#they serve a purpose with my steve thoughts

[djokeery]

working on the next little update of my steve fic and i kind of want to cry :D

[fag4dykestobin]

i've been thinking about my jonathan dies au and i kinda wanna write something for it. but if i know anything about myself its that i don't have it in me to write a super long fic. which i feel like this au would deserve

[nekobungi]

i know this is getting annoying but hear me out. i've been looking for a case to keep my iPod mini safe, but obviously no one makes a case for a twenty year old music player anymore, and there's no way i could find a second-hand one that hasn't rotted away. but then i remembered Steve Jobs mentioned that the mini was made the same size as a business card, and i thought a businnes card holder that thick enough would serve the purpose, and, ta-da!

i found a brand new iPod mini “case” from 2024!

very classic looking. made of genuine leather. it costs only about 1500JPY(≈10USD) and holds 50 regular business cards...or one iPod mini. i had to chop off the side a bit to put it with earphones plugged in, but other than that it fits perfectly. innit nice?

[alltimefail]

Can we take a second to talk about Niko's connection to the Principal?

Because I think we all moved on a little quickly from that!

General disclaimer before we begin: this is just my own theory and my personal interpretations. <3

As a refresher, The Principal is the Night Nurse's "Superior." We see her for the first time at the end of season 1, episode 8. In this theory, I will be analyzing the potential role The Principal plays in DBDA, especially where our beloved Niko Sasaki is concerned.

A connection between The Principal and Niko is undoubtable to me for two reasons: the first reason being that they intentionally focused the camera on The Principal zero-ing in on Niko's case card, and she has a visible emotional reaction to seeing Niko's name.

The second being that, before departing, she quotes what Tragic Mick told Niko before the face-off with Esther which ultimately resulted in her death.

One popular theory I saw floating around in the first few weeks after DBDA released was that The Principal is Niko herself, and while this is a fun concept I can't get behind it because, well, Niko is "alive" at the end of the season. Yuyu has confirmed that she's the one in the igloo with the sprites, and Steve has confirmed that Niko is not dead/off the show as well. While we have no clue where the igloo is for certain, or what state Niko is in, it's safe to say that Niko has not moved on to her afterlife, so she can't be the Night Nurses' superior in the Lost and Found Department.

My theory doesn't reinvent the wheel, but I personally think The Principal could be Niko's mother.

From a non-storyline standpoint, The Principal looks to be a perfectly appropriate age to have a 16 year old daughter. From a casting standpoint, Yuyu and Tamlyn also are a convincing mother/daughter pair. I think their mannerisms (body language and expressions) are even a bit similar:

But most importantly, from a writing and storyline standpoint, Niko's mother is mentioned multiple times throughout the season but we never actually see her or hear from her - not in a phone call, a voicemail, or even in a picture in Niko's meticulously decorated, aesthetic bedroom. This is what leads me to believe that the persistent mention of Niko's mom is an example of Chekhov's gun being fired.

Emphasis here on: "If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."

From the persistent plotline surrounding...

Niko's grief not just with her father's death but also with her mother who sent her to school across the world literally the day after her father's funeral to "escape the sadness,"

to the pile of letters from her mother that she couldn't bring herself to respond to,

to the response letter she finally writes to her mom but we don't learn the fate of,

to Niko telling Crystal that her mom would always say "A mother's intuition is very strong," (which could be why The Principal reacted to Niko's case card in the way she did...)

to even Jenny mentioning Niko's mom in the finale

... and so on, the writers seem to mention her as often as they can, even up to the very end. This makes Niko's mom a sort of looming figure in the narrative, a thought persistently brought back in a "Hey, remember this?" kind of way to the viewer, and that kind of intentional presence needs to serve a purpose or have some kind of payoff later. After all - if it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there... if we aren't going to get some kind of closure regarding Niko's family, especially her mother who is still alive, it shouldn't be brought to the viewer's attention again and again.

Also, The Principal being Niko's mother would make Niko at least half supernatural being (we don't know much about her father, but considering the fact that he's dead we can assume he was likely fully human). Niko being half supernatural-being would explain a few allusive plotlines such as:

Why Angie the fish does not try to tempt Niko into the water.

Why Crystal tells Niko that she should stay behind and not fight Esther because Niko is "Just a human."

Why we don't see Niko's spirit separate from her body at any point, nor do we get Death's blue light.

How the Principal knows Tragic Mick's last words to Niko and why she quotes them to the boys who were not even present at the moment the sentiment was delivered the first time.

Starting with Angie, it's obvious why the boys are not affected by her call: Charles and Edwin are incorporeal spirits, they have no physical body and Angie's call is sent out with the goal of finding food to eat, plain and simple. Niko not hearing Angie's call, considering the fact that she's flesh and bone just like Crystal, is noteworthy to say the least. After all, we can safely assume Angie's call can beckon more than one person at a time because the group is worried about the populated kite festival becoming an all-you-can-eat buffet, essentially. They need to figure out the case and only have 24 hours to do so before area is filled with bodies for Angie to tempt into the water, that's the whole time-constraint conflict that adds pressure to an already delicate situation. The first time Crystal hears the call she is with Charles at the top of the lighthouse with Niko nowhere near Angie, but the second time Crystal hears Angie she and Niko are standing literally right next to each other. Niko then confirms that there's "No voice" coming from the water after they save Crystal, but considering how Niko's grief surrounding the death of her father is such a huge part of her characterization - in the same way Crystal not remembering her parents is critical to hers - it makes no sense that Angie wouldn't try to lure in Niko as well by using the voice of her deceased father.

But let's consider what we learn from the Night Nurse: trans-dimensional beings don't die when they're swallowed by a giant fish, so they do not satiate Angie's desire for food. This is why everyone assumes Kashi is not human because he, like The Night Nurse, is alive inside the stomach of a fish. So if Niko's mother is like The Night Nurse, a trans-dimensional being, that would explain why Angie's call would not effect Niko, because Angie just wants to eat... and ghosts and immortal beings (even if only semi-immortal) do not count as food.

As for Crystal telling Niko to stay behind because she's human: this line felt so... strange to me the first time I watched the series. After thinking about it though, I couldn't help but compare it to Charles' line in the pilot episode right before they enter Esther's house. He tells Crystal that "She still has a life to lose" and they want to "Protect it while they can," and while the sentiment is the same, the dialogue feels vastly more natural and understandable being delivered from the mouth of a ghost - a dead 16 year old boy - to an alive 16 year old girl. On the contrary, Crystal citing Niko being a human when she is also alive and very much a human just as capable of dying as Niko is, feels out of place. There's simply no need for Crystal to clarify that Niko is a human as the audience has already assumed that and been given no reason to believe otherwise. It's a small detail, but the only way for this line to make any sense is if it serves an ulterior motive - perhaps with the intention of getting the audience's gears turning and/or serving as the framework for a future plotline. Again, if Niko is related to The Principal, this would make her half supernatural at least... so, ironically, less human that Crystal is and less likely to face a typical human death...

which also might explain the "Outlook not so good" on the Magic 8-Ball. It's not the worst response you can get, it's not a critical failure or natural 1 in DnD so to speak... but it's also not great. Niko's not alive, but she's likely not as she once was either (but that's an entirely different can of worms).

As far as explaining how The Principal would know what Tragic Mick told Niko, I feel like an infinite trans-dimensional being who works as a higher up in the afterlife's Lost and Found Department would have no issue accessing their own child's file. We know the Lost and Found Department is nothing if not rigid, specific, and detail-oriented, and the files they have include the details of every child's death - it isn't so far-fetched to believe that Niko's file (and all the files, really) would also include insight on what Niko's last day on Earth (interactions and such) were like. Not to mention the fact that The Principal tells the boys she can pretty much do "Whatever she likes..." so she's powerful, she has resources and abilities that might even surpass those of the Night Nurse (who can literally dig around in people's minds and choke people with a snap of her fingers). If she is Niko's mother and she just lost her child and husband in a short amount of time, it would make sense for her to allow Charles and Edwin to keep doing what they do because they are helping people like her daughter, and maybe they could help her daughter again.

Lastly, I can't help but acknowledge how there is some kind of recognition, spark, or tenderness on The Principal's end when she first appears before the boys. I've seen other people say they feel similarly, almost like she seems disappointed or a bit taken aback when they ask who she is. She especially lingers on Edwin for a beat, and we all know how important Edwin was to Niko! Again, this is all just my own theory, but if The Principal is Niko's mother, her sparing the boys of being taken by the Lost and Found Department with the tenderness she does - by using Tragic Mick's words, the ones offered alongside a good luck charm (the last kind act toward Niko before she died) at the boys who loved her daughter and saved her once and could very well save her again - feels tear-jerkingly poetic to me. The Principal seems choked up before she goes, almost as if she's repaying them a favor they didn't know they were owed - the boys saved Niko once, and now that good fortune is coming back around to them.

So what would that all mean for next season? Where might Niko be? Who knows for sure! Perhaps she is imbued with Dandelion Sprite magic, or is currently an "Undead," a zombie, like the kind mentioned in the Night Nurse's book in Episode 6... but whatever she is, I have a feeling the boys and Crystal will find her again.

