Joseph Quinn As Eddie Munson In Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 (2022)

EDDIE THROUGH THE YEARS + THE SONGS HE LISTENED TO

freshman year ‘80 - ‘81 : blank generation - richard hell (1977) ; god save the queen - the sex pistols (1977)

sophomore year ‘81 - ‘82 : search and destroy (bowie mix) - iggy and the stooges (1973) ; breaking the law - judas priest (1980)

junior year ‘82 - ‘83 : paranoid - black sabbath (1970) ; crazy train - ozzy osbourne (1980)

senior year #1 ‘83 - ‘84 : cum on feel the noize - quiet riot (1983) ; holy diver - dio (1983)

senior year #2 ‘84 - ‘85 : for whom the bell tolls - metallica (1984) ; a little bit of what you fancy - saxon (1984) 

senior year #3 ‘85 - ‘86 : she sells sanctuary - the cult (1985) ; 2 minutes to midnight - iron maiden (1984)

spring break ‘86 and beyond : shot in the dark - ozzy osbourne (1986) ; master of puppets - metallica (1986)

chicago ‘86 - 87 [trauma era] : i could have been a dreamer - dio (1987) ; flood II - the sisters of mercy (1985)

chicago ‘87 [coping era ]: animal (fuck like a beast) - w.a.s.p. (1984) ; sex dwarf - soft cell (1981)

back to hawkins ‘88 : rainbow in the dark - dio (1983) ; round and round - ratt (1984)

*bonus: songs he listens to with steve: head over heels - tears for fears (1985) ; (i’ve had) the time of my life - bill medley, jennifer warnes (1987)

Stranger Things - 4x08 - Papa

stevehharringtcns​:

.

steve let out a small laugh at what eddie said about his ego, shaking his head slowly at the other. “my ego is just the right size, thank you very much… but you could have just been honest that you wanted to see me instead of creeping around the store. i’ve noticed you’ve been coming here a lot lately, i didn’t know you were such a fan of movies.” he said with a smirk, as he looked at eddie for a couple of moments.

shaking his head slowly, steve sighed. “i know it’s called dungeons and dragons, but i really don’t know what it is about. i usually shut off when henderson talks about that shit, unless, you know, it’s important to save our lives and the town.” he said - unfortunately, that had happened way too many times for steve’s liking. he still thought it was weird that every once in a while, creatures would emerge from the ground and put everyone at risk. but after two years of quiet, steve had to admit that it was too quiet for his liking. he just had to admit that they could all finally have some peace. “you’re still playing that shit or what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at the other.

seeing eddie’s reaction to his compliment made steve smirk slightly, nodding his head slowly as the other talked. “i think it looks good now, so don’t worry about that.” he said, his eyes now moving to see the other’s tattoos, especially the one that eddie made sure he showed once he pulled down his shirt collar. maybe steve looked for longer than he liked, but could anyone blame him? there was something about eddie and steve couldn’t just wrap his head around on what it was. did he find him attractive? he definitely did… but he wasn’t sure how eddie would feel about that if he knew, so he just smiled at him. “those look pretty sick, munson, i have to say i’m impressed.” he said with a small laugh escaping from his lips as he placed his hands on the counter, watching as the other leaned forward.

eddie’s reactions were making steve laugh like no other, but then he realized. had he just asked the other on a date? it couldn’t possibly be a date, they were just two friends hanging out. nothing special was going to happen, right? it was just two friends hanging out, he kept repeating in his head as he looked down at eddie. he was a bit at a loss for words. “uh… i think, we could just uh… watch a movie. that sounds like a plan.” he said with a small nod, before clearing his throat as he looked at eddie with a smile on his face. “just a movie it’s fine i think… and don’t worry, i don’t kiss on the first date. sorry to disappoint.” he said, regaining some of the confidence he usually had, as he looked at eddie. they were just friends. just friends.

