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#billy could have been saved
thegreencanary · 2 years
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can i request a billy hargrove fluff/angst oneshot? maybe where reader gets in his car after school crying and his brain goes brrrrrr *microwave noises* unsure what to do but reader says stupid jason carver was picking on her and a switch flips in him and he gets M A D ready to punch his face in??
Omg I got you boo I love a protective man and Billy is just *MWUAH*. I’ll try to keep it simple but this gave me a lot of good ideas. Might make a larger story later!
A/N: This is my work and I don’t give anyone the permission to post it anywhere claiming to be someone else’s. I worked hard on this, if you enjoy it please interact. Requests are open.
TW: Cursing and fighting
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It was a dumb shirt, you knew wearing it to school was going to be a problem but the whole morning was a shit show so you didn’t have time to change. It was a really nasty shade of green and it fit you like a box. The sweatpants you decided to wear just made you look like you just rolled out of bed, because you had. Oversleeping makes one panic in the morning that’s for damn sure. School was just as bad, especially since Jason Carver woke up and chose you to be his victim today. All day he had been calling you names, knocking your books out of your hand and harassing you about your best friend. Billy was popular but Jason hated him, and because of your class schedule you barely got to see Billy during the day. Lunch time he was being held in a lunch detention for falling asleep in another class so Jason took the opportunity to throw apple juice at you. The day just sucked.
Finally the bell rang and you just wanted to go home, Billy usually took you but you didn’t want to wait for him because Jason was hot on your heels.
“Gonna run home and cry about how the big bad basketball players were mean to you today? Yeah? Wittle cry baby? You’re pathetic.”
You just pushed on outside, wanting to just go the fuck home.
“No wonder your dad died! I’d want to too if my daughter was a fat bitch like you!”
God. Damn. You. Jason. Your legs stopped working for a few moments. He just had to yell your business so the whole fucking school could hear it. Embarrassed tears streaked your face as you ran to the comfort of a certain blue Camaro. Billy wasn’t inside yet but you had his spare key; perks of being the best friend. You sat down and began crying so loud that when he opened his door you didn’t even hear it.
“….if you bleed on my seats you need to pay for it to be cleaned.”
Billy had no idea what to do. He’d only ever seen you cry once, and it was when your dad died. He usually was the one crying in front of you. You shot a glare at him through your tears.
“I’m not on my period idiot.”
“…so are you gonna tell me or are you gonna do the dumb girl thing where you just cry and make everyone else miserable too?”
Sometimes you questioned your friendship, and your secret love for him. He could be a real asshole.
“Jason fucking Carver. He’s been on my ass all day and then…he just…he said…something about my dad…”
Billy’s attitude switched immediately. He may have been an ass but he loved you. You knew him, all of him, and you didn’t judge him at all. You were always there for him; like when Neil got to physical and you patched him up in your bathroom, or when he got into a fight at a party and you got in Tommy’s face for trying to start shit when he was too drunk to fight. You were always in his corner.
“Finally.”
Billy threw open his car door and b-lined it to the fucking prick. You followed, not stopping him because part of you wanted to see Jason get his shit ROCKED.
“Well, Well. The ogre had her little boyfriend come and save the day.”
Jason laughed with his friends but Billy didn’t stop or slow down at all. He stormed right up to Jason and DECKED him. Jason fell back and you gasped, happy but surprised at the intensity of Billy’s punch.
“Yea well leave my girlfriend alone and you won’t have to see me again. If you fuck with her at ALL anymore, you’ll never walk again.”
Girlfriend? You were still stuck on that when Billy aggressively pulled you back towards his car. Jason could be heard groaning about a broken nose but you were focused on Billy.
“Ready?”
“Ready for what? What do you mean girlfriend? What the fuck happened back there??”
“I’ve been waiting for a reason to knock his dumb ass out. We’re basically already dating, I think you’re hot you think I’m hot don’t get your pantyhose in a twist.”
You were dumbfounded.
“You’re such a romantic Hargrove.”
You rolled your eyes, but Billy killed the car engine and sighed.
“Look, I want to take you on a date, like a real one and I want to be good to you the way you are to me; I just didn’t want to bring it up after I got into a fight. I wanted to ask you later. But since you’re being a brat about it, yeah. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
Jesus this boy was so dumb. You just laughed to yourself and nodded.
“Okay Billy. But you have to do this right. I’m not one of your groupies okay?”
He chuckled and eyed you.
“Oh I know. They dress so much better than you.”
“I WAS RUNNING LATE YOU FU—“
He shut you up with a way overdue kiss. This was going to be an interesting adventure.
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carebooks · 6 months
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r.i.p dean indira shetty, you and billy butcher would’ve been a match made in hell heaven
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randomnameless · 6 months
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I just saw the screenshot of Bernadetta, as an Adrestian field commander in Hopes, running away in fear and leaving her troops to fend for themselves the second a battle begins on Dimiclaudeblaigan's blog, and i have to concur with her criticisms of the scene; how in the actual fuck did Bernadetta get into such an important position in the army if her crippling anxiety was never solved and she's just going to bolt the second a fight starts??
It's a funny joke, sure, but the only way this makes any sense is if Edelgard gave Bernadetta the position literally just because they were friends and she felt like doing a bit of nepotism by giving her a high-ranking job she was throughly unqualified for, and even that doesn't really work logically; surely there were safer jobs she could have had Bernadetta work on that wouldn't inevitably end with a not-insignificant portion of Adrestia's army getting decimated, especially when she never does anything this (militarily) idiotic anywhere else in the game.
I've seen it too lol
But anon, it applies to Bernie but to any member of the BESF in general, they're joke characters.
