cool to get spoiled before the season. I really really fucking hope so

Also what the fuck is Mike's character even supposed to be this season then?? Is it just to be El's boyfriend and to be the nice straight hero friend ™ who's still ok with being friends with a gay person? Like ok is all his self discovery just going to be learning that he needs to talk to his girlfriend about his feelings sometimes?? Have they really reduced two of the original party members down to this? I'm glad Max and Lucas are getting the attention they deserve....but it's frustrating because they said there was an intention to give all of the cast focus but no we clearly are not getting that in any way because El and the Hawkins plot seem to be the only plotlines that even matter.....

Honestly I'm mostly just angry at myself for thinking that a show like stranger things would actually have the guts to so something like making byler canon.....but yeah if I'm disappointed I am sliding fully back into kingdom hearts theory mode because I at least have a few more years of soriku copium to build up until kh4 actually happens

#byler #stranger things #stranger things 4 #byler tumblr #stranger things spoilers #st4 spoilers

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scumbag-monthly · 1 year

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The Young Ones - Interesting 🎉

Original air date: 7.12.82

Reviewed by: @the-tardis-in-221b-baker-street

I’m going to jump right in and explain why I chose to talk about this particular episode. With a show consisting of 12 exceptionally and fantastically written episodes, it is just too difficult to select an all time favourite episode of The Young Ones. However if you had to hold me to ransom, I’d still not be able to choose but the episode Interesting, is pretty much up there amongst the favourites. The added fact is, it’s also a PARTY!

The opening sequence to the show is something that changes from series one to series two which I must say, series one’s opening is the preferred out of the two. If you were to show this show’s opening to anyone who had never seen it before, I feel like you would be able to build a pretty good picture into what the show entails and what sort of characters you’re dealing with. Points to mention, Vyvyan, the looks of which would stereotypically not be that of studying to be a doctor, Rick with the protesting, Neil the hippie looking bored with his studies and Mike paying someone on the side for his degree. I don’t think that you could have used anything else to use for the opening’s music. Cliff Richard, The Young Ones, it’s cheesy, need I say more. Already an iconic song but I think it just makes it even better to know that the guys sung it themselves. It’s got that added touch.

The first scene of the episode, we see Rick and Neil attempting to move the furniture around, as well as Mike’s TV. After it breaks in Neil’s hands, they are both quick to cover up what they had done when Mike walks into the living room. The way they acted when he came in could be compared to a parent walking in to find their kid had done something naughty. It has been said multiple times by the cast members that Rick and Vyvyan were supposed to be the naughty children and Neil and Mike are the Mum and Dad of the group so this really solidifies this. You can really tell who is the alpha of the house and that is most certainly, definitely Mike. When questioned about the fag butt on the carpet, Rick and Neil are so quick to blame Vyvyan, almost like their necks are on the line.

The disgusting hovel of a student house the boys are in is just as iconic as the characters themselves. The more you pay attention to the background, the more you notice and the little hidden items, left open for interpretation. For instance, the horrible (I think it’s cool though) 70s bar covered in tat. The mounted deer head above the doorway to the living room (I’d hate to think where they got that, probably nicked from a pub). The vases, fancy lamps etc were probably put out to try and show off to the guests of the party. The Anti Nuclear Campaign poster that clearly Rick put up. The mismatched furniture, really stereotypical of a student house.

“He says he’s only got to do two jobs ‘cause he hasn’t got many friends, you know.”

“What are you on about, Neil? He’s got loads of friends.”

“Oh, yes, but apparently he doesn’t like any of them.”

Enter Vyvyan with the frankenstein hoover. When I say this scene made me laugh the first time I watched it, I absolutely HOWLED. The physical prop element of the 80s is always a favourite of mine, whether it be an obvious dummy (my favourite) or it be a hoover that has a mind of its own and sucks up hippies.

“This is absolutely brilliant! You can’t get any cleaner than that!” - Vyvyan

The vegetables in the fridge are worth a mention too. The props department must have had an absolute whale of a time creating them. It’s just the disgusting, exaggerated, gross student fridge coupled with vegetables begging to be eaten even though they had seen better days, is genius. The fourth wall breaking when Rick pushes Neil’s friend into the fridge was also a genius move. They are self aware that kids might be watching. It makes me wonder whether the BBC actually had seen what they had done and made them put a warning on it, or that they had decided to do that as a fourth wall thing.

“How was that for you darling?” “Electric.” This little silly prop when Mike pulls the plug out the socket is one of my favourite moving props out of the entire series. That coupled with the quick throwaway gag is just top tier for me.

I was listening to the Talking Bottom podcast and when interviewing Paul Jackson, they had mentioned the sandwich that falls on Dawn French (which by the way was hilarious foreshadowing) the props department had shown the original sandwich prop that they had made to the producers, which took ages to make. They then turned around and told them to make it ten times bigger!

I know he doesn’t really tolerate Neil as such because he’s stuck in that house for the university year, but the way he immediately tells Neil to “Tell it (Neil’s friend) to get out” so aggressively, it really makes me wonder about Rick’s tolerance for hippies in general. I would say with all the bickering, squabbling, punching, kicking, bullying etc, what it really boils down to is that although these four misfits are stuck together, they’re really friends with each other. So even with that in mind, if Rick is sort of friends with Neil, does that mean Neil is an exception to his opinion on hippies?

“Look I'm afraid you’ve got the wrong house, I don’t believe in God.”

“Well then how do you know his name, smart arse?”

Dawn French’s small performance in this episode was so memorable and further reason why this is one of my favourite episodes is because it has some of the most excellently written gags.

“Ah! A locust!”

“No, I'm supposed to be an ant.”

Silly, clever, genius. Need I say more.

Coming from an interest in the costuming of the show, it’s very interesting to note the costume changes in this particular episode as it doesn’t happen much outside of this episode. Rick’s blazer and jeans swapped with canary yellow dungarees and two pins from his blazer for decoration. Whatever possessed him to have yellow dungarees, I shall never know. It makes me wonder whether he spent ages deciding which badges to put on his dungarees, or what was going to impress the people coming to the party. Or whether he just went “those ones will do” and be done with it. Even Neil had made a tiny effort but an effort nonetheless. I think the addition of a yellow waistcoat over his usual outfit made me laugh when I originally watched it. I can imagine he keeps it for special occasions.

Although Vyvan doesn’t have a costume change per say, it’s worth noting the forbidden blue drink that causes Vyvyan’s hair to fall out, which technically could be counted as a change in costume. I really want to know what that drink consisted of both contextually in the show and the actual physical drink that Ade had to down rather quickly. It looks like car de icer! From what’s been said in the past about Ade having a stomach of steel (looking at you Eddie Hitler which was confirmed by Ade that it was in fact actual lard he ate), that drink couldn’t have tasted that good. Also to add, I love that he is not even phased by this random woman who is in their living room calling him a ‘BEAST!’ and acts like what has just happened is normal. The 666 tattoo on his head is also a nice touch to the character. How and when did he get it done? We shall never know. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Mike when it came to dressing up for a party and no less than one of my favourite artists of all time, Adam Ant. I keep mentioning different interpretations but I can just imagine Mike looking up to Adam Ant. Adam Ant was, after all, a sex symbol of his the day. With his Prince Charming album released in 1981, it’s quite possible Mike saw that and went ‘Now there’s a man that can get the ladies’ and decided to copy him.

The scene with the four horsemen of the apocalypse to me was a good idea but something that could have been cut shorter, but worked for the gag with the sandwich. I did however like the effects of the background and that Death was just a skeleton dummy on the horse.

“Five minutes till the most important party of my life and then the house gets wrecked by a giant sandwich!”

