#and we're finally back to our regularly scheduled programming

[donfermin]

WELCOME BACK

[gridanian-red-mage]

Man, when I read this, I was wincing so hard 'cause I knew what was coming. So my photoshoot upon arriving at the Waking Sands was very depressing. T-T

On another related note, here's a bonus pic since I like how she looked here:

(It's gonna be a bit before she has this face again.🥲)

[yoursweetestnightmarelover]

More Cyn X Tessa

Tessa: I can't take this anymore, someone needs to take me out! Cyn: In a dating type of way, or an assassination type of way? Tessa: I don't know, surprise me!

Cyn: Okay, but what if we went to dinner not as friends this time? Tessa: AS ENEMIES?! Cyn:...

Tessa: Are you sure Cyn's even gay? They barely even looked at me.

Cyn hanging above her like a bat watching her:...

V: Call it a hunch

Cyn: So you like cats? Tessa: Yeah. Cyn: tries to impress them by slowly pushing a glass off the table

Tessa: Being gay is a constant battle between “I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds” and “Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists” and I think that's very beautiful of us. Cyn looking at Louisa and James: If the window's open, and you time it right, you can do both.

Cyn: Yeah, a partner sounds nice, but a supreme enemy you can make out with in secret sometimes sounds a lot more hardcore.

Surprise Juzi

Uzi: Fight me! J: gets on one knee and pulls out a ring J: Fight me for the rest of our lives.

And some Vuzi

V: Ugh, crushes are so dumb. Uzi: I know. Whenever I’m near the person I like I just start acting stupid. V: But you’re always acting stupid? Uzi: … Uzi: Yeah, don’t think about that too hard.

V: You need a hobby. J: I have a hobby! V: Fawning over Tessa isn’t a hobby.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

Tessa, looking through their clothes: Has anyone seen my top? V: Cyn's in the kitchen.

Cyn: Are you ready to commit? Tessa: Like, a crime or a relationship? Cyn looking at the gala: Both?

Cyn bursting into the gala with Tessa in her arms: We’re getting married, bitches! Tessa: And we're about to make it everybody else's problem.

Cyn: Tessa, you love me, right? Tessa: Normally I’d say yes without hesitation, but I feel like this is going somewhere I won’t like.

Tessa: Goodbye mom I'm finally 18 I can go to copper 9 my new life starts now!!! I can't wait to get a boyfriend get a dream job and live a perfectly normal life! Tessa like five months later: Hi mom! I would like you to meet my wife, Cyn! She's a mutated AI machine goddess! And this is one of my best buds who dresses up as a hot topic employee and beats people up! Uzi in the background: I'm not your buddy, you monster fucker. Tessa: also I'm wanted in 22 galaxies lol.

[avatar-anna]

Diamonds

pausing our regularly scheduled program with a luke hemmings blurb bc i love him and his solo music and i'm sad i couldn't go to any of his shows 😔 i'll get back to harry soon, but i'll take inspo wherever i can rn. enjoy!

"The next one we're gonna play for you is one of the most vulnerable songs I've ever written," Luke said, mouth pressed up against the microphone. The shimmer you helped spread over the lids of his eyes practically glowed under the blue lights that lit the stage. You thought he looked ethereal, the very embodiment of the music he was performing tonight.

"When I was putting together the final tracklist for this album," Luke continued, "I was hesitant to add this song because I was afraid that it was too vulnerable, but I was convinced that it was worth sharing, that the emotions and experiences behind this song would reach those who needed to hear it the most.

"The person who convinced me, and played a crucial part of making this record, is here tonight, and to them, I would just like to say thank you. Thank you for believing in me when I couldn't and making me brave enough to truly face my demons. You pulled me out of the deep end when it felt like I was drowning, and I would be a completely different person than I am today without you. I love you. My heart and soul is yours to keep."

Cheers were heard throughout the venue as the opening chords began. As Luke started to sing, you were thankful that you decided to watch the concert from backstage, unable to keep tears from welling in your eyes.

"Cut like diamonds and sink like stones, starve myself 'til I'm skin and bone, I'm so much older than I ever thought I would be."

He said that often. My heart and soul is yours to keep. Yours to keep safe, was what he meant. It had taken him a long time to open up to you and trust your ability to be a good partner, so him saying that his heart was yours was huge. He trusted you that much not to break his heart, to never let him sink back into old habits and bitter thoughts. That level of trust meant everything to you.

In his little speech, Luke thanked you for being the one to convince him to release the song, which was true in a way. He'd been conflicted about the song at first, not ready to share such a dark period of his life so publicly. The song had originally been just a way to express himself, to put everything he'd been through on paper without ever letting it see the light of day.

Luke had shared what the song was about, had opened up to you just what had made him feel that way in the past—toxic relationships, poor decisions that led to even worse habits, hurting the people closest to him, all of his mistakes. He didn't hide any of it from you, and you took all of those misgivings, all of those past mistakes, and showed him that you loved him anyway.

"How far is far? Are we too deep in? How dark is dark? I need to see it."

It wasn't easy at first. When you met, Luke wasn't in a place where he could give himself to anyone emotionally. He believed that he was too damaged to be loved the way he deserved and that he was better off being alone and unhurt than trying to fall in love again and risk being completely ruined by someone he thought he could trust. He had been more closed off than anyone you'd ever met, but all of it just made you want to show him what love without conditions looked like. And he couldn't fathom why. Luke was never rude to you about it. He never snapped at you or pushed you away or treated you badly to make a point, he just truly believed that he wasn't worth your time.

*.*

You were at his house, hanging out as friends. Only this time you surprised him by bringing him flowers.

Luke had been completely dumbfounded, unsure of your intentions. You told him it was just to brighten up his home a little, and because you liked doing nice things for the people you cared about. He didn't question you much further, but the rest of the time you were together, you caught him staring at the bouquet that stood in the vase you'd placed them in. His gaze had been wary and apprehensive each time, and you finally told him the truth.

"I want to take you on a date," you said simply.

Luke seemed surprised, which led to a conversation that was perhaps a step below an argument, but only because you calmly listened to Luke and evaded his tactics to push you away with ease.

"I—I don't deserve you," he finally said, but his voice was heavy with emotion, like he desperately didn't want it to be true.

"Who decides what we do and don't deserve, Luke?" you said to him, resting your hand over his and rubbing your thumb over his knuckles gently. To your surprise, he didn't pull away.

"I'm not good enough for you," he amended.

With a close-lipped smile, you leaned over from your spot on his couch and placed your thumb between his brows, smoothing the furrow there. "I think you think you're a worse person than you are."

