#unknown artist who needs recognizing!

[vivmaek]

Total Solar Eclipse in Aries: Predictions

✰ my masterlist This eclipse season is highlighting themes of forgiveness, both towards others and towards ourselves. It's time to turn a new leaf, and to take responsibility for mistakes made within the past. Doing this will allow a particular area within your life to transform. In October 2023 it may have felt like you lost something. Whether that was a friend group, a career opportunity, or a romantic relationship depends on your chart. However, because this solar eclipse is conjuncting the North Node, it will feel as though you have gained something. Issues from October 2023 will find a resolution.

General predictions:

ꕥ Sudden/unexpected military action.

ꕥ The development and discovery of new weapons. (Specifically with bombs and explosives.)

ꕥ Veterans speaking out against the country they once served.

ꕥ World leaders unexpectedly stepping down from their positions.

- Many world leaders are going to be dealing with extremely poor health which will “eclipse’ their power.

ꕥ It's going be a hot summer, and the effects of climate change will become all the more obvious.

ꕥ Bad wildfire season.

ꕥ An increase in self-immolation as a form of protest.

ꕥ An increase in reckless driving, speeding, and road rage.

ꕥ An increase in violence against women, and people who are non-binary or transgender .

ꕥ Issues regarding gender will become even more polarizing.

- Women across the world will continue to assert their independence and will fight back against outdated standards.

- Women will become more willing to embrace the unknown. Many women will fully commit to the idea of never getting married or having children during this time frame, and they will do so with enthusiasm.

- Some women will choose not to get married or have children as a form of protest

ꕥ An increase in narcissistic behavior, as well as an increase in being able to recognize narcissistic behavior.

ꕥ Celebrities responding to public criticism with arrogance will witness a downfall.

ꕥ The Summer Olympics will be especially entertaining this year. This event will be explosive and dramatic. Some athletes will gain a significant amount of fame during this event.

ꕥ LOTS of new music. Artists are going to be pushing the boundaries of genres. Audiences are craving something completely new.

ꕥ People are DONE living in fear. This will result in widespread, collective action that will effectively make big changes. More protests, more boycotts, more strikes, more uprisings.

Predictions for your Rising Sign:

Aries ♈︎

𖦹 Explosive relationship issues

𖦹 Facing “the final straw”

𖦹 Reuniting with yourself

𖦹 Making a significant change to your physical appearance

𖦹 Detaching yourself from others

𖦹 Making bold statements that shock people

𖦹 A boost in confidence

𖦹 Reconnecting with your desires

𖦹 Realizing that you’ve outgrown people

𖦹 Becoming easily frustrated

𖦹 Not recognizing the person you were two years ago

𖦹 Taking decisive action

𖦹 Being forced to defend your beliefs

𖦹 Heightened sense of physical energy

𖦹 Gaining a sense of control over your impulsivity

Taurus ♉︎

𖦹 Confronting fears of the unknown

𖦹 Showcasing a strong sense of perseverance

𖦹 Psychic dreams/ uptick in strange dreams

𖦹 Reflecting on the past

𖦹 Spending time alone

𖦹 Receiving some sort of news that shakes you up

𖦹 Building trust in your intuition

𖦹 Finding yourself zoning out all of time

𖦹 Turning towards food, drugs, and alcohol to find comfort

𖦹 Intense emotions coming forward

𖦹 Facing an uptick in stress and anxiety

𖦹 Rumors and lies being spread about you

𖦹 Secrets coming to the surface

𖦹 Feeling exhausted/needing more time for rest

𖦹 Developing a stronger connection to nature

Gemini ♊︎

𖦹 Heightened sense of compassion

𖦹 Giving out unsolicited advice

𖦹 Networking!

𖦹 Joining new social groups

𖦹 Finding a sense of belonging

𖦹 Engaging in volunteer work

𖦹 Developing new goals and dreams

𖦹 Interacting with lots of strangers

𖦹 Feeling in touch with the future

𖦹 Participating in interesting conversations on a daily basis

𖦹 Initiating and organizing group activities

𖦹 Developing new friendships at a fast pace

𖦹 Heightened sense of popularity

𖦹 Fearing commitment

𖦹 Heightened sense of conversational skills

Cancer ♋︎

𖦹 Stepping into a leadership position

𖦹 Learning how to balance your private life with work

𖦹 Becoming a stay-at-home parent

𖦹 Hard work paying off

𖦹 Facing competition within your career

𖦹 New responsibilities

𖦹 Challenges with authority figures

𖦹 Being forced to stand up for yourself

𖦹 Setting boundaries within your career

𖦹 Your reputation becoming a source of stress

𖦹 Becoming someone's caregiver

𖦹 Learning how to avoid burnout

𖦹 Becoming a source of motivation within your workplace

𖦹 Feeling extra sensitive towards criticism

𖦹 Working with a family member, or someone who feels like family

Leo ♌︎

𖦹 Being forced to look at the big picture

𖦹 Stepping out of the sidelines

𖦹 Deciding to expand your mind

𖦹 Traveling/ big journeys

𖦹 Coming across as overbearing within serious situations

𖦹 A change in long term plans/goals

𖦹 Becoming a teacher or mentor

𖦹 Beliefs being challenged

𖦹 Dominating discussions with other people

𖦹 Craving adventure

𖦹 Gaining a new perspective on life

𖦹 New opportunities in education

𖦹 Embracing a newfound sense of excitement

𖦹 Seeking out recognition

𖦹 Gaining wisdom through creative ventures

Virgo ♍︎

𖦹 Joint resources being brought into focus

𖦹 Seeking reciprocity within relationships

𖦹 Having a realistic approach to intimate relationships

𖦹 Realizing you give too much/too little

𖦹 The judgements you’ve made about other people being challenged

𖦹 Making investments

𖦹 Burning bridges

𖦹 Creating a new budget

𖦹 Resentments within relationships being brought to the surface

𖦹 Paying off debt

𖦹 Confronting your desire for profection

𖦹 Close relationships becoming a source of stress

𖦹 Healing intimacy and trust issues

𖦹 Seeking out deeply emotional connections

𖦹 Finally recognizing hidden patterns

Libra ♎︎

𖦹 Showing up more authentically

𖦹 Confronting communication issues

𖦹 Fixing a misunderstanding from the past

𖦹 Being honest about wants and needs

𖦹 Asking for help and receiving it

𖦹 Developing skills in diplomacy

𖦹 Placing your aspirations before a relationship

𖦹 Letting go of responsibilities that don’t serve you

𖦹 Ego and pride creating conflict within relationships

𖦹 Starting a collaborative project

𖦹 Holding yourself to the promises you’ve made

𖦹 Receiving some sort of justice

𖦹 Healing your fear of being alone

𖦹 Seeking out compromise

𖦹 Recognizing how indecision has held you back

Scorpio ♏︎

𖦹 Putting your dreams into action

𖦹 Experiencing tension within the body

𖦹 Confronting control issues

𖦹 Your sense of motivation being reawakened

𖦹 Implementing new routines

𖦹 Prioritizing health

𖦹 Finishing projects from the past

𖦹 Feeling more energized

𖦹 Lack of support from others

𖦹 Becoming more organized

𖦹 Stress becoming a cause for health issues

𖦹 Challenging your own self-criticism

𖦹 Developing a greater sense of concentration

𖦹 Exploring alternative treatment approaches

𖦹 Becoming a workaholic

Sagittarius ♐︎

𖦹 Starting a new hobby or project

𖦹 Newfound relationship needs/standards

𖦹 Taking relationships risks

𖦹 Seeking out pleasure

𖦹 Connecting with your inner child

𖦹 A spike in creativity

𖦹 Having fun with your sense of self expression

𖦹 Being able to forgo responsibility

𖦹 Joining the dating scene

𖦹 Starting a family

𖦹 Caught up within daydreams

𖦹 Developing a sense of contentment

𖦹 Pregnant and ready to give birth (this could be a literal child or a new idea)

𖦹 Taking initiative

𖦹 Everyday life becomes exciting

Capricorn ♑︎

𖦹 Possible career change

𖦹 Starting a garden/buying plants

𖦹 Gaining an understanding in generational trauma

𖦹 Moving at a slow pace

𖦹 New living situations

𖦹 Change in family dynamics

𖦹 Heightened sense of intuition

𖦹 Finding stability

𖦹 Tending to unhealed wounds

𖦹 Arguments with your parents

𖦹 Working remotely

𖦹 Reconnecting with your ancestors

𖦹 Seeking more time spent alone

𖦹 Home renovations

𖦹 A death or birth occurring within your family

Aquarius ♒︎

𖦹 Being more active on social media

𖦹 Speaking before thinking

𖦹 An uptick in the amount of texts/emails you receive

𖦹 Overactive mind/imagination

𖦹 Attending lots of social engagements

𖦹 Oversharing

𖦹 Challenging your negative thought patterns

𖦹 Creating some sort of content

𖦹 Busy schedule

𖦹 Buying a new vehicle/changing your commute to work

𖦹 Moving into an environment that's more stimulating

𖦹 Learning new skills

𖦹 Changing the way in which you communicate

𖦹 Chasing after the things that make you curious

𖦹 Spreading gossip

Pisces ♓︎

𖦹 Financial management

𖦹 Your foundations being tested

𖦹 A person in need taking advantage of you

𖦹 Developing security

𖦹 Redefining your values

𖦹 Losing or misplacing a valuable object

𖦹 Selling your impulsive purchases

𖦹 Overcoming insecurities

𖦹 Feeling more stubborn

𖦹 Strengthening your self-worth

𖦹 Building your savings

𖦹 Earning money from your artistry

𖦹 Cutting back on expenses

𖦹 Donating your money to charity

𖦹 Turning to spiritual practices to ground yourself

#astrology #astro community #astrology placements #astro observations #astrology observations #astrology tumblr #solar eclipse #solar eclipse 2024 #solar eclipse in aries #eclipse2024 #total solar eclipse #total solar eclipse 2024 #birth chart placements #birth chart #astro notes #Aries season #aries eclipse #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagitattirus #capricorn #Aquarius #pisces #aries rising #gemini rising

[treasureyourfire]

~Pick a Pile~

Your Strength ~ Your Weakness ~ Advice from your Spirit Guides

(English is not my mother language, sorry for the mistakes.)

I am excited to present to you my first Pick a Pile reading. >w<

I would appreciate any feedback on which Pile you chose and whether the message resonated with you or not. <3

From the three images below, choose the one that attracts you the most, or even more, as your intuition tells you. If you didn't recognize yourself in any of the readings, none of its messages resonated with you, don't worry. There may not be a message for you in these three readings, maybe another time. SEQUENCE: - Pile 1 - Top image - Pile 2 - Lower left image - Pile 3 - Lower right image

These are GENERAL readings, so they are not exactly right for everyone.

If the message does not resonate with you, feel free to let it go.

TIMELESS readings, whenever you can find them, apply to your current state or situation in that particular period.

The artist: Polina Bright www.polinabright.com

~Pile 1~

Your Strength - Ace of Pentacles

Your Weakness – Reversed Two of Swords

Advice from your Spirit Guides - Reversed Chariot

You are able to see and take advantage of the opportunities that arise in your material world, which are usually fruitful for you. You have the ability to create financial security and prosperity for yourself. You thrive well in the world of material, work and money, you handle your possessions wisely and with a sure hand, which you are happy to share with those around you. You like to give in general and give gifts to others. Gift-giving may be your primary love language. Value is more important to you than quantity, even in your private life. You strive to establish lasting relationships and you are loyal to your loved ones, who can count on your support in good and bad times.

You are usually balanced, but there are situations when - although you try to balance in the inner turmoil - you accumulate your feelings, which can burst out of you all at once in the end or lead to an unexpected mood change. Perhaps you have recently been forced into a decision-making situation, maybe a new, unknown path is ahead of you, which entails greater responsibility, and this may have triggered a similar condition for you. You like to examine all sides of a case, and you are reluctant to make a hasty decision -which is totally fine- but, unfortunately, this can lead to anxiety and restlessness in the long run. You may feel confused and overwhelmed, impatient with others. When your doubts are too loud in your head, they can paralyze you and prevent you from moving forward towards your goals. Because of these loud fears or beliefs, it can be difficult for you to hear your own inner voice, when your intuition and your self-confidence are pushed into the background.

To get out of this jam and make a decision, you need to listen to your inner compass in your own silence. For this, you need patience with yourself and others, while it is worth considering the direction. "Is this my true path?" "What is my real purpose?" "What do I really want?" Although this card appeared reversed, I feel that you are guided by a pure, noble intention, you are not aggressive and you do not run over others, it is just a struggle for you to get ahead. Step back a little from the situation, examine your motivations, staying honest with yourself. When your thoughts are clear and your worries are calmed, you can regain your clarity, which can put control back into your hands. If you find what your TRUE purpose is, focus on it unwaveringly. Trust yourself, your knowledge, be determined, but patient. Follow your intuition, your softly whispering guiding star.