It makes me wonder why they (mainly Rick - I think the others are just there because it’s their house as well) think this party is so important. I have several theories as to why they were throwing a party but here’s a few: 1) Rick probably went to invite a girl over, she saw it as an invitation for a party and not that he just wanted her over, so rumour spread around the campus that there was a party on and half of Scumbag turned up. 2) They genuinely made the effort to throw a party in order to A) get off with girlies and B) try to become popular and the guests mainly there because Mike invited them all, including the people from Rick’s class. Or 3) Rick just wanted an excuse to have Dr Morrison over and the invites got out of hand. The relationship that Rick has with Dr Morrison and indeed Mr Morrison with his students is a weird one. A lot of people will claim ‘it was a different time’ but it’s something about his chill vibes around his students that seems a little off to me.

“Look Rick, it’s only five minutes!”

“Tell that to Roger Bannister!”

Enter student party goers. Something tells me Rick isn’t used to throwing parties as when a couple of early students arrive, instead of being cool about it, he flies off the rails at them. The general annoyance of Rick is just so true to the character. Another favourite throw away prop gag is when Jennifer Saunders’ character actually says to the moving bannister that they were only five minutes early! Genius! If I could place myself somewhere in The Young Ones series, Jennifer Saunders’ character is exactly where I’d be. She’s clearly someone Rick knows as she’s got the blazer full of badges, but her outfit is the exact kind of outfit I would wear!

Vyvyan coming down the stairs and trying to impress the girls with his incorrect ‘press ups’ absolutely made me laugh so much when I first watched it. Also knowing from listening to Talking Bottom, I thought it was fascinating that it was said that the BBC originally wanted to cut it because it could be seen as ‘sexual’ but they went “bollocks!” because it’s literally just general stupidity in a boy trying to impress girls by doing a press up, like Vyvyan thinks he would impress them with.

“Hi Vyvyan, what are you doing?”

“Shut up, you girl!”

The sandwich that flew out of the sky and hit Dawn French doubling up as a sofa to the guests really adds the element of fantasy that The Young Ones so brilliantly has. Throughout the series, we see weird objects and scenes happening as if it’s a normal thing, like this exists in the realm of this madness. So using a sandwich as a sofa, totally makes sense as a concept.

Within five seconds of the record being played, we see the police coming in and smashing it up. This is a very tongue and cheek scene and as anarchic as Rick claims to be he smiles at them sweetly and even gives them a thumbs up! It really gives Rick the ‘all mouth, no trousers’ (ooer) personality.

The whole scene with Rick stealing Jennifer’s handbag and having a rifle through it is nothing but pure genius. Traditionally, or to my knowledge that I've always been told, there’s an unwritten rule about going in a woman’s handbag. This scene breaks that unwritten rule and throws it in the bin all because of one very silly, ignorant boy. Rick believing she had “brought him a present” when he had a tampon in his hand made me laugh so much when I first watched it which then made me cry with laughter when he realised what he had done. You can just feel the secondhand embarrassment radiating in the room, not just for Rick but the girl who he had stolen the handbag from and the other party goers.

Enter Mike The Cool Person. Mike’s joke “No, but I soon will be.” after someone says “Hi Mike!” is one of my favourite throw away gags in the entire 12 episodes of the show. It’s such a highly underrated joke! Neil’s entrance to the party couldn’t be any more Neil, It even looks like he brushed his hair! The incense was just the icing on the Neil cake.

The whole storyline of Cinderella coming round to the party for Mike was a weird one, but like I mentioned about the sandwich, it’s one of those things that makes you go “Oh, of course this is happening.” It would explain how Mike was dressed as Adam Ant. Her being turned into a pumpkin and then Mike, not realising it is Cinderella, carves into it really makes you go “OH NO!” It’s just so silly. I also love that Mike refers to her as “my girlfriend” even though she probably most definitely wasn’t and he was just saying it to show off.

Rip, Rig and Panic’s performance of You’re My Kinda Climate was a great song to get everyone hyped for the party. Seeing cut scenes of Neil, Vyvyan and Rick dance along to the music were a perfect representation as to how I could see those characters dance. Neil’s a bit more floaty hippie, Vyvyan is jumping up and down like a kid that’s had too much pop and Rick just awkwardly dancing in the corner. As much as the song is great, I almost become a bit more fixated on what’s happening in the background. You can see people bobbing along to the music but in certain scenes, you can see Rick, Vyvyan and Neil talking to one another looking like they actually, almost get on.

It’s amazing how quick that the other party guests get to the party straight after the pubs close. It’s almost as if they would much rather do anything other than go to the boys party. Also, by this point, it’s got to be around 11pm or slightly later because that’s when the average pub closes in the UK. The kind of guests that turn up, you can see the stereotypical people who have been invited, clearly Vyvyan’s mates turn up, Neil’s hippie friends(2), and all Ricks ‘friends’ congregate with the other people who were already there. It’s almost a wonder how many people just followed the crowd from the pub and aren’t actually students.

I like that when Rick talks to the anarchist who spray paints Rick’s face, that no one for the rest of the episode tells him that he has spray paint on his face and he fails to notice it’s even there. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that no one bothered to tell him. When Rick walked back to the kitchen, one thing I noticed was that he flinched when Vyvyan’s friends walked past him. It almost makes you wonder what they have done to him in the past. Or how come he’s frightened of them?

Neil running off to get anywhere but out of the grasp of Tommy Balowski and answering the door to party crashers made me laugh. It made me think that Neil has definitely tried hiding a joint from the police before. And it’s apparent that he smokes not only in the TV show, but also the Bachelor Boys book and Neil’s Book of the Dead. He doesn’t say anything at the door but coughs and blows smoke out of his nose and somehow still scares off the party crashers. Genius!

The next scene where Neil takes a puff on Warlock’s bong, is one of my favourite scenes in the whole episode. An honourable mention about this scene is that we get to see an angle of the house that we had previously not seen before, which gives us a better understanding of the scale of the space to the house. Neil floating off properly made me laugh the first time I watched it because it was such a perfect physical representation gag of getting high, quite literally. It’s so strong, he goes to space and sees robots on the moon! It’s certainly up there with the more surreal piece from the show that I absolutely ADORE. I’ve not mentioned before, but with a lot of older films and TV (specifically 80s comedies) I absolutely can’t help but laugh at obvious dummies. I don’t know whether it’s the unnatural stiffness of the body, the obvious wig on a dummy or the that you just know something is slightly off but it just makes me howl with laughter. You just can’t beat it. So seeing Neil come back down to earth as a dummy and it switches to actually him, will never not make me laugh.

It’s worth mentioning that with the scene where Vyvyan brags to his friends that he had just been wrecking the bathroom, even though it’s his house, how different but at the same time similar his outfit is to theirs. Their outfits follow the similar vibe of studs, chains, belts and even studs in their heads but theirs are black making Vyvyan really stand out in the blue denim. Note the studs in the head, it makes it look like they are almost part of a gang and Vyvyan is either one of them or trying to be part of their gang. Vyvyan’s two chains attached on the back of his jacket match the back of David Lloyd’s jacket. OR, is HE the gang leader? Evidence of this is where he orders them all to get stuff so they could perform surgery on the guy they had just knocked out.This might be me pulling a theory out of thin air though!

There is so much chaos in a small amount of time just seconds after this scene. The party crashers from earlier falling off the roof, the chimney sweep going down, Father Christmas falling down the chimney and Vyvyan being catapulted into the ceiling. It’s scenes like this that remind me of how very stupid this show is.

(Neighbour banging on the wall) “Shut up you old witch!” (cuts to a scene with a witch putting her broom through the wall hitting one of the punks) UNDERRATED THROWAWAY GAG!

A seemingly high Neil happened to come across the punks at the wrong time. From listening to Podcasto Catflappo (The Filthy, Rich and Catflap podcast - if you haven’t listened to it, WHY NOT because it’s fantastic!), there was an interview with David Lloyd and he confirmed that “KILL THE HIPPIE!” was an ad libbed line! Even though it was an ad libbed line, it’s one of the most memorable lines in the entirety of the show. Well done David Lloyd! The episode ending so suddenly after the brawl with Neil thinking it was all a dream was such a silly but appropriate way to end it.

