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estrellami-1 · 4 months

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First Cuts

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

“Okay,” Robin says, walking into the living room with her hands on her hips. “What the fuck was that cryptic message about?”

Steve sends a tired, judgmental look Eddie’s way. “What did you say?”

Eddie grins happily. “That she needed to come over.”

“Yes, and then refused to give me any more details, you asshole,” Robin hisses, poking his chest as she walks past to sit next to Steve on the couch. “What’s going on, babes?”

Steve takes a breath, glances at Eddie—who nods encouragingly—then looks back to Robin. “So… I impulsively did something a little bit ago that I didn’t think would pan out.”

Robin raises a brow. “It’s panning out?”

He bites his lip. “It is. And I’m… I’m really excited, Robs, in a way I didn’t think I would be, especially about something like this.”

“Okay. Well know first of all that anything that has you this excited already has me excited too and I support you one hundred percent.”

Steve giggles. “Thanks, Robbie.”

“So what’s the something like this you mentioned?”

Steve bites his lip again, wiggles on the couch. “School.”

Robin’s brows hit her hairline. “You applied?”

“I did.”

“And got accepted?”

“I did!”

“Holy shit, Steve!” Robin yells, jumping off the couch, grabbing his hands and jumping around. “I’m so freaking proud of you! I knew you could!”

Steve giggles again and pulls her into a hug. “Thanks, Robbie. But it’s more, uh, about the kind of school I got into.”

Robin blinks and frowns. “Okay.”

“It’s…” he looks down. “I’m, uh. Kinda embarrassed to say it, actually?”

“Oh, Stevie,” Robin murmurs, climbing into his lap to pull him into a hug. “You never have to be embarrassed with me, okay?” She says, before pulling back to place his face between her palms. “We literally saw each other at our lowest. We have no embarrassing parts anymore. Okay?”

“Got it,” Steve says, slightly muffled from her hands still clutching his cheeks. She lets go, and he smiles. “I applied to a cosmetology school. I wanna do hair.”

Robin’s silent for a few moments before, “Holy shit, Stevie!” She jumps up from the couch. “Can you practice on me? Please?” She gasps, “are you gonna learn how to do colors?”

“Uh,” Steve laughs, “Yeah, probably.”

She dances around his living room, uncaring of how ridiculous she looks. “This is gonna be so good for you! You’re gonna do so good! I mean you already know everything, and you’re such a natural, and you like it, and I’m so excited for you!”

Steve giggles again, grabbing her hand as she’s passing by to pull her into a quick, tight hug. “Thanks, Robbie.”

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#stranger things #first cuts #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #Robin Buckley #eventual Steddie #platonic stobin #hairdresser steve #starambles

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mr-styles · 1 year

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Harry Styles' Sonic Evolution: How He Grew From Teen Pop Idol To Ever-Evolving Superstar

Harry's House' not only gives Harry Styles his most GRAMMY recognition yet — it serves as a testament to how much he's expanded his sound over his already storied career.

GABRIEL AIKINS | GRAMMYS/JAN 25, 2023 - 12:02 PM

Watching 16 year-old Harry Styles walk onto the stage for his "The X Factor" audition in 2010, it's remarkable how little some things have changed in the following 13 years. Though his rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" was rather unpolished — even receiving a "no" from judge Louis Walsh — his magnetic charisma and natural talent were more than evident. And at just 16, Styles clearly knew he was on the right path.

"Singing is what I want to do," Styles said in an interview before his audition. "And if the people who can make that happen for me don't think that I should be doing that, then it's a major setback in my plans."

Of course, so much else has changed in the ensuing decade. Styles was tabbed alongside other contestants Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik to form the group One Direction. As the band stormed the charts and captured the love of fans globally, Styles grew into his abilities — and now, he's achieved a rarified level of fame.

Even after being part of one of the most successful boy bands of all time, Styles has reached new heights of superstardom in his own right. In addition to selling millions of albums and selling out arenas around the world, he's starred in four feature films and became the first male cover star of Vogue magazine. The depth of Styles' charisma and drive he's shown from that first audition have made him an all-encompassing star like few before him.

While Styles was a solo star as soon as he emerged in 2017 — selling out his first-ever solo tour and debuting his self-titled first album atop the Billboard 200 — he has dominated the 2020s. His second album, 2019's Fine Line, spawned his first No. 1 hit in the U.S. in 2020 with "Watermelon Sugar," which also earned him his first GRAMMY in 2021 for Best Pop Solo Performance. But 2022 was the year he took his stardom to the next level — and it all began with an invitation to Harry's House.

The lead single of Styles' third album, "As It Was," became undeniable, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 and spending 15 weeks there — the most in history for a British act. And when Harry's House arrived less than two months after "As It Was," it was clear that 2022 was the year of Harry.

The album, featuring smooth electronic beats and funky bass riffs, went platinum in the UK and US, put four songs into the Billboard Top 10 at the same time, and earned Styles the most GRAMMY nominations of his career. His six nominations for the 2023 GRAMMYs include his first in the coveted Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Record Of The Year categories; Harry's House also earned a nod for Best Pop Vocal Album and "As It Was" is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.

If you ask Tyler Johnson — who has co-written and co-produced the majority of Styles' three solo albums — the GRAMMY nominations may just be Styles' biggest validation yet. "It's really the music community recognizing him as Harry Styles — [his time in the band] is just another part of his resume, it no longer defines him. And that's really exciting."

In reality, Styles hardly ever let his past define him. Even Johnson sensed Styles' star power upon meeting the singer in 2015. "When I first met him, I knew a lot about him from the band, but it was obvious he was a star," he recalls. "Especially how he performed in the vocal booth, it was very brave. I was like, 'Wow, this person has no barriers.'"

With no barriers comes a willingness to always try something new — which is why the Harry Styles of Harry's House sounds much different than Harry Styles of One Direction. The change was heard immediately back in 2017 on his first solo single "Sign of the Times," released ahead of his self-titled debut LP later that year. It's a rock track to its core, starting with hearty piano chords and building to a crescendo of wailing electric guitar and crashing drums. This initial offering was a sign of what was to come, as Harry Styles is built on these rock sounds from beginning to end.

Even if reviews weren't outright surprised by this sound, they noted the seemingly brand new, well, direction. "Few people probably predicted the 23-year-old ex-One Direction superstar to drop the kind of album that makes your uncle or your mom perk up," read Variety's review. Pitchfork mused, "If you only know one thing about Harry Styles, it's probably that the album bucks the established trends governing bids for young male solo pop stardom." Styles becoming a rock star was something new, but looking back at the totality of his work, it's not quite as surprising as it might be at first glance.

When assessing the music of One Direction, the singles will of course stand out. Tracks like "What Makes You Beautiful," "Live While We're Young," and "Best Song Ever" are big and boisterous, with infectiously fun hooks. And while each of the group's five albums had rock influences — queue the Clash-like electric guitar opening of "Live While We're Young" — they're all pop projects at their core. And the writers and producers behind them were pop masterminds, too, including Rami Yacoub, Steve Mac, Ed Sheeran, and Ryan Tedder.

By nature of an essentially constant touring schedule and working with so many other people — especially the four other members of the group — there was simply less opportunity to write. Across the 86 songs in the band's discography, Styles has writing credits on only 21 of them, whereas he serves as lead writer on every track on each of his three solo albums.

"I think it was tough to really delve in and find out who you are as a writer when you're just kind of dipping your toe each time," Styles told Rolling Stonein 2017, recalling some of the struggles of being in a band. "We didn't get the six months to see what kind of s— you can work with."

Listening to the songs Styles did have a hand in writing for One Direction, though, the throughline of his career becomes clearer. Even the earliest tracks he co-wrote include key elements to his later songs.

The chorus of Up All Night's "Same Mistakes" takes his penchant for lyrical repetition, creating a folksy call-and-response feeling and pairing it with powerful guitar chords; he uses a similar pattern on Harry Styles' opening track "Meet Me in the Hallway." Made In The A.M. ballad "If I Could Fly" is strikingly vulnerable lyrically and melodically minimalistic; this combination is seen on Styles' solo ballads, like Fine Line's "Falling" or Harry's House's "Matilda."

Styles' solo success also stems from his versatility. Alongside folksy ballads, he has an ear for rock songs to fill a stadium (and after completely selling out his 2021 and 2022 Love On Tour stretches, stadiums may be where he's headed next). "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" is one of One Direction's most anthemic tracks, tailor made for karaoke or shouting alongside a crowd. It's no surprise Styles is the sole One Direction member on the writing credits for it, and you can hear that same exuberance on his solo rock anthems, from Fine Line’s ultra cool smash "Watermelon Sugar" to the funk rock-infused "Late Night Talking" on Harry's House.

