#Billie holiday is forever my girl

[happyheidi]

𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝖺𝗎𝗍𝗒 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝗅𝗈𝗈𝗆𝗒 𝗐𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋.

#cottagecore #nature #naturecore #rain aesthetic #gloomy baby <3 #gloomy sunday #Billie holiday is forever my girl #city aesthetic #japanese aesthetic

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Eleanor Parker (Scaramouche, The Sound of Music)— Eulogized as a ravishing beauty whose looks were merely ornamental to her craft, feast your eyes on Eleanor Parker. Listen! I know you're thinking of the Baroness in Sound of Music and saying NO I won't protect the woman who tried to steal him from Maria but forget about that (like you personally wouldn't shoot your shot with Plummer)! The trailer for Scaramouche describes her character Lenore as "The glamourous queen of the nightlife of Paris. A flame-haired wildcat" and this is a woman who was able to pull off that role, and you get the vibe she was like that irl too. There's a story about her changing hair colors that never fails to make me laugh. Take note of her stunning eyes! Her amazing legs! And to see her in motion is to make note of the aura about her, she has an amazing presence. Fall in love with Eleanor Parker today, and make your vote count!

Audrey Hepburn (My Fair Lady, Sabrina, Roman Holiday)—Growing up, Audrey Hepburn desperately wanting to be a professional ballerina, but she was starved during WWII and couldn't pursue her dream due to the effects of malnourishment. After she was cast in Roman Holiday, she skyrocketed to fame, and appeared in classics like My Fair Lady and Breakfast at Tiffany's. She's gorgeous, and mixes humor and class in all of her performances. After the majority of her acting career came to close, she became a UNICEF ambassador.

This is round 3 of the tournament. (yes I know it says round 2 in the poll. sometimes I post these when I’m sleepy.) All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Eleanor Parker:

“When I’m spotted somewhere, it means that my characterizations haven’t covered up Eleanor Parker the person. I prefer it the other way around.” So shy she was actively nervous about winning awards in person, her personal life remains mostly behind the scenes. But on screen? she was a force majeure. It's a shame the role most people remember her in is the Baroness in The Sound of Music, but then again, it did make Christopher Plummer reminisce upon her passing “I was sure she was enchanted and would live forever.”

Listen we all know Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews had insane chemistry but the Baroness deserves some love too! She has such a glamorous presence but not in a hard way

She will be known as the fabulous baroness in TSOM, but she was so much more than that. Just as comfortable in westerns or melodrama, the scheming other woman, and the beauty that wins the heart of every man in town.

Audrey Hepburn propaganda:

"She may be a wispy, thin little thing, but when you see that girl, you know you're really in the presence of something. In that league there's only ever been Garbo, and the other Hepburn, and maybe Bergman. It's a rare quality, but boy, do you know when you've found it." - Billy Wilder

Raised money for the resistance in nazi occupied Hungary. Became a humanitarian after retiring. Two very sexy things to do!

where to begin......... i wont her so bad. i literally dont know what to say.

My dude. The big doe eyes, the cheekbones, the voice. The flawless way she carried herself. She was never in a movie where she wasn't drop dead gorgeous. Oh, also the fact she raised funds against the Nazis doing BALLET and she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her humanitarian work.

"It’s as if she dropped out of the sky into the ’50s, half wood-nymph, half princess, and then disappeared in her golden coach, wearing her glass slippers and leaving no footprints." - Molly Haskell

"All I want for Christmas is to make another movie with Audrey Hepburn." - Cary Grant

64.media.tumblr.com

I know people nowadays are probably sick of seeing her with all the beauty and fashion merch around that depicts her and/or Marilyn Monroe but she is considered a classic Hollywood beauty for a reason. Ironically in her day she was more of the alternative beauty when compared to many of her contemporaries. She always came off with such elegance and grace, and she was so charming. Apparently she was a delight to work with considering how many of her co-stars had wonderful things to say about her. Outside of her beauty and acting ability she was immensely kind. She helped raise funds for the Dutch resistance during WWII by putting on underground dance performances as well as volunteering at hospitals and other small things to help the resistance. During her Hollywood career and later years she worked with UNICEF a lot. Just an all around beautiful person both inside and out.

No one could wear clothes in this era like she could. She was every major designer's favorite star and as such her films are time capsules of high fashion at the time. But beyond that, she had such an elegance in her screen presence that belied a broad range of ability. From a naive princess, to a confused widow, to a loving and mischievous daughter, she could play it all.

Look at that woman's neck. Don't you want to bite it?

#audrey hepburn #eleanor parker #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 3 #Youtube

[bookshelf-dust]

a camaro and a tree.

billy hargrove x gn!reader

word count: 2,764

warnings: swearing, innuendos/billy being a flirty asshole aka being himself, mentions of neil, fluffy/lovey shit

a/n: hii :)) happy holidays! i hope that you’re enjoying whatever you celebrate, and if you don’t celebrate anything, i hope you are enjoying life in general. i’d been tossing this idea around and around in my head for forever, and i finally wrote it! i really hope you enjoy it. billy and readers first christmas while living together? yes, yes i think so. i love you all! <333

————

“You know, there’s a whole ass couch that you could be spread out on in any way you please, Hargrove. I’m not entirely sure why you must splay yourself out on me.”

Billy shook the bag of Skittles in his hand around, presumably looking for the red ones. Those were his favorites, and he insisted they were better than all the rest, though you were adamant that a random handful of them was just as good—no need to be picky.

Billy crossed his legs at the ankles in response to your statement.

The both of you were sat on the sofa in your living room. It had started out with you curled up on one side, but the moment you stretched your legs out to settle on the coffee table, Billy had appeared. It was like he had a Spidey-sense.

And now he was on the other end, legs stretched out over top of your own. This is after he’d lifted the blanket from you to tuck his legs in with yours. Only he had shorts on, so now the warm skin of his calves was stuck to that of your thighs.

Billy was continually sinking further into the couch, and now snatching a pillow out from under your ass to put behind his back.

You rolled your eyes at his continued use of your space. He was surely making himself comfortable.

“You’re like a fucking house cat, you know that?”

Billy let out a breath of a laugh, eyes now on the television.

Maybe it wasn’t very “adult” of you to watch Full House during your free time, but Uncle Jessie had good hair (you seemingly had a type), and Stephanie had an excellent sense of humor.

It was more of a surprise that Billy put up with it at all, since he wasn’t keen on Growing Pains, and liked to stubbornly pretend he didn’t enjoy The Golden Girls. But he laughed at both Dorothy and Uncle Joey, no matter how many times he’d try to deny it.

He also requested you fill him in any time he missed an episode because he was home late from work.

You snuck your hand under the blanket to rub up and down Billy’s leg, fingers tracing from below his knee and across his thigh. He hummed his appreciation.

Eyes wandering from the tv, this being an episode you’d already seen, you realized how empty your living room looked.

Now maybe that was partially because the both of you did not have an abundance of furniture—a couch, a table, a stray oversized chair—but also because it was those slow few days before December began and you didn’t have a tree up.

This was the first Christmas that Billy and you would be spending in your shared little apartment, and you were rather excited about it.

Christmas hadn’t always been peaceful at home, for either of you, people being picky or whiny or just assholes in general.

But living with Billy made you feel whole. You felt safe with him, and he you.

It was just that this time, Christmas was up to you. You could do whatever you wanted and cook your favorites, or maybe not even at all. You could decorate however you pleased.

You turned to Billy, watched as he lifted his arm, pulling the chain on the floor lamp next to him, muscles shifting under the yellow light.

“When do you want to get a Christmas tree?”

He set his Skittles down, pulled his legs out from under your blanket. He propped his head up against the back of the couch with his arm, looking dreamily at you.

“You mean like buy one? I don’t imagine picking out a boxed tree is gonna be that hard.”

You sat up. “Ha! Oh no, baby, we are not getting a fake tree.”

You watched his brow furrow. “I’m pretty sure we dragged the same shit tree, box and all, from California to Indiana. Neil Hargrove was not keen on the idea of having to take care of a me, let alone a tree.”

You grimaced, and he continued. “You want to pick out a real one?” He tracked the movement of your head, your excited nod. “I’ve never done that before.”

You sat up on your knees. “It’s fun! We did it every year. Sometimes we’d pick one that was too tall and we could barely get the star on. I guess I thought we’d get to pick one out too. But if you’d rather an artificial one, that’s fine Billy.”

His hands found your face, callouses rubbing at your cheeks.

“No, sugar, a real one is fine. I assume you know where the hell we go?”

————

It took some driving around, but eventually you wound up at Merrill’s, wandering through the lanes of pines with all the other families and too loud children.

Billy walked behind you, hands stuffed in the pockets of your coat. Not only did you have little hand warmer packets, but Billy had yet to get a good pair of gloves.

He had finally relented and started wearing layers when it snowed, though that did not mean he’d done it without pouting.

So now, as the both of you sidestepped a stray toddler barreling through the thin layer of powder on the grass, the only bit of him that wasn’t actually warm were his hands.

You walked him to the shorter section of trees, thinking about how small your home actually was.

“What do you think about this one?”

You reached through the branches to grab hold of the the trunk, pulling it out and spinning it around to check all the sides.

“Stand next to it,” you told him.

“Sorry?” he questioned, obviously confused.

“You’re my size reference. Don’t,” you raised a hand, stopping him because he’d already opened his mouth, “make a dick joke. You can touch the ceilings when you raise your hands, so this is my measuring, okay?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Billy gave you a two finger salute and moved next to the tree, it being just about the same height as he was. “Good?” He raised his eyebrows in question.

“Yep.” You heaved the tree back into its place, glancing at the aisle number before meandering through to look at a couple more.

Most of them were too tall, and because of that, too expensive. Even some of the shorter ones would’ve cost a pretty penny because of how nice they were: perfect shape, a dark, rich green, branches thick with needles.

“I think I liked that first one best, baby.” Billy’s breath was warm against your neck where he’d leaned over your shoulder to speak, what with a family of six standing right next to you, chatting exuberantly.

“I was thinking the same thing, Mr. Hargrove.”

You grabbed hold of his belt loops, tugging him along with you in search of your first tree.

Luckily, it was still there, and you made sure to put your hands on it, because there was a frightening looking woman eyeing it from across the way.

You hugged the tree, which brought out that sweet sweet laugh of Billy’s. “Let’s get this one then, huh?”

You nodded before pulling away, realizing you now had tree sap in your hair, not to mention an abundance of needles that you’d probably still be brushing out later.

Billy retrieved a cart to set the tree on, and you watched him lift with ease, wishing that was you he’d thrown over his shoulder.

“You’re staring.”

You pushed the cart towards the tree-trimmer, ignoring his statement.

Billy’s hands snuck up to the back of your neck, and then he was tickling you, cold fingertips dancing across your skin.

“Ignoring me now?” His voice was gravelly from the chill in the air, throat gone dry.

“Never. But I think the staring is allowed when we live together. You’re much too pretty for me.”

“I am gorgeous, aren’t I?”

You rolled your eyes at him, knowing you’d set yourself up for that one, and he planted a chilly kiss to your temple.

