justice4hargrove - Tumblr blog

[justice4hargrove]

Because it’s a major cultural shift

Dude, aside from people just going “ugh, kids”, the whole point is that the assumption that sites have algorithms is a sign of how the entire internet has been ruined. It’s a major cultural shift and a terrible one.

AO3 is the opposite of obscure in fanfic fandom, and its entire existence is political and an act of resistance.

No shit people react to cluelessness about how it sorts content: how it sorts content is a conscious ethical statement.

And to answer this other person’s comment:

Wattpad, dude. No separate index by fandom, no see everything by date, just a massive fic section and tags that show the 1k most recent or 1k most popular.

Nearly every major fic site has worked something like AO3 until we get to the modern app hell that is Wattpad.

[justice4hargrove]

thinking about how billy's every day life was a performance "look at me! I'm top dog and drive a fast car and upkeep big muscles and fuck bitches and every. single. thing. Is Fine." When in reality he has not a single thing in his life going well for him. Not home, not actual friends, not anyone who cares about him.

but with steve? it's like he can't help but let the performance drop a little. he wants steve to Look at him so damned bad he would make a fool of himself just to keep his attention. he's bleeding from under the mask all over steve and he doesn't know how to stop it.

[justice4hargrove]

Hm. Your interpretation of this character displeases me. Guards! Take them away! Make them read the source material once more, and if that fails, the stocks.

[justice4hargrove]

Here’s Billy in the outfit from this post by @ickypuppi3

Okay byeeee~~~

[justice4hargrove]

I missed #HarringroveWeek (so busy atm D:) and hadn’t had a chance to draw them together since ST4 dropped, so. 💞

[justice4hargrove]

“My child is fine” your child is emotionally attached to billy hargrove.

[justice4hargrove]

I was today years old when I learned that when you type “otp: true” in AO3 search results it filters out fics with additional ships, leaving only the fics where your otp is the main ship

[justice4hargrove]

anyway, I was out before and found harringrove’s sleep masks. you’re welcome. (also, someone who can art, please draw them wearing these and I’ll love you forever)

[justice4hargrove]

My headcanon is that Max knows everything

[justice4hargrove]

After Starcourt and the whole holding off a meat monster thing, Billy's hands are too messed up to drive. Too shaky. Too prone to random flares of red-hot pain or ice-cold numbness to make it safe for him to be in charge of any kind of heavy machinery which, apparently, includes Susan's shitty hatchback.

So Steve offers him a ride to and from his physical therapy sessions.

Billy suspects that Max was the one who sorted out the arrangement, can't imagine King Steve offering his chauffeur services out of the goodness of his heart, especially not at eight in the fucking morning. But hey, the public transport in Hawkins sucks ass, so he's not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. And while the first ride is awkward- full of stilted conversations that peter out into uncomfortable silences- the second one isn't quite so bad. The third is almost pleasant, and by the seventh they've got a heated game of license plate spotting going. The sixth has them both singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody, Steve's attempts at the falsetto being the first thing to make Billy laugh in months. The seventh has Billy brandishing a tape of A Night at the Opera and insisting on a repeat performance, then regretting it when Steve keeps on replaying I'm in Love With My Car over and over again instead.

And from then on, it's good. Fun. Easy. A hell of a lot better than taking the bus.

Which is why Billy doesn't say anything when he gets cleared to drive. Because it's not like he has his own car any more so, really, it makes sense to keep shtum. That's what he tells himself, anyway, as he tries not to think about the fact that the half hour he gets in the car with Steve is easily the best part of his day. Hell, it's the best part of his entire week.

He doesn't know that Steve overheard Doc Owens giving Billy the all-clear weeks ago. Because Steve doesn't bring it up either. But he does start taking the scenic route home, with some hastily muttered excuse about the shitty traffic signals on Kerley.

And it works. For a bit. Billy gets an extended pocket of happiness. Steve warbles his way through the Queen back catalogue. Billy holds his tongue through I Was Born to Love You. It works.

But eventually there comes a point when Billy's discharged from hospital completely, when, right at the end of his session, the doctors inform him that there's nothing more they can be really do for him. When, apparently, his broken body and messed up mind are considered good enough. And that's when he has the bite the damn bullet and swallow the bitter taste in his mouth, the reminder that Billy Hargrove never gets to keep a good thing for long, and tell Steve that he's got his Wednesday mornings back to himself now.

He holds it all in until they're back at Cherry Lane. Forgets about it, just for an hour, and lets himself have one more ride. One more easy conversation. One more bubble of laughing, smiling happiness.

And then he lets it all pop.

"So the good ol' doc says that was my last poke 'n prod visit. Looks like this is as good as it gets. So, yeah, you're a free man, Harrington. No more taxi service. Thanks, uh, thanks for...y'know. The help."

And Steve nods and he smiles. Warm and bright and genuine when he tells Billy that he's welcome. And then he makes some joke that Billy isn't listening to before driving away with little more a dorky little salute wave and his usual, "See you around, Hargrove."

And Billy doubts that. He doubts it very much.