Here we get to see another angle of Neil’s bedroom that we had previously not seen. You can build an idea of what sort of a person is like by their bedroom without seeing the person. Of course we know this is Neil’s bedroom, but if you take him out of the picture, you can see his rubber plant, Wayne, all the mysterious bottles (I would actually like to know what is in them), his guitar and the one thing that would throw you off, is the poster of seemingly Che Guevara. You know, I don’t think he’s known for his hippie approach?! But as we see that Neil in bed is actually the dream and he’s actually having his head kicked in by the punks, It now almost makes sense he had the poster because it’s not the reality. Apart from the personalisation of the room, I love how the bare bones of the room looks like a typical room you would find in a bedroom in a student house, even now. Props to the set designers.

Overall, like many of the other episodes, I don’t think you can actually fault this particular episode at all. There are so many perfect elements to the episode that not only can be left to interpretations, but are just genius pieces of writing. I know I've picked this appart to no end but it was so hard narrowing it down! If I had to introduce anyone into the world of The Young Ones, this episode along with Bambi might be the ones I would show them. Each episode is so excellently crafted that you don’t even need an introduction into the characters. You’ll feel like you already know them.

The Young Ones is such an important and timeless piece of British comedy history that should never be forgotten. Having only really got into the show since January 2021, it’s been a whirlwind of a time. Who knew a TV show with only 12 episodes would totally turn my world upside down to a point of no return. From making online friends, to making the costumes, to introducing me to a world of alternative comedy, I've enjoyed every minute. To top this all off, I got to meet one of The Young Ones in person, Nigel Planer, and got to tell him how much this silly little show means to me, whilst standing in front of him dressed as his character! To see him get a tear in his eye over my kind words and get so happy to see something I'd made inspired by him, and beaming when he saw me again at the photoshoot area meant every morsel of the world to me. You just can’t top that. To know that someone saw Nigel Planer leave the venue of the con I went to with MY can of Neil’s lentils that I designed myself and let him keep in his hands, makes my heart melt (and not to get all girlie but a little tear comes to my eye too every time I think of it).

I’m so happy to be a part of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the show and here’s to many, many more years celebrating it.

You utter, utter, UTTER… legends.

#the young ones #tyo #interesting #reviews #scumbag monthly #forty years of the young ones

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artiststarme · 1 year

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What If Steve Were To Leave Hawkins? Part 4

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

I wasn't originally going to write about Dustin's reaction but @doubleb11 gave me the idea. I hope it meets your expectations! We go back to Steve's POV in Chicago in the next part. Thank you again for everyone's nice comments!

~*~*~*~

It was no secret that Dustin was struggling. He tried to remain hopeful and upbeat but his insecurities made maintaining a positive attitude difficult. Why would Steve leave? He had promised that he would always be there for Dustin. But so had his deceased grandparents and his dad that left without so much as a goodbye.

The common denominator had to be Dustin. He knew that he was too sarcastic, too smart to be relatable, and kind of annoying. But he thought Steve understood. He’s always had trouble connecting with people but he thought that Steve was a lifelong friend, an older brother, if you will, that would never drift away. Since the time Steve gave him poor dating advice while looking for Dart, they had been best friends. So why would he leave?

Looking back, he could see why Steve might have underestimated his own importance to the Party. All of its members were a bit emotionally repressed and didn’t know how to talk about their feelings. They all tended to show their love through acts of service or quality time instead of words of affirmation. They did show their love and he thought Steve understood their feelings. But still, if Steve needed verbal validation, he didn’t get any. And Dustin had been a bit too preoccupied talking to Suzie to spend time with him, instead using the excuse of needing a ride to get in his regular amount of ‘Steve-time’. Regardless of his reasons, he felt guilty and useless when it came to searching for the older boy.

It had been a mere two days since they had all found out about Steve’s leave and it was already affecting Dustin. When he wasn’t pretending to be okay, throwing a tantrum, or worrying about Steve’s well-being, he was ignoring the glances cast in his direction by the other Party members. Eddie had given him a ride to Mike’s for DnD and had tried to ask how he was doing. Dustin pretended to not hear the question and thanked him for the ride. Lucas had asked him if Steve had reached out yet. No, why would he? Dustin probably caused him to leave. Max and El asked if he was alright since he was quieter than usual. No, stop talking to him. Mike and Will avoided asking him questions but their concerned gazes were just as annoying. He was fine.

Who cares that his pseudo-older brother left without talking to him just like his deadbeat dad? Not him.

Joyce gave him a ride home from Mike’s when she picked up Will. She assured him that Hopper was doing everything he could to find Steve and that they’d have him home in no time. Dustin couldn’t find it himself to believe her. He just thanked her for the ride and made his way inside. He just wanted a night alone without anyone checking on him or bringing up Steve.

His mom was waiting for him in the kitchen and gave him a gentle smile when he walked in. “How was your game, Dusty?”

Dustin sighed. He wasn't in the mood to talk but his mom wasn’t aware of the situation and she certainly didn’t deserve any of his snark. “Hi mom, it was fun. Will is DM’ing again and Eddie has been giving him pointers. He was ruthless today.”

She hummed and pinched his cheek when she handed him the plate she had saved him from dinner. “Oh goodness, I almost forgot! Your friend Steve called to talk to you. I told him that you were with Mike today. He didn’t leave a message but you might want to call him later, okay Dusty? He sounded a little strange.”

“STEVE CALLED?” Dustin practically screamed as he whipped around in his seat, the bread roll propelling from his hand into a kitchen cabinet.

His mother looked slightly alarmed but also woefully accustomed to his flamboyant antics. “Yes, Dusty. Don’t throw food, what did that dinner roll ever do to you?”

Dustin’s eyes rolled hard. “I’m sorry. You said Steve called? What did he say? Was he okay? Was he in distress?”

“No, he sounded a bit tired but that’s our Steve. He just asked for you and didn’t have a message to leave once I told him you were out. He will probably call back sometime later tonight or tomorrow sometime.”

Dustin felt his eyes fill with tears and his bottom lip started to quiver. Steve had tried to talk to him and he wasn’t there. What if he was hurt or in danger and Dustin was too busy playing make-believe to take his call? He would never forgive himself.

“Dusty? Oh no, honey! What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” His mother fretted over him and her concern is what pushed him over the edge.

Dustin burst into big, fat, ugly tears. He sobbed into his mother’s embrace and cried out his feelings of worry, sadness, and angered abandonment. His mom cooed over him and pet her hand through his unstyled curls until he found the strength to speak.

“Mom, Steve left. He just left Hawkins without telling anyone. He’s missing and we don’t know how to find him! And now he called and I wasn’t there! What if he’s hurt and he called me to help him? He left because I was a bad friend and now he’s gone! We can’t even find a way to bring him back.” Dustin wailed through sullied tears.

Claudia whispered words of comfort and encouragement as she held her sad boy in her arms. “Dusty, he sounded fine. I’m sure he was just calling to check in on you and tell you where he is. I don’t know why he would leave so suddenly but I doubt it was because of you, Dusty.”

“No mom, it was me! He’s been distant and sad for weeks and I told the Party to give him space. Me! I said that. I told them to leave him alone and no one checked in on him. I never even told him what he meant to me. What if he never comes back, mom? He’ll never know how much we love him!”

Claudia was confused with this whole situation. She’s known Steve for nearly three years now and has been nothing but impressed by the older boy. He helped her care for her little Dusty while she was at work or her book clubs. Steve didn’t have a selfish bone in his body, always refusing to take her money for babysitting and relinquishing his free time to drive her admittedly needy son around. It doesn’t make any sense for Steve to abandon the kids he helped raise, the kids who counted on him a fair amount, to leave town out of nowhere. The young man that she knew would never knowingly cause such distress in her little Dusty or his friends.

“Dusty, I think Steve is dealing with something beyond you or the rest of your friends. He might need some time to work on it but he will be back and he knows how much he means to you. Just give him time. He called today and the next time he calls, I’ll take a message. Alright? Everything will be fine.”