You kissed his brow, your touch just enough for him to feel your lips brush his skin. When you pulled back, you tapped his nose with your knuckle. "I won't push you, and I won't try to fix you," you said, because the truth was, you didn't believe he needed fixing. But you knew you weren't going to be able to convince him of that. Not now, anyway. "But I will tell you this: you are a remarkable person, and when you're ready, I'd love to love you one day."

*.*

"I'm on my way out, losing the dream. I feel it crash down, down on me. Caught in the madness, holding on me. Is this the way it will always be?"

It took some time, but Luke eventually believed what you did from the day you met him. You were there to see him through the thick of it, holding his hand when he needed you to and giving him space when he asked. He'd gone off to write for a little while, and when he came back, you could practically see the weight lift from his shoulders. It was as if he'd left his biggest demons at the cabin he'd been staying in.

And now he was at his own solo concert performing the songs that held the deepest secrets of his heart. Luke sang each word with passion and pride, the kind that came from knowing that he'd overcome the darkness that had held him for so long. He wasn't drowning anymore, but he sang his songs so that his fans could see that it was possible to be in a dark place and come out of it.

The song faded to its end, and Luke bowed before the crowd as they cheered. He held his hands together in front of his face, the appreciation written in his features abundantly clear. You watched him survey the crowd with so much pride you thought you were going to burst, but you ended up just shedding a couple more tears instead.

While fans were still cheering and his band was playing chords that would lead into the next song, Luke jogged to the side of the stage where you were standing. You hadn't expected him to come over to you, but when you saw his face, you knew what he needed.

Your arms opened for him just in time as he wrapped himself around you. He held onto you tight, his face buried in your hair as he lifted you off the ground. You held on just as fiercely, hoping it would sufficiently express just how much you loved him.

Time stopped as Luke held you in his arms. He had a whole crowd waiting for him to sing the next song, but neither of you seemed worried about getting him back onstage. When he finally set you back down, you kissed his cheek a couple times before kissing him properly, your hands on either side of his face.

"Okay, okay, no more of that," you said, when he kept trying to follow your lips as you pulled away from him, wanting just one more kiss. "There'll be plenty of time for that later. Now go. Everyone's waiting for you."

Luke began to turn like he was going to do just as you said, but before he walked away, he spun on his heel and caught you in one last kiss. Satisfied by your tinged cheeks, he grinned and kissed your cheek. "Mean the world to me, darlin.'"

Hearing him say that made you melt every single time, and he knew that. Shoving his shoulder playfully toward the stage, you said, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Now go be a rockstar, will you? You're keeping everyone waiting. Myself included."

Luke finally turned around for real and did just that.

[quixoticall]

This Could Get Ugly Track 3: The Upside Down Tour

Summary: It's 1983 and The Downsides need another lead singer and you just happen to need a band--it's a perfect match. The only issue? You have to pretend to be in a relationship with your bandmate, Steve Harrington, but you can't help but be drawn to the band's broody guitar player.

pairing: s.h. x fem!reader, e.m. x fem!reader, j.b. x n.w.,

warnings: ANGST, drinking, drug use, some minor panic attacks, mention of serious illness and subsequent treatment (poor ill Will)

A/N: Hello! I want to say thank you to all of you for the lovely feedback! I know it's been a minute, but I've been extra busy because I had family visiting for the holiday! But we're back to regularly scheduled programming!

wc: 7.8k

MASTERLIST🎸

PLAY PREVIOUS TRACK 🎹

***

ARGYLE: The first day of tour was always like the first day of school and summer camp and vacation all put together but that very first tour was all of that times a thousand.

They had these buses that had the name of the band on one side and our faces on the other, man, like huge Argyle and Eddie and Nancy and everyone else, it was crazy. Jonathan bought his camera and he took photos of all of us next to our giant selves as the crew was loading up. I sent mine to my mom.

It was all good vibes at the beginning, everyone was so excited. Hopper even brought his kid. We didn’t know Hopper had a kid before that. We didn’t know a lot about Hopper, actually. But it was nice to have the kid around, kept us all on our best behaviors, well during the day anyway. 

*** 

February 1984, On the Road: Upside Down Tour

“There’s no way my jaw is that crooked, Robin come look at the angle of Big Steve's jaw, will ya?”

“Shut up, Steve, Jonathan’s taking my picture with Big Robin, have someone else  measure the angle of your jaw!”

Steve turns imploringly to you and you can’t help but indulge him.  

“Your jaw looks fine, Steve, very symmetrical.”

“Eddie, man, if you stand right there, and kinda lean this way, it looks like you’re eating yourself!”

“Ah, that’s sick, Byers come here and take a picture of me eating myself when you’re done with Buckley!”

“Hey, no fair, we were next!”

“Worry about fixing your crooked jaw first, man.”

 “You said my jaw looked fine,” Steve turned towards you, accusingly.

“Hmmm, let me take a closer look,” you say, teasingly taking Steve’s face in your hands and making a big show of moving your gaze between the giant, two-dimensional Steve and the real Steve in front of you. You tilt his head one way, and then the next a few times over, pretending to be deep in thought.

“It looks fine,” you finally say, “no more crooked than the real thing.”

You punctuate your statement with a light tap on his cheek and he grins at you before coming to a realization.

“Are you saying my jaw is crooked?”

He chases you around the tour buses until you are both out of breath and then when Jonathan comes up to you, camera in hand, and the two of you pose stop to strike a pose that mirrors your giant selves, turned towards in each other, lips slightly pursed, as if preparing for a kiss. That kiss of course, never comes. 

Things have been like this between you and Steve since the press tour, warmer, affectionate even, but with the understanding that there was no deeper meaning behind the affection. You were simply doing your job. 

When Hopper is finally able to wrangle everyone onto their respective busses, you are already behind schedule. His threats don’t have their usual impact though, because even he’s been infected with the band’s giddiness at being on the road. 

You think you even see him smile when he introduces his daughter, a soft-spoken girl named Jane who immediately asks everyone to call her El and looks about 15.

Something about Hopper feeling comfortable enough to have his daughter join the tour made you feel like there was a huge responsibility on your shoulders to be a good role model—a feeling you’d never really had before.

There was a lot about being on tour that was strange and foreign in a way that was specific to you, like bunking with Nancy and Robin on the tour bus.

“It’ll be like a slumber party!” Robin exclaimed. You could see Nancy’s eyes go wide behind her at this, almost as if she’s questioning what she’s gotten herself into. 

“I’ve never been to a slumber party,” you tell them, unsure if your reaction should be more like Robin’s or Nancy’s.

“Well, we are honored to be your first,” Robin says as she bounces off her bunk to sit next to you, looping an arm through yours and leaning her head on your shoulder.