~Pile 2~

Your Strength - Reversed Eight of Wands

Your Weakness - Queen of Wands

Advice from your Spirit Guides – Six of Cups

You are a passionate soul, whether you are an artist or an athlete, and you are happy to show your talent to the world. In terms of creativity, you have your own unique style, which may be unusual and surprising for others, but certainly interesting and exciting. You are an intuitive, life-affirming, freedom-loving person, full of drive and energy. You are ambitious when it comes to your goals. You would prefer to be constantly on the move, progressing at an accelerated pace in the areas of your life that are important to you, but sometimes you may feel that external factors are hindering you. If you slow down a bit, you have the opportunity to overcome obstacles and difficulties that slow you down with patience, persistence and focus. It can be characteristic of your creativity or other areas of your life that you are ready to go against general expectations and norms.

If you handle the fire inside you wisely, you will inspire and enthuse others, you will feed their souls with your loving warmth, but if the flames break free, you can burn them around you. Be careful. You have a fiery temperament, you have a definite idea about everything, your fierceness can sometimes cause conflict with those around you, and your strong attachment to your own views can hinder you in situations where adaptation, compromise or change is necessary. Your courage is indisputable, but be careful with recklessness and haste, you should stop and calmly think things over, consciously prepare for future situations before whatever you jump into.

It's worth putting your energies to good use. By respecting the opinions of others, with understanding, attention and kindness, you are able to create the intimate, supportive environment that you and those close to you need. Give to others from the loving warmth that is inside you. Nurture and take care of the relationships that are dear to your heart, even visit childhood friends, if that's what you want. Maybe what you need right now is to connect with your inner child, to recall the happy memories of your childhood, when even simple things brought joy. By recalling uplifting memories and nostalgic feelings, you may draw new soaring inspiration, perhaps helping to give you the necessary push for the next step.

~Pile 3~

Your Strength – Three of Cups

Your Weakness – Reversed Ten of Cups

Advice from your Spirit Guides - Justice

You are a friendly, kind, supportive person who likes to be in community, enjoy life and have good parties. Shared meals, music, and dancing are important ingredients for your happiness. With your cheerful character, you brighten the day of those close to you, your cheerfulness spreads to others, and you also gain strength from them, you can really recharge with them. Your friends and/or family relationships are a priority for you, you provide support to those who need it. You are a team player with whom others enjoy working together or spending their free time.

However, it happens that we are faced with conflicts in our relationships, and our internal harmony can also be upset due to external factors. Our emotions can overflow, because of this we don't always see clearly or act soberly. In such cases, you may be inclined to withdraw completely emotionally, cutting off the path to communication and mutual understanding.

As another option, it can also happen that sometimes you are surrounded by the wrong people, when you empty your own cup to the last drop for the benefit of others, but your efforts are not reciprocated. The lack of mutual support and one-sided efforts also point to imbalance in relationships. This can result in you being emotionally drained totally and enervate. Your colorful world turns gray, your zest for life leaves you.

If you find yourself in this situation, if you can, take a break and step back a little. Try to examine yourself and the situation with an external eye, calmly and quieting your emotions. Don't let your upset feelings cloud your good judgment. Face your inner driving forces so that you can take responsibility for yourself and your actions. Be honest with yourself and others. Think it over, weigh it up, then take the next step thoughtfully, with a conscious decision, and with honest intentions. Let your inner Truth, your inner compass guide you. It can help if you look for activities or situations in your life that help you find your inner harmony again. These can be forms of meditation, yoga, or any meditative activity that strengthens you in your inner center.

#pick a pile #tarot #tarot reading #tarotblr #tarot community #pick a card #pick an image #pick a card reading #pac reading #pac tarot #pac #pick a picture #mine

[ravens-two]

PICK A CARD reading

Messages from your Higher Self

Pile 1 -> Pile 2

Pile 3 -> Pile 4

Deck used: Seasons of the Witch Beltane Oracle

TIPS | BOOK A READING WITH ME | PATREON | LINKTREE | SUGGEST A PAC TOPIC

Pile 1

Oracle

"Spirits of other worlds: tell me tales of the unknown, tell me tales of the forbidden."

Hi pile 1! Your Higher Self really wants you to tune in to your intuition. Listen to what your guides are trying to tell you and don't doubt yourself so much. Yes, it's important to exercise discernment when it comes to the magical, but you shouldn't doubt yourself all the time. Sometimes the messages that you receive are simpler than what you make them out to be.

Most of all, pile 1, your Higher Self wants you to focus on honing in your intuition (be it through learning tarot, using a pendulum or paying attention to your dreams). This is because your Higher Self really wants to talk to you directly, your guides have a lot to teach you, but that information needs to flow directly between you and your guides.

What you also need to know, pile 1, is that your guides and ancestors are on your side and they want to help you. Simply ask for their help with the problems that are troubling you and you shall receive.

Pile 2

The Lovers

"Love lulls all sorrow and bewitches flesh, mind and breath, reminding me that I am unafraid of the unfurling winds of my eternity."

Hi there, pile 2! Your Higher Self really wants to put you at ease here. They want to tell you that you are safe and you can relax now. Trust that everything is okay for now - and if for some of you it isn't, trust that it will be okay for a while. There's a feeling here of deep relaxation, it's like your image, swimming calmly in a pond.

This is also the card of vulnerability, so you are being told that in order to forge deep connections you need to be vulnerable. You don't need to be invincible all of the time. In fact, you just can't. Learn to lean on others for support and don't be ashamed to ask for help when you need it. I know that it hasn't always been easy, but the people who love you really do want to help you and support you. They want to feel that you need them too.

When you manage to be vulnerable is when you can really show who you are to other people without fear. This vulnerability doesn't need to be just about your personal relationships, but it could also be about your work. Let's say that you are an artist, but you don't want to share your art because you are afraid of being judged. Your Higher Self wants to encourage you to do either way, in spite of that, because you will learn something from it.

Pile 3

Wildcat

"Be still and tune in, for there is something afoot lurking alongside you."

Hi, pile 3! The Wildcat is the card of danger, but don't sound the alarms right away. Your Higher Self isn't saying that you are in danger, but that you should be aware of what is happening around you. Not just your surroundings, but also your relationships, work or school life.

With this card it's possible that someone's hiding something from you. This could be something as simple as a surprise birthday party or the fact that someone has been talking behind your back.

Most of all though, your Higher Self wants you to be more present. If it's something that you enjoy or are interested in, why don't you try to do a bit of meditation? If that isn't really for you, I'd recommend you research and try some grounding techniques.

Another message from your Higher Self is that you need to spend more time in nature. Go for a walk or sit on a bench in the park and just listen and observe. Listen to the birds or other nature sounds around you. Observe what's happening around you, do you recognize the plants you see? If it's safe touch them, what do they feel like? It's really important that you tune in with nature right now.

Pile 4

Sacred Waters

"Drunken by the swell of the sea, I can feel the blanket of her embrace. Unafraid of the presence releasing the cords, I call her in, I call her deeply within."

Hi, pile 4! This is the card of healing. Your Higher Self wants you to let go of the things that have hurt you in the past and allow yourself to heal. Your guides want to tell you that they care so much about you, they see you and they want to help you as much as they can. Just like with pile 2, don't be afraid of asking them for help.

This is a period of healing and change for you pile 4. As you accept your past you begin to feel more at ease with your present. The song "Never let me go" by Florence and the Machine just came to my mind. This might represent a bit of how you have been feeling. And now, I just heard "What the water gave me" also by Florence. This pile has a very strong Star energy. There's this sense of deep hurt here, but finally feeling hopeful that it might turn out fine. I also think that you guys also really love music - it might be a way for you to process things - because I keep getting songs in my head. I think I'm going to leave you guys a little playlist at the end of your reading.

A very important message that I'm getting is that your Higher Self is asking you to please be gentle with yourself. Be gentle with the things you say and think about yourself and please, please don't be hard on yourself when you don't manage to live up to your own standards. This is a time for healing.

Never Let Me Go - Florence and the Machine

What The Water Gave Me - Florence and the Machine

Quarter Past Four - Avriel and the Sequoias

Youth - Daughter

Standing By - Pentatonix

Ophelia - The Lumineers

#pac reading #tarot #pick a card #tarot reading #pick a picture #pick a pile

[nobrashfestivity]

Unknown, Artist's Painting of a Hippopotamus New Kingdom

ca. 1479–1425 B.C.

The hippopotamus on this ostracon was painted with the sure hand of a skilled artist who had no need of a grid. Other ostraca in the collection were clearly made as templates to be used when transferring an image to the wall of a tomb or a temple  or as practice pieces 

Broadly speaking, the Egyptians viewed the world in terms of the opposing forces of order and chaos, and they recognized these forces in the creatures around them. In its benign aspect, the hippopotamus, standing upright, was used to represent the goddess Taweret  the protector of children and pregnant women. But the hippo could also be a dangerous, destructive beast, and the Egyptians had great respect for its power. In its destructive aspect, the hippo was a stand-in for Seth, the god of chaos, and scenes of the king, or the god Horus, or even a deceased tomb owner harpooning a hippopotamus can be read as depictions of the triumph of order over chaos. In this small painting, however, the animal is not shown in an aggressive pose. In this case the image may simply be what meets the eye: a representation of a hippopotamus.

met museum

#egypt #hippos #painting #egyptian art

[edelweissbarnes]

Water and ice

( I don’t know who’s the artist but I love this piece. If you know who they are, please let me know so I can give the right credit, thanks)

Bucky Barnes x supersoldierF!reader Edelweiss (OFC)

Same as Bucky, one of the conditions for your pardon was weekly mandatory Therapy sessions. this one take to the surface a very painful memory that could mess with your relationship with the former Winter Soldier. (Angst,past trauma, depiction of violence, past torture, memory of Rumlow being a prick, smut, unprotected sex, edging, if i forget something let me know).

The more you walk, heading home from your mandatory weekly therapy session with dr Reynor, the more you feel the anger flares through your whole being.

As usual she was able to read through the lines, poking emotions you’d like to bury in a very deep place, maybe forget them once and for all. This time the unfortunate trigger was something that you unwillingly confessed between your teeth on the last session: your inability to think on taking a bath as a relaxing thing. While Bucky was hiding, regaining his memory, you were still in the hands of Hydra, especially in Rumlow’s, who used and tortured you as if through you he could get his revenge on Bucky and Steve for what happened to him when the Triskelion collapsed.

The worst of his tortures was the Tub, as he called it. worse than waterboarding, devilishly cruel and sadistic: a bathtub filled with water and ice, his rage and all your will to live. your resilience amplified by the super soldier serum running through your veins. Sometimes he also used a cloth to cover your face before sinking your bounded form into the iced water, every time longer then before but never too much to let you die.

You thought that the better solution was bury your personal inferno in a far and dark part of your damaged brain but dr Reynor thinks otherwise.

“You need to talk about painful things if you want to heal…” she explained.

Fucking doctor.

So focused on your emotions you didn’t notice that you’re already home, with uncertain hand you flip the key, opening the door and the familiar smell of lavander and vervain invades your nostrils.

“Hey doll, I’m in the kitchen, hope you’re hungry I made dinner” you hear Bucky as soon as you set foot through the door, he heard you coming in with his super soldier hearing.

Hearing his voice, in the state of mind in which you are, only make your anger more acute that you almost felt sick. Silent, you walk into the kitchen, your mind up to find a way to let him pay his unknown sin. You made it to the stove, nearing him and from your expression he knows that this session was a really hard one.

“Hi…” he murmurs in a soft tone.

You don’t reply, with a practical move you shut the stove and grab the front of his Henley taking him with you to the dining room until you shove him onto the couch.

“That was a hard one huh…” he continues trying to understand what you need from him. You get rid of your leather jacket, your boots, your jeans and your panties before straddling him and grabbing his hair with one hand.

“Shut the fuck up Barnes” you hiss against his lips before taking his wrist and direct his bionic hand between your legs. Without any other word he starts to move his vibranium fingers, caressing your folds. You let out an involuntary sigh, your body recognizes instantly his touch but your mind chooses to resist the pleasure because you need to be wide awake as he needs to feel the same pain you felt when Runlow tortured you.

You let both of your hands down, unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans. You can already feel the warmth radiating from his skin, with ease he buckles lightly his hips to let his jeans and briefs slide down just the bit to let his hard cock free, his fleshy hand goes up, caressing you face.

“Don’t fucking touch me..” you hiss abruptly, earning a look from him, then you align yourself and slowly you sink on his cock.

You’re not completely ready and the stretch of his size, burn, making you whimper but also keeping you grounded. He exales deeply and both his hands are now at your waist trying to slow you or better, stop your movements.

“What are you doing, doll? You’re not ready for this” he murmurs, concerned, his eyes wondering on your face trying to decipher what’s on your mind but you have your best unreadable expression.

You grab the hem of his Henley and with a fluid movement you take it off from him, forcing his hands away from your hips.

“I said: don’t fucking touch me” you repeat growling before sinking another time. He let out a soft grunt and keeps his hands from touching you as you asked.

You push both of your hands on his shoulders and soon you enstablish a slow but steady pace, one you know that makes him crazy when you squeeze your walls while sinking down until he’s balls deep into you.

He’s grunting and you know he’s restraining himself from touching you as you asked but you can feel he’s dying to do so as you can also feel his orgasm approaching. You accelerate your movement as if you want to make him cum faster but as soon as you feel his cock twitch inside you, you slow down.

You repeat this pattern of steady pace, the acceleration and then the abrupt slow down as many times as you feel he’s near his orgasm until you have him breathless under you.