+++

eddie bit his lip, felt his cheeks heat up. he quickly averted his gaze, shit. so he hadn’t been as inconspicuous as he thought he’d been. great fucking job, munson. he looked down, finger starting to play with his rings, twisting them around, moving them from one finger to another. fidgeting. “see, i’m not a big movie guy but i am a fan of looking at that pretty face of yours. withotu having to hear you talk.”, he teased with a chuckle, though he still felt a little nervous and that ‘witty reply’ of his had taken entirely too long.

he shifted his weight from one foot to another. as steve mentioned dungeons and dragons he, again, let himself fall against the counter, actually slid down, pretending to claw his way up as he got back upright. “dost thine insolence never stop?”, he said with a shake of his head, a deep sigh. “ and see, that’s exactly why i took the spot of the ‘designated a ltitle weirdly older best friend’ and replaced you, stevie. henderson worships you but the dissing dnd part? not cool, man.” eddie proudly rose his chin, give steve a stern nod, curls flying about as he did so. “’course i do, i’m doing a little hellfire reunion campaign this summer, too. it’s fun, harrington, wouldn’t kill ya to have some every once in a while, hm?”

‘i think it looks good now’. damn his body for releasing that swarm of butterflies in his stomach, eddie thought and swallowed. well, if somebody had told eddie like, five years ago that he’d one day be a squirming, blushing mess because steve harrington complimented his hair? he would’ve thought them clinically insane. and the butterflies were apparently dead set on staying, viciously swarming as he caught steve’s eye slingering on his exposed chest for just - a - tad - too - long. he felt dizzy, adjusted his collar again. he grinned, a stupid little lovey grin. “thanks, man. you know you should get some of your own. it would make you, like, ten times hotter.” still grinning, though wavering a little as his mind caught up with what he’d said. eddie’s eyes widened. “i mean, like you know. the chicks would dig it.”

great fucking save, munson. he had to fight the urge to squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment. god, what was it that steve did to him that turned him into this mess of a person. he mirrored steve’s nod. “just a movie, then. very sensible. i’m in, harrington.” as if that wasn’t fucking clear enough. 

okay, but at this point, it was steve’s fault as much as eddie’s that eddie couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought. because the minute he’d said the word ‘kiss’ that’s all he could think about - kissing steve. his tonge darted out to wet his lips and he had to physically tear his eyes away from where they’d dropped to steve’s lips. god fucking dammit. he blinked. “aw, shucks, stevie. and i was hoping to get to second base with you during the especially scary parts. man. you’re such a tease.”

walkie talks || steddie

steve: c'mon eddie, just... give me a chance to talk

steve: whatever, i just thought i shouldn't show up at your door...

steve: did you mean what you say? do you really think it was just... a joke?

eddie: you had plenty chance to talk at the cabin, steve.

eddie: i don't know why you're doing this, are you like ... mocking me? listen, i get that you're, like, embarrassed and shit, that you regret it. i get it.

eddie: you had your fun, let's just forget it, ok, harrington?

stevehharringtcns·:

.

steve couldn’t believe his eyes when he spotted that the person in front of his car (and that he had almost ran over with his car) was no other than eddie. he was pretty convinced that he had walked in front of his car on purpose, but then again, he couldn’t really be surprised by that - it was eddie after all. he couldn’t help but to chuckle at the other’s reaction to seeing him. only eddie would react like that, but at least someone was glad to see him. he couldn’t imagine nancy’s reaction when she spotted him, but he didn’t want to think about that right now. “what the hell are you doing, munson? you can’t just jump in front of my car like that, i could have killed you!” he continued his protests, but this time he had a smile on his face, shaking his head slowly as he laughed.

before he knew it, eddie was making his way inside of his car and before he could say anything about it, he was being pulled into a hug by the other, which made him chuckle awkwardly as he patted his back. “alright, alright, munson, don’t get too emotional just by my presence. it’s not like i went anywhere, you’re the one that has been missing from hawkins.” he said, shaking his head slightly as he kept patting the other’s back until he finally was pulled way from the hug.

staring at eddie as he invited himself over to the barbecue, steve thought to himself: it would be better if he showed with someone else, right? it would be less awkward than just showing up on his own and having to deal with the wheeler family all by himself. right? “i don’t think she’ll mind… but it’s not like i can ask her either way, so… the wheeler barbecue it is then.” he said as he started driving again, not thinking twice as he started making his way towards the wheeler house. “what have you been up to, munson? don’t tell me you came back to hawkins, after all this time?” he asked, a smirk showing up in his features as he drove.