Bernie's anxiety and agoraphobia is treated as a joke in those games, and if the shitstorm around Grégoire's support was any indication, she was never supposed to be a character with a serious trauma that will later be explored, like Felix and his teenage rebellion against his Father and/or "chivalry" or Dimitri.
Grégoire tying Bernie to a chair to force her to listen to a lecture is a joke, the "tie to a chair" is the same joke Tibarn uses when he says he tied Reyson to a bed to force him to rest (kinky stuff aside) - it was never about irl abuse. Sure, it doesn't land right most of the times, but again, Bernie (and the BESF in general?) aren't supposed to be taken seriously, they have quirks for funsies and FEH gacha purposes, but Bernie isn't supposed to be a proper call out to the real life situation and "problem" in Japan that are hikikomoris.
Just like Linhardt's haematophobia - do you realise Naruto, with the treatment we all know and hate of its female characters, managed to tackle the issue of a "healer with haematophobia" better something that was released in 2019?
Given how Supremely Aware Supreme Leader is sometimes, I wonder if she didn't saw anything wrong about Bernie being a commander even when Bernie still panics and has a lot of anxiety.
Maybe it was something the devs made on purpose - like yes, it is nepotism (which is WAY better than people being appointed based on their ascendance, right??) and it's another example of "do what I say but not what I do" from supreme Leader, or it was just for a joke because at times the devs seem to consider war as something funny to do between two teatime parties.
In a more serious setting though... Bernie's anxiety would still exist, but be subdued by her choice to fight in this battle (isn't this what we see from Bernie in FE16?) - so maybe this line wasn't added to poke fun at Supreme Leader or have fun at Bernie's expense, but to show how she reacts in a war situation if Billy had never been there to help her?
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dinitride-art · 1 year
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“Now I just want you to watch.”
El saw what Henry did to everyone in the lab. She didn’t die, but she had to watch it happen.
Max saw Billy die in front of her. She wasn’t the one in danger, but El was. And she watched her abusive stepbrother die in front of her.
Dustin saw Eddie die. He didn’t go back towards the bats. The bats didn’t hurt him. But he watched Eddie die in his arms.
Hopper didn’t die because of his exposure to the chemicals he was mixing. He watched his daughter die in a hospital bed.
Lucas wasn’t being targeted by Vecna. He wasn’t the one floating in the air, his bones weren’t snapping. But Max’s were. And he watched it happen.
Nancy wasn’t the one who died in the Upside Down, alone in Steve Harrington’s pool. That was her best friend, and Nancy had to watch it all go down. Had to see everyone unfold.
Mike didn’t get possessed. Or kidnapped. Or burst into particles. Mike didn’t die. Or almost die. He watched Will screaming like he was being burned alive. He watched his best friend nearly die and he watched as every adult around him was unable to help him. He watched Will bike away from his house before he disappeared. He heard his mom talking to Joyce the next day. He heard Will on the radio. He saw Will’s body in the water. He heard Bob die. He saw El die. He saw Will dead. He watched a man get shot trying to protect him, Will and Jonathan. He watched him die while putting pressure on the wound.
Mike was shot at.
He was told that he was wrong for trusting El. That Will wasn’t alive.
He had to run for his life because his friend’s body was taken by a being from another dimension that sent creatures to kill him and everyone around him.
He was knocked out by Max’s possessed brother.
He was shot at again in the desert, trying to rescue El who was taken by the government.
He’s been bullied his entire life.
And he did almost die.
Mike jumped off a cliff.
Dustin and El had to watch.
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the-kipsabian · 1 year
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cementcornfield · 9 months
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amsterdamhotelroom · 2 years
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i don’t think that max shakes her head and says no when vecna insinuates that part of her is glad billy died because she doesn’t actually feel that way. i took it as her own shame about how she feels manifesting as denial
she feels evil and wrong for feeling relieved about the death of her stepbrother and she’s deeply afraid of that feeling. which is why vecna uses it against her
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twpsyn-who · 2 years
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AU where Eddie is a radio host and Steve is listening to him every night.
Okok, so Steve found out about it once when he couldn't sleep and did go on a drive around the town to clear his head. And he's not a big fan of metal or rock (because that's the kind of music they play) but the host's voice is calm. Relaxed. Steve doesn't know himself what it is about that voice, but it makes him feel safe. So, every night he couldn't sleep or he would wake up from nightmares he would play the radio and listen to the host talking for hours. Steve isn't sure when he began imaginating that person being next to him, holding him close while talking about random things. When he began wondering how he looks, how he might be as a person...
Meanwhile Eddie is having the biggest crush on that one guy working at Family Video and he thinks both employees might like the same gender but he's not sure and he doesn't wanna risk flirting with the guy and get punched in the face and banned from the only place renting movies in their shitty town. So he's pinning hard. Totally not coming in there daily just to see the guy. Making a little bit of small chat with the girl cuz somehow he never gets the guy at the register and the girls always offer to help him up so he doesn't get to actually talk with the dude.
Robin 100% notices the guy comes daily and is a little sus of him, but she doesn't know if he's there for Steve or for her cuz damn is he giving mixed signals.
Yes Eddie complains about it sometimes at the radio, but makes sure to be vague enough so people wouldn't know he, a guy, is pinning after another guy. Meanwhile Steve is dense as fuck and can't connect the dots.
Is a whole shit show. They finally get introduced to each other via Jonathan Byer.