“What are you doing doll…?” He asks,his hands on your arms, real concern in his tone. He has never seen you like this and something inside him screams that there’s something wrong.

“You left me… when you were on the run…” the words struggle to get out “ you left me behind… you left me in his hands…you never try to come and get me…” you hiss, your eyes full of tears of rage. He clench his teeth, he knows whom you’re talking about:Rumlow.

“He… he did things to me…” you feel a surge of anger coursing through you and your hand go grab his hair harshly “ you let him did that to me…” now your tears are running through your face. “ I hated you so much…every time he touched me, every time he tried to…” you choke a sob, closing your eyes and clenching your teeth as if the memory itself is too painful. You take a breath to ground yourself. “Every time he tried to drown me… I was wishing you would come and save me…but you never came and I fucking hated you for that.” You finally confess, sitting still in his lap, his length still sheathed inside you.

When you look into his eyes you can see his guilt showing. “ I tried..” he whispers “ I tried so many times to come and get you but I was so afraid… I was so confused… I’ll never forgive myself for letting you down, for leaving you alone… that’s why everyday I’m trying to make it up to you, to give you the life you deserve, the man you deserve” he murmurs fully vulnerable. His sincerity makes something inside you switch and every ounces of hatred and resentment you had crumble leaving you in tears. He hugs you and slowly he starts to move easing the tension inside your body, igniting the primal instinct of mating, the sensation of him so deep inside you that you feel like you can’t breathe if he stop moving. You let out a sob of frustration.

“I’m here…i promise I’ll never leave you alone…” he whispers but you let your hand caress his lips, shushing him. You feel his thumb pressed against your clit and you let out a sigh. despite your unconscious way to punish yourself for wishing that someone else saved you from that nightmare, denying yourself your relief while you edged him, before, he knows too well your body. His touch sends waves of pleasure through you, electrifying every nerve ending. You arch your back, craving more of his touch, as he skillfully explores every inch of your body. The intensity between you grows, fueled by a mutual desire that cannot be contained.

“ let go…please…” he begs in the most desperate pleading tone you ever heard from him while his hands are guiding your figure up and down his shaft in a constant but deep pace.

“I can’t..” you sob resisting the wave of your surging orgasm.

“please Y/N…” his voice’s a whisper, he cups sweetly your face with both of his hands to make you look at him in the eyes and only now you notice that he’s crying too.

“ i know i messed up, I should’ve come and take you with me, i should’ve killed him myself but I can’t go back and change that, please let me love you and make it up to you now and for the rest of my days…” his words and his dedication are pouring liquid fire inside your veins and you feel your orgasm push aside your silly resistance and explode leaving your body quivering and a choked cry escapes your mouth.

He grunts in relief feeling you coming, a look at you it’s enough to trigger his own release. You watch him come undone, the way he close his eyes, his lips slightly parts and a profound moan vibrates in his chest makes you clench more while you feel his cock twitches emptying in you.

You close lightly your eyes and you gently rest your forehead against his. One of your hand is on his chest, right on his heart and you can clearly feel his accelerate heartbeat.

“I fucking love you and I’m so scared to loose you…” he confesses and you feel his thumb caress your lower lip.

“I’m not going anywhere, James… I love you too and I’m here to stay by your side…” you whisper before searching for his lips.

Your dinner long forgotten and you know, now that the Pandora’s box is open, it’s gonna be a long night filled with whispered words, kisses and raw emotions.

#bucky barnes x reader #buckyxedelweiss #bucky barnes x yn #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes #edelweiss #james barnes #james buchanan barnes

[easternmind]

Inside the office of Fumito Ueda

This is a sequel of sorts to a post of mine from last year where I spotted a number of telling items on Fumito Ueda's office shelves, while more closely inspecting a picture from the Material Book included with the Japanese First Limited Edition of Hitokui no Ōwashi Trico. I'm calling this harmless voyeurism, coming as it does from someone who is exceedingly interested in this author and his work and appreciates the difficulty of such self-imposed challenges.

This new post will be looking more carefully at a this page size picture from The World of Fumito Ueda, a book Kadokawa released earlier this year, from which some detail can be extracted. The photo is stylized with a checkered transparency which makes this exercise substantially more difficult. Should you recognize any item I failed to identify, I ask that you use the comment box so I may improve this entry.

This is a rather pristine-looking 1976 Nintendo Kôsenjû Duck Hunt, a sophisticated light gun toy from Yokoi's R&D department consisting of a battery-powered projector and a plastic rifle whose objective was for the player to shoot at the duck whenever it appeared on the wall.

To the left is Nintendo's Custom Gunman toy, also designed by Gunpei Yokoi in 1976, consisting of a plastic cowboy figure with a receptor in its chest at which the player needed to aim with precision in order to score.

I remember reading about these in Gorges' L'Histoire de Nintendo. Both may have been toys that Ueda had as a child, but this is mere speculation from my end.

Two PSP games stored on this shelf: Metal Gear Acid (2004) and Lemmings (2006), a remake of a game which was highly influential to him, as he as indicated on multiple occasions. In the previous post I wrote, I spotted a big box copy of the original game.

An unexpected find here: a DVD entitled The Animal Motion Show, a visual library meant as reference for artists containing thousands of video clips animals in motion, no doubt very useful in key framing Toriko's unique animations.

A pair of books stand out to me and confirm many of my long-held suspicions on Ueda's influences: Hyperion's From Myst to Riven hardcover from 1997; and the 1974 Dover Publications' Doré Bible Illustrations.

The US and European versions of Shadow of the Colossus sitting beside Saints Seinaru Mamono, the Japanese edition of the Sony Cambridge Studio 2004 game, Primal.

More books, including the 2014 volume The Birth of Rockin' Jelly Beans. If you are not familiar with this reference, he is a Japanese lowbrow erotica artist who wears a mask in public appearances and whose identity remains unknown to this day.

Tucked in a lower shelf are the Gameboy Color edition of Prince of Persia, the Japanese version of Abe's Exodus (ABE '99) for the Playstation and the Wonderswan version of Toshio Iwai's Tenori-On.

Last but not least, here is the the Limited Run Games Limited 20th Anniversary Edition of Another World (either the PS4 or the PSVita edition, it's impossible to tell).

#fumito ueda #gen design #ico #shadow of the colossus #the last guardian #harmless voyeurism

[9800sblog]

Hii💐 since you are still open for questions about ateez I’m curious of what is seonghwa’s reputation. 👀

How is he known among kpop idol community?

seonghwa tarot reading

his reputation in the kpop industry

do I have his energy permission to do and share this reading? king of pentacles

answers for the current energy of 08/01/2024 15:08 GMT-3

such an interesting question, and seonghwa seemed interested in knowing the answer too kkkk

in general

9 of cups, the moon reversed, hanged man reversed, 7 of pentacles, king of swords, page of cups

the image is pretty simple and as expected, seonghwa is a hardworking man who deserves more than he gets but is content with what he has. seonghwa has a lot to show for, a guy with much passion, many talents/skills, and childish hobbies hehe. for those that have seen him outside of the stage, on lives, content, etc., seonghwa is seen as a cute guy who's able to attend to his inner child without looking weird. seonghwa is good at making the most out of bad situations, changing his or others' perceptions if there's such need. there's much respect towards him as an artist here, the king of swords being most relevant, he is very well recognized inside the industry as a complete worker. these cards show someone who is kind and pure, people's perception of him may have changed recently, making them think he is more down to earth, stuck in reality than they previously thought. much attention to his skills, a thoughtful dancer, a sweet voice and a strong rapper, a powerful presence in general that still transpires respect and fairness towards everyone, people aren't scared of taking to him (but that may have changed recently)

closer idols

3 of cups, high priestess reversed, death, 5 of swords

as I said, it seems a big change has recently changed the perception of most people towards seonghwa. this is a really nice person, someone who is easy to interact, easy to feel comfortable around, knows how to speak with all kinds of people, but mostly only to those he's already close to. he may be seen as someone that doesn't always trust his intuition, someone a bit scared of the unknown, and may not often speak to women, scared of getting into trouble. this is someone who avoids a few problems, and walks away at the sign of conflict, which can be seen as a good thing by some. however, this is still someone extremely thoughtful, appreciative of others and not afraid of change! it's quite complicated as there are many different opinions being heard, but seonghwa is seen as a guy who prefers to stir the pot when change is necessary, while avoiding fruitless conflicts. overall, he's seen as a friend, a trustworthy individual with whom you have to worry about absolutely nothing, matter of fact, if you don't wanna think when you're around him, he'd do that for you! he's seen as someone that knows how to pick his battles and friends and lives a happy and stable life. seonghwa may differ from your first impression of him, maybe when you think you know him, he surprises you, he's a bit weird and likes to make others uncomfortable for fun but the message that keeps coming through is that seonghwa is really just a great friend.

staff

8 of cups reversed, knight of cups, 6 of wands reversed, 2 of wands reversed

the 8 of cups reversed and 6 of wands reversed make me think he's mostly seen around other ateez members by these people, so they may think their idea of him is a bit limited. all in all, seonghwa may be a quiet guy around staff, mostly focused on his work and attentive to details. this is probably someone that follows traditional rules of respect and he may be seen as quite the hopeless romantic! as always, seonghwa is seen as a very cute guy by everyone, a pure heart and maybe a wanderer spirit who is limited by the real world. imaginative, creative, kind, helpful, proactive, focused and dedicated. they may see him as more of an introvert but think that's probably not how he is casually, that it's just not the appropriate time to focus on having fun.

female idols

10 of cups, 8 of wands, 8 of swords reversed, 6 of pentacles, the hierophant reversed

no surprises, seonghwa is seen as someone who isn't tied down by social limitations, he's incredibly confident in his inner self, he's done a lot of soul searching and knows what makes him feel happy and free. they think he knows well about how things are "supposed" to go, and he may even help others in doing so but it may not work for him, seonghwa may be seen as someone untraditional, not because he's unaware, he's just happy otherwise. this is a really smart person that knows how to hold a conversation and has many different facets, they know he can talk a lot about many different subjects, be really fun, but not have experienced it directly, as seongwa may be more professional when around the girls. they may fantasize about being in his life, either as a couple or best friends, they see him as a really good person in general, a walking green flag (IT SEEMS! I AM NOT CLAIMING ANY ABSOLUTE TRUTH), as seonghwa is not your typical type of guy, they may imagine that it would be fun to have him in their lives, I see many girls imagine being just friends with him and gossiping and stuff hahaha very nice vibes here 🤷‍♀️

male idols

ace of cups reversed, the world reversed, 10 of pentacles, knight of swords reversed, the tower

very different vibes jesus christ! some male idols really really like him, hold a lot of respect towards him and see him as someone that is very knowledgeable, respectful and can/will get very far in life. they may see him as someone more traditional and untraditional at the same time, who wants to do more, bring change into the world but is unfortunately limited by responsibilities and real life complications in general. seonghwa is a funny guy who likes to exaggerate for fun, may be dramatic, weird, messy, whatever, they think he is funny for that. I am getting very heavy energy here tho, obviously the cards are mostly reversed, these people's perception of seonghwa may be tainted by their own world views and weird interactions with him. seonghwa is seen as trouble by some of the guys, they don't think very nice things about him but they think he's well protected so they won't mess with him, but oh they wanna. it doesn't seem to be many people having this opinion tho, just the energy very strong. seonghwa may pull them off their high horses while they don't expect it cause he looks like such an easy-going, cute individual. in any and all cases, all of them see seonghwa has strong connections that will stay with him til the end of times, he can be quite impulsive which some like and some really don't. those that like him think he has some type of ancient knowledge (?), maybe passed down by generations. in general, male idols think ateez/kq environment is very tied together, people really see them as a family business.

#ateez tarot #kpop tarot #ateez #seonghwa

[gacha-incels]

@frozenemus I want to eventually do a larger and much more researched post regarding misogynist men who are drawn to these types of games: socially, psychologically, financially and historically especially in South Korea. I don’t want to wait that long to reply here so I’ll let you know my thoughts so far which are by no means going to be a comprehensive look at everything.

Yes, I think these games pander to what this type of man already believes about women and this is why they will flock to them. The “gacha game” medium comforts him with the always-available cartoon woman who can literally be “won” (not through confusing things like treating them with respect but rather money),will never leave (until EoS), obeys all his orders (through gameplay), and always looks perfect (because she is drawn that way).

I believe these games and in effect all mainstream pop/entertainment media (among other things) serve to uphold the status quo in one way or another. This is not a phenomenon unique to gacha games themselves. Media like this can have a significant affect on its population, which is why you will see the US military finance so many films, tv shows and videogames. I don’t think any singular pop media can do something as drastic as completely change a population’s opinion regarding an issue, but rather it can flatter its audience by showing them an easy lie rather than confront an uncomfortable truth, which in turn serves to solidify certain concepts in a society. This media often reflects back onto the consumer a stereotype or dichotomy they feel safe with, which in turn creates a kind of feedback loop of comfortable falsity that becomes enshrined as truth. This can be something as seemingly benign as replacing an actual eagle’s cry with that of a hawk’s because that’s what the audience “expects to hear” or more sinisterly the “third world filter” used in many North American productions when showing scenes in a country viewers “expect” to be in poverty. There’s been a lot written within the past couple years regarding “copaganda” entertainment which exemplifies a lot of this type of thing. Similarly I believe it’s been studied that when in times of big changes or economy crashes, more sequel movies will be made and toy store aisles will have an extremely stark divide between “boy’s toys” and “girl’s toys”. It’s in part to comfort the society that fears the unknown future with both saccharine nostalgia and familiar dichotomies with clear and dividing gender roles to fit into. You don’t have to think or be worried- it’s all been decided already so just get in the box.