But all this to say, whether The Principal is Niko's mother, a reincarnation of Niko's father, an estranged aunt or family member we haven't met yet, a complete rando with invested special interest in Niko's case, or shit - even Niko herself somehow - I can confidently say that episode 8 won't be the last time we see The Principal, and that we're meant to draw a connection between her and Niko.

Now we just need a season 2 so we can get some answers @netflix!!!!!

[crappymixtape]

because of you • part one

PART II • PART III • PART IV • PART V • EPILOGUE // REQ -> @sattlersquarry ❝ an enemies to lovers fic with Steve? 💙 maybe they have to put aside their differences to fight upside down stuff and realize they actually have a lot in common 👀 • 18+  | ( 2.1k – little bit of king!steve, mostly angst with a dash of fluff, enemies to idiots in love, steve x reader )

B E C A U S E O F Y O U • P A R T O N E 🎶 good girls ( john carpenter remix ), chvrches

“Why is she even here?”

“Steve!”

A loud smack cut the air in two as Robin slapped a hand against Steve’s shoulder, rendering the rest of group there in Max’s trailer silent.

Your arms were crossed tightly over your chest, cheeks burning under his gaze, lips twisted into a scowl and trying hard to hold back the daggers you wanted so badly to throw at him.

“She doesn’t know what the hell we’re up against! How’s she supposed to–“

“Steve, none of us knew either, cut her a break.”

“Cut her a break and then what? We all get eaten by a fucking melted people monster?”

“That’s not fair–“

“It’s fine! It’s fine, Nancy,” you cut the girl off, standing quickly from your spot on the couch.

They’d been talking like this since you showed up. Like you weren’t right there in the room with them and honestly you kind of wished you weren’t anymore.

“I need some air,” you grumbled before giving Steve a pointed glare and shouldering open the front door.

The air outside was crisp as you sat down on the front stoop. Not a cloud in the sky and sunlight washing everything in soft golden light, but it all still felt so dark. Like it was harboring thick shadows. Long, spindly, and pitch black. Waiting to wrap their twisted fingers around you.

Waiting to dig into you and squeeze tight.

Waiting to lift you twenty feet into the air and snap your bones like twigs.

Waiting to leave you for dead.

And here was Steve fucking Harrington asking what right you had to be there. Asking what purpose were you gonna serve amongst this “holier than thou” joke of an army. Steve, Robin, Nancy and Eddie had already gotten their asses handed to them by what they’d called demobats, Steve arguably needing serious medical attention, and they wanted to go back? It took everything you had to not leave right there on the spot.

Hell, maybe you should, you thought for a minute. You didn’t owe them anything, especially Steve, but you did owe it to your best friend. The one who basically had a hit out on him. The one who wouldn’t hurt a goddamn fly, but all of Hawkins had already decided he was guilty and you weren't about to leave him.

Eddie.

❝ SO SAVE YOUR BREATH, GIVE A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU HAVE LEFT – DO THEY KNOW SOMETHING I DON’T? ❞

You met him two years ago under the bleachers at the Homecoming football game. It seemed like the perfect place to smoke the joint you’d messily rolled in the car right before you’d come into the stadium and apparently you’d been right, but someone else had already laid claim to it...

“Hate to break it to you sweetheart, but this is kind of my spot.”

He’d been all black leather and denim. Dark curls and clove. Silver rings and chains and heavy boots and maybe you should’ve been more intimidated, but the smile lines at the corners of his mouth gave him away.

“Don’t see a sign anywhere,” you’d shot back, no hesitation. Looked over at him all skeptics and attitude and took a long drag from your joint. Blew the smoke off in his direction and it made him grin like an idiot.

“Been sellin’ weed down here for like…the last three years so–actually, yeah. What the fuck, man. Someone owes me a sign.”

...And that was it, you were a goner. Laughing mid-toke and coughing so hard you cried and it made him feel so bad he gave you a baggy for free. Eddie "the freak" Munson and you – best friends.

Skipped all the stupid dances and football games with you. Paraded around the lunch room like an idiot with you. Threw fries back at the jocks for you when they called you a loser and sat on the floor in the bathroom with you when you cried.

So fuck “King Steve” Harrington.

You had every right to be there, probably even more than he did and you were gonna tell him to his face, but—

“Can I sit?”

The sudden sound of someone else made you jump.

“Jesus, Eddie.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled and sat down next to you. Gave you a sidelong glance and a small lopsided smile. “He’s really not so bad–”

“You’re joking. Right? Tell me you’re joking.”

The boy hummed, dropped his gaze down to the rings wrapped around his fingers and twisted the one on his thumb.

“He doesn’t want me here. None of them do,” you grumbled, frustration fed further by his non-answer and it pulled his eyes back up to you.

“Hey now, that’s not true–”

“Yes it is! Even Nancy looks at me like a kicked puppy.”

That pulled a laugh from him. Made him scoot closer to you and bump his shoulder into yours. “Listen, sweetheart,” the nickname made you soften, but you tried to keep your scowl in place, “We’re all in over our fuckin’ heads, hm? And Stevie boy…he’s seen some shit. He’s just trying to–”

“Just trying to what? Be a complete dickhead about it? Mission accomplished.”

Eddie sighed and roughed a hand over his face. Rested his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together. He knew what you felt because he’d felt it too. Knew what it was like to get laughed at and mocked in the lunch room. Knew how it was supposed to be between him and the other boy. Hell, he nearly cut Harrington’s face off with a broken bottle a few days ago, but one thing was clear.

Change was possible and Steve Harrington was proof, he just wasn’t great at showing it.

“Alright. He could be less of a dick,” he conceded, propping his chin in his hand and looking at you with his big brown eyes. How could you be mad at that?

You mumbled under your breath about that not being the only thing, but fine, okay, only for you, Eds.

Reaching over he flicked at your fingers and looked at you from under his curls with a stern pinch between his brows. “He’s helping me, sweetheart. They all are. Shit, without them I’d probably be in jail already. Or in Carver’s trunk,” he tried a laugh, but it fell short at the end with the weight of his words and it made you grab at his hand and squeeze it.

“Shut up,” you chided softly, no heat behind it. The anger that had been swelling in your chest all but extinguished.

Silence settled between the two of you then, heavy and tinged at the edges with worry. With everything that was at risk and it started to gnaw at the pit of your stomach. What if you couldn’t fix it? And even if you could, this Vecna asshole was about to end the world anyway so what the hell did it matter?

How were a bunch of kids going to do anything about it?

“Ahem,” the door knocked into your back and jolted you back to earth. Pulled a gasp from you and when you looked up over your shoulder you felt your anger return ten fold. “We’re leaving, geniuses,” Steve announced, pushing at you with the door.

“Least you know you’re an idiot,” you mumbled under your breath, standing up from your spot to glare at him at eye level.

“Real cute,” Steve shouldered past you on the stoop, took the last two steps in one go and turned to face you both as he landed on the grass. “For you, Munson,” he said, throwing a mask at Eddie, “Courtesy of Mayfield.”

“What’s that for?” you couldn’t help asking as Max appeared at your side and pointed so casually – too casually – at the mask.

“Gonna steal a Winnebago. Get that on, dingus. Let’s go.”

“Nice,” Eddie grinned up at the red-headed girl and yanked the mask on over his head, “Thanks, Red.”

“Let’s go,” Steve urged, waving his hands at everyone to get out of the house and you felt your heart racing.

“Steal a Winnebago? Eddie. Fuck that–”

“Honey, I’m already a wanted man–” Eddie cut you off and readjusted the ridiculous looking mask a bit. “–c’mon,” he said, tugging at your belt loop to get with it.

“I–that doesn’t mean you can just steal–”

“We’re way past that,” Dustin chimed in, shoving past you just like everyone else, “Besides, if the world’s gonna end anyway, what’s it matter?”

Shit. The kid had a point. It was probably fine. It was just a trailer. Maybe you could give it back afterward? You needed it more than they did. Right?

“Dammit,” you grumbled under your breath, now the only one still standing around. “Wait for me!”

❝ THEY TELL ME I’M HELL-BENT ON REVENGE, I CUT MY TEETH ON WEAKER MEN, I WON’T APOLOGIZE AGAIN ❞

The first time you ran into Steve Harrington was sophomore year. In the hallway before Click’s class. You were cramming everything into your bag, but struggling with your history book when you heard it coming.

Tommy Hagan’s stupid laugh.

Your stomach sank, eyes glued on your things and trying to ignore it. He was in your science class the year before along with his ditzy girlfriend Carol and they always made sure to get a spot in the back just to make out.

“Need some help?”

When you finally looked up at him he’d stopped right in front of you, the grin on his lips sharklike as Carol smirked out from under his arm. Another boy you didn’t know was standing just behind them wearing a stupid member’s only jacket, half unzipped, and had hair that sat perfectly in place. Too perfect.