God, he hoped his mom was right about this. Dustin did feel better at her words but there was still a seed of doubt in his mind. Unfortunately, there was nothing else he could do about the situation until Hopper tracked Steve down or until Steve reached out again. For now, he would wait for his best friend to call again and alert the Party to give them the update. For now, he would have hope.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20: Epilogue

Taglist:@nickavalens@conversesweetheart@themostunoriginalpersonever@swimmingbirdrunningrock@eddiethegreatteddybear @call-me-big-eyes @cornwallisandkerley @moonshadows-13 @glittergluekintsugi @cpidcupk @doubleb11 @mentalcyborg @amoris-no-smut-allowed @purple-lemonade @labels-are-for-the-weak @thebrazilianatheist @rajumat @livelaughlexa @5ammi90 @colorful565 @marvelousforlife @chaoticcoffeequeen @gregre369 @suddenlyinlove@thegreatmistake @stillfullofshit @nburkhardt @batxsignalsx @newunknowns @thosemessyvibes @tailsfromthecrypt@luciana-rowan @bird-with-pencils @adaed5 @lolawon @flustratedcas @iwillfindmyneverland @messrs-weasley @skoomy-doompy @yearningagain @darkwitchoferie @forest-fogg @bitchysunflower @stardust-era @newtstabber@bobatrash-queen @notjasontxdd

#mike is probably offended when dustin tells him that steve called him but none of the other kids #he starts preaching about favoritism and will has to tell him that now is not the time #poor dustin #steve leaving is probably bringing back a lot of bad feelings for him #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #dustin henderson #steddie #fanfic #I still hate writing dialogue

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bluebugjay · 1 year

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After Eddie dies, Hellfire disbands, maybe the original members create a new party and name it something else but Mike, Dustin and Lucas don't join. They're left with their Hellfire shirts sitting in their rooms like metaphorical skeletons in their closets.

Dustin can't bare to look at his, he folds it neatly, smoothing out the creases before hiding it in a shoe box under his bed where he knows it's safe but not a constant reminder of who they lost. Sometimes he gets it out on nights he's plagued by haunting memories and just holds it to his chest. It slowly becomes more and more tear-stained.

Lucas hangs his up on his bedroom wall beside his basket ball uniform, two halves of himself represented by things he's no longer apart of, things that no longer exist. No Hellfire, no Hawkins Tigers. But when he looks at them he doesn't mourn, he sees how they each helped him grow. He refuses to hide anymore, he looks at them both on his wall with pride.

Mike wears his as pyjamas. He'd took less care of it than the others, the hem of the sleeve cuffs fraying due to his picking habit, some of the print cracking and peeling. So he continues to wear it but only when he's sleeping, when he's at his most vulnerable, because it's protected him when he was vulnerable before. He knows at some point he'll grow out of it but he doesn't want to think about that.

Will watches his friends regard their shirts with such care and love and feels a little sad he missed out, if he'd have stayed he would have been accepted into this group too, found another place in the very few he had to belong, but mostly he's just happy for his friends. Happy they had a refuge in Hawkins or even from Hawkins. Happy they had people who accepted them, who taught them to be proud of who they are. He's happy they were able to love d&d again.

#stranger things #the hellfire club #dustin henderson #eddie munson #lucas sinclair #mike wheeler #will byers #please no one have a go at me for looking this deeper into this

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astradis · 2 years

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hello! can i get a match up? ahhh here's the stuff about me :]]

name: lana / ruth

personality: im an infp, my friends describe me as nice and easy to get along with. im also shy especially with strangers and dont talk most of the time and i like to be alone sometimes. i can be clingy and needy but i dont make it obvious.

zodiac: im a taurus!!

appearance: i dont know how to describe my skin tone but i think its tan. i have long straight black hair and i have pretty big eyes. i like to wear shirts and shorts, just anything comfortable and i wear eyeglasses. my arms and legs are kinda hairy which i dont really like about myself.

uhhh here's an extra: i really love drawing, music, and cats they're all a comfort.

for the age range or something, could it be one of the the boys in the party? (mike, dustin and lucas. im also a minor but i prefer not to specify my age)

i hope its good enough <33

aww you are so cute 😭 thank you so much for your submission! you know who i think would be literally OBSESSED with you?

MIKE WHEELER

you two would be pretty awkward at first- considering mike is… well, mike! but that’s okay, because you two would slowly warm up to each other. it takes him a while to get used to having you around, since femme people have never really been his forte up until you came along.

he finds out you’re a lot more interesting than he originally thought. your like for music gets to him, and he starts to listen to the things you like when he sees you doing it. it’s a little funny- he wouldn’t ask for the music you recommend- he would just try his best to hear whatever you’re listening to, and when he goes shopping for cassettes, he literally just tries his best to replicate the songs he’s looking for. eventually you’d catch on, walking into the store as he does so. you stifle a laugh and he turns, seeing you there with your hand over your face to hide the amusement you got out of the whole situation. he tries his best to explain himself but really, he just wants to hear you laugh a little more.

when you two officially get together, he would be a pretty bad boyfriend. not that he doesn’t love you or something, cuz he does! a lot! it’s just a little hard for him to say how he feels sometimes. he talks in code a lot, and it takes you a while to catch on, but eventually you two come up with enough code for one another that you don’t have to fully explain how you feel, but perfectly demonstrate it through your, what you like to call, ‘milana’ code.

“Mike?” You turn to face your boyfriend, who is sitting next to you, fiddling with the walkie-talkie in his hands. “Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Oh, um, yeah,” Mike shrugs, brushing off your concern and continuing to play with the antenna.

“That means it’s not.” You catch him, shuffling closer to him and hoping he opens up. “The party?”

He sighs, putting it in his lap, a sign you were getting closer to the answer. “Apparently, because I hang out with you more than them, I’m not a member anymore.”

“What? That’s insane,” you put a hand on his. “That’s… not nice. Well, hey, listen. Who cares? We don’t need ‘em. I’ve got you, you’ve got me.”

Mike looks you in the eyes and huffs what you assume to be a laugh. “Lana, I hate to say it, but you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” you smile. “Let’s go out to the playground or something, yeah?”

“Um, is it fine if we stay in?” He asked, biting his bottom lip slightly. You nod and place a kiss on his cheek.

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

#mike wheeler #mike wheeler x reader #st mike #michael wheeler #mike wheeler matchup #stranger things #stranger things x reader

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paladinsbrainrot · 3 years

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All Season Two Byler Proofs (Part One)

I’ve made an analysis on all of the season one Byler proofs a while back, so today I decided I would continue this ‘series’ and make one for all of the season two Byler references.

This is my biggest project yet and I’ve spent a while on it, so likes/reblogs are greatly appreciated. I am incredibly proud of this and I would love if you were to read it all.

Anyways, I have gathered all of the proofs I can find for season two. There are quite a lot so sit back, relax and enjoy!

1. Mike heavily caring for Will throughout all episodes

˰ Season Two Episodes Two, Three, Four, One, Five, and Six

Throughout the course of season two, it has been a prominent theme that Mike is always looking out for Will. His signature catchphrase from that season has always been ‘Are you okay?’, which is probably one of the lines that he says the most.

These are just some of the images I’ve managed to gather that include Mike looking out for Will in some sort.

Mike is one of the only people in the series who seem to be looking over Will (except for Joyce and Jonathan of course) which directly compares to the relationship that he has with other members of the party. The other party members aren’t constantly asking if Will is okay like Mike is, which proves that Mike and Will have a different relationship than Will and Lucas, or Will and Dustin. Throughout the course of this analysis, you’ll find that the relationship between Mike and Will and the relationship between Will or Mike against the other party members directly compares and differs.

2. ‘He’s quiet today.’

˰ Season Two Chapter One : MADMAX

For context, this is the scene in which Mike and the Party watch as Will drives to the Hawkins Laboratory. This scene is shot in a very specific way, with Mike in front and Lucas and Dustin off to the back, again comparing the relationships between Mike x Will and Lucas x Dustin x Will. Mike is shot close up front, signaling his attachment towards Will and how worrisome Mike actually is.