+++

he shrugged. “had to get your attention somehow, didn’t i?” wide beaming smile fixed on his lips, eddie settled into the seat with a sigh, lifting his hips to pull the bandana from his back pocket. perhaps the hug had been a bit much, he thought to himself as he patted away a sheen of sweat on his forehead. he gave steve a sheepish smile. “sorry, man, didn’t mean to get all...”, he gestured between them with his hands, then dropped them in his lap. “it’s just you’re, like, the first friendly face i’ve come across here, ‘cept for my uncle, of course. and that means a lot, at least in hawkins, you know.”<7small>

although steve and eddie were... well, friends - bound together by that fucking whacky shit they’d gone through two years ago - eddie’s brow still twitched in anticipation as he awaited steve’s reply. he was still afraid of rejection, even after two years of keeping in contact. platonic rejection, though - yeah, no, eddie was pretty damn sure steve was as straight as they come. he’d put the moves on him during their time fighting vecna, really, come to think of it he’d never flirted as shamelessly with anyone else. dropping hints left, right and center, to no avail. until he’d moved to chicago and, well, had been forced to give up pursuing steve, for his own good.

but whatever. eddie noticed the sudden shift in tone as steve talked about nancy and cocked an eyebrow, buckling th seatbelt as he spoke. “huh? trouble in paradise, harrington? are you and wheeler, like, doing okay, or...?” a sort of open ended question, leaving it to steve to fill him in on the details he wanted to share.

he stretched his arms above his head, slipped his bandana back into his pocket. “oh, i’ve been up to all sorts of things. y’know. wreakig general havoc here and there, same old, in true munson fashion.”, he said and gave him a grin. “god, no, i’m only back for the summer, stevie. why? did you miss me?”

“you been up to anything fun, harrington?”

Black Sabbath - Paranoid  ♰

“Living after midnight, rockin’ to the dawn. Lovin’ ‘til the morning, then I’m gone. I’m gone.”

murray-baumans·:

who: murray & @eddiemcnson·

where: the music center

After the semi-successful investigation at the border, Murray decided to treat himself to a relaxing night in– he’d cook a lasagna, pour some wine, and unwind to some jazz. In particular, he was looking to replace his George Benson record; he’d discovered earlier that day that he’d left it in Illinois. So, Murray found himself a the Music Center, which must have been run by a middle schooler because the organization was completely senseless.

Approaching who he assumed to be an employee, Murray cleared his throat to make his presence known. “Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of your jazz collection?” he asked, investigating the button’s on the young man’s jacket. “You a metalhead?” he wondered aloud.

+++

the music center was one of his more frequented places, eddie made sure to stop by at least once when he came back to hawkins. though vastly different from the record store he worked at in chicago - which was more specialised on alternative music and the sort - he enjoyed browsing through the stacks of vinyls and tapes, spending time rummaging through the bargain bin. it reminded him of his childhood and early adolescence. really, eddie had spent hours on end in the store, some days only leaving if he was explicitly asked to do so.

today, however, he’d simply come in to take his mind off things. off the ‘tragedy at benny’s diner’, more specifically. he wanted to browse through some new releases, see if they got any heavy stuff at all. drop by to make sure that cole was okay, too - they’d left things on a rather....awkward note, too, having had their encounter in the mall cut short by max’s arrest. 

“sorry?”, eddie’s head popped up from behind the shelf, he threw the other a puzzled look. eyes narrowing as the man in front of him mentioned the words ‘jazz’ and ‘collection’. “uh, i don’t....work here, man. sorry.”

eddie stared at him for a moment, wondering if his question was, perhaps, a trap of sorts. and because, quite frankly, he was an odd looking fella. “uh, yeah. sure am. what gave it away?”, he asked jokingly and laughed, gesturing down at his buttons.

mayorstjames·:

who: spencer st. james & @eddiemcnson·

where: near city hall

spencer was done with his day at work. it hadn’t been that stressful now that he thought about it, but it hadn’t been that interesting either. it had been dull, if anything. but now he could finally go home and so he made his way towards his car. it was almost getting dark outside, which didn’t surprise him. as he unlocked his car, he noticed a familiar face walking by. a face that he hadn’t seen in a while, but definitely a face he remembered. it was impossible to forget the face of eddie munson, the purp who had been the suspect of all of the mystery deaths in 1986. and the one who had caused so much trouble.

turning to stop the other on his tracks, standing in front of him, spencer looked at the other with a small smile on his lips. a fake one, obviously, but nevertheless a smile. “edward munson, right?” he asked. he knew exactly who he was. but he wanted to see how the other would react. “now, that’s a face i never thought i would see again. i didn’t know you were back in hawkins.” he said. not that he knew of his whereabouts in the past two years, but it seemed like he had disappeared after everything that happened, so he only assumed that he had left town.

