Network |Text | OTA/Visible to All EXCEPT Steve Harrington

[the_freak]

Holidays were never a big deal for me really, but I wanna do something nice for Steve for the general...Christmas-y time. But I dunno how the fuck to approach it.

Notes Re: Steve

Jock

Popular

Likes music like- Wham!, Tears for Fears, Mr. Mister, Heart.

Giant house and probably used to big ass Christmas-es.

🎁🎁🎁

What do you get for a guy like that? And in a place like this???

Comments

[text]

[in_extremis]

My god there's two of them.

My popular jock with questionable music taste is pretty easy to please, he's going to blush at the idea that you were thinking about him. That part is my favourite, I do recommend it, if you know how to make him squirm.

[text]

[the_freak]

You have a poplar jock Steve?

I'm pretty good at making him blush. But I don't know how to gift wrap that.

[in_extremis]

More popular and jock than your Steve.

Silk and a little lace are traditional.

I guess that's not really your style.

Is he more of a Porsche or a Mustang guy?

[the_freak]

Not typically, no. Not really a silk and lace sorta guy.

BMW. Where's that fall on the scale?

[in_extremis]

Oh, now I'm getting the picture. The scale is telling me that the lace is for him. Maybe that's the direction you should go.

If anyone else is going to be in the room, you could still get a blush with the right suggestion. A couple pairs of skates means you'll have to be holding hands for at least as long as it takes you to learn. If you both know how to skate, congratulations, you don't anymore and it would be great if he could show you.

[the_freak]

For him, huh? Hmm.

...shit, that's kind of perfect. You're good at this stuff.
If it works out I owe you, big.

[in_extremis]

I've had a lot of practice.

[the_freak]

Got a plan for your...whoever?

[in_extremis]

That's

more complicated.

Hey, you owe me. What would you get for the bookish, godlike entity type?

[the_freak]

What kind of bookish, like smart smart, or nerdy? I can do fiction recommendations all day, but not the smart shit.

[in_extremis]

Why is that an or, someone can be both. I've known some breathtakingly brilliant people who also really like the Lord of the Rings. We all have our blindspots.

Your Steve would probably push him into a locker or two.

[the_freak]

Well that would have been my first recommendation, but somehow I get the impression you wouldn't follow through on Tolkien.

There's the Gormenghast trilogy. Always a winner in my book.
The Book of Ptath, that sort of fits the whole...godlike entity bit.
The Once and Future King is always a good read if he likes more of a King Arthur tale.

(And my Steve doesn't do that anymore)

[in_extremis]

My god, is that how you met? You can't blame him, that's a very difficult urge to resist after a list like that, I'm thinking about it right now.

For the record, my Steve has never tolerated bullying. It's kind of his thing.

King Arthur isn't a bad idea.

[the_freak]

Good thing we don't have any lockers here then. And fuck off, it's an awesome list.

Your Steve is starting to sound like an after school special.

It's a classic for a reason. Who doesn't love King Arthur?

[in_extremis]

He's very special, I'll let him know you think so.

You're right, I should have been thinking of romance in the Arthurian sense this whole time. Do I have to tell him about my thing with Morgan le Fay if I'm doing that? It's kind of like giving your new gal an album of the ex's work. It's probably worse if you don't say anything.

[the_freak]

And what are you getting for your special Steve?

...Does fiction exist in your world? Is everything just real? You and Morgan le Fay???

[in_extremis]

I told you, he's easy. The last time we were together for Christmas, I refit a '57 Harley for him, made it electric.

Maybe that wouldn't be so easy here.

We're still at the development stage.

I don't know how to answer what is 'real', I mean, sure, everything is real, as far as I know, except for the fake things, then they're not. How do you know about this stuff if it isn't real? Excalibur has got to be real, or the entire island would be under water by now. Are you just not paying attention?

[the_freak]

Shit, that sounds epic. And you're just getting your current guy a book?

If Exalibur is real then it is very successfully marketed as just a story, 'cause England is still over there as far as I know.

[in_extremis]

Hey, a) a book is hard to come by around here, you've been to the library, and 2. you're the one that recommended it!

Well, so is Morgan. Watch your back. Unless you're into that kind of thing.

[the_freak]

No, no, it's great. Who doesn't love a book? Just...compared to a Harley...

Normally, probably. But committed now, so- is she like the stories?

[in_extremis]

You better be cooking up a great suggestion if you're going to come at me like this. It's just--an available resources thing. I had a bike then. I don't now. He wouldn't even like that, he's--Steve would use the Harley, it's practical.