————

The drive home was short, but slightly terrifying. The Camaro was not built for having a tree tied to the top of it, and you were fidgety the whole trip.

Billy glanced your way before he pulled into the driveway. “You doubt my rope-tying skills, Y/N? Frankly, I’m offended.”

You opened your door before he could, which only spurred him on.

Billy pulled a pocket knife out from the glove compartment, flicking the blade open and cutting the ropes on your side of the car.

“I think we both know I excel at tying things up.”

“Billy,” you groaned his name, holding onto the tree so it wouldn’t slip while he cut the other side.

You could hear him laughing to himself, clearly enjoying his ability to fluster you.

The both of you slid the tree off the roof of Billy’s car, and he tossed you the keys.

You ran up the few stairs, unlocking the door and propping it open before going back to help him bring it inside.

While you were halfway through the door and feeling brave, you spoke. “You better behave yourself or we’re gonna find out how good my rope-tying skills are, Hargrove.”

You set the tree down, flying back out the door to get the stand out of the car before he could say anything.

Upon your return, Billy grabbed you by the waist, pinning you against the freshly closed front door.

“That’s not really threatening when you know I’d let you do whatever you wanted.”

You could feel yourself burning, and you tried to bury your face in his chest, but he caught your chin, quickly pressing his lips to yours.

When he pulled away his lips were that devastating shade of pink, and he was looking at you like you were everything in the world and more.

“Don’t go all shy on me now,” he propped his arm against the wall above your head, “now that we live together and whatnot.”

You grinned at him, and he kissed you silly for it.

————

It took a few days, but the tree had been successfully watered and kept alive, though it was still bare of any ornaments.

The lights had been easy to choose at Melvald’s, and Joyce had helped you pick out some she liked to put outside too.

So, gradually, both Billy and you had been bringing home a menagerie of bulbs and things for the tree, determined to make it your own and not have some shop-window-looking thing in your home.

One afternoon Billy gets off work early, but comes home to find you out and about, having left a note on the counter for him.

When you do come home, he’s in pajama bottoms and an old shirt, staring into the fridge like something’s going to hop out and prepare itself for him.

His face lights up when you emerge into the kitchen, arms immediately reaching for you, but you stop him with a raised hand. He practically frowns.

“I got you a prize, Billy baby.”

He propped his head up, hand under chin. “A prize?”

You nodded, wrestling with the bag on your hip, finally pulling something free.

“Hold out your hands.”

You plopped a small ornament into his hands. Specially a square one that looked like a vinyl sleeve, the tip of the record itself sticking out the side.

The sleeve was black and red, tiny writing across the top that said Metallica. It looked like the Kill ‘Em All album.

Billy looked up at you, eyes glossy. “Where’d you find this?”

“At the record store. They had a big tree with assorted ornaments for popular bands on it, I thought you’d like it. Do you?”

You watched as Billy flipped the ornament over in his hands, ran his thumb over the edge of the little black record, the top of the sleeve.

“‘Course I fuckin’ like it, baby.” He was giving you that prize-winning and swoon-worthy smile. The one you tried to tell yourself didn’t work on you. But that would just be a lie.

He scooped you up in his arms, squeezing you tight, lifting you just enough that your feet left the floor.

“The guy at the counter gave me a discount since we come in so often. Got myself one too.”

Billy set you down, walking to the living room to find a spot on the tree for his prize.

“I don’t get to see that one too?”

“Well yeah, sure. I was just excited about yours.” He watched you reach down in your bag for the other ornament you were supposedly housing. Sometimes with the way you searched for things in there, Billy thought you might as well be Mary Poppins.

You pulled out a simple gold ball that had the Queen logo on it in a black glossy film.

“That’s cute. Can I put it on?”

You nodded your assurance, watched dreamily as he put in on the tree.

Part of you couldn’t help but picture a smaller, much younger version of Billy doing the very same thing. Maybe with his mother.

“What’re you thinkin’ about, hon?” Billy’s voice broke you out of your stupor.

“You. What Christmas might’ve been like for you when you were younger. I was gonna ask if you even like it at all or if you’re just doing this for me.”

Billy continued to decorate the tree, opening a pack of Scooby-Doo ornaments that he’d found the other day—all five of them and a small Mystery Machine.

“Hold out your hands.”

You did, and Billy placed the ornaments along your palms so he could slip hooks in them.

“I do like Christmas,” he started, put Velma on the tree. “It was just always an ordeal, you know? First with my mom and Neil and then Susan. What we were gonna eat, if we had the money for presents at all, if I deserved anything.”

Shaggy and Scooby went up. Then Fred.

“It was just miserable, I guess. Everything was always such a big fuckin’ deal. But I don’t know, I guess I liked the atmosphere, or some shit? I guess the world feels a little more calm this time of year, though I know it’s not.”

Daphne. The Mystery Machine.

“And when we were in California and had to go see the little bit of extended family that we had, it was always ‘Billy you better behave,’ or ‘Don’t be an disrespectful,’ or anything that made sure I wasn’t going to fuck things up.”

“So I don’t think I ever had a chance to enjoy it. Not until you.”

He was silent for a minute plugging the lights in on the tree. “I better not turn around to see you giving me those watery eyes.”

He spun around, locking eyes with you. “No dice, huh?”

You shook your head. “Can I have a hug?”

Billy didn’t respond, but scooped you up his arms anyways. “You can have a hug whenever you want, baby.” He pressed a warm kiss to your forehead.

Billy’s hugs were all-consuming, the kind where there isn’t anything else in the world except for him. He tucks his cheek against your temple, wraps one arm around your shoulders and the other your back, hands rubbing all over, running down places they shouldn’t.

“So you liked your ornament, really?” Your voice was muffled where you face nuzzled his neck, metal chain warm on your nose.

“Yes. I love it.” His hands found your face, pulling you up from the safety of his chest.

“I love you, you know. And I meant what I said about enjoying this with you. Because I am.”

You pushed your hands under his shirt, the fabric coming with it because of how your arms were raised, trying to leech the heat from him.

“Kiss?” Billy was using that sultry tone, the one that made his words all slow. The one he used to butter you up.

“You can have a kiss whenever you want, baby.” He rolled his eyes at your mimicking of his earlier words.

You planted your lips firmly against his, enough that he sighed into it, breath warm on your face. You kissed him once, twice, three times before you pulled away, looking up at him, his lashes kissing at the corners, frown lines forming because you’d let up.

“I love you too, you know,” you told him, and his mouth was back on yours within the second.

————

please let me know if you liked this! feedback is always appreciated!! comments and reblogs mean more than you know. <33

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove x gn!reader #billy hargrove x gender neutral reader #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove fanfic #billy hargrove fanfiction #billy stranger things #billy hargrove one shot #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove comfort #billy hargrove christmas fic #savannah’s fics

[queendomkey]

Well, we've finally reached it. The song that made me first start crying on my initial TTPD listen.

There's so much to this song, so much about how we use up and discard the women who make culture. Clara Bow is about the women who get held up as touchstones posthumously / very late into their careers. Swift has stated that she pulled from actual examples used about her, but I can think of so many more that could've been pulled in board rooms.

You look like Gwen Stefani, you look like Brittney Spears, you look like a Spice Girl. I can think of so, so many examples, beyond the ones who are listed in Clara Bow. We, as in the public consciousness, forget the women who shaped the imagery we love. Billie Holiday shaped jazz and pop, Anna May Wong as a pivotal film actress in Hollywood's earliest days, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe for rock and roll. For a very long time, any plus size woman trying to get into music was compared to Adele, and now it's Lizzo.

Young women, especially those in the media industry, are constantly, constantly inundated with women we are supposed to be like, but not entirely. We're supposed to be the better version of them, damned with faint praise. A line that has, in hindsight, stuck out to me was "You look like Stevie Nicks in '75, the hair and lips," because... Why '75?

Obviously, part of it is for the rhyme scheme. But the song is told entirely in quotes, something someone said. Swift looks like Stevie Nicks in '75, because she looks like Stevie when she was young, when she was "new," when she was dazzling.

That's not to say that Stevie Nicks isn't a powerhouse now. She still performs, still writes. She performed this year! In 2024! And yet, she will forever be frozen in '75, when she was with Fleetwood Mac and was releasing their self-titled album, in the throes of writing Rumorus. ( side note: please read the history of Rumours writing process. )

It's an endless cycle: women's ideas are taken, consumed by the public, and when only the bones remain, they're used to compare.

"Promise to be dazzling" is the ending line of the chorus - and it's both a beautiful, poignant reminder that the women listed in the song have captured audience's hearts and minds, and a threat. Promise us that you'll be dazzling, you'll forever be sixteen, forever hold up these ideals and stay the exact same.

I think Swift said it best herself, "There's this thing people say about celebrities, that they're frozen at the age they got famous." The demand is: promise to remain the newest thing, and we will always love you.

The truth is that, well, it's not possible. The promise is designed to not be kept. When public opinion turns on these women, it's to detract from their legacy of art.

Getting older is not a curse, it's a gift. We have so many public figures who didn't get that gift, who are frozen at 18, at 22, at 27. And yet, the societal demand is that women stay young, women can only be beautiful, can only be successful if they are young.

A couple of other songwriting notes.

"Did you know you'd be picked, like a rose?" Another question from imaginary men in meetings; did you know, you would be picked to be the new great thing? Did you know, that you too will begin to wilt under the pressure?

I love the repeats of "I'm not trying to exaggerate, but I think I might die if it happened to me / I might die if I made it." Because it relates back to that idea of how caustic fame is. How everyone around the Narrator (very much Swift, in this case) can see how she's being affected by it, and are indirectly praising her for being so strong. Neverminding that this entire album is a statement, a saying of "fame has drained me so, please let me off this pedestal."

But, didn't you know? "[You're] flesh and blood amongst war machines / You're the new god we're worshiping."

That final verse - You look like Taylor Swift, in this light, we're loving it. You've got edge, she never did. The future's bright, dazzling. Her delivery of the lines is soft, but the intent is clear. It doesn't actually matter who the imaginary board director is addressing - it doesn't matter which of the new generation of pop artists look, sound, act, are like Taylor Swift.

What matters, I think, is the warning. Don't let them do this to you. Do not let them tell you that youth is all you have, do not let them make you follow the mold of women before you, that you may only ever be bejeweled right now.

The future, too, is dazzling.

#ttpdminutes #the cassandra speaks #Clara Bow ttpd #Clara Bow TS #taylor swift

[chloe-skywalker]

I Think I'm In Love With You - Billy Hargrove

Billy x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 830

Summary:  A jealous Billy leads to a confession from him.

Authors Note: ❤️💕💖🍭🍷🍒Happy Valentine's Day! Even to my single readers out there!

Masterlist

Stranger Things Masterlist

Holiday Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Y/n was looking in her long strength mirror trying to decide on a top for the party tonight. Y/n was to head out to the party soon, she was gonna park her car at a friends and Billy was gonna drive them both to the party. It took some convincing but Y/n got him to agree if he drank too much that she was driving them when they left. Billy did threaten her if she scratched his camaro.

Y/n finally decided on the red top and applied some lipstick in the mirror when El entered her room.