“That looks heavy, hm?” Tommy said grabbing your book, voice all saccharine sweet and sharp around the edges. Flipping through the pages he pulled a face, clicked his tongue and weighed it in his hand, then made a show of dumping it on the floor. “Whoops. Sorry!” he half-laughed and your cheeks burned.

“Bite me, Hagan,” you snapped back, bending down to grab your book, and it only made his grin grow wider.

“Ooo. She’s fiesty today, Stevie. I like it.”

And then he chimed in. Stevie. The had-to-be-douchebag that everyone called 'King Steve.'

“Probably on her period,” he said scoffing a laugh, all confidence and bravado and the look on his face was so smug. Thought he was so clever and funny and when you finally turned around it was to take the two steps up to him in one.

“Really? My period? So original.”

It made him swallow hard. Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he blinked back the flicker of surprise glinting in his eyes. He took a quick glance at Tommy like he didn’t want to disappoint him and then hardened his expression. Crowded down over you and nodded.

“Explains you being such a bitch.”

And it took the air from your lungs. Stuck in your sides sharp like a knife and you felt your throat tighten as Tommy and Carol snickered, but you wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction. Not here.

“Yeah. Bet you wish you had an excuse for being such an asshole,” you cut at him and it pulled an Oh shit! out of Tommy as he doubled over laughing, Steve’s mouth dropped open in shock.

Your feet couldn’t carry you away fast enough as you shoved your book in your bag and turned to leave, but you refused to run. Refused to let them see weakness, and as Tommy yelled down the hallway after you about tampons you raised a middle finger high in the air to punctuate just how much you hated them all.

Eddie met you in the bathroom after that, the one nobody used on the other side of school, and you told him everything. He let you have the joint he had tucked behind his ear for emergencies, listened to you and told you they weren’t worth it. Especially not Steve. Because even though Tommy started it, Steve was the one who dug in. Could have left it alone but didn’t and that was what really got you.

How obvious it was he knew how shitty they were being, but went along with it anyway because he had to maintain his status. Had to uphold how ‘cool’ he was and keep the line in the sand drawn between him and ‘the freaks’ like you.

So he wouldn’t get a second chance.

And he wasn’t worth your time.

Not then and sure as hell not now.

[ NOTE: THIS IS PART ONE OF A THREE PART SERIES, PART TWO AND THREE TO COME SOON ]

crappymixtape™ • steve harrington masterlist // stranger things masterlist ♥️ reblogs and comments keep me going, friends! ily! ♥️

[takavasen]

Tumblr dashboard in Night Vale simulator

🧪homo-genius

Today's science fact:

Spiders have an open blood circulation system, which means they do not have veins and their blood is different from the blood of mammals. Unfortunately many healthcare professionals do not know this, which can lead to improper methods in...

Read more

🎙️voice_of_night_vale

Spiders are a valuable part of our community and deserve good healthcare.

But more importantly, I want everyone to know that Carlos the Scientist made this post, he is my husband and I love him very much! 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

🪬a-thousand-fingernails Follow

Cecil everyone knows you and Carlos are married and most of us are happy for you but you don't need to tell this in every post you make

🎙️voice_of_night_vale

Wait have I mentioned it before?

809 notes

⭐sheriffofallarts

Hah saw some loser (@ marble-eyes) bring the same girl (@ mountainbeliever343 I think, couldn't see her face clearly from the cameras) home for the third time this week lol

cmon just say you are girlfriends already dont be shy

💎marble-eyes Follow

Hey you can't just share private information like that!! And besides that is not true, I haven't brought anyone home for a long time, I don't have time for that anymore!!!

🟡secretly-in-your-home

No. I can confirm that what Sam said is true. I was there. I am always there. Also, I put the rest of your cereal to your washing machine. They have been in the cupboard for a while now, I thought they were getting quite dusty and needed cleaning.

31 notes

🏀basketballpalmer Follow

We had an another great season with @nvwheelchairbasketball team again! Thank you everyone, it's an honor to be the captain of the team! See you guys next season <3

👍wallabyyy Follow

Aaaaa congratulations! I miss you guyssss

43 notes

☀️prophet-of-smiling-god

I just had the most delightful date with the most gorgeous theologist in Desert Bluffs Too!!! We had a lovely dinner at my house (some eyeball salad, mushed tarantulas and fried human fingers), watched some movies and of course made sure to serve our great Smiling God by making each other as happy as possible!! Unfortunately Charles said that it would make him unhappy if I shared the details, but I can confidently say that I have never been more joyful!!

🦷smiling-mayor Follow

Kevin, you missed a service in the Temple of Joy because of this. Surely you would remember doing that for an old friend, wouldn't you? 😊

☀️prophet-of-smiling-god

Oh, Lauren, of course I wouldn't ignore anything like that on purpose, you know how much I love tolerating you!!

98 notes

🪽not-an-angel Follow

Does anyone happen to have 10 bucks?

You can send them here: absolutely-not-a-scam-link

🌟erikaaaaaaa Follow

Does anyone happen to have 10 bucks?

You can send them here: absolutely-not-a-scam-link

💵ex-vanston Follow

Does anyone happen to have 10 bucks?

You can send them here: absolutely-not-a-scam-link

💡erika-the-black-one Follow

Does anyone happen to have 10 bucks?

You can send them here: absolutely-not-a-scam-link

3 notes

😎violentfootstool-deactivated20230416

Hey guys, so I just spoke to the new scientist lady and found out I don't actually have three pairs of arms. The lower two were just robot limbs that I tried out when I was seven years old and forgot to take them off. So hows your day ://

🔬janet-lubelle

I am always happy to help with explaining your problems away.

🎀tinfoilforteeth

Hey bitch how is it going under the cow

754 notes

🎙️voice-of-night-vale

Alright, I'm going to say it. Steve Carlsberg does NOT know how to be a basketball coach. He knows nothing about any game structures, and he only allows one ball per game!! He talks too loud, except when you can't hear him. It will be ALL HIS FAULT if we end up losing this season!!!!!

🌠lines-in-the-sky Follow

:(

🎙️voice-of-night-vale

For everyone who finds this post now: I made this many years ago. Things have changed a lot. I'm very sorry, Steve. I couldn't hope for a better brother-in-law. You are my best friend, and I was the irrational one in this situation.

I have changed the way I look at people. I will not treat them the same way I used to treat Steve anymore.

1,642 notes

🎙️voice-of-night-vale

Alright, who let Susan Willman be in charge of anything? She is the absolute worst at making desicions, like, who asks an obelisk its NAME? She had an oppoturnity to ask almost anything, and that's what she chose?? She better stay away from our way for at least seven decades, and keep her "Huntokar"-nonsense with herself!!!

11 notes

[kookygranger]

Is This Desire?

Firefighter!Steve Harrington x Witch!Reader

A short lustful fever dream. Or, Steve Harrington finally makes a move.

Warnings: 18+ minors dni, smut, witchcraft, reader is a town outcast, fem!reader, no upside down/no hawkins au

Word count: 1k

Author's note: She's short but oh so sweet.

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

Chapter Two: One Line

And I draw a line To your heart today To your heart from mine A line keep us safe

After the night of your eighteenth birthday, you’d looked out for Steve Harrington from afar.

The boy who’d bewitched you body and soul was under your protection without even knowing it.

You could only do so much from your bedroom with candles and Latin poetry, and the boy certainly didn’t make it easy, putting himself in the way of direct danger once he’d joined the local fire department as a rookie. But there were moments in his life when things should’ve gone sideways, sliding doors, split seconds making all the difference when he came out unscathed.

Steve couldn’t believe his luck one day when he’d gone in to inspect a charcoaled house, with water still dripping from the windows, heat lingering enough to make him sweat underneath his thick uniform. He’d heard the telling moan of the timber before the snap, a blur of blackened wood entering his sight, yelling voices behind him and he thought he was done for. The falling beam would’ve crushed him if it wasn’t for the gentle tug on his body that kept him out of its path.

When he looked back a polished silver nail winked at him on the otherwise soot-stained wall, wearing a tear of navy material taken from his back. He hadn’t thought much of it other than luck when he breathed out deeply, one of his fellow crew members clapping him on the shoulder with a nervous chuckle.

“Close call, kid.”

You were convinced he couldn’t be thinking of you as often as you were him, but you let this inexplicable need to protect him overtake in those first few months. A purpose for waking in an otherwise mundane and restrained existence. Eventually though, you recognised it was time to step back. To protect yourself, along with him. Getting hung up on a boy when you were still bound by your uncle’s rules in this house, that was the only life you’d ever known only served to deepen your depression. You had to put him to the back of your mind, as nothing but a saccharine memory.

But after you’d seen him at the library, adorably flustered and stammering about late fees, crumpled bills falling from his sweaty palms onto the pile of books in between you, he’d invaded your thoughts once again.

For weeks you’d been tossing and turning during the night, never comfortable, waking up in a searing heat. Your heart racing every time you got a glimpse of golden-brown hair turning a corner, a heat between your thighs that could never seem to be satiated, dreams of a constellation of freckles stretching over sun-kissed skin. For you, there was no relief.