***

EDDIE: The first stop of the tour was San Francisco—we got there two days before the show and checked into a hotel that was  nice as fuck—well, compared to what I was used to, anyways— and they gave us all our own rooms down the hall from one another. I remember asking Wheeler if that was what college was like and she just laughed and said, “Kinda, but it smelled way worse.”

Everyone was so happy to be there, even me. It was a far cry from Corroded Coffin, sure. But at the end of the day, I was making music and even though I wasn’t really that close to the rest of the band, they were good people. Everyone respected each other and partied just the right amount. Wheeler did a good job of keeping us in line. Plus, we were still so wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, we hadn’t really fallen into our new old habits by then.

***

Once in the hotel, Hopper handed out room assignments and he even looking a bit apologetic when he lets you and Steve know that, at label’s request, you and Steve were assigned connecting rooms. 

You didn’t have it in you to let the fact that Starcourt was controlling where you slept get to you and instead decide to try an enjoy where you are. 

Nancy, who was as much of an older sister to the group as she was to her real family, had organized an evening of sightseeing for the band around the city during your first night there.

Walking through downtown, you had a hard time taking in the sites because you were too preoccupied watching Eddie. Eddie, who, from what little you knew of his past, never had the opportunity to travel, was like a child, taking in the sights, pointing to anything of interest, and excitedly exclaiming, “Can you believe that shit?” to anyone within earshot, including El and Hopper.

“You watch your mouth around my fucking kid, Munson,” Hopper had told him.

The entire drive to the Golden Gate Bridge he just kept saying “Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit,” like he could genuinely not contain his excitement.

It was oddly endearing.

***

EDDIE: I know you know how fucking awesome the GGB  is.

***

February 4th, 1984, San Francisco, CA. The Upside Down Tour

The same lighthearted energy carried over to the next day’s soundcheck and until a few hours before the show when a cloud of nervous energy seemed to descend all at once.

The entire time you were in hair and makeup all you could think about was all the different ways the show could go wrong. Were you prepared enough? What if the audience was a dud? Could you keep them entertained for two hours? Each question wound you tighter and tighter until you could not think straight and by the time you were set to go backstage you had half-convinced yourself to call it all off. But you immediately sobered at the sight of the madness that had overtaken your bandmates backstage: Robin was pacing from one corner to the next, wringing her hands and muttering to herself in a language you weren’t completely sure was English; Jonathan and Nancy sat huddled together on the floor while Nancy recited the setlist over and over again like a prayer; Argyle was sitting by himself in a corner, tapping his drumsticks erratically against his knees with one hand while trying to braid his hair with the other; Eddie stood utterly stock still hold his guitar in front of him in an outstretched hand, talking to it like they were having a conversation; and worst of all, Steve was nowhere to be found. You looked around for Hopper, but he was also missing, so you went to the next best thing.

“Nancy, babe, look at me,” you say, kneeling next to her on the ground.

Her eyes bounce up to yours and in them, panic.

“Nancy,” you repeat her name again in a way that you hope is calming, “I know that you’re nervous, but I need you right now. Look around at the mess that everyone’s in. I need you to help me talk them down. I need you to make them believe it’s going to be fine. I need you to believe it’s going to be fine, okay? Because it will be. And because I can’t find Steve.” You say the last part low, in a meek attempt to mask the panic that is seeping into your tone. 

Nancy, who, as you had predicted, flourished in a crisis, hardens her jaw and narrows her eyes in focus.

“I’ll start with Jonathan and you go to Eddie, maybe we can get them to help us look for Steve in the bathrooms.”

You nod eagerly before making your way over to Eddie, who is still mid-conversation with his guitar. You approach slowly, careful not to spook him. 

“Hey, hello, I don’t mean to interrupt, but are you doing okay, Eddie?”

Eddie’s eyes snap to you like it’s the first time he’s noticed you were there.

“Who? Us? Yup, totally fine, just having a bit of a pep talk,” he says between haggard breaths. Where the hell is Hopper?

“Hm, yeah, see, the words that you’re saying and the way that you’re saying them lead me to believe that maybe you’re not fine,” you try to sound as gentle as you can when you say this and try not to flinch as Eddie turns to face you, his whole face taunt with fear.

“Well, it’s not like I’m not a total fraud and loser who completely blew it with his last band and is only part of this band because he sold his soul to an evil corporation that told the rest of you you had to let him play with you, right? Because then I would have reason to be nervous. Oh, wait—"

“Eddie,” you interrupt, reaching up to grasp his face in your hands, bringing him down to your eye level, “you’re being too hard on yourself right now, okay? You have earned your spot here just as much as anyone else in the band. You’re a great guitarist, and a great songwriter—almost as good as me—“ he lets out a breathless laugh”— and you’re gonna go on that stage tonight and be your usual talented self and blow their minds because you’re Eddie Fucking Munson, got it?”

“Got it,” he whispers, eyes blown wide, and at that moment you realize that you’re so close now your nose almost brushes up against his.

“Good,” you say, pealing your hands away from his face to fall at your sides.

“Now, do you want to do some deep breaths or do you think you’re good to go on?”

“I think I’m good,” he croaks out, still a bit out of focus, but much more mellow.

“Great. Now, can you please help us look for Steve? We can’t find him.”

“Steve?” Eddie repeats, eyes narrowing in confusion.

“Yeah, we can’t find him anywhere and everyone’s freaking out and Hopper’s not here either so Nancy and I were hoping you could help us by checking the bathrooms.”

“Right, Harrington, your boyfriend. The bathrooms, I’ll go check.”

You watch as he turns away and heads in the direction of the bathroom and try not to think about the way his shoulders dropped, the tiniest amount as he did.

Then, you turn your attention to the still-pacing Robin. “Robin, honey, can you please look at me?”

***

EDDIE: It was 20 minutes until the doors opened and Harrington was nowhere to be found. Jonathan and I checked all the bathrooms in the building and nothing. Finally, I got the bright idea to go out to the smoking area, not sure why, but, to my surprise there he was. I’m not going to lie, he looked a total mess: pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair, muttering to himself.

I asked him what the hell he was doing there. He asked if he could bum a cigarette. I said, “Didn’t know you smoked, Harrington.” 

And he responded, “I don’t but the smell reminds me of my mom.” 

That’s when I knew the situation was grim—if someone shares information like that about a parent, unprovoked, they’re probably losing it. It was also at that point that I knew I was totally out of my depth. I had half a mind to turn around and go grab one of the girls or Jonathan, but I didn’t want him to run off on me again.

INTERVIEWER: So, what did you do?