El looked at her big sister, well the girl that became her big sister but El learned DNA didn’t matter when it comes to whose family. She smiled. “You look pretty.”

“Thank you, El.” Y/n smiled brightly to the younger Hopper daughter.

“Where are you going?” El asked with a puzzled look.

“To a party. So don’t tell dad.” Y/n turned and answered as she put on her jacket. Hawkins wasn’t known for being very warm. As far as Hopper knew she was spending the night at a friends.

El pretended to zip her lips and smiled mischievously at Y/n. With that Y/n walked over and kissed El on the head before grabbing her keys and heading out.

After parking her car and getting in Billy’s at their pick up location, byt the quarry. They headed to the party after a somewhat quick heated kiss. As soon as they pulled up to the party they headed inside, Billy’s arm around her shoulders and Y/n’s around his waist.

Not long after their first two drinks Tommy had dragged Billy away and instead of standing there alone Y/n went over to a friend of hers she spotted earlier. Steve Harrington.

The two ended up hanging out, talking and laughing for what felt like hours. When Billy had finally come back into the house and started looking for Y/n, he saw red. Out of all the people she was hanging out with, it had to be Harrington.

Billy knew if he went over and beat the shit out of Steve then Y/n would hate him and that took forever last time to fix. SO instead of getting his fists bloody he stormed over to them and grabbed Y/n by the wrist. Dragging her out of the house and to the camaro. Billy opened the passenger side door and got in, mainly out of curiosity. She wanted to know why he was acting this way.

“Woah.” Y/n said as he got in and took off speeding. Looking at him and his actions it was obvious Billy was upset, but about what was her question. “Are you okay?”

Billy felt her eyes on him as he drove, tapping roughly on his steering wheel. “Why were you hanging out with Harrington?”

Y/n let out a sigh. They’ve had this conversation before. She knew that really he was just insecure about her leaving him. “Billy, he’s my friend. Has been since we were toddlers.”

Billy scoffed, shaking his head. “You could’ve just come and found me.”

Y/n nodded, she could of but she doesn’t particularly like his friends. Who could blame her. “I do have other friends you know.”

Billy pulled off to the side of the road and parked. It was rare for the radio to be off in Billy’s car, but right now he really needed to talk to y/n and he wanted  to actually hear her. “I know you have other friends besides me, I know that. But Fucking harrington?!”

“Billy, what's really going on?” With her question the both of them sat in silence. Y/n noticed Billy’s body language change, he seemed nervous so she reached for his hand and interlocked their fingers. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Billy ran his tongue across his teeth in contemplation before shifting his attention to their hands. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb before answering. It was now or never. “I think I’m in love with you and that scares the shit out of me.”

Y/n dipped her head to hide how big of a smile was upon her face at his confession. It was nice to hear that that's how he feels about her. “You're not use to this emotion, so it’s gonna be scary. But guess what?”

She knew he was probably freaking out on the inside, not being use to feeling certain emotions.

“Hmm” Billy hummed, looking at her. Waiting to hear her answer.

“I think I’m in love with you too…” Y/n smiled at him. Billy let out a sigh of relief before he pulled her to him, and the two fell into a very heated but passionate make out session. With new feelings relieved Y/n had a feeling that their relationship was gonna get even more heated. 

Taglist: @gruffle1 @padawancat97

#x reader #y/n #imagine #imagines #billy #hargrove #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #stranger #things #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #netflix #valentines day #valentines day imagine #valentines day imagines #valentines #day #holiday imagine

[toxicanonymity]

raider and lincoln x lana

I love getting song comparisons. 🖤 ik there are some i haven't posted bc i don't know them and wanna check them out first to add context like @javier-penas-wifexx420 has done here.

Raider Joel Joel saves you from his men but claims you as his own and takes you with him. Left in Lincoln (dbf x virgin) He's a neighbor your dads trust to look in on you while they seek treatment for Frank.

@javier-penas-wifexx420 asked:

DUDE ok so I remembered what someone said abt what lana songs the jolkemons are. I feel like specifically Raider and Lincoln are so lana coded. Raider is ultraviolence and Lincoln in honeymoon.

I feel like Raider being Ultraviolence is pretty understandable bc of how he his and how he treats the reader. Songs that really remind me of him are

ultraviolence- “he hurt me but it felt like true love.” “Loving him was never enough”

shades of cool- “I can’t fix him, can’t make him better”

Sad girl- “but you haven’t seen my man…he’s got the fire and he walks with it”

Pretty when you cry- OFC RAIDERS DACRYPHILLIA HE THINKS WERE SO PRETTY WHEN WE CRY

old money- “those summer nights seem long ago, so is the girl you used to call the queen of New York City” reminds me of how sweet pea is really disconnected from her old self and her old life, she belongs to Joel now so that’s like her only identity. Sad but also kinda hot🤪

“If you send for me you know I’ll come and if you call for me you know I’ll run.” Sweet pea is at the point where she’ll listen to anything he says and will do whatever he wants, she’ll follow him anywhere and honestly same.

And NOW, Lincoln and honeymoon. I feel like this one isn’t as obvious and some ppl might disagree with me but NO. Lincoln IS honeymoon. Honeymoon is one of Lana’s most treasured albums and if you really listen to it and focus on the subject matter it can be argued that it’s darker than ultraviolence. And while Lincoln Joel seems really sweet and loving, just like how honeymoon comes across, he’s actually really dark and just as dangerous, if not more than Raider. The album honeymoon describes intense and passionate love, kind of IRRATIONAL you could say. The album outlines just wanting to get away with your lover and be together forever *cough lincoln*

I feel like honeymoon displays a sort of desperation and a willingness to do anything one needs in order to be with their lover and I think that’s reflective of both Joel and peaches. Also in the music video for one of the songs on the album lana drinks kool-aid which is a reference to heaven’s gate and i feel like the whole expression of “drinking the kool-aid” is very accurate of left in Lincoln cause peaches is def drinking that fucking kool-aid.

Also honeymoon takes a lot of influence from older music styles, older aesthetics (the art deco aesthetic from the 20s) and in general older references and since Lincoln is almost 60 i feel like it fits him. Honeymoon is rlly jazzy and I’m p sure you said he likes jazz lol. Lana mentions Billie holiday in one of the songs and Joel would def play Billie holiday for peaches.

THE SONGS

honeymoon: “we both know the history of violence that surrounds you, but I’m not scared there’s nothing to lose now that I’ve found you”

Freak: “life makes sense when I’m with you. Looking back my past it all seems stranger than a stranger” THIS IS SO PEACHES BRO LIKE WHAT. Honestly freak is very much a left in Lincoln song. Anyway.

Religion: “you’re my religion, you’re how I’m livin…when I’m down on my knees you’re how I pray” very them, Joel is in charge of everything, peaches answers to him, looks up to him for everything. He’s her whole life now

The blackest day: “ever since my baby went away, it’s been the blackest day”

This song is one of the most left in Lincoln songs, I imagine this part references jessie leaving and her being all alone without him.

“Because I’m going deeper and deeper, darker and darker, harder and harder. Looking for love in all the wrong places.” After she was left in Lincoln™️ she was all alone and things got a lot darker, causing her to look for love anywhere she could find it.

24: “there’s only 24 hours in a day, and half as many ways for you to lie to me my little love” there’s a lot more lyrics in this song that are relevant but I think especially this one because it’s like wtf is Joel doing when he’s not with peaches?? And he’s obviously lying to her and I think she’s started to gain more suspicions (at least I hope so bc homegirl is IN TROUBLE)

Swan song: this one is the second to last song on the album and I think it is very relevant of left in Lincoln. The song basically says that all the two lovers need is each other. If you think about it, Joel just desires an eternal honeymoon with peaches, just the two of them together FOREVER

“Nothing could stop the two of us if that’s what we want, we could just get lost”

I feel like this could even be something Joel says to peaches. Like he’s just like as long as we’re together it doesn’t matter what happens. Also the “if that’s what we want” reminds me of Joel manipulating peaches and tricking her into thinking it’s all what she wants and she has a choice🤩

And I feel like a lot of the songs are very peaches coded: Terrence loves you, god knows I’ve tried, music to watch boys to, don’t let me be misunderstood

ANYWAYYYYY sorry for writing so fucking much I’ve j been thinking abt this for awhile esp the Lincoln honeymoon connection bc it’s so interesting and I love lana and your fics ❤️

-------

Toxic: This is amazing!! Thank you so much for the thoughtful analysis. 🖤 also it is killing me not to spoiler.

#lana del ray lyrics #lana del rey #lana #raider!ask #lincoln!ask #lana del slay

[dulcewrites]

Just to Keep You Satisfied

Summary: As you and Elvis sit down to go over you separation papers, you two reminisce and Elvis makes a final plea for you two to stay together.

Pairing: Austin!elvis x reader (wc: 1.5k)

Warnings: mentions of cheating, allusions to drug use

Requested: no

A/N: ok so I’m very excited for this to be out. I highly recommend listening to the song. It inspired for not only the idea. And of course the scene where Priscilla leaves/the airport scene from the movie. As for timeline: Elvis and reader met in 1960, got married in 1966, had Emerson in 1967, now they’re separating in 1973. Please reblog, like, and follow 🫶🏽

You don’t remember exactly when being in Graceland made you so anxious. It’s the house you lived in for years. You got proposed to in this house, you went into labor in this house, you’ve raised your son, Emerson, in this house. But you sit at the dining table, feeling uneasy in somewhere you thought would be your forever home.

Then again maybe that cold, somber feeling was inevitable. Graceland is also the place where you twiddled your thumbs while your husband traveled city to city doing God knows what with God knows who. It’s the place where you told Elvis you couldn’t be with him anymore. And now it’s the place where you are going to sign your separation papers.

You look down at the large Manila envelope in front of you, before looking across the table at Elvis. He’s sitting there, arms crossed with a scowl on his face. His eyes covered with big chrome glasses. The standoffish attitude was expected and understandable. But it does bug you a bit that he was the one that wanted this sit down to happen, and he’s pouting in silence.

“I read over it yesterday,” you decide to break the silence. “Everything looks good on my end.”

All you get in response is a hum in response. What the hell does that mean? ‘Hmmm I agree’ or ‘hmmm go to hell’? This is not going to be easy if it stays this tense.

“Emmy told me he’s excited for the holidays,” you decide to change the subject to the one thing that you know for sure will melt Elvis icy demeanor. “Maybe Vernon can dress up as Santa again. He’d loved that.”

Your eyes wander to pictures hanging in the living room. One of Elvis and you on your wedding day, another of you both at the hospital the day Emerson was born, and the third being one at Christmas with the whole gang near the Christmas tree.

He still doesn’t respond.

“I need a drink,” you get up from the table, and go into the living room to the bar cart.

One thing Elvis did right was keeping expensive booze in the house, even if he wasn’t the one drinking it. You pour yourself a glass of whiskey. Elvis surprises you by getting up from the table as well, and going to the bar cart. Elvis doesn’t drink; hell, you don’t really drink. What divorce does you guess.