So, you’re not at all surprised that the boy who refuses to be pushed aside by any other thoughts is standing in front of you now, soaking wet and heaving with desperation when you look up from the book you hadn’t been paying attention to. Bare legs crossed under you as you sit on the wicker couch you’d placed on the newly painted porch a month ago. Tea still steaming next to you, the heat thick and unwilling to lift even in this downpour, permeating every moment of your life, waking and within dreams. But the only one who seems to be feeling it as deeply as you is dripping a mess on your porch in front of you.

“I hope this doesn’t sound weird, but I think I’ve been dreaming about you every night for months…that–did not sound as creepy when I…in my head.” He chuckles breathily, threading a shaky hand through his damp locks “Could you forget I said that?”

“Sure.”

“Okay.” He doesn’t know what to do with himself. Reality setting in, like the water in his white socks, but you’re standing in front of him before he can ask himself how he got here.

“Steve?”

Brown eyes watch your lips intently, “Yeah?”

“I’ve been dreaming about you too.”

He huffs one breathe, two, before capturing your lips with his.

Warm hands collect the material keeping you from one another in fistfuls. Shaky touches, not born from shyness but an all-consuming need that neither of you had any comparison ready for.

There are no thoughts of your surroundings or anything outside the here and now as hips and backs bump, leaving toppled frames and glittering shards on the floor in your wake through the front door. Furniture groaning as it scrapes across the floorboards and out of your way, clothes hitting the floor, the couch, the side table – anywhere but your burning bodies as hands dig deeper. Kneading, pleading.

No room for slow-moving until you’re hip to hip, chest to chest, soft hair rubbing against your already sweat-slicked skin as you take a deep breath. Steve follows you, his thrusts slow and deep as the world stops spinning around the both of you.

You breathe in each other’s air through soft, deep kisses until your mouth stretches open in the wake of a tightening heat unwinding all at once. Steve’s wet lips trail across your jaw, down your neck before the feeling of you shaking beneath him has him joining you in shuddered ecstasy.

The scratchiness of the rug on your bare skin is a faraway feeling, one given less priority of your attention as Steve trails kisses along your body. Along your shoulders and across your chest as it rises and falls in a more steady rhythm as time continues to trickle by. You trace the freckles peppering his flexed arms that hold him above you, loose strands of hair falling into his face when he looks down at you – a sight already worryingly familiar.

“What now?” He rubs the back of your entwined hand with his thumb.

“I don’t know.”

He leans down to kiss your shoulder again, then under your ear. Forehead touching yours as a boyish smile takes over his face, golden like the feeling blooming in your chest. “How about we start with dinner?”

[quackityquackquackquack]

Hey Inanimate Insanity fandom, want to hear a crazy theory I came up with while thinking about episode 16 in the shower? (spoilers under the cut)

As you know, the latest episode reveals that all of the contests (except Bot, probably Bow, and maybe Dough) were actually created by MePhone4, and it's all-but-stated that this is the in-universe explanation for the gradual change in how they look over the course of the series; MePhone simply kept upgrading their models, so to speak, and making them look better. Now, here's the thing about that: There is one major character (other than Bot) who we can say with absolute, 100% certainty was not created by MePhone4, and that's, of course, Steve Cobs. After all, he's MePhone's creator, and you can't create your own creator (unless you're pulling some kind of weird time travel shit). However, consider the following: This is Steve Cobs in his debut episode,

this is Steve Cobs in the gemory flashbacks in episode 13,

and this is Steve Cobs now.

His design has changed, too. If the design-changes are an in-universe result of MePhone4 upgrading the appearance of his creations and not just out-of-universe artstyle evolution, then shouldn't there also be an in-universe explanation for how Steve Cobs' design has changed?

Well, let's put a pin in that for now. There's another mystery to discuss before I present my theory. It's a mystery that, unlike Steve Cobs' design changing, is one you've likely actually thought about: What is Me?

Despite Steve Cobs saying he got bored of Me, it's highly unlikely that Me isn't important. Too much attention was drawn to it, it doesn't resemble any real Apple product, and a person in the audience during the musical number describes it as "groundbreaking, world-shaking mythology", indicating it must do something really impressive. More to the point, though, its name is highly peculiar. Why just "Me"? Either Cobs is out of ideas for names, or there's something very significant about Me to warrant such a strange name, and the most obvious reason I can think of for why Cobs would call it that... is if it somehow literally is him.

My theory is that Steve Cobs is not actually the glasses-wearing corn cob man we know him as. At least, not anymore. He has uploaded his consciousness into whatever Me is, and the "Steve Cobs" we see throughout the series is just some kind of puppet body controlled from a distance by the real Steve Cobs, aka "Me". That's why his appearance notably changes over the course of the series; just like the people created by MePhone4, this fake puppet Steve Cobs started out not looking quite right, and its appearance had to be upgraded over time. Furthermore, I believe the Steve Cobs seen in the gemory flashbacks is him before uploading his consciousness into Me. That's his original body, hence why it looks better than the Cobs seen in episode 8 despite predating it timeline-wise. By the time of episode 8, he had uploaded himself into Me, but the technology was still flawed and not able to render him quite right, hence his notably different appearance in that episode. When he says that he "got bored of it", that's a sort of technical truth used to obfuscate the real truth. Yes, he's "bored" of it - because he has been Me for years and, knowing him, is at this point probably craving to upgrade to something even greater, but that doesn't mean Me isn't still something very important to him. And now, he's trying to make this Me technology commercially available to the public, which could mean one of two things; either he's giving other wealthy elites the power to also upload themselves into their own personal Mes (plausible, but from a writing perspective such a plot point wouldn't really serve much of a clear narrative purpose) or all of the Mes he's selling contain his consciousness and he's trying to spread himself across the whole world in some kind of world domination scheme.

[luna-rainbow]

I watched S2E02 of What If

Someone in the animation department really adores the Winter Soldier. He is gorgeously animated (as GIFs have shown), even though his screen time is incredibly short. The way the light and shadows play across his face and eyes is incredibly faithful to the CATWS movies, and perfectly captures the sense of threat he brings in CATWS.

Overall, the episode is fairly neutral, and does bring up an interesting parallel universe where Bucky broke free in the 80s, which...might change the entire trajectory of Tony, Nat and Yelena's lives.

But, maybe because my impression is coloured by other episodes of What If and what's coming, I can't help but think this is another attempt at "correcting" fan perception around Howard Stark and Peggy Carter's culpability. Look! They weren't involved! It was the Russians!

But like that other Peggy-centric episode of What If, the more they tried to whitewash her, the worse it seems? They recognised him on sight, with the damn mask on, something even Steve wasn't able to do in CATWS, because unlike Steve they knew he was alive all along. Peggy makes references to "the rumours", while Howard dismisses it because there's hardly a man in there (or something along those lines) and "we've got bigger fish to fry".

They knew all along but they never thought it was anywhere in their priorities to investigate or try to rescue the longest serving POW or Steve's best friend. But they have no qualms using Bucky's emotional attachment to Steve when it serves their purpose.

Because why would they. No matter how you whitewash their characters, they're still power-obsessed individuals who never cared who was hurt in their way.

PS: as a former seiyuu-con, Atwell's voice acting really is...bad. Stood out like a sore thumb because everyone was so much better than her. SebStan was pulling his usual Winter Soldier voice here rather than the young Bucky voice he used for the other episode of What If, but I'm not sure if it's a conscious choice.

[tllgrrl]

The Favor by @tllgrrl aka Nefertiri Jones

Sam touched the biometric pad on the case, and heard three soft clicks.

[“I called in a favor from the Wakandans.”]

The last time he was in Wakanda, he was on a battlefield just outside Birnin Zana: The Golden City.

He and his friends were fighting to save…everybody…everywhere…but before the battle he’d gotten a glimpse of the Blackest nation he’d ever seen.

A nation that had never been touched by colonization.

Sam also saw technology he’d thought only existed in Sci-fi movies and books…or maybe in Tokyo…but even more advanced than that.

T’Challa introduced him to General Okoye, leader of the elite Royal Guard known as the Dora Milaje.

Sam was also briefly reunited with Steve’s friend Bucky Barnes, who Steve had taken to Wakanda to see if they had the technological wherewithal to remove HYDRA’s super-assassin programming from his brain.

Apparently they did, they were successful, and two years later, there he was. With what looked to be a brand new arm, Bucky was joining the Wakandans and the Avengers in the fight against Thanos and his forces.

And Sam met T’Challa’s younger sister, Princess Shuri. A Black, teenage, African Princess tech genius who, with her team of scientists, doctors and engineers, freed the brain of mildly annoying, staring, grumpy supersoldier Barnes, who is now his “co-worker”.

(… and who is also now trying to aim those blue eyes of his at my baby sister!)

Shuri was also responsible for, among other things, developing the newest versions of T’Challa’s Vibranium-infused, nanotech, fighting suit.

[“I called in a favor from the Wakandans.”]