+++

another day, another visit to family video. to catch up with robin, flirt with steve until he was all blushing and flustered, eddie counted today as a success as he walked back to where he’d parked his van near city hall, hand sin his pockets, an uncharacteristic smile on his face. whistling the melody of quiet riot’s ‘cum on feel the noize’ to himself. the sun was shining, the heat off the day slowly cooling down. no, yeah, today was a good day. and eddie was going to go home and smoke, maybe hit up max, too, and he was going to make it an even better day.

it was funny, in hindisght, how quickly a good day could turn into a great one, and how a great day could turn into a horrifically bad one. all thanks to the sight of one unfortunately familiar face. eddie stopped walking abruptly, nearly tripped over his own feet. brows furrowed, he nearly grimaced. he scoffed. “uh, yeah. eddie. but whatever.” pretending like he didn’t know exactly who he was. eddie fought off the urge to roll his eyes. 

“back for the summer, mayor spencer. assuming it still is ‘mayor’?” eddie mirrored his smile, it was equally fake and equally difficult, as he was going against his body’s natural instinct of looking at the other with an expression of pure disgust. but he was going to play it nice and safe. after all, his uncle still lived here - and presently, thanks to the border shenanigans, eddie was in no position to leave the town.

thequeenofhawkins·:

— ♔ —  

What. The. Fuck. 

It was a thought, one that Chrissy would never speak out loud, fear that Laura Cunningham would hear her all the way from the Cunningham two story house to the trailer park. She watched as Eddie backed away from her, grabbing the remote and using it as some sort of defense. Chrissy shook her head, trying to listen to his frantic voice. He was scared.

Scared of her. 

She couldn’t understand why. Sure, Chrissy was presumed dead or at the very least missing. Her parents buried an empty casket. People had mourned her. For all intensive purposes, she had come back from the dead. Chrissy just wasn’t thinking this would be her homecoming from Eddie. The same guy that had made her laugh. Like, genuinely laugh in years. After that, there was just darkness. Haziness. A cloud she couldn’t walk through. 

“What…” She couldn’t even get a sentence out from his yelling and then subsequently, his passing out. Chrissy could have ran, leave in the opposite direction. He’d wake up eventually and then it would be like she was never there, but she stepped into the trailer.

In an instant, heaviness hit her. Every step she took felt like there was someone pressing on her chest, it was nauseating. Something she didn’t feel prior to walking inside. Chrissy didn’t feel like she belonged inside and something told her it wasn’t because of a class difference. “Eddie?” She walked further, hoping he would pop back up, but he was still out cold. She bent down to his level, tapping him on the face. Again, hoping that would jolt him awake. “Eddie, wake up.”

+++

slowly, grimacing and groaning, eddie came to, from one if the most vivid nightmares he'd had in a long time. jesusxit had all felt so real. opening his door to see chrissy cunningham, queen of hawkins high, standing there - alive, breathing and fucking furious. standing in the doorway of the very trailer where she'd died some two years prior.

it had all felt so scarily real. just as real as the persistent tapping on his face that pulled him back to the realm of the living, the voice insisting that he 'wake up!'. and if he hadn't been quite so frightened and confused, eddie would've chuckled at that - the wax the voice echoed what he'd said to chrissy shortly before she'd started floating to the ceiling.

speak of the devil - another groan, eddie cracked one eye open. and met with the gave of chrissy cunningham once more, he instinctively backed into the wall behind him, hitting his head. eyes darted to the side for a moment - he'd dropped the tv remote when he'd fainted, it had slithered underneath the coffee table, out of reach. eddie gulped, backed himself as far as he could into the wall.

"this is not real - no, you are not real. this - am I dreaming? am i, like -", eyes widening even further, his breath hitched. "oh fuck, shit, am i dead? did I die? Is this, like, hell and you're coming back to haunt me?"