He sits down next you on the couch with a grunt, glass of whiskey in hand and obnoxious glasses finally off. You take a good look at his face. He looks exhausted. He always looks exhausted these days. You know you can’t bring it up without a fight breaking out. It’s one of things that led to the demise of your relationship; you couldn’t sit around and watch your husband waste away. He’d throw back in your face if he didn’t work, how would he pay for ‘all the expensive shit that keeps you around’. It hurt, the thought of him thinking you stay for the money; even if he said while strung out on pills.

“Billy got a new girl,” he says it so casually like he hadn’t been basically ignoring you since you walked through the door.

You know Elvis, he rarely apologizes. His way of apologizing was giving you time and attention. He has a way of making you forget why were upset; the special attention Elvis gives can be addicting. He knows that, and it’s why an “I’m sorry” rarely leaves his lips. A simple sorry can make a world of difference. But he isn’t ignoring you, so as always you indulge him.

“What happened to Georgia,” you recollect on the red head Billy introduced to you. “I thought she was ‘the one’.”

Elvis snorts, and drowns the rest of his drink.

“You know how Billy is. ‘The One’ pops up every six to eight months,” he looks at you with a wiry grin. “He met this one at a strip club back in Vegas.”

Your brows shoot up to your hairline. He gets up again for another drink.

“Ok, well now you have to tell me how that happened,” you perk up a bit. Another thing you know about Elvis is that he’s a huge gossip, on top of not being able to keep a secret to have his life.

“It started on Jerry’s birthday….”

You wipe the tears from your, not even caring about possibly smearing your mascara. You can’t remember the last time you’ve laughed this hard. It might be the fact that Elvis always made you laugh like you never have before…. Or it could be empty bottle of whiskey.

“I don’t believe you,” you say in between laughs, nudging his thigh with your foot. You think it was between drink two and three when you turned and put your legs over his thighs.

“He ran around naked. None of us thought he’d actually do it.”

His hand was rubbing one of your legs. It’s nice, laughing with him. Since you asked for a divorce, you were so worried that you ruined a relationship with the only man you’ve loved. Also worried about how this would affect Emerson. You think despite how rocky the process has been for the two of you, you’ve both made sure things stayed stable for Emerson.

“I was thinking for the holidays, maybe you and Emmy can stay here,” he says softly. Your stomach sinks, he’s giving you the puppy dog eyes.

“I think it might be best for just Emmy to stay if he wants to,” you look down at your hands, not wanting to see his expression. “Dr. Wilson said it’s important to set clear boundaries so he doesn’t get confused.”

Dr. Wilson was the family therapist you made Elvis see. He wasn’t super happy about it but eventually gave in. You needed someone to help facilitate this transition. Emerson is just getting used to the apartment you have in Memphis; just getting used to a new lifestyle. You have a feeling moving right back in for December would only complicate things.

“I miss having my family around,” he blurts out truthfully. “I miss you being around.”

You know he does. He says it, Vernon says it, all the guys say it. But sometimes wanting something isn’t enough. You miss him too, but he’s also the only thing you’ve known. You don’t know who you are as a person outside of being Elvis Presley’s girl and the mother of his child.

“Elvis, you know I want nothing more to be family but-“

“But what,” he brows furrow. “I’m doing the therapy, I let you move out, you’re going back to work. What more do I need to do?”

“Not screwing anything with legs might be nice,” you mutter and he scoffs.

You knew about the women. You remember how your heart skipped a beat when you surprised him on the road, and found a lipstick stain on one of his shirts. There was brief period when you ignored it. Convincing yourself that if it was a one time thing you could forgive him. As time went on and he got sloppier, it became less about the actual act and more about the boldness and disrespect of it. Do he really think you were that stupid?

The thing that gets you is if the roles were reversed, he would’ve reamed you out and made you suffer from moment he suspected something.

“I told you they didn’t mean anything.”

You roll your eyes. He seriously thinks that because it was just fun sex to him that it means you shouldn’t be hurt by it. That if he comes home to you, it negates the pain.

“We need to sign the papers,” you try to stand up. Elvis and you are not ready to be friends. You don’t know why you even thought you would be.

“You’re gonna come back,” he says with a certain tone, hand creeping up your thigh. “In a couple of years you’re gonna understand that it’s just you and me baby.”

Maybe he’s right. There’s a part of you that worries that Elvis has ruined you for other men. That this was the one great love affair you get allotted in life, and you’re gonna be searching for something you had right in front of you. But you need to do this. Give yourself a chance to relearn how to be happy without being in the daunting orbit of Elvis Presley. You reach over and grab the hand that was on your leg.

“You want to know what more you can do? Let me go, and let me come back on my own.”

He looks at you with watery eyes, and nods softly. You two sit in silence for a moment before both getting up hand in hand, going back to the dining table. Letting out a sigh you look at the papers, with a shaky you sign your name in the paper. You look over to Elvis as he stares at the papers. He tugs on lip his fingers before nodding his head, and quickly signing his part.

You look around again at the house. The house filled with so many memories, bad and good. You two are gonna be alright. You’ll make sure of it.

#austin!elvis x reader #elvis 2022 #black!reader #my writing #austin!elvis x black!reader #austin!elvis x oc #elvis imagine #elvis x reader #austin elvis imagine #Spotify

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Runaway Max Review (1/3)

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

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”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Synopsis: Witness the events of season 2 from Max's perspective as she recounts her past in San Diego, her relationships with Neil, Billy, and Susan, her subsequent move to Hawkins, and her meeting with the Party as Lucas invites her on an adventure that will change her life forever.

Observations:

For a book that's short and easy to read (only 231 pages), this was rough to get through. Not because it's badly written (if anything, it's arguably one of the BEST Tie-In novels for Stranger Things), but because this book delves into hard topics like abuse, depression, and isolation, and does not sugarcoat any of it. While Max never had a perfect life in California, the moment Neil and Billy came into the picture is the moment things went sideways for her. There were parts of this book that were distressing, and the way Max's story plays out in season 4 makes a lot of what happens here look harsher in hindsight.

I've said before in previous reviews that the supplementary material works better when it helps enhance the story and mythology of the show. To the book's credit, it manages to do that effectively. While it does retell parts of season 2 from Max's perspective, it gives the audience more context about her past, the circumstances behind Billy and Neil coming into her life, how she views each of the characters she encounters, and it allows the audience the opportunity to get to know Max better.

Part 1: Max And Her Monsters:

In my Creature Feature review, I mentioned Max had a love for horror movies similar to Will, and that Halloween was her favorite holiday:

She even goes on record stating Michael Myers is the horror movie monster that scares her the most, and therefore fascinates her:

There's a dark irony in how Max's fear of Michael parallels her later fear of Vecna: Both of them are serial killers, both of them are mentally disturbed, both of them are strong and will do everything to hunt their targets down, both of them cause collateral damage in their rampages, both of them take heavy injuries and still manage to keep pushing forward, and both of them act as an unstoppable force of terror. The big difference is while Michael is portrayed as a physical threat, Vecna acts more as a supernatural AND psychological threat who can bring your worst insecurities and memories to the surface in order to drive you to despair before he consumes you.

Max had an interest in horror/slasher movies, and then her life became one. Poor girl can't catch a break. 😞

Her love of horror movies predates Vecna and Billy, but there is something to be said about her fixation on monsters, and how she talks about them in context of her situation: In order for her to deal with monsters, she either needs to understand them and their mindset, or she needs to find some way to keep the monsters close to her so that she'll never be caught off-guard by them. There are several instances where she refers to Billy and Neil in this manner because of the abuse they inflict on her, and she desperately tries to understand their behavior as a means of coping with them:

Anyone who's ever been in an abusive situation can relate to what Max is going through. She's forced to live with Billy and Neil despite not wanting to, she feels like no one (including her mom) is stepping in to make things better, and she initially thinks the only option is to weather the storm. She wants to "understand" how her monsters operate and keep them focused on her as a means of protecting others from getting caught in the crosshairs.

In a way, it's similar to her situation with Vecna in season 4. Despite Lucas's suggestion that they go back to Ms. Kelly's office to see if Vecna's targeted other kids, Max refuses because she believes she understands how Vecna works, and would have a better chance of dealing with him compared to a unprepared stranger going up against Vecna:

Max (to Lucas): We don't have time for any of that, okay? And even if we did, even if your plan did work, we'd be putting a total stranger at risk. A stranger who has no idea what they're up against. I do. He uses my memories against me. But… only my darkest memories. Same with Chrissy and Fred, right? It's like he only sees the darkness in us. So, I'll just run in the opposite direction. Run to the light. And maybe he won't be able to find me there.

Lucas: Now, how exactly do you plan on doing this?

Max: I'm not sure. But it's my mind. Not his, right? So I should be able to control where I am. I just need to… push him away. Find a happy memory and hide there. Hide in the light.

Max's arc has not only been about dealing with her "monsters," but also allowing others to help her and realizing she doesn't have to fight them alone. It's a new concept for her because most of her life has been her believing things would only get worse, and that no one would step in on her behalf. Given how her mom was complicit in letting Neil and Billy railroad their lives, it's understandable why she's hardened herself and adopted a cynical outlook. After Billy drives away Max's friends in San Diego and breaks the arm of her best friend Nate to create a wedge between them, Max loses hope that her living situation will improve, and decides she'd rather have Billy's rage directed at her instead of seeing others close to her continue to get hurt. The result is she becomes isolated, just like Billy wanted.

However, in spite of appearing closed off on the surface, people continue to reach out to her once she moves to Hawkins. Dustin and Lucas invite her to go Trick-or-Treating with them, and despite Billy later trying to run them off the road with his car, they still want her to be a part of their group. There's even a brief scene in the book (which should have been on the show) where Max gets injured while skateboarding outside of the store Joyce works at, and Joyce comes to see if she's okay. Max is surprised by this because it's one of the few times she's seen someone express any genuine concern for her:

Later on, Lucas is ultimately the one who opens up to her about everything related to El and the Upside Down, takes her to the junkyard to show her proof of their story, listens to what she's been going through while reassuring her that she's still a good person, and takes the time to get to know her. And as Max sees from everyone else in the Party, despite their arguments and differences, they do care about each other and will fight for one another when the going gets tough. Lucas himself shows he's willing to fight for Max despite how scary and awful Billy is, and despite how standoffish Max initially presented herself. She's never truly had someone do that for her before, and witnessing that is what finally allows her to stand up to Billy at the end of the book and save Steve's life in the process:

And come season 4, they show up for her: The moment everyone realized Max was next on Vecna's kill list is the moment they sprang into action to protect her to the best of their ability while attempting to take Vecna down.

There was an interview where the Duffer Brothers admitted they originally planned to kill off Max at the end of season 4 before changing their minds. I know there are people in this fandom who complain about certain characters having plot-armor (and I could do an entire separate post about how that term gets thrown around willy-nilly these days), but in Max's case, I'm glad they didn't go through with it. For a character who's an abuse survivor and has endured repeated trauma in the hopes that thing would eventually get better, killing Max off like that would have been a mean-spirited way to end her story. It also would have made her entire arc pointless and nihilistic. At least here, there's the possibility of Max returning from the brink.