Sam thought about that battle. How it ended with half the universe, including him and Bucky, turning to ashes one minute, then waking up the next minute…

5 years later.

Like a film clip, images started speeding through his mind: Things he’d experienced, people he’d met, places he’d been from the moment he met Steve Rogers—as they both were doing their morning run around the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument in DC—to now.

All of that…ending up here, back in the house he grew up in, staring at this fancy, high-tech case.

[“I called in a favor from the Wakandans.” ]

(I’m actually gonna do…this.)

He opened the case and took a breath to steady himself.

There was a schematic on the inside of the case’s lid, and what almost looked like some kind of hieroglyphs. Sam couldn’t decipher it, but he immediately knew where it was from.

He lifted the piece of handwoven fabric that seemed to serve two purposes: beauty and function, as he could see metallic threads woven throughout the rich, surprisingly dense protective cloth.

The fabric had Vibranium woven into it, and under it there were three items:

A wing pack like his broken StarkTech one, but lighter in weight. By feel he immediately knew that these wings, like his shield, were made of virtually unbreakable Vibranium.

A neckpiece that was similar to the one he saw T’Challa wear, but not nearly as large, also far less traditional and ceremonial in design.

And inside a pouch made of the same fabric as the protective cloth, was a beautifully carved wooden box holding a bead bracelet like the kind worn by nearly everyone in Wakanda.

He also found a large envelope containing some official-looking paperwork, and a manual for the items in the case.

On the front of the envelope were Wakandan glyphs, and underneath them it read:

Samuel Wilson - Captain America

He read the opening paragraph of the manual, slipped the bead bracelet (called kimoyo) onto his left wrist as instructed…and shortly felt the beads lightly vibrate as his cellphone rang…

* * * * * * * * * *

Fan Fiction and Fan Art Submitted for the @samsseptember Samtember 2024: Day 3 -Costume, Day 19 - Wakanda. I honestly don’t know where this falls. It’s kind of about the costume but it is more about where and who it is from.

Happy Birthday Sam Wilson!

[xoxoladyaz]

AU-gust, Day One: Sculpture Artist

I saw the prompts and this grabbed me by the throat! I wrote it in about an hour, so my apologies if it's not up to my normal quality.

Steve wasn’t good at a lot of things.

He wasn’t very intelligent; while everyone else in town eagerly devoured the latest books delivered monthly by Murray, the traveling librarian, Steve struggled to make it through the first few pages. (He thought it might have been a curse at first, the way that the letters and words moved all over the page. When he had asked Madam Byers, the town witch, she had just smiled sadly at him and, well, he already knew everyone thought he was an idiot. He should really be used to it by now.)

He wasn’t the strongest or most athletic either; that honor belonged to Sir Hargrove and his knights. (Once upon a time Steve had been the one the town was counting on for protection. He was the one getting parades in the streets, catching handkerchiefs thrown by all of the eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. He was the son of Sir Harrington, after all.

But when the darkness came, when he took his stand against the creatures that appeared like smoke out of the great forest, his knights – his friends – abandoned him.

All except for Sir Hargrove, for Billy, his – well, it doesn’t matter anymore now, does it? All that matters is that Billy stuck his own sword into Steve’s back and left him to the creatures, only “rescuing” him once the damage had been done. And it did not matter what Steve said, or that there was a mark that clearly belonged to a sword on his spine; Billy, who was shortly knighted by Steve’s own father soon after, emerged the victor, flawless and golden.)

He was no longer the handsomest man in town (not next to Billy, not with scars all over his body.) He did not know a useful trade, given that he was not trained to have such. If he was the best at anything, it was at being a disappointment. An embarrassment. So much for the Harrington name, people still said on his infrequent ventures into town. Such a shame, such a waste.

So no, Steve formerly-of-House-Harrington was not particularly special in any way. If he had had some wit, or maintained some beauty, or was able to discuss the latest tales from court, perhaps things would be different. Perhaps he would have been accepted by the town. Instead, he lived in a small thatched cottage a morning’s ride away from the rest of Hawkins (the only thing his father gave him before taking his name, his money and his protection) and spent his days working in his garden, caring for his few elderly animals, and entertaining the children of the neighboring shepherds.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true; he did also work on his sculpting.

(The stone was from Robin, a traveling student. She had run into some trouble with her horse while passing through and Steve might not have been a knight anymore, but he still knew how to care for horses. Robin had offered to pay him for his help, but he would not accept it. It was payment enough to have someone his age to talk to. It was nice, to spend time with someone who did not know him as the former knight of Hawkins, as the disgraced noble he truly was; she just knew him as Steve and she saw a potential in him that he didn’t see in himself.

You are good with your hands, she had written in the note that had accompanied the massive piles of stone, delivered straight from the royal quarry. And you have much love in your heart. May this inspire you to see your own strength and beauty once again.)

She had probably expected him to use it to build a well, or perhaps some sort of fence for his small piece of land. But when he looked at the stone – a beautiful, shining white, the likes of which seemed far too grand for his small corner of the world – he could not see it serving such a purpose. No; this was made for something more.

He had never studied the arts; why would he, Steve of House Harrington, future knight of the realm, have had any need to learn what his father believed was woman’s work? Formal training, then, was something he did not have. But he did have fine tools, given to him by Madam Byers; he had a pair of crystal glasses, lent to him by Dustin, his favorite shepherd; and he had ample amounts of time to go slow, to focus on the task at hand. (Not that he really knew what he was creating, just that he was creating something.)

And so the months flew by: summer turned to fall and fall turned to winter, and when Steve was not doing his chores or tending to the young, he was slowly and patiently chipping away at the block of stone that he kept safely sheltered inside his small home, next to the worn-down hearth.

It wasn’t until he had knocked away the final chip of stone, until his bones had rattled with knowing that it was done, it was finally done, that Steve had finally realized just what he’d created.

It was a man, one near his age. He had the long hair of nobility, curled tresses that cascaded down his bare shoulders; he was clad in a simple robe much like the masters of old; large rings adorned his fingers, rings that proclaimed the man in front of him to be of royal blood. His feet were bare, as were his legs, and they were strong; he felt that if he looked closely enough, Steve would be able to see defined muscles underneath skin.

But the most striking part of the statute – aside from his royal dress and stature – was his face: a royal, aquiline nose above lips that were flushed with life and there, nestled under a noble brow, a pair of large, soulful eyes. The eyes were the same color as the rest of the statue, of course, but Steve found that the longer he stared into them, the more he felt that this statue, this man was staring back.

It didn’t seem possible, the longer Steve looked at it – at him. It didn’t seem possible that someone like Steve – the disgrace of Hawkins – could create something so beautiful, so ethereal, so entirely arresting as the man in front of him, because this man was the most beautiful man – human or statue – that Steve had ever seen.

And suddenly, Steve couldn’t bear to look at it. Couldn’t bear to live in a world where the thing that he was most proud of, that he had poured all of his time and attention and love into, was something that could never possibly return it. And even if the statue came alive, somehow, even if this perfect man was human, what would he possibly see in someone like Steve when there was a world of better, smarter, handsomer men out there?

Steve turned and reached for his hammer, the one blunt instrument that remained unused from Madam Byers' gift. He turned back around and, with a mighty cry, swung the hammer at the statue and sent it shattering into a thousand different pieces.

He expected that he would have to spend the rest of the night cleaning up the ruins of the one wonderful thing he had ever done.

He did not expect the stone to shatter and reveal a flesh and blood man standing before him.

The last of the stone fell to the ground and the man took a deep breath. He blinked once, twice, and then his eyes alighted on Steve. The moment their eyes met, the man’s formerly taciturn expression transformed into the brightest smile Steve had ever seen.

And it was a smile that was aimed at him.

“There you are,” the man said. He stepped forward and took Steve’s hand in his own. “I have been waiting a long time for you.”

Steve cleared his throat and looked down, unable to bear the enduring warmth in the man’s eyes. “I – I am sorry to disappoint you, my lord.”

“No,” the man chastened him, and a warm hand tucked itself under his cheek, pulling Steve’s eyes back to meet his. “You are everything I have been waiting for.”

“I'm afraid you must be mistaken, for I am just Steve. I can offer you nothing.”

“And I am just Eddie, and you are not just Steve,” the man – Eddie – replied firmly. “You are a kind man with a good heart. You care for other people and expect nothing in return. And most importantly of all, you dedicate your time and your love to everything, even things that cannot love you in return. Those are qualities sorely lacking in this world, and that makes them all the more valuable.

“I foresaw you long, long ago Steve of House Harrington,” the man finished quietly, a small smile now on his face. “And I would consign myself to thousands more years behind stone if it meant that one day I would find you.”

Steve did not know when he started to cry, he just knew that he had tears in his eyes. “You do me great honor, my lord.” Reaching for Eddie’s hands, the hands that oh-so-gently held Steve’s face, Steve drew them to his mouth and pressed watery kisses against his rings. “I will spend my life to be worthy of that. To be worthy of you.”

“Dear one,” Eddie said, and he laid his forehead against Steve. “You already are.”