The medium of “gacha game” itself I believe is the first thing that should be considered- the first message conveyed to the consumer is what medium the “artist” chooses to tell their story. In a whole host of ways, interacting with a book is different than a play which is different than a movie, etc. You can find, for instance, older books where directors write about the need to recognize and utilize the unique facets of film to get meaning across rather than fall back on the familiar and easy stageplay of the theater. Off the top of my head, I think Tarkovsky, Cocteau and Maya Deren have written about it in their books, and a more contemporary book I especially liked was Doug Aitken’s “Broken Screen” interviews. Anyway you’ve probably read or heard of Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the massage”(message), it’s something I would like to elaborate on in a future post so I won’t get into it now. The most unique aspect of the “gacha game” is gambling and often spending large quantities of money for in-game anime style characters to play as/command. Like I said in the last post, these games ride or die on high spenders dropping cash to max these characters out. EVERYTHING about the game must cater to this consumer first and any “artistic intent” will be filtered through the expectations of these customers. None of the story beats or, more importantly, character designs can afford to offend the gacha gamer. Artistic intent and concepts are neutered simply by the medium itself- sorry but this is why I find it ridiculous to see so many people venerating Arknights and Limbus Company as making some incredibly progressive statements regarding capitalism or feminism. It is antithetical to the very medium with which they chose to tell their “stories”, especially when the companies can tell their incel playerbase “don’t worry, we fired that nasty female artist! this game is just fantasy, no need to think about real life atrocities or those hateful feminists.” This gives these men the ego boost they want and imbues them with a sense of power, especially over women who they frequently get fired. Even this is part of gacha games- the power these men get to control a real woman’s financial fate and to make a company publicly refer to feminism as a hate movement. What does this tell you about their intended audience? This is getting long so I’ll make another short post regarding some character design specifics. Hopefully this somewhat could answer your question lol

#gacha #limbus company #arknights #incels #feminism #fgo #r1999 #etc…. #Gacha #gacha games #misogyny

[blackeyedaliens]

Citrus Patrón~ IN DETAIL

Thanks for the tag @nitrozem

[ PERSONAL]

Financial: wealthy / moderate/ poor / in poverty

(He should be wealthy but he signed some bad contracts)

Medical: fit/ moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable

Class or Caste: upper/ middle / working / unsure / other

(He's a working actor who sometimes has to take odd jobs.)

Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other

(he went to a performing art school on scholarship)

Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet/ yes, but charges were dismissed

[ FAMILY]

Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings/ sibling(s) is deceased

Affiliation: orphaned / adopted/ disowned/ raised by birth parent/ not applicable

(He was raised by a single mother who worked two jobs)

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES]

extroverted / introverted /in between

disorganized / organized/ in between

close minded / open-minded / in between

calm / anxious / in between

disagreeable / agreeable/ in between

cautious/ reckless / in between

patient / impatient / in between

outspoken/ reserved / in between

leader / follower /in between

empathetic / vicious bastard / in between

optimistic / pessimistic / in between

traditional / modern / in between

hard-working/ lazy / in between

cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown

loyal / disloyal / unknown

faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS ]

Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist/ agnostic

Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no/ don’t know / don’t care

Belief in Aliens: yes/ no / don’t know / don’t care

(he is an Alien but grew up on Sim Terra)

Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

(The Giant cross looming over the town has turned him off to it)

Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

(Generally goes for the ladies, but game recognizes game)

Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naïve and clueless / romance suspicious

Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender/ other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

(He only works out his glamour muscles)

Literacy Skills: excellent/ good / moderate / poor / none

Artistic Skills: excellent / good/ moderate / poor / none

Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor/ none

[ HABITS ]

Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes/ frequently / alcoholic

Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / Chain-smoker

Recreational Drugs: never / quit / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

(he likes to smoke a bowl from time to time)

Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess

Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions/ sometimes / frequently / binge eater

(He's the spokesman for a major soda company but he likes to eat healthy)

Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

(He needs that dopamine hit sometimes)

Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

(unless you count on his career)

I would like to tag: @gloomiegalaxie-sims @sadraccoon061 @occultradio @grimmbats @simmer-until-tender @plumbewb

No pressure!

#the sims 4 #ts4 #Tag Game #simblr #OC: Citrus

[crybabydraws]

I just listened to Hozier's album Unreal Unearth and I'm gonna explode. Holy shit what an amazing album and what an incredible artist. Here are my first impressions I got from each song.

De Selby (Part 1) - Very pretty. A beautiful song to start this album. A wonderful taste of what's to come

De Selby (Part2) - FUNKY! I'll be taking this and I will be listening to it on repeat til I'm sick of it or dead. Whichever comes first (probably death tbh).

First Time - Just a simple love song (I'm lying). It doesn't really speak to me on any kind of existential level (still lying).

Francesca - What a lovely sonG OH HOLY SHIT- (Also the ending portion of this song is heavenly, pun intended)

I, Carrion (Icarian) - I could only think about Crowley and Aziraphale when this song came on. It fits them SOOO well! Anyways, gorgeous song!

Eat Your Young - The sound of this song is so awesome and sexy for a song that uses a clever parallel to Chronos to keep the Greek mythology theme to make it about sacrificing the next generation for money and power. I live for it.

Damage Gets Done - Hozier and Brandi Carlile's voices are so pretty together. This song sounds like running through a flower filled field with someone you want to be buried next to.

Who we are - This song speaks for itself and what it has to say is beautiful and painful as shit. I love this song.

Son of Nyx - The animated masterpiece that I made in my head to this song was incredible.

All Things End - "If there was anyone to ever get through this life with their heart still intact, they didn't do it right." GODAMN SO TRUE! This song is so nice. Accepting that everything will end while still keeping hope that we'll begin again UGH! I LOVE IT!

To Someone From A Warm Climate (Uiscefhuaraithe) - Beautiful. Incredible. I'm speechless. I also cannot believe that word is pronounced that way.

Butchered Tongue - This reads to me like a poetic love letter to language, music, and to Hozier's hometown. It goes over his personal experience with growing up in his hometown and appreciating it even more as he experiences other places and recognizes even more how it has affected him. That's what I got at least. Lovely song ofc.

Anything But - If the previous song was about the love of things that make us human and connect us like language, this song is about the feeling of wanting to be anything but human or, better yet, nothing at all. So cool. I love this man.

Abstract (Psychopomp) - When I listened to this song for the first time, I didn't really pay attention to the lyrics. I still teared up. I still haven't really looked at the lyrics and I'm still emotional about it. I love music. I love life. I love that I get to experience this with my ears. I love that I can appreciate it and understand it. GOD THIS ALBUM IS SO GOOOOD!!!

Unknown/Nth - This song with a math reference in the title makes me lose my mind in the best way. "Do you know I could break beneath the weight of the goodness, love, I still carry for you that I'd walk so far just to take the injury of finally knowing you." That might just be the most emotional line I've ever heard in my life jfc.

First Light - The melodies he is singing in this song do something to me. I ascend every time that pre chorus/chorus comes in. LIKE DAMN, IF I BREATHED IN THIS SONG, I WOULD SEE INFINITY!

I need to study the lyrics of all of these songs in an academic manner soon. I could only dream of the artistry that Hozier achieved here. This album will probably change my life.

#GODAMN HOZIERRRR!!! #ramblings #hozier #unreal unearth

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 12: Raphael/Bernadetta)

Raphael: Mercenaries have no responsibilities, and no one else to worry about. But someone's gotta take care of my little sis, so that's out of the question. Serving as a knight in a noble house is more secure, and you don't have to worry about dying…unless there's a war. My sis has been through so much. I don't want her to have to worry about me.

Raphael chose a more difficult path in life for the sake of his little sister. After their parents died, he enrolled in the academy to become a knight to a noble house to earn money for her.

Raphael: Fighting alongside you and everyone else is a dream come true, Professor! And don't worry about my little sis. Right now she's back home helping out with the family business. I kinda figured I was gonna be stuck going back and taking over for her. But thanks to you and Claude, I get to work on my dream of becoming a proper knight!

Claude told him that a knight's main function was to fight and defend, but to Raphael, a proper knight was someone who was virtuous and always helped those in need. And his wish at the Goddess Tower was to become a proper knight. Taking over the inn was something he was always reluctant to do unless he had no choice.

Raphael: Sure, it's not my favorite thing in the world, but that was to keep my little sis fed. I had good reason for it. Byleth: It's the same for me. Raphael: The same, huh? I think I get what you mean. You do things you don't wanna do for the sake of everyone else. That's real noble of you, Professor. I guess I can't get in your way if you're doing it for the right reasons.

Nobody is nicer guy than Raphael. A big part of his character was that he did things he didn't want to do for the sake of others.

Raphael: And y'know? I'm totally OK not being a knight. Once this war is finally over and we're at peace again, I'm gonna take over the inn. So don't worry about me, OK? Follow your own dreams, Ignatz.

In Hopes, his Houses solo ending, and most of his paired endings, he doesn't achieve his dream of becoming a proper knight, because he gives up knighthood to manage his family's inn. In the paired endings where he does manage the inn, it helps his partner, but it wasn't what he wanted to do.

Raphael & Ignatz After returning to his hometown, Raphael served as a knight to the local lord while assisting his grandfather and sister in managing the inn they had opened as a side job. However, Maya, his sister, suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a note saying she wanted to become a painter. Raphael, resigning from his knighthood, managed the inn while waiting for his sister's return. Several years later, Maya returned, not as a painter, but as the wife of a painter. Introduced as her husband was Ignatz. At that time, he was nothing more than an unknown artist, but supported by Raphael, Maya, and his father and brother who recognized his talent, Ignatz continued to pursue his dream and eventually became a renowned painter representing Fódlan.

In his paired ending with Ignatz, he gives up his own dream so that Ignatz can live his dream with Maya. It's sweet of him to do so, but the ideal ending would be for both of them to achieve their dreams.

Ferdinand: Do you not realize that life is passing you by? Have you no desire to venture beyond this reclusive lifestyle? There is a whole world waiting for you out there.

It is important to note that Bernadetta is a Sagittarius. Fire signs are considered the most masculine signs. Sagittarius is bold, unapologetic and forward-thinking, and is known for its carefree nature. They are natural intellectuals and explorers. Bernie's hyper-anxious personality is completely unnatural for her. It is the result of sexist abuse to make her submissive, like a "good wife" should be. It's not who she really is.

Bernadetta: But wouldn't it be nice to spend some time alone with a nice guy in this lonely tower, cut off from all the rest of the world?

Bernie's wish at the Goddess Tower was to spend her life in solitude, something Byleth won't promise with her. But just before that, she said she wanted to be alone with a nice guy. So, she didn't really want to be alone. She shut herself away and let life pass her by, which all of her friends were concerned about. Her character arc was about overcoming her anxiety and her fear of befriending commoners, and also becoming more independent. Something which is extremely hard for her to do, based on her endings.

Bernadetta: I'm afraid to go home…afraid to see my parents…

In her solo ending, she becomes a hermit known as the "Bear of Varley". In her S-Support with Byleth, she is hiding away in her room again because she's afraid to go back home. In her ending with Byleth, she never overcomes her shyness (except in CF where she has to fight TWSITD). If she marries Ferdinand, she lives in his territory and stays home while he travels.

She does the same with Felix and becomes even more reclusive with him. If she marries Linhardt, she won't leave her room unless she has to give a lecture. In her ending with Caspar, he frequently counts her as one of his children. If she marries Seteth, she commits to life as a recluse. And she has to stay glued to Yuri's side.

Raphael: Really?! That would be great! We gotta get this war over with so you can have more time to cook! Bernadetta: You know, I'd actually like that.

Bernadetta bears the Crest of Indech, which is associated with Temperance. The Temperance card in Tarot is about the blending of opposites and the achieving of synthesis. It's about harmony, peace, and patience. As her complete opposite, Raphael was the one person who helped her the most. Bernadetta was the only female character who seemed to fall for Raphael at the end of their Support chain. The one "wifely" skill she enjoyed was cooking and Raphael's true passion was food. She was even excited for the war to end so she could cook for him whenever he wanted.

Bernadetta & Raphael Bernadetta succeeded the title of Countess Varley in place of her father but chose to seclude herself within her domain, never involving herself in national affairs. Raphael appeared on the scene, aiming to help Bernadetta engage with others. According to Bernadetta's memoirs, it was described as "a kind of public humiliation," yet whether this tough love worked or not, she began to interact with her subjects as their ruler, eventually becoming involved in central policies. Their grand wedding reportedly featured a bride uncharacteristically outgoing and a groom flexing his muscles as he circulated among guests.

This is the only ending (besides the one with Byleth in CF) where Bernie totally overcomes her shyness and actually becomes outgoing and assertive, like she would have been all along if not for her father's abuse. She's the exact opposite of a submissive wife and competently manages her territory.