#'So how do you know Jonathan?' 'Oh. He's my ex's boyfriend. You?'#Eddie 'I can not tell him that Jonathan is my ex' Munson - 'I sell him drugs from time to time'#Idk I just wanna Steve to fall in love over Eddie's voice#also Steve listening to Eddie talk and paying the price for it by being forced to listen to metal 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼#this could also work as post season 'whatever season Eddie died in' if Eddie graduated when he was supposed to and his smitten ass couldn't#recognize Steve as yk King Steve Harrington#stranger things eddie#stranger things#stranger things steve#stranger things robin#steddie#stranger things steddie#steve harington#steve harrington#eddie munson#robin buckley#ok before anyone comes at me for the prev tags - I had at some point this vague idea for a multiverse AU for stranger things and some#variants of Eddie showed up to save this Eddie and they all found out at some point they have been dating Nancy's exes (with this Eddie#pinning over Steve aka Nancy's ex and another Eddie dating Jonathan aka Nancy's ex in that universe- cuz in there Nancy got together with#Jonathan first then they broke up and she got together with Steve- and that other Eddie who's dating Billy aka Nancy's ex but they lasted#only 3 weeks so idk of it counts)#they also came to the conclusion that they have no taste in man but that's another thing altogether#anyway the conclusion is that I'm a multishiper and I love to ship Eddie with people and why there are no ficts of Eddie and Jonathan :(#I would write one myself but I don't know the plot of the show or Jonathan's personality rip#I should read more Jonathan centric
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melonkittii · 6 months
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GOT HER C2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
build beloooow (artis still need work but she's currently maxed on talents thanks to weekly refresh)
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harringrove-heroes · 2 years
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i wish someone cared enough about billy to save him
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Eddie as Max's friend instead of Dustin's au is driving me insane
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#im gonna die w these two they are so so similar#and she needs a brother who actually cares about her#and i made him just say max is my sister. not like a sister. bc billy always said shes nkt really my sister wnd that. he was the only one#that would look out for each other bc they were family and she and eddie dont have a lot of family#and eddies like ok max we just gotta choose our family now and that can be unconditional if we want it ti be#im ur big brother now. cant get rid of me now sorry. and ur my sister#and there doesnt have to be anything metaphorical about it. we are a real brother and sister.#ans in their first scene hes like ok i gotta know what are u thinkin abt what did u hear and she said tha billy said some bad things#and shes like but his dad was really hard on him its not his fault and eddies like ok??? my dad was hard on me. billy was hard on u.#neither of us tried to do a hate crime tho so maybe its about how you react to things#anyway i love them im having emotions#and it actually so genuinely makes his arc make sense#and would save him and max in a really narraticely satisfying way#bc hea like. id die for u max if it comes down to it run#and shes like. are you. fucking. joking.#the absolute LAST thing i need rn is somebody else dying for me thats been my whole problem asshole and then he has to reevaluate#why he wants to sacrafice himself so bad and realizing that that was actually the most run away thing he could do#bc hes running away from his problems when thats the only thing hes actually run from in a bad way the whole time#god and when they find him at skull rock hes like i guess thats what i do now. i run. and max is like yeah dummy we're zoomers#max and eddie
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thegreencanary · 2 years
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Hi friend! Would it be okay if I requested something with Billy Hargrove x reader (his girlfriend) where she shows up at his house but for whatever reason he isn't home yet so Neil invites her in and starts pressuring her to drink with him? Billy comes back at some point and sees her passed out there. Hella angsty pls :')
Okay I love this and I may have gotten a little carried away. It’s pretty intense …. Sorrrrryyyyy but not really
A/N: This is my work and I don’t give anyone the permission to post it anywhere claiming to be someone else’s. I worked hard on this, if you enjoy it please interact. Requests are open.
TW: Abuse, Alcohol abuse, forcing someone to drink, cursing, assault
MINORS DNI this is some wild stuff. Don’t spoil your preciousness or I’ll tell Steve.
You’re Safe with Me
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“Leave it to my son to date a bitchy prude.”
Neil Hargrove had been making comments like that to you for the last thirty minutes. You’d gone over to visit your boyfriend and surprise him with the good news that you got a new car. Neil answered the door and drunkenly explained that Billy was out picking Max up from El’s house (Neil wasn’t nearly that polite about it but you figured out what he was saying.) You insisted on coming back later but Neil scared the shit out of you and he was aggressively telling you to stay and wait for Billy at the house. Now, you found yourself trying to not piss off Billy’s abusive father while he offered you drink, after drink, after drink, after drink. The last comment got under your skin, you never thought of yourself as a bitch or a prude and you huffed in response. That was not the right thing to do around Neil.
“You have something to say bitch? No? Then drink the fuck up. Now!”
Neil punched the wall next to you HARD, hard enough to make you jump and shrink into yourself. Knowing he had no issues with throwing Billy around you got scared and took a drink. A twisted smile worked its way onto Neils face and you sat in silence. He was droning on about Susan and Max and how great his new life was with those two in it. You hated Susan for letting everything go on in the house, she never protected her kids. Billy fell in love with you because you did, you protected him from the depression, the bad thoughts and the hurtful things he would do to self destruct. You looked at Max like your own little sister; she spent a lot of nights at your house just to get away from Neil. You were pulled from your thoughts when the bastard re filled your drink. Just straight Jack Daniels and Neil had his eyes glued on you.
“I’m not going to drink it all at once so you can fucking calm down.”
You were already feeling the effects of the first heavy ass drink. Billy never really liked when you drank because of how little it would take to get you drunk. Steve’s parties always ended super early for you and you’d be passed out in his car before he even got to start drinking. Neil smacked you, almost as hard as he punched the wall. A yelp left your lips and as you straightened up his face was right in yours.
“You watch your mouth whore. Just because you think you can boss my sorry excuse for a son around doesn’t mean you get to come at me you dumb bitch. Now, Drink.”