If you want to tell me some stories, maybe I could fill in some gaps. We could even keep pretending you're committed during, if that makes you feel better. I can keep a secret.

[the_freak]

Well what are you getting Steve this year then? It's gotta be less good than a book.

I'm not pretending. And I can't type that all out, but if you wanna meet up and swap stories some time, I have a ton.

[in_extremis]

I don't have to get someone a crappy gift just because we're not dating. I could give a perfect stranger a yacht and it wouldn't be some reflection on my relationship. He deserves something nice. He's earned it. Jon likes books.

[the_freak]

I'll take the yacht. (Have you seriously given people a yacht??)

[in_extremis]

Of course I have, you can't give someone a dinghy. That's passive aggressive. I think. What are you going to do with a yacht here? It'll break down when you get too far out. You need a sailboat, something you can control mechanically, small enough that you can manage.

[the_freak]

Boats don't really like me anyways. At least when it counts. And fuck, I dunno, if I had something that big I'd just live on it. Who needs to sail when you have that much space.

[in_extremis]

Is someone keeping you imprisoned somewhere?

[the_freak]

No, I know. Not here or whatever, just...in principle.

So lover boy gets a book. Anyone else you need help for?

What are you hoping to get?

[in_extremis]

God, I don't know, I wasn't really thinking about it until now. Everyone is talking about holidays like you share a calendar that I've never seen, I'm on my own. It's just as cool. More cool.

I'm definitely on the naughty list.

[the_freak]

Nah, it's just cold, snowy weather- that's around the holidays. Usually. Couldn't tell you when the fuck anything else is.

What do naughty list people get?

[in_extremis]

A quiet night, if I'm lucky.

/rolls in here despite hiatus

[ephemerios]

first: what's on the 'rejected ideas' list?

<3 <3 <3

[the_freak]

Honestly? I kinda drew a blank from the start. He's really good at gifts. Like shockingly good. And/or I'm not used to them.

I thought sport-y stuff, but he's all ready got a ball, and it's winter anyways so that's not much good. And practical shit doesn't seem that much fun. Like when Wayne get's me socks it's great cause I need them, but I don't see Steve being that excited.

[ephemerios]

So no suggestions here are going to be duplicates, that's good.

Sports stuff might be out, because yeah if winter sports were a thing, there would probably be Olympics for them :D

[ ha. haha. yes, she thinks she's hilarious ok. ]

Anyway, practical gifts can be fun. like a jacket for example, if you get one of those it's basically an on demand warm hug from someone when they're not nearby for whatever reason to actually give you one? or a bonus fluffy thing to wear while getting an actual hug? what beats that?? nothing, that's what.

[the_freak]

Haha :P

Yeah? That's the sorta thing you'd get Jason or whatever and he'd be into it?

[Shut up, he's not totally freaked about fucking this up.]

[ephemerios]

yep, and if it works on anyone who decided they're actually too cool or whatever to hang on to their humanity, it'll work on an actual human being!

[the_freak]

You came around on him real quick. Was he...okay to you, or-?

[ephemerios]

You're half right - it would seem quick to anyone else.

[ Anyone else not her, she means, which was very intentional on her part. She knows she's good at hiding a lot of stuff, not just that; Robin had told her they never really saw why Vecna targeted her while everyone else he did made sense. That pattern of trauma didn't seem to fit with her. And she told her about it when Robin asked. ]

I'd say the incredibly short version is the façade of being super nice and charming that a complete narcissist/egomaniac puts up gets switched off really fast when they don't have lots of eyes on them, then they can go back to being their condescending, selfish, et cetera selves. And with all the other shenanigans in my life outside of school, I wasn't about to give a high school rumor mill a 'popular people break up' to run wild with.

[ As for her last sentence - it'd be a reasonable follow up question, so she'll just answer it now. ]

[the_freak]

Shit Man, I'm sorry. I knew things were rough for you but not...that rough I guess. Or...I assumed. Obviously. Not saying I got your whole deal after one conversation in the woods or anything-

[ephemerios]

no need to apologize for that, because you assumed what I was trying to get people to assume. Because like baaaasically everyone else in Hawkins, I probably wouldn't know what a good coping mechanism was if it literally hit me in the face. Ha. I love us, but, damn.

[the_freak]

Ha, yeah. We aren't really known for that shit, are we?

[ephemerios]

not even a little bit! town wide experiment in faking it until we make it, results tbd. at least we're fun?