And it's the only ending where Raphael achieves his dream and becomes a knight to a noble house (much safer than being a mercenary), while also helping someone in need. It's also one of the only endings where he finds love and gets married. He's certainly not the rich nobleman her father would have chosen, so we know that Bernie has developed the confidence to stand up to him.

#fe3h #fe3h meta #bernadetta von varley #raphael kirsten #raphadetta

[iamstartraveller776]

A/N: In jest, @averbaldumpingground challenged me to write all 20 prompts from this fake dating list. Well, joke’s on my friend, I accepted the challenge. I’m doing 500-word ficlets for each, using different fandoms/ships.

Another Modern/Non-Magical AU for this ship. (I know. Shocker.) To be clear, despite the gif, this is not a Punisher AU.

Trigger warning: mentions of cancer and treatment

16. “I guess we don’t have to pretend any longer.” “Maybe we can just tell the truth from now on.” —Shadow and Bone/Darklina (ao3)

THAT WHICH BLOOMS IN STILLNESS

Alina met him at the wake. She’d gone outside, needing air untainted by alcohol and laughter and tears. Grief was a vise in her throat, squeezing at the loss of her childhood friend. Squeezing, too, at thoughts of her own mortality.

“You alright?”

She looked up at the man whose features she vaguely recognized. Kirigan. She’d heard of him, the captain who headed the most decorated special forces team. Genya’s fiancé served with him, spoke about his tactical brilliance, his absolute commitment to the mission, to those under his command. Mal had mentioned him too, said he was a soulless machine that would get the job done no matter the cost. But in the moonlight, what she saw was just a man with concern written in his furrowed brow.

“I’ve had better days,” she admitted before taking a sip of the tepid beer in her hands.

He nodded solemnly, joining her at the edge of the deck. She was grateful he didn’t offer flimsy platitudes. He listened to her silence. Then listened when she broke it. Stories about Mal. Confessions of loneliness, of feeling untethered. Especially when her body had become its own enemy and the cure was beyond reach for a starving artist like her.

The next afternoon, she received a text from an unknown number. I think I can help.

An officer of the court served as a witness to their nuptials where she learned his first name. Aleksander. Marriage certificate in hand, next was a trip to base. More signatures. A camera flash, then she had a spouse ID. She moved into his townhouse that weekend; he gave her the master bedroom despite her protests.

He was gone most of those early months. Genya took her to her appointments, sat with her after work most nights. But then radiation turned to chemotherapy, and Aleksander didn’t leave anymore. Held her hair when she emptied her stomach. And when her hair came away in chunks, shaved her head and his. Made her soup. Read her books. Opened up to her in the quiet hours of twilight—about his first love, Luda, an interpreter who died in a bombing. The toxic mother he’d cut out of his life. Never knowing his father. What he sacrificed for duty. He fell asleep next to her when the words ran out.

He was her roommate. Her friend. Then, as the disease abated and he turned the spare room into a small studio for her, she realized he’d become something more. Something she wasn’t supposed to want.

Then came her final appointment. Six months of clean labs and scans. Officially cancer-free. News worth celebrating, but her stomach sank instead. It was over. All of it.

“I guess we’re done pretending now,” she said.

“Yes,” he murmured. “Let’s not pretend anymore.”

There was an ache in his unblinking gaze that made her chest tight. She kissed him before her courage could falter. His hands grasped her jaw, pulling her closer.

And she was finally home.

~FIN~

ETA: my amazing friend @vesperass-anuna wrote a companion piece to this: too in love to let it go. Please read it! It's incredible!

#sab #darklina #aleksander x alina #aleksander morozova x alina starkov #my fic #modern non magical #darklina fic #darklina fanfic

[sunnysmiles2]

Closed RP || With Toranoya (title pending)

@toranoya ((This is a laughter-based/laughter-focused RP. It takes places in an AU of the My Hero Academia universe. The main characters are Sir Nighteye (main target), Ms. Joke and Mr. Smiley ('Villains' (They're no actually villains) in this situation), and Hawks is a narrator/bystander/observer.)) Sir Nighteye was cornered. Somehow, he was stuck in his office. He had been working late at his office, like usual, but he couldn't exit. The door seemed locked from the outside. He looked at the door, surprised. Had someone locked him in? He was about to shout to see if one of his assistants, or even Mirio, was there. But, before he could, two people appeared from behind his bookshelves that were filled with books on All Might. He was surprised further as he recognized one person. It was Ms. Joke, the smile Hero, and a man who looked like an artist, but he didn't look at him directly, but he seemed to be smiling. He relaxed slightly. There was no need to be scared with other heroes around. Or, at least one hero. He nodded politely at Ms. Joke and the unknown man. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Joke. I must ask, what are you doing here so late? Did you require assistance?" He paused, looking at the door. "I'm afraid we're locked inside. Did you see anyone on your way in?" He was, so far, oblivious. He observed the hero and unknown man before she could answer, curious as to why the man wouldn't look at him. Was he shy? He seemed cheerful, however. He was still smiling. He raised an eyebrow, thinking a bit before asking anymore questions. He was quite intelligent, so he came to a reason quite quickly. There was Ms. Joke here, The Smile Hero, whose quirk, Outburst, caused her opponent to laugh. And the strange man wouldn't stop smiling, but refused eye contact with anyone. Could his quirk be similar but have to do with eye contact? His eyes widened. This could be the reason. (He was correct, unbeknownst to him). Thinking back, he had been so focused on work, he'd let his love for humor take a back seat, not punishing his assistants, or pupil, with the Tickle Machine. He honestly hadn't laughed, chuckled, or even smiled in quite a while. He knew who first had this idea, too. "Mirio!!!" He yelled out suddenly. Was he nearby? He glanced towards his captors, suddenly worried. If he was being recorded, it might be uploaded to the Internet and his love for humor and laughter (and the fact he laughed at all) would ruin his stern public image. Not just in Japan, but the world over (It was a secret to the general public). He thought about fighting, but didn't want to harm anyone at the moment. He must escape. He dashed past them into a back room. He couldn't let himself be caught or affected by any quirk. Unbeknownst to him, Hawks was outside, in on the joke. He was recording everything with a camera. In addition, many cameras were set up in his office in secretly so nothing was missed.

#toranoya #MHA #BNHA #AU #Laughter #tickling? #Quirks #Sir Nighteye #Hawks #Mr. Smiley #Ms. Joke

[starkstruck27]

Harringrove Week Day 5

Prompt(s): A Mix Tape (It's modern day though, so I made it a playlist), In the Front Seat of Neil Hargrove's Truck

Dialogue Challenge: "When I turned 18..."

Word Count: 10,001

Tw(s): none

Also, if you'd like to listen to the playlist I used to write this story, here's the link. There are more songs on there than are in the story, since it's my own personal playlist for Billy, but I hope you enjoy if you listen to it!

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 6:00 AM

Billy knew better than to keep his phone on when he was at home. He couldn’t even leave it on vibrate, lest he get a notification at the wrong time and his father remembered he had it. And even though Billy had bought it and continued to pay for it on his own, his father wasn’t above taking it away or even breaking it if it meant gaining more control over his son’s life. So he kept it on ‘Do Not Disturb’ at all times, and only turned on the vibrations once he’d left the house for the day. It wasn’t like anyone texted him all that much anyway, except for Max, when she needed a ride or something like that.

So when he woke up to his alarm clock at 6 o’clock sharp the morning of his birthday, he was more than a little surprised to find he had eight new messages, all from the same unknown number. He only had four numbers saved in his phone: Max, his dad, his step-mom, Susan, and his basketball coach. It was safer that way, in case his father decided to do a phone check, so that way he wouldn’t find anyone else and lord it over Billy. And even though he had most of his friend’s numbers memorized, this one he didn’t recognize. Still, he opened the messages out of curiosity, but it only left him even more puzzled.

Hi, Billy! Happy birthday! Hope it’s a good one!

That was all the first message said. It was time-stamped at exactly 12:00 that morning, and not even a minute passed before the next message was sent. It was a link to YouTube, nothing else, not even an explanation. The next five messages were the same, just YouTube links, nothing else. They had been sent every hour, on the hour, and the last one had just come in.

Billy sat and scanned over the links. This couldn’t be a spam number, because each link was different, and each one led to a different video. He didn’t know much about music, but he recognized some of the names of the artists. Rihanna, Gorillaz, and Lana Del Rey were all pretty popular with the kids at school, and Max had a thing for the first band that was sent, All Time Low. Still, this was weird. Who in the world would know that today was his birthday and would go out of their way to lose sleep just to send him a new song every hour?

He didn’t have a lot of time to think about it, though. It was already 6:10, and he wasn’t even dressed yet. He had to leave by 6:40 to avoid his father, so he put his phone in his backpack and went to his closet to get dressed, not bothering with a shower today. His hair looked fine from when he styled it yesterday, so after a few minor adjustments, he was about ready to leave. He snagged a piece of Max’s toast on the way out the door and grabbed his favorite blue thermos, and when Max finally joined him in the car, they were finally able to leave for school. 

While Billy had waited, he’d opened his phone back up and opened his messages, clicking the unknown number and then on the links. Each one, obviously, took him to YouTube, and he entered them into a playlist, simply titled 18. He hadn’t listened to any of the songs yet, but he started his car while he waited for Max so that it would be warm when she finally came out, and that gave his phone the opportunity to hook up to the bluetooth sound system. Max got into the car just as the first song began playing, the All Time Low one, called Weightless. 

“Since when do you like ATL?” Max asked, munching her toast and getting crumbs everywhere.

“I don’t, and watch where you’re eating for fucks sake!” Billy replied, muttering under his breath about how she was gonna have to vacuum his car after school.

“Then how come you’re playing them? It can’t be for little ol’ me, that’s for damn sure,” Max said, rolling her eyes and brushing more crumbs off of her lap.

“First of all, watch your fucking language. If your mother hears you talking like that, I’m gonna be the one in trouble, so quit it with the goddamn cursing. Second, someone sent it to me for some reason. They sent me a bunch of songs, so I’m gonna listen to them and try to figure out why,” Billy said, glancing at his phone. It was 6:45. Would there be another message when 7:00 hit?

“That’s weird. How many songs did they send?” Max asked, glancing at Billy’s phone screen, too, but she couldn’t see it very well.

“Seven, so far,” Billy said, the song changing to one he’d never heard of before. It was called Bukowski by some band called Modest Mouse.

“Mind if I see what they are?” Max asks, and Billy shrugged.

“Have at it,” he said, letting Max examine his phone. The seven songs on the playlist so far were listed in the same order they’d been sent, starting with Weightless and Bukowski, and followed by Umbrella by Rihanna, Video Games by Lana Del Rey, On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz, Good Morning Sunshine by Aqua, and finally, Betrayed by the Game by a band called Dance Gavin Dance. 

“Huh. Seems like whoever sent them had trouble picking a genre, this is all over the place. So, who would have your number and would have a music taste this diverse?” Max thought out loud, then added, “It could’ve been-”

“It could’ve been anyone, Maxine, but that’s none of your business. When I want your theories, I’ll ask. Now shut your trap for the rest of the ride or I’m not giving you a ride to Wheeler’s house later,” Billy interrupted, not in the mood for Max to start up. Once she got herself started on trying to figure something out, she became relentless, and right now, he was too tired for that. Besides, he wasn’t sure he even wanted to know who it was sending him the music. What if it was some nutcase like that Carver kid on the basketball team, or that Muppet girl Tammy Thompson? Yeah, if it was someone like that, Billy really didn’t want to know. 

Thankfully, Max shut up after that and just listened as the songs played on their way to school. 

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 7:03 AM

Billy had pulled into the high school’s parking lot four minutes ago, and after letting Max out of the car, he waited anxiously until his clock changed to say 7:00. He’d listened to almost all of the playlist so far, and decided to finish it up in his car before the bell rang at 7:45 and he’d have to get to class. He was halfway through one of the songs when a notification came through on his phone, another link, a few seconds after the clock changed. He paused the song he was listening to and went to the message, finding another link and no words, just like the others. 

He added the song, called Far Too Near by AFI, to the playlist, and continued to sit in his car and listen until the latest song had finished, and hence, the playlist. It was only 7:17, but Billy went inside the school anyway, making sure to grab his earbuds from his center console before he did. He grabbed his thermos, too, and went straight to his favorite classroom, Mrs. Norcum’s. She was a young teacher, early thirties at the very most, and she and Billy got along like they’d been friends since childhood. She often let him eat lunch in her room, or spend study halls there, if he wanted a quiet place to read or work. She was one of those cool teachers that was up to date on all the latest trends, and she made her classroom a safe space for all her students. She was the kind of teacher that everyone always wanted, and were disappointed if they didn’t see her name on their schedule at the beginning of the year.

“Hi, Billy! Happy birthday!” Mrs. Norcum said as she saw him walk into her room, a smile bright on her face as she rummaged around in her Golden Girls lunch bag. She finally produced a cupcake with green frosting and sprinkles, gesturing for Billy to come closer so she could give it to him. Billy was one of her favorite students, and while she never showed favoritism when they were in class, she’d told Billy of it when they were having lunch a few months ago. 