———————————-
Billy was fucking pissed, Max was supposed to be at Hoppers house but she wasn’t there. Hopper said El and her went to fucking Hendersons which probably meant they all went to Wheelers and then to the Byers. Now Billy was driving all over Hawkins looking for Max just to avoid getting the shit beat out of him at home. Pulling up to the school he saw the hellfire coming out and sure enough Max was linked arm in arm with Sinclair…both of them. Lucas and his sister were laughing about something when Max saw Billy. Her face fell and Billy silently cursed at himself. He’d done a lot better at working on their relationship but he hated that she still would be worried about him when he came to get her.
She said her goodbyes and ran to the car, and Billy spoke up before she could apologize.
“It’s a fucking Saturday and you’re at school. I knew you were a nerd but Jesus Christ Max. I thought you weren’t part of the Hellfire club.”
She relaxed and laughed a little, which eased some of Billy’s tension. She was safe, and that’s all that really mattered. Unfortunately he had to take her home where both of them never felt safe. Max told him all bout Lucas’s stuff and Billy didn’t pay attention but he let her talk. She would listen to him talk about you and surprisingly she gave good advice. Maybe it was because you two were so close, and Billy loved that. HIs girl and his sister were the only two people he truly cared about.
Pulling in Billy tensed at the unknown Camaro in the driveway. He was the only one in town with a blue one, so why was there another one in the drive? Max jumped out, knowing it was you and ran inside. Billy was slow to follow just in case he needed to remember the plate if it was one of Neil’s shit friends.
“Y/N?? Wake up!!”
Billy froze. He was at the door but Max’s voice came from the living room. Why were you here? Why did Max sound worried. What the HELL was going on?? Finding his feet Billy turned the corner to see Neil asleep on the couch and you passed out on the floor. Max was over you gently shaking you and Billy started to freak out.
“No no no no no….”
Billy ran to you and checked for a pulse, you were still breathing and your pulse was there so he calmed an iota but you reeked of alcohol. Neil woke up will all the noise and smirked at Billy.
“I tried to break her in, pretty disappointing but shes dating you so I’m not surprised. Get her dumb ass off the floor.”
Billy noticed Max tense up and he gently shook his head at her. Neil definitely roughed you up and he didn’t want Max to get hurt too. Scooping you up he took you into his room, Max followed like a hurt puppy.
“I’ve got this Max. Just lock yourself in your room okay? I’ll let you know if she wakes up.”
It was hushed tones but Max agreed and did what she was told. Billy shuffled around and found some Advil and a glass for water. Really all he could do was wait…but he was stewing in anger. Fucking Neil.
“Fucking…Neil…”
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Pain, grogginess and a migraine rocked you awake. You felt a heavy presence behind you and panic set in before you took in your surroundings. Trying to jump out of whatever you were in, you fell to the floor with a thud.
“Jesus Christ babe. Are you trying to break your whole body?”
Billy. It was Billy thank god, you were in his room, in his bed and safe.
“Oh God my head…do you have any-“
Before you could finish, your baywatch boyfriend had a glass of water and painkillers out for you. God you loved him. His eyes locked onto yours and you noticed all the fresh bruises on his face.
“Oh God was it my fault? I swear to God I want to kill him.”
You pushed past the nasty hangover and the burning feeling on your cheek to inspect his wounds. He stopped you.
“Why the fuck did you drink? With HIM? Why the fuck are you even here?”
You were shocked. He was mad at you?
“Well it wasn’t my plan but i wanted to surprise you. If i would have known I wouldn’t have fucking come over!”
“Surprise me with what? A fucking drunk you passed out on my floor? Can’t say thats my favorite surprise you’ve given me.” It was clear that he was trying to cover how worried and upset his was with just anger. Good days he could talk though his anger with you but bad days, like today, he would go back to the old Billy.
“It’s not like I wanted to drink! He kept fucking saying shit about you and me and then he hit me and practically forced me!”
Billy stood up and punched the wall, it was the same thing Neil did but when Billy did it you flinched because you knew he hurt his hand. You worried for him, he never scared you. You knew he’d NEVER hurt you.
“You shouldn’t have come over. You know how he is.”
The door jiggled, and fear rocked the both of you.
“Boy if you don’t open this god damn door you’re gonna be sorry!”
Your eyes pleaded with Billy to not do it, you two could jump out the window and get to your cars and just go…but neither of you would want to leave Max. Billy unlocked the door and Neil barged in, shoving Billy against the wall.
“What in the blue fuck were you saying before I came in? You want to say it to me or are you still to much of a pussy?”
You winced cried quietly for your boyfriend. He didn’t say a word and let Neil berate him. You knew it was because you were there. Some days he’d try to fight back and of those times he’d sometimes get Neil off his back but not while you were there.
“Huh? Nothing to say? Maybe I should ask your whore.”
That got to Billy. Neil didn’t get how strong his son really was, because he’d never been on the full receiving end of a punch, until now. Neil stumbled backward and blood fell from his nose.
“You’re going to die.”
Father charged at son and you knew you had to do something. Grabbing one of the free weights from the floor you threw it at Neil’s head and he hit the floor like a bag of bricks. You and Billy stood, stunned for a few moments before checking on him. He was alive but you still needed to call an ambulance. He wouldn’t say anything when he woke up because the bruises and wounds on you and Billy both were more than enough for self defense claims.
The silence between the two of you was damning. Billy wanted to say something but he was still pissed. You wanted to run and hug him but you were still pissed.
“You could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”
“Are you fucking kidding me Billy he was going to kill you I had to do something I couldn’t just sit there and let him beat the shit out of y—“
You were engulfed in a fully body hug as Billy swept you up before you could finish. He was crying. You sighed softly and just let him hold you for however long he needed. Eventually he let you go enough to give you a kiss.