In a 2017 New York Times interview, Styles explained his rock influence — and really, his musicality as a whole — stems from his own musical tastes. "I really wanted to make an album that I wanted to listen to," he said of Harry Styles. "That was the only way I knew I wouldn't look back on it and regret it. It was more, 'What do I want to sit and listen to?' rather than, 'How do I shake up compared to what's on radio right now?'"

Judging by the elevated sounds on Harry's House, Styles' musical interests have grown as he has evolved as an artist. While there are hints of his previous writing and growth on the album, Styles incorporated so many new elements, and that's what makes Harry's House so interesting and so refreshing.

Funk pervades the record, with synths and stylized loops fleshing out tracks like "Music For A Sushi Restaurant" and "Keep Driving." There's a constant sense of playfulness throughout all 13 tracks — something that was apparent to Styles' collaborators long before the world got to hear it.

"Harry just said that he's never been more proud of anything, and Tom [Hull, better known as producer Kid Harpoon] and I are just there for the ride," Johnson says. "We didn't feel too caught up in the kind of reality of who he is and having to put out an album very specific to the commerce side of it. It was a lot of having fun and just kind of burying our heads in the sand and enjoying doing it. That was very different from Fine Line."

Styles can seemingly feel his evolution himself, too. In a wide-ranging interview with Zane Lowe upon the album's release in May 2022, Styles revealed that he tried not to take direct sonic influences on this record like he had in the past. "I kinda felt like you can reference things by the emotions that they evoke," he said.

The same interview points out how much more comfortable Styles has become with being flexible and fluid, both in his own writing and his collaborators. And now that he's found his right-hand men in Johnson and Hull, he finds it easier to bring his ideas to life. This has allowed Styles to continue to expand his writing, and that resulted in an album that launched his superstardom to even greater heights — and showcased Harry Styles simply having fun.

Now 28 (almost 29!), Styles has been a beloved star for nearly half of his life. In that time, fans have watched his musical abilities mature, morph and expand; he has shown a willingness to always have an eye on what comes next — and that forward thinking paid off in a big way in 2022. However he evolves next, it seems Styles will never lose the drive and endearing charm the world first saw on the "X Factor" stage over a decade ago.

"He's a very similar person. He's a very consistent, loyal, kind person, very focused. That is all the same," Johnson insists. "He's just doing what people do when they do it more and more — he's focusing in on who he is more, he's gaining confidence, and he's becoming more and more himself — which is a very potent thing."

via Grammy.com

#harry styles #Grammys 2023

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steddiebang · 7 months

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The Rainbow Connection

Author: @hellfireloserclub l Artist: @_sweatypeaches l Artist: @hellfireloserclub Posting on Thursday, November 16

When Rainbow Graveyard made it big, performing as their alter egos Knocks and Munster, it should have been everything Eddie had ever wanted - sold out gigs, number one platinum selling albums, and a band made up of people he had fought through hell with at his side. The upside down might not have killed him, but Eddie never imagined that being on stage with Steve every night would be the thing that finally finished him. Eddie is not a person that was built to be loved, he has no idea what to do with the feelings that threaten to tear him apart. Since they dragged each other from the brink of death, he and Steve have been doing a dance to which neither knows the steps, building a life out of the trauma that follows them like a shadow, seeping into each and every crack it can find. Being a rockstar hadn't been in Steve's future plans, but it was impossible for him to deny Eddie anything, full stop. He’d helped Steve put himself back together when the upside down literally pulled him apart, and now he was pretty sure that Eddie had kept a piece of his heart and held it hostage. Steve was too much, loved too fast and too hard and destroyed everyone and everything he touched. But when he got on stage, Knocks took the wheel, and what Knocks wanted was Munster. They say that sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, and sometimes you don't know what you've got till it's gone. But how much of you is left when you're living as the personified version of your worst self?

Keep reading for a sneak preview!

Eddie looked good, and he knew he wasn’t the only one that thought so. Wherever they went these days Eddie turned heads, it was hard not to notice when it was happening right in front of you.

Charm and charisma were always going to draw people into him, and now without the stigma he had back in Hawkins Eddie was thriving.

Steve tried not to think about The Thing. The Thing with a capital T, that grabbed his heart and squeezed whenever Eddie was approached by someone in a bar or the service staff smiled a little too enthusiastically in Eddie's direction.

Steve was just a good friend who ensured his people were safe. He had always been protective, forever the babysitter. Yet he didn’t feel the need to storm out of the bar and throw up when he caught Robin kissing the bartender. But when he caught Eddie a week later doing the same? It hurt, and it hurt in a way that hadn’t happened since Nancy had ripped his heart out and stomped on it.

“Is Ed picking you up?” Wayne asked as they loaded the last of the tools onto the flatbed, having finally escaped Mrs Fitzgerald.

Steve was about to say he wasn’t when Eddie’s van came around the corner, music blaring and windows rolled down. It came to a skidding halt not far behind Wayne's work truck, and Eddie was soon leaning out the window. Wayfarer's almost falling off his nose in his enthusiasm.

“Get in Stevie, we’re going shopping.”

“Who are you, Regina George?”

Steve waved to Wayne as he climbed into the passenger seat, trying his hardest to not let his eyes rake over Eddies exposed arms, or the way the black tank top he wore stretched across his chest as he reached out to grab his lighter and ignite the end of the two cigarettes hanging from his lip, passing one over to Steve.

It was becoming too easy to be around Eddie, he had slid into Steve’s life and now he was lighting his cigarette and walking around his apartment in the nude like he had been sent by a higher power to push all of Steve’s buttons.

“Do I look like I would look good in pink?”

Eddie waved to his uncle as he backed the van out of the street, ignoring the amused knowing look on Wayne’s face as they rounded the corner. Steve ignored the question, turning the station to something they could both agree on. Eddie nervously tapped his fingers against the beat during their favorite song.

Something was bothering the other man and Steve knew it was only going to be moments before he found out if it was going to be good or bad, Eddie only got this fidgety when something was playing on his mind.

They drove to the coast, the others would probably join them later, gather on the cliffs and talk till the sun dipped below the horizon. There would be no bars and no bartenders tonight, no need for the thing in his chest to show its ugly head, it could stay safe in the Eddie shaped hole.

Parking up they clambered onto the roof of the van, both with overalls tied around their waists and their arms out catching the last of the sun.

In this light, it was easy to make out Eddie’s freckles where they had started to form in clusters.

Steve was grateful for his sunglasses, they hid the way his eyes trailed the scars on Eddie's arms. His tattoos were multiplying at an alarming rate now Eddie had a stable income and hush money to fall back on.

They were sitting close, they always were, it was like they fused at the hip most days. Eddie was almost in his lap where their knees overlapped leaning in as he threw his arms about as he talked. Always moving. A constant hypnotic presence that drew Steve closer each time.

“So… hypothetically, if we were going to form a band…” Eddie seemed to chew the words over. “Argyle said he would be able to get us some gigs. His dad owns, like, a whole bunch of venues and bars, turns out the dude is like, mega rich. His dad owns a whole chain of hotels or something, and we were talking – over pizza, obviously –”

Steve let Eddie ramble, for all people that said Steve and Robin were the same, not many people got to witness one of Eddie’s full-scale verbal dumps, they often went on as long as Robin’s.

Steve was happy to ride both of them out, nodding in what he hoped were the right places, enjoying the happy look on their faces when they were giving him new information.

Helping himself to a bottle of water from the bag between them, Steve listened to the twelve-point presentation Eddie seemed to have been working on since Argyle had put the idea in his head.

Steve already knew he was going to say yes, there was absolutely nothing he wouldn’t do if it made Eddie this happy.

“So what do you think?” Eddie was practically nose to nose with him now, he could feel his breath on his skin.

“Oh, I get to speak now? The mighty dungeon master deems the fallen King an audience?” Joking when Eddie was this close always felt a little too much like flirting. Steve shouldn’t have enjoyed the way Eddie’s cheeks coloured quite as much as he did.

“We all know I’m nothing if not your humble servant, sire. But yes, you may speak.”

“As long as we don’t call ourselves something stupid like zombie monkey spider brain, I don’t see why not?”

"Are you for real?"

"Yeah I'm for real"

Eddie threw his arms around him pulling him into a bone-breaking hug. Steve found he didn't want to let go.

Read more on November 16!

#steddiebang23 #steddiebang23 upcoming projects

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glorious-spoon · 5 months

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9 and any Stranger Things ship for the wrapped meme

Thank you! Number 9 this year was Limelight, by Rush. Here's a bit of pre-relationship Steddie featuring Eddie's complicated feelings about his hometown - I hope you enjoy!

title: get on with the fascination [on AO3]

word count: ~1900

Fifteen years after the world doesn't end, Eddie Munson returns to Hawkins.