EDDIE: I stayed and let him bum a cigarette. We stood there for a minute, smoking. The guy was coughing up a storm but he kept going. Harrington was always like that—just kept going no matter what. Eventually I just straight up asked him if he was nervous.

He responded with, “Theoretically, I’m not nervous at all, but in a much more, like real sense, I am shitting it, man.”

To this day, I don’t think he knows what the word ‘theoretical’ means.

I asked him what he had to be nervous about, it was just a show, and he was half of the reason people were there to see us, plus he was too talented to bomb. 

And then he looked at me with his big Harrington eyes and said, “I’m not worried about bombing I’m worried about everything else. Like, what if we get up there and we realize that everything we’ve given up, everything we’ve had to go through was for something mediocre and ordinary?”

I told him that was a stupid question and asked him what if it was the opposite. What if it was everything he had wanted? I mean he was halfway there already, right? He had the girl, the sold-out tour, it was only a matter of time before he had everything else he could’ve dreamed of. 

I thought I was being comforting but that only made him freak out more because then he said, “The more you have, the more you can lose and I don’t think I could handle losing any of this.” 

It took me a minute to respond because, I mean, on one hand, it was hard to sympathize with the guy who had everything I wanted and then some. On the other hand, though, I had been there. 

So, I told him about Chrissy and rehab and Corroded Coffin and that whole shit show.  Like a testimonial: “Local Fuck Up, Loses everything and somehow still keeps going!”  I didn’t hold back either, I told him how much it sucked to fall so far on your own.  I also told him that unlike me, he would never have to worry about that because he actually did have people looking out for him. That whole band was like his team, they wouldn’t let him fall like that, at least, not alone. 

Something I said must’ve resonated because he snapped out of it after that. We finished our cigarettes and we went inside. Right on time too, because Hopper was about to send out a manhunt for him. 

***

There were 10 minutes until the doors opened and Steve was still missing, and now, Eddie was gone too. Your mind flits to the possibility that you’ll have to go one without both of your key guitarists  but even just the thought of that is too much to stomach.

Meanwhile, Hopper is back and yelling at everyone in the vicinity. 

Robin, who’s at your side as the entire scene unfold, pulls in closer to whisper in your ear, “what if they ran away together?”

And just as you were getting ready to turn and ask her exactly what had possessed her to ask such a thing the two missing members of your band burst through the door harried, out of breath, and smelling of smoke, to come face-to-face with their furious manager.

Hopper dismisses Eddie with a wave of his hand and then turns his ire towards Steve. 

“Thank you,” you whisper to Eddie as he makes his way to your side. You reach down and give his hand an appreciative squeeze for good measure.

“No problem,” he responds thickly, “couldn’t leave a queen without her king.” Something about his tone makes you wince.

After Steve had been properly chastised by Hopper, the stage manager calls for places and everyone begins to disperse.

You’re making your way towards the stage when Steve reaches out for your hand. “Hey, sorry about that,” he starts, “nerves got to me, I guess.”

“ You know you could’ve talked to us, right? We were all nervous, too. We could’ve been nervous together. We’re supposed to be a team, aren’t we?”

Steve looks more ashamed now than he did when Hopper was yelling at him. 

“You’re right,” he says, “I promise to do better. You’ve got me and I’ve got you.” 

You smile back. 

“I’ve got you and you’ve got me.” 

And suddenly, the curtain rises. 

***

ARGYLE: That night in San Fran we were a mess  but then, you get us all on stage and it’s like none of that ever mattered. We were freaking rock stars, dude, and we were good too and I’m not just saying that because it was us— I would’ve been a fan even if I wasn’t in the band.

EDDIE: Yeah, we were all good, but what really brought people through the door was our lead singers. Them bouncing around on stage together, dancing and making eyes at each other—the audience loved it. They both knew how to play up to a crowd too. She would dance and move around the stage like a total natural—hot but not too hot, ya know? And Harrington had his cool guy act down pat. They were in total sync. It was like they belonged together. 

***

Walking down the stage steps, your head was abuzz with the excitement and satisfaction.

The band had done a great job, even better than during rehearsal and the audience’s energy was addicting. 

This had been what you were looking for all along.

Backstage, you had made sure to give each one of them a hug, even Hopper— as a congratulation, as a thank you, as an expression of disbelief that you were finally here. They all understood and they all returned the sentiment. For the first time it felt that you were all on equal footing as members of the band. For the first time, it felt like you belonged and that was worth celebrating. 

Eddie’s the last one off stage, and for a moment you debate hugging him. You’re not too sure if he’d return the gesture, given your history. But to your surprise, his arms are already open and you fall into them. And then, he did something surprises you even further:  he pulled you close, picks you up, and spins you around in his arms. 

***

ARGYLE: I’m pretty sure he smelled her hair before putting her down. 

***

February  28th,  1984, New Orleans, LA.  The Upside Down Tour

A few weeks into the tour,  Hopper pulls you and Eddie one morning while the rest of the band is off exploring the French Quarter.

“Hopper, can you do us a favor and let us know how long this’ll take? We’re supposed to get beg-nets with the gang today.”

“It’s pronounced ben-yays, Eddie,” you correct automatically as the two of you are ushered into the hotel room that doubled as your manager’s temporary office.

“Whatever it’s called, it’s fried dough with sugar and I refuse to miss that.”

“Can you two just sit down?” Hopper says exasperatedly motioning you two towards a couple of chairs that crowded his small, makeshift desk before sitting down himself and reaching for the phone. 

“I got them both here, Murray,” Hopper says gruffly as the crackle of the speakers fills the room.

Before Murray can fully greet you on the other line, Eddie interrupts. 

“Are we in trouble?”

“No. Should you be, Munson?“ 

“Murray, can we hurry this along? I’m taking my kid on a ghost tour.”

“Fine, fine, listen, kids, I just heard from Brenner and the Big Wigs—the rest of the tour is completely sold out which means that they want to start recording about five weeks after you get back from touring. This means we need songs by then and since you two wrote the best song on the last album, you’ve been promoted (with no pay) to main songwriters. So your homework is to get us at least 20 passable songs by the first week of July.”

“But we get back from tour in mid-June, Murray, that’s a really short turnaround time, don’t you think?” Your eyes dart to the other two in the room, to gauge their reactions.

Hopper shrugs, “Sometimes that’s just the way it is, kid.”

“Which is exactly why you two should start writing now while you’re on the road, trust me,” Murray’s voice crackles over the line.

You look at Eddie, who cocks an eyebrow at you as if he’s letting you know that it’s your call.

 “Okay, we’ll start writing as soon as possible,” you speak out loud.

“That’s what I like to hear! We can check back in once you get to LA.”