“Don’t ever do anything that dumb again. I can’t lose you.”
You wanted to argue that it wasn’t your fault but a part of you knew that he knew that. You just nodded and sighed.
“So did you see my new car?”
Billy laughed and kissed you again.
“Yeah I get it you’re obsessed with me. Have to have the same car too. It’s kinda gross how much you like me.”
You snorted and lightly shoved him only for him to pull you close again.
“Yeah I love you too Billy.”
“I love you Y/N”
“You better. We have matching cars now.”
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foone · 7 months
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why are printers so hated? it's simple:
computers are good at computering. they are not good at the real world.
the biggest problems in computers, the ones that have had to change the most over the time they've existed, are the parts that deal with the real world. The keyboard, the mouse, the screen. every computer needs these, but they involve interacting with the real world. that's a problem. that's why they get replaced so much.
now, printers: printers have some of the most complex real-world interaction. they need to deposit ink on paper in 2 dimensions, and that results in at least three ways it can go on right from the start. (this is why 3D printers are just 2D printers that can go wrong in another whole dimension)
scanners fall into many of the same problems printers have, but fewer people have scanners, and they're not as cost-optimized. But they are nearly as annoying.
This is also why you can make a printer better by cutting down on the number of moving elements: laser printers are better than inkjets, because they only need to move in one dimension, and their ink is a powder, not a liquid. and the best-behaved printers of all are thermal printers: no ink and the head doesn't move. That's why every receipt printer is a thermal printer, because they need that shit to work all the time so they can sell shit. And thermal is the most reliable way to do that.
But yeah, cost-optimization is also a big part of why printers are such finicky unreliable bastards: you don't want to pay much for them. Who is excited for all the printing they're gonna be doing? basically nobody. But people get forced to have a printer because they gotta print something, for school or work or the government or whatever. So they want the cheapest thing that'll work. They're not shopping on features and functionality and design, they want something that costs barely anything, and can fucking PRINT. anything else is an optional bonus.
And here's the thing: there's a fundamental limit of how much you can optimize an inkjet printer, and we got near to it in like the late 90s. Every printer since then has just been a tad smaller, a tad faster, and added some gimmicks like printing from WIFI or bluetooth instead of needing to plug in a cable.
And that's the worst place to be in, for a computer component. The "I don't care how fancy it is, just give me one that works" zone. This is why you can buy a keyboard for 20$ and a mouse for 10$ and they both work plenty fine for 90% of users. They're objectively shit compared to the ones in the 60-150$ range, but do they work? yep. So that's what people get.
Printers fell into that zone long, long ago, when people stopped getting excited about "desktop publishing". So with printers shoved into the "make them as cheap as possible" zone, they have gotten exponentially shittier. Can you cut costs by 5$ a printer by making them jam more often? good. make them only last a couple years to save a buck or two per unit? absolutely. Can you make the printer cost 10$ less and make that back on the proprietary ink cartridges? oh, they've been doing that since Billy Clinton was in office.
It's the same place floppy disks were in in about 2000. CD-burners were not yet cheap enough, USB flash drives didn't exist yet (but were coming), modems weren't fast enough yet to copy stuff over the internet, superfloppies hadn't taken over like some hoped, and memory cards were too expensive and not everyone had a drive for them. So we still needed floppy disks, but at the same time this was a technology that hadn't changed in nearly 20 years. So people were tired of paying out the nose for them... the only solution? cut corners. I have floppy disks from 1984 that read perfectly, but a shrinkwrapped box of disks from 1999 will have over half the disks failed. They cut corners on the material quality, the QA process, the cleaning cloth inside the disk, everything they could. And the disks were shit as a result.
So, printers are in that particular note of the death-spiral where they've reached the point of "no one likes or cares about this technology, but it's still required so it's gone to shit". That's why they are so annoying, so unreliable, so fucking crap.
So, here's the good news:
You can still buy a better printer, and it will work far better. Laser printers still exist, and LED printers work the same way but even cheaper. They're still more expensive than inkjets (especially if you need color), but if you have to print stuff, they're a godsend. Way more reliable.
This is not a stable equilibrium. Printers cannot limp along in this terrible state forever. You know why I brought up floppy disk there? (besides the fact I'm a giant floppy disk nerd) because floppy disks GOT REPLACED. Have you used one this decade? CD-Rs and USB drives and internet sharing came along and ate the lunch of floppy disks, so much so that it's been over a decade since any more have been made. The same will happen to (inkjet) printers, eventually. This kind of clearly-broken situation cannot hold. It'll push people to go paperless, for companies to build cheaper alternatives to take over from the inkjets, or someone will come up with a new, more reliable printer based on some new technology that's now cheap enough to use in printers. Yeah, it sucks right now, but it can't last.
So, in conclusion: Printers suck, but this is both an innate problem caused by them having to deal with so much fucking Real World, and a local minimum of reliability that we're currently stuck in. Eventually we'll get out of this valley on the graph and printers will bother people a lot less.
Random fun facts about printing of the past and their local minimums:
in the hot metal type era, not only would the whole printing process expose you to lead, the most common method of printing text was the linotype, which could go wrong in a very fun way: if the next for a line wasn't properly justified (filling out the whole row), it could "squirt", and lead would escape through gaps in the type matrix. This would result in molten lead squirting out of the machine, possibly onto the operator. Anecdotally, linotype operators would sometimes recognize each other on the street because of the telltale spots on their forearms where they had white splotches where no hair grew, because they got bad lead burns. This type of printing remained in use until the 80s.