It's a dramatic phrasing, even in his own head; for one thing, this is far from the first time he's been back since the summer of 1986, although the last time was almost a decade ago. He doesn't call it going home. Home is New York, and sometimes Chicago these days, which is as close to Roane County as he usually wants to get. Home, as far as it ever existed for him in Hawkins, was a trailer that got dropped into an alternate dimension along with a good chunk of the town the same night Eddie almost died. Home is the little house over the Illinois border where Wayne has lived since '91. Home sure as shit isn't here.

"You planning on brooding this whole time, or what?" Steve asks from across the booth. The bar they're currently sitting in is no longer called The Hideout; at some point in the last fifteen years, it's been rebranded to On The Rocks Bar And Grill. There's a fresh coat of paint on the walls and a layer of new laminate flooring over the old asbestos tile. Draft taps and an honest-to-god raised stage instead of the grimy corner where the old band used to play. At the turn of the millennium, Hawkins is finally gentrifying.

"I'm not brooding."

"Yeah, man, you totally are. Could we get a couple of refills? Thanks so much," he adds to the waitress who pauses by their table to ask if they need anything. She doesn't seem to recognize Eddie. Too young to remember him from his illustrious youth here, and apparently not into the metal scene, thank fucking Christ. For the most part, he kind of likes it when strangers come up to him in public—two platinum records in and it still hasn't lost its novelty—but not here. Not in Hawkins. This place still feels fucking cursed.

"Are you buying me beer now, Harrington?"

"You're the big-shot rockstar," Steve points out with a shit-eating grin. "You're buying."

"Ugh," Eddie groans, and puts his head down on the table, which doesn't even have the decency to be sticky. "Remind me again why I agreed to this?"

"I don't know. Closure?"

"Next time I decide to do something this shit-stupid, can you do me a favor and just, like, duct tape me to a chair or something?"

"Kinky," Steve says dryly, but he's still smiling when Eddie lifts his head to glare at him. Eddie should probably be less of a dick about this, given that Steve is only here for moral support; he doesn't live in Hawkins either these days. He's up in Chicago with Robin, who would also probably be here if she weren't mired in stacks of midterm papers on film theory from her earnest little freshman ducklings. Steve makes his own hours, so it's not that much of a surprise that he closed up shop and drove down here and didn't bother to call until he'd already crossed the county line, at which point Eddie was winding himself up into a dangerous head of steam and was grateful for any distraction that offered itself.

And Steve is the best kind of distraction. Always has been. Even now, kicked back in a bar booth in all his yuppie glory, sipping the last of his beer and scanning the bar every now and then with a wariness that Eddie hasn't seen from him in a while. Because Eddie isn't the only one who left a headful of ghosts behind in Hawkins, Indiana. He forgets that sometimes.

"Thank you, by the way," he says. "Did I say that yet?"

"Nah. Mostly you've just been, like, bemoaning your life."

"Bemoaning," Eddie repeats, delighted. "We'll make a poet of you yet, Stevie."

"In your dreams," Steve says mildly.

"Oh, every night, baby."

That gets him a scoff, but it's a fond one. The waitress comes back with their drinks, and he leans back out of her way to let her set them down and clear away their empty glasses. Steve thanks her again, and this time Eddie does too, because there's only so much wallowing that Steve will let him get away with and he's probably closing in on that limit quickly. Still, all Steve actually says once she leaves is, "So what's the plan, then? You're meeting the interviewers at, what, three?"

"Yeah," Eddie sighs. "I don't fucking know. They wanted me to, like, walk them around and show them the old sights, which sounded like a great idea when Marleen pitched it, but now it's like, what old sights? Oh, here's where the basketball team tried to kick my skull in. Here's where the football team tried to kick my skull in. Here's the picnic table where I used to sell weed out of my lunch box. Here's where my trailer was before a girl died there and it got sucked into the shadow dimension, except—oops!—can't tell you shit about that because I signed a stack of confidentiality agreements almost as tall as me. But they're still gonna ask." He lets out a long sigh and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. "They're gonna want me to talk about Chrissy."

"So you tell them to go to hell."

He barks a laugh. "Easy as that, huh?"

"You've never had trouble with it before," Steve says with a shrug.

That's true enough. Eddie sighs again and reaches for his beer. "This place is fucking me up. No, there is actually a plan. We're gonna stop by the high school after it's cleared out and do the interview there, it's all set up. You know they put up a plaque with my name on it outside the drama room?"

Steve laughs. "No shit?"

"Yeah, apparently there was a vicious battle about it on the school board. Real fire and brimstone shit, went on for months. Henderson's mom led the charge on my behalf, I got the whole story from him."

"Jesus," Steve says. And then, "Shit, we should go see her while we're in town."

"You're just hoping she'll feed you."

"Well, yeah," Steve says. "I've been living on my own cooking since…" he waves a hand and makes a face. "You know. Since everything went south with Jerry."

Jerry was the latest in a series of attractive people of varying genders that Steve has dated over the last ten years, since he moved to Chicago and figured his shit out. Eddie kind of hated the guy, but it wasn't personal. He was objectively probably a perfectly fine person, and it wasn't his fault that Eddie fell head over heels for a hot monster-slaying jock in the spring of 1986 and never entirely recovered. Though, as he's now reminded, it's been a long time since he and Steve were both single at the same time, and the last time that happened, he still thought Steve was straight.

He tries to swallow that thought down with a mouthful of beer, but it lingers like a strange spiky shape in the back of his throat. "So, how's all that going, anyway?"

Steve groans dramatically.

"An encouraging response."

"No, it's fine. I'm, like, totally over him at this point. I just… I don't know, I figured I'd be past all this shit by now, you know? Thought I'd settle down, get my life together, find somebody who…" he trails off.

"Who…?" Eddie repeats leadingly.

"I don't know. Somebody who gets it. Somebody I don't have to, like, lie to."

"That's a tall order, my friend."

"Yeah, I guess," Steve mutters. He's looking at his beer, rubbing a thumb against the wedge-shaped scar bisecting his lower lip. He's got a lot of scars, and Eddie knows the story to most of them, even the ones he wasn't personally present for. But he supposes that he can see how it would wear on Steve, inventing explanations for them that aren't about being tortured by Russian spies or eaten alive by interdimensional monsters. Steve's not much of a liar, when it comes down to it. Eddie doesn't mind spinning fantastical stories to obscure the ugly truth, but they're wired differently that way.

"Hey," Eddie says. He taps his fingernails against Steve's glass and waits for him to look up. "Listen, I'm sorry I brought it up."

Steve smiles a little. "It's fine. Seriously. Robin says I'm being a sad sack, and she's probably right."

"Mm. Probably, but I am not the sensible Professor Doctor Buckley, am I?"

"God, you know she hates it when you call her that."

"She's the one who decided to get a PhD. Masochism, in my strong opinion."

"Oh, we all know," Steve says. He glances over Eddie's shoulder at the clock, then says, "Probably ought to get going if you want to make your interview on time."

"And Marleen has promised to string me up by my metaphorical balls if I show up late for another one," Eddie sighs. He drains the last of his beer and stands, digging his wallet out.

After they pay and head outside, Steve lingers by the side of the brick building, facing the road. It's a sunny day, breezy and crisp, pale wisps of clouds moving fast across the blue sky, and something about it makes Eddie's chest pinch with a strange nostalgia. Something about the way Steve looks right now, in his stylish yet dorky windbreaker with his hair tossed by the breeze. It's shorter now than he used to wear it but he really doesn't look that different at thirty-four than he did at nineteen. Older, sure, but it suits him.

"After I'm done with all this shit," Eddie says. "You wanna go get high at the quarry? You know, for old times' sake?"

Steve laughs softly, eyes crinkling. "Does it really count if we're not smoking in the back of your van?"

"True. Pretty sure I wouldn't get the deposit back on my rental if I turn it in smelling like grass, either."

"We can take my car," Steve says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. If you want."

"You wanna crash with me after? So you don't have to drive all the way back home tonight, I mean? The room they booked me is, like, palatial. I didn't even know they had places that nice around here."

Steve glances at him again, rubbing his jaw. It wouldn't be the first time they've shared a hotel room, but there's a different context now. For one thing, they can both afford separate rooms these days. For another, Eddie's got that itch that means he's probably gonna do something reckless, and he's not even sure he wants to try to stop it.

If he and Steve go smoke up by the quarry where they spent the last summer of Eddie's teens, he's going to confess something, he's pretty sure of it. Lay it all on the line for Steve, after all this time. He's starting to think that might not even be the worst idea he's ever had. Steve is here, after all.

"Yeah, okay," Steve says, finally. He bumps his shoulder against Eddie's, and Eddie leans back into the solid warmth of him, and takes a deep breath of cool spring air, and watches the Hawkins traffic pass them by.

Tomorrow, he'll be gone. Maybe, if this doesn't all blow up in his face, he'll go back to Chicago with Steve. Hawkins is a place he's outgrown years ago, and whatever story comes out of this interview is never going to be anything other than a media-crafted shadow of the truth, but honestly, that's never been what mattered in the end.