“Thanks, Mrs. N. Is it cool if I make myself some tea?” Billy asked as he held up his thermos. Mrs. Norcum nodded and turned on her Keurig machine, then offered Billy the box of different flavors of tea. He chose the honey-infused black tea and dropped the bags into his thermos, then set it under the machine to brew.

“So, what’s new, birthday boy?” Mrs. Norcum asked as she put her selection of teas away. She opened the minifridge beneath her desk and pulled out the cream she kept in there, as well as a few sugar packets, and handed them to Billy as well as a spoon. 

“Not much. Max is getting on my fucking nerves again, but,” Billy shrugged again, watching as the machine spit hot water into his thermos.

“Since the bell hasn’t rung yet, I’m not gonna get on you about the cursing, but remember that not all your teachers are as cool as me, so you better watch it,” Mrs. Norcum said, giving Billy a wink as she watched him prepare his tea.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m just kinda absent minded today. I started getting these weird texts this morning at 12 am and I’ve been getting more every hour, on the hour. It’s kinda freaky,” Billy said, putting the lid on his thermos and taking a sip of the scalding hot liquid. It tasted like heaven.

“What do you mean, ‘weird texts’? Like, weird in the way that you need to block the person or weird as in it felt like you woke up in an episode of Black Mirror?” Mrs. Norcum asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Weird as in someone sent me a message to say happy birthday and every hour after that they send me a link to a YouTube video so I can listen to a song. The songs are pretty good, the only thing that’s weird is that I don’t know who sent them. I made a playlist out of them,” Billy said, sitting in one of the bean bag chairs Mrs. Norcum kept in her room. Another thing about Mrs. Norcum was that she believed students learned best when they were comfortable, so she kept very few actual desks in her classroom. Mostly the students sat on couches and comfy chairs, and they could even sit on the floor if they wanted to. Billy almost always chose a bean bag.

“That reminds me of something I used to do,” Mrs. Norcum said, “Back in the 80s, when my parents were teenagers, people would make each other mixtapes, then when I was a teen in the 2000s, we made each other CDs, and now, kids send each other playlists. It’s kinda odd that this person isn’t sending the songs all at once, but it is intriguing. Let me know what becomes of it, especially if you find out who it is.”

“Will do, Mrs. N. See you later!” Billy said, leaving the classroom with his tea and heading for his homeroom.

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 8:14 AM

Billy was sitting alone in Mr. Murphy’s silent study hall, trying to get some work done for his history class, and listening to his playlist again from the beginning. Another song had come in at 8:00 on the dot, and he’d added it to the list as he listened to it. This time it was one he knew, mostly because of Max, called Tear in my Heart by Twenty One Pilots. He’d never admit it in his sister’s presence, but he liked it, and he was beginning to enjoy the mystery person’s eclectic music taste.

It was about halfway through the class period when Billy noticed Steve Harrington checking his phone almost religiously every couple of minutes or so. This wasn’t out of the ordinary for him, he almost always had his phone in his hand, always playing a game or checking his social media. But he usually put it down when he needed to, and as he and his friend were trying to work on a project, he shouldn’t have had it in his hand. 

“Steve, c’mon, you gotta help me. I know you’ve got a lot on your mind, but I need help,” his friend said. Billy thought her name was Robin.

“Yeah, I know,” Steve replied, glancing all over the room. Billy had stopped paying too much attention at this point, so he didn’t notice the other boy glancing back at him. “Just trying to figure something out.”

Billy had turned his attention back to his worksheet, his stomach twirling as he saw himself doodling a heart with an arrow through it over in the margins. He quickly turned his pencil over and erased it, feeling his face heating up as he did so. He knew he had a thing for brunettes with pretty eyes and bright smiles, but that didn’t mean he had come to terms with the stupid crush he had on the other boy. He’d realized it a while ago, but he’d pushed it down, knowing that it would go away after a while if he just ignored it. 

Only, it didn’t go away. In fact, every time he saw Steve laughing at something his friend said, sweating through his shirt as he ran around during basketball practice, or acting like a disgruntled mother when someone says something to one of the little gremlins he babysits, it only got worse. He was still doing his best to ignore it, but he couldn’t always ignore the way his heart fluttered when he saw Steve fluffing up his hair, or the way his breath got shorter when he saw him dancing his way through the halls with his headphones on. There was just something about Steve Harrington that made Billy weak in the knees, no matter how much he tried to make it stop.

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 9:43 AM

Another song had come in at 9:00, and Billy had been listening to it on repeat as long as he could. It was his favorite so far, called Achilles, Come Down by Gang of Youths. He’d spent more time researching the song, its lyrics, and the band that wrote it than he had paying attention to his algebra teacher, and he knew that it would come back to bite him in the ass later, but he couldn’t have cared less. He was more determined than ever to find out who was sending him these messages, because the song was so beautiful, and it made him feel so much, he just had to know who had shown it to him. Surely they couldn’t be one of the crazy assholes that went to school with him. It couldn’t be them. It had to be someone special.

As the bell rang at 9:55 to signal the end of class, Billy packed up his things and headed for the gym. He wasn’t particularly looking forward to it, since all they were doing today was walking the track, and even though it was almost 10:00, it was still fucking freezing outside, and Billy hadn’t packed a sweatshirt in his gym bag. 

As Billy got to the locker room, he saw that the spot by the door that was usually occupied by Coach Garven was instead taken by a short, stick figure like man with glasses that must’ve been at least four inches thick. Billy recognized him as one of the Hawkins’ substitute teachers, though he’d never been in a class where this guy was subbing. 

“Are you one of Coach G’s kids?” The sub asked as Billy walked over.

“Yeah,” Billy replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. He’d turned on the vibration feature on his phone ever since he’d started getting the messages, and now he was waiting anxiously for the next one.

“Alright, well, I’m Mr. Helfer. I know you guys aren’t supposed to have your phones on you in the gym, but since we’re just walking outside today, I don’t mind if you guys bring them. My only condition is that you have to check off your name on the attendance sheet by the coach’s office. We got a deal?” Mr. Helfer asked, and Billy nodded. Mr. Helfer nodded back and let Billy into the locker room, just as the bell rang. Not even a full second later, Billy felt his phone buzz with a text. He smiled.

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 12:31 PM

Billy had kept his earbuds in all through gym class, Spanish class, and now he was keeping them in through lunch. He typically ate in Mrs. Norcum’s room, but today she was busy, so he had to eat in the cafeteria with the rest of the student body. Three new songs had come in, including the one from gym class, and all were added to the playlist. It now contained 13 songs, but Billy still had no idea who was sending them. 

After the song at 10:00 came in, Billy thought it might’ve been that guy Eddie Munson. The 10:00 song was called Freaks by a band called Surf Curse, and while he and everyone else in Hawkins knew that Eddie listened primarily to metal, was it so far-fetched to think that he might be branching out a little bit? Especially since he’d gotten together with his girlfriend, Chrissy, because she was the complete opposite of him and was probably trying to expand his horizons when it came to music. 

But as soon as 11:00 rolled around and a link came through that led to Crocodile Rock by Elton John, Billy quickly scrapped that idea. Most people in Hawkins under the age of thirty had never even heard of Elton John, and some, like Eddie, openly hated his music with a passion. So, that was one suspect down. The problem was, Billy didn’t have a next one to look at. He was back at square one.

At 12:00, the song This Is The Best Day Ever by My Chemical Romance came through, and Billy started to observe the other outcasts around the school, thinking that it might be one of them that had somehow gotten his number and started sending him songs. He was especially suspicious of the goths, since they tended to favor music more than anybody else, but none of them had ever looked his way before, and none of them were looking now. So that was another flop.

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 3:30 PM

Roger Rabbit by Sleeping with Sirens, Cabron by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Gotten by Slash all came in at 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 respectively. Now that the school day was over, Billy was a little sad, since he had to go to basketball practice and he’d have to stay until at least 5:00. Coach G had gotten back from his doctor’s appointment and he had a strict no phones rule, so he’d have to wait until he got back to the locker room to check it again, and Billy was not a patient person. Halfway through practice, though, when everyone was taking a short break to drink some water and stretch, Coach G pulled Billy aside.

“Hargrove! C’mere for a minute!” Coach G yelled, waving him over. Billy jogged over to him, still drinking from his water bottle as he stood in front of the older man.

“Yeah, Coach?” He asked, wiping some sweat from his brow. He couldn’t help but notice the clock behind the coach reading 4:01. 

“Listen kid, your pop has a pickup truck, right?” Coach G asked, looking up from his clipboard at the boy.

“Yes, sir,” Billy replied.

“Alright, good. Can you borrow it for a day? I have a shipment of new uniforms and equipment coming in two towns over in Goldville tomorrow, but I have another appointment and I can’t get out there. If I could get you out of class a little early, could you go and pick it up for me? Goldville is about an hour away, and the Sports Center you’d have to pick them up from is right at the entrance to the town. You think you could do that for me? I’ll pay you back for gas,” Coach G asked, clapping a hand on Billy’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I can do that. Just let me know what time to be down here,” Billy said, hoping he’d be able to leave early enough to miss Bio.

“Well, school ends at 3:00, so how about I get you out at 1:00, just after lunch? I think that’ll give you enough time to get there and back before all the teams leave for the night, and Coach Vargas should be here to help you bring the stuff inside before she goes home,” Coach G said, checking some papers on his clipboard.

“That works for me,” Billy said, shrugging, taking one final sip of water and crushing the plastic bottle in his fist.

“Good. Now, when you get there, go into the sports center and ask for Oscar. When you find him, tell him you came for the stuff that Howard Garven ordered, and give him this,” Coach G said, handing him a note scribbled on scrap paper with a phone number and his signature on it. “If he gives you any shit, tell him to give me a call at that number. I’m just getting some blood drawn, so I should be able to take the call, but it probably won’t be an issue. Oscar’s pretty laid back.”

“Yes, sir,” Billy said, taking the note. “I’m gonna go put this in my bag so I don’t lose it, is that alright?”

“Sure, kid, but hustle back. We’re not going to wait for you all day and we gotta get practice going again. And thanks again,” Coach G said, patting Billy on the shoulder again and blowing his whistle to get everyone else’s attention as he ran off for the locker room.

When Billy got into the locker room, he went straight for his locker, opening it as quickly as he could. Coach had told him to hustle, but he was determined to check his phone before he left again. There was no cell service in the locker room, and he didn’t have time to listen to a whole song anyway, but he was at least able to open his texts and see a new message, sent at exactly 4:00, pop up on the screen. He couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of practice.

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 7:13 PM

Billy was sitting on his bed, facing the door, his laptop in front of him as he worked on an essay for English. He didn’t have much homework tonight, thank goodness, and so he decided to just relax until Max finished helping Susan with the dishes. He needed to ask her a favor, but in the meantime, he decided to listen to the latest songs he’d been sent. He hadn’t gotten a chance to until now since his father had been home, and now he was anxious to hear them.

The song sent at 4:00 was called The Fall by half∙alive. Then, at 5:00, it was This Ain’t a Love Song by Bon Jovi. 6:00 brought the song Better by Guns ‘N’ Roses, which was actually one of Billy’s favorite songs of all time, though he doubted whoever was sending it knew that. Finally, at 7:00, The Red by Chevelle came through, and he’d just gotten through listening to it when he heard the sink turn off in the kitchen and the sound of Vans squeaking on the wooden floors of the hallway.

“Max!” He called from inside, just loud enough for her to hear. He didn’t want to alert his father or Susan, and he hoped he’d been quiet enough for that. Thankfully, he was, since the only thing he could hear after that was Max’s annoyed groan and the sound of his bedroom door opening.

“What do you need, fuckwad?” She asked, shutting the door behind her as she leaned on the frame.

“I need a favor, can you help me with something?” Billy replied, motioning for her to come closer.

“Depends. What is it?” Max asked, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him. That kid Henderson must be rubbing off on her, she never used to take this tone with him before. It made him want to smile a little, but he held it back.

“I need you to ask Neil if I can use his truck tomorrow. He won’t say no to you. Just say that you and one of your little friends did a big project that’s too big to take in any other cars, so you were hoping I could drive you and your friend tomorrow and we could put the thing in the truck bed. I need the truck for a basketball thing, but he’ll probably tell me no. He won’t say no to you,” Billy reiterated, hoping Max would just do it.

“What’s in it for me?” She asked, putting her hands on her hips now. Christ, she was getting too sassy for her own good.

“I’ll give you ten bucks,” Billy said.

“Make it twenty,” Max replied.

“Fifteen,” Billy sighed.

“It’s a deal,” Max grinned.

“You suck, shitbird,” Billy groaned.

“Yeah, and you swallow, assface. Now pay up and I’ll go ask,” Max said, holding out her hand with a smirk. Billy groaned again and gave her the money, then watched as she took a second to put on her best puppy-dog eyes and headed for the door.

“Oh, by the by,” she said, stopping and turning around just before leaving the room, “Did you ever figure out who was sending you those messages earlier?”

“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. Either way, I’m not telling you,” Billy said, feeling his cheeks going a little warm.

“So that’s a no, then. Alright, whatever. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Max said, leaving. Billy couldn’t hear what was said in the living room, but a few minutes later, Max came in to get his keys so she could swap them with Neil’s. 