Another fun type of now-retired printers are drum printers, a type of line printer. These work something like a typewriter or dot-matrix printer, except the elements extend across the entire width of the paper. So instead of printing a character at time by smacking it into the paper, the whole line got smacked nearly at once. The problem is that if the paper jammed and the printer continued to try to print, that line of the paper would be repeatedly struck at high speed, creating a lot of heat. This worry created the now-infamous Linux error: "lp0 on fire". This was displayed when the error signals from a parallel printer didn't make sense... and it was a real worry. A high speed printer could definitely set the paper on fire, though this was rare.
So... one thing to be grateful about current shitty inkjet printers: they are very unlikely to burn anything, especially you.
(because before they could do that they'd have to work, at least a little, first, and that's very unlikely)
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badxwolf · 10 months
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"[Russell T Davies] made Rose an equal, not a sidekick. It is she who, on several occasions, saves the Doctor, rather than the other way round. As any parent with a daughter, I now look at Esme and think 'you could be the Doctor'. In 2005, as recently as that, such a thought would have been a pipe dream.
[Rose is] a woman with an independent mind, willing to confront received wisdom. Rose arrives on screen fully formed, one of the strongest female characters of any show, any year, painting a solid line directly to Jodie Whittaker. 
If you think about it, the relaunch in 2005 was actually the first chance to create the first female Doctor. Why not do it then? Perhaps we should be looking back on Billie Piper not as Rose, but as the Doctor."
- Christopher Eccleston in his memoir I Love The Bones Of You
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writethrough · 4 months
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I Know Better
(Billy Hargrove x Female Reader)
Synopsis: You've heard every rumor about Billy Hargrove—from the girls, the guys, the teachers, the parents—it never interested you all that much. Until one of those pesky rumors involved you.
Warnings: Language, slut-shaming
Word Count: 1396
A/N: This is the first stop on the apology tour for everyone who's sent me in a request. It's been a year for some of you, and I'm so sorry and grateful for your patience.
I had a really hard time starting this in the sense that I had so many ideas, but none of them fit with this prompt. So, it took me a while to settle on the story I wanted to tell. I had to stop thinking about this as a “Billy is mean to everyone” fic, and start considering it a “You are Billy’s soft spot” fic. It had to be a “How is he different because of you?” And then it sort of clicked.  
This is a sort of soft-launch to a larger something. I'm not sure if it will turn into a full multi-part fic or just spontaneous additions in this little fanfic universe.
And to the anon who requested this, Tumblr ate your request when I tried saving it to my drafts, so I really, really hope you come across it.
I hope you enjoy!
Anon Request: “Another Billy request idea is “he’s mean as fuck to everyone but me
"Like??? Maybe I need to go to therapy but the hard as stone exterior on that boy and the thought of him being sweet as pie to his girl makes me mush” 
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Billy Hargrove never scared you. 
Not even in high school when all you heard about was his bark and bite and overall terrible attitude. 
You didn’t cross paths often, surprisingly so with how small Hawkins was, but sometimes you’d get glimpses of him against his locker or waiting by his car. 
You still remembered the time he pulled in beside you as you were shutting your door. 
Max had waved at you before rushing off to the middle school. Then, Billy had slowly risen, lighting a cigarette in the process, and locked eyes with you. 
He greeted you by name, a lazy smile spreading across his lips, and sauntered away. 
You had replayed that morning for the next two weeks, stunned that he knew your name let alone gave you the time of day. 
It was a month or two afterward when you actually witnessed Billy at his worst. 
You weren’t there for the start, but you had turned a corner in the halls and were met with other students gawking at a fight. 
You shoved your way between teenagers, intent to get to your class before the bell rang when that mullet stopped you. 
Billy had been looming over Roger, the school’s very own sleazy douchebag. 
In your mind, whatever that prick had said or done, he absolutely deserved the consequences Billy was doling out. 
You were about to continue walking when Billy leaned in closer to him with a tilt of his head. And until that point, you didn’t know that gesture could be so menacing. 
“Wanna say that again?” 
Your brows pulled in confusion. 
What could Roger have said that made Billy so furious? 
It must have been some insult, something that cut right to whatever insecurities Billy hid from the world. You really couldn’t imagine what he’d be self-conscious about. To you, Billy was the epitome of confidence. 
Billy’s eyes caught your shoes, and you swore his shoulders tensed. He trailed up your body and met your gaze, grinding his teeth. 
He slowly straightened, and without another word, stormed out of the building. 
Mrs. Click finally arrived and disbanded everyone and helped Roger to the nurse’s office. 
Your last class was full of whispered theories and passing notes. 
I heard he keyed Billy’s car. 
No, Billy definitely slept with the chick Roger was eyeing up. 
Could’ve sworn I heard Roger call some girl a slut-in-the-making. 
The day couldn’t have been over soon enough. 
At least it was the weekend, and in a month, you’d be graduating. 
You were walking to your car, sun in your eyes, and didn’t see Billy leaning against it until you were too close to pretend you forgot something to head back inside. 
“Hey,” he said, putting out his cigarette. 
“Hi,” you said slowly, gripping your backpack strap. 
“You okay?” His hands slipped in his pockets. 
Your furrowed your brow. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” 
He chuckled. “Fair enough.” 
He pushed off your car and took a few steps toward you. 
It was really the first chance you had to take in how blue his eyes were. And while normally you’d look away as you held each other's gaze, something planted you where you stood. 
He had the barest of smirks, so slight that you’d dare call it a smile. 
“If I said I wasn’t alright, would you agree to hang out tomorrow?” he asked. 
You let out a surprised laugh and glanced down. This was the first conversation you’d ever had with Billy, and he was asking you out. 