"It's a date, then," he says, and when he glances over at Steve, he finds him already smiling back.

#stranger things #steddie #steddie fic #eddie munson #steve harrington #my fic #prompt fic

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andydrysdalerogers · 5 months

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Yours Submissively ~ Preparations

Steve Rogers X OFC Isabella Davis

Summary: Five Years after the events of Civil War, Steve Rogers has moved on from avenging and has started his own business, Grant Inc. He has a secret that would turn his world upside down. And he's good at keep that secret. Until he meets the woman with violet eyes that could bring him to his knees. Now his mission is to make her, his. But she is the key that could bring the world into balance... or chaos.

And she has no idea.

Series Warnings: slow burn at the beginning, smut, angst, sexual themes of BDSM, dom/sub dynamics, kidnapping, loss of virginity, (and a bunch of others that will come up)

A/N: the taglist is open!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Banners by me!

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Conversations

Series Masterlist ~ Main Masterlist

Belle felt the tears running down her face. All the worries, the anger, the frustrations that had plagued her…

They just melted away.

She starred at Steve’s face.

The man who annoyed her, frustrated her, cared for her, loved her, who made her feel crazy, protected, wanted, special.

The face of the man she has loved for the last six months.

“Yes.”

Steve broke into a huge smile as he slid a gorgeous ring her finger. The round diamond was set in an antique setting with smaller round diamonds and small oval sapphires on each side, all set in platinum. “I love you.”

“I love you.” Belle cupped his face as she pressed a kiss to him. “Oh my god.” Steve lifted her up and swinged her around as she laughed. “We’re getting married!”

“I’m so happy my love.” He set her down and kissed her deeply.

“Am I interrupting?” Bucky came in holding three glasses and a bottle of champagne. He saw the big smiles on the couple. He put everything down and embraced Belle. “Congratulations sweetheart!”

“Thank you, Bucky.”

Bucky let go and turned to his best friend. “Congratulations punk.”

Steve pulled him in for a hug. “Thanks jerk.”

Bucky’s expression became solemn. “Seriously, I’m proud of you Stevie. Your ma would be so proud.”

Belle let out a tiny sob at the emotional moment. “Sweet pea?”

“I’m sorry, its just, we won’t have our parents there and …”

“Oh baby, don’t cry. It will be ok.” Steve wrapped himself around her as she cried. “We’ll figure it out.” He held her as Bucky got the champagne ready.

“A toast! To you, Steve, my brother and best friend and Belle, my future sister-in-law. Congratulations!”

Arriving back in New York was surreal. Belle arrives not just as Belle Davis but now the future Mrs. Steven Rogers. All of their friends were excited for the couple, with Tony and Pepper throwing an engagement party for them. When Belle mentioned not knowing where to start, Pepper and Natasha stepped up to help her navigate the inter-working of the New York social circle and wedding planning. They got her in touch with a top wedding planner and scheduled a photo shoot.

“Really? Why?” Belle whined.

“Hon, Steve is a top executive as well as a former Avenger. His marriage is top new and its important to set the narrative,” Pepper explained. “Besides with a three-month time frame for the wedding, we want to stay on top of that.”

That was the other things that was irritating and led to a long argument. Belle wanted to wait the traditional year to get married. Steve wanted to be married the next day. “I love you, sweet pea and I just want to let the world you are mine forever.”

“And I want a wedding amore. I mean I don’t have any family to share it with, but I still want to celebrate it.” Belle looked down at the mention of family.

“Oh, baby, I didn’t even think.” Steve took her hands. “Of course, I want to celebrate my new life with you with our friends.” He kissed her knuckles. “Three months. Let’s do it in three months. Just after the holidays.”

“Really?”

“Really, my love.”

“Thank you, Steve.”

“No thanks needed sweet pea. I promised to give you the world. That’s what I’m doing.”

While Belle and Steve agreed on where, when and what the wedding would be, the only decision that was truly Belle’s was her dress. She poured over magazines, marking them, taking notes, approaching them as if it was an assignment. Steve found her at her desk one night with notes on post its. “Uh, sweet pea, what are you doing?”

“Steve! You can’t look!” She screeched.

He quickly turned around. “Love, what is going on?”

“I’m doing research.”

“Research?”

“For my dress.”

Steve started to turn around. “Love…”

“No! You can’t look. You can’t see what I’m thinking.”

Steve chuckled at the seriousness she was taking and decided to let her in on a surprise he was planning. “Sweet pea, I made you an appointment at Kleinfelds for Saturday.” Steve clasped his hands behind his back as he waited for her reaction.

“Really?”

“Yes. I also reached out to Pepper, Wanda, Nat, MJ and Hope and they will all be joining you.”

“Oh my… Steve!” She raced over and jumped on his back. He grunted at the forced but grabbed onto her thighs to hold her. She pressed kisses to his neck and cheek. “You are the most amazing fiancé!”

“I could tell you were stressing love. Have fun. Happy offered to go for security and you have lunch at the Ritz afterwards.”

“Thank you, amore. I love you.”

Steve swung her around, so she was around his hips. “You will look amazing in anything so have fun ok?”

She smiled and then let it slip for a moment. “How will I pay for this?”

“Oh. I have this for you.” He smiled as he handed her an envelope. She smiled and opened.

Darling Belle, You have grown up so much in the few years I’ve known you. I remember the first day we met. You, a bright-eyed intern and I, a grumpy CEO. I know that Steve can provide for you, but I would really like pay for your wedding dress. It would be my honor. Pepper has all the instructions. Enjoy your day. Tony

“I can’t let him do that.” Belle looked at Steve. “I have some money…”

“No, sweet pea, Tony wants to do this for you. He and I had lunch the other day and I mentioned about family. The Avengers have always seen each other as family. I mean Bucky and I lost our families in the 40s, Tony’s parents are gone and so on.”

“I’m an Avenger?”

Steve chuckled. “You are an Avenger by marriage, my love. And we take care of each other. Tony sees you as an adopted daughter. He wants to do this for you.” He kisses her head. “You have a family, Belle. We are all your family.”

Kleinfeld’s is the premier bridal store in New York. Thousands of designer gowns line the walls of the store. Belle and her entourage are greeted and escorted to a couch and chairs with champagne. Fashion director Randy comes out to make sure everything goes well. Because when Tony Stark and Steve Rogers personally call and make sure that this bride get everything she wants, all of the top people are at her disposal.

“So, tell me beautiful, what do you envision?” Randy asked.

“I don’t really know. I don’t know what would look good one me.” Belle wrang her hands together.

“I think she would look good in a mermaid,” Natasha commented.

“Oh, maybe a drop waist,” MJ offered.

“Maybe something sleeker,” Hope said.

Belle blushed. “I just know that he is my Prince and I am his Princess.”

Randy smiled. “Ok. Let’s try on the different silhouettes and go from there. Have no fear, we will find your dress for your wedding in eight weeks.”

Eight weeks. Belle shivered at the thought of it being so close. But if the man could close a business in hours, build another in a day and save the world in a week, he can have a wedding planned in no time. Belle went to the dressing room with an assistant, Anna, and tried on the first dress, a straight satin sheath dress with a keyhole back and sweetheart neckline. It looked very sophisticated. She came out to her group.

“Well…”

“I mean…”

“Guys, this is not it,” she said with a smile. “Just be honest please.”

“Ok, it looks beautiful on you but not for your wedding,” MJ replied.

“Thank you. That’s all I’m asking for.” Belle turned around, hiked up the dress to everyone’s amusement and went back to the dressing room. The processed repeated for the mermaid, the trumpet, the fit and flare, and the A-line. Belle was becoming frustrated until Randy came into her room.

“Tell me about him.”

Belle smiled softly. “He’s amazing, he’s gentle, loving, kind. I feel like he rescued me from everything. I was just this girl from Brooklyn, trying to make her way in the world when he asked me to dance. A Brooklyn boy just asked me to dance. He is my Prince. My Prince Charming. And I love him.”

Randy smiled at her. “I know just the dress. C’mon.” He took her hand.

The girls were sitting on the chairs, waiting for Belle to arrive. “Do you think she will ever pick one?” Wanda asked.

“You could always influence her,” Nat said with a big smile, wiggling her fingers.

“Not funny,” Pepper replied. She heard a rustling of tulle, turned and gasped. The dress was a ball gown but so much more. The drop cap sleeves led into a sweetheart neckline, the bodice sitting on a natural waist. The skirt was covered in fine lace detail. Delicate buttons flowed down the back to a chapel train. Randy had pulled Belle’s long black hair into a bun with a few tendrils around her face. He led her up to the podium and faced her friends.

“So…”

“Oh my god Belle, its perfect,” Hope gushed. “Have you seen yourself?”

“No, not yet.”

“Let me finish,” Randy said. He pulled an intricate flower and branch crystal barrette and attached it with a simple veil to the top of her bun. “Close your eyes beautiful.” Belle closed her as Randy turned her to face the mirrors. She could hear the sniffles from behind her. “You ready?” He asked her.

