#story time with ginger billy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

becauseicantthinkwritings · 2 years

Text

Never Quite Enough

Part 3

Part 1 // Part 2

Warnings: Angst, heartbreak, overhearing mean comments, kissing.

"I wish I never met him." You say to the ginger cat.

Butter meows in response.

"Yeah, I think I'd rather he never came up to me at all. Then I could live in ignorance."

You think for a moment, wiggling your index finger under one of his pink paws, hissing when his claws extend to catch at your skin.

"I think not knowing what his laughter tasted like would have been easier." You continue, even though your furry friend doesn't say a word.

You swallow, listening to the jingle of his collar as he rolls over.

"He really is a terrible man."

Butter agrees.

You look at the e-mail with a little frown. You can hear sounds of excitement as everyone reads it. There's a garden brunch on Saturday, and you marvel at all the mixers and parties Billy allows in order to keep morale high. It seems to be working, and you think there are probably so many people loyal to the company because of it. This time, you notice that plus ones are invited, and there's a special prize as well.

You sigh, glancing at the antique ring on your finger.

It takes Dex all of one minute before he's at your desk.

"Are you gonna bring Matt?"

You blink at the audacity.

"I'll have to ask." You murmur, looking up at him.

Dex nods, you watch his curly hair bounce in thought.

"I hope he comes. It'll put some rumours to rest."

You almost hate to ask.

"What rumours?"

He steps around the table to stand by your side.

"You didn't hear it from me, but Stacy in Marketing thinks you made him up- but when I heard I stood up for you- but also I don't know who else she's told."

Fucking Stacy.

"Look," you say with a shake of your head, "I'll try to bring him, but if he can't come then there's nothing I can do."

Dex nods, "Yeah I totally get it, Fuck Stacy."

You smile, surprised that his thoughts were in line with yours.

You talk for a few more minutes before he's pulled away.

Not many people had known you'd been dating Billy in the first place. It had been mostly the people working around him that had any idea. You'd bent over backwards to make sure no one in your department knew, but Stacy had once found you kissing Billy in the broom closet on the third floor and you knew she knew more than she was supposed to. Billy had asked her not to say anything, yet it just seemed like she was working overtime on a loophole to expose your past relationship.

You wonder why she was so intent on saying all these bad things about you- was she jealous? Or just angry? She probably still thought you and Billy were together, perhaps attempting to spin a story that you'd slept your way to the top, but she couldn't say anything directly, knowing that it would be traced back to her.

It barely mattered to you anyway, until your boss asked casually if you would be bringing Matt to the brunch, and you knew that Stacy's storytelling had gotten to him as well.

You had to take a moment to tell yourself that despite the toxic work environment, this job had many perks to benefit from. You'd struggle to find a good dental plan elsewhere.

Butter meows in protest as you knock on your upstairs neighbour's door. He'd torn a paper bag to shreds in your bedroom when you'd found him, and hadn't appreciated being taken from his throne of scraps.

You hear footsteps at the door and then a pause.

"Hello?" A deep voice calls.

You smile at the peephole embedded into the door.

"I believe you're missing an inmate?" You say casually, jingling the little bell on Butter's collar.

Your mouth drops open when he opens the door.

Hot.

Steaming.

He's wearing a plain white t-shirt and boxers.

"So you're his co-parent, hmm?" He asks.

"Yeah," you say, introducing yourself to him.

He smiles, widens his door a little, as something of an invitation.

"I'm Matt." He says in greeting, and you resist the urge to tell him that you know. "Want to come in?"

You probably should have said no, but something about Matt just puts you at ease, disarms you into relaxing around him. The next thing you know, you're putting Butter down on the floor of Matt's living room.

"I hope he hasn't been too much trouble. Honestly I'm glad he's letting someone with proper eyes look him over." Matt says.

You look up at him in confusion.

"You... don't have proper eyes?" You ask slowly, unsure if he's joking or not.

Matt laughs and waves his hands in front of his face.

"I'm like ninety-five percent blind." He informs you.

"Oh, sorry... I didn't know." You mumble, feeling a little awkward, hoping you haven't offended him in any way.

"It's fine, I get by, and Butter chirps if to let me know if I'm about to sit on him."

That gets a laugh out of you, that you cut short when you realise your laugh sounds horrendous.

Matt's smiling along and it hits you with a sense of familiarity, a sweet smile from a man you think wouldn't mind what you have to say.

"So, I did something terrible." You blurt, blinking in horror at your lack of filter.

"Did you?" Matt asks with a tilt of his head.

You nod, taking a seat on his couch with a sigh.

"I was constantly being bothered at work, hit on, you know- asked on dates so I lied."

Matt comes around to sit on the opposite end of the couch. Butter jumps right into his lap. He adjusts the cat accordingly.

"I told everyone I had a boyfriend, and when it wasn't enough... I- I bought a ring." You raise your hand to show him before realising that he can't see it and dropping your hand in embarrassment.

"And now you're asking me to be your pretend boyfriend?"

You raise your head at him in surprise. He gives you a warm smile and you gulp, feeling your heart speed up.

"How did you know?" You ask.

"I mean, it's maybe a little obvious? Just the way you started your story and I kinda figured where this was going." He leans back, "Plus there are a ton of movies about the exact thing."

You smile.

"I know we just met, but there's a party on Saturday, and I'd be honoured if I could introduce you as my fiance, so that everyone would stop bothering me."

Matt nods, his deft fingers roaming in Butter's fur. The cat in question smacks at Matt's hand after a few moments.

"You know we'll have to act like a couple right? Maybe kiss a little?"

"That's okay, I'm not uncomfortable with it. I just-" You let out a slow sigh.

"I just want people to leave me alone."

He nods in understanding, a smile on his face.

"What's the dress code?"

"It's perfect." Billy says, admiring the crown of wildflowers.

"Are you sure? There are opinions of peonies and roses available, the wildflowers aren't as... sophisticated."

Billy wasn't going for sophisticated. Billy wanted rustic, untamed, wild and ethereal and you'd look amazing wearing it. Then everyone would see, everyone would appreciate you.

"It's perfect." He repeats to the florist, not taking his eyes from the thistle, trying to imagine it sitting on your head, the smile you'd give him that would spear his heart.

When she leaves, Frank steps in a few minutes later.

"She RSVPED with a plus one." Frank says in greeting.

It's the first time Billy tears his eyes from the crown. His chest burns for a second.

"You're serious?" Billy asks, watching Frank nod.

"She's got someone."

"There's no way." Billy hisses vehemently, walking around to his desk to sit.

"Stop being in denial. This is happening." Frank says calmly.

Billy's forehead thumps against his desk. A moment of silence before he speaks again.

"I just want her back so bad. I don't think I'll be able to look at her with someone else."

Frank puts a firm hand on his shoulder.

"You need to tell her everything, but also let her make her own choices."

Billy's head is still pressed to the table as he nods his head, he tries to understand, but deep down he knows that seeing you with someone else is going to rip him apart.

Matt definitely looks better than you do. You smile at him and you try not to acknowledge that they're already going to like him more than they like you.

When he asks for your guidance to the uber, you gladly link your arms in his.

"This isn't too fast for you?" You ask curiously, "I mean, we just met and I'm going to introduce you as my soon-to-be husband?"

Matt has the decency to look shy when he smiles, and for the first time in a while, your heart gives a solid kick.

"It is really fast," Matt agrees, "but honestly, I could never resist someone in need of help."

Your heart swells, you open the taxi door, smiling at the driver, confirming the address.

"And," he adds in, leaning into you a little and you catch hints of his cologne, "honestly, I maybe owe you for being so nice to Butter. He isn't... well... he isn't known for his sweetness."

A smile pulls on your lips thinking about the rambunctious feline.

"He is a troublemaker." You agree in passing and Matt grins.

"Where did you get him?"

When Matt's smile falters, you try to backtrack.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't-"

"-It's fine, it's okay, it's an innocent question." Matt interrupts, one of his warm hands covering yours.

"Butter belonged to my ex. When we broke up, it was really hard, and she left him behind so I wouldn't have to be alone."

"She sounds amazing." You whisper.

"She was, but I couldn't give her what she wanted, and she was smart to leave."

You frown, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder. You wish you could say something to comfort him, but you can't, you can't lie and tell him it gets better when you're actively avoiding your emotions, wishing you didn't ever exist because you didn't want to feel ever again. Thankfully, the reassuring squeeze is enough in the moment.

"I don't mean to point out the flaws in your plan, but we never even came up with a backstory." Matt says, standing on the sidewalk near the venue.

You break into laughter.

"Oh Matt," you say with an affectionate tone, "No one's going to ask me any questions. Nobody likes me." You feel your chest squeeze.

Matt frowns at you, but keeps walking.

"I'm sure that's not true." He says.

"It is, but anyway, we met a month ago, we hit it off, and now we're dating, don't mention the engagement unless someone asks. If you're not sure about an answer, squeeze my hand. And just," You bump your shoulders against his, "keep it light."

You paint a smile on your face as you enter the building. An usher guides you out back to the prettiest garden party you've ever seen.

The tables are filled with gorgeous flowers, only accentuated with white tablecloths, to bring out the colours. There are butterflies everywhere, attracted by the sweet nectar-filled flowers. Your breath catches on the ropes of wisteria hanging from above.

"Describe it to me." Matt says beside you, and you look at him with a smile.

"It's gorgeous," you say, "something out of a fairytale, there are flowers everywhere, every colour and shape. And so many butterflies, the blue morpho and the green hairstreak and the clouded yellow and-" You pause, realising you've shared a bit too much about yourself.

"You know a lot about butterflies." Matt murmurs, your eyes squeeze shut.

"Yeah, sorry, I get distracted." You say on a rushed breath.

"No, it's okay, I'd like to hear about them, they sound beautiful."

You swallow, glad you don't have to fake a smile for him.

"I'm actually a little thirsty. Are you?"

Matt accepts the conversation change, extending his elbow to you.

"Lead the way."

Even the drinks have flowers in them. A sprig of lavender in your prosecco, and a yellow viola in Matt's whiskey. The bartender is happy to let you know that all the flowers in the food and drink are edible, but you already know that.

"I didn't have a chance to ask before, but what are you wearing?" Matt asks.

A little laugh escapes your throat, and then a larger one when he raises his eyebrows in question.

"Sorry, its not a question that's usually asked without an innuendo." You explain, "I'm wearing a pink dress."

Matt smiles, "Floor length?"

"Yeah, and there's a slit on one leg."

"That sounds beautiful, I bet you look breathtaking." He says to you.

Your smile falls.

"Thank you." You murmur to him.

"You don't believe me?"

No, you respond internally, but you're spared from answering when someone says your name.

Dex happily approaches, and you smile at him.

He takes you into a hug, that makes you a little confused since this is the first time he's ever displayed that level of affection toward you.

"This must be Matt!" Dex says and you smile.

You introduce both men, and it's very easy and casual, you listen to the conversation, learning all the details you can about Matt, considering that you didn't really know him at all.

Your mistake is letting your eyes wander, admiring the decor, watching a white butterfly touch your shoulder on its way to a purple coneflower.

It's how you find him. Dressed in a white shirt, his broad back to you as he talks to someone. He looks busy, and there's a warm tug in your stomach as you momentarily forget his crimes. You could blame it on the atmosphere, one that's too serene for the incredible heartbreak you're in. But you forget, and when he turns, scans the room, meets your eyes and gives you a little smile, you feel inclined to give him a little smile back.

Until he looks beside you, and his smile drops.

He's got to be a really incredible actor, for you to be able to witness what you can only describe as heartbreak in his eyes, lasting only a moment before a stoic expression takes its place.

Somehow, you manage to feel sorry for him, when you know you shouldn't. You think that time has made you softer to his betrayal in some way, a thought that sparks anger.

You look away from him, back to Matt, quietly reminding yourself of Billy's bad deeds.

Your entire relationship had been fake. When he'd held you tight after sex, it hadn't been real, when he'd tugged you into a random closet at work, palming at your ass, telling you that he couldn't go another second without you. That had been fake too.

Matt squeezes your hand as Dex excuses himself to greet other people. You look up at him with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Matt asks.

"Yeah, you're doing good." You reply.

"Of course I am, I make a good fake boyfriend."

That makes you laugh.

"Well I think Dex is probably the one person that would ask the most amount of questions, so I think we're safe for now."

Matt grins.

"Want another drink?"

"Sure." You say, heading back to the little bar.

Billy can only watch you together with him and hate himself.

It's the first time he's seeing you genuinely laugh since the break up, and though you're laughing with that guy, you're still laughing and he likes that.

His chest is filled with this mixture of happiness and agony. Happy to see you smile, even if it doesn't really meet your eyes, and pain that you're not smiling at him.

What Billy wouldn't give to have you smile at him.

It's why he did all of this after all. He'd memorised all the flowers you'd told him you liked, from that time you shyly showed him your cottagecore Pinterest board, and he'd tried to get as much of them as possible. He knew you liked butterflies too, after he'd heard you gushing about them to Andrew- which was how the bet had started in the first place. It hadn't been easy to bring in that many butterflies, but he'd done it, because every time you smiled at one, his heart would skip a beat.

He wanted you back so badly it hurt. He was determined to not let you go.

He'd do anything for your smile.

When you start to feel hungry, there's a lovely table serving an array of bite sized foods, beautifully crafted and delicious, it's odd, that there are so many things you like, in beautiful styles that accentuate the theme of the party.

The food spans a large range, from savoury crab cakes and meatballs to sweet minuscule cheesecakes. Even the vegan options are amazing and you enjoy sampling everything willingly.

Matt is delightful, asking you what he's stabbed his little fork into before he places it into his mouth and you get to appreciate him deep in thought while he assesses all the flavours.

"Thank you for coming with me." You say to him softly, bumping his shoulder.

He smiles.

"I'm happy to. Honestly, I haven't done anything like this since- well... you know..."

You wanted to ask what he meant by 'this', but you think you'd wait till the end of the day to make any kind of corrections on Matt's assumptions.

"It's honestly pretty lame when you're alone." You confess to him, looking around and remembering a time you weren't quite so alone in places like these. Too bad it was fake.