In both my reviews of The Other Side and Erica The Great, I've talked about how it's likely Max's consciousness has been assimilated into Vecna following the battle at the Creel House, which is why her mind is blank when El tries to communicate with her at the end of season 4. Based on that, Max's arc may be about maintaining her individuality from within Vecna as a means of continuing to resist him, and eventually finding a way to break free from his control and regain her sense of self. Thematically, it would also serve as a satisfying conclusion where she's no longer defined by her trauma or the monsters in her life who have repeatedly dragged her down (Billy, Neil, Vecna). She can finally have an identity and life outside of that.

Of course, there's also the fact that even if her consciousness escapes Vecna's control, she'll still be returning to a broken body, with the very real possibility of being blind and crippled for the rest of her life. I'd actually be interested in seeing that as opposed to the Duffer Brothers coming up with some Deus Ex Machina to magically fix Max's body and make her whole again. Scars and injuries of that extent don't fully heal in real life, and even though Stranger Things isn't a show grounded in reality, it would be nice if they could show a character that's become disabled who's still able to find a way to adjust to her situation, live fully, and gain some semblance of peace within herself.

Part 2: Max And Her Friends

Part of the brilliance of the book is we get a lot more insight into Max's thought regarding certain characters and what she thinks of them, which helps shed more light on how she relates to them on the show.

Take her relationship with Mike for instance: She is (rightfully) not impressed by how he keeps trying to exclude her from the group and shows her nothing but hostility. I know Mike's gotten flak for this from fans, and while his behavior isn't entirely excusable, there is at least context for how he acts here: To him, Max is a stranger who has no idea about El or the Upside Down, and he's not entirely sure he can trust her with that information. On top of that, he worries about Max becoming a replacement for El after her disappearance. It's not a rational way to think, but there is an emotional component to this that Max understands:

Couple of things to note here:

1.) Max is consciously making a choice to be better than Billy. She sees Mike in a rare moment of vulnerability, and even though it would be easy for her to be snide and mean towards him, she instead chooses to be empathetic. That may not seem like a big deal, but I can say from personal experience that I've encountered people (both online and off it) who act like sharks the moment they smell blood in the water. Show any kind of vulnerability or weakness, and they become the most condescending, belittling, self-righteous person you can imagine. For whatever reason, they get some kind of smug superiority in tearing others down to elevate themselves. I've been on the receiving end of that one too many times, and I have nothing but contempt for people who act like that. They are devoid of empathy, and are unkind to others when it is convenient for them. I will always have more respect for those who show compassion towards the vulnerable over those who tear them down.

2.) For as much as Mike and Max are at odds with one another on the show, they have many similarities: They're both headstrong, with a take-charge attitude. They both have issues conveying their emotions in a way that doesn't make them appear moody or hostile to others. And they both care deeply for those they love.

For as much as Max acts emotionally distant on the surface, she wants to have friends and belong somewhere. She wants to be Mike's friend despite how he initially treats her. It's why she continues reaching out to Mike, and even suggests becoming the Zoomer of their Party while roller-skating around him to make him laugh.

It's also why she jumps at the opportunity to get to know El better in season 3 when she takes her shopping and introduces her to other aspects she hasn't experienced yet, like the mall and Wonder Woman comics and sleepovers and so on.

Side Note: In recent years, I've gained a new appreciation for the El/Max scenes in season 3, especially with how important they were in briefly helping Max break free of Vecna in season 4. It's also the first time Max has ever had a friend who's a girl, and she intended to make the most of that during her time with El.

We don't really get much interactions between Will and Max in the book, but I love how she called out the stupidity of Will's nickname "Zombie Boy," and notes that someone who allegedly came back from the dead is not the kind of person you'd want to bully:

She also notes the difference between Lucas and Dustin in how they talk to her, which gives more context for why she ultimately ends up with Lucas by the end of the book:

I like Dustin, but I'm in the crowd that believes Lucas and Max make a better couple, and that Dustin and Max work better as friends. Lucas is the one who listens to her and allows her to be vulnerable in a way where she feels safe and not judged.

He's also the person who (aside from Steve) Max felt protected by. She can be around Lucas without worrying about whether or not he'll abandon her:

Speaking of Steve, I know it's a common perception in the fandom that he's the "big brother figure" Max wishes Billy had been, and this book leans heavily on that interpretation. Unlike other adults, Steve isn't condescending to Max, goes out of his way to treat her as one of the group despite only knowing her for a few hours, and later protects her from the demodogs when she's in danger:

That's probably the first time someone's really stepped up for her like that, and she repays him later by saving Steve from Billy.

Finally, there's this little bit regarding Max's thoughts about Nancy:

It's refreshing to see the breaking down of stereotypes here, and the idea that women have to channel male qualities in order to be "badass" or taken seriously. Nancy is able to be her own person, in her fear, bravery, and determination, without having to emulate Hopper or Steve or any of the other male characters in the room, and Max realizes she can be as well. I would even argue Max channels Nancy when she's later holding Steve's spiked bat over Billy:

She managed to emulate both Steve in his protectiveness towards others, and Nancy in her fierceness, and it's an empowering moment for her.

To be continued in Part 2.........

#stranger things #max mayfield #stranger things runaway max #lucas sinclair #lumax #anti billy hargrove #neil hargrove #mike wheeler #will byers #el hopper #dustin henderson #joyce byers #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #the duffer brothers

[egipci]

Story

Now Sidney Prescott, honest-to-God one of the hottest girls Dean has ever seen, is making out with Billy, and they’re about to have sex. Embarrassment flashes red-hot in Dean’s stomach, despite the fact that at fifteen he and his dad are best friends, and anyway Dad is slumped heavy against his shoulder, snoring quietly like an old man with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. Dean picks out the barely-popped kernels and leaves the burned ones behind, even though they’re his favorite, because they’re Dad’s favorite. These days he's taken to falling asleep on the couch in front of the TV and Dean lets him, wakes him up only after the credits roll and makes fun of him only then and then again in the morning.

“Sex equals death,” Randy says, and next to Dean Dad laughs softly, his chest shaking. Dean turns to look at him, lit up in the TV glow, and finds his eyes closed. Dad laughs again, which makes Dean smile, but then his face falls. His eyebrows draw together in a serious-looking way and he says something Dean can’t decipher. His eyes flit back and forth under his eyelids. Dean hits pause on the remote and watches him, how his mouth moves in the dark.

"Dad,” he says, very quietly as not to startle him. Dad has had terrible nightmares since forever. Not all the time, but Dean knows the bad ones are really bad. “Dad,” he says again, reaching out his hand to touch Dad’s arm, except now Dad’s laughing again, his teeth flashing, so happy-seeming that Dean is left uncertain with his hand hovering in the air. He tugs the bowl out of Dad’s hands and takes it into his lap, and Dad wakes then, gasping. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Dad puts both hands to his face and rubs the heels into his eyes.

“Weird dream?”

“Good dream,” Dad sniffles. His eyelashes are dark. He was crying, Dean realizes, and the shock of his crying, that even in his good dreams he’s crying, pricks behind Dean’s eyes, makes him feel terribly young, heartsore and helpless. “Sorry. Keep playing. Did Sidney die yet?”

“Stop, dude,” Dean says. “I’ve watched this one before.” Dad yawns and straightens up, shifts his weight so he’s leaning on the armrest.

“What were you dreaming about?”

“My dad,” Dad says. He’s looking ahead, the corner of his mouth quirked up.

“And?”

Dad shakes his head without turning. “And nothing. We were arguing about something.”

Dean hits play. His dad is a pretty good dad, though he’s not super sure how he’d know anyway, since he’s only really had the one. He listens to Dean’s shitty problems and picks up when Dean calls or else always calls back within two-three minutes. He’s always around for weekends and holidays and birthdays and Dean’s baseball games. But he doesn’t talk about his before-life. Dean has always had the sense that his dad was involved in some serious shit, like criminal shit, or maybe spy shit, and that he’s reformed now and maybe in witness protection, but that one day, out of nowhere, someone will call him to say his dad got fucked up by some fucked-up people. But then again, Dad could still be involved in that serious shit, or he could be an undercover agent or something, since he’s pretty in-shape for his age and he never gets laid. All Dean knows is that there’s a locked box at the bottom of Dad’s closet — which he has tried and failed to open — and this picture worn-thin in his wallet. Dad would have probably tried to hide that too, except Dean had caught him looking at it for too long too many times before, his thumb stroking it through the little plastic window: his uncle Dean and his dad as kids, his grandpa holding Dad in his lap, the three of them sitting on the hood of the car, which, as it turns out, was once registered to a Jon Bon Jovi.

“It wasn’t like, a memory," Dad says. His eyes are closed and he's smiling. "I was just thinking about him. About how I’m older than him now. He would’ve liked you. You’re a good kid. He liked spunk. I didn’t know that, but he did. We used to argue all the time. It wasn’t my fault, but it wasn’t his fault either. We were both angry all the time and sometimes it seemed like he was angry at me too. He wasn’t actually angry at me. But I was angry at him. Or I thought I was angry at him. Mostly I was angry at everything else and I took it out on him. I think he was afraid of letting me in because he was afraid I was going to die. Like he was scared if he loved me too much something terrible would happen to me. Terrible things kept happening to the people he loved. I thought he didn't like me, but he was just trying to protect himself. And trying to protect me. I thought I hated him because no one told me shit and we went all over. I told you. We went everywhere, in the car. And he would weave in and out of traffic and play music and he let us sing sometimes, when he was in a good mood. When he wanted us to have fun. When he wanted us to have fun he was the coolest fucking dad. But sometimes, your uncle and me, he would leave us in these shitty motels, and we used to play games guessing what he was doing out there. We imagined he was fighting monsters and winning. We missed him so much we used to put on his clothes and sleep in his bed. We started calling each other dude and son of a bitch because that's what he sounded like. We loved him so much we didn’t know what else to do. All we could do was wait by the phone for him to call. As soon as he got through the door we'd be at each other's throats, but when he was gone I was always waiting for him.”

#life got in the way of my very serious jwweek posting #but two is better than none i guess #happy father's day #johnwinchesterweek #my fic #excuse the extremely inspired title

[lorifragolina]

Here's to you, Mr. Harrington

For: @rindecisions, Rindecision

Well, I'm sorry to wait so much to publish this fic for you but I wanted doing it in my birthday! I hope you enjoy it, it's a silly thing but I like to imagine even a sequel for it! Happy Holidays!

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson; Eddie Munson/Billy Hagrove; Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson/Billy Hargrove (last two both implied)

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: 5953

Warnings: Archive Warnings and Potential triggers

Tags: Movie references, Sex in a Church, Break up, Engagement, Secret relationship

Summary:  “Eddie…” whispered Steve, getting nearer to him. “I’m sorry,” Eddie kept saying, tears running between his fingers. Steve took his hands and moved them from his face. Eddie was beautiful. He was his man, his feelings for him weren’t changed, but he knew he wouldn’t change either. “I don’t want to lose you,” whispered Eddie, trying to calm down, moved for the closeness.  “It’s… too late,” whispered Steve in return, most to himself, really. His heart was beating like a drum. “No…” Steve sighed, closing his eyes to run off the mesmerizing sparkles of Eddie’s glance. “You know that things just can’t work. You… you don’t want to stop for me and I need something more”.