Steve knew that he wasn’t good at a lot of things. He would never be the smartest, or the strongest, or the handsomest, or the most clever man in the world, or maybe even in Hawkins. But as Steve kissed his Eddie – his Eddie, who had travelled across time and magic to reach him – none of that mattered anymore. Because he might not have all of those things, but he did have love. 

And what could possibly be more important than that?

[steddieas-shegoes]

This is for the requests!

Could you do a fluffy sweet fic where eddie kisses and adores all of steves moles? I hc him to be absolutely covered in them, and I'd love to see something like it!

Thank you so much for this! You were my first request and I know I said I wasn't posting until 4/30, I needed a little break from call me sunshine, and this felt like a good one! I hope you love it! I also recommend checking out your skin and bones turn into something beautiful (you know I love you so) by ChristinMKay if you haven't because that was hands down one of the most beautiful takes I have ever seen on Steve's freckles/moles ❤️

--------------------------------------------------

Steve used to be confident. He had to keep telling himself that.

In the mirror, in the car, in bed. He repeated it to himself that he used to be confident.

But something happened somewhere between Nancy and his third or fourth concussion that made him genuinely believe that he isn't attractive anymore. Not physically, not his personality, not even his ability to be a human wall when disaster struck.

And the thing that he hated most? Those fucking moles. They covered damn near every inch of his body. They served no purpose other than making him hate himself more.

So imagine his surprise when Eddie kissed him. Well, kissed his moles.

Instead of their first kiss being like any other standard first kiss, it was Eddie kissing the mole right above his top lip.

Their second kiss, really their actual first kiss, was better than anything Steve had had before.

But still, the thoughts lingered.

Eddie was good. He knew how to take Steve apart in seconds, put him back together, and take him apart again. He knew what buttons to push and when, and he did it with the smirk Steve had grown to love more than anything.

But still, those damn thoughts wouldn’t go away.

He did his best to stay as clothed as possible with Eddie. He knew it wouldn’t work long term, but he figured Eddie wasn’t around for the long term anyways, right? He’d get bored and go. He’d think Steve was bullshit and go. He’d remember he was too good for this town and go.

But the months went on. Eddie stayed.

Eddie didn’t question him, just let him keep his boxers and shirt on, let him leave the light off if he took his shirt off.

Until they stayed in Indy for a night after helping Robin move.

They managed to book a decent hotel room, better than anything Eddie had stayed in before and better than anything Steve had been in in years.

Steve was exhausted. Helping Robin move had been draining physically and emotionally, and Steve just wanted a shower and sleep.

Because of the exhaustion, Steve wasn’t thinking when he got out of the shower. He wrapped the towel around him and walked back into the room. The room that Eddie was in, sitting on the bed, looking at Steve hungrily.

“Eds? You okay?”

“You have…so many of them…”

Shit.

Eddie was standing and walking towards him before he could turn and hide in the bathroom.

Fuck.

Eddie’s hands were on his hips, grip strong to bruise, probably able to sense that Steve was ready to run and wanting to keep him there.

“You think I can’t tell?”

“Can’t tell what?”

“That you don’t like them? That you don’t like you?”

Steve felt stripped to the bone. Naked in a way he’d never been before.

Eddie’s lips were on his neck, right where the freckles and moles combined to make constellations on his skin.

“I see it. I see how you avoid being seen. Not just your skin, but you. But I see you, Stevie. I’ve seen you for years. And I love every single thing I’ve seen.”

Eddie was peppering kisses against his skin.

At first, it just seemed random. But then, Steve realized what he was doing.

He was kissing his moles. Every. Single. One.

Down his neck, to his collarbone, to his chest.

“You even have them under your hair here,” Eddie mumbled against his skin, hot breath mixing with the cool air of the room leaving goosebumps on Steve’s skin.

“Eddie, I-” Steve let out a moan when Eddie bit his collarbone.

“Please let me show you how much I love them,” Eddie said against his skin before pulling away and looking at him. “Let me show you how much I love you.”

He’d never said the words before, but he never had to. Steve realized he’d said them every day for months.

In the way he brought him a can of Coke every time he was working. In the way he started picking up the kids for Hellfire on days when Steve was tired. In the way he held his hand under the blanket during movie night instead of over it because he knew Steve was worried about telling the kids. In the way he let him hide parts of him away so he would feel safe.

Steve was tired of hiding. Eddie saw him anyway. Eddie loved anyway.

So Steve bit his lip and nodded, letting the towel fall away from his waist.

Eddie looked him up and down, complete awe written clearly all over his face.

“You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

Steve had trouble believing it for himself, but for now, he could believe it for Eddie.

Eddie slowly pushed him towards the bed, gently pushing him to lay down, only pulling away to take off his own clothes.

Eddie had never been shy about being naked in front of Steve. Even with his scars, his permanently altered tattoos, his stretch marks from when he was a “chubby kid.”

Eddie’s lips were on every mole, every freckle, every scar, every bump of his skin.

His tongue traced along the outlines of some of them, making impermanent pictures out of his spit, leaving bruises in places he’d never been able to touch before.

Steve couldn’t hold back his moans and whimpers, bucking his hips up when Eddie made it to the moles on his inner thighs. He could feel Eddie’s smile against his skin, his laugh sending shivers down his spine.

It was freeing to feel Eddie’s love in this way, to know that something he hid for years didn’t need to be.

Eddie kissed all the way down to his ankle, pausing when he saw a large freckle on his big toe. He looked up at Steve, gave him a smile, and kissed that one too.

No part of Steve had gone without Eddie’s lips, tongue, or teeth.

Steve settled back into the hotel bed, for once not thinking about how the lamp on the bedside table was providing a golden glow to every inch of his skin, and let Eddie use his lips, tongue, and teeth where he’d wanted it most.

-------------------------------------------------------

Don't forget my requests are open until 5/7! I am working on these in between working on call me sunshine so they will be slightly infrequent until next weekend!

[your-writer-beta-side-piece]

Looks like it’s time for me to pop back up again begging for fics about my new hyper fixation!

What’s in store for you in this post:

*An impassioned plea throughout the whole post to all of you amazing writers

*Gifs that will keep you up at night too

🎅 *My Gator Tillman fic Christmas wishlist 🎅

🏆*A (Smutty) Rec at the bottom for the best Gator x OC I’ve found so far🏆

*More gifs because goddamn I’m in a chokehold 

It is seriously criminal how there’s like, two Gator x OC’s (that I can find, if you have any don’t hold out on me please!! I feel like I’m going through withdrawals having to wait a week for another episode as it is) on here and AO3. 

I mean come on we all love ourselves a slutty, dominate, broken character that we all fantasize about fixing. 

Not a single thought I’ve had about this man has of the Christ like variety, and I don’t think I really need to explain why just look at these gifs/photos:

HE HAS HANDCUFFS ON THE BED THE FICS ARE WRITING THEMSELVES 

🎅My Gator Tillman Fanfic Christmas wishlist🎅:

I want a full story fleshing out our new favorite loser, but still somehow so damn attractive, Gator

I want an ofc that is too good for him but we all know we’d sink that low too girl

I’d LOVE it if it followed canon. Like how in the show he’s trying to get her/he's going after her like he is trying to get Dot 

(come on if he was stalking you and called out to you and said “mama it’s time to come home” YOU TOO WOULD FOLD)

I want him to use those handcuffs on our girl once he finally gets her

I want smut 

Y’all on AO3 come up with the best damn oc’s there’s a reason they’re binding yalls books and talking about them all over booktok like you guys are published authors 

(Im not saying it’s right/that I participate or that it is even legal, I’m saying Ive seen it and I know you guys have the caliber of writing to make some people not give a fuck and try the law for some of you guy's stories)

I want him to call her mama

I want the dominance, the stalking, the cat and mouse chase

I want a plot as wild as this season and those families are

I know some people hate fics that follow plots of books or shows but this season is AMAZING and so fucking wild. I love it and I’d love to read about it and be immersed further into Fargo. I don’t want to leave the season 5 Fargo world I want to stay longer... with Gator

I want more smut 

A plot that can only be contrived by fanfic authors who have been reading and writing since they were 15 or even younger

I want even more smut 

I want all of the angst, good writing, and humor you can think of

I have a feeling we’ll need some of you fic doctors to write us a fix it fic of some sort 

But I especially want smut. I want to drown in smut. 

I want it all and you guys have served it all before so I know it's possible

If I could outline a whole plot, along with side plots, new characters and character arcs, write, and edit as fast as some of you guys can I would do it myself. I would do it for us. I’ve considered it. I mean I’ve been really considering it these past few days since it’s dryer out here than the Lyon’s bed. I’ve got an idea, lust, Christmas candy, and the hyper-focus to keep me interested for at least three to four weeks!! (I might have started if it wasn't the week before finals for me right now)

But some of you guys who’ve written for Steve Harrington (let alone other fandoms) have the ability to be best selling authors, so I know these communities have both the talent, ability, and the horniness to do this. 