You blink, sighing with the weight of your pain.

"Can I confess something to you?" Matt asks, and you nod, raising your head to look up at him.

When he only waits expectantly, you realise your mistake.

"Oh, um, yeah."

He grins.

"You nodded, didn't you."

"Yes." You say shyly.

"Don't fret, happens all the time. Anyway-" he steps in closer, and your eyes widen. His hand moves over your shoulder so that he hugs you from the side.

"I have a superpower." He whispers to you.

You gulp.

"Oh?"

He nods.

"Losing my sight made my hearing really really good."

"...Right." you say, confused.

"It means I can pick up on things that you're trying to hide. Something else happened, didn't it?"

"What- what makes you say that?" You whisper to him.

"Because there's a man standing across the room facing us, and he's really pissed."

You don't look immediately. You blink at Matt for a long moment.

"How do you know he's pissed?" You ask.

"Heavy breathing. Racing heart. His fists are clenched."

"You can hear his fists clenching?" You ask in disbelief.

"Why don't you take a look and tell me." He challenges.

You do it casually, turning and pretending you're really looking for something in the room and when your eyes meet Billy's- he glances away.

"I can't see his hands, they're in his pockets." You murmur, and Matt hums in acceptance.

"Is he an old boyfriend?" He asks.

You turn back to him in surprise.

"You got all that from his heartbeat and his fists?" You ask, amazed.

"Not just him. You too."

Your shoulders sag in realisation.

"Oh. Yeah. We broke up a couple of weeks ago." You mumble looking down at the ground.

Matt pulls you in closer, his hand slipping down your shoulder and cupping your hip gently. The sensation is a little uncomfortable, especially since you barely know him.

"Is that the real reason you asked me here? To make him jealous?"

Your frown deepens.

"Jealous? N-no he doesn't even like me. I really just needed help with my coworkers and you've done that so well."

Matt seems to think for a long moment. Gradually, you grow used to his touch.

"So why do you think he's pissed?" He asks you.

You ponder for a moment, wondering how much to tell him. An orange monarch flutters by. You fight the urge to look back at Billy.

"I think he's mad because he's trying to get me back to prove a point. To prove that he can."

Matt doesn't respond, and when you open your mouth to ask a question, you're distracted by a little crowd gathering. A woman steps up, her voice is gentle and commanding. You think she's one of the newer media managers, and she looks delighted to announce that there's a prize to be won.

You have a little epiphany when you see the flower crown. It's something right out of your daydreams, you remember cooing in delight when you first saw something like it in a movie you were both watching. You were tucked into his side, your bare legs intertwined with his.

"I love flower crowns so much." You'd said, admiring each actress wearing one. Billy had hummed, deep in thought, and you didn't think he'd remembered a detail so minuscule.

"The flowers on those don't look like anything special. Wouldn't roses be prettier?" He'd asked.

You'd simply told him no, that the flowers were beautiful because they were basic. A seemingly pretty item turned beautiful with just a bit more care and attention. Something you'd always wished about yourself. That you could be an ordinary thing made more beautiful by the things around you.

You hold your breath when you meet his eyes, unable to do both with the raw emotion inside you. Across the room, he's looking right back at you. The ache takes a second to hit you.

Do you really see me? You wonder, or was this just another game?

"Oh wow, it's really pretty, like in that movie! The weird one... with the cult." Someone says.

Midsommar.

It had become one of your favourite movies.

"The horror?" Another person asks, "With that girl from that other thing?"

Yes. Midsommar, you think, inching forward to look at the crown. Matt moves curiously with you, but you're not really paying attention to him as much.

"I can't remember the name of the movie. What was it again?" The first person continues speaking.

It's Midsommar. It's Midsommar. It's Midsommar.

"It's Midsommar." He says, and you swallow because he's right beside you now, and when he turns to glance at you, and you feel your stomach flip, everything makes sense.

It had been designed all for you.

The flowers, the butterflies, the food, the drink, even the crown...

Billy had thrown this entire event for you.

It's bittersweet. There's a warmth in your heart and a pang in your throat and you love it but you're in pain and you're barely aware that Billy is introducing himself to Matt.

"Hey, Billy Russo, Anvil CEO." He says extending a hand.

"Matt Murdock. Attorney." Matt responds, not extending his hand in return.

There's an awkward moment of silence before you lean in toward Matt.

"He's got a hand out for you to shake." You whisper and Matt makes a sound of realisation, reaching for Billy's hand.

"Apologies, I keep forgetting that without my stick, I look like I can see."

You try not to laugh and fail a little.

When Billy asks what Matt's relationship to you is, you feel your heart jump into your throat. Which was ridiculous. It's not like Billy liked you anyway.

"Matt's my boyfriend." You answer for Matt, knowing that Billy would see through your engagement story. It had only been around three weeks since you'd ended things with him. Saying that Matt was your fiance would raise too many flags.

Billy's eyes move to yours. A pained expression flits across his face before his features settle into a stony mask.

He nods, leaning away from you.

"Well, I hope you two have a nice time. Nice meeting you Matt."

Matt doesn't get a chance to respond before Billy turns and walks away.

"Well now I know for a fact that he likes you." Matt confesses when you're out of earshot of anyone else.

"How so?" You say softly to him, too deep in your head, concern for Billy eating at you.

"Everytime he looks at you. His heart races."

You look at Matt. You really look at him.

"It can't be true. He broke my heart." You murmur in that same soft voice.

Matt doesn't try to protest, a comforting hand on your shoulder.

"Come on, let's go for a walk in the little maze people keep talking about."

Billy's hands shake as he walks away from you.

A boyfriend? So soon? Billy was still trying to get his feet back under him after losing you and you'd taken the time to find a boyfriend?

He was probably just a rebound. Someone you could use to take your mind off of him, but the thought of you getting over him was sour through and through.

He tosses back two whiskeys before he can focus.

It felt like shattering. Like being consumed from the inside out. There was you, and there was someone beside you that wasn't him and in the time it takes Frank to find him, Billy begs any god listening for a second chance.

Frank's hand slaps down affectionately on Billy's shoulder.

"How are we doing?" Frank's asks.

Billy takes a third drink.

"I'm an asshole." He responds.

"You got that right." Frank agrees.

"I didn't think she would- I just want to-" Billy sighs in frustration, frowning when he can't get the words out.

"Sometimes there's a voice inside of me calling me to do bad things. The first time I heard that voice shut up was when I was with her."

Frank takes a sip of his drink.

"I hear that brother," he sympathises, "the war never really leaves us, right?"

"...right." Billy agrees.

"Don't give up just yet. The plan might be a little longer, but it's a good plan. Castles don't quit."

Billy's mouth curves up. He was a Castle too.

"Thanks Frank. That means a lot."

He gives Billy a reassuring nod.

"What a fucking douchebag." Is Matt's first response when you explain Billy's betrayal.

You laugh, loudly, before catching yourself and smothering the sound.

"Yeah." You say, voice laced with humour, "It is what it is."

"Okay, but, you're not annoying. Like, at all." Matt argues.

"Thanks." You say, believing that he only thinks like that because you've been holding back on him, fighting the urge to ramble at every opportunity.

The walls of the maze are a little high above your head and you giggle when you get to a crossroads and you turn one way and Matt turns the other way.

"Come on. Let's go this way."

You don't even bother to think about it.

"Okay, sure."

He leads you down a dead end, to a statue of Aphrodite, standing behind a white marble bench.

"How did you know this was here?" You ask, amazed.

"There's something here? I have no idea." Matt responds.

"It's a white statue of Aphrodite, standing on a seashell, her hair is flowing. It's a popular one."

When you get close enough, you guide one of Matt's hands to her knee, so that he has an idea of the texture.

"You're familiar with Greek gods too?"

You look down with a little bit of shame in your expression.

"Yeah..."

"Don't be shy about it, it's really cool. What do you know about her?"

You look up at her, and you give Matt a quick summary of her violent origins. Born from the sea foam of her father's decapitated testicles.

"Ouch." Matt sympathises.

You grin at him, bumping his shoulder with yours playfully.

"Someone's coming." Matt says, turning his head to listen. You go quiet too, you think you can barely hear what he hears.

"Stacy, I think her name is... and a few more people."

"Fucking Stacy." You whisper to yourself.

Matt grins.

"You don't like her?"

"She started the rumour that you were fake in the first place."

Matt hums in thought.

"Wanna give them something to talk about?"

You smile at him.

When the group stumbles upon the two of you, they find Matt's arms wrapped securely around you, kissing you breathless.

You break apart at the first gasp you hear and you smile, apologising to the group, before tugging at Matt and pulling him past.

You're both laughing wildly as you escape the maze. You suck in air, quickly let out on staccato breaths and you only pause when you turn your head to realise how public the space you're in really is.

Your lips don't tingle, not like the first time they did when you kissed- him, but you still find that you're willing to do it again, because Matt's a very very good kisser.

"Sorry if it was bad for you." You say to him, worried that kissing you, like everything else about you, was unpleasant.

"Are you kidding? You were amazing." Matt's expression sobers.

"Did someone tell you that you were bad at it? Because they'd be insane."

"No, no, no," you say quickly, "I'm just... making sure."

He grins, leans forward, kissing your cheek gently.

"I'd do that all day if you'd let me." Matt whispers seductively in your ear, and your mouth drops open in shock and arousal.

"Oh, you are trouble, Matthew Murdock." You say, taking his hand and heading back to the bar with him.

It's hard to pretend you don't notice... but you catch some people talking about you. It's subtle, and it's not a lot of people, but it's the way they glance at you every now and then that gives it away.

You try to ignore it, you realise you hate the way it feels, wishing you hadn't been caught kissing Matt in the first place.

Your shoulders drop. You hated this feeling. You look up again and make eye contact with one of them. They look away, laughing.

Maybe you really should quit.

Between this and Billy- you really begin to debate how necessary your job is.

You look down at your feet.

Why weren't you made to be someone better? Why did you have to be this way?

You sip your drink forlornly, only raising your head when the caged ball begins to spin. You look up, watching the little papers inside the ball toss and tumble as it turns, curious to see which name would be chosen.

Matt, who'd been busy taking a call, returns to your side as the ball stops rolling.

"Sorry about that." He says to you, and you turn your head to look at him, smiling.

"It's okay, you didn't miss anything." You say on a hushed breath.

"I missed you." He responds easily, and you grin at him, not hearing the first time your name is called.

You turn your head in surprise as your name is called again. Marissa, who you'd learned was the new media consultant, looks around the room expectantly.

"I think you just won." Matt says, a firm hand on the small of your back pushing you forward and your mouth drops open in surprise.

You take a hesitant step, and then people begin applauding for you when they catch sight.

The lights at the front are bright, and they dazzle you when you get closer, weaving through the small crowd of people to approach a smiling Marissa.

You swallow when she ushers you toward an expectant Billy.

Had he planned this?

You can't help the excitement that simmers inside of you when he reaches for the leafy crown. It's gorgeous and it's going on your head and for the first time in a long while, you let your excitement show on your face.

You don't look at him when he places it on your head, but when it's finally there, you build up the courage to meet his eye. You can't help the genuinely happy smile that spreads on your face. He gives you a pleased look in return.

The crown prickles your scalp as you tilt your head a little, accommodating for the weight of it. He leans forward until his face is beside yours, you resist the urge to make a sound as his cheek brushes yours, his beard rubbing harmlessly against your face.

"You're beautiful." He says softly, and you close your eyes tight for a second, squeezing both hands into fists for a moment, unable to process all your feelings about this.

Thankfully, you're in public, and everyone is watching you, which means Billy doesn't have a chance to say anything else, and you can smile gracefully and step away from him without any excuse.

It hurts to watch you walk away.

You're a vision with the crown of flowers on your head and your dress flowing around you and you remind him of some goddess he once read about that was so beautiful that a dark being fell in love with her and he thinks he feels the same because he wants to beg on his knees for just a second more in your presence.

He'd do it so easily that it scares him. He's never knelt for another soul willingly but he would for you because he knows you.

The knowing is the worst part.

The sound of your laughter on his lips and your quiet gasps in his ear and the way he made you wriggle in the morning with ticklish kisses to all your most sensitive spots and Billy knows too much.

He knows what Matt tastes when he kisses you next, when you return to his side and Billy watches him slowly lean in to place a firm kiss on your lips. The way he felt when your lips were on his is seared into his head except that he's forgetting how it actually felt and there's something inside Billy that's cracking from the pain.

It's unlike anything he's ever felt before, like being set on fire, or breaking every bone in his body, maybe those things would hurt less than this.

You laugh at something Matt says when he pulls back, but it doesn't meet your eyes. Billy watches you take his hands and help him feel around the crown of flowers, and you both smile together.

He doesn't realise that everyone has already dissipated back into their casual conversations until Frank squeezes his shoulder.

"You're staring." Frank says.

"I love her." Billy murmurs, half in realisation, half in fear.

Frank squeezes his shoulder in sympathy, unable to say anything.

When Matt stiffens during your little ramble of the flowers on your head, you pause.

You watch him turn his head in the direction of Billy and Frank conversing across the room and you frown.

"Am I talking too much?" You ask in a small voice.

He turns his head back to you quickly.

"Not at all, sorry I just got a little distracted for a moment there. You were saying?"

"The um... purple ones are daisies... they're little and have a yellow centre."

"Sounds very pretty." Matt hums.

You smile, a real one, and you feel the happiness wash over you.

"They are very pretty I'm so excited." You confess.

Matt smiles along with you.

"I can tell, I bet you look beautiful. I'm sure you do."

You swallow, a little smile tilting on your face. He looks so unbelievably genuine when he says it, you have to glance away to collect your feelings.

The rest of the evening is good, so many people give you compliments on your look and you feel like your face hurts from all the smiling you've done. There are some butterflies attracted to the flowers in your crown and you're happy to allow the company hired photographer to take a few shots of you alone, and then of you and Matt and Dex and some other coworkers.

You try your hardest not to ramble on about the flowers or the butterflies, keeping your answers short and you think that it's what probably makes people like you a little bit more.

It doesn't last, and you should have known better.