Steve Harrington is about to marry. But the love of his life isn't happy with it.

They broke up, but they are bonded to each other despite of it all.

Could they fix things, or it's over forever?

This fic is a part of the @steddieholidayexchange

Read it on Ao3

A little tease under the cut!

When Steve Harrington parked the car in the driveway of the house in Loch Nora, his mother, father and even the maid and the gardener were lined up at the entrance. 

Stella Harrington was wearing a summer large dress in white linen, the blonde hair lazily braided in a cozy hairdo that, anyway, smelled rich.

Steve opened the passenger door and a blonde, tall creature got out of the car; the rope sandals, the off-white dress and even the hairdo matched Steve’ mother.

The girl floated elegantly in the driveway at Steve’s side and graciously greeted his mother, extending her hands to Stella. Steve’s mother pursed his lips, looking furtively at his son's face, but then greeted the girl in return. Steve waited for his family and his fiancee entering the house, then sighed heavily and followed them.

After the big meeting with his family, it was the moment to drop the news with his found family. And while his mother, despite a certain surprise, could accept the girl and the situation, his friends wouldn't be so easy to convince.

All Robin could see when Steve opened the door for the girl in the mall parking lot, was a pale, ethereal East coast beauty, thin arms and thin waist, a bread not too full, just enough, classical features with blonde hair, perfectly messy as the casual wearing required, green eyes and a few freckles on the nose, not too much, not too few. She matched Steve’s Ralph Laurent pale blue polo, and when she leaned his hand on Steve’s, the diamond at her finger ring sparkled unequivocally.

Robin blinked a few times, just trying to focus and understand why the entire scene, apparently perfect, seemed so wrong to her.

“Robin, please meet Helen Miller,” he said. And the perfect name, thought Robin, stretching her hand a little baffled.

“Nice to meet you,” said Helen with a perfect, gracious voice. “Steve talks a lot about you”.

“But he didn’t mention you a single time” answered Robin in a low voice. Helen didn’t notice it, but Steve did and pushed a little Robin, with displeasure.

He introduced her again to Dustin, Max and Lucas; the three were as confused as Robin, but they didn’t say anything, and they all sat at the cafe and waited silently. Steve phoned them with the news, but no one believed it and were waiting for Steve to confirm or retract.

“So, Helen, what do you think of Hawkins?”

Helen lowered graciously his eyelashes, with an accent of a smile.

“We just pass on the interstate. But I see the church on the road… we will go tomorrow to talk with the pastor, right, darling?” She sweetly landed a hand on Steve’s hand.

Steve smiled nervously and nodded. He was distracted staring at the other side of the road , and a guy with a dirty rug in hands was standing in front of the garage, staring at Steve in return.

“We will talk to the pastor and celebrate the wedding on Sunday”.

Just in five days, thought Robin. Steve’s mother managed all the organization, and the girl ordered things from the East Coast and they were waiting for the delivery during those days. The wedding machine was already moving. Robin raised her eyes to the guy in front of the garage too, and sighed. She wasn't sure about all that rush, and that girl was not, even remotely, Steve’s type.

“Steve, darling, be an angel and refuel my car” said sweetly Mrs Harrington when they met at the mall, after greeting the guys, to buy some last things. “Helen and I have to do some errands, right, sweetheart?'' She put a hand on Helen's arm.

“Oh… well, ok,” Steve sighed. He would avoid the gas station but he couldn't explain why to his mother and his fiancee.

“So it’s true, you came back,” said Eddie Munson, the garage employee, while he was refueling the car and had nowhere to run. Steve kept his eyes low and bit his lips.

“And I heard another thing,” Eddie smiled, but his eyes weren’t as cool as his words. Steve kept silent. “So it’s true too? You’ll tie the knot with that elfic girl?”

Steve had to hide a little, silly smile. He put the pump on its side and finally faced Eddie.

“Yes, on Sunday”.

Eddie got nearer, far inside Steve’s personal space. Steve tried to stand still, although nervous.

“So I’m supposed to greet the happy couple,” said Eddie slyly, straightening Steve’s polo collar. Steve pursed his lips, raising his eyes and trying to look Eddie in the eyes, but despite all his efforts, his glance stopped on his lips. “Or should I greet the groom?” whispered Eddie, tucking a hand on Steve’s waist and pulling him dangerously close.

Steve just leaned against him and touched Eddie’s lips; he felt Eddie smiling on his lips, and tore away suddenly.

“No,” he said, pushing Eddie away. “No, I have to go. I have to go!” Steve went back in the car and went away with perhaps a little too much gas.

#stranger things #steve harrington #writing #steddie fic #steddie #steddie holiday exchange #billy hargrove #steve is about to marry #Eddie in love #christmas #its my birthday

[fritextramole]

the devil divine

part 2 of a Blair Waldorf playlist - best heard in order

tracklist and quotes under the cut

Get What 'Cha Got And Go ~ Loretta Lynn

You think you're the greatest thing in this whole town Oh number one but everyone no one can put you down Every night you go downtown where the go-go's go

Pink Shoe Laces ~ Dodie Stevens

He takes me deep-sea fishing in a submarine We got to drive-in movies in a limousine He's got a whirly-birdy and a twelve-foot yacht Ah, but that's-a not all he's got Ae's got tan shoes with pink shoelaces A polka dot vest and man, oh, man

Fever ~ Peggy Lee

When you put your arms around me I get a fever that's so hard to bear You give me fever When you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight Fever! In the mornin', a-fever all through the night

Big Bad Handsome Man ~ Linda Carone

Got me where he wants me to be With his arms so wide, he pulls me in by his side He's the kind of guy that does it for me

Manhattan ~ BLOSSOM DEARIE

The great big city's a wondrous toy Made for a girl and boy We'll turn Manhattan Into an isle of joy

Idéalisation ~ Cosette

Je vais te faire araignéïser Pour que tu me prennes dans tes filets Je veux t'idéaliser ~ I will make you a spider So that you catch me in your web I want to idealize you

Treat Me Rough ~ Ella Fitzgerald

The cushy sheltered way of life was really no fun From now on, some manhandling must be done

I Belong To You ~ Caro Emerald

The afterglow that's down below Is when I see your smile And in your eyes, true love assigns Forever is a word that cries That I belong to you

Crazy He Calls Me ~ Billie Holiday

The difficult I'll do right now The impossible will take a little while I say I'll care forever And I mean forever

Tea For Two ~ BLOSSOM DEARIE

Just me for you And you for me alone Nobody near us To see us or hear us

You Belong To Me ~ Jo Stafford

Send me photographs and souvenirs Just remember When a dream appears You belong to me

Please Mr. Postman ~ The Marvelettes

I've been standin' here waitin' Mister Postman So patiently, for just a card, or just a letter Sayin' he's returnin' home to me

Washing Machine Heart ~ Mitski

Baby will you kiss me already and Toss your dirty shoes in my washing machine heart? Baby, bang it up inside Baby, though I've closed my eyes I know who you pretend I am

Jolene ~ Dolly Parton

You could have your choice of men But I could never love again He's the only one for me

Comme moi ~ Édith Piaf

Peut-être bien encore qu'elle entendra plus fort Son cœur battre et qu'alors Comme moi Elle voudra crier en entendant Monter, un pas dans l'escalier Comme moi ~ Maybe she will hear louder Her heart beating, and then Like me She will want to scream when she hears Going up, a step on the stairs Like me

Darn That Dream ~ Doris Day

Just to change the mood I'm in I'd welcome a nice old nightmare Darn that dream and bless it too Without that dream I never would have you But it haunts me and it won't come true

Maybe I Know ~ Leslie Gore

"He really loves me", that's all I can say Before my tears fall, I just walk away

Graveyard ~ Halsey

You look at me With eyes so dark, don't know how you even see You push right through me

Little White Lies ~ Ella Fitzgerald

The devil was in your heart But heaven was in your eyes The night that you told me those little white lies Who wouldn't believe those lips Whoever could doubt those eyes

I Can’t Stay Mad at You ~ Skeeter Davis

You can run around You can tell me lies But there's nothing I can do I'll never say goodbye 'Cause I can't stay mad at you

Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool ~ Connie Francis

I told myself it's best that I forget you Though I'm a fool, at least I know the score Yet darlin', I'd be twice as blue without you It hurts, but I'd come running back for more

Boys Like You ~ dodie

You thought you could charm me And, damn it, you're right So watch me fall for every damn stereotype

Une chanson brisée ~ Cœur De Pirate

Mais qu'importe, tu m'aimes, oui Ça justifie tous tes oublis Mais qu'importe, le temps joue Une chanson sur mes plaies qui s'entrouvrent ~ But whatever, you love me, yes It justifies all your oversights But whatever, time plays A song about my open wounds

I Just Couldn’t Stand It No More ~ Dinah Washington

My heart is aching, My heart is aching He don't know how much it is a breaking I need somebody, yes I need somebody To take my love and help me to forget him...

I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plans ~ Annie Ross, Gerry Mulligan Quartet

Before I knew where I was at I found myself upon the shelf, and that was that I tried to reach the moon but when I got there All that I could get was the air My feet are back upon the ground I've lost the one man I found,

Back To Black ~ Amy Winehouse

You went back to what you knew So far removed From all that we went through

Blue ~ Rebecca Black

Two years down the drain A whole life we had made It was ours for the taking

Une complainte dans le vent ~ Cœur De Pirate

Aux chaleurs oubliées À tes doigts longeant mes parures Tu m'aurais à l'usure Mais qu'importe les douleurs du présent Je ne suis plus la même, tu n'es plus un enfant ~ To forgotten warmth To your fingers along my finery You would wear me out But no matter the pains of the present I am no longer the same, you are no longer a child

You ~ The Pretty Reckless

I can't steal you, no Like you stole me

my tears ricochet ~ Taylor Swift

Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you 'Til my dying day

Le monopole de la douleur ~ Cœur De Pirate

Tu n'entends plus rien Que je m'exprime tout haut, tu n'y vois qu'une maudite fin Et les lignes des épopées de nos nuits racontent leurs histoires Mais j'en ai marre qu'on broie du noir Tu penses que tu es le seul à souffrir Qu'importe que je saigne aussi ~ You don't hear anything anymore That I express myself aloud, you see only a cursed end And the lines of the epics of our nights tell their stories But I'm sick of us brooding You think you're the only one to suffer It doesn't matter that I bleed too

L’etang ~ BLOSSOM DEARIE

Là, le ciel, pour quelques instants Garde encore de l'or dans ses yeux Une étoile brille au fond de l'étang Pour les amoureux ~ There, the sky, for a few moments Still got gold in her eyes A star shines at the bottom of the pond For lovers

La Nuit N’en Finit Plus ~ Petula Clark

Je voudrais partir au hasard Partir au loin quitter mes souvenirs ~ I would like to leave randomly Go far away leave my memories

Hey There ~ Rosemary Clooney

Better forget him, him with his nose in the air He has you dancin on a string Break it and he won't care

Hard Feelings/Loveless ~ Lorde

I light all the candles Cut flowers for all my rooms I care for myself the way I used to care about you

Heartstrings ~ Leighton Meester

Had to save my own self from all your evil games

Happier Than Ever ~ Billie Eilish

You call me again, drunk in your Benz Driving home under the influence You scared me to death, but I'm wasting my breath

Cry Me A River ~ Julie London

Remember, I remember all that you said Told me love was too plebeian Told me you were through with me and Now you say you love me Well, just to prove you do Come on and cry me a river, cry me a river I cried a river over you

Gonna Get Along Without You Now ~ Skeeter Davis

Got along without you before I met you Gonna get along without you now Gonna find somebody who is twice as cute 'Cause I didn't want you anyhow

Kill My Boyfriend ~ Natalia Kills

And boy I'm so committed, I'm so deep, there's no more digging There's only one thing I can do to solve this mess, come on I gotta kill my boyfriend yeah...