The three of you say your goodbyes and Hopper dismisses you and Eddie to join the others.

As the two of you walk down the hall towards the elevators, your mind is already bubbling over with ideas. This was your first big shot to do exactly what you’ve always wanted to do. This was more than just writing a few songs, it was about creating an album, and an image of where the band was going. This was huge.

***

EDDIE: To be honest I never really thought about my writing process. I would just pull out a notebook and a pen and start writing when I had something I thought was good—little bits here and there. She took everything so seriously though. The entire elevator ride down, she was talking my ear off about concepts and inspiration and “sonic vision”. Eventually, I just had to say, “Listen, why don’t we meet up in your hotel room after the show tonight and talk about it then?”

***

The rest of the day, it was like only part of your mind was present. The rest was floating around, thinking about what you wanted to write.

Of course, you had plenty of things written, but you weren’t sure if any of that would work. The next album needed to meet the rising momentum of the band’s popularity: it needed to be current but also true to where you were as a band. You needed to say the right things—and most importantly, you needed to say them in the right way.

Before you knew it, you were back in the hotel after soundcheck, freshly showered, standing in the threshold that connected Steve’s room to yours.

“Are you sure that’s how it’s  pronounced?” Steve's voice echoed from his bathroom, where he was brushing his teeth.

“I swear to you that it’s not pronounced Ee-too-fee, Steve. Why do you think the waiter laughed when you ordered?”

You come up behind him in the mirror running a brush through your still-wet hair.

“Because I’m naturally endearing and everything I say is charming,” he responds, catching your eye in the mirror.

“Whatever you say, Harrington.”

Before he can retort, a knock thunders through your room into his.

“Oh, that must be Eddie,” you say, turning on your heel to cross the threshold into your room.

“Munson?” Steve asks, befuddled.

“Yeah, he’s coming over to start writing some stuff. Murray’s on our case, remember?”

“Right, I just didn’t think you’d start tonight.”

You just shrug before disappearing into your room, “The sooner we get started, the sooner we finish.”

You don’t hear his response because you’re already at your door, swinging it open to reveal Eddie Munson standing in the hotel hallway, guitar case in one hand and beat-up notebook in the other.

“The Eagles?” He asked, eyeing the logon on the oversized t-shirt you wore.

You bristle as your fingers brush against your shirt suddenly self-conscious of the length.

His gaze follows the movement of your hand and then settles right where the hem of your shirt grazes your thigh.

It takes you a moment to find your voice. “What can I say? I’m a woman of taste.” 

***

EDDIE: I became an Eagles fan after that night. 

***

You lead Eddie into your hotel room and gesture towards the small sofa in the corner for him to set his things down.

Before joining him, you peek into Steve’s room to see him fully peering through the door. “Night, Steve,” you say with a gentle wave as you move to close the door.

“Night,” he says back softly, his eyes bouncing from your face to the room behind you where Eddie was setting up his things.

“Night, Munson,” he says finally, voice a bit tighter. 

“Goodnight Sweet Prince,” Eddie waves theatrically as you close the door between the two rooms and walk over to sit by his side.

“You two always leave the door open?” he asks, fiddling with his guitar strings.

The question makes you feel defensive.

“Um, no, not always, we just, say goodnight, sometimes we will talk about the shows a bit before. bed.”

Eddie quips an eyebrow at this but says nothing.

 “Should we get started then?”

***

EDDIE: That was my first time writing with her. That was my first time writing with anyone else, honestly. She asked me a lot of questions: about what themes I wanted to include; what concepts I thought would fit; if I had seen any movies that I thought could be good inspiration. It felt like a job interview.

I could tell that she’d been thinking a lot about this, maybe too much, actually. So, I told her that maybe we just needed to slow down a little bit, talk about what we had first, and then go from there. She agreed, but she still seemed pretty wound up, so I suggested we bust open the mini bar and we drank for a bit. I think we were both a little nervous to share our songs. It’s something kinda personal, to share your art with someone, ya know? And it’s always worse when it’s someone you know in your regular life—it’s like someone slices you open and takes a walk around your brain but then you have to see them the next day at work or whatever and you have to pretend they haven’t just taken a tour of the best and worst parts of you. 

And it wasn’t like we were particularly close back then, so there was some extra nerves there. Hence, the liquid courage. 

***

You and Eddie are about two (maybe three?) shooters in by the time you decide to get properly started.

Eddie volunteers his work for the two of you to go through first and you’re secretly grateful as he hands you his beat-up spiral notebook and you splay it across your lap to read over what he has. Eddie leans in to read too, and in doing so, his leg is flush against yours. He’s so close that his hair brushes against your cheek when he moves and you can smell him—earthy like pine and a tiny bit like menthol cigarettes.

You realize you might be a bit tipsier than you had thought because it takes extra effort to focus on the words in front of you.

His first few songs are good, but they don't match the vibe of the band.

"Too metal,” you say to him, pointing out the songs you’re referencing.

“Yeah, that makes sense, those were meant to be for my old band,” he responds.

You know enough about Eddie’s professional past to know that he used to be in a metal band before joining The Downsides and that it ended poorly, but not much else.

You flip through a few more pages before a few lines of lyrics catch your eye:

Don’t remember who I was then

Can’t keep straight where I was when

What’s my name? Where have I been?

Where did I start? Where does it end?

You’re the one thing I hold dear

The only thing that’s crystal clear

I live and die if you’re near

And all the scars disappears.

“This is something,” you hold the page up to Eddie.

He reads over the lines and grimaces.

“I wrote that right after I got out of rehab a few years ago. It didn’t really go anywhere...as you can see.”

This realization is sobering to hear. Mostly because it enlightens you to how little you know about your bandmate.  You spend a moment trying to categorize everything you know about Eddie and you come up sparse. You weren’t even entirely sure you knew how old he was. 

He seems to take your silence as you process this as judgment because you feel him scoot away, his face and body angled away from you.

You reach out and lay a hand on his arm, and he freezes.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” you say slowly, before picking up his notebook again, this time with a newfound care.

“This,” you tap the lyrics, “doesn’t need to go anywhere. It can just stay here or wherever you want it to.”

***

EDDIE: It wasn’t the reaction I expected from her, but it was really nice to hear. 

***

You and Eddie flip through the rest of your respective songs, not really finding anything that both of you can agree on. There are a few stray lines that jump out from both your books but beyond that, there was nothing the two of you could agree on. It was pretty clear that you were both writing songs for artists that you no longer were. 

Right around the third hour together, you both decide to call it a night, but only under the condition that the next time you meet, you’ll both have come with something brand new written.