Wednesday, March 29th, 2023: 11:54 PM

Billy had been listening to his playlist for almost the past hour, trying to fall asleep. He didn’t think any more songs would be coming in since the day was over, and the next hour would be midnight, technically making it tomorrow, and thus, his birthday would be over. He had gotten Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) by Garbage at 8:00, followed by Sweater Weather by the Neighborhood at 9:00, Far Too Young To Die by Panic! At The Disco at 10:00, and Santa Monica by Everclear just about an hour ago at 11:00. There were still no actual text messages, but Billy found he didn’t really mind it. He loved his playlist and even though he’d like to know who sent it to him, he figured they must’ve remained anonymous for a reason, and he could respect that.

It wasn’t until 11:59 that Billy was once again surprised by his mystery text-buddy. One of the songs went quiet for a moment and his text sound played instead, making Billy crack his eyes open and sit up before squinting at his phone. He saw a message with actual words in it and clicked on the notification, sitting up for real and leaving his earbuds in, even though the music stopped playing on YouTube when he left the app. He rubbed his eyes a little and let them adjust to the bright phone screen, then looked at the two messages that had popped up almost immediately when the clock changed to the last minute of the day.

Hi, Billy. I hope you had a good birthday, and that you liked the songs. I just thought you might like them, and they made me think of you. Whatever. I just hope you liked them. Here’s one more. Happy Birthday!

“God, whoever this is texts like an old man,” Billy muttered to himself as he read the message, but he couldn’t help the coy, unavoidable smile that rose to his lips as he clicked on the final link. It opened YouTube again, and as Billy added the song to his playlist, he heard a piano intro begin. He read the title, Great Party by Frank Iero and the Future Violents, as the singer began to croon, then set his phone back where he had it and settled back into bed to listen and focus on the lyrics. 

By the end of the song, Billy was beginning to cry a little, but he blamed it on yawning too much. The song was pretty, and gritty, and heartfelt in a way he wasn’t expecting. He sat up again as soon as it was over and picked up his phone again, taking his earbuds out and opening his messages. He found the unknown number that’d been texting him all day and finally sent a message back, typing and retyping it over and over again to make sure he didn’t sound like an idiot. Somehow his cheeks still burned anyway.

Who is this? I’ve been trying to figure it out all day and I mean I like the songs but I kinda wanna know who’s sending them, y’know?

There was never a reply.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 6:10 AM

When Billy woke up and checked his phone again, he found three things that pissed him off beyond belief.

One, he’d woken up ten minutes late, and thus would have to skip either breakfast or a shower if he wanted to leave the house on time.

Two, he’d forgotten to put it back on the charger last night, so his battery was down to 23%.

Three, whoever had been texting him still hadn’t responded to his message from last night.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 12:45 PM

Billy had left lunch a little earlier than normal today. First of all, he’d decided to skip breakfast that morning, so he wolfed down his lunch as quickly as possible. Second, he had to go down to Mr. Kline’s room to drop off the note Coach G had given him to leave class early. Mr. Kline didn’t have a class during the junior/senior lunch period, and when Billy got to his room, he was almost always napping, so he knew he wouldn’t be disturbing anything important. Mr. Kline was still grumpy about being interrupted in his nap, but he took the note, gave Billy his homework, and sent him on his way. 

Billy then went towards the gym after stopping at Mr. Kline’s room, twirling his keys on his finger as he walked. He knew that Coach G had a class now, so he went into the locker room and sat on one of the benches, checking his phone again. He’d been able to charge it earlier and get it up to 100%, and now he was trying to play a game to kill some time before the coach came back. The reception in the locker room was still lousy, but he was still able to play for a little while until the gym class came back. 

“You ready to go, Hargrove?” Coach G asked as he checked his clipboard again. Billy would be surprised if he could put that thing down without having it surgically removed. 

“Yes, sir,” Billy said, patting his pocket where his keys were.

“Good. I’m getting ready to head out, myself. Now we’re just waiting on your partner,” Coach G said, shuffling some papers around.

“What?” Billy asked, confused.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I asked one of the guys from the team to go with you to help with some of the heavy lifting. You need to work on your team work, anyway, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity. He should be here any minute,” Coach G said, putting his clipboard papers down. “If you want, you can go to your truck and I’ll send him out when he gets here.”

“Alright, I guess. See you later, coach,” Billy said, biting his lip as he walked out to his dad’s truck. He didn’t like most of the guys on the team, he could hardly tolerate some of them, so he was really not looking forward to spending upwards of three hours with one of them. But he didn’t have much of a choice at this point, so he bit his tongue and threw his backpack into the backseat of the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat, turning on the car. He plugged in the aux cord and opened his new favorite playlist, and he was just about to hit the shuffle button when the passenger door opened, and who should climb into the car beside him but Steve Harrington.

“Hey, Billy!” He said, all chipper as he put his bag on the floor between his legs. 

“Hey, Harrington,” Billy replied, a lot less enthusiastic, “You ready to go?”

“Whenever you are,” Steve said, buckling his seatbelt and smiling brightly. 

“Alright,” Billy said, abandoning the idea of putting on his playlist in front of Harrington and instead turning on the radio as he pulled out of his parking space.

“You can play whatever you want, I’m not picky,” Steve said when he saw Billy attempting to put the cord away. Billy stopped and thought for a second, but eventually took the cord out again, and once he got to the stop sign at the edge of the parking lot, he plugged it back in.

“Alright,” he repeated, pressing the shuffle button and praying that nothing too mortifying would start. It was Santa Monica, so he was safe. For now.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 1:36 PM

They hadn’t said much for the entire half an hour that they had been driving. In fact, the only sound in the car at this point was the music, which, despite the variation in the tracks, Steve didn’t comment on. Billy was sure he’d laugh when Umbrella came on, but Steve just smiled and listened to it, bobbing his head a little to the beat.

“I didn’t know you liked Rihanna,” he said after a minute, glancing over at Billy and keeping on his smile.

“I mean, who doesn’t like Rihanna?” Billy said, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. “But yeah, I didn’t even make this playlist. Someone sent me the songs and I like them, so I put them together into one.”

“Hm. Well, whoever it was, they have good taste. I love Rihanna,” Steve said, turning back to look through the windshield as he began to hum along to the song. It was a nice sound, and Billy felt his stomach erupting with butterflies.

A few more songs played as the car traveled further down the highway. There were no more comments made by either boy as they drove closer and closer to Goldville. That is, until Achilles, Come Down came on and Steve’s entire face softened, a sweet little smile making it seem like he was a kid on Christmas.

“Oh, I love this song,” he sighed, “It’s one of my favorites.”

“Mine, too,” Billy replied, “And I had never heard it before until yesterday. But I love mythology, and I like the message of the song.”

“Yeah, same. The singer kinda sounds like Johnny Depp, though,” Steve said, laughing a little. 

“Now why would you say that? I’m never going to unhear it now,” Billy said, but he found he was smiling, too. 

“Hey, there are worse people to be serenaded by, right? I’d rather have Johnny Depp singing to me than, like, Orlando Bloom or Kiera Knightly,” Steve said, shrugging.

“Are you just naming the Pirates of the Caribbean actors?” Billy grinned, glancing over at Steve for the first time since they’d started driving. Seeing him so giggly and carefree made Billy’s heart skip a few beats.

“Shut up, they were the only people I could think of. But I meant it, I’d rather have Johnny Depp singing to me than anyone else. He’s handsome,” Steve said, pretending to fan himself like an overdramatic fangirl.

“Yeah, you’re not wrong,” Billy laughed, turning his face back to the road. He smiled a little when he saw a group of seven crows sitting on a power line, seeming to watch them as they passed. 

His smile quickly faded away during the second verse of the song, though, and was replaced by a look of something close to wonder as, after a few more moments of quiet, Steve began to sing along. 

He had a wonderful voice. It was smooth and silvery, as if he’d had honey coating his vocal cords, even though he wasn’t singing very loudly. Billy was completely enamored by it. And at the same time, he wished Steve would stop. He didn’t know if he’d be able to control his actions if Steve kept singing, and he didn’t necessarily want to find out what consequences that might bring. But Steve didn’t stop singing once the song had ended, nor after the next song, nor the next one. He sang along the rest of the way to the sports center, and only stopped when they got out of the truck. Billy had never been so relieved and so disappointed at the same time in his entire life.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 2:14 PM

The town of Goldville wasn’t a very big one. It wasn’t even as big as Hawkins. It had a tiny town square filled with shops, a large fountain in the center of a roundabout in the middle of the square, and at the North-most point, there was a church with a large clock tower overlooking the square. There were a few fast food restaurants on the road in, and a couple grocery and department stores scattered around the outskirts of the square, halfway between it and the houses making up Goldville’s suburbs. There wasn’t much else except for the schools and a few buildings that were most likely offices of some kind, and of course, the sports center.

It didn’t take them long to find it, though the GPS was due most of the credit. They traveled through the square, took two lefts, and soon they were pulling into the parking lot. It wasn’t a very big sports center, but in a town like Goldville, it didn’t need to be. They pulled into a parking spot near the front of the store and went inside, Billy twirling his keys on his finger again and Steve slipping his hands into his pockets.

“Oh, by the way, I was gonna ask,” Steve said as they walked inside and looked around for an employee, “I saw a games and comics store in the square as we got into town. Do you mind if we stop there before we leave? My friend has a birthday coming up and I wanted to see if they had anything I could get him for a present.”

“Yeah, the Henderson kid, right? Max was saying something about that,” Billy replied, tucking his keys away and shrugging. “I don’t mind. I was actually considering staying a little to look around the town, too. I like small towns like this.”

“Really? I thought you preferred big cities, what with the way you seem to hate Hawkins,” Steve said.

“I do like cities, I like the anonymity they give to a person. No one knows who you are or what you’re like, so they don’t pay you any attention, and I like that. And I like small towns because they just seem very quaint and friendly and like you belong there even if you’ve never been there before and you’ll never be there again. But Hawkins is different. It’s a big town, so the people there are nosy, and while everyone knows you, they know enough people not to care about you, unless they don’t like you, so you become a pariah. Big towns and small cities are the worst. I like big cities and small towns,” Billy explained, shrugging as they continued to wander around the sports center.

“ I never thought of it like that,” Steve said back, smiling shyly. Then he looked down one of the aisles of running shoes and stopped. He saw an employee at the end of the aisle, and nodded his head in his direction, signaling for Billy to follow him. Billy almost wanted to choke himself when he thought that he’d follow Steve to the ends of the Earth if only he asked.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 3:27 PM

It took an hour for the guys at the sports center to confirm, check, and help them load up the order Coach G had made into Billy’s truck, plus another ten minutes to secure the equipment with ropes. By the time Steve and Billy made it back to the square and found a parking spot, they were almost a half hour late in their schedule, but neither of them really cared. After all, Steve’s friend Robin was helping with lights and sound in the spring musical, so even if Coach Vargas was gone by the time they got back, Robin and the other theater kids would still be there to let them in. So rather than fret about time, they parked the truck and began to explore Goldville’s town square.

Their first stop was the comic and games store. It was called Throwback Games and Comics and had a picture of Marvel’s Squirrel Girl painted on the front window holding a bouquet of flowers for spring. Inside there were shelves of comics all along one of the walls, as well as figurines and other trinkets that were categorized by universe and publishing company. There were posters littering the walls, and life-size plastic statues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in one of the corners. The other side of the store had tables set up with more figurines on them, as well as every type of trading card imaginable and about a million sets of those stupid dice Max collected. There were boxes of board games and guide books displayed on shelves all over, as well as a basket spinner full of stuffed Pokemon, Superheroes and other creatures. It was like being inside a nerd’s wet dream.

“The kids would absolutely lose their shit if I brought them here,” Steve said, looking around the store in wonder. “Maybe I can arrange a trip here for spring break.”

“You really care about those kids, don’t you?” Billy asked, fighting a dopey grin as Steve blushed.

“Yeah, I do. They’re all shitheads sometimes, but they can be sweet, y’know?” Steve chuckled as he took out his phone and opened his photos. “When I turned 18 was when I really got to know them, though. I didn’t really want a party, but Nancy insisted on throwing me one. I’d had a bit of a falling out with Tommy and Carol at that point, so she didn’t invite them, but that didn’t leave a whole lot of people she could invite, so she did the best she could. She invited Jonathan Byers, which meant Will was gonna come along, since he stuck to Jon like glue back then. Mike was obviously already there, and Dustin since we had just started to get close, and that didn’t leave a whole lot of other people to invite, so she told Mike to invite El and Lucas, too. Erica didn’t want to be left out, so she came with Lucas. It was the most awkward party I’ve ever been to in my life, but it wasn’t all bad. The kids started to take a liking to me, and when no one was around, they started coming to me for rides and stuff. It was a little annoying at first, I felt like I was nothing but a chauffeur to them, but little by little, things changed again. A few weeks after that party, El was having trouble at school, getting bullied because even though she’s smart, she wasn’t the best at reading or math because of where she lived before Hopper adopted her. But she was too scared to tell Hop what was going on, so she came to me instead. I helped her with the bullying thing, but I was also able to help her with some of the academic stuff, too, and her grades started improving. And when Will was getting ready to come out to Jonathan and his mom, he got scared of how they would react, so I went with him for moral support. I guess what I’m saying is that all my life, people told me that I would never amount to anything, that I was essentially worthless. But with the kids, I feel like I’m not only useful, but wanted. They want me around and that means a lot to me, since a lot of people don’t, so I try to be as nice and caring to them as possible, even if they make me want to tear my hair out sometimes. But this is a perfect example, look.”