I believe in you guys, I believe in us. Let's do it for Christmas 🎄

REC I PROMISED:

Since it is the season of giving, I’m going to share my favorite fic so far. Let me know if there’s any fics we need to add, OR if there’s any books with love interests like Gator, for science 👀 

Again the general criteria I’m using is along the lines of:

Is there an actual story going on?

Is there an oc who has a purpose, goals, wants, needs, an actual arc of some sort?

Is Gator Tillman still sexy af?

Is it following canon or is it original?

Is the plot and characterization good?

Does Gator call her mama or is it at least probable that he will 👀 ?

Is the grammar/writing good?

Basically the same stuff we all want to check off 

MY FAVORITE FIC SO FAR REC: 

The best I’ve found so far has been: 

Every Little Thing

By BuckysGrace

Link:

Why I like love it:

1.) The writing is pretty damn good

Normally we have to wait a few weeks or months with new movies/shows/books for people to have time to write and publish their well written and plotted fics but we have been blessed early!!

I really like the sprinkle of tid bits to come here and there. The authors really laying the foundation down for this story leaving little comments and hints here and there in their writing and characters conversations. 

I can tell that the author is really working hard to create believable oc's and a world that could actually be a part of the Fargo TV show universe.

2.) Damn the little taste of smut we got just flamed the fire!

Tell me why I could actually visualize Gator during that scene?!?! It really felt like his characterization was perfect here! And damn I love me some dominant, possessive, jealous himbos who would kill for me or worse.

I PROMISE I'M TRYING SO HARD NOT TO SPOIL ANYTHING FOR YOU GUYS!!!

3.) I really like our girl Daphne (OC)

I feel like I can actually see her. Like I can hear her when she speaks. I can feel the awkwardness of her situation and her uncomfortableness radiating through me. 

I like that she's shaping up to be a character with wants and goals and not just a 2-d romantic partner

4.) GODDAMN THAT DINNER WAS AWKWARD AND SEXY 

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE AFTERMATH ooooooo boy.  I’m not spoiling anything. You can suffer (and enjoy 😏) that part all for yourselves

5.) We have confirmation from the author that there is a whole ass plot and story in the works

I love to hear it almost as much as I love to read it! But I could tell that they had some stuff in mind from the way they were writing alone before the confirmation. 

6.) AND ITS GOING TO FOLLOW CANON EVENTUALLY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME US! 

I might just get to hear Gator call our girl mama before I die from fic starvation. Plus we just might get the stalker Gator on page like we have on screen!

7.) I like the dual time line

It’s done a good job of getting me hooked. I’m really interested in learning more about Daphne’s past and her relationship with Gator. I think as time goes on as we learn more about their relationship and her relationship with both her family and his things are really gonna kick off.

4.) Gators characterization seems to be pretty accurate 

He's selfish, possessive, dominante, kind of a jackass, but he is also sweet to those he cares about. Which, is something I've noticed when watching the show, and I've seen some posts talking along similar lines. I don't think he's mean deep down, I don't think he has it in him. I think the facade he puts on is the product of his father.

BUT I'm not excusing anything he's done of course

6.) The grammar is pretty good 

Good writing like punctuation and sentence structure along with good story telling is just so important to me. I'm one of those people who can't get into a story if it's not written well.

7.) GUYS IM SMELLING THE ANGST COMING

Some of us are like blood hounds for this stuff, you read hundreds or even thousands of fics and books and you can start to know what goodies are coming your way. And I can feel the pain train a comin down the tracks! 

8.) The smut is promising to be real real good 

I just want to circle back to this for a moment because I am so excited to read more

What I don’t like about it:

It’s not longer/finished already so I can't devour it in one sitting 😭

You might not have read it yet 

@buckysgrace

I think the only way through this is to fill our thirst for this man and if here and TikTok have shown me anything it’s that we’re DAMN thirsty! 

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!? GO WRITE MORE GATOR X OC SO WE CAN ALL DEVOUR IT ON A03 OR READ BUCKYSGRACE’S FIC AND CRY WITH ME THAT THERES NOT MORE OF IT OR MORE OF ANY OTHER GATOR X OFC FICS 😭😭😭

*Did I write all of this instead of doing homework and studying for next weeks finals? Yes. Am I eventually going to devolve into a fic rec/review only blog? Maybe maybe not.

More gifs/photos for research purposes

[drafthorsemath]

The Empire is a Cult

I’ve wanted to write about this for awhile and I guess The Bad Batch kicked that feeling into high gear. I started writing and kept going, so the grammar is probably not great.

Some context: I was raised in a cult.  I started the process of questioning and leaving in my mid to late twenties.  It took me four years of being a POMI (Physically Out of the cult, Mentally In) to really take the last step of leaving it behind me and becoming a POMO.  Since then I have learned a lot about cults and what happens to someone under undue influence. 

TW: mentions of a cult, physical abuse, mental abuse, death, undue influence

The Empire is a cult.  Whether we look at the BITE Model developed by Dr. Steve Hassan (https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/) or the definition given by Dr. Janja Lalich (https://janjalalich.com/blog/definition-and-explanation-of-the-word-cult/), the Empire fits the definition. There is a charismatic leader who makes demands on their followers so that the followers must do as they are told or be expelled from the group.  In the case of the Empire that usually means death (all those Jedi that were killed under false pretenses, for instance) or indefinite servitude (Andor anyone?).  Cults control the behavior of members, the information they have access to, they make demands on the kind of thoughts members should have, and they make demands on the emotions that should be felt.  Cult leaders view their followers as resources to be depleted.  They often look for ways to point out imperfections (real or not) in their followers.  Anything that goes right is thanks to the glorious leader and anything that goes wrong, any bad feelings you have, that is all on your weakness as a follower.

And let’s get one thing straight.  Born in or not, no one joins a cult.  We might use this terminology, but really cults recruit people using lies, manipulation, and sometimes love-bombing.

The leader uses manipulation to get what they want, but they do not start out with the highest demands.  They work their way up to those demands.  For instance, Palpatine did not ask Anakin to murder the Jedi and join him immediately.  He spent a decade whispering doubts at Anakin, pretending to take him into his confidence so that Anakin would feel special, and built up trust.  At the end of Revenge of the Sith we see Anakin on his knees crying and saying he’ll do whatever Palp wants as long as he can help him save Padme.  This is a classic example of bounded choice.  A bounded choice is one that is made using only the information the person manipulating you wants you to know (part of information control).  Anakin believed the only way to save his wife was with Palpatine, and while we know that’s not true, Anakin’s choices are muddled with this undue influence.  Anakin makes his choice because he sees no other way.  Because, surprise, he’s in a cult now and Palpatine has constructed it this way.   Once he takes those first steps to turn to the dark side, he’s really in it now, so like most cult members (particularly those given leadership positions) he digs his heels in for years.

Often people like things to be black and white and that’s part of the appeal of cults actually!  They offer answers and it ends up being very us versus them.  Anakin isn’t totally evil or else he couldn’t be redeemed.  There is still good in him.  Yes, Anakin made a choice to join Sidious, but that choice was the result of manipulation.  It’s not cut and dry.  It was awful and lots of people died and the entire galaxy changed for the absolute worst, but ultimately Sidious was using Anakin just as he used anyone else he could.  (I’m not saying this totally absolves Anakin.  I’m just saying it’s complicated.)

Speaking of using people, let’s talk about the clones.  These precious individuals were created so that one man could start a war and he used them as if they were trash to be thrown out once they served their purpose. (Truly, I hate that guy.)  Literally created with chips in their head to control them and cause Order 66, The Bad Batch has given us a chance to see what they’re like when the chips are partially effective and then what the clones have to face when the chip comes out and they have to make a choice.  Obviously I’m thinking about Crosshair.  At this point (Season 2, Episode 5 has aired) we know that he believes his chip has been removed but we don’t know for sure if it has.  Did something happen after Bracca but before Ryloth?  Anyway, we know Crosshair’s chip was turned up to 11 in the beginning of Season 1 and then he goes after his brothers.  Even if his chip is removed at this point, he’s still stuck in the Empire and surrounded by that culty influence.  Even without a mind control chip, that does things to the human brain.

While Wrecker does eventually have to deal with his chip activating, his chip is removed in short order and the whole time he was surrounded by his brothers and sister.  It’s important to note that Crosshair spends relatively little time around his siblings after his chip activates on Kallar and from then on, he’s surrounded by the Empire.  Cults always, always, always separate their members from non-members.  They make you feel important while simultaneously giving zero shits about you.  The only thing the cult cares about is what you can do for them.  They will bleed you dry.  Literally the top leader of a cult will let the lower-level leaders do whatever they want as long as the cult isn’t imploding and the leader is thriving.  Shaming, punishments, physical violence, whatever, are all used by cults to various degrees to keep members in line while telling these same members that this abuse will make them stronger, is for the good of the group and, in many cases, ultimately good for mankind.  The Empire is no different.  Crosshair is initially surrounded by a bunch of clones saying yes to everything told to them, he’s immediately put in charge post Order 66 so feels he has some special status, and he doesn’t have anyone around him really disagreeing.  He’s later spending way too much time with Rampart who is a classic low-level cult leader and a shitty influence.  By the end of Season 1, we see Crosshair back with his siblings, trying to send Omega off world for her own good while trying to recruit his brothers.  Despite the Empire’s best efforts, Crosshair still cares about his family.  This is really the first time he gets to talk to his siblings for any real length of time since his chip was activated.  I am 0% surprised that he did not follow them off that platform after Tipoca City was destroyed.  He has his doubts about the Empire and he’s torn, but it’s still not enough to counter the undue influence he’s endured since Order 66.  Remember, he’s been saturated in the Empire’s messages and it’s hard to undo that quickly.