This was probably how he operated. He’d set his sights on some girl, give them that eat-you-alive smirk, and you’d wake up alone Sunday morning without even a note saying “bye.” 
But even with all that, your curiosity won out. So you made a deal. 
“Tell me what that was all about, and I’ll be there.” 
There was a flash of anger, but you didn’t think it was toward you. Leftover feelings for whatever happened no doubt. Then, he softened in a way you had never seen before. 
“I’ll pick you up at six,” he said, beginning to walk away. He turned around before he could get too far. “Don’t bring a jacket.” 
“Why?” You couldn’t help your smile. 
“You’ll have mine.” 
The cocky grin would’ve been irritating with anyone else, but Billy’s was endearing. 
You drove home with a stupid smile plastered on your face, and you stayed that way until Billy rapped on your door. 
— 
That Saturday night, he tried to breeze past his altercation. Until you leveled him with a sincere look and said his name. 
He had leaned back in the booth, ripping his remaining fries in pieces to distract himself. 
“He pissed me off,” Billy said, still maintaining his gruffness. 
“I figured as much,” you said gently. You knew if he sensed anything else, you wouldn’t get any answers. 
He huffed, glancing at you before returning to his basket of food. 
“The prick said somethin’ he shouldn’t have.” He shrugged. “I told him as much.” 
You nodded slowly, narrowing your eyes in thought. Billy wasn’t know to beat around the bush. He said what he thought, and you kind of admired that about him. Even if that got him in trouble. But the way he wasn’t maintaining eye contact when that was his favorite way to throw someone off guard was suspicious. He was hiding something, of course, but it felt more than hiding something from you alone. 
You took a shot in the dark. 
“Are you…Are you not telling me what he said because it was about me?” 
His jaw clenched and hands stopped. 
So, that was it. Roger had said something nasty about you, and for whatever reason, Billy took it upon himself to…defend your honor? 
But why? 
And what could it have been to make Billy react like that? You hardly knew each other. 
You inhaled deeply. “Okay. Tell me what he said.” 
“You don’t need to hear his bullshit.” He met your gaze, steady and stern. You wanted to slap your chest to keep your heart from skipping. 
“Billy,” you started, “I promise whatever he said isn’t going to affect me. I just want to know why you had him on the ground.” 
At this point, you had dissociated from high school and the people in it. All that mattered was graduation. 
“What does it matter?” His tone came out more harsh than you anticipated, but the way his face pinched told you he didn’t mean for it to happen. 
You leaned on the table. “Because I’ve had a really nice time so far. And as much as I appreciate you standing up for me. If you wanna continue this,” you gestured between you both, “you can’t beat the shit outta people.” 
“You wanna go out again?” His eyebrows rose slightly, and your cheeks warmed. 
Of course, that was what he took away. 
“Billy,” you warned playfully. 
“Alright,” he sighed. “He caught me starin’ at you a few times. Said your legs were locked shut, but I could probably get them open.” 
You scrunched up your nose. You knew Roger had to have said something vulgar, but you were more surprised it was about you then the actual content. 
“Okay. Was that all?” Sure, it was gross, but that didn’t seem like something Billy would lose his shit over. 
“That happened last week,” he admitted. “Told him to shut the hell up, and I thought that was that.” He shifted in his seat. “Guess he saw you lookin’ at me and he started callin’ you names. And then I hit’im.” 
Names.  
You could hazard a guess what names he called you. Probably the same ones he called every other female who didn’t wanna sleep with him. Ones that would describe him more than you. 
You reached across the table and grabbed his wrist. 
“Thank you for telling me,” you said. “And I need you to know, I don’t give a single fuck what that dipshit thinks.” 
He chuckled, putting his hand on top of yours. 
“So, that mean a second date is in the books?” he asked. 
“Like I said, only if you don’t punch someone when they say something you don’t like,” you said, hoping your face conveyed how serious you were. 
He leaned his elbows on the table. 
“I was thinkin’ a movie for next time.” 
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Taglist: @bookshelf-dust, @steph-speaks, @nix-rose, @ballerina-orchid, @realmermaidariel
If you’d like to be added to any taglists, please comment or message me with the character you’d like updates on. 
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artiststarme · 7 months
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A Grudge Be Held
Based on an enabling comment from @estrellami-1. Hope you guys like it and please leave me your opinions in the comments!
~*~*~*~
There are a few well known facts in the universe; the earth revolves around the sun, George Michael is gay, Tim Curry has sexy legs, and Eddie Munson holds grudges.
It wasn’t because he was a bad person or because he thought people were inherently bad, he’d just been through too much to waste his time on people that had already wronged him. He didn’t give more than one chance and if they fucked that up, well, they didn’t deserve another one.
He was usually lenient on what constituted a grudge to be held. Unless someone did something directly to him or someone he cared about, it didn’t really bother him and they certainly didn’t make his list. His parents were on there (because why wouldn’t they be?), Mrs. O’Donnell was on there because he was positive at least one of his failed senior years was due to her having a bone to pick with him, and Principal Higgins was on there too because fuck that guy.
Tommy Hagan was on the list because of a rumor started that made life hard for Eddie for awhile (it was true but needless to share), Jason Carver was on there now for starting a mob trying to kill him, and Billy Hargrove earned a spot for being an asshole to anything that moved.
A person that many people were surprised wasn’t on the list was Steve Harrington. The DnD party was shocked when they heard King Steve wasn’t an object of resentment in Eddie. But he’d never done anything out of malice to Eddie specifically. Where others saw confidence and pride, Eddie looked at a lonely and broken teen that was willing to do anything to fit in. He couldn’t hate him for that. And the time where Steve stood up for Eddie against Billy Hargrove at a drug deal gone wrong forever cemented him as a good guy in Eddie’s eyes.