“Y-yeah, I’m ready.” Belle’s voice wavered as she waited to see herself.

“Ok, open them.”

Belle looked in the mirror and gasped. She didn’t see herself, well, not really. She saw herself as Steve’s princess, he’s new queen. “Its, its… uh… oh my god.” She let a couple of tears fall.

Pepper instinctively went to Belle stand next to her. “Are you ok? Is it not it?”

“No, its perfect.”

Pepper hugged her. “I think so too.”

Randy smiled, “A true princess dress for our princess. It’s called the Cinderella gown and its…”

“Don’t say the price,” Pepper interrupted. “Tony and I will be taking care of this and any accessories to go with it.”

“Pepper, oh, thank you!” Belle squeezed her tight. Pepper smiled and wiped away the tears.

Across town, Tony’s phone dinged. He flipped it over to see a picture of Belle with her back turned to the camera. Her dress was the only comment and he smiled.

“Something to share with the class, tinman?” Bucky asked.

“Not anything I can share while he is in the room,” he replied looking at Steve.

Steve smiled softly. “She found a dress?”

“She did. And no, you can’t see it,” Tony smirked. He shook his head. “Let’s get back to it.”

“Boss, the note sent to the Stark servers is untraceable,” FRIDAY, the Avengers AI said.

“FRIDAY, can you read it to me again please.” Steve’s face moved from jovial to sadness.

“Sure Captain. To Captain America and Iron Man, you still have what we want. Our heir needs to take her place. Release her. Hail HYDRA.”

Bucky sighed. “I haven’t had a hot lead in over a month.”

“And surveillance for all of the buildings and homes are clean,” Sam added. “We are chasing a ghost.”

“So, what is the plan then? The wedding is in eight weeks. We have the holidays as well.” Tony stood up and paced the room. “Cap?”

“We have to tell her. About the threat. We,” he pointed to Bucky and himself, “promised her that we wouldn’t keep it a secret from her.”

“Have you told her about her family lineage?” Clint asked.

Steve shook his head, “No, I can’t. Not while we are getting ready for the wedding. She has been asking what preventive messages she can take.”

“Rogers,” Tony started but took in the look on his face. “Ok, I’m setting aside the whole Belle’s family things for now. We have been working on a set of glasses she can wear that will change her eye color. Its so distinctive that it would be smart to hide that.”

“That’s good. Anything else?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, your honeymoon, we have secured the location and safeguards.” Clint looked at his notes. “Local authorities are ok with the additional force that will be present.”

“And, we have increased the invisible security on Belle and you, Steve,” Bucky said. “You guys won’t even notice, especially Belle. School will be on break next week and Clint will be spending time with his kids since Belle will be with me at the apartment.”

Steve nodded. “Ok, I think…”

“Oh no, you are not getting out of discussing your bachelor party,” Tony said with a mischievous grin.

“I don’t want nor need a bachelor party,” Steve said crossing his arms.

“The party is not for you.” Tony stopped and held up his hand. “Wait, let me try that again. The party is to celebrate you but it’s mostly for us. Don’t deny us the reason to celebrate that you actually are committing to someone, Rogers.”

“Stark, I don’t think Isabella would like me…”

“She’s going on her own party,” Clint says quietly interrupting.

“What?”

“Well, Nat and Wanda approached me about arranging security for her party about two weeks before the wedding. It’s supposed to be a surprise for Belle.”

Steve groaned as Tony clapped in glee. “That settles it. That same night, gentlemen, will the swan song for the singledom of Steve G. Rogers.”

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

#andy's hea #andy's shenanigans #yours submissively #chris evans fanfiction #steve rogers au #steve rogers smut #steve rogers fanfiction #Steve Rogers x OFC #Bucky barnes #chris evans #mcu fanfiction #Steve rogers #steve rogers imagine #chris evans au #avengers au #cliffhanger queen

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stvnszlr · 4 months

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hihi !! big fan of ur stuff on ao3 n i didn’t even realize that was u !! could i request some duff/steven or izzy/slash fluff ?? maybe something with them wearing each other’s clothes ?

AH oh boy i went a little crazy for this prompt !! thank u for being my first ask btw :) and i’m so glad you like my previous stories ! i hope this one lives up to your expectations :D

i went with stevie + duff cause i was very inspired by their height difference , but i might have to do a sequel with the other two cuz both have SUCH cute potential ^_^

only tw is for one use of obscure , 80s slang , normally used in a homophobic context but in this instance it is lighthearted ! other than that , only fluff below the cut .

this can be read as platonic !!

“Hey … that’s my shirt!”

A shrill, cheery voice spoke up from the corner of the room. Duff looked up at the sound, halting his uncoordinated stumble from the upper loft he’d just been resting in to the larger room the band shared. He squinted bleary eyes toward the source of the exclamation, eyes adjusting to the light. Through his sleep-blurred vision, he recognized a cloud of fluffy, platinum hair bounding its way toward him.

In an instant, Steven came to a skidding halt on the floor only a few inches from Duff. Shaking the hair out of his face, he tilted his head upwards to make eye contact with the bassist. Duff blinked a few times, nose and mouth scrunching as he tried to clear the fuzzy spots from his eyes.

Through the bright haze of sunlight, like an angel emerging from within the clouds, Steven’s face began to take shape in front of Duff. An angel in a ratty white tank top with a horrible case of bedhead… but divine nonetheless. His crystal-blue eyes glinted brightly in the light, wide and eager with excitement. To match, a broad grin stretched both his cheeks, two rows of glinting teeth on display as he beamed with pleasure up at his taller bandmate.

“You’re wearing my shirt,” he repeated, smiling proudly as he informed Duff of his observation. Duff skeptically raised an eyebrow, his eyelids still drooping with exhaustion. He pried his gaze from Steven’s shining face to glance down at the shirt he’d blindly tugged on as he rolled out of bed.

Now that he got a closer look … he did remember Steven wearing a very similar Black Sabbath ‘80 tour shirt a few times in the past. The fact that it was cropped barely below his nipples was a pretty good giveaway, too. Duff barely cut his shirts short at all— while on Steven, this might reach down to about the drummer’s bellybutton.

He flicked his eyes back to Steven’s ardent, awaiting face. “Guess so,” he mumbled with a shrug, his eyes trained on the wide irises staring back at him. Truthfully, Duff didn’t care much what he wore around the house. If his whole stomach was on display, well— more view for the rest of them, he supposed.

He noticed Steven’s beaming cheeks had taken on a bit of a rosy flush, and he watched the color deepen as the drummer glanced down at his exposed abdomen before quickly returning to his face. “It, um— you— looks good,” Steven squeaked out, his grin turning sheepish. Instinctively, the corner of Duff’s mouth tweaked up with a smug smile.

“Maybe I should steal from you more often,” his groggy voice rumbled, still thick and deep with sleep. Amusement was still evident in his tone, though, and his eyes crinkled with delight watching Steven appear more flustered by his words.

Steven furrowed his brow, his nose wrinkling as he tried to rein in his grin. “You gotta share, then. Like, trade,” Steven complained, though it didn’t sound quite convincing. “Otherwise I’ll lose all my clothes, an’ then I’ll be walking around fuckin’ naked,” he added mischievously.

Duff couldn’t help but chuckle at that, the thought of Steven’s exaggerations coming to life painting an amusing picture in his mind. “Ah! That was my plan all along,” he sighed, feigning disappointment.

Steven burst into bright, bubbly laughter, his lofty giggle bouncing around the room. Duff couldn’t help himself— Steven’s laugh was so infectious, his own face split into a wide, toothy grin. “I knew it! You’re such a flamer!” Steven cried out, shoving Duff’s arm with an open palm while the bassist shook with laughter.

He glanced back up into Duff’s eyes, a playful expression of excitement flashing across his face as an idea formed in his head.

“I’ll just have to take yours instead,” he smiled, his eyes narrowing. He quickly turned on his heel and darted up the ladder leading to the loft, giving Duff almost no time to react. The bassist’s eyes widened, and he lunged to follow the smaller drummer up the steps.

“Steven—!” He exclaimed between chuckles. “Get back here, asshole!” His younger bandmate only giggled louder, having reached the top of the ladder already. Duff was quick to follow, though, his height giving him an advantage.

As he reached the top, he pushed himself forward with arms spread wide, capturing Steven in his grasp. The two tumbled down onto the sheets below them, Steven shrieking with surprise as Duff shoved his face into a pillow. They wrestled around atop the mattress on the floor, Steven trying to seek revenge but being consistently thwarted by Duff’s bigger frame. Eventually, their kicking and squirming slowly turned to heavy breathing, both hot and exhausted with effort.