Billy smiled at the photo Steve was showing him, a warm feeling bubbling up in his chest as he studied it. It was a Snapchat story that he’d saved to his phone, and it showed a selfie that El had taken of the group of kids and Steve in the Wheeler’s basement. The TV was showing a four player game of Mario Kart, and sitting on the floor was Steve, Dustin, Max and Lucas, all with colorful controllers in their hands. Max was cheering and pointing at the screen, Dustin had his hands thrown up in frustration, Steve was giggling and leaning forward to see better, and Lucas was shrugging with a sympathetic smile. Mike and Will were laughing together on the couch behind them, and El was smiling brightly between them and Erica, who was rolling her eyes. The caption read, ‘Game night with my friends! Erica thinks they’re all getting way too into it.’

“This was from a few weeks ago. Dustin had been talking so much smack about how he was going to win the little tournament bracket that we had set up, but Max had thrown a blue shell at him and knocked him down a peg. She didn’t win, either, Lucas did, but what really got me about this picture was that when I saw it later on El’s story, she said it was game night with her friends. I was the only one of the older teens that the kids hang out with that was officially invited, and even though Nancy was there because she lives there and Jonathan stayed for a little bit after dropping Will off, I was the only one that they said, ‘hey, we’re having a game night, you should come and hang out with us’. I don’t know, it’s kinda silly. Robin always makes fun of me for being friends with literal children, but I always just think about it like I’m the cool older brother that they like to hang out with, and it makes me feel pretty special considering that four out of seven of them actually have older siblings to pal around with.”

“Eh, I’d say only three out of seven. Max and I don’t really hang out much aside from being forced to,” Billy said, picking up a little figurine of a knight and smiling. “But I suppose you’re right. It is pretty special that they like hanging out with you as much as they do. And you’re good with them. Max is always raving about how cool you are and how much she loves hanging out with you. They’re all very lucky to have someone like you looking after them.”

“Max is lucky to have you too, you know. You give her rides and stuff and she told me about the time you made cookies for her school bake sale when Susan forgot to. Plus there was that time she said that one kid at school was picking on her for being a redhead and the next day he came to school with a black eye,” Steve said, putting his phone away and giving Billy a knowing look.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Harrington,” Billy replied, crossing his arms and looking away. Steve saw right through him, though, and he knew it.

“Sure you don’t,” he said, turning to look at some of the shelves, “But if I do bring the kids here over break, maybe you could start knowing what I’m talking about. I mean, my car only has five seats and there’s seven kids, plus me, so three of them are gonna need some other mode of transportation. Besides, we probably won’t be able to explore this whole town today in the time we have, so then we could walk around a little more and it might even be a little bit warmer out, too. There’s a lot of cute little shops here and I’d like to come back and look around them without having to worry about herding seven kids in the process.”

“I’ll think about it,” Billy said, knowing full well he’d be back here, surrounded by Steve and his gaggle of Hellions, in a few week’s time.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 4:36 PM

After going to Throwback, Billy and Steve began to get hungry, so they started looking for a place to eat. They figured that Coach Vargas would already be long gone by the time Steve had found a gift for Dustin, so they stopped worrying so much about time and decided to focus on satisfying their appetites instead.

Steve was the one to see the adorable, 1950’s style diner somewhere towards the West end of the square, and he suggested stopping there to grab a bite. Billy was up for anything at this point, so he followed Steve inside, waiting by the front for a hostess to seat them.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes to take your order,” the waitress said. Her name tag said her name was Violet.

“Thanks,” the boys said at the same time, taking their menus from her and looking through them. They didn’t need long to decide, and when Violet came back, they both ordered simple burgers and fries with Cokes to drink.

“This place is so cute,” Steve said, smiling as he looked around the place from the small booth they were seated at. “I love places that are authentic like this. Like there are a lot of 50’s style diners, but very few of them actually get the looks right the way this one does.”

“What do you mean?” Billy asked, looking around the place along with Steve.

“Well, for one, a lot of authentic diners from the time period didn’t have a ton of pictures on the walls. They had some, but not a huge amount like most replica diners do. And another thing is the color scheme. A lot of diners would have only one or two central colors besides black and white, and they were most often red, blue and yellow, or blue and pink. This place only really uses blue and pink, with a few accent colors here and there, which is more true to the origins. Plus, they have an actual jukebox and no music playing without the jukebox being on, which is true to the time. The uniforms are another thing. All the guys are wearing short sleeve white shirts, white pants with black belts, and black bow ties, plus the little hats, and the girls are wearing 50’s style light pink dresses or poodle skirts. I just think it’s cool that they put that much thought into the place,” Steve explained, pointing out things as he mentioned them. 

“Huh, I never would’ve noticed, like, any of that. How did you pick it all out?” Billy asked, still looking around at everything. 

“I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to that stuff. You might laugh at me when I say this, but I absolutely love interior design. I was never given much choice on what my room looked like growing up, because my mother decided on all that for me, but I love seeing how it evolves through the time periods and stuff. It’s interesting,” Steve said, sipping on his Coke as Violet returned and set it in front of him.

“I won’t laugh at that,” Billy said, stirring the ice cubes in his own drink around with his straw. “Everyone has their thing, and if yours is interior design, then that’s honestly pretty cool. I don’t know anyone else who’d be able to tell me all the ways 50’s style diners are inaccurate portrayals of the real thing.”

“Thanks,” Steve said, and Billy was almost sure he could see a blush rising on his cheeks as Violet walked over with their food in hand. Billy couldn’t help but think about how pretty it was for the rest of the time they spent in the diner.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 6:06 PM

Billy stood at the gas pump, shivering as a cool wind blew through the gas station like a wind tunnel. The sun was starting to set and they were only halfway back to Hawkins, so by the time they’d get there, it would probably be pitch black out. Steve was inside the rest stop they were at, using the bathroom and going into the little convenience store area to get them some drinks for the way home. He had just come back outside as Billy finished pumping the gas, climbing back into the truck as Billy paid and already opened his drink, leaving Billy’s in the cup holder.

“Did you seriously go in there and buy yourself a bottle of Minute Maid orange juice?” Billy asked as he plugged the aux cord back into his phone and queued up the GPS.

“Maybe,” Steve replied, twisting the cap back on as Billy grinned at him.

“Only you, Steve Harrington. Only you,” he said, shaking his head as he smiled and pulled out of the rest stop onto the highway.

Thursday, March 30th, 2023: 7:17 PM

Thanks to a car accident on the highway, there had been an almost half hour delay in the two boys getting back to Hawkins, meaning they didn’t get in until almost 7:00. Thankfully, when they did get back, Robin and the rest of the theater kids were just wrapping up, so they were all willing to pitch in to bring all the stuff inside the school to where Coach G wanted it. After that, everyone went home, and Robin hitched a ride with another friend who lived much closer to her, even though Steve offered to give her a ride like he always did. She and her friend drove off, and soon enough, it was just Billy and Steve in the parking lot.

“I had fun with you today,” Steve said as he grabbed his backpack out of the truck, tossing it over his shoulder.

“Me too, Harrington. You’re actually a lot more interesting than you look,” Billy grinned, leaning against the side of the truck.

“If anyone else had said that, I’d take offense to it, but coming from you it’s probably the best compliment I’m gonna get, so I’ll take it,” Steve smiled, and Billy swore he could see him blushing in the dim headlights.

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, right?” Billy asked, smiling back as he climbed back into the truck. Only, something seemed off. Steve wasn’t smiling now as much as he was biting his lips, almost like he was in the middle of making a tough decision.

“Yeah, of course,” he said, fiddling with his bag strap. “Only, there’s just one more thing I wanted to tell you. I wasn’t going to, I was too chickenshit, but Robin said that if I don’t tell you tonight, she’ll tell you tomorrow, so it was up to me.”

“What is it, Steve?” Billy asked, looking at him with concern in his eyes. “C’mon man, get back in the car. It’s cold out and you look like you’re about to dump a whole lotta words on me all at once, so you might as well sit down for it.”

Steve nodded and climbed back into the truck, but he still took a moment before speaking, as if he were searching for the words to say.

“It really isn’t going to take too long, it’s just something I have to tell you about…” he paused, taking in a deep breath, “About that playlist from earlier. Y’know, the one that mystery person sent you. Well, it wasn’t exactly a mystery person.”

Steve paused again, taking another breath before looking up at Billy, straight into his eyes.

“I was the one who sent it,” he said, “I wanted to, I don’t know, I guess just try and make your birthday a little bit better since Max told me that you don’t really like it and I also wanted to try and subtly tell you how much I like you without saying straight to your face. But I thought that if I told you who I was, you might not keep checking the messages and I didn’t want that. And I was gonna tell you earlier when you first put it on when we were driving, but I got nervous and-”

Billy cut him off then, he’d heard all he needed to hear. He reached forward and grabbed Steve by the front of his shirt and pulled him in, crashing their lips together as softly as he could. It wasn’t magic and fireworks and all that, but it was the most amazing kiss Billy had ever been a part of, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. And Steve was kissing him back just as fiercely, moving his hands to hold the sides of Billy’s face until it ended, leaving them both smiling like fools.

“I wish you would’ve told me from the start it was you,” Billy said, “I would’ve done that a lot sooner.”

“Well, had I known that, I wouldn’t’ve even made a playlist,” Steve replied.

“Don’t say that, I love my playlist. You did really good with it, showed me a lot of great songs I might not’ve listened to otherwise,” Billy said, a blush painting his cheeks as he tucked some of Steve’s hair behind his ear.

“I’ve got a lot more of them, you know,” Steve said, taking Billy’s hand and kissing his knuckles. “Maybe you can come over to my house tonight and I can show you some more.”

“I’d love that,” Billy said, beaming brightly.

“And I love you,” Steve replied, kissing it off his face. 

#HarringroveWeek #billy hargrove #steve harrington #harringrove #billy hargrove x steve harrington #stranger things

[angel-wings-and-tattoos]

ok just hear me out for a second. i had a dream and immediately had to stick steve and eddie into it. i'm planning out a full length version, i just need to get this out before that happens lol

imagine rockstar!eddie doing an interview with his band. they're almost out of time, so the interviewer asks the age-old question for musical artists: "do you guys ever casually listen to your own music?"

eddie, for some unknown reason, is absolutely delighted by this question. he launches in to a (somewhat dramatic) retelling of his most recent hook-up.

----

i have a lot of notes about all of this, but this is the gist of the dream that started it. steve put on a sex mixtape that his ex made and it had like 5 corroded coffin songs on it. eddie tries to be normal about it and fails miserably.

Eddie, trying to be smooth:  "that tape had some bands i recognized. that one band, corroded coffin, i think? was on there a couple of times. do you like them?"

steve, who still regularly listens to ABBA, laughing: "no, not at all. i- huh, i can't believe i'm about to say this, but it's my ex's tape. she liked that kind of music more than i do, and that was one of her favorite bands. she got tickets to their last tour, i think it was in november? she was so excited, wanted me to go but at the last minute i-"

steve's jaw audibly snaps shut as he realizes his talking about his ex girlfriend to a man who just made him cum so hard he can still actively feel it in his legs, his face going absolutely crimson.

eddie, on the other hand, is infatuated with everything about steve. this man has no clue that he is showering with the singer of the band who's song he just jizzed his brains out to. 

----

i think that eddie likes steve enough that they would keep hooking up, until they end up dating. steve's ex (they ended on good terms) stops by to grab the rest of her stuff and almost passes out when she sees Eddie Munson sprawled across her old couch, in a pair of steve's sweatpants.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steve Harrington/eddie munson #stranger things #rockstar!eddie #corroded coffin #steddie au #ali's ficlets

[phanartist]

A few days ago I asked if I should get people to send in their own Phanart and there weren’t very many votes but no one said no.

So if would like to message me a picture of your DnP art and I might add it to the Phan art gallery. Things like fan fiction, poetry, Jewelry/Clothes, dolls, statues, and pretty much any form of art is allowed as long as it’s Phan art. You could also submit your art to the gallery but just know that it might not go up.

About Unknown Artist Thursday: you might have noticed that not all of the artists are unknown anymore and that is because some people have commented who made the art. If you recognize the art ,please comment and I will edit the caption to say who made it and to say thank you for letting everyone know.

Terms & Conditions:

• 16+ artists only

• You can only submit your own artwork

• You can only submit Phan art

• I’m the curator of a gallery and you’re the artist, you can’t complain if I decide not to put your art up

• All art forms are allowed as long as it’s Phan Art

• Phan art of Dan and Phil with other people are allowed

• if your art gets put up and you want it taken down just say so, no reason is needed but I will anytime you want.

• It’s your art not mine so if you do or don’t want a specific tag on the post, tell me

• It’s kinda my thing too put polls on my posts so if you want a specific poll, tell me

• You can send in more than one picture of your art piece

• I’m fine with you submitting more than once as long as it’s your art and your haven’t submitted it yet

• Art that has been posted on your blog is fine

#dan and phil #phan #dan and phil art #dip and pip