After his experience with the Upside Down, psychic murders, and overall shitshow that was his Spring Break, Eddie and Steve got closer. Steve coerced everyone of authority to clear Eddie’s name with help from Robin, Nancy, and the passed Chief Hopper that apparently wasn’t actually dead. He housed Eddie and Wayne until they could find a new trailer that they could afford. Then he spent every waking moment making sure Eddie was alright and included as part of the group. In laymen’s terms, Steve saved his life.
So in true Eddie fashion, he made the internal dramatic decision that he would hold grudges on Steve’s behalf. He would be a guard dog of sorts, protecting and defending the love of his life his friend. What he didn’t consider was how difficult the task would be.
Through a new lens, Eddie saw that everyone walked all over Steve. The cashiers at the grocery store blatantly charged him extra, the customers at Family Video talked over him nearly every sentence in response to questions they asked, and teens on the street laughed at the scars in their view. Worse of all though, the Party didn’t respect him. Dustin and Mike told him several times a day how stupid he was, Nancy looked at him in pity and shut down all of his opinions, Lucas talked about not having sports in common with anyone right in front of him, and Robin kept blowing off their plans to hang with Vickie.
Through it all, Steve appeared fine. He smiled and nodded in all the right places but as soon as he thought the eyes moved on, his smile would slip to reveal something sadder. And so Eddie’s vengeance began.
He “accidentally” knocked over sales racks near the registers in the grocery store when they charged an extra $2 for milk. He keyed the cars of the teenagers that laughed at the evidence of Steve’s pain. When he saw Officer Callahan yacking at Steve for speeding, he picked up a dozen eggs and pelted the man’s house in revenge.
Dealing with the kids in the Party was trickier. His glares and barbed comebacks were clear enough for Nancy and Robin to change their ways. The kids though just weren’t observant enough to pick up on the clues Eddie tried to drop. One session of a campaign though, the perfect opportunity presented itself.
“I didn’t know there were dragons in the game. If you losers had told me there were dragons, I might’ve considered playing ages ago!” Steve exclaimed from his seat on the couch, intrigued eyes meeting Eddie’s.
Eddie smirked at him. “Oh yeah, Big Boy. You should know by now that I’m full of surprises.”
Steve blushed a little bit but as he went to respond, Mike interrupted. “Steve, you’re not even playing. You shouldn’t even be here much less interrupting the game!”
Steve’s flush turned pale and he shrunk into himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can just uh, I can go. I’ll see you guys later.”
As he moved to get up though, Eddie stood and towered over the table.
“Wait Steve, you’re gonna want to see this part.” He glowered at Mike and rasped his voice to transition back to DM’ing. “A comet flies from the dragon’s cavern and lands on Sir Madeon. Roll for damage.”
“What the hell! No, you can’t do that!” Mike stammered with a dropped jaw.
“I just did, pipsqueak. Roll for damage or die trying.”
“14,” Mike muttered. He glared at Eddie then Steve before pouting in his seat.
“The comet is too large to escape from. Sir Madeon tries to run but he’s not fast enough to avoid the flying stone. It lands on his back in a fiery crumble. The intense heat eats through his flesh, bones, and organs at once leaving only his head and limbs intact, scattered amongst the rest of the Party. He dies a horrendous death and his friends are left alone with only the smell of charred remains to remember him by.” Eddie ends his tirade with a quirked eyebrow. That’ll show these little assholes what happens when they mess with him. A quick glance at Steve shows him excitement and surprise, he absolutely was not expecting that.
“What the fuck. This is supposed to be PG,” Dustin stares at Eddie in horror. “You really just killed a character in the middle of a campaign for Steve?”
“Roll stealth and damage.” Eddie tells him deadpan.
“God-fucking-dammit! Eddie, no, please…”
“Roll or face the consequences!”
“3 stealth, Nat-20 damage,” Dustin whispered with his face in his hands. The other kids watch Eddie in a mixture of confusion and aghastment. But Steve is beaming, teeth shining from ear to ear.
“The dragon hears your cries of grief and turns its burly head towards you. Its glimmering eyes reach the you and the rest of the Party and you see its scaled lips open in a human like smile. With a speed you could never have anticipated, it slithers toward you before standing on muscled hind legs and flapping its leathery wings. Its lips curl around a blue flame. The last thing you feel is a flash of ice before you see no more.
Your friends see you disappear into a pile of ash, the heat of the flame too powerful to escape. The dragon whips its tail towards the party while they stare at where you used to stand. Will the Wise can’t even list his magical staff before the weight of the tail crushes him to the ground in a pile of shattered bones and bloody sinnew.
Luther is impaled by one of the dragon’s back spikes and killed immediately. The light in his eyes fades and all he sees is a figure with a crown waving at him in the distance. Prince Stephen and his pet dragon prosper in the face of their trespassing adversaries once again but the only witnesses to the horror are erased from the Earth.”
The boys stare at him in shock while he arranges his papers and stands. “The end. Steve and I are going to the movies. You bitchasses aren’t invited and if you’re even a little bit nasty to Steve again, I’ll pulverize you in real life just like I killed you in the campaign. Think on that.”
With that, Eddie grabs the hand of a stunned Steve and drags him from the Wheeler’s basement. After that debacle, he’s sure that the kids have gotten their point. And now he’s got a movie to see with his main man.
(The kids absolutely get his point and moving forward are a lot nicer to Steve. And a little scared of how Eddie’s mind works.
Eddie holds a grudge against the kids for months and will still reference their comments when he sees fit for the rest of their lives or at least the rest of his.
And Steve? He starts dating his DM in shining armor a mere two hours later.)
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