“Hey, thanks for coming,” you say, voice hushed as you usher Eddie to the door, “and thanks for letting me read your work.”

He just smiles in response, wide and beautiful and rare. 

“Don’t worry, princess, we’ll get there. This was just a test run,” he reminds you. 

You watch him make his way down the hall    Until he disappears but not before throwing one last, rare, smile your way.  

Once Eddie is gone, you all but drag yourself to your bed, yearning for that special hotel-pillow softness when you hear another knock. This time, from the door connecting your room to Steve’s. 

“Steve,” you pull the door open, “why are you awake? It’s like 4 AM.”

 “Can’t sleep,” he mumbles. “Can I hang out with you for a bit?”

His eyes are barely open and his hair is disheveled beyond belief. He looks young standing there in his worn-out pajama pants.

“Fine,” you say as you turn back into your room, “but I’m getting into bed because I’m tired.”

He follows you into your room and shuts the door behind him. You make a beeline for your bed to slide under the covers and Steve, meanwhile moves towards the couch.

“Why can’t you sleep, Steve?” you ask, burrowing into your duvet, eyes already closed. 

“I dunno, can’t stop thinking.”

“Thinking? You don’t need to be doing that.”

By the time he responds, you’re already asleep.

When you wake up the next morning, Steve is still there, asleep strewn across the tiny couch, hair even wilder than the night before.

***

ARGYLE: Tour life was the best life. A new city every night, the music was good, the crowds were crazy and the drugs were plentiful. And the parties! My dude, the parties! After every show we’d end the night at some bar or club with the band, the crew and more groupies than a dude could ever want. 

***

March 6th, 1984, Atlanta, GA. The Upside Down Tour

“You know, it’s not what you think.” Nancy’s voice can barely be heard over the sound of the thumping music of the basement bar that you’re in. 

“What?” You ask the keyboardist. 

She gestures subtly with a nod towards the corner that had been occupying your attention. Robin and Steve were huddled together in deep conversation, both leaning against the bar. A few spots away, Eddie sat with a pretty girl with locs. Over the last few minutes, you had watched as his hand made its way slowly up her thigh with an almost morbid sense of curiosity.��

Your eyes turn back to Nancy, unsure as to why she would weigh in on the flirtation between Eddie and the groupie. 

“Steve and Robin,” she elaborates, “I’ve seen you staring and I know what it looks like, but it’s not what you think. They’re close but just friends.”  

Oh. Steve and Robin. Right. 

“It doesn’t matter what they are and what I think of it, Nancy, because it’s none of my business,” you respond. 

She turns to face you, clearly ready to argue something back but you cut her off. 

“Where’s Jonathan? I haven’t seen him all night.” 

A grimace flashes across her face for brief moment, nearly imperceptible, but you catch it. 

”He’s back at the hotel room,” she replies tersely,  “on the phone with his mom. Will had another surgery today.” 

You wince. It was no secret that Jonathan‘s younger brother had fallen ill again. You had seen less and less of the bassist as the tour had progressed. He’d been spending any time that he wasn’t on stage trying to get ahold of his mom back home to ask about the progress of the youngest Byers boy.

You smile at Nancy in a way that you hope is reassuring and say, “Weren’t his chances of recovery high after his surgery, though?” 

Nancy exhaled deeply, “If everything goes well, then yes, chances of recovery are high.” 

She looks like she wants to say something more but cuts herself short. Her eyes float past you, to the newly appeared figure to your right. Steve. 

He smiles in greeting, his arm falling to graze in between your shoulder blades. His pupils are blown wide— a dead give away that he had partaken in whatever substance Argyle had been touting earlier in the evening.

Even high, he seemed to pick up on the serious mood between the two of you  and asks if everything is alright. You smile softly and nod, arm snaking around his back lightly. 

Nancy sighs in response. “We were just talking about Jonathan, actually I think I’m going to go check on him. Have a good night, you two,” she says and she looks at you and Steve, her eyes catching on the points where your bodies touch. 

As she pushes herself forward, ready to move towards the exit, Steve calls out after her.

The two of them lock eyes and they seem to be holding yet another silent conversation. While you can not decipher their secret language of raised eyebrows and scrunched noses, you can that they’re arguing about something and by the way their eyes keep bouncing to you, you can’t help but wonder if it’s you they’re arguing about and what you could’ve possible done to warrant that. 

Whatever their argument is about, it doesn’t seem to come to a resolution based on the way Nancy scoffs at Steve and rolls her eyes before bidding her final goodbye. 

“What was that all about?” You ask, when she’s finally out of sight.

“Nothing,” Steve says tightly, “Nance is trying to convince me she’s right about something that I knowshe’s wrong about and she won’t let it go.” 

This catches your attention. 

“Oh, yeah? And what possible could Nancy Wheeler be wrong about, pray tell,” you plea conspiratorially, turning fully to face him and drawing closer.

This leaves Steve gasping for words in a way that makes you wonder if he’s higher than you originally thought.

Before you can ask him if he’s alright, he  freezes as he spots something over your shoulder a weird expression taking over his face. You turn, following his line of sight to Robin locked in a very intimate embrace with the female bartender that was serving her and Steve earlier in the evening. The bartender leans upward to catch Robin’s lips and you hear Steve hiss, “Damn it,” under his breath. 

Of course, this must have been the thing that Steve and Nancy were arguing about. Steve and Robin must be in a fight. 

You scan back through your recent memories of them wondering if perhaps there had been signs of a growing rift that you may have missed but as far as you’d noticed things were normal between the two of them.

“Oh, Steve, I’m so sorry,” you sooth, finally turning back to face him.

“Don’t be, it’s only $50,” he dismisses with a wave of his hand. He must really be higher than you thought.

“What?” 

“The bet was only 50 bucks,” he explains, way too calm for someone who just saw the girl he’s in love with kissing another girl in a crowded bar. 

“I’m not sure I’m following,” you say slowly, before the realization dawns, “wait, is this some where sex thing the two of you do? Listen, as much as I like you both as friends and appreciate that you trust me with the details of your romantic relationship, we’re still, like, coworkers and I don’t really think I should be hearing what the two of you get up to intimately—“ 

“Woah, woah, woah, romantic relationship? Me and Robin are not in a romantic relationship and we definitely are not intimate in any sense of the word, and the fact that you think that makes me want to barf, actually. Why would you think that?” He asks, a wildness coloring his tone. 

“Well, you’re always together and you’re so close, and you’ve always been so secretive, sneaking around together and stuff,” you struggle to answer under his confused gaze. 