Steven grinned widely, his head resting on Duff’s arm as he spread out his own body across the bed. Duff closed his eyes, his tiny shirt now ridden up beneath his armpits and exposing his entire chest. The two panted against each other, skin on skin, still giggling lightly all the while. Perhaps their argument would be solved another day.

#steven adler #duff mckagan #mcadler #saz requests !#guns n roses #gnr #steven gnr #guns and roses #poppy #duff gnr #steven adler x duff mckagan #duff mckagan x steven adler

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solariaswitch · 10 months

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What's your favorite outfits for the Trix?

I love this ask because I am nothing if not obsessive about fashion and the narrative use of fashion in TV. Unfortunately, the trix don't get a big variety of outfits, but I'll work with the few ones we do get.

Darcy's civilian clothes.

This look is just amazing and shaped my fashion sense as a tender seven year old child. Not to mention, the whole look really reflect Darcy as a character, her uniqueness, personality and powers. It's fashionable and modern which makes us realise she cares about how she's perceived and conventional standards (reflecting her vanity), but still have a strong sense of individuality with the witchy 70s influences, mainly the bell bottoms and yellow sunglasses, setting her apart from the crowd. And by the way, while we're on the topic of those damn sunglasses?? They're an endless source of fandom debate because we never really know for sure why she wears them. I personally subscribe to the headcanon that she wears them purely for aesthetics but probably pretends she wears them due to being light sensitive. Whichever the case, both go so well with her personality. The whole look is also very much giving sexy-nerd which is just so real tbh. This is peak character and fashion narrative.

2. Stormy's disguise

There's a good reason the boys at the red fountain started flirting with Stormy when she was in this disguise, she was scandalously hot in it. It might not have a big narrative purpose but it's beautifully mid 2000s. I love that the color scheme is Stormy's regular colors slightly brightened up and with the blue being dominant - a little sneaky hint about who she really is.

3. Icy's disguise

The whole vibe of this outfit is reflective of Icy's personality. It's sporty, fashionable and hot, designed in all blue. I also just adore the platinum blonde hair that went with this look.

4. Darcy's gypsy look.

It's so fun to see the disguises the trix put on. I like this one solely because Darcy looks stunning in it. Lol.

(dis)Honorable mention: Disenchantix

Disenchantix is one of those looks that I can never make up my mind about, because frankly I find it too sexualised. I mean, Valtor putting three young women in lingerie makes me physically cringe when watching it but none the less I can appreciate what the show was attempting with this look. The shawls and skirts bring my mind to the witchy vibes of Stevie Nicks in the 70s and the fashion of witchy and occult communities. However, the overly revealing interpretation of this look very much screams male-fantasy to me. It had so much potential that just went down the drain. If I had even an ounce of drawing skills I would redesign disenchantix in a heartbeat.

#winx #winx club #the trix #darcy #icy #stormy #asks #littlegirlywerewolf #also call me delulu but stormy's disguise is giving Rory Gilmore

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softpine · 10 months

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holy shit that was incredible 🧎 as usual right after reading one of ur posts i'm craving a LOT of bts info. how did u decide who would be the closest to which until dawn character? were there any choices u went back and forth on? how are u so talented? are there any hidden easter eggs? how do u think their relationships would change in the following months?

the edits are beyond stunning, i've been staring at the portraits for so long and i'm gonna reread the whole thing tmrw in case i missed smtn <3

ahhh thank you!!! i'm so happy you liked it 🥺💖

so the thing is, i'm like. wildly hyperfixating on until dawn right now and i decided to platinum the game, which involves replaying it at least 3 times (in my case it took 6 because i'm bad at gaming lol) so i had a ton of time to think about this AU while i was watching the same unskippable cut-scenes over and over. the first thing i thought was "haha i also have a character named matt who's kind of a pushover" and the rest is history :')

characters

Josh = Finn: i knew i couldn't have an actual josh in this case because none of my characters would do exactly what he did, but the core elements of josh are already in finn: he was wronged by the people in his life he trusted the most, he lashes out when he feels strong emotions, and he's really just scared and lonely underneath it all. so then i thought, what if josh's fake ghost antics were an actual ghost? and who's better for that role than finn? however, his parents are definitely not rich, so the lodge couldn't belong to his family. that's why i decided to make it a larger hunting lodge where all kinds of hunters would come together. also did you notice how i didn't even tell you who killed finn in the AU because no spoilers :P

Sam = Asa: i actually don't care for sam tbh but she's the obvious leader of the group, the level-headed one, the angel on your shoulder. asa can be impulsive at times (especially in regards to finn) but he's still the person i would choose to be at my my side during a crisis. his parents are the only ones with money, so it makes sense for danny to purchase the lodge without visiting it himself. sam is also compassionate to josh and has somewhat of a romantic thing going on with him if you read it that way, so that fits for asa and finn.

Jessica = Elaine: jess (best girl!!!!!) is the first person with the possibility of dying, and her death/injury is the catalyst for multiple characters future decisions, so her equivalent had to be someone who's also strongly connected to numerous others. so elaine is perfect! she's also the only person of my group who i can imagine storming outside in the snow in her underwear to give her friends a piece of her mind fjskjds but she also has enough strength of character & resilience to make it realistic that she might survive so many injuries.

Mike = Austin: this felt like a no-brainer because austin already has knowledge about guns, he's fearless, and if elaine got hurt, austin would go fucking ballistic. he stops caring about his own survival and starts making brash, unwise choices. but that's where the similarities end, because i actually really hate mike and i feel bad comparing austin to him lmao. say what you will about austin, but he would never try to talk his way into having sex with a girl who literally says "i'm just not feeling it". i hate mike 😒

Chris = Stevie: now hear me out!! at first glance you might think stevie would be ashley. they cry a lot, they look to others for guidance, and they even look alike. but stevie strikes me as much more of a chris type, being that chris was never meant to be the hero. he's a goofy nerd who tells jokes when he's nervous and screams his head off any time he has to do something brave. and that's exactly what stevie's role in this AU is. despite her nature, she's making brave decisions for the benefit of her friends. (but this pic did remind me of ashley)

Matt = Matt: he's kinda just..... here. he cracks some jokes, he can either diffuse or encourage arguments, he plays second fiddle to his girlfriend most of the time. he tries to be the hero but fails miserably. but he has a good heart and he almost never does anything controversial.

Alisa = Ashley: alisa is WAY less outwardly emotional than ashley, but she has the same chaotic, contradictory nature. she cares about people, but she's also capable of coldly letting others die to save herself. she's good at making others feel protective of her even if she doesn't need protecting. she's VERY curious.

Jada = Emily: listen emily just doesn't fit with any of my characters even though i love her so much. but jada does share her determination in the face of fear, her will to survive at any cost, and the way she has the capability to soften up and be really sweet under the right circumstances. they're both much more resourceful and capable than you would initially think. but jada is more likely to follow others' guidance than make plans herself.

other stuff!

for the safe room scene, i thought it would be more interesting if it was the archetypal heroic boyfriend who was bitten and the archetypal damsel in distress who holds his fate in her hands. but there is no way in hell that austin would just sit there and let someone shoot him. when he takes alisa hostage, it almost makes it easier to shoot him; if he were pleading for his life, jada would never pull the trigger, no matter how much alisa told her to. but since he puts himself in the position of the aggressor (the exact thing they feared he would do) it becomes a more believable dilemma. of course, we learn later that the bite is not infectious and austin never would've turned, but none of them know that yet. even austin doesn't know. this scene in the game is extremely horrifying to me so i hope i did it justice in my AU too!

i said this in the replies too, but: the playthrough i envisioned with the stats and pictures makes these major choices: elaine initially survives the mine, matt dies by the rope, stevie's leg is fine, jada shoots austin (why she's covered in blood in her portrait), jada & alisa die in the explosion, stevie rescues elaine, and finn saves asa!

imagine the lantern is doing this shit the whole time LMAOO

the swiss army knife in my AU basically has the same function as the flare gun in until dawn. if matt doesn't have it, he'll die. but if emily doesn't have it, she'll only be bitten. but getting the flare gun into the right hands is sooo convoluted so i had to simplify it for our purposes.

butterfly effects

i didn't include these because i was trying to keep things brief, but here's some of the other ideas i had:

if elaine & austin's relationship drops too low before they arrive at the guest cabin, then elaine won't kiss him and will go outside to look for her phone against his wishes. that's where she would be taken by the creature instead.

if jada and alisa don't find enough clues about finn's disappearance, then they will not recognize finn when they find his remains. this makes finn less likely to protect them later in the night.

if jada shot austin and her relationship with alisa is HIGH, then alisa will give herself injuries on her face to help corroborate their self defense story. if jada shot austin and her relationship with alisa is LOW, then alisa will be fascinated and say "i didn't know you had it in you..." but will not offer to corroborate the story. in both scenarios, alisa will then say she doesn't want to sit around with austin's body. jada will have the option of leaving with alisa or staying inside the safe room. jada can say no (alisa might survive, jada dies), or yes (they both might survive). or if they have a high relationship, she can convince alisa to stay too (they both die).