Hermit the Frog ~ MARINA

Well, I, I wanna tell you a secret You can take your double standard love and keep it I can't help the devil likes to make my heart a double bed And I can't help he sometimes like to come And rest his little head

OKAY OKAY ~ Alessia Cara

My best friend said to me, "I know just what we need A song of yours that we could feel ourselves to" I said it'd be a test, 'cause you know I'm always stressed Come to think of it, I guess I've never cared to She said, "You won't know if you never commit" So here's me convincing myself I'm the shit

#gg #ggplaylists #blair waldorf #gossip girl #source: senamarais

[stevenvenn]

Sophie May - No More Birthdays (new single) Been quite awhile, sorry! Just haven't had the desire to do my daily music posts for months BUT I decided to start again for 2024. Here's a new track from the excellent Sophie May. Btw here were my best of 2023 list (including Sophie May) in case you were interested. You can listen to the list on Spotify here. Or watch the videos here (choose play all)

The NIFTY 50 of 2023 (in no particular order except for styles relating to each other)

01. boygenius - the record 02. Holiday Ghosts - Absolute Reality 03. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - The Town That Cursed Your Name 04. The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore 05. Teenage Fanclub - Nothing Lasts Forever 06. Fenne Lily - Big Picture 07. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We 08. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin 09. Shana Cleveland - Manzanita 10. This Is the Kit - Careful of Your Keepers 11. Billie Marten - Drop Cherries 12. Sophie May - Worst Thoughts in the World 13. Dean Johnson - Nothing For Me, Please 14. Andy Shauf - Norm 15. Sparklehorse - Bird Machine 16. Durand Jones - Wait Til I Get Over 17. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good! 18. Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings 19. Grian Chatten - Chaos For the Fly 20. PJ Harvey - I Inside the Old Year Dying 21. Bully - Lucky For You 22. Margaret Glaspy - Echo The Diamond 23. Mandy, Indiana - i've seen a way 24. Home Front - Games of Power 25. Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World 26. Pigs x7 - Land of Sleeper 27. bdrmm - I Don't Know 28. Film School - Field 29. Sea Lemon - Stop at Nothing ep 30. slowdive - everything is alive 31. Flyying Colours - You Never Know 32. Beach Fossils - Bunny 33. Wild Nothing - Hold 34. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You 35. Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume 36. Daughter - Stereo Mind Game 37. Cloth - Secret Measure 38. JFDR - Museum 39. Beach House - Become ep 40. Art School Girlfriend - Soft Landing 41. Depeche Mode - Momento Mori 42. Sampha - Lahai 43. Everything But The Girl - Fuse 44. Nation of Language - Strange Disciple 45. FM Attack - Cosmic 46. Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan - The Nation's Most Central Location 47. Craven Faults - Standers 48. Loscil / Lawrence English - Colours of Air 49. Oliver Coates - Aftersun OST 50. Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12

#sophie may #london #singer songwriter #uk #indie rock #indiefolk #no more birthdays #nifty50of2023 #music lists #best of 2023

[kiraixi]

Christmas Shopping

I decided to post one of the drafts sitting in my docs, I have a few which will probably be edited and pulled together to make a fic hopefully :’))

This is set in California in Billy’s childhood, just wanted to explore somethings as there is so much we don’t know about his past, enjoy~

Holiday shopping is always a difficult thing for their family, winter meant time for giving not taking. His father would always tighten his generosity on them. And worse,

 Mama’s anxiety would crawl up the wall. 

She’d always try to capture the ‘Christmas cheer’ in everything. Overspending on tinsel, trinkets and baubles was her way of shouting to the world everything was okay. He didn’t really see the point; they would all end up crushed or broken anyways, more weapons in Dad’s artillery. 

Neil would lash out more, glass icicles were expensive. And sharp.

A lose-lose situation for everyone.

It all comes to head when she picks up a wreath, chattering about how ‘welcoming’ it would be for relatives that never visit.

His face turns bright red right when she says that. 

A shouting match ensues.

He screams something about money and incompetence and she screams back.

Billy doesn’t stay around for long, normally when they argue not much attention is paid to him. 

He wanders around, pulling himself to the toy section, liking the colours and sounds on display. He doesn’t get many toys, they’re all stuffed in the corner of his room. Easy tidying. 

His dad says he’s a big kid now, doesn't need that baby junk anymore.  

Billy’s content to just stare at the displays. It’s fun to scan over the instructions, imagining himself at home actually building. His favourites are the dollhouses, but they're not for him. They stay out of reach on the upper shelves, the rich kid shelves. 

He risks a peek at them ever so often. 

Mostly Billy just likes the small bits and pieces that come with the houses. He’d dig into the bottom of the toy boxes at school, marvel at the small milk cartons and frying pans half the size of his pinky.

Something about their tininess fascinated him, putting them in the exact spot he wanted was fiddly work, but always left him feeling accomplished.

“Billy!”

He breaks away from his daydream, a familiar girl stands at the end of the aisle. 

“Audi, hi!” He smiles at her, a bit strained. If his parents turned the corner right now he’d be in big trouble.

“Are you picking out your Christmas presents?”

“Just looking around..” Not gonna mention that he can’t afford most stuff here..

She walks towards him, “Mummy said she’d buy me that one,”

Pointing at something on the highest shelf, it’s one of those talking teddies. She has to stand on her tippy toes to show which one she wants, it’s kinda funny. He hums in approval, it is a super cool toy. 

“It’s been sitting on my list forever, what are you getting?”

Billy scratches the back of his neck. Should he point at the cars? But the miniature mansion includes a working elevator. 

He points at the house.

“Isn’t that a… girl toy?” She frowns. 

He shrugs, “Nice um.. colours and stuff”

“If only it had more purple…” She hoists the toy off the shelf and turns it around, he looks over her shoulder scanning the label. 

$8.99. Yeah, expensive.

“Audelia darling!” A voice calls out. They both look up

A very pretty lady rounds the corner, dressed in a green skirt and white blouse. It looks like something Mama would point at in a magazine. 

Audi beams at said woman, “Mummy!” She hooks an arm around him, “This is my friend Billy”

The pretty lady – Audi’s mum – gives him a polite smile, “‘I’ve heard from Audelia about you, it’s nice to finally meet.’ She reaches out for a handshake.

Billy’s never met someone so formal, it’s a bit intimidating.

He scavenges his brain for a surname, Audi did mention it before. Something that rhymes with barber. 

He clasps her hand, ‘Thank you Mrs Barbour’ 

She laughs. “It’s Barbeau but you can call me Marie dear,” 

“Billy?!” 

He freezes. 

Mama’s voice. 

They all turn, his parents are standing at the end of the shopping aisle.

Father looks very, very angry.

Audelias’s mum stands up straighter, maybe she can sense the tension oozing out of his dad.

He's looking for a fight.

Mama looks like she’s desperately trying to hold Neil back. She keeps giving him these wide eyed stares, stuck between disbelief and fear. 

Like a deer about to be run over. 

Dad saunters up to them, landing a heavy hand on his shoulder. Billy stays stock still.

Neil smiles, all teeth and snarl. It cracks his lips apart. 

‘Who are these people, son?’

This is the worst possible day ever. 

He looks down, there’s a smudge near his heel from running around during recess. He never wanted to be somewhere else more than now. Maybe if he clicks his heels together three times, he’ll disappear from real life. Just like in the fairytales Mama read. 

 His grits his teeth, ‘A friend’

Neil’s grip tightens, Billy has to work his face really hard to not wince in any way. That would be really embarrassing.

His mum sidesteps Neil, she places her hand on the other side. His shoulders are starting to ache from all weight on it.

She smiles at the other two.”I’m so sorry but we’re in a rush, it was lovely meeting you Mrs…?”

Audelia’s mum folds her hands over, “Dr Barbeau”

Neil interrupts before she can reply, “ – Mrs Barbeau, Goodbye.” 

Audelia just looks completely confused, can't understand the adults' stiffness. Hopefully her mum won’t hate Billy after this. 

His dad gives one last glare in their direction and yanks him towards the exit. 

Looking back he sees Audi waving with a little frown, she’s still holding the dollhouse. 

                                                            *

Neil slams his door on the way in, Billy shrinks into the back seat. 

Mama doesn’t look at him at all.

“What was that?” His father turns in his seat, fully facing him. Yep, this is definitely the worst day possible.

He looks down, avoiding eye contact.

“What have I specifically said about mingling with some types of people?”

He keeps looking at the floor.

“Huh, Billy?”

Mum interjects, “Neil I don’t think he meant – ”

A raised hand in her direction is enough to silence her.

He turns back to the wheel and starts the car. “Don’t forget the lessons I teach you, son.”

The rest of the drive is silent.

#drabble #angst? #pre-canon #stranger things #billy hargrove #do i include the ship tags? #i mean i’ll probably write some stuff after #so #harringrove #harringroveson #mungrove

[debbiechanclub]

tagged by the lovely @m00sebaby in this fun little game! thank you, liza!

rules: post 10 of your favorite comfort movies and then tag 10 people

alright these are all over the place so bear with; also in no particular order!

mean girls (2004) ― not to date myself (i say genuinely not caring that i'm about to be 35), but i was in high school when this came out so obviously it's a pick.

napoleon dynamite (2004) ― one of the first movies kris and i watched together, but i loved it when it first came out, too. pretty much my humor exactly; i definitely owned a p.h.s. physical education t-shirt that i probably got from hot topic.

scream (1996) ― the horror movie of all time, i will not take criticism or comment. my friends and i were obsessed with this movie growing up and even called each other "stu" and "billy" (i was billy).

the cabin in the woods (2011) ― the second horror movie of all time, it's just so good. we love a black comedy horror film. inspired my "murky waters" fic.

hocus pocus (1993) ― the quintessential halloween film of my childhood. i watch it (and the previous two) every single fall.

the devil wears prada (2006) ― listen. i genuinely don't know what it is about this movie (probably meryl streep's performance) but a good 80% of the time when it's on tv, i'll watch it.

jurassic park (1993) ― this is one of my dad's favorite movies that he made sure i watched when i was a kid, and it became one of my favorites. it will forever be connected to him long after he's gone.

finding nemo (2003) ― my favorite pixar film. ngl, i think the main reason i connect with this movie as much as i do is because my dad was, for all intents and purposes, a single parent, and to see the love of a father (rather than a mother) for his child depicted in a major kids' movie, even via animated fish, meant more to me than i realized when i was younger.

wall-e (2008) ― my second favorite pixar film. it has such a poignant message and wall-e is adorable. one of the only movies that has ever really made me cry.

the holiday (2006) ― idk why, but this is the one movie i really look forward to watching during the holidays. it's just cozy.

i don't know that i have 10 people to tag, but i'll tag @astreamofcolors @aussiearrow @caranoirs @elphantasmo @penelopeford and anyone else who would like to do it!