“No, we’re friends, capital ‘P’ platonic,” he explains, “always have been, always will.” He can clearly tell you’re still confused because he then begins to explain further, “ The bartender, and her have been flirting all night, but Robin was too chickenshit to make a move so I bet her $50 that she couldn’t get her phone number by the end of the night but it seems like she got more than just her phone number. Which I guess is a good thing because maybe now she’ll stop moping about that girl back in LA but it sucks that I’m out $50.” 

“Wait, Robin dates girls?” 

Steve winces, as if the realization of what he’s told you has just now hit him. 

“Sorry, that was not my information to reveal. Please, don’t mention it. Please. It’s not that Robin doesn’t trust you or like you it’s just that she’s trying to be extra careful about it. She doesn’t want it to get, you know, out out. Especially with all the new press we’re getting.”  

You nod back in understanding, “don’t worry, I won’t say anything. To anyone. I promise. I would never put Robin in that spot.” 

Relief immediately runs through Steve’s features.

“Although, if she wants to keep things under wraps,” you begin, glancing back to where Robin is still kissing the bartender, “maybe she doesn’t want to be making out with women in public?” 

Steve nods rapidly in response, “Yup, good call, we should take her back to the hotel.”

Rob proves to be a stubborn drunk, and it takes you and Steve about 20 minutes to cajole her out of the bartenders arms and into the back of a cab. 

She spend the entire ride back to the hotel going on and on about ”star-crossed  love” and the “malignant force is keeping her from her beloved disguising themselves as friends”. In response you simply nod along and  your hand up and down her back in a way that you hope is soothing. 

“At least you two have each other,” she says softly, patting your cheek as the cab slows to a stop in front of your downtown hotel.

Then, as she steps out onto  the sidewalk, her stance wavers and she leans in, essentially pinning you to the side of the cab. 

You think she might try to kiss you too, but instead she whispers, “Please be careful with his heart. Steve’s softer than you think, you know.”

*** 

It’s a joint effort between you and Steve to put Robin to bed. 

Makeup is gently removed, hair is pulled up, and pajamas put on, and a slumbering Robin is safely tucked into bed with a receipt with the bartender’s number and $50 bill placed on her nightstand, ready to greet her in the morning. 

“She’s gonna be so hung over tomorrow,” Steve remarks as the two of you amble down the hallway to your own rooms. 

“Does she always get like that when she drinks?” You ask. 

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, all, Shakespearean and nonsensical? She was saying all sorts of weird things back there. I think she even thought we were together. Which is actually kinda funny considering early tonight I thought the two of you were together,” you chuckle at the irony. 

Steve, however, looks distraught at this observation. Suddenly, he stops in front of your rooms and turns to you. 

“Is that why you’ve been acting so distant with me, because you thought I was with Robin?” 

You blush. 

“Partially, sure,” you stutter, “it’s hard to pretend to date your bandmate when you think he’s in love with your other bandmate. But, I also think it’s good that we maintain a healthy distance.” 

“Why?” 

The severity in his voice when he asks that takes you by surprise. 

“Well, because it helps us remember that none of it’s really,” you admit, carefully. 

You struggle to meet Steve’s eyes when you say this because, while it’s a fact that your relationship is a farce, speaking that out loud feels particularly cruel. 

You catch the movement of his throat as he swallows thickly but you can’t brave a look at his face. 

When he finally speaks, his voice is unsteady, “If there was no Starcourt and no contract and you and I were just two normal people, would you want us to be real?” 

He sounds so scared you can’t help but reach out for him, trying to offer some comfort. He accepts your small hand in both of his, thumbs grazing the back of your hand with much more gentleness than you’ve ever been offered. Than you think you deserve. 

You can’t help but meet his gaze then, and the way he looks at you, vulnerable and hopeful is nearly too much to bear. 

“I don’t know,” you begin, tears building at your lash line, because you truly don’t.  

You think back, in earnest, to all you’ve come to learn about one another and how easy it is to be around him. You think about the way you find comfort in his touch and he in yours. And you think about the two of you performing and how every time you’re on stage with him, it feels like there’s no one else but you and Steve. 

The shrill ding of the elevator brings you crashing down to reality, to the dingy hotel hallway and the beautiful boy in front of you with the pleading eyes. 

Footsteps and giggles make echo down the hall, coming closer. Both you and Steve turn towards the noise, temporarily forgetting your very serious conversation. 

Suddenly, Eddie appears around the corner, the pretty girl from bar on his heels. 

He stops abruptly at the sight of you and Steve. You turn your face in the other direction, quickly. You don’t want him to see you in this state, teary and distressed, especially not while he’s with this beautiful stranger, so you hide yourself against Steve’s chest. 

There’s a terse quiet that follows while you’re sure Eddie assesses the situation. 

You can tell by the way Steve gently curls his arm around your shoulder that the two of them must be having some weird silent  standoff. 

“Wait,” you hear Eddie’s companion shrill, “are you Steve Harrington and—“

“Yes, that’s them, sweetheart, in the flesh,” Eddie cuts her off and you can hear them start moving down the hallway again, “How about we give the lovebirds their privacy and you and I pick up where we left off in the cab?” 

You listen to their footsteps growing fainter and fainter and when you’re sure it’s just you and Steve, you pull yourself out of his embrace, to face him once again.

“What I want doesn’t matter, Steve,” you admit, sadly, “not when everyone is depending on us fulfilling our contract.” 

He sighs, “I don’t understand why we can’t fulfill the contract while being together? Wouldn’t we be more believable if we didn’t have to pretend? If it was actually real?”

He didn’t get it. 

“Maybe, but what if things go badly? What if we’re happy for a little while but then we realize we can’t stand each other? Then what? We either break up the band or we are forced to keep pretending just like we are now but this time, we hate each other? ” 

You think of your parents and how they lived separate lives for as long as you could remember, speaking to each other only when absolutely necessary. You’re sure they didn’t intend to hate each other at first. 

“What if we find out we really like each other?” He argues back gently, “what if things work out great and we’re happy?” 

You wouldn’t know how to do that. No one ever taught you how to love without it hurting. 

“No,” you say, sadly shaking your head, “someone will just end up getting hurt.” 

Steve clutches your hand tighter, one final supplication. “If someone has to get hurt, I’ll make sure it’s me.” 

Full tears are streaming down your face now as you gently pull your hand out of Steve’s grasp. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” you tell him, turning away from him while you still can, leaving him standing alone in the hall. 