You're in the corridor outside the bathroom when you hear it. A small group of people around the corner from where you are, talking.

"I heard her going on about the different flowers on the crown to her fiance. I feel so sorry that the poor guy had to go through that." One voice says, and the words make you freeze. It was clearly about you.

"I know right! Does she ever shut up?" You hear someone else speak, and you begin to back away in shame.

"He's lucky he's blind because I wouldn't want to-"

You can't listen to any more, turning on your heel and immediately stopping short when you catch Billy standing behind you.

You know he's heard what they said, same as you, standing too close to the corner to pretend you haven't heard that it's you they're making fun of, their voices loud, echoing down the hall.

His eyes are dark, and filled with denial on your behalf. He gives a little shake of his head.

It's not true, he seems to say.

Your heart screams in your chest, and you don't say a word, you keep your face calm, walking around him and heading down the corridor, back the way you came.

You dart into the first empty room you can find, a room with various pieces of art settled on the walls and a white bench in the middle for viewing. You take in a deep breath, and you let out a big sigh, felling every ounce of happiness drain out of you completely. You wonder about all the annoying things you've done and said to deserve those comments. You should have just kept to yourself. You shouldn't have left the safety of your apartment at all.

You fight the tears, numb from the pain, and aching for a release that you're not ready to give.

It's where he finds you, sitting on a little marble bench in the middle of the room. Your back is to him as he steps forward. Billy thinks hard about what he's going to say. He thinks simply about the revenge he's going to get on your behalf

You hated being you. Nothing would change that. You should have learned by not that people would never like you for you.

"None of that was true." He says behind you, and you let out another long sigh, your shoulders drop at his words.

You don't say anything, reaching up to take the stupid crown off your head and look at the little leaves and wildflowers woven in.

Billy sits in the spot beside you.

"Do you hear me? Nothing about you is even remotely annoying."

You swallow the lump in your throat. What a load of bullshit he was serving you.

You raise your head, blinking back tears. You should have known you couldn't be happy for long.

"I love hearing you talk about the things you like. You get so happy and I love seeing you happy because it makes me happy too." Billy continues, even though you haven't spoken.

"Stop." You whisper with a shaky voice.

"You can hate me how much you want. I won't have you believe lies. Those fuckers are just jealous of you."

"Jealous of what, Billy? My dumb sense of humour? My weird, niche interests? My ugly laugh?" You stop talking to take deep breaths. Trying to push the sorrowful feeling away.

"None of that is-"

"It doesn't matter." You say with a shake of your head, cutting him off.

Your breath catches when he slides in closer. Your leg is pressed to his, your shoulder to his, you look up at him in surprise as a tear spills down your face.

He reaches for the handkerchief in his breast pocket, dabbing the plum material over your cheek to soak up the tear without pulling any of your makeup off.

"You are gorgeous, and smart and witty and sure, maybe your sense of humour isn't for everyone, but no one's humour is. But I think you're funny, and I love the way you smile, and I think people are jealous of you because you've got that light inside you that makes to stand out in a room even when you're not trying." Billy says.

You don't look at him, because he's looking at you, and you're afraid to look into his eyes because you're afraid of what you might find... and what you may not.

You give a shake of your head.

"I'm nothing special." You murmur, moving to give him the flower crown, placing it onto his lap.

You watch his hands pick up the crown.

"You are the most special person. I'd spend the rest of my life proving that to you if I have to."

He raises the crown, and gently, sets it back on your head.

You finally look up to meet his warm eyes. Your heart stutters in your chest. His words couldn't be true, they couldn't be anything more than a game.

He cups your cheek, leaning in.

You wonder if this could be a part of the bet. If it is, you think you're okay with letting it happen.

You close your eyes as his nose brushes yours, his face slants a little to allow his lips to meet yours.

It's only one kiss, but it stretches for lifetimes and you wouldn't have it any other way. His hand is still on your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin in soothing movements, you feel your body relax, your mind clears. Kissing him pushes away the bad thoughts, it makes you feel whole, and for a moment, it's just you and him in frozen time, being reminded of how amazing being with him was.

Before-

You break the kiss slowly, looking away from him, feeling lighter than you have in days.

"Why did you do that?" You whisper, too afraid that your voice will break whatever link you have to him- however fragile it might already be.

"Because I wanted to." He says lowly, as if he understands the delicate nature of things.

You swallow, standing up on shaky legs, wobbling a little as your feet protest the distance from him.

"I should go." You say, turning away, never meeting his eye as you walk out the door.

You don't see the way his shoulders drop.

#billy russo #billy russo x reader #billy russo x female reader #my writings #the punisher #the angst #billy russo imagine #billy russo x you #billy russo x y/n #billy russo fanfic #billy russo fanfiction

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childes-w1fe · 1 month

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♫𝑮𝑶𝑹𝑮𝑬𝑶𝑼𝑺♫ | Childe x Fem! Reader

❝𝙊𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚.❞ ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

Attending a prestigious university near your hometown, you live alone in your mansion by the vacant, serene seaside. You spend your extra free time playing video games to distract the raging waves of your loneliness.

Your life hadn't been smooth sailing for the majority of your childhood, and now, you could finally thrive, peacefully.

However, when you arrived back home after another morning of classes, the normal comfort of your home was replaced with a cold-tense feeling that flagged every warning sign in your body.

So when a muscular arm held a cold-translucent spear up to your neck when you moved to exit, you slowly turned your head to look at your captor, ignoring the sting from where the water blade was beginning to draw blood.

A shiver ran down your spine when you caught a glimpse of bright ginger locks and ocean-blue eyes.

Now, you had a reason to be scared

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

❝Whisky on ice, Sunset and Vine— You've ruined my life, by not being mine.❞

𓇼𓍢ִִ-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

𝑨𝑼𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑹𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬✎

✧.*Thank you for reading my Childe x Female reader! Update times aren't confirmed, as I run on a schedule of when I can update. Please keep in mind that I'm currently in high-school and have many classes a day. One could even say I spend more time at school than I do at home. I am very busy and that's not even including what I have to to outside of school. Not to mention if I get sick, or my mental health. (I do have depression.) Also—please don't ask for updates, in a rude way, of course. I don't mind if you only ask once, as I will give you an answer anyway.

✧.*I do not own Childe, or any other Genshin Impact characters included in this story. They belong to Mihoyo. Any of the art used in this story isn't mine unless I specifically state otherwise.

✧.*Trigger warnings will be provided at the beginning of each chapter. Including lime. I'm not so sure if I'll be writing lemon yet, but we'll see.

✧.*The reader in this story is female, or what you would call afab, and uses the pronouns She/Her and They/Them. If this doesn't apply to you, I apologize. As a Demi-girl, I feel more comfortable writing a female protagonist.

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

　　　. 　　˚　　　　*　　　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　　　　　　 ✦

ੈ✩‧₊˚𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

"Gorgeous," by Taylor Swift

❝Whisky on ice, Sunset and Vine, You've ruined my life, by not being mine.❞

"Paper Rings," by Taylor Swift

❝I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings.❞

"Ocean Eyes," by Billie Eilish

❝Can't stop starin' at those ocean eyes. Burning cities and napalm skies—Fifteen flares inside those ocean eyes.❞

"Bust Your Knee Caps," by Pomplamoose

❝Jonny don't leave me, You said you'd love me forever. Honey, believe me—I'll have your heart on a platter-❞

"Somethin' Stupid," by Frank Sinatra

❝The time is right, your perfume fills my head—The stars get red, and, oh, the night's so blue, And then I go and spoil it all by saying somethin' stupid like, "I love you"-❞

"High School Sweethearts," by Melanie Martinez

❝Can we just be honest? These are the requirements—If you think you can be my one and only true love..❞

"Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys

❝'Cause there's this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat-❞

"I Wanna Be Yours," by Arctic Monkeys

❝At least as deep as the Pacific Ocean—Now I wanna be yours-❞

"Supermassive Black Hole," by Muse

❝I thought I was a fool for no one—Ooh baby, I'm a fool for you-❞

"Panic Station," by Muse

❝Oooh 1, 2, 3, 4 fire's in your eyes—And this chaos, it defies imagination. Ooo 5, 6, 7, minus 9 lives—You've arrived at panic station.❞

"Teeth," by 5 Seconds of Summer

❝Call me in the morning to apologize—Every little lie gives me butterflies-❞

"Sucker For Pain," Imagine Dragons

❝Walk slow through the fire like, who gon' try us?—Take my hand through the flames—I'm a slave to your games—I'm just a sucker for pain-❞

"Him and I," by G-Easy

❝Cross my heart, hope to die—To my lover, I'd never lie-❞

"Animals," by Maroon 5

❝Baby, I'm preying on you tonight—Hunt you down eat you alive-❞

"Paralyzer," by Finger Eleven

❝Well, I'm not paralyzed, but I seem to be struck by you. I wanna make you move because you're standin' still. If your body matches what your eyes can do.❞

"Dance Macabre," by Ghost

❝How could it end like this? There's a sting in the way you kiss me-❞

"Kiss The Go-Goat," by Ghost

❝It ain't always what it seems—When you cling onto a dream—it ain't always there to please you. But he's the guy you wanna do—And you know that it takes two, luckily he wants to do you too.❞

"The Death of A Bachelor," Panic! At The Disco

❝The lace in your dress tingles my neck, how do I live? The death of a bachelor—Oh oh-❞

"Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time," Panic! At The Disco

❝Five thousand people with designer drugs—Don't think I'll ever get enough—Champagne, cocaine, gasoline, and most things in between-❞

"Miss Jackson," by Panic! At The Disco

❝A pretty picture but the scenery is so loud—A face like heaven catching lighting in your nightgown-But back away from the water babe, you might drown-❞

"Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," by Set It Off

❝Beware, beware, be skeptical—Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold—Deceit, so natural, but a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning.❞

"Rasputin," by Boney M.

❝There lived a certain man in Russia long ago—He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow-❞

"Killshot," by Magdalena Bay

❝Something chronic—Bit demonic—Sin and tonic—Stupid promise—Can you make my heart stop? Hit me with your kill shot baby-❞

"Smooth Criminal," Micheal Jackson

❝You've been hit by—You've been hit by a smooth criminal.❞

"I Was Made For Lovin' You," by KISS

❝I was made for lovin' you, baby—You were made for lovin' me. And I can't get enough of you, baby—Can you get enough of me?❞

"Island In The Sun," by Weezer

❝When you're on a golden sea, you don't need no memory—Just a place to call your own—We'll run away together—We'll spend some time forever—We'll never feel bad anymore.❞

"You Give Love a Bad Name," Bon Jovi

❝Shot through the heart—And you're to blame. Darlin', you give love a bad name-❞

"Maneater," Nelly Furtado

❝Everybody look at me, me—I walk in the door, you start screaming-❞

"Partners In Crime," by Set It Off

❝You'll never takes us alive—We swore that death will do us part—They'll call our crimes a work of art.❞

"Rock Your Body," by Justin Timberlake

❝Don't be so quick to walk away—Dance with me—I wanna rock your body—Just wanna rock you girl.❞

"Criminal," by Brittney Spears

❝But mama I'm in love with a criminal—And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical-❞

"Dangerous," by Left Boy

❝Dangerous, ooh!, that sounds good yeah—Talk to me baby, like I'm your dude-❞

"Once More To See You," by Mitski

❝In the rearview mirror, I saw the setting sun on your neck—And felt the taste of you bubble up inside me, but with everybody watching us, our every move—We do have reputations—We keep it secret—If you would let me give you pinky promise kisses then I wouldn't have to scream your name atop of every roof in the city of my heart.❞

"There's Nothing Left For You," by Mitski

❝There's nothin' left for you—Nothin' in this room. Try and go outside—Nothin' waits for you. You had it once before—Not anymore—So go on to that sweetheart's door and find a new you.❞

"Recently," by Liana Flores

❝Hand in hand—The flowers understand that we're fine, you and I—Hands are tied. I don't mind—I'll make you be okay—And frequently I picture myself walking straight into the sea, laughing as the waves come rolling to my knees—What a place to be.❞

"Here With Me," by d4vd

❝I don't care how long it takes, as long as I'm with you I've got a smile on my face.❞

"Golden Hour," by JVKE

❝I was all alone with the love of my life. She's got glitter for skin—My radiant beam in the night.❞

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

⋘ 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡... ⋙

15%

45%

85%

100%

ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ!

→𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠. . .

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : "Gorgeous," by Taylor Swift

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

❝You should think about the consequence Of your magnetic field being a little too strong❞

𓇼𓍢ִִ-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

　　　. 　　˚　　　　*　　　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　　　　　　 ✦

Dust arose from the old book you opened, the pages were fragile from many years of wear and tear.

You borrowed it from your family's overly large library, which looked like it belonged in a rustic castle, not a mansion located on a cliff near the sea.

Running your fingers over the decrepit pages, your eyes followed the faded words one by one.

"Το μέλλον," The title read.

Despite only being 10, you were far more intelligent than most children your age.

You knew a few different languages and took multiple advanced classes in school.

Though your family still didn't think you were good enough.

A frown spread across your face at the thought, the rainbow shimmer inside of your (e/c) irises, which your family also thought was odd, grew slightly cloudy.

Shaking your head to dismiss the looming sadness crowding your head, you looked at the title on the dusty book closer.

From what you could tell, the words read, "The Future," but in Greek.

Flipping through the pages, you skimmed over the sentences, seeing nothing interesting, until a certain tragedy plastered onto the top of a page caught your attention.

"The flood?"

Pressing the book harder onto the table, you leaned in closer, analyzing every word inked onto the paper.

Around 9 years ago, a disastrous flood wiped out a majority of the town you lived around 40 minutes away from.

Buildings were damaged, some almost beyond repair, and many families moved to get away from the aftermath. Others, however, weren't so lucky.

Nowadays, a town like yours, next to a large beach with white sands and crystal blue water, would be bursting at the seams with people and greedy contractors trying to sell out the locals.

But the flood prevented that from happening.

And now, only locals remained in the now-rebuilt beach town, which looks almost brand new.

A major part of you was thankful for nature protecting your little slice of paradise from those who didn't belong.

The words on the pages described what happened during the flood in great detail, and the more you read, the more disturbed you became.