But he does see Steve. Because Steve comes back. The next week, Wednesday morning, just like clockwork, Billy hears the familiar pip of a horn and he shuffles out of bed and pulls back the curtains and there he is, like he always has been. Harrington. Steve. Smiling. Waving. Waiting.

And Billy has to swallow that bitter pill again, has to hold it in his mouth while he pulls on some pants and walks barefoot towards the Beemer and then he has to try not to let the bitterness colour his tone when he leans through the open passenger's side window and says, "Thought I told you, Stevie, I don't need a ride anymore."

And Billy knows it must just be a trick of the light, but he's pretty sure Steve's cheeks flush. Just got a second, he could've sworn that Steve looked sheepish. And he's pretty damn sure he must be dreaming when Steve smiles at him, soft and fond but a little nervous and says,

"I know, but...you still need breakfast, right? Cause, if you want? There's a diner, does this pancake platter thing with, like..."

But Billy's not really listening. Because there's a tape sitting on the passenger seat. Queen, again, but this one's brand new and still wrapped in shiny cellophane. Ready and waiting.

A Kind of Magic

Fitting. Billy thinks.

[justice4hargrove]

If I only could, be running up that hill with no problems…

[justice4hargrove]

What do you mean this isn’t exactly what happened??

Yeah well OBVIOUSLY Billy is still okay. Not only that, he’s been on a vacation - he’s been relaxing, enjoying himself, getting help and theraphy and found his center, and now he’s back as a new man!

And no, I do not accept alternative opinions at this time.

( @dobetterbillyhargrove It was you and I who discussed this a couple of months ago, right??)

PS: Can be read in its entirely here. It does look better without the spaces in between the images …

[justice4hargrove]

Billy adopting Eleven as a second little sister.

Billy chauffeuring Eleven and Max to school every day acting like it’s the biggest burden and his greatest annoyance in life yet always interjecting whenever he hears them talking about boy troubles or bully troubles to offer (sometimes questionable) advice because he loves them and he’ll be damned if anyone messes with his girls. It happens so often that whenever they’re having an issue, like dealing with a shitty teacher or figuring out the perfect way to get back at Dustin or Lucas or Mike during some prank war, they purposefully talk louder so that Billy will insert himself and offer his opinion.

Billy never shying away when Eleven asks him questions, even if she’s asking about uncomfortable topics like relationships and sex, because it’s honestly next to impossible to embarrass him and he’d rather she hear it straight than get confused by people’s gross innuendos. She feels safe asking him just about anything because she knows he won’t dance around the answers.

Billy waiving his rights to the radio and letting Max and Eleven pick the music whenever one of them is upset, keeping a stash of their favorite cassettes in the glove box just in case. He doesn’t dig their music, but he will dashboard drum and sing along to Madonna just to make them laugh. He also knows their order at all the local fast food joints, can swing through a drive-thru or pop into the ice cream shop and order for all three of them without asking what the girls want, and has been known to detour to their favorite spots when he thinks that one of them needs a pick-me-up.

Billy letting Eleven play with his hair products when he catches her watching him get ready for a date, taking the time to tell her what everything is for and showing her how to use it all. He even gets her some bottles of her own when she finds something that she likes.

Billy teaching Eleven and Max how to drive in an empty parking lot, surprisingly calm as he guides them through the motion. Max is a natural, though she’s definitely something of a speed demon. Eleven is much more cautious and is a little heavy on the brake, but Billy is shockingly patient (even if every rough stop has him wincing for his poor Camaro). Hopper is honestly too much of a nervous wreck to teach El himself, try as he might, so she’s pretty lucky to have Billy there to help her.

Billy being Max and Eleven’s emergency contact. They drank too much at a party? Call Billy. Some guy is making them feel unsafe? Call Billy. Their car broke down? Find a payphone and call Billy. He will drop everything to help them, no matter where he is or what he’s doing. He has held their hair back and made them greasy hangover food. He keeps all their secrets, covers for them if he has to, always makes sure that they are safe because, again, those are his girls.

Billy lowering his guard around Eleven and Max, trusting them more than he trusts anyone else because, time and time again, they’ve proven that they are one hundred percent in his corner. Sure, they bicker with him, pester him, push his buttons. But it’s because they love him, and they feel safe with him, and he feels safe with them, too.

Billy and his two kid sisters, Eleven and Max.

[justice4hargrove]

my chemical romance is the funniest and weirdest band ever. They’re all fucking losers who would genuinely rather play dnd than hook up with groupies. The singer used to work at Cartoon Network. The bassist is on the fbi watchlist for crimes against disney. One guitarist is a guitar god but he also used to keep a little action figure of spiderman in his pocket all the time, the other is like a little lap dog of a man, but he’s also on the fbi watchlist for death threats against a us president. They refused to be on the twilight soundtrack, one of the most popular franchises at the time but then they preformed on yo gabba gabba and re-recorded one of their songs in simlish.

[justice4hargrove]

[justice4hargrove]

Plant your feet, pretty boy ~*~

I never give myself indulgent trash art time, but Here’s to self-care <3

[justice4hargrove]

Tiddies