#tag games #if you saw me originally list 11 no you didn't #I can't count apparently

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

2023 Movie Journey: Masterlist

if you’ve known me for any time at all, you should know by now that i will not watch very many movies this year. i’ll aspire to, i’ll think it’s a good idea, but it’s just not that likely to happen. however, that shouldn’t stop me from the fun of trying! 

my goal was to average one movie a week so by year’s end i’d have seen more than 50. that didn’t come close to happening, but i’ll keep reviewing them here and check them off my watchlist as i go. (this list just keeps getting longer but i enjoyed updating it for 2023.)

last year’s list is here, with every movie i reviewed linked now, in case anybody wants to read those and hasn’t before. 

4th man out (2015)

12 years a slave (2013)

80 for brady (2023)

a family man (2016)

a haunting in venice (2023)

a man called otto (2023)

a room with a view (1985)

a simple favor (2018)

a single man (2009)

a wrinkle in time (2018)

about time (2013)

admission (2013)

after yang (2021)

all the bright places (2020)

always be my maybe (2019)

american fiction (2023)

american gangster (2007)

ammonite (2020)

amsterdam (2022)

an education (2009)

ant man (2015)

ant man and the wasp (2018)

ant man and the wasp: quantumania (2023)

anyone but you (2023)

anything’s possible (2022)

aquaman (2018)

are you there god? it’s me margaret (2023)

arrival (2016)

atonement (2007)

august: osage county (2013)

babylon (2023)

bad education (2019)

barbie (2023)

be kind rewind (2008)

bedazzled (2000)

begin again (2013)

big eyes (2014)

billy elliot (2000)

blockers (2018)

bohemian rhapsody (2018)

bowfinger (1999)

boy erased (2018)

breaking (2022)

brideshead revisited (2008)

bright young things (2003)

burn burn burn (2015)

cairo time (2009)

call jane (2022)

can you ever forgive me? (2018)

catherine called birdy (2022)

chef (2014)

clemency (2019)

coco (2017)

colette (2018)

crazy rich asians (2018)

creed (2015)

creed 2 (2018)

creed 3 (2023)

crouching tiger, hidden dragon (2000)

crush (2022)

cyrano (2021)

damsel (2023)

daughter of the bride (2023)

dazed and confused (1993)

demolition man (1993)

devil’s knot (2013)

die hard 2 (1990)

die hard with a vengeance (1995)

dog day afternoon (1975)

dual (2022)

earth girls are easy (1988)

effie gray (2014)

ella mckay (?)

elvis (2022)

eurovision song contest: the story of fire saga (2020)

fast color (2018)

fighting with my family (2019)

fright night (2011)

galaxy quest (1999)

girls trip (2017)

glass onion: a knives out mystery (2022)

gone girl (2014)

good luck to you, leo grande (2022)

goodbye christopher robin (2017)

gosford park (2001)

gunpowder milkshake (2021)

happy death day (2017)

happy death day 2u (2019)

happy texas (1999)

heart of stone (2023)

her smell (2018)

holes (2003)

honk for jesus. save your soul. (2022)

honor society (2022)

how to talk to girls at parties (2017)

how to train your dragon (2010)

hysteria (2011)

i am not your negro (2017)

i don’t feel at home in this world anymore (2017)

i, tonya (2017)

if beale street could talk (2018)

inception (2010)

indiana jones and the dial of destiny (2023)

infinitely polar bear (2014)

jackie (2016)

jane got a gun (2015)

joyful noise (2012)

judas and the black messiah (2021)

judy blume forever (2023)

junebug (2005)

jupiter ascending (2015)

just mercy (2019)

kajillionaire (2020)

keeping mum (2005)

knife fight (2012)

kubo and the two strings (2016)

laggies (2014)

last holiday (2006)

late night (2019)

legally blonde (2001)

lemonade mouth (2011)

little (2019)

live free or die hard (2007)

logan lucky (2017)

love, simon (2018)

m3gan (2022)

ma rainey’s black bottom (2020)

magic mike xxl (2015)

magic mike: last dance (2023)

mansfield park (1999)

mars attacks! (1996)

mary queen of scots (2018)

master (2022)

master gardener (2022)

me and earl and the dying girl (2015)

meet the robinsons (2007)

megamind (2010)

memento (2000)

men in black international (2019)

mermaids (1990)

midsommar (2019)

migration (2023)

miss pettigrew lives for a day (2008)

miss sloane (2016)

missing (2023)

monkey business (1952)

monuments men (2014)

moonlight (2016)

moonrise kingdom (2012)

moonshot (2022)

moving on (2022)

mr. magorium’s wonder emporium (2007)

mr. mom (1983)

much ado about nothing (2011)

muriel’s wedding (1994)

nancy drew and the hidden staircase (2019)

nanny mcphee (2005)

nanny mcphee returns (2010)

never let me go (2010)

newsies (1992)

no time to die (2021)

nope (2022)

northanger abbey (2007)

not okay (2022)

obvious child (2014)

on the come up (2022)

oppenheimer (2023)

other people (2016)

overboard (2018)

pacific rim (2013)

palm springs (2020)

parasite (2019)

paris is burning (1990)

passing (2021)

penelope (2007)

pete’s dragon (2016)

pirate radio (2009)

please stand by (2017)

polite society (2023)

pride (2014)

pride and prejudice and zombies (2016)

professor marston and the wonder women (2016)

return to oz (1985)

rise of the guardians (2012)

rita moreno: just a girl who decided to go for it (2021)

rocketman (2019)

roll bounce (2005)

rosaline (2022)

saving face (2004)

say anything (1989)

scream (2022)

scream 6 (2023)

see how they run (2022)

seeking a friend for the end of the world (2012)

she said (2022)

shoplifters (2018)

short term 12 (2013)

sing street (2016)

sleeping with other people (2015)

someone great (2019)

sorry to bother you (2018)

soul (2020)

spiderman: far from home (2019)

spiderman: homecoming (2017)

spiderman: into the spiderverse (2018)

spiderman: no way home (2021)

spin me round (2022)

spotlight (2015)

spy kids (2001)

stage fright (2014)

step up (2006)

talk to me (2023)

teeth (2007)

the 355 (2022)

the age of innocence (1993)

the anniversary party (2001)

the batman (2022)

the best exotic marigold hotel (2012)

the breadwinner (2017)

the children act (2017)

the color purple (2023)

the craft: legacy (2020)

the disaster artist (2017)

the divine order (2017)

the emperor’s new groove (2000)

the eyes of tammy faye (2021)

the fall (2006)  

the fallout (2022)

the fighting temptations (2003)

the five year engagement (2012)

the gentlemen (2020)

the godfather (1972)

the godfather part 2 (1974)

the godfather part 3 (1990)

the great gatsby (2013)

the hunchback of notre dame (1996)

the hunger games: the ballad of songbirds and snakes (2023)

the hunt (2020)

the iron lady (2011)

the kill room (2023)

the legend of tarzan (2016)

the little mermaid (2023)

the lost city (2022)

the marvels (2023)

the master (2012)

the matrix resurrections (2021)

the menu (2022)

the notebook (2004)

the old guard (2020)

the outfit (2022)

the photograph (2020)

the prestige (2006)

the prince of egypt (1998)

the prom (2020)

the queen (2006)

the royal hotel (2023)

the second best exotic marigold hotel (2016)

the secret garden (2020)

the skeleton twins (2014)

the spy who dumped me (2018)

the suicide squad (2021)

the super mario bros. movie (2023)

the trial of the chicago 7 (2020)

the truman show (1998)

the unbearable weight of massive talent (2022)

the united states vs. billie holiday (2021)

the velocipastor (2018)

the way he looks (2014)

the woman king (2022)

the wonder (2022)

their finest (2016)

this means war (2012)

tootsie (1982)

treasure planet (2002)

troop zero (2019)

two lovers and a bear (2016)

us (2019)

valley girl (2020)

velvet goldmine (1998)

violent night (2022)

venom (2018)

venom: let there be carnage (2021)

victoria & abdul (2017)

walk the line (2005)

wet hot american summer (2001)

what happens later (2023)

what we do in the shadows (2014)

where’d you go, bernadette (2019)

widows (2018)

wild target (2010)

wish (2023)

women talking (2022)

wonka (2023)

yesterday (2019)

young adult (2011)

zombieland: double tap (2019)

#2023 movie journey

[spacerangersam]

my very correct (aka subjective) opinions about the ghosts tastes in music that I wrote at 1am in the morning

Mary

They May Be Giants (I mean come on, duh, obviously)

The Proclaimers

The Beatles

I hate to say it but I feel it deep in my heart that she'd enjoy that dumb fucking farmer parody version of Brand New Key

The Shaggs  :)))))))))))))

Blondie (maybe a bit out of place on this list, but I can imagine her bopping to Sunday Girl)

Robin

Good old rock and roll: The Darkness, T.Rex, Queen, Joan Jett, Blondie

The Beatles

I think he'd also like folk music, but I don't know enough about that to list any off

Julian

Mostly same as Robin

The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Jefferson Airplane

Tom Jones

And ABBA but he sees it as guilty pleasure and won't admit it, for some reason

Kitty

All the classic 90s/early 2000s girl pop: the Spice Girls, Bananarama (there's got to be some flops), Destiny's Child, Sugababes, Girls Aloud (she'd lose her mind over their crossover), Britney Spears

And 90s Boy bands too (I don't care enough about them to list any)

And some classics, Marilyn Munroe and Ertha Kitt

And she would be an avid consumer of the HSM soundtracks (primarily hsm2, it's called having taste)

Captain

30s to 60s music would obviously be his go-to. Vera Lynn (of course, of course), Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Lesley Gore (gotta have some gay icons)

And Queen. Like Good Old Fashioned Lover boy? Somebody to Love? If he wasn't a ghost they'd knock him dead

Pat

Earth Wind & Fire, the Bee Gees (you can pry my hc of pat being a disco fan from my cold dead hand)

Elton John, Madonna, ABBA, ELO, The Monkees

The Spice girls (let him bop to Wannabe)

And obviously he listens to a lot of musical soundtracks, are you kidding me? Theatre kid through and through

Thomas

Kylie Minogue (canon as we know), Whitney Houston, Bonnie Taylor (Total Eclipse of the Heart would forever change him as a peroson), Kate Bush, Phil Collins, Sufjan Stevens

And I do, unfortunately, think he would also like Ed Sheran (he thinks A-Team is god tier)

Humphrey

I didn't forget him, I just legitimately don't know. I have a hard time getting a grasp on his personality

Stephanie

If you asked, she'd claim she's only interested in classical music, and she's not entirely lying...

But she also secretly listens Hole/Courtney Love (think she just deserves to scream along to Violet, get some of that anger and resentment off her chest you know?)

#ghosts posts