This book had to be multiple decades old, so why did it describe the tragedy so perfectly?

Lost in the rapid currents of your thoughts, the familiar sound of stilettos clicking against wooden floors startled you out of your daze.

You jumped and almost fell from the latter you were leaning against.

Jumping down from the latter, and almost twisting your ankle, you opened a random drawer at the bottom of the bookcase and shoved the book in it.

The large door to the library opened with a creak, as the sound of heels against the floor ceased.

"What are you up to?"

You turned around quickly, a guilty smile plastered on your face.

"Nothing Mother— I was just looking for a new book to read..." A worn-out sigh left your mouth, as your hands moved to brush the dust off of the expensive material of your dress.

She raised an eyebrow, a sour look overtaking her face. "Mhm. If only all that reading you've done would help with your studies." Your mother placed her hand on her hip, tapping her sleek-black stiletto against the wooden flooring.

You frown, feeling yourself lose patience. "Is there something you need?"

"It's Ma'am to you. And yes, there is. Your father is hosting a party with his colleagues and I don't need you looking trashy in front of business." She walks up to you as you back up into the bookshelf, cowering as you feel a manicured nail press against your shoulder.

"I've commissioned a designer dress for you, it's hanging in your room. All you have to do is to sit still and look pretty. Don't mess up."

Your frown deepens. "Yes Ma'am..."

She looks you up and down, the sour look remaining. "Good. Don't disappoint our family name."

Flipping her hair, your mother removed her nail from your shoulder, a crescent mark evidence of her anger, and walked away, not bothering to shut the door as her quieting footsteps furthered away.

Sliding down onto the floor, you sighed, your silk dress draping around you and flowering onto the floor.

"What I'd give for peace."

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

After some time on the floor to regain your bearings, you dragged yourself up, exiting the library and walking up a flight of stairs to your room.

Despite your parents' coldness toward you, your room was beautiful and made you feel at peace every time you were in it.

Your bed sat at the bottom of your room, and a spiral staircase led to a second floor where your vanity among other things was.

A dull murmur left your mouth, as you opened the door to your large walk-in closet and flipped the light on, your eyes landing on the dress that lay on your closet's island.

Stepping closer, light and almost unsure, you admired the dress, eyes twinkling at the pretty fabric.

Even if you felt bitter towards your parents, you couldn't deny their obvious talent in fashion.

Against the light from your closet, the shimmery silver fabric or the gown sparkled, along with the light tint of (f/c) covering the material. The top of the dress fit a modest sweetheart neckline where the sparkly fabric was crossed over the other, with off-the-shoulder sleeves that draped off the shoulders from the excess material. A dark silver belt wrapped around the waist.

Smiling brightly, you picked up the dress and twirled around, an energetic giggle leaving your mouth.

"Maybe today won't be so bad after all."

Setting down the sparkling gown, you pulled the zipper down on the dress you were currently wearing and pulled it over your head, tossing it onto the floor to focus your attention on your new dress.

You patted down your petticoat and turned toward your attention to the gown lying on your island, carefully undoing the zipper.

With barely concealed excitement, you slipped the gown over your head, putting your arms through the sleeves and fixing the dress over your petticoat.

Your breath halted as you slowly walked over to the large mirror at the end of your closet.

The dress fit you perfectly and shimmered every time the light hit it, resembling a diamond in the sunlight.

A wide grin spread across your face as you clumsily stumbled out of your closet, leaving the door open and the lights on, and dangerously rushing up the spiral staircase in your room.

You approached your vanity and plopped down in the chair in front of it, opening one of the drawers and grabbing a few makeup products out of it.

A lopsided attempt at doing your makeup, you noticed, groaning and rubbing more eyeshadow onto your eyelid in an attempt to fix your mistakes.

Though you were better at most of your age makeup, you still had a lot to learn.

A knock on your door startled you out of what you were doing, and you almost dropped the brush in your hand.

Your eyes widened and you placed the brush back onto your vanity, almost falling out of your chair. "--Coming!"

Shifting came from behind the door as the knock increased in volume. "Ms. (Name)? Are you alright?"

The voice coming from the hallway caused you to sigh in relief.

Untangling your leg from the chair, (a result of not paying attention to your surroundings,) you walked over to your staircase and carefully, this time, walked down to your door.

You grabbed the door handle and opened the door, coming face to face with your maid, Arabella.

"I'm fine Ari–what's with that face?"

She stared at you with wide eyes, before her face twisted in a way that made her look like she was in pain.

Covering her mouth with her palm, she averted her eyes, attempting to not laugh at your predicament.

"Arabella?"

Arabella shook her head and calmed herself down, sighing and stepping toward you, placing a hand on your shoulder in sympathy. "Ms. (Name)...while I don't doubt your talents for a moment, I do believe you need some help with your makeup."

Now it was your turn to stand there fish-eyed.

Bashfully, the floorboards seemed most interesting as you looked at the floor, nodding in embarrassment.

She smiled at you and grabbed your hand, leading you up the stairs and guiding you to sit in front of your vanity.

"I'm guessing you favor a certain color, hm?"

Recovering from your embarrassment, you nodded, grabbing one of your many eyeshadow pallets and opening it to point at your favorite color.

"What a wonderful choice. This color suits your complexion."

Arabella grabbed a makeup wipe and held your chin as she wiped your makeup off in a gentle manner.

"Now–let's start fresh."

Grabbing a brush, Arabella began to lightly apply makeup to your face.

You hummed in pleasure at the soft motion, feeling yourself becoming sleepy. Who knew getting your makeup done could be so relaxing?

With a swift hand movement, Arabella applied a small amount of eyeliner over the shimmery eyeshadow you were wearing and then spun your chair around to face the mirror of your vanity.

"You can open your eyes now Ms. (Name)."

Peeking your eyes open, you grinned widely, beaming at the beautiful art on your face.

Arabella noticed your silence and began to worry. "Do you like it? I can redo it if you don't–"

"I love it!"

You rushed and engulfed her in an energetic hug.

She stumbled in shock before laughing and hugging your back, patting your head. "Now Ms. (Name). Let's not mess up your makeup just yet."

A huff left your mouth as you snickered, "Alright," you paused and let go of Arabella before smirking, "By the way, you can just call (Name)."

Arabella gaped before shaking her head. "Ma'am–"

"I see you as a friend. There's no need for formalities."

She gave you a warm smile. "Alright then, (Name)."

You giggled and she flicked you on the nose, rolling her eyes playfully. "It's almost time for you to greet your family's guests."

The calm expression on your face dampened and you frowned.

Arabella noticed your discomfort and gave you a reassuring smile. "You'll do great, I know you will," Reaching into the pocket of her apron, she pulled out a necklace and placed it against your neck," If it helps, I found this on the floor of the library when I was looking for you. When I saw it I immediately thought of you."

You looked down at the necklace and gasped when you saw a beautiful white-gold ring, set with large ruby crystals in the center and adorned with a few navy crystals along the rim. Flipping the ring over, you looked at the band, which had a narwhal carved into the thick part of the back and the letter A carved into the thin part of the band.

It sat perfectly on your collarbone, and the weight of the metal felt like it was meant to be there. Not to mention how the ring felt warm against your upper chest, and when you tried to remove it, frigidness would wash over you.

You smiled genuinely at your friend. "Thank you, Ari. For everything."

She pinched your cheek and lightly shoved you towards the door.

"Don't mention it." Arabella brushes off your dress and tucks a wild strand of your hair behind your ear. "Break a leg."

The nervous smile on your face shifted into one of confusion. "What?"

"It's an expression. You'll do great anyway, I know it."

Before you could press her even further, she pushed you out of your room and shut the door behind you.

A shaky sigh left your mouth and you made your way down the hallway, walking down two flights of stairs and reaching the entrance to the living room.

You spotted your mother's authoritarian figure standing in front of the doorway, arm linked with your fathers, who was laughing proudly, raising a glass of whiskey to toast.

Slinking quietly toward the entrance, you tried to slip inside to a corner where you wouldn't be noticed, but when your heels made a noise on the floor, your mother's sharp icy blue eyes turned towards you.

She gave you a look and you begrudgingly walked up to stand beside her.

A fierce whisper left her mouth. "You're late."

You gulped, cold sweat began to form as you could feel her free hand wrap around your wrist, her sharp nails threatening to break the skin.

"But you didn't say when to—"

"That's enough. I don't want to hear your excuses. The only thing you can do to atone for your mistakes is sit still and look pretty. Got it?"

"Yes, mother.." You nod, tears threatening to ruin your makeup.

"Good."

She released your wrist, but the mark remained, already red and irritated.

Your father had finally finished his speech and looked toward where you were standing. He seemed surprised to see you there but frowned when he saw your watery eyes.

He unlinked his arm with your mother and placed a hand on your shoulder, patting it softly.

You smiled through your tear-blurry eyes.

Everything would be okay.

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

The party had ended after a few more hours after the tipsy stragglers left.��

With a renewed pep in your step, you gratefully left the living room, rushing up the stairs to the second floor to run back into the library.

Pushing the door open faster than you usually did, (and with the weight of the door, you'd be sore tomorrow,) you rushed toward the drawer you remember stashing the mysterious book in.

Flinging open the drawer, you found the book just where you had left it,

A relieved sigh left your mouth. "Thank goodness."

You pick up the book and stuff it under your petticoat, making sure it won't fall out.

Shutting the drawer, you ran out of the open library, not bothering to look and see if someone was inside the hallway to witness your odd behavior.

Another flight of stairs later and a few confused maids, you had made it back to your room and locked the door.

You sat the book on your nightstand, deciding you'd read more of it after you got some rest.

Quickly taking of your dress along with your other items, you took your makeup off and lunged into your bed, snuggling into the silk covers as you drifted off to sleep.

But, what you didn't realize is that the book had fallen off your nightstand, hitting the floor and opening up to reveal a read and gold mask.

𓇼𓍢ִִ໋🌊🐚˖✩࿐࿔˚˖𓍢ִ✧˚

❝𝙊𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙄 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙄 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙚.❞

🐚 ྀ࿓(Childe/Tartaglia/Ajax x Female Reader)

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ @strawberrysunr1se 4/10/24

𓇼𓍢ִִ-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

#childe #tartaglia #childe tartagalia #genshin impact #childe x reader #childe x you #childe x y/n #tartaglia x reader #genshin childe #tartaglia x y/n #tartaglia x you #tartaglia smut #tartagila #childe tartaglia ajax #sub!childe

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pluckysidekick · 5 months

Text

It’s Wednesday, my fellow Drewds! Going into the holidays I can’t help thinking about how our favorite Crew are celebrating the holidays. Can’t wait for all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics, gifsets, and fanvids we’re going to get!

In the meantime, I was inspired by a poll from @burningblake about which classic “standard” song best represents Nace (all excellent choices). I wound up making a Season 4 playlist of standards from the Great American Songbook, and a few other classic tracks, that represent their Season 4 journey for me. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here we go!

I’ll be linking the Spotify tracks, but you should be able to find them all on Apple Music or YouTube. If you want a link to the full playlist, just hit me up here or on Discord.

1. The Nearness of You - This Hoagy Carmichael classic brings to mind Nancy and Ace’s inability to stay apart every time they’re near each other in Episode 401 🥺. I love the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong duet, but I picked Norah Jones’ version from her 2002 debut album because it’s just so perfectly wistful.

2. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby - this so so cool track was written by Louis Jordan, but I first heard it on Tom and Jerry (that’s the fighting cat and mouse cartoon in case you’re too young to remember them). I immediately envision the back and forth argument Nancy and Ace have throughout Episode 402 in the lyrics of this song. Ace just wants to know! I adore Joe Jackson’s version, but I went with Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones from 1956 because it is absolutely perfect.

3. Night and Day - I like to imagine that Nancy and Ace stayed up all night talking at the end of 402. This song perfectly embodies their relationship at this stage 🥹. It was written by Cole Porter for Fred Astaire to sing in the original ‘The Gay Divorce’ Broadway musical (catch the film, a classic Fred and Ginger madcap musical romcom with such amazing dancing🕺🏼). But I had to go with Frank Sinatra from 1957’s ‘A Swingin Affair’ because it’s such a classic swing tune.

4. April in Paris - I’m not crying, you’re crying. Warning, there’s going to be a lot of crying in this playlist. Nancy telling Ace the story of her parents’ honeymoon in Paris in Episode 403, that shy smile when she tells him she always wanted to recreate it with someone, GAH. I had to pick the wonderful Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown on trumpet, simply exquisite. I’m going to have to take a break to sob quietly in the corner. “What have you done to my heart” indeed.

5. Fever - There was only one song, and only one version of this song, that matches the heat Nancy and Ace generated in the infamous Sigil scene. Peggy Lee burned the house down in 1958 with this track. “What a lovely way to burn” - Nancy can relate.

6. So in Love - Another genius Cole Porter song, written originally for Kiss Me Kate, but sung here by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald (my personal hero). I had to pick it for THE KISS. They are just so in love 😭. A beautiful song and a beautiful rendition worthy of Nancy and Ace’s love. The fact that Kiss Me Kate is a musical about bickering exes who eventually find love again makes it even more perfect.

7. Crying - Roy Orbison, 1962. Need I say more? I may never recover from the final scene of 403. This song at least helps a little with the pain by naming it. Roy hits some insane notes in this song—the intensity matches both Nancy and Ace’s misery in that moment.

8. Good Morning, Heartache - More like Good Morning, Sorbet. In Episode 404, Nancy drowns her sorrows in her favorite frozen dessert to deal with the heartache of gaining and losing Ace. And no one does heartache like Billie Holiday, who recorded this song in 1946. Heartache haunts Nancy all throughout S4, and this track represents it perfectly.

9. I had two contenders for the Nace scenes in Episode 405, both from the early 60’s. I Fall to Pieces, released by Patsy Cline and The Jordanaires in 1961, was a country crossover and Patsy’s number one hit—an incredible track that embodies Nancy’s emotions on seeing Ace again. She can’t even look him the eye at the beginning of the episode. Which brings me to my other choice, Walk on By, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, and famously sung by Dionne Warwick in 1964. Nancy puts up a brave front for most of this episode, but inside she wants to break down and cry.