Hey this kind of thing happens to cult members a lot.  You make contact with someone outside the cult, someone you love and who cares about you and they can be the most open, kind, awesome, loving person toward you, and it’s still hard for you to take that step and walk away from the cult in that moment.  Most of us have to be able to sit with that knowledge for awhile.  In my case, I had spent the first 25 years of my life, that’s right, a quarter of a century, preparing for the end of the world.  We had a date, we knew the reasoning, we were certain, no questioning allowed, and then it didn’t happen.  And when it didn’t happen, I didn’t reach out to people outside the cult. I didn’t immediately wake up and drop all my beliefs because they were that engrained.  Cults can do this in relatively short order too.  You don’t have to spend 25 years in something to have those beliefs engrained.  According to cult expert Rachel Bernstein (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/opening-the-cult-vault-w-kacey/id1373939526?i=1000595229657) even during positive interactions and interventions, it often takes cult members time to process what’s happened, to start to question, and then eventually leave if they are going to.  Like a good cult member, Crosshair waits 32 rotations for the Empire instead of getting on the ship with his family.  (Granted, he didn’t know he’d have to wait that long.)  Upon his return he is not allowed to be in charge by Season 2 Episode 3 and this is also a culty tactic - the Empire is so incredibly culty - because they’re trying to make him prove his loyalty again for practically no reason.  They are putting him on the defense in the relationship.  The Empire (like any cult) and its leaders must always be right and those who serve must have their loyalty questioned at least once in a while to keep them on their toes.  

Then we see Cody make some really pointed statements to Crosshair.  Cody is out and it’s important for a quietly questioning Crosshair to see that.  And can’t this guy get some lunch? He’s not sleeping.  Look, I know what it’s like to be alone in a group that claims to have all the answers. A group that only offers power to certain members once it sucks them in and then fucks over everyone else trapped in the cult.  I know what it’s like to be in a group that surrounds you by people serving the same purpose, and yet feeling so empty and lonely that you want to sob on the daily and worse.  Oh but you don’t have the energy to sob because you aren’t sleeping or eating.  And then there’s the letdown of things not being what you thought they would be hopefully followed by the immense work of trying to get out and rebuild your life. It’s a process.  

I’ll say this though: I am rooting for Crosshair.  I am cheering for him to have the courage to leave the Empire and reunite with his family.  Because it takes courage.  There is still good in Crosshair.  He still tries to protect his family in his own way.  He’s lost in a maze of lies, but that doesn’t mean he can’t come back.

[specialagentartemis]

Chaco as a military state- what?? What grounds is that theory using??

Steve Lekson is a genuinely respected Chaco archaeologist with a... very idiosyncratic proposal about its social organization, which I am never sure how much he seriously believes and how much he puts forward to be provocative on purpose.

I think he put forward his idea of Chaco Canyon as the seat of a true state with the ability to muster a military to enforce the alliances with other Great House outliers back when it was more popular to view Chaco as a much more communal religious pilgrimage location. He posited the Great Houses as elite spaces akin to palaces, with their displays of wealth and power and evident ability to organize vast amounts of labor to build them, and the Chaco Roads serving a similar function as Inca or Roman roads: allowing the ability to muster forces and move people and supplies across the landscape quickly. He interpreted elite control over exotic and valuable goods as evidence of a much stronger and more centralized control over the political sphere, and outlying Great Houses not as individual organizations mirroring and claiming Chacoan power for their own communities but impositions of a Chaco worldview from the Canyon as center. and this was even before the DNA study where we learned about matrilineal elites/rulers!

Genuinely can't tell how much he believes it, vs. how much it's the academic version of performance art where he' says's saying to the Establishment, "you wanna believe in hippy-dippy Chaco soooo bad. What if they were a state? What if they did rule by imposed hierarchical coercion? What if the outlying Great Houses weren't a voluntary alignment with Chacoan ideology but an imposition of it by force? Why do you think there couldn't be a North American empire? Does that challenge your ideas of Chacoans as peaceful religious noble savages too much?" He has a very well-written and thought-provoking chapter in The Oxford Handbook of Southwest Archaeology about the need for scientific imagination and narrative history. It begins like this:

A colleague once told me that it was impossible to write a narrative history of the ancient Southwest. So I wrote one. In my narrative (Lekson 2009), there were rises and falls, triumphs and tragedies, nobles and commoners, war and peace, cities and countrysides—tropes of history everywhere in the world—but these almost never appeared in scholarly accounts of the ancient Southwest. And that was the polemic of my history: American anthropological archaeology denies to Native societies north of Mexico any significant history (Lekson 2010). Just a few notable events, mostly natural: a drought here, a collapse there, a migration or two, and so forth—but no kings-and-battles history, nothing for narrative.

It's a political stance as much as it's an archaeological claim, and he has been annoying other Chaco specialists for decades with this.

[brain-palace]

Just like my previous (sorry if you haven't seen it), this one serves as an archive for the fics I love. However, this one is for smaller things like headcanons, imagines, drabbles and scenarios. As usual, if you're looking for something new to read feel free to have a look I recommend everything here. I read many different characters/universes, so I'll list them all so you don't waste time looking at something that isn't relevant to you. If you find something you like please show the fics and their authors some love!

Disclaimer: None of the works below belongs to me unless it explicitly says so. © - All rights reserved to the authors. If a fic does not have a name I will make one up for the sake of archival purposes.

Characters/Universes

Criminal minds - Hotch & Ried | Stranger Things - Eddie, Steve | TWD (The walking dead) - Daryl & Rick | MCU - Peter Parker, Tony Stark | Sherlock |

Key ➸ Angst ☁ | Fluff ♡ | Crack ❈ | Smut 🔞 |

Spencer Ried (CM) ↴

Spencer's wife stitches him up after being injured on a case | by @radiant-reid | ♡

Spencer introduces his family's newest addition to the team | ♡

Tricking you for kisses | by @chrisevansleftpeck | ♡

Playing twister with Spencer | by @byersbootyshorts | ♡ ❈

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Aaron Hotchner (CM) ↴

Guess who has Hotch's initials tattoed | by @kryptonitejelly | ♡ ❈

Identity theft - Someone took the wrong badge | by @ssahotchnerr | ♡ ❈

Thought I'd make you breakfast | by @ddejavvu | ♡

Prompting insecurity | by @ptersparkers | ☁ ♡

Saving you from a bad blind date | by @ddejavvu | c

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Daryl Dixon (TWD) ↴

"If that’s yer light punch, yer real punch must hurt like hell...” | by @daryl-dixon-daydreams | ❈

"Parking that in my front yard wasn’t exactly subtle,” | by @daryl-dixon-daydreams | ♡ ❈

“The kids ambushed me!” | by daryl-dixion-daydreams

"Blood does seem to be a rather disturbing theme around here." | by daryl-dixion-daydreams |

"Nope, puppy dog eyes aren’t going to work this time!" | by @letterstotheflre |

"I'm not lost. I'm just... exploring my options" | by daryl-dixion-daydreams |

"Just some short and sweet pregnant reader" | by @babyyblues | ♡

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Eddie Munson (ST) ↴

Picking up a drunk Eddie Munson | by @munson-blurbs | ☁ ♡

Confessions in the Rain | by @appocalipse | ♡

Teaching you how to play the guitar | by @strange-mischief | ♡

Only you can touch my hair | by @bruisedboys | ♡

Boob talk | by @purplehazed-h | ♡ ❈

Need you around | by @silent-stories | ♡

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Steve Harrington (ST) ↴

Got my picture in your wallet | by @luveline | ♡

Signals | by @sanguineterrain | ♡

Cowboy Steve | by @sanguineterrain |

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Peter Parker (MCU) ↴

Drunken words | by @luveline | ♡

s'it okay? | by @inkluvs |

Bleeding on your bed again | by @bruisedboys |

"You're a very good kisser" | by @ddejavvu | ♡

Re-touching the roots | by @reidslovely | ♡ ❈

Got to let you go | "Peter will always pick the pain of letting you go over seeing you in pain" |☁

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Sherlock ↴

"The Game is Afoot, Indeed" | by @marvelousmando | ♡

Held at gunpoint | by @imagine221b | ❈

♠ ♤ ♣ ♧

Tony Stark ↴

Trial and error | by @mostly-marvel-musings | ♡

Notes: To see longer fics check out this post → The Archive list