Lucas responds with “He’s always quiet” which again, another direct comparison. Mike is way closer to Will than Lucas and Dustin will ever be. Mike is much more observant of Will than the rest of the Party. Mike knows when Will is scared or hiding something, whereas Lucas and Dustin don’t have that close of a friendship to know.

3. Mike getting jealous of Max

˰ Season Two Chapter One : MADMAX

So we all know Mike literally hates Max right? When I first watched the series I thought the reason he hated her was because she was replacing El, which is what many fans think as well, however as the wonderful @kaypeace21 has pointed out, one of the main reasons why Mike doesn’t like Max is because he thinks Will has a crush on her.

I think that this theory is extremely plausible and would make a lot of sense if it was the case. Both Dustin and Lucas had feelings for Max from the first episode, and it would make sense if Mike automatically assumed Will had feelings for Max as well.

In season three when Mike is trying to tell Eleven that he “loves her”, it is mentioned that he was jealous of Max. Majority of the people think that this means he is referring to how El is spending time with Max, but I think it means how he was jealous in season two when he thought that Will liked her.

Plus, what other reason would he have to be jealous? El is allowed to make friends, and spend time with the other Party members. She isn’t Mike’s “little pet” and is allowed to do whatever she wants. She doesn’t need to be in Mike’s possession.

I’ll be explaining that more in depth in my season three Byler proofs, so for now let's go back to the original topic.

Thankfully Will has not shown any signs of sexual attraction towards Max, whereas Dustin and Lucas obviously have a crush on her. I’ve seen a lot of people try and counterbalance the fact that Will is gay by claiming that he was generally interested in Max and followed her around, but like that has nothing to do with anything? I don’t even think he has spoken to Max in the entire season and showed no interest whatsoever.

4. Will calling for Mike

˰ Season Two Chapter Two : Trick or Treat, Freak!

Ah- my favourite episode in the entire series which just coincidentally and single-handedly contains the most Byler proof than any other episode (imo).

Anyways, when Will has his episode where he sees the Mind Flayer, Will decides to call for Mike. And he does so three times. This is the only time he calls for someone during his episodes. And circumstantially, the only time he calls for someone he decides to call for Mike.

When Will had his episode at his house in the chapter prior to this, he could have easily called for Jonathan or for his mom. But he doesn’t, even though they were probably five meters away from him. He calls for Mike because that is who he feels comfort with.

This also directly parallels to a Melvin scene which happens in the exact same chapter, where El is in the school in the Upside Down, whereas Will is in Loch Nora in the Upside Down. They both call for Mike, but Mike goes to one of them- Will, therefore choosing the endgame.

I’ll be making an entire analysis dedicated to the parallel, however here’s this for now;

5. Mike taking Will home

˰ Season Two Chapter Two : Trick or Treat, Freak!

Adding onto the previous part of this analysis, Mike only goes to one of his “love” (quotations because he doesn’t love El) interests, which is Will and Will only. He saves Will from being flayed by the Mind Flayer (or Shadow Monster, because in this episode it has not yet been named).

This is also one of the many scenes where Mike shows how overprotective he is towards Will.

This is also one of the many few scenes where the other Party members show affection towards Will. However, they only show some sort of protection over Will and want to make sure everything is fine because they don’t know what’s going on, and Will seems like he is in danger. Otherwise, they wouldn’t give a care in the world.

In the second photo, Dustin puts his hand on Will’s, but Mike is quikly eager to pull away and make sure Will is just in his care. (Jealous, Mike?)

Handhelds are important throughout the series, as they prove what relationships are significant depending on how they are shot. The handhelds that prove a romantic relationship between two characters are shot as a close up (aka Mike putting his hand on Will’s in the bedroom later on in the series). Handhelds that are not important have no close ups and are treated as a regular scene. If they wanted us to think Dustin and Will had the same relationship as Mike and Will, they would have shot the Mike and Will handheld as just a regular scene. One again, contrasting relationships.

I’ll be explaining more about handhelds later into the analysis.

Also, in the first episode of the season, Jonathan and Will have a heart to heart. Will snaps and mentions that Jonathan, Joyce, Dustin and Lucas treat him like a baby. He doesn’t mention Mike. This is because Mike doesn’t treat him like a baby.

˰ Season Two Chapter Two : MADMAX

There is a difference between being overprotective and babying someone. Babying someone is like the name suggests, treating someone like a baby and as if they are helpless. Being overprotective is making sure someone is okay at all times and watching over them closely.

Again, comparing how Will’s relationship with the other Party members and his relationship with Mike differs. Mike understands Will, and knows him better than any of his friends. Mike knows how to make sure Will is okay without making him upset.

6. ‘Crazy together’

˰ Season Two Chapter Two : Trick or Treat, Freak!

Que favourite Byler scene ever!!

I’ve made a full analysis on this before, which you can check out here. It contains the entire crazy together scene, with LGBTQ+ references and whatnot. I’ll just be going over this scene briefly.

I’m sure you all remember that iconic quote from season one “Only love makes you that crazy sweetheart, and that’s damn stupid.” After the events of that, we learn that crazy and stupid are another term for love.

Many people interpret ‘crazy together’ as a Melvin scene because Mike is talking about how he’s going crazy because he thinks he can still see El. I like to think that Mike just has his feelings confused. He’s a thirteen year old boy figuring out his sexuality and relationships, and he thinks he’s going crazy for El, but it’s actually for Will. He’s confusing his feelings for what he thinks is more ideal. It’s more normal/ideal to like a girl than a boy.

Will mentions he’s also going crazy, and it’s most definitely because of Mike.

In the crazy together scene, there is also a metaphor for being gay, which is ‘being caught between two slides’. Where one slide is the real world, and the other slide is the Upside Down (a metaphor for the other world being closeted/Will hiding his sexuality). Mike is quick to agree with this, most likely meaning he has felt the same thing.

Mike taking Will home is directly parallel to a Jancy scene, one in which Mike takes Will home because of his episode and Jonathan takes Nancy home because she got drunk.

7. Mike knowing everything & rainbow correlation

˰ Season Two Chapter Three : The Pollywog

This is another one of my favourite scenes, not just because of Byler but it’s interesting and funny as a whole. Anyways, if you notice in this scene Will barely talks. This is because Mike is doing most of the talking.

During the crazy together scene, Will talks about what happened during his episode. He doesn’t tell Mike much, other than what he felt and the general idea of what he scenes. However, during this scene it’s like Mike knows everything. He doesn’t have to think he just knows what Will is going through. During the course of this scene, Mike is immediately able to explain everything for Will.

This is another one of the scenes where Mike and Will are paired together, aka side by side. I’ve made a full analysis on all the Byler pairings, which you can check out here.

In the second photo I have provided, notice how close Mike and Will are. It’s almost as if Mike is shielding over Will (which is exactly what he’s doing). Another sign of overprotectiveness, Mike doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Will and is willing to protect him at all costs.

There is also a rainbow apple symbol in the background. Rainbows are significant in LGBTQ+ culture, and are heavily associated with Mike and Will, for example the rainbow ship and multiple rainbows in the background of scenes.

While researching, I found out that the corporation Apple has a gay-friendly reputation and corporate culture. Apple avidly supports LGBTQ+ people and Pride month every year.

8. Family being overprotective

Throughout the course of season two, the only people known to be watching over Will and constantly making sure he’s okay are Jonathan, Joyce, Bob, Hopper, and most especially Mike.

All of the people I have just mentioned are a part of Will’s family in some way. Jonathan being his brother, Joyce being his mother, and Bob being Joyce’s boyfriend and father figure. With what Joyce and Hopper have going on in season three, it is most likely Hopper will become a stepfather to Will, and he already acts like a father figure.

But where does that leave Mike? Mike is not related to Will (yet).