10. Episode 405’s speed dating montage is one of my favorite scenes of Season 4. Again I have two contenders—why should I have to choose? Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s One For My Baby (and One More for the Road), as sung by Ella Fitzgerald (again ‘cause she’s the best), is an ideal soundtrack for Nancy’s increasingly desperate descent as she spends every would-be speed date talking about Ace and THAT KISS. Equally appropriate is Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life—velvet-voiced Johnny Hartman and saxophonist John Coltrane’s 1963 track positively drips with ennui, elegantly over cocktails, of course. If you’ve never heard this one, please give it a listen. There’s even a mention of a week in Paris 🥺.

11. Episode 406, with the infamous Spider Prom, is Ace’s episode IMO—we finally get to see how he’s dealing with the loss of the love of his life and his best friend. He so desperately wants to somehow get back to being friends with Nancy, he resorts to spending countless hours with the help of S4 MVP Nick trying to catch Chunky Velez for her. Can’t We Be Friends? is the perfect song for him in this episode, gorgeously sung by Ella and Louis. That is, until he spies Nancy and Tristan dancing, and realizes what he can never have. Etta James’ blistering track I’d Rather Go Blind captures Ace’s feelings in that moment. He may have been the one to halt their attempts to brake the curse, but he’s hurting just as much as Nancy is.

12. I’ve got two seminal songs to represent Episode 407. When Nancy realizes that Ace let Chunky go, and hears his admission that seeing her with Tristan hurt, it positively screams Cry Me a River. No, not the Justin Timberlake song 😅. This epic torch song was famously sung by Julie London in 1955, and expresses beautifully Nancy’s scorn at Ace’s hypocrisy even as she admits that he broke her heart.

Their fight, and Nancy’s subsequent dashed hopes that Ace would call her bluff and come back, makes me think of Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye. Another Cole Porter masterpiece sung by Ella. What can I say? You can’t top perfection:

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little Why the gods above me, who must be in the know Think so little of me, they allow you to go

I dare you to listen to this track without weeping over the Nace of it all. Enjoy!

Well, Drewds, we’re just past the halfway mark of Season 4 and this post is already a novel, so I’m going to stop here for now. What did you think of my picks? Any you think I missed?

I’ll do a Part 2 as long as I get a few notes on this one 😂 . It will feature more classic songs that represent Nancy and Ace as they head into the back half of the season. I know it’s going to get rough ahead, but I promise the music will be sweet.

Update: Part 2 is here!

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drivergemini · 2 years

Text

california sun :: b.h.

summary: max always told stories about a brother she left in california. who knew that leaving hawkins after high school would bring y/n straight to the legend himself.

warnings: story is not canon compliant, non supernatural au, few swears, max loves billy and billy isn’t an arrogant asshole, y/n is just a little airheaded but only if you read into it

word count: 1694

she remembered the sad look in the redhead’s eyes when she first met her. maxine mayfield was her name. she remembers opening the door and seeing the two gingers standing in front of her. maxine was the first and only girl y/n ever baby sat. she was only 13 at the time, but the older redheaded woman seemed desperate to be alone without her 7 year old daughter.

she remembered sitting across the dining room table from maxine. she made her a plate of chicken nuggets and mac & cheese. she watched as she pushed around the food on her plate, scraping the metal fork against the ceramic.

“so maxine...” y/n broke the silence.

“max. my name is max.” the girl’s piercing blue eyes looked right as y/n. she stopped moving her forced.

“where are you from i’ve never seen you before.”

max sets down the fork. “california, southern california.”

y/n perked up. even at a young age she knew that no one in their right mind would move to hawkins, especially not from a place like that. “it’s always been, my dream to live in california!”

“mine too...” may looked back down at the plate of food. “i wish we never moved here.”

she heard a small sniffle come from max. “hey hawkins isn’t too bad. there’s so many great stuff here.”

“but there’s no billy.” max whispered to herself.

“there’s no who?”

“billy. i miss him so so much.” she started to grip the table. “he was the coolest and he listened to the coolest music and had the coolest hair. he let me shave it off for him. and he knew how to surf and he told me that his mom taught him to surf and he taught me how to surf. and he was my favorite person in the whole world.” max’s words faltered near the end.

“so billy is your..?”

“he’s my brother. well not really said my mom but i think he’s still my brother.” max went on about how her mom and billy’s dad were married and then they weren’t married.

soon enough they found themselves sitting in the living room, max still going on and on about her cool older brother.

“you know i would do anything to take you with me max.” y/n pinched her cheek.

“ew you’re like a grandma.” max laughed and opened her arms up for a hug. “i wish i could come to college with you.”

“in a few years you could try and come to cali for college too and maybe we could even live together.” y/n sang the last part. never in her life did she expect her best friend to be 4 years younger than her but here they were.

“hey y/n... if you see happen to see billy can you tell him i miss him?”

she squeezed her friend tighter “of course max.”

whatever she expected from college, she did not get. y/n found herself in a small dorm with a roomate who wasn’t too fond of small town girls. she spent so much time at the library or working at the campus smoothie bar just to get away from her.

y/n scanned the shelves of the non fiction section to find a book on da vinci’s ideas on anatomy. she didn’t realize studying art history would require a lot of, well studying.

she stood on her tip toes when she found it. before she could reach it, she saw a toned arm out of the corner of her eye. the arm grabbed the exact book she was looking for.

she turned her head to see a tall, muscular man handing her the book. she looked at his blond tied back mullet and opened her mouth to speak.

“is this the book you were trying to get?” he voice was husky, but it wasn’t low.

she continued to just stare at the man before her. wow y/n creepy move on your behalf.

“um- uh- yeah. i um- thanks.” she took the book out of his hand.

“you’re welcome i always try and help when pretty girls are in need.” he smirked. jesus were people in this state so bold to just share their feelings.

y/n’s face turned red. “i- thank you. you are also very pretty.” shit. really y/n? pretty? that’s the best you can come up with?

the blond chuckled slightly. “i do consider myself a pretty fella.” he held out his hand for her to shake. “i’m william.”

“y/n.” she shook his hand feeling the hard callouses against his palms.

“so this might be a long shot, but do you want to go down to the beach with me?” y/n thought to herself that going to the beach with a man she just met was dangerous. but then again, this stranger was beautiful.

“yeah sure.” this was a weird scenario that she would never be in. but something in her mind was telling her that she should go with william.

they ended up on the sands of the santa monica pier. she watched as the blond stripped off his shirt and placed his butt on the sand right next to her. the sun glared against his tanned and toned body. y/n wanted to run her fingers over his shoulders.

william took the sunglasses that sat on his face and placed them on his head. “so did you grow up in california?”

“no absolutely not. indiana. a small town called hawkins.” she made a hand gesture at the name of her town, like she was presenting something magnificant. “did you grow up here?”

“yup. true california boy. surfing and smoking is basically my only personality.”

y/n nudged into his body and laughed. “i wish i knew how to surf. my best friend back in hawkins always talked about how she loved to surf when she was younger. do you think you’d be able to teach me?”

“woahhhh, first date is going so well that you already are asking for a second?” he let out a fake shocked look.

“well that depends, are you gonna teach me for free or are you going to make me pay you?” y/n raised her eyebrows.

“i know one way you could pay me right now.” william placed his hand on her cheek and leaned towards her face. they met in the middle and he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

y/n felt her face get slightly hot. “jesus i have never even seen you surf how do i know your a good teacher?”

“i have been surfing since i could remember. and i have taught surfing before if you’d like to know. and she was the one of the most bad ass bitch i have ever met to this day.”

“oooooo she?” y/n teased poking his arm.

“uh uh calm down. she is my little sister, or at least was my sister. she was a classic california boy, surfing and skating. except you know, in like a tiny little human.” he looked towards the ocean. “she was the best. but she moved to god knows where.”

“i’m sorry that sounds like it sucks. when’s the last time you talked to her?” she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“i’m honestly not even sure. maybe when i was in high school?” he let out a heavy sigh. “her name was maxine.” he let out the last sentence like she was dead.

y/n shot up. “billy?! billy hargrove?!” she looked at the blond before her with a face of confusion.

“excuse me? do you know who i am?” the blond’s face was slightly painted with fear.

“know you? know you?! how am i so dumb! how didn’t i connect it?” she stood up and pointed at him. “you’re max’s brother! the one she told me about?”

at the sound of his sisters name he also stood up. “you know max?” he felt like he was going to throw up, but in a good exciting way. “i swear you better not be fucking with me.”

“max is my best friend! i basically raised max mayfield. she moved to hawkins with her mom after california”

william’s face sported a more excited look. “oh my god i can’t believe you know max!” he got so excited that he hugged y/n, lifting her into the air and spinning her around. “can you tell me about her? and what she’s been up to?”

“of course i can.” y/n smiled at the boy and leaned in for another kiss. ‘

billy and y/n giggled as the phone rang, shushing each other when the the other end answered. they both wore thick sweaters to deal with the cold indiana air.

“mayfield residence. max speaking.” she could hear a bored max on the other end.

“max it’s y/n!”

“y/n?! jesus i was wondering when you were gonna call again. i was beginning to think you forgot about me.”

“forget about you? i’m back in hawkins for winter break! can i come see you?”

“you’re back? and you didn’t tell me? get over hear right now before i kick your ass.” y/n could hear max laugh and then the receiver click.

both adults ran outside to the blue camaro they drove from california and headed over to the mayfield house.

billy was playing rock loudly through the speakers, looking over at y/n ever so often. he would smile at her in between the lyrics.

when he pulled into the driveway of the house, he felt his palms get slightly sweaty.

“you’ll be okay.” y/n squeezed his hand which was instantly relieving.

y/n entered the house first, billy could hear the squeals and jumping of the two girls. he couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

“a boyfriend? and he’s here?” billy heard faintly. he felt this was his cue to walk through the door.

max’s mouth hung open, eyes wide as saucers.

“max this is my boyfriend...”

“billy?????” max blurted out. billy smiled wide and opened his arms for a hug. max ran into his arms and squeezed him so hard billy didn’t know if she’d let go.

it wasn’t sunny california, but maybe hawkins wasn’t so bad.

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove x reader #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things series #billy hargrove angst #fluff #angst #billy hargove imagine

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doll-elvis · 11 months

Note

Do you consider the memphis mafia trustworthy sources on Elvis? Idk if I always believe some of the stuff they’ve said about elvis

thank you so much for this ask!! I have way too much to say about this topic, therefore I apologize in advance for how long this is 🤧

firstly I think it’s important to clarify who the Memphis Mafia actually consisted of: based on what they themselves have said, it was Red West, Sonny West, Alan Fortas, Marty Lacker, Lamar Fike, and Billy Smith

I was confused why people like Jerry Schilling, Charlie Hodge, Joe Esposito, Larry Geller, George Klein, etc. etc. weren’t technically considered Memphis Mafia until I learned that Elvis’ entourage were categorized into two groups, the Memphis Mafia, and the others

I also really recommend for every fan to read Alanna Nash’s “Elvis and the Memphis Mafia” which is just an oral history from Billy Smith, Marty Lacker, and Lamar Fike

and then to watch the documentary, it is 5 hours but it’s so worth it, I’ve literally rewatched it at least 8 times at this point because it’s my favorite Elvis documentary 😩!!

youtube

I also want to say if you are going to read from one of them, you should try to read from all of them because they all have their own unique experience with Elvis and therefore all have their own viewpoints/opinions and biases *which is why it’s important to cross reference between them

For example in the Alanna Nash book there are several instances where Lamar Fike, Marty Lacker and Billy Smith all have a different opinion on something and you basically have to decide for yourself which one you agree with

I’m just going to be breaking down each Memphis Mafia member, as I’ve been fortunate enough to read each of their books, and say if I think they are trustworthy sources:

Lamar Fike: Personally, I think he is one of Memphis Mafia members that you really have to be cautious about. If y’all didn’t know he was Albert Goldman’s main source for that horrible book, “Elvis”. In Alanna Nash’s book, Lamar Fike spends a good majority of the time disagreeing with everything Goldman wrote, and said that Goldman would twist his words and retell things to fit his own agenda. He said “even though I was one of his main sources, and shared in the royalties, I couldn’t control Albert”. He admitted he did the book for money which is why I lost respect for Lamar because he knew that Albert was saying things that weren’t true and that the book’s main purpose was to make Elvis look bad. I would also be cautious of Lamar because he tends to twist reality just a little bit and over exaggerate things. For example whenever he tells the story of Elvis and Priscilla meeting, he always says that it was he who introduced them “Elvis this is Priscilla, Priscilla this Elvis”. But no one else who was in the room has told it that way, Lamar just inserted himself into the scene (he also once said she was 13 when we obviously know she was 14). So yeah I would really recommend to cross reference everything Lamar says before believing it. He just tells things in a really blunt (and lowkey funny💀) way, which makes it interesting insight, but from what I have also seen he is more than willing to exaggerate things just to be able to tell a “better” story

Marty Lacker: I really really enjoy reading his viewpoint and his book is one of my favorites out of the bunch however I think he too often lets his own biases affect his story telling. This man really really really hated Priscilla 😭 So much so that every time he talked about her it was in a negative light. I’m not saying Priscilla is perfect, she has done many things I don’t agree with, however, none of these men knew what it was like to be in her shoes so I’m just wary of them placing so much blame on her when she was so young, and I find that Marty can be a little unsympathetic in that regard (but again I’m not saying that Priscilla hasn’t done things that deserve criticism). Also Marty Lacker wasn’t around in the late late 70s so I would just be cautious of anything he says about that time because he simply wasn’t there to know. But in general, beside his obvious biases, I would say he is a trustworthy source