if matt survives the attack in the mines, then stevie's leg will be injured because she didn't have the knife, meaning she arrives much later to rescue elaine/matt. so if elaine is still alive, matt can find her in the mines and they have a conversation. they will both be impressed by each other's survival, and elaine will feel bad that matt is only in the mines because of her. she asks where austin is, but matt has no idea. then stevie shows up and the rest plays out as described!

after dawn

so obviously their relationships would vary wildly depending on who survives and what choices they made to get there.

in an everyone survives playthrough, austin and elaine would break up soon after the events of the game. if you notice, elaine's perception of austin went down a lot because austin didn't try to save her after she fell down the elevator. she felt abandoned by him when he was the most physically capable & experienced person who could have saved her, but instead it was her injured best friend who never gave up on her. so they're done lol. stevie and matt would break up amicably (for reasons unrelated to the night in question) and remain friends, because how could they not? as for alisa, she doesn't talk to any of them anymore. she was only ever close with jada in the first place, but after jada refused to shoot austin, she lost all trust in her. after finn's remains are found, his spirit is no longer chained to the lodge and he's able to join asa at home. this version of finn is like a normal ghost in that he can appear to anyone he wants. he becomes close friends with all of asa's friends, especially stevie. and then... a few years later... a family called the washingtons purchases the property for their kids (josh, beth, and hannah) to throw parties in. just kidding sjfkjsd sole survivor playthrough: with the outline i laid out, there's actually no way for each of them to be the sole survivor because i had to cut so much out for brevity (i know it doesn't seem like it lol). but it's possible for asa, stevie, elaine, or matt to be sole survivors. the most heartbreaking is probably stevie, who would've had to see matt's decapitated head, heard the lodge blow up with asa, jada, alisa, and austin inside, then watch elaine die right in front of her. so that's super fucked and i don't want to think about that anymore!! asa being the sole survivor makes the most sense logically, because he has finn to protect him for most of it. elaine or matt being the sole survivor would be if one of them dies early in the game and then stevie dies trying to help elaine/matt escape. in any case, i don't think all the therapy in the world could cure that amount of survivor's guilt... everyone dies playthrough: the group become ghosts who haunt the mountain. finn's body is never recovered because no one is alive to report it to the police, so he is never at peace either. danny still owns the property, so he destroys the cable car and builds a giant electrified fence so that, hopefully, no human will ever return to the cursed mountain. i can't even / don't want to imagine how any of their parents would be able to move on after such a tragedy, it makes me genuinely sad to think about :( everybody dies playthroughs are all fun and games until you think about what comes after 😭

ANYWAY THAT'S ALL!! thank you so much for indulging my frankly rabid brain fjskdjs i know i keep saying it, but until dawn is my most confusing obsession because i first played the game in 2015 and i wasn't a fan; i thought the characters were annoying and the gameplay was lacking. but a few months ago i randomly decided to watch a playthrough of the quarry and that made me want to give until dawn another chance, and now...... yeah. idk what happened here but now it's all i can think about lmao. but being able to talk about the game with other people is sooo fun and i'm really happy i did this!! 💖

#flashing tw #minamill #asks #nonsims #brandi answers

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naturesfirstgreenisgold · 8 months

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Camila and Billy Dunne Type Love

“…Give me all the platinum albums you want, all the drugs and all the Cuervo and all the fun times and successes and the fame and all of it, I would hand them all back to you, just as the cost of my memories with her….”

505- Artic Monkeys

Afterglow- Taylor Swift

All of Me- John Legend

The Archer- Taylor Swift

Aurora- Daisy Jones & The Six

betty-Taylor Swift

Blackbird- Remastered 2009- The Beatles

By Myself- Daisy Jones

Can’t Help Falling In Love- Elvis Presley

The Chain- 2004 Remastered- Fleetwood Mac

The Chain- Demo - Fleetwood Mac

The Chain- Live 1977 - Fleetwood Mac

champagne problems- Taylor Swift

Changes- Cam

Cornelia Street- Taylor Swift

cowboy like me- Taylor Swift

Daylight- Taylor Swift

Death By A Thousand Cuts- Taylor Swift

Do You Wanna Know?- Arctic Monkeys

Don’t- Ed Sheeran

Don’t Be Cruel- Elvis Presley

Don’t Stop- 2004 Remastered- Fleetwood Mac

Don’t Stop- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

Don’t You (Forget About Me)- Simple Minds

Dream- 2004 Remastered- Fleetwood Mac

Dream- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

Dreams- Take 2- Fleetwood Mac

False God- Taylor Swift

Flip The Switch- The Dunne Brothers

Forever- Remastered 2009- The Beach Boys

Gold Dust Woman- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Gold Dust Woman-Early Take; 2013 remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Gold Dust Woman- Live 1977; 2013 remaster- Fleetwood Mac

gold rush-Taylor Swift

Good Luck Charm- Elvis Presley

Go Your Own Way- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Go Your Own Way -Early Take- Fleetwood Mac

Go Your Own Way - Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

Go Your Own Way- Live at Warner Brothers Studio In Burbank, CA 5/23/97- Fleetwood Mac

Graceland Too- Phoebe Bridgers

Have Love Will Travel- The Dunne Brothers

Heartbreak Hotel- Elvis Presley

Heaven- Bryan Adams

Hey! Baby- Bruce Channel

Hey Stephen (Taylor’s Version)-Taylor Swift

I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor- Arctic Monkeys

I Can See You(Taylors Version) (From The Vault)- Taylor Swift

(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction- Mono Version- The Rolling Stones

I Don’t Want to Know- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

I Don’t Want to Know- Early Take- Fleetwood Mac

I Forgot That You Existed- Taylor Swift

invisible string- Taylor Swift

Iris- The Goo Goo Dolls

I Think He Knows- Taylor Swift

It’s Been a Long, Long Time (with Harry James & His Orchestra)- Harry James, Kitty Kallen

It’s Nice To Have A Friend- Taylor Swift

I Wanna Be Yours- Arctic Monkeys

I Want To Hold Your Hand- Remastered 2009- The Beatles

Keep Me There- Instrumental; 2013 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Keep Me There- With Vocal; 2013 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Kill You To Try- Daisy Jones & The Six

the lakes-bonus track- Taylor Swift

Leather and Lace (With Don Henley)- Stevie Nicks

Let It Be- Remastered 2009- The Beatles

(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear- Elvis Presley

Let Me Down Easy- Demi Lovato, Daisy Jones & The Six

London Boy- Taylor Swift

Long Live- Taylor Swift

Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)- Daisy Jones & The Six

Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)- Maren Morris, Marcus Mumford, Daisy Jones & The Six

Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)-Single Version- Daisy Jones & The Six

Look Me In The Eye (feat. Daisy Jones)- Live from Diamond Head Festival- 1975- Daisy Jones, The Dunne Brothers

Love Me Tender- Elvis Presley

Lover- Taylor Swift

Lover- Recorded at Air Studios, London- Niall Horan, FLETCHER

Love Story- Taylor Swift

Love Story (Taylor’s Version)- Taylor Swift

The Man- Taylor Swift

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince- Taylor Swift

Monday Morning- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

More Than A Feeling- Boston

More Than Words- Extreme

Mr. Loverman- Ricky Montgomery

Mustang Sally- Wilson Pickett

Never Going Back Again- remaster 2004- Fleetwood Mac

Never Going Back Again- Acoustic Duet- Fleetwood Mac

Never Going Back Again- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

New Year’s Day- Taylor Swift

Nights in White Satin- The Moody Blues

November Rain- Guns N’ Roses

Oh Daddy- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Oh Daddy-Early Take- Fleetwood Mac

Paper Rings- Taylor Swift

Rhiannon- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

The River (feat. Simone Jackson)- Live from Soldier Field-1977- Daisy Jones & The Six, Simone Jackson

Second Hand News- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Second Hand News- Early Take- Fleetwood Mac

She’s Always a Woman- Billy Joel

Silver Springs- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

Slow Dancing- Aly & AJ

Songbird-Remaster 2004- Fleetwood Mac

Songbird-Demo - Fleetwood Mac

Songbird- Instrumental, Take 10- 4- Fleetwood Mac

Songbird-Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

Star Treatment- Arctic Monkeys

Sweet Caroline- Neil Diamond

Sweet Child O’ Mine- Guns N’ Roses

Sweet Emotion- Aerosmith

Sweet Nothing- Taylor Swift

Time After Time- Cyndi Lauper

Timeless (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)- Taylor Swift

Tiny Dancer- Elton John

What A Time (feat. Niall Horan)- Julia Michaels, Niall Horan

When Emma Falls in Love (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)- Taylor Swift

Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? - Arctic Monkeys

Wildflowers- Tom Petty

Wildflowers- Recorded at Spotify Studios NYC- Miley Cyrus

World Turning- Live 1977- Fleetwood Mac

You Make Loving Fun- 2004 Remaster- Fleetwood Mac

You Need To Calm Down- Taylor Swift

You’re My Home- Billy Joel

You’re So Vain- Carly Simon

(You’re The) Devil in Disguise- Elvis Presley

Playlist Master list

#daisy jones and the six #camila dunne #billy dunne #the dunne brothers #daisy jones and the 6 #daisy jones show #taylor jenkins reid #playlist #spotify

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jamieroxxartist · 7 months

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youtube

Today in Pop Culture History: Oct 4, 1980 #FleetwoodMac members Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks join the USC Trojan Marching Band, which performed on their hit “#Tusk,” during halftime of the football game between USC and Arizona State. Nicks twirls a baton, Fleetwood plays a bass drum, and Buckingham mock conducts as the band plays the song. The USC band is then presented with a platinum record for their contribution.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tusk_(song))

#Youtube

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granvarones · 5 months

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2025 will mark the 40th anniversary of Dionne Warwick’s cultural milestone single, “That’s What Friends Are For.” The one-off single, featuring the equally iconic Gladys Knight, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder, “That’s What Friends Are For,” was released as a charity single in October 1985 to support AIDS research. The song achieved monumental success and cemented Warwick’s legacy as not just a music icon but a significant figure in the history of AIDS advocacy.

Dionne Warwick emerged as a groundbreaking performer in the 1960s, her voice becoming the medium for the poignant lyrics of the songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. With hits like “Walk On By” and “Say a Little Prayer,” she became synonymous with a refined pop and R&B style. As musical styles changed in the 1970s and 1980s, Warwick adapted to the changing musical landscape, dominated by Disco and the advent of MTV-oriented superstars.

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The genesis of “That’s What Friends Are For” lies in its initial recording by Rod Stewart for the 1982 comedy movie “Night Shift.” Stewart’s version was in concert with the schmaltzy ballad sound that dominated pop radio at the time and went relatively unnoticed. Written by Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager, Warwick’s 1985 version was a rallying cry in the fight against AIDS and catapulted the song into music and AIDS history.

Featuring Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder and billed as Dionne & Friends, “That’s What Friends Are For” was released in October 1985, just a few weeks after the AIDS-related death of Rock Hudson, a beloved American Hollywood Legend. Hudson’s death marked a significant shift in America’s understanding of AIDS and song’s poignant message of friendship and unconditional love resonated with music listeners during a pivotal time.

The proceeds of the platinum-selling “That’s What Friends Are For” were donated to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR). Co-founded by Elizabeth Taylor in September 1985, one of AmFar’s first donations was a gift of $250,000 from Rock Hudson shortly before his death a month later. This gift, along with the amplification and monetary support by “That’s What Friends Are For,” AmFar has contributed to numerous breakthroughs that have extended and saved lives worldwide.

Dionne Warwick’s AIDS advocacy was not limited to this song. She became a vocal and visible advocate for AIDS research, education, and compassion. In March 1990 “That’s What Friends Are For” was performed by Warwick and her cousin Whitney Houston as the finale at the AIDS benefit That’s What Friends Are For: Arista Records 15th Anniversary Concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The historic event, later televised on CBS, raised Over $2.5 million for various AIDS organizations.

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Dionne Warwick’s dedication to AIDS advocacy continued for years, making her a significant figure not only in music history but also in the history of social activism. Her efforts helped shift public perception of AIDS and brought greater awareness and resources to combat the crisis. Her career is a testament to the power of music not just to reflect the times but to shape them.

Dionne Warwick is an enduring icon in both music and social activism. Praise her!

#granvarones #worldaidsday #dionne warwick #songs that soundtracked the aids epidemic #latinx #gay #storytelling #Youtube

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randomvarious · 8 months

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Today's compilation:

Now That's What I Call Music! 8 2001 R&B / Pop / Teen Pop / Alternative Rock / Pop-Punk / Post-Grunge

Welp, folks, it looks like we're nearing the end of the earliest days for this beloved flagship series that's known for constantly delivering reproductions of the day's biggest pop hits, but I still have a couple more of these albums in my queue to enjoyably sift through. And just like the other seven installments that precede this one, Now That's What I Call Music! 8 also makes for a pretty great trip down commercial radio memory lane as well 😍.

But before we dive right on into it, how about we have some nostalgic fun with the ad for this release first? See, If you had placed an order for Now 8 by credit card or with check-debit, you'd also receive a free limited edition collector's box that you could store all of your other Now CDs in too! Wow! How considerate! Thanks Now! 😎💖

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But we actually start off on a few somber notes here... 😔

Now 8 was the first dispatch from the main series to be released after 9/11, and so, I feel like the inclusion of its final track, U2's "Walk On," which never even made it onto Billboard's Hot 100 chart, was done solely in order to try to console an American psyche that had been deeply wounded at that time. "Walk On" was released as a single in February of 2001, and was actually about the plight of Burmese peace activist Aung San Suu Kyi—who, years later, would despicably do nothing as Myanmar's head of state to address the genocide of Rohingya Muslims that her own military was perpetrating—but in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the song found itself resonating with a lot of Americans, serving a sudden and newfound purpose as an anthem of perseverance for them.

And that's pretty much undoubtedly why Now chose this song to close out the album. Had 9/11 not happened, this comp's last track would've probably been a song that had actually charted on the Hot 100. But because this album was slated to release in November of '01, the Now brass probably thought it best to end with a song that could acknowledge that then-current moment of anguish and turmoil, rather than awkwardly and tone-deafly just loading up their CD with fun pop hits from the summer that had just passed.

But less than three weeks before 9/11, R&B star Aaliyah had also tragically passed in a plane crash after filming the video for her beautifully soft and sensual, final single, "Rock the Boat" too. So Now not only included that song on this release, but they dedicated the whole album to Aaliyah's memory, and also donated part of the proceeds from the triple-platinum seller to her memorial fund as well.

And last with the sadness, rest in peace to the great Steve Harwell. I absolutely despised your band's cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" when I first heard it (which appears on this album), but I still genuinely dug your work more than most are willing to admit, and really also loved the critique you had about the commodification of social movements in "Walkin' On the Sun," which is something that many people probably overlooked because they had nothing nice to say about your band that, unfortunately, became a Shrek meme. At the end of the day, Smash Mouth made a bunch of fun music, man 😞.

OK, on to the rest of this album...

So, the album cover for this release says it comes with 20 chart-topping hits, but in reality, only three of these were actually Hot 100 #1s. There's Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious," which, to go with their Survivor album's theme, intended to use the opening guitar stutter from "Eye of the Tiger"—by the band *Survivor*—but had to settle for Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" instead; Usher's "U Got It Bad" ballad; and Joe's "Stutter," which isn't actually the most famous version of the song, but is the "Double Take Remix" instead, that was done by Allen "Allstar" Gordon Jr., and sampled both the iconic west coast alternative rap classic, "Passin' Me By," by The Pharcyde, as well as the song that that song itself sampled, Quincy Jones' "Summer in the City." And it also features now-canceled rapper Mystikal, which represents his third overall appearance in this series.

And speaking of remixes and samples, the famous Murder Inc. remix of J.Lo's "I'm Real," featuring Ja Rule, doesn't appear on here, but instead, it's her underappreciated and poppier original version that sounds nothing like the remix, and samples from classic Japanese electronic group Yellow Magic Orchestra's digi-chirping "Firecracker," which ends up naturally giving the tune a sweet 80s throwback kinda vibe.

Other songs worth mentioning are the brilliantly produced and super light and smooth Janet Jackson jam, "Someone to Call My Lover," which sampled from folk duo America's "Ventura Highway;" and a terrific tune that was actually originally released in 1998, but rose to US fame because of its inclusion in a 2001 Mitsubishi ad: "Start the Commotion," by UK duo The Wiseguys. That one's very much in that Fatboy Slim-helmed UK big beat vein; gotta love the blaring and swingin' sampled horns on it! 🤩

And there's a solid handful of other songs on this CD that I could devote some space to as well, but I think this post here is already long enough as it is.

So, another terrific nostalgia rush to be had in this trip all the way back to 2001. And I only have one more of these Now comps left in my queue, but I think I'm gonna save it for later.

Highlights:

Destiny's Child - "Bootylicious" 'N Sync - "Pop" Jennifer Lopez - "I'm Real" Joe feat. Mystikal - "Stutter (Double Take Remix)" Janet Jackson - "Someone to Call My Lover" Christina Milian - "AM to PM" Aaliyah - "Rock the Boat" Usher - "U Got It Bad" Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood" The Wiseguys feat. Greg Nice - "Start the Commotion" Sum 41 - "Fat Lip" Blink-182 - "The Rock Show" Fuel - "Bad Day" U2 - "Walk On"

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