Following the family theme, this is potential foreshadowing of future plots, for example Mike becoming Will’s boyfriend and/or getting married in the future and becoming family.

Mike has also been compared to family a lot throughout the season, being the only member of the Party that stayed by Will’s side when he was in the hospital. The only people that were actually at the hospital were once again his family, Joyce, Hopper, Bob, and Mike.

9. Referring to Will second, El last

˰ Season Two Chapter Three : The Pollywog

In this scene where Max and Mike are arguing, we learn each of the Party's occupations during their D&D campaigns. Mike states “I’m our paladin, Will’s our cleric, Dustin’s our bard, Lucas is our ranger, and El is our mage!”

He refers to himself first, as any normal person would do, then refers to Will second, because Will is most important to him other than himself. Then Dustin, Lucas, and El. Strange how he mentions El last.

But, this is completely intentional. It is meant for us to see the direct contrast between Will and El, Will being referred first and then El, meaning El is less significant to Mike than Will.

Even if it wasn’t intentional, Mike still refers to Will before any of the other Party members, therefore conflicting the bond once again between him and Will than with any other Party member.

When Max asks who El is, Mike says “Someone. No one.”

Now, what if this was meant to be taken seriously? It is plausible that Mike meant it when he said ‘no one’, he just didn’t know it. Maybe El doesn’t mean as much to Mike than he thinks she does, which is exactly why he refers to her last.

Pic limit was reached so check out pt 2 here!

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timelyowl0 · 3 years

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Brittana/Faberry Fic Recs

Hi! Here’s a list I compiled of some of my all time favorite Brittana and Faberry fics! I was originally going to separate the list by Faberry and Brittana, but many of the stories have both, so instead you can just read the pairings listed for each. They are sorted by multi-chapter complete, multi-chapter incomplete/in progress, and one-shots. Each title is a link you can click on to take you to the fic. All credit goes to their respective authors :)

Also, here’s a quick rating guide in case you needed to know:

GA/PG - General Audience

T - Teen

M - Mature

E - Explicit

NR - Not rated

That’s all, I hope you enjoy!

Multi-chapter (complete):

Between The Lines (T) - 19 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana and Rachel/Quinn - Rachel invites Brittany and Santana to a sleepover. Brittany/Santana with a healthy side of Rachel/Quinn

The Only True Paradises (M) - 20 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - The tortuous evolution of Santana's feelings toward Brittany. See also "Pas de Deux," a companion piece from Brittany's point of view.

Pas de Deux (M) - 20 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Companion piece to "The Only True Paradises." The evolution of Santana and Brittany's relationship from Brittany's perspective.

Faithfully (T) - 5 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - "That moment when Santana had sworn, even though she and Brittany were standing at opposite ends of the raised platform…that she could still feel Brittany's energy zinging toward her, like they were connected on the same current." Brittana, Seasons 1 through 5, as told in five increments.

My Girlfriend's Sister's Keeper (T) - 13 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittany isn't the only Pierce that has Santana wrapped around her finger. Santana's life with her two favorite people.

Mariposa (M) - 5 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Like a butterfly, Santana's journey out of the closet occurs in stages. From the first time she heard the word gay to the first time she flew free from her chrysalis, she can remember everything.

time passes, in love and in seasons (T) - 4 Part Series - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittana, from the end of junior year and throughout senior year, told through the seasons. Mostly follows Season 3 canon.

Brittana Shorts (GA) - 8 Part Series - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - A collection of Brittana-centric short stories

it’s nice to have a friend (T) - 8 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - They're six when they first meet. It's the first day of school in a crowded classroom and Santana finds herself drawn to the new blonde girl. OR The story of how Brittany and Santana meet and all the significant moments in their lives following the first time they see one another. - sequel

A Matter of Miserable Time (T) - 10 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - "His voice was deep, quiet, and sure, so calm compared to the last words they had exchanged. Her voice was only a faint whisper as she questioned the man she hadn't spoken to in three years.'Papi.'"

Influence (M) - 26 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittany is perpetually cast as the dumb blonde, but the reasons behind her demeanor are more complex than that. She looks back on her childhood, her relationship with Santana, and the life-altering effects the decisions of her youth had on her future.

It’s Not Like I Wanted This to Happen (T)- 101 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana and Rachel/Quinn - Quinn takes a very drunk Rachel home from a party...encounters the Berrys…and herself. This story contains a huge amount of Brittana and a lot of Puck.

Rough Beginnings (M) - 44 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Quinn decides she needs to end this obsession once and for all, but life doesn't always work out the way we want it to. Sometimes it's so much better. Faberry.

Never Asked to Feel Your Halo (T) - 45 Chapters (1/2 in series) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - The thing was, neither of them wanted this-whatever it was, but since when did the Universe care about what Rachel or Quinn wanted? Their cards had been dealt the moment they'd entered that shower together. Now it came down to how well they played them.

Standing on the Edge Dancing in the Flames (M) - 34 Chapters (2/2 in series) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Life isn't all singing and dancing, not even in Glee club. And what if being on top of the pyramid just gives you further to fall. When everyone feels like a frienemy and fathers and faculty and babies and boyfriends complicate EVERYTHING, how are you ever supposed to get anything right? (Book Two of the 'No Halo' series)

The South Side of Anywhere (M) - 47 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Sometimes you fall in love with your eyes closed, and when you open them, the person is someone you never thought it could be. It started with letters, and turned into Faberry.

Somewhere in Between (M) - 77 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Imagine if Faberry happened instead of Finchel. This is a re-telling of every episode as if Faberry were cannon. Each chapter will chronicle each episode starting at the very beginning. Some things will change and some will remain the same. Longer description in first chapter. Also side Brittana. As well as Quinntana friendship, and Puckleberry bromance.

Didn’t See it Coming (M) - 63 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana? - AU HS. After a devastating breakup, Quinn turns to Rachel in need of a friend, and ends up with so much more. - "If, one day, someone asks me how it all started; I'll have to say it was a granola bar that finally did me in." Faberry.

Bet You Didn’t Know That (T) - 19 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Faberry. What she doesn't know, she doesn't need to find out.

Take Me As I Am Seasons 1 & 2 (T) - 48 chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana and Kurt/Blaine - The incredibly true adventures of Quinn and Rachel, starting from Sectionals Season 1. It's just like watching the show, if Faberry were the central couple and everything revolved around them! Brittana & Klaine co-star in supporting roles.

Take Me As I Am Season 3 (T) - 26 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana and Kurt/Blaine - The continued adventures of Quinn & Rachel as the starring couple of Glee. Some integration of canon events, but mostly this is the story of Faberry and their world! Klaine & Brittana co-star in supporting roles

Blink and You’ll Miss It (M) - 31 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry discover they like each other. Against all odds, will they be able to get together before they tear each other apart?

You’re All I Need (M) - 17 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - A Faberry romance story, set when they are both single but I haven't specified when as I'm not even sure myself but most of the events are from series 3. Points of view will change every few chapters. And that's probably the worst description you've ever read but yeah I can't be bothered to change it.

quarantining or how quinn might lose it, once for all. (T) - 8 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - It starts like the worst horror movie ever but instead of being trapped in the basement of a creepy 50-something year old, Quinn finds herself being trapped in Rachel Berry's basement.

Once More From the Top (T) - 22 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana and others - Here's what you missed on Glee: McKinley's Glee Club reformed under the direction of Will Schuester. Rachel tried to recruit the Cheerios but that ended up being a total disaster. It's cool though because she heard Finn Hudson sing in the shower and he's actually really good. She successfully recruits him and now the Glee Club has enough members to be a real thing.And that's what you missed, on Glee!