Alan Fortas: He was the first Memphis Mafia member to pass away in 1992, we sadly didn’t get to hear too much from him, but I’m very grateful to have his book. Since he wasn’t around much in the late 60s and not at all in the 70s, his best stories come from the 50s and early-mid 60s. He provides a really unique insight especially when it comes to Priscilla and Elvis because he was more or less her chauffeur when she first came to the United States. He also knew Frances Forbes, Gloria Mowell, Heidi Heissen and Arlene Cogan and spends a decent chunk of his book talking about them. I can’t say it is in a way that looks good for Elvis because Alan really disagreed with those relationships, even though he said he knew nothing s*xual was going on, he genuinely couldn’t fathom why Elvis, who could have any woman he wanted, wanted to spend time with teenage girls, including Priscilla. But nothing in his book I found to be untrue and everything he says corresponds with what other has said, plus he has some really great stories about the movie-making times and his beloved chimpanzee, Scatter (I know it was Elvis’ technically but Alan was his real mom lmao) but I overall trust him as well

Red and Sonny West: I’m about to get controversial; I think these are two men, that as Elvis fans, we have been a little too critical of. It’s not fair to completely write off their experiences with Elvis just because of the book they did, which in retrospect, doesn’t say anything different from what the other Memphis Mafia men have said, it was just horribly timed. But I do want to clarify that I don’t support their decision on writing “Elvis: What happened” in 1977 and at the end of the day I will always support Elvis over anybody else. As for their credibility, Red West has one of the most important perspectives imo because he was literally the first Memphis Mafia member. He was with Elvis in highschool, in Germany, during the movies, during the comeback special, during Vegas, during the American tours, he only wasn’t there for the very last year of Elvis’ life. Unlike some of the other men here, he never stopped being with Elvis, except for of course the end. I have read the book he did in 1977 and I have watched tons of his interviews and I’ve personally never come across a story that wasn’t told/referenced by another Memphis Mafia member. I do think he is trustworthy in that sense but I think he has gotten very defensive in the past and is willing to throw Elvis under the bus in order to protect his image. I feel like it is the same thing with Sonny West. These men felt betrayed by Elvis, they got fired, and they both definitely harbored vengeful feelings for a while so you have to take that into account when listening to their stories. For example when they talked about how Elvis hired h00kers in the 1977 book they didn’t mention that they were also cheating on their wives and actually slept with the hired girls while Elvis only wanted to watch the girls simulate lesbian s*x. In that book especially, they often conveniently left out that they indulged in the same kind of behavior Elvis did. But with age, I think they both mellowed out and ultimately realized that they betrayed Elvis also, and they have both said they have regretted the book. The documentary I linked above really helped me understand their perspective more, and while things ended badly between Elvis and them, I do think both parties still cared about each other. So while both of their perspectives are very important (and I think Red was one of Elvis’ truest friends), I wouldn’t fully trust anything they have said until I checked another source to confirm

Billy Smith: He is sadly the only Memphis mafia member still with us and he still makes videos answering questions on the YouTube channels Elvis fans matter and Memphis Mafia kid. I really do enjoy reading Billy’s perspective and he is one of the few people who were with Elvis from the very beginning (childhood) to the very end. But Billy rarely actually went on tour with Elvis and he also wasn’t around for most of the movie time, so his best stories are about his times with Elvis at Graceland imo. They had such a special relationship and I think Billy was the closest thing Elvis had to a brother (y’all have to read about the oath he and Elvis took, it almost made me cry😭). However this man, like anyone, is not without his biases. When reading the Alanna Nash book you can see that Billy’s main purpose is to protect Elvis and the Smith family so much so that I think he denies some things solely because he believes it will make his family look bad. For example when in the book they talked about how Gladys may have had some Jewish blood in her, Billy Smith who is Gladys’ nephew, just shot that down right away. I didn’t think much of it until Billy Smith later on admitted in the book he was slightly prejudiced against black people and jewish people because of how he was raised. But that book was also in the 90s and I haven’t seen him speak in the way since so hopefully he has changed. This man really hated Priscilla, and especially hated Ginger, so take into account these biases as well. For example, in the Nash book, he was dead set on saying that Ginger called the national enquirer after Elvis passed away. Many fans believe this also but there is just no proof to support it. If you are someone who hates Ginger because you believe she called the enquirer (I did too at one point), I really recommend reading this https://elvisdecoded.com/2021/03/13/the-ginger-hit-job/

Another reason to be slightly cautious of Billy Smith is that his opinions have changed so much since the Alanna Nash book 😭 Like how I said he hated Priscilla and Ginger, that seems to be no longer the case, at least on his YouTube channel. I was so surprised when he praised them both in the YouTube video “Elvis’ relationship secret”. He even said Ginger was good for Elvis and that she loved him- I was shook because he hated her in the 90s!!! But anyways-I would say he is trustworthy and he was no doubt one of the dearest people to Elvis’ heart but it’s always good to take into account biases, and cross reference everything

To wrap this up- They have all told the good, the bad and the ugly, and as fans of Elvis it can be hard to accept the “bad and ugly”(like was he sometimes completely unreasonable, demanding, and temperamental? yes! but do we still love him? yes!) These guys just have such a unique perspective and we are truly lucky that they have opened up their lives with Elvis to us, even if it is stories that we necessarily don’t want to accept. But there is not a single doubt in my mind that all these men loved Elvis, despite what some of them have done, and that Elvis loved all these men. The documentary I linked above has made me cry every time I have watched it because they all cried in it and something about grown men crying just hits me different okay 😭

also if anybody read all this kudos to you, I’m sorry for typing so much lmao 😩💗

#thank you for the ask<3!!#I need to learn how to get my point across with less words😭#but I hope this helped!!#I would love to know what y’all think about them also #elvis presley #elvisaaronpresley #elvis #memphis mafia #Lamar fike #marty Lacker #Alan Fortas #red west #Sonny west #Billy smith #Elvis history #Elvis asks

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nameless-ken · 2 months

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Billy and insecure plus size ginger reader who is embarrassed by her gingerness.

Hope you all know how beautiful you are, no matter what anyone says <3

Hope you like this, thank you for the request!

Check out my masterlist for more!

Embracing The Mirror

You stand before the mirror, your reflection casting doubt upon your every feature. The dim light accentuates the curves of your body, the fullness of your cheeks, and the fiery hue of your hair. In your mind, these are not attributes to celebrate but rather reasons for embarrassment.

Billy enters the room, his presence a gentle reassurance amidst the storm of your insecurities. His eyes meet yours in the mirror, reflecting a warmth that melts away the chill of self-doubt. "Hey.”

You turn to face him, your gaze faltering before his unwavering support. "Hey," you respond, your voice laced with uncertainty.

He steps closer, closing the distance between you. "You know," he begins, his words deliberate and sincere, "there's something incredibly beautiful about you."

Your heart skips a beat, disbelief clouding your thoughts. "Beautiful?" you echo, the word feeling foreign coming from your lips.

Billy nods, his eyes never leaving yours. "Yes, beautiful," he affirms, his voice unwavering. "Your hair, it's like flames dancing in the wind. And those curves," he gestures towards your figure, "they tell a story of strength and resilience."

You find yourself speechless, his words penetrating the walls you've built around your self-esteem. "But... I'm not like the others," you murmur, your insecurity bubbling to the surface.

Billy shakes his head, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "And that's what makes you special," he says, his voice soft but firm. "You're not like the others because you're uniquely you. And trust me, that's something worth celebrating."

Tears well up in your eyes, emotions swirling within your chest. For the first time in a long while, you allow yourself to believe his words. With a shaky breath, you meet your reflection once more, seeing not flaws but a canvas of beauty waiting to be embraced.

"Thank you," you whisper, your voice filled with newfound confidence.

Billy smiles, his gaze never faltering. "Always," he replies, his presence a beacon of light in the darkness of your doubts.

As you stand there, basking in the warmth of Billy's words. With a shy smile, you reach out to touch his hand, feeling the electric connection between your fingertips.

"You're not just beautiful," Billy murmurs, his voice barely above a whisper, "you're extraordinary."

The intensity of his gaze sends a shiver down your spine, igniting a flame of passion within you. Without another word, he closes the distance between you, his lips brushing against yours in a tender caress.

Time seems to stand still as you melt into his embrace, the weight of your insecurities dissipating with each gentle kiss. In his arms, you feel safe, cherished, desired—all the things you've yearned for but never thought possible.

As the kiss lingers, a gentle breeze sweeps through the room from your open window, carrying with it the scent of blossoming flowers from the flower box hanging below. It's as if the universe itself is affirming the connection between you and Billy, blessing this moment of vulnerability and tenderness.

Breaking the kiss, Billy cups your face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that have pooled in your eyes. "I mean every word," he whispers, his breath warm against your skin. "You're more beautiful than you realize."

You lean into his touch, savoring the sensation of his hands against your skin. "Thank you for seeing me," you confess, your voice trembling with emotion.

Billy's eyes soften with understanding, a silent promise of unwavering support. "I'll always see you," he vows, his voice filled with sincerity.

In this moment, you realize that beauty isn't just about appearances; it's about finding someone who sees you for who you truly are and loves you all the more for it.

With Billy by your side, you know that you're not just embracing the mirror but also the love that blooms between you—a love that transcends insecurities and fills your heart with a newfound sense of belonging.

#namelessken requests #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x you #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #billy hargrove blurb #billy hargrove stranger things #billy stranger things #stranger things billy hargrove #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove angst #stranger things billy #billy hargrove x fem!reader #billy hargrove x female reader

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trinitorettotrabanqueta · 2 months

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Fandom Trumps Hate - 2024 offerings

Hey, everyone! I signed up as a writer for 'a few' fandoms. Here's the info:

Trinipedia Auction

Type of fanwork: Written fanwork Subtype(s): fan fiction (new) Fandom(s): Slam Dunk, Hazbin Hotel, One Piece, Kingsman, Marvel: Avengers, Captain America, Daredevil, Deadpool, Falcon & Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Marvel Comics, Moon Knight, Spider-Man (live action), Venom, X-Men, DC: Peacemaker, Top Gun Movies, Suits, Stranger Things Highest rating: E Length/scope: 10 - 20k words. Minimum Bid: $5

Especially interested in: Alternate universe, amnesia, soulmates, time travel, time loop, mistaken identity, fake relationship, arranged marriage, secrets, first time, BDSM, drag queens, strippers, bar/diner owner, dancers, musicians, reality TV, enemies to lovers, bodyswap, tattoo parlor, coffee shop au, movie/tv shows/book rewritings, superpowers, mind reading, fantasy creatures, angst with a happy ending, sexuality crisis, internalized homophobia, meeting in chat, A/B/O, shapeshifting, misunderstandings, undercover, dubcon Slam Dunk: Sakuragi/Rukawa, Sendoh/Mitsui, Akagi/Kogure, Maki/Nobu Hazbin Hotel: Husk/Angel, Valentino/Angel, Lucifer/Alastor, Sir Pentious/Alastor, Sir Pentious/Angel One Piece: Luffy/Zoro, Helmeppo/Koby, Sanji/Zoro, Mihawk/Zoro, Luffy/Sanji Kingsman: Harry/Eggsy, Whiskey/Tequila, Merlin/Ginger (as secondary pairing, no smut), Lancelot/Ginger (as secondary pairing, no smut) Marvel: Steve/Bucky, Rumlow/Bucky, Zemo/Bucky, Tony/Peter, Wade/Peter, Wade/Colossus, Wade/Ajax, Tony/Bruce, Pyro/Iceman, Mr. Fantastic/Johnny Storm, Clint/Pietro, Marc Spector/Steven Grant, Venom/Eddie Brock, Venom/Spiderman Peacemaker: Chris/Adrian Top Gun: Rooster/Hangman, Rooster/Maverick, Maverick/Iceman, Harvard/Yale, Coyote/Bob Suits: Harvey/Mike Stranger Things: Steve/Eddie, Andy/Garreth, Mike/Will (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jonathan/Argyle (as secondaru pairing, no smut), Nancy/Robin (as secondary pairing, no smut), Robin/Vickie (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jonathan/Nancy (as secondary pairing, no smut), Jason/Eddie, Billy/Gator (character from Fargo) might be persuaded to write Steve/Billy or Eddie/Billy

Unwilling to address: Femslash, Het pairings, original characters, reader insert, gen stories, pre-slash, deathfic, unhappy endings, cheating, humiliation, scat, foot kink violence, threesome, polyamory, established relationship, permanent injury, mpreg, trans characters, genderswap, aging up or de-aging, first person, second person, original characters, miscarriage:

If possible, no pairings out of the ones I listed.

Other notes: I write slash stories, most of the time AUs, with high ratings and a lot of angst but they all have a happy ending.

Special interests: Canonically trans or nonbinary characters, Racebending, Ambiguous endings

My page:

#fandom trumps hate #ao3 writer #stranger things #kingsman #slam dunk #teen wolf #hawaii five 0 #hazbin hotel #marvel cinematic universe #one piece #peacemaker

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olive-gardens-breadstick · 2 years

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random dc headcanons go!

most of them are batfam sorry lol

every time beast boy changes form he has to active stay alert as not to completely adopt its nature and stay focused on the fight not the rapid change of chemicals flowing through him

pink kryptonite makes jon aroace

martha wayne was native french and did the one parent one language thing so when bruce thinks about his mom a hint of french slips into his voice

following the last one, bruce learned two different types of english (american and british) so his natural speaking voice is a bit of an abomination (his fathers new jersey accent and alfred’s british + the french it’s a nightmare)

and frequently switches between american and british spelling bc alfred helped with his homework after thomas and martha died

billy still has some enhanced elements to him when he’s not shazam ie; he’s a lil too strong, is randomly a lil bit more insightful than usual etc., not enough for anyone he knows or even himself to notice but it catches adult strangers of guard when a random 12 yo gives really relationship advice that they just have to take bc they know he’s right

before bruce was born martha and thomas had 3 cats they named snap crackle and pop (they were orange (ginger snap) black (with a distinct white pattern that looked like lightning) and white (pop corn))

the cats died when bruce was in highschool (they were close in age and went one right after the other) and he took it just as hard as his parents death bc he lost one of the last things he had left of them

when bruce learned how much jason loved to read he took him to a) the five story barns & noble and b) the book store in oregon that is legitimately a block and just let him lose resulting in the manners library

kara doesn’t like the chunks of garlic in food so she makes her own sauce and uses garlic powder

conner may have clark’s hair and eye brows but is smooth literally everywhere else, not even peach fuzz on his face, no leg or arm hair, everyone he meets in civilian form thinks he gets waxed

barry can find his way anywhere if you give him street names (he’s on callahan going towards cherry) but cannot tell the difference between his left and rights (he turned right! *heavy sigh* your other right,man)

martian man hunter can’t read bruce’s mind, not bc of some moral standpoint he just… can’t. it stresses him out

knowing this bruce will give him a smile when he know j’onn is trying to get in his head it always chills his bones

after they got married selina “found” a few pictures of bruce with the cats ( baby to teen) and cried for a good 2 hrs about it and when bruce say her crying and asked her what was wrong she just said he looked so sweet in every picture

tim and bruce did (and still do just not as often) escape rooms every weekend when bruce made tim robin he said it was to sharpen his skills but really he just liked seeing how excited tim got when he solved one of the puzzles

tim’s comfort games are ace attorney and professor layton (bruce got him the first games of both and a ds one christmas and he instantly fell in love with them) he’s also played dangonrompa (which bruce got him a ps vita for)

after he found out tim had a ds jason gets him a stupidly easy and shallow shovel ware game as a gag gift for his stocking

oliver and bruce were super close before oliver’s cruise ship crashed and they both still have eachother as their emergency contacts

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scarlet--wiccan · 11 months

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So. This could be a throwaway panel I’m reading too much into, but I think they’re implying/retconning in that mother righteous had something to do with Billy and Tommy circa their initial comic book introduction—she shows up in the nursery of what appears to be twin toddler boys with reddish-brown hair that are wearing blue and green*. Whether she had some specific role to play in that particular story or was just like, observing them is unclear, but it’d made me wonder if you had any thoughts on MR as a character in case they decide to expand on this.

(*maybe the kids are someone else, I’m not sure. It seems obvious to me but also like a really deep cut for anyone who isn’t obsessed with Wanda and her kids. I assume that’s why sometimes Tommy has white hair in flashbacks/photos from then now. With how Wanda currently looks idk why anyone who didn’t read WCA would go “ah these pale gingers are the children of a Romani woman”)

Do you think you could, like, maybe tell me which issue this "throwaway panel" appears in? Because I have no clue what you're talking about, and if it's really such a small moment, do you expect me to sift through all of this character's appearances just to find it?

Include a screencap or cite the comic. I just skimmed through a few issues and didn't find anything, and I don't really have time for this. I'm sorry if I'm forgetting something major here, but it doesn't sound like I am.

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the-rewatch-rewind · 1 year

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This movie is very weird, but I love it so much.

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane and this is the podcast where I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in a 20-year period. Today I will be discussing number 23 on my list: Paramount Pictures’ 1942 comedy The Major and the Minor, directed by Billy Wilder, written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder, suggested by a play by Edward Childs Carpenter from a story by Fanny Kilbourne, and starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland.

Fed up after a year in New York, approximately 30-year-old Susan Applegate (Ginger Rogers) decides to return home to Stevenson, Iowa. Unfortunately, train fare has increased significantly since she arrived in New York, and she doesn’t have enough saved for a ticket home. Desperate, she disguises herself as a child (turning 12 next week) so she can get a half-fare ticket. After she’s on the train, the conductors get suspicious, so she hides in the drawing room of military academy instructor Major Phillip Kirby (Ray Milland), who completely believes that she’s a child in trouble and lets her stay in his compartment overnight. In the morning, the train has been stopped due to flooding near Phillip’s station, so his fiancée Pamela Hill (Rita Johnson) drives to the train to pick him up. Finding a woman in his compartment, Pamela assumes that Phillip has cheated on her and storms away before he has a chance to explain. So Susan (or “Sue-Sue” as she decides it would be more childlike to go by) accompanies Phillip to his school to clear up the misunderstanding, and gets caught up in more drama there.

This was the very first movie I wrote down in 2003 when I decided to start keeping track of the movies I watched. I’m pretty sure I had seen it before because I remember getting it from the library very early in my foray into Old Hollywood, and it had quickly become one of my favorites. I saw it 3 times in 2003, once in 2004, twice in 2005, once in 2006, once in each year from 2008 through 2011, twice in 2012, then once each in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022. Given that I was around Sue-Sue’s age the first time I watched it, and I’m now older than Ginger Rogers was when she filmed it, my perception of this movie has understandably evolved. As an actual 12-year-old, I mostly watched it just to make fun of the adults who clearly had no memory of what it was like to be 12, and to remind myself to stay in touch with my child self so I would never get to that point. I’m pretty sure I’ve succeeded in that. As I got slightly older, I started recognizing and appreciating how well-developed the characters are for such a silly movie. I remember as an older teen really wanting a sequel or a series or some other way to just keep hanging out with these characters. And as an adult, I’m still discovering new layers to the story and message. So I don’t think I will ever get tired of rewatching it.

As I’m sure you’ve already concluded from my synopsis, this movie has one of the most bizarre plots ever, and absolutely would not be made today. I promise it is way better than it sounds, but parts of it are very disturbing if you think about them too hard. In particular, there’s a scene when Phillip walks into a faculty meeting (which Pamela is also attending, along with her father who is the head of the academy) as he’s about to be fired in disgrace and reveals that the “woman” that Pamela found in his compartment is a 12-year-old girl. Everybody is so relieved because clearly that implies that nothing improper happened, which is very much what should be implied, and is accurate in this case. Still, I feel like hearing, “Yes, darling, I spent the night with another woman, but don’t worry, it’s okay because she’s only 12” would not actually be very reassuring. It's also incredibly strange that not a single adult in this film – with the possible exception of the conductors – has any concept of what 12-year-olds act like. When she’s playing Sue-Sue, Susan tends to adopt the voice and vocabulary of a toddler or kindergartener, and most other people just kind of accept that as normal. When Phillip first meets her, he asks if she knows the alphabet – like, come on! She’s 12, not 2! The movie itself does address this, though, through the character of Lucy Hill (played by Diana Lynn), Pamela’s younger sister who is actually around 12 (the actress was really 15 but close enough) and sees through “Sue-Sue” instantly. When they’re alone together for the first time, Susan tries to keep up her charade by admiring Lucy’s goldfish: “Lookit the ones with the flopsy-wopsy tails, and the one sticking his nose up, he wants his din-din” until Lucy can’t take it anymore and says, “Stop your baby talk. You’re not 12 just because you’re acting like 6” and it’s like THANK YOU! FINALLY someone said it. It kind of feels to me like this movie is trying to show how quickly many adults forget what it’s really like to be young, and that it’s supposed to be ridiculous that anybody believes that Susan is a child. I’m not sure if that was the actual intention of the filmmakers, but if you watch it through that lens the movie makes a lot more sense.

Even though she doesn’t look or act anything like an almost-12-year-old, Ginger Rogers’s performance is hands-down my favorite aspect of this movie. As I’ve mentioned before, she’s one of my faves, so I’ve seen and loved her in a ton of movies, and this is, in my opinion, her best performance. In some ways, it’s similar to her role in Monkey Business in that she pretends to be younger than she is part of the time, but the difference is her Monkey Business character is under the influence of a formula that makes her truly believe she is young, whereas Susan Applegate knows she’s pretending. As ridiculous as she seems to us, we can tell that she feels even more ridiculous. Susan doesn’t want to act like a child; she just wants to get home, and Rogers conveys Susan’s exasperation through Sue-Sue’s smiles so well. Part of why she wanted to make this film, and perhaps part of why she’s so convincing in this role, was because before she had become rich and famous, she had in fact lied about her age when traveling by train with her mother because they could only afford half fare. She probably wasn’t quite as silly about it in real life, but it seems like her experience helped her find the truth amid the silliness. There’s also the romantic aspect, which overall I don’t think works particularly well – more on that in a bit – but I do think Ginger Rogers does an excellent job of portraying how much Susan cares for Phillip and also how conflicted she feels about it, both because he’s engaged to someone else and because she needs him to believe that she’s way too young for him. The plot may be absurd, but the character of Susan is surprisingly layered and complex, and Ginger brings her to life in the best possible way, nailing every moment of her performance and making this movie far more enjoyable than it has any right to be.

Of course, this was greatly aided by the script and directing, but that’s partly thanks to Ginger Rogers as well. Billy Wilder had previously co-directed one film in France and had written quite a few screenplays – several in collaboration with Charles Brackett – but he had never directed a Hollywood film before. Rogers was a huge star at the time, and had just won an Oscar, so she had the power to choose her directors, and after meeting with Wilder and hearing the pitch she agreed that he was the right director for this project, and thus began his extremely successful Hollywood directorial career. This is obviously one of his lesser-known films, but I feel like both the directing and writing are just as good as one would expect from a Billy Wilder film. While some of the storylines are very odd, most of the dialogue is excellent. Wilder and Brackett wrote the script with my main fave Cary Grant in mind for the role of Phillip Kirby, but one evening Billy Wilder found himself stopped at a red light next to Ray Milland and asked him if he’d like to be in the new picture he was making, and Milland said, “Sure,” so Wilder sent him the script and he liked it, so he was cast instead. I would of course have loved to see Cary Grant in this film, but Milland did a great job, for the most part. There’s a scene between him and Rogers when Phillip is trying to explain the birds and the bees – or the lightbulbs and the moths – to Sue-Sue, and it is incredibly awkward, and based on the words they’re saying should be painful to watch, but both actors absolutely sell that cringe comedy and it’s one of my favorite scenes.

But although the leads have excellent comedic chemistry, their romantic chemistry is basically non-existent. It kind of has to be, since for most of the movie he thinks she’s a child and it would be really creepy if he showed romantic interest in her. I know that as an aromantic I’m unusual in that I would like most movies better if they had less romance, but for this one in particular, I feel like it’s reasonable to not want Phillip and Susan to end up together that way. I do appreciate that his fiancée Pamela is a villain not merely because she stands in the way of the main characters getting together, as so often happens with love triangles, but because she’s actively trying to sabotage Phillip’s military career behind his back. Notably, this movie takes place in May of 1941, so after the start of World War II, but before Pearl Harbor, so there’s lots of debate amongst the characters about whether the US is going to enter the war. (Of course, by the time it was filmed in early 1942, everybody knew the answer.) Major Kirby wants to be part of the action if that happens, and the reason he’s on the train when Susan meets him is because he’s gone to Washington to try to get transferred away from the school to active duty. But Pamela doesn’t want her man to go off to war, which is reasonable, but instead of talking to him about it, she writes letters behind his back to people in high places telling them how valuable he is in the job he doesn’t like. So clearly it’s not a very healthy relationship. Pamela’s sister Lucy enlists Susan to help thwart Pamela’s plans, which she does, and Phillip gets the transfer he was hoping for. And that’s great and all, but Susan didn’t have to be in love with him to help him out. But apparently she is, and Pamela figures that out before she gets a chance to tell Phillip, so Pamela forces Susan to leave, threatening to ruin Phillip if she doesn’t. The confrontation scene between the two woman is pretty great – both Ginger Rogers and Rita Johnson give excellent performances, and they seem like actual rational humans instead of breaking down into hysterical cattiness as too many movies would have forced them to do. At that point I guess we do want Susan to end up with Phillip if only to spite Pamela. And I do love the scene when Phillip shows up in Iowa on his way to report for duty on the west coast. After trying and failing to explain the situation to her mother (played by Ginger Rogers’s actual mother Lela Rogers), Susan decides to pretend to be Sue-Sue’s mother herself. It’s a very funny scene, especially when Phillip remarks on the astonishing resemblance between her and her daughter, and she earnestly states, “Sue-Sue has her father’s nose.” Then Phillip reveals that Pamela has married someone else, which prompts Susan to show up on the train platform, dressed in age-appropriate clothes and using her normal voice, and let him know without using so many words that Sue-Sue was her the whole time. And then they go off to elope to Nevada. So like…I guess that’s okay, but it’s still very weird.

It's also very weird how all the cadets at the school are constantly hitting on Sue-Sue. Most of them seem to be around 14-16 years old, so if she was actually 12 that would be incredibly inappropriate, although I guess nobody ever announces how old she’s supposed to be, and she very much looks older than 12, so it’s not entirely unreasonable for them to assume that she’s about their age. But of course she’s actually around 30, and finds it highly unpleasant to be hit on by teenagers. So calling this aspect weird is not a criticism of the movie; it’s definitely aware of the weirdness. And to a certain extent, it feels like this movie is deliberately calling out male entitlement. The reason Susan decides to leave New York is because in the opening scene, she’s trying to give a man a scalp massage and he will not stop hitting on her until she literally spreads raw egg all over his face. And then he’s going to report her for being unprofessional, after he was literally trying to sleep with her. Later when she’s pretending to be a child at the train station, she offers a man 50 cents to pretend to be her father and buy her ticket, but he takes $3 from her and also tries to hit on her (she kicks him in the shin). Once she’s at the academy, as she’s eating lunch she learns that the boys at her table have made a schedule so they each get to spend an hour with her, without giving her any say in the matter. Then the first one tricks her into a position so he can kiss her without her consent. The other boys are upset that she knows better than to let them do the same, and later the one who kissed her even has the audacity to be mad at her for running away without letting him kiss her again. Then there’s a school dance when several of the students cross boundaries that she has to push back against. And even when she gets home to Stevenson, the man who wants to marry her throws a tantrum because she’s clearly not into him anymore. When Phillip calls to say he’s in town, she assumes it’s that guy, and as she goes to answer the phone she’s practicing apologizing, even though he was the one who threw a rock to break her porch light. It’s like, no wonder she’s interested in Phillip; he’s literally the only man who has ever respected her! Although in the awkward sex talk scene, Phillip does say that attractive girls are like lightbulbs and boys are like moths drawn to them, implying that they just can’t help themselves and this is the way things are, which is rather irritating. So the sexual harassment could definitely have been more explicitly condemned, but for a movie written by men in 1942, The Major and the Minor does a remarkable job of portraying the crap that so many women are forced to regularly deal with because men think they’re entitled to their bodies.