Outside Hearts (M) - 37 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Rachel Berry's world is about to be turned upside down when one of Hollywood's most sought-after young actresses, Quinn Fabray, abruptly and mysteriously leaves her fame behind, moves to Ohio and tries to have a normal life while attending McKinley High. (Faberry w/ some Brittana)

I See That Ragged Soul Take Flight (M) - 44 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana, Mike/Tina, Kurt/Blaine and Sam/Mercedes - Ensemble cast piece exploring what happens after Season 3. Rachel, Santana and Kurt are in New York together. Quinn is at Yale. Explores adulthood, friendship and long-distance relationships. Eventual Faberry. Also contains, Brittana, Klaine, Tike and Samcedes content, plotlines back at McKinley, and frequent use of Santana POV.

All The Best (T, but I would rate M for descriptive scenes of suicide, eating disorders, rape, etc.) - 80 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - After spending the entire summer away, Quinn is eager to get back to normal and make the best of her junior year. Excited to put everything behind her and start fresh, she struggles to establish a new normal. But when she's least expecting it, Quinn finds support in the most unlikely places and is forced to confront the very feelings that landed her where she is in the first place.

take these broken wings (M) - 4 Part Series - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana and Kurt/Sam - Begins in Season one and follows Quinn through her life should she have chosen to keep Beth, realize she is gay, and fall in love with Rachel Berry. The main romantic relationship will be Faberry, with a bit of Hevans and Brittana, but apart from Faberry it will be very heavy on friendship and Quinn&Beth oriented.

the state of dreaming (T) - 3 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - Rachel couldn’t help the guilt that bubbled in her chest when she watched Quinn get a prom photo alone. Determined to make it up to her, she invites Quinn over for a sleepover. It becomes a routine. Set immediately after 2x20 (Prom Queen).

Enough to Believe (T) - 2 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - Years after Shelby ups and disappears from Lima with Beth, a blonde girl shows up on Rachel and Quinn's doorstep, armed with a lot of questions, and very familiar cheekbones.

you and her loathing this cruel world (M) - 3 Chapters - Pairings: Quinn/Rachel, minor Kurt/Quinn and Kurt/Sam - "Of all the girls he had to have sex with (which really, were none), of course it was someone with a painting of Jesus above her bed, so he knows that his only hope in hell that this will go away is in a negative test result." Season 1 AU; Kurt is pretty sure he's gay, but would like to make sure. Quinn Fabray has similar questions running through her mind. They put their theories to the test, with very much unintended consequences. - sequel

I’ve Been Trying to Reach You (T) - 25 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana, Santana/Puck, Rachel/Jesse and Sam/Tina - After falling pregnant in sophomore year, Quinn Fabray plummets from the top of the teen hierarchy at McKinley High to the very bottom. In an effort to give her a chance to start over, her parents transfer her to Carmel, a private school in the area with a blossoming arts program. It's supposed to be a new beginning, but what she doesn't count on is immediately becoming enemies with the most popular girl in school: Rachel Berry, co-captain of Vocal Adrenaline.

The Lopez Manifesto (T) - 8 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - santana starts writing a rachel/quinn fanfic for everyone at McKinley. it’s also extremely popular as everyone awaits her weekly updates. (usually based on what the girls are doing that week.) quinn is the last to find out and is… pissed.

my heart’s a leather jacket I am waiting to give to someone sweet (T) - 15 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittany is McKinley’s resident broody rebel who doesn’t see much point to high school, and who, completely incidentally, just so happens to be kind of a math genius. Santana is Lima's golden child, the perfect and unapproachable only child of public figure Dr. Lopez. She’s also the high school’s enigma; no one actually knows anything about her aside from the fact that she’s cold, distant, terrifying, aloof, and willing to eviscerate anyone who looks at her the wrong way. Unfortunately for her, Brittany is about to get a crash course in the complete mystery that is Santana Lopez when she is asked—or, more realistically, forced—to be Santana's math tutor.

Dead Girls Don’t Sing (T) - 39 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Quinn, Kurt/Blaine and Tina/Mike - S3 AU. Brittany doesn't believe in unicorns anymore, Rachel's dreams are as dead as the world, Santana is no one's hero…and Quinn? Quinn's just trying to breathe. The world as they knew it is gone -now all they can do is survive. Zombie Apocalypse. Faberrittana Friendship. Slow Burn Faberry. Character Death. COMPLETE

Simple Parts (T) - 13 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - That awkward moment when you travel thirty years forward in time and find out you're married to your high school nemesis? Yeah, it totally sucks...except...maybe it doesn't.

The Lateness of the Hour (M) - 12 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - "Brittany has much less to lose. She always has."

half of me (T) - 4 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - a run-in (quite literally) at the bookstore, two broadway tickets, and a seven-year-old in a plaid catholic-school uniform. what has rachel gotten herself into? future AU where quinn has beth and rachel makes it on broadway.

April Fools (T) - 10 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - Santana recruits - forces - Rachel to help her prank Quinn. All she has to do is pretend that a love potion has caused her to fall madly in love with the cheerleader. Simple, right? Wrong. Faberry.

Stars & the Moon (M) - 15 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - In the midst of dealing with Beth's adoption, Quinn ends up working on a summer community theatre production with Rachel. Hilarity ensues. Just kidding.

Love Me Any Less (M) - 25 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Junior year becomes the beginning of something no one expected, and maybe the beginning of something a few can't understand how they ever lived without. Starts mild but progresses to M rating. First fic ever! Faberry.

Better Where It’s Wetter (M) - 10 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - Rachel and her dads are going on a LGBT family-friendly cruise for the summer and Rachel's told she's can bring a friend. Who else to bring but Quinn?

Like a Seal Upon Your Heart (M) - 20 Chapters - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana? - Quinn Fabray is Daddy's little girl and the perfect Christian. She CAN'T be gay. But then her friendship with Rachel Berry starts to change...

Somewhere in Brooklyn (M) - 47 Chapters - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Santana and Brittany have been trying to get pregnant for a year without any luck. What happens when a teenage foster child and positive pregnancy test land in their laps on the same day? A unique journey of motherhood ensues.

Multi-chapter (incomplete/in progress):

Everyone's Gonna Know Now (T) - 8 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - 3/4 in series - When Santana confronted Finn about outing her, his response was, "The whole school already knows." That was pretty much true. This story is about the first moment or incident in which each member of Glee - and a few others - discovered Santana's secret.

Be Okay (M) - 2 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - “Kurt doesn’t know why he does it. It’s not as if he and Santana had ever had anything resembling a friendship, but he feels drawn to her, feels connected to the anguish in her voice as she realized that her biggest secret in the world was about to be revealed.“ This is the evolution of Kurt and Santana’s friendship taking place over a series of one-shots.

looks like a girl but she's a flame, so bright she can burn your eyes, better look the other way, you can try but you'll never forget her name (M) - 5 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - santana lopez writes down the story of her life for a reunion project set for the glee club by none other than rachel berry. aka, a deep dive into santana's life told through her eyes. very santana/brittana centric.

No One Left to Blame (M, read tags) - 30 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Quinn Fabray is well-versed in keeping the truths of her family and her past firmly hidden away. But, her efforts prove to be moot when Rachel Berry, armed with her own secrets of the past, arrives at Dalton Academy and manages to turn both their worlds upside down - or, perhaps, right way up. Faberry. Trigger Warnings.

I’m not breaking, I won’t take it (M, read warnings) - 2 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and minor Quinn/Santana - Santana gets up and starts toward her, “Jesus, what happened to you?” she mumbles, but she's softer than she was moment before. It's obvious that she’s concerned. Quinn chokes down a sob and then admits, “There’s something wrong with me.”“Hey, listen. Whatever it is, you’re going to be fine." Santana is still not getting it, but she’s rubbing soothing little circles on Quinn’s shoulders. There really must be something wrong with her too, because then Quinn is lunging forward and then she’s kissing Santana. Quinn feels her freeze, but then Santana relaxes and she’s kissing her back. or, a study in quinn fabray.

no love like your love (T) - 5 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana and Blaine/Sam - Following the death of her mother, Rachel Berry assumes guardianship of her six-year-old brother, Daniel. After a cross-country move for his sister's job, the first friend Danny makes is a soccer-playing, lucky fin having, firecracker of a girl named Beth.