This movie also does a surprisingly good job of portraying female friendship. Despite their significant age gap, Susan and Lucy quickly develop a very sweet bond. Lucy is a great character to begin with – she’s observant and feisty and obsessed with biology, and I feel like she would make an excellent protagonist in some sort of junior mystery series. She’s also quite jaded for someone so young – perhaps from growing up surrounded by teenaged boys – and hates her sister, so she gets along perfectly with Susan. Since Lucy immediately sees through Sue-Sue, Susan has one person she can be herself around, which is helpful both to her and to the audience. They also make an excellent team when they come up with a plan to help Phillip get his transfer. And then when Susan is forced to leave, Lucy tries desperately to find a way to help, saying “You’re much more my sister than Pamela.” Later, the reason Phillip visits Susan in Stevenson is because Lucy made him promise to drop off a present from her to Sue-Sue, so she does find a way to help after all. I like to think that Lucy and Susan stay in touch after the events of the movie, and maybe Lucy even goes to live with Susan (and Phillip, assuming he survives the war) to get away from her toxic sister.

This movie is particularly fun to watch for Ginger Rogers fans not only because she gives such an excellent performance, and because we get to see her mother’s only on-screen appearance, but also because there are several jokes in the script that are only funny because Ginger Rogers is playing Susan. At this point, Rogers had made nine movies in which she danced with Fred Astaire, and although she had made many other films and had just won an Oscar for a non-dancing drama, dancing was, is, and shall always be what she’s best known for. Which makes it very funny when Phillip asks Sue-Sue if she can dance and she responds with “a little”, and when she’s showing off dance steps to a cadet and he replies with, “Adequate.” These jokes remind me of my first introduction to Ginger Rogers, as a child watching the 1965 Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella, in which she plays the queen, on VHS at my grandparents’ house. I distinctly remember one of the many times I watched it, when the king asked, “May I have this dance?” and the queen replied, “I was wondering when you were ever going to ask me,” my mom explained that that actress was a famous dancer and that’s why she said that. I didn’t fully understand at the time, but now that I’ve seen all of her films with Fred, I get it. As fun as these jokes are, however, it is a little sad to me that even when she got to play a kickass protagonist like Susan Applegate, she knew she’d always be thought of as “Fred Astaire’s partner”. At least now people acknowledge that “she did everything he did but backwards and in high heels” – thanks to a frequently-quoted Frank and Ernest cartoon from 1982.

Anyway, I’ll talk more about Fred and Ginger in a future episode. As for The Major and the Minor, if you can get past the strangeness of the premise, it’s an incredibly entertaining watch, with some decent and unfortunately still relevant commentary on how frustrating it can be to just exist with a female body in a patriarchal society.

Thank you for listening to me discuss another of my most-rewatched movies, and also Happy Pride Month! Remember to follow or subscribe for more episodes, and also remember that people on the aromantic and/or asexual spectrum belong at Pride; the A does not stand for Ally. I’ve got some fun guests lined up for the podcast later this month, but first I’ll be talking on my own about another old film that isn’t nearly as obscure as this one. As always, I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “I was born on the side of a hill.”

#the major and the minor #ginger rogers #ray milland #billy wilder #the rewatch rewind

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vocesincaput · 7 months

Text

ABOUT: James Flint

BIRTH NAME James McGraw

TAKEN NAME James Flint.

AGE 50 approx.

PLACE OF BIRTH London, England.

GENDER Male.

PRONOUNS He / Him.

SEXUAL PREFERENCE Gay.

RANK Captain, Lieutenant.

AFFILIATION(S) British Royal Navy (formerly), Thomas Hamilton, Miranda Barlow (Hamilton), John Silver, crew of The Walrus, Jack Rackham, Charles Vane, Anne Bonny, Billy Bones, Eleanor Guthrie.

FORMERLY @nolongermcgraw

APPEARANCE

HEIGHT 1.765mm / 5’11”.

HAIR Ginger.

EYES Green.

James was raised by his grandfather after his father, a carpenter, abandoned him following his mothers early death.

He has a tattoo of a crescent moon on his right arm.

James revealed that the reason he chose "Flint" as his alias when becoming a pirate was for a story his grandfather told him: when he was a boy on a ship, his grandfather saw a man climbing on the vessel, asking for food and water. James' ancestor gave them to him and asked for his name, being answered "Flint" before the mysterious man disappeared as fast as he came.

VERSES

OFMD

This is Jame's default verse here & will not be tagged as a verse. All of his story is the same except for things involving characters that are in both series (such as Blackbeard).

before sails

This verse covers anything and everything that takes place before the events of Black Sails, adapted to OFMD.

This includes James’ time in the British Navy, before that and when he first becomes a pirate.

during sails

This verse covers anything and everything that takes place during the timeline of Black Sails, adapted to OFMD.

It can follow canon events or start at a point in canon and go off into an alternative version of events.

after sails

This verse covers anything and everything that takes place following on from the events of Black Sails, adapted to OFMD.

modern verse

James McGraw was a member of the British Royal Navy until he was given a Dishonourable Discharge due to his relationship with another man (and other reasons, depending on individual verses/interactions).

Having lost everything, James had to find a way to start over. Taking on the name ‘James Flint’, he began to quickly learn the ways of being a conman. Taking on jobs that grew bigger and he subsequently gained a reputation of being good at what he did and ruthless when he needed.

#about: james flint #about: james mcgraw #muse: james flint #verses: james flint #verses: james flint : before sails #verses: james flint : during sails #verses: james flint : after sails #verses: james flint : modern #spoilers: james flint

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angstyyyangel · 8 months

Text

𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓭𝓸𝓵𝓵𝓼 ˗ˏˋ ୨♡୧ ˎˊ˗ 𝓲'𝓶 𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪. 𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓶𝓮 𝓿𝓲𝓿𝓲 <3 𝓲'𝓶 𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓷𝓮𝔀 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓼𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓮!! 𝓲 𝓭𝓮𝓬𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓰𝓮𝓽 𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓫𝓬 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓮𝓮 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝔂𝓹𝓮 𝔀𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓪𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓸 𝓯𝓪𝓻, 𝓲 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓻𝓮𝓽 𝓲𝓽. 𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓯𝓾𝓷.

i'm turning 18 this month.

i'm from alaska, ik pretty cool. i'm in oregon rn. i'm half european. my mom was fully european, and my dad was american obviously. at the end of the day, most americans have european roots, so even if ur european-american, ppl just see u as american 🙄 and tbh since i was born and raised in here and haven't visited europe, i don't really feel my roots that much, don't get me wrong i love my roots but i think i just got my dad's personality and mindset more, but i wanna visit europe so bad and get close to my roots!!

i like anything dark and weird. my aesthetic would be a mix of emo, coquette/morute and grunge/dark fairycore.

i listen to female artists like lana del rey, melanie martinez, ashnikko, clairo, marina, poppy, men i trust, girl in red, suki waterhouse, taylor swift, nicole dollanganger, lady gaga, avril lavigne, halsey, miley cyrus, billie eilish, honey gentry, banshee, kailee morgue, etc.

i listen to some male artists like mgk, corpse husband, role model, mac demarco, eyedress, mareux cavetown, yungblud, d4vd, lil peep, xxxtentacion, the weeknd.

i listen to a lot of bands/duos too, the neighborhood, chase atlantic, maneskin, my chemical romance, nirvana, deftones, linkin park, arctic monkeys, waterparks, paramore, evanescence, crystal castles, cults, etc are some of my favorites.

this is not all i listen to lol. i listen to almost everuthing soft/sad music, rap/hiphop, folkpop, 2000s music, weirdcore, latin music, etc. i love french and russian music too.

thrifting, baking, reading, journaling, sketching, watching horror movies, animated horror stories and true crime documentaries, listening to music, going out at night, etc r the things that bring me joy.

i also watch anime. another, mieruko chan, devils line, diabolik lovers, dance with devils, nana, death note, kemono jihen, phantom in the twilight, seraph of the end, rent a girlfriend, horimiya are by far some of the best animes i've watched. i've watched almost all the studio ghibli movies.

i love 2000s shows like tvd, gossip girl, gilmore girls, skins, pretty little liars, one tree hill, etc. and 2000's movies too (mean girls, clueless, not another teen movie, legally blonde, wild child, she's the man, what a girl wants, the crush, the girl next door, she's all that, the notebook.)

i'm a huge twilight stan. 🦇

my favorite movies are the virgin suicides, lolita, jennifer's body, gone girl, the love witch, girl interrupted, pearl, thirteen, black swan, ginger snaps, buffalo '66.

i like tv shows like the queens gambit, anne with an e, spinning out, dawson's creek, good witch, insatiable, shadowhunters, riverdale, chilling adventures of sabrina, i'm not okay with this, the society, deadly class, you, scream, the originals, fate: the winx saga, the end of the fucking world, the umbrella academy, the haunting, dahmer, clark, ratched, izombie, grand army, 13 reasons why, cobra kai, wednesday, elite, ragnarok, derry girls, baby, etc. i finished hemlock grove, teen wolf and the mist.

i have a list of almost all the movies i've watched but that's for another time.

i mostly watch supernatural/fantasy, horror/thriller, slasher/gruesome, psychological/mystery but i do watch romance/drama sometimes.

i don't watch comedy, only dark comedy/ deadpan.

i like sylvia plath.

i have a lot of celeb crushes but no 1. would be lily rose depp and bill skarsgård.

audrey hepburn is my role model.

i like watching yt too, i watch a lot of stuff. spooky stuff, comedy, vlogs, wieiad videos, a lot of food related stuff, edits. i like watching vogue beauty secrets. i listen to asmr, i'm sure u can imagine what kind 👁️👁️

sam and colby are my comfort youtubers. love jake's vlogs too.

some of my fave youtubers are kate brock, sadie crowell, sydney serena, sophia kleo, julia ayers, elle gibson, alia zaita, jazmin tyler, annika osterlund, blair walnuts, enya umanzor, eva meloche, joyish, fitgreenmind, isabela juliana, isabelle heikens, karissa love, alexandra andersson, romee strigd, kellymichalita, lani pliopa, lauren brodauf, leyla tavas, liezl jayne strydom, lydia campanelli, mina rome, olivia jade, oatmilkmakeup, rosie maio, etc.

i watch rebal d, duncanyounot, danny gonzalez, kurtis conner, chad chad, larray, ravon, alex meyers for laughs. benoftheweek and jordan cunningham is pretty good too.

what else can i say abt myself? here's some facts:

1. i'm obsessive, severely mentally deranged, delusional and unhinged.

2. i have 43 personalities.

3. basically a bimbo.

4. i love love love women.

5. i have a dark/dry humor.

6. silly, goofy, quirky and cursed is how i'd describe myself.

7. your local emo girl.

8. wanna be cool girl.

9. narcissist but also a self hater.

10. not a fact but you're gonna be in love with me.

11. i'm religious.

12. just a good girl that does bad things.

13. will destroy anything i come in contact with.

14. a hopeless romantic.

15. secretly a vampire 🤫🧛🏻‍♀️.

16. i don't play by the rules.

17. i don't bite unless you want me to.

18. unbothered and chic, that's how i like it.

19. can be a stubborn brat sometimes.

20. practically a grandma. (my friend said so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

21. i always need someone to tell me they're proud of me.

22. i love exploring and trying new things, making new friends so don't be shy.

23. i'm very open minded.

24. not secretive or mysterious, just misunderstood.

25. sometimes ppl can't tell if i'm being serious or sarcastic.

26. i suffer with depression and anxiety. i have a couple of mental disorders but bpd and ocd are the most serious and active ones. i have a bad temper. i'm indecisive and pretty impatient but working on that. i'm selfish and self-centered. easily bored.

27. some ppl say i give off serial killer vibes hmm.

28. my favorite color is black, guess i didn't even have to say it.

29. comfort food is banana bread. favorite is pasta.

30. i have a huge sweet tooth, i love sweets, baked goods, all of that. dark chocolate and snickers are two ways to my heart ❤️.

31. i'm lactose intolerant, but i just hate cows milk in general 🤢 i go for oat or almond milk but i like my coffee plain, black w nothing. i used to be a coffee addict, sometimes 6-7 cups a day but i stopped. i also drink tea, chamomile, green tea and earl grey is my top three. peppermint is pretty good too.

32. i don't like milk chocolate but some are good like kitkat, snickers, reese's peanut butter cups, toblerone, twix, etc. and never ask me if i like white chocolate 🤮

33. i work at a coffee shop, i used to work at a bookstore and i miss it. idk what my plans for the future is yet. i do wanna open an orphanage. (i'm an orphan and an only child) my uncle raised me, i lived w him for 16 years. he passed away last year. i live with my grandma now.

i could also open a bakery. my friend said i could open a restaurant maybe?

34. my happy places are cemeteries, the woods, abandoned houses/places 🤗

35. my biggest fear is darkness tbh. i also have aquaphobia. i almost drowned once.

36. i dream almost every night. i used to have nightmares.

37. i love shopping. fashion, runway shows, models. some of my fave are kaia gerber, vittoria ceretti, megan roche, suki waterhouse, lily rose depp (obviously), adriana lima, taylor hill, etc.

38. i think love is confusing. i don't do relationships that often. but i'll say i do like my men feisty, a little fucked in the head and dangerous. i have a thing for old men, british guys and psychopaths. i'll tell you more about my type of guy later 💋💋

39. i'm a masochist. if you didn't already read the description. but i'm also a bit asexual.

40. i enjoy gore stuff.

41. i don't drink soda.

42. i never wear bras.

god i said so much stuff. check out my pinterest if you wanna know more about me @vrtualvamp444

i'm also active on instagram, feel free to ask me for it 💋

i have other social medias. you can find me on facebook (yeah facebook, which i don't use anymore, i had a facebook era but oh well), snapchat and discord.

i'm also a little bit addicted to tiktok.

i have spotify, if you listen to any of my playlists, i'll love you forever <3

got wattpad, not a big fan.

i don't have twitter yet.

anyway, i'll also be a tumblr girly from now on so i'll talk a lot abt myself. answer more questions.

nobody asked, i'm just bored.

#newbie #girlblogger #girlblogging #newontumblr #coquette #dollette #dollcore #bimbo #bimbodoll #factsaboutme #gettoknowme #lanadelrey #lizzygrant #lilyrosedepp #sylviaplath

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