Song of Mine (M) - 18 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Santana Lopez, the new Music teacher at a religious private school in Indianapolis, meets Brittany Pierce, the resident Math teacher. A love story with a happy ending. Promise.

Girls Over Flowers (NR) - 14 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, Brittany/Santana - Dalton Academy—a school of prestige, refinement and the country's wealthiest students—houses the famous F3. When "commoner" transfer student, Rachel Berry directly offends F3's leader, Quinn Fabray, she becomes their target. Mayhem ensues.

we were built to fall apart (then fall back together) (T) - 8 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - Rachel and Quinn haven't seen each other for seven years and neither thought they'd see the other again. They certainly didn't see themselves starring together in a Broadway musical, as each other's love interests.

A Different Life (E) - 33 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana, Finn/Rachel and Kurt/Blaine - Canon!Divergent Brittana. Santana and Brittany move to New York after high school. Everything is going perfectly until Brittany gets a phone call that changes everything. Seven years later, Santana has a daughter and she and Britt haven't seen each other...Canon until 3x16ish. No Louisville, no second senior year.

you get too close you’ll get a royalty high (so breathe it in to feel the love) (T) - 9 Chapters (Incomplete) - Pairings: Brittany/Santana, Rachel/Quinn, Sam/Mercedes, Mike/Tina, Kitty/Artie and Kurt/Blaine - "Alright," she began uneasily. "I'll do it. I'll go to the dumb school."Her parent's smiles beaming back at her were almost enough to make her think this could possibly be a good idea, but the nerves surging in her stomach said otherwise. Boarding School/Royalty Brittana AU

One-shot:

Tattoo (T) - Oneshot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - "She soaks it in for a few seconds—this night, this place, these friends, this family room floor, this girl—before she says it back." Post-3x11. Brittana.

Eden (T) - Oneshot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittany and Santana teach Joe about love. 4K

Riding in Cars With Girls (M) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - After Quinn quit Glee club and joined a band Rachel feels the gap Quinn has left and sets out to get her back, whatever the cost. But what happens when Quinn's only condition involves her car and Rachel's lips on hers every day at five? Punk!Quinn

and things we’re all too young to know (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Five vignettes set after the point when Brittana become girlfriends. Not too many people would guess it, but Brittany knows that loving Santana is the easiest and best thing in the world to do; Santana is just the best person to love.

My Friends Say That I’m Falling In Love (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Brittany and Santana spend the week leading up to Valentine's Day giving Mercedes grief about her date. Brittana romance, Brittanacedes friendship. Mouseverse. One-shot.

And What Would You Say If I Wrote the Whole Thing Out for You? (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Some things have changed a lot since Sam left McKinley and some things haven’t really changed at all. Set circa 3x08.

The Landslide Brought Me Down (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Our girls’ story. Sweet lady kisses, Landslide, their separation, the night of Prom Queen, Songbird, Santana’s Abuela’s rejection, the night after Santana learned about the political ad, Brittany’s senior year falling apart, the lights of New York, and other scenes.

seven (GA) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - A companion piece to 'it's nice to have a friend'. Takes place after the first scene in the second chapter - can be read separately to 'it's nice to have a friend'. Basically just childhood fluff that examines their friendship and the items they connect to their friendship.

baby you don't gotta fight (i'll be here til the end of time) (GA) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - She sees red for all of last period, a strange twinge of pain in her chest because all these people think they know Santana but they’re all wrong. or: three times Brittany tells people they've got Santana all wrong and the one time she tells Santana

The Unicorn Tapestries (NR) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - We lie on our stomachs on my pale blue sheets, a book lying open in front of us that we bend our heads over, sunlight all over the page and bringing bits of gold out in your skin..

But You Could Sing (NR) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Why am I always the one who tells bedtime stories? Because your stories are prettier, BrittBritt. But you can tell real ones. Like what?

Colors (NR) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - The sunlight in my room shines from the south. The way I know: when I lean far out my window, the sun rises on the side where I can feel my heartbeat, and sets in the direction of my writing hand.

You’re Something Else (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - 'Quinn gets the impression she and Rachel are finally on the same page about what may or may not be happening between them. All she really knows is that it's colourful.'

Raising the Bar (M) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and minor/implied Brittany/Santana - Quinn never expected that the best matchmaker would turn out to be a lumpy pullout couch.

the one with the friends reference (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn, minor/implied Brittany/Santana and minor/implied Kurt/Blaine - "You can see it. Quinn standing in front of you, as close as she can get without touching you and saying, 'Are you attracted to me?'" Faberry. Post-season six.

Blame it on the Alcohol (or the gay, whatever) (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and minor/implied Brittany/Santana - “I can’t believe what you did to my body, I used to have abs!” - In which one sentence is totally incorrect and causes chaos and havoc and Faberry feelings to happen. Also known as drunk Rachel is kyoot and Finn is stoopid.

could you pass in love? (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - “'Quinn Fabray, I will divorce you, don’t think I won’t!'” In which Rachel and Quinn get married, sending them into a possibly out-of-character feelings frenzy . Season Three. Faberry.

Do You Wanna Know How This Story Plays Out? (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - It's not her fault that you feel the way you do about women, you know that, and you knew that then, too. But you've been angry at Rachel Berry for making you feel things you wanted to lock away for years, and it was far too easy to put all of the blame on her to avoid dealing with your own feelings. It wasn't and isn't fair, but it was about protecting yourself and it makes it a little easier to bear. - OR - After everything implodes with Finn, Quinn moves in with Rachel. They make out a lot without ever talking about how much more it means to both of them. Introspective Closeted!Quinn POV from second-person.

you succeed at being mine (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Kurt/Sam - Sequel to 'you and her loathing this cruel world'.

This Must Be The Place (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - Santana is eight years old when her Tio Carlos joins the Army. Or the less-cracky-than-you-might-expect Glee/The Losers crossover where Cougar is Santana's uncle. (If it tells you anything, i nearly titled this 'Ohana Means Family.')

This Modern Love (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Brittany/Santana - "How do you know when you're dating someone?"

Beth’s family tree (GA) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - "Now that being said, my family tree is composed by both my biological family and my adoptive family" Beth explains easily enough as she clicks the mouse. But then the next slide appears and the teacher gapes at all the information, names, colours and arrows in the diagram.

pictures of you, pictures of me (hung upon the wall, for the world to see) (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn and Brittany/Santana - "Quinn looked around her room again. She'd never noticed it before, but she had a lot of pictures of Rachel." or: a faberry oneshot set between seasons 1 and 2 where Quinn reflects on a series of moments with Rachel that led to where she is now

anything could happen (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - She stared down at the test in her hand. The line was faint, disappearing depending on the angle. It was possible she was just seeing things, but still. She pulled out her cell phone, tears running down her flushed cheeks. It felt like the earth could open up at any second, just swallow her whole. The line rang. Once, twice, she cursed quietly. She sucked in a breath as she heard a click signifying the call had connected."Hello? Rachel?" Her voice cracked. "Quinn. I need your help." A Faberry-centric rewrite of Rachel's season 4 pregnancy scare

Frannie’s View (T) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - When Frannie was a child she did everything she could to make her father happy. She was a daddy’s girl through and through. She was quiet and never disrespectful. She went to church every Sunday with her mother and father and prayed every night. Frannie had a lot of friends at school and was popular and well liked. She did very well in school though her participation grades were always low. Daddy told her women were supposed to be quiet and always treat their husbands with respect. She was a princess and he was the King. He ruled the house. Frannie absolutely hated the way her father treated her little sister. Frannie desperately tried to change Lucy. She thought if Lucy could be better then their father would be happier, nicer. OR A journey from Frannie's perspective of Lucy/Quinn and Quinn's sexuality and later feelings for Rachel.

According to Judy (PG) - One-shot - Pairings: Rachel/Quinn - How Judy Fabray deals with Quinn's infatuation with Rachel.

#brittana #faberry #fic rec #brittana fic #faberry fic

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