PLAY NEXT TRACK

Taglist:

@rexorangecouny , @persophonekarter @mystargirl-interlude @brinleighsstuff @thegaysaretired @nothing2-see

[seluneclerics]

hi! disappeared there for a second, didn’t I?

recently I got a new PC! I’ve been trying out the new wheels on it and working on setting everything up for uni, so apologies for my absence.

i do come with some good news! progress on chapter 9 of "more the fool me (the unwise lord)" is going swimmingly. here's a quick look into the hunt for fraser!

as for other updates, i recently started work on the second chapter of "lady councilor, my dearest regards" - my catcouncil fic! i saw that mel finally got dropped in league and i'm so excited for when we get to see the noxus series (they need to have it so that she takes lest with her... mayhaps an idea?)

things are much more light hearted in that fics regard, lots of gay women doing what gay women do.

i've been working steady at the things i've been proposing, but i definitely don't want to burn myself out. we're back to our regularly scheduled programming!

[the-overreactress]

Chapter 4 is finally here!

So sorry it took me so long to get it posted, but we're back to our regularly scheduled programming! Jess is in New Mexico on Route 66. His mind takes many detours through his memories and past.

Thank you all so much for reading and giving lots of kudos! I know this one is a tough one to get through, but I am so passionate about Jess and want to share this part of his story with all of you lovely folks! :)

[beardedmrbean]

When two American astronauts blasted off on a test mission to the International Space Station on 5 June, they were expecting to be back home in a matter of days.

But things didn't quite go to plan.

In fact, Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita Williams are still there, floating high above the Earth nearly two months later.

The pair - who are stuck indefinitely - now face the sudden prospect of missing the summer entirely and even spending Christmas and New Year in space.

Mr Wilmore, 61, and Ms Williams, 58, flew a Boeing Starliner spacecraft to the station. It was the first flight of its kind with people on board and was a test designed to see how the new spacecraft performs before it is used more regularly.

Problems, however, emerged as it made its approach. These included leaks in its propulsion system and some of its thrusters shutting down.

So while they made it to the space station safely, they will need an alternative mode of transport to get home if the Starliner is not deemed safe to return to Earth.

At a news briefing on Wednesday, Nasa officials said no firm decisions had been made when it comes to next steps.

"Our prime option is to return Butch and Suni on Starliner," Steve Stich, manager of Nasa's Commercial Crew Program, said. "However, we have done the requisite planning to make sure we have other options open.”

One potential option being considered, they said, is to attach the two astronauts to a mission that is scheduled to launch in September, and return them to earth with that mission in February 2025.

That flight to the space station will be made by a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft. The initial plan was for four crew members to be aboard, but two of the seats could be left empty if needed.

That plan would mean the astronauts would spend more than eight months – rather than eight days – aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

If the Crew Dragon is used, the Starliner craft would be returned to Earth without any crew, under computer control.

Nasa officials said it could take a week or more for a final decision to be made.

What a year in Space does to the body

Starliner: The US Space industry's next big thing?

Ken Bowersox, Nasa's director of space operations, told reporters the chances of an uncrewed return of the Starliner “have increased a little bit based on where things have gone over the last week or two.”

"That's why we're looking more closely at that option to make sure that we can handle it," he said.

Using a SpaceX craft to return the astronauts would be a blow to Boeing, which has for years tried to compete with the company and its more experienced Crew Dragon.

Earlier this week, Nasa used a SpaceX rocket to deliver more food and supplies to the ISS, including extra clothes for the two astronauts.

Last month, in a short press briefing, the pair said they were "absolutely confident” in the return trip and Starliner was “truly impressive.”

This is the third stint aboard the ISS for Ms Williams, a retired Navy helicopter pilot, while Mr Wilmore is a former fighter jet pilot who has been to space twice before.

“We've been thoroughly busy up here, integrated right into the crew,” Ms Williams told reporters during a recent briefing call.

“It feels like coming back home. It feels good to float around. It feels good to be in space and work up here with the International Space Station team," she said. "So yeah, it’s great to be up here.”

Boeing was hoping that the maiden Starliner mission would pave the way for regular use of its capsule for missions back and forth to the station. The Space X Crew Dragon has been approved for Nasa missions since 2020.

Although the astronauts will spend much more time in space than they initially planned, others have spent much longer periods above the Earth's surface. Russian Valeri Polyakov spent 437 days in space in aboard the Mir space station in the mid-1990s.

Last year, Frank Rubio returned from the ISS after 371 days, the longest time an American has spent in space.

And Russia's Oleg Kononenko, also currently aboard the ISS, is the first person to have spent more than 1,000 days in space during the course of their career.

In their briefings and interviews, the two Americans have been upbeat about their situation. "I’m not complaining that we’re here for a couple extra weeks," Ms Williams said last month.

As things stand, the pair may be there for many more weeks to come.

[februaryfangfest]

There are just a few days left until Sign-ups end for Fangfest, so go read the deets and fill out the sign up sheet!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming: Each week in the run-up to February Fangfest, we’ll be spotlighting different sub-pairings/groups within the Fanged Four, because your works (and our love) can be for those individual relationships too! We’ll be sharing some fic and art that we adore which depict them, and hope you’ll enjoy and go shower the creators in comments and kudos/likes!! And oh, hey, if it serves as propaganda for you to go create your own things? Win-win.

This week, we're doubling up. We're spotlighting both Dangel and Sprusilla. First up, the elders - Dangel. The first two members of the famous Fanged Four, Darla and Angel have the longest canon romance of any recurring characters in the Buffyverse. They are the only two characters who each get to meet the other in all three states of transformation: human, vampire, and vampire with a soul. They kill each other, save each other, betray each other, betray OTHERS for each other, and love each other in a story that reaches truly epic scale, along the way becoming the only pairing that produces biological offspring together as well as delivering the very first and very last lines of dialogue in the televised shows. They are the foundation of the most fearsome foursome in canon history and the literal definition of found family. While Angel is repeatedly forced to witness Darla's death over the course of both series and their relationship ends in tragedy, we can always hold out hope that Darla will be resurrected (again) and these two will finally get their fair shot at happily ever after.

In this post, we'll be sharing the delightful Dangel works from 2024's February Fangfest and Fanged Four Family Bingo. Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a comment and kudos :D

Fanart

Title: Control Artist: Girlpire Rating: Explicit (Fucking Machines, Femdom, Bottom!Angel, An abundance of onomatopoeia) Medium: Digital Art Summary: [Girlpire] might have been wrong. THIS is the dirtiest thing [she's] ever drawn. :D

Title: Darla and Angel Through the Years Artist: Ifer Rating: Gen Audiences (Self-Described Eye Strain Art, Blood and Romance, Bloody Handholding) Medium: Digital Art Summary: Illustration for February Fangfest 2024

Fanfiction

Title: Adult Material Author: Vampbrat Rating: Explicit (Bloody Great Reconnections, Choking, Porn and Popcorn ) Length: 1,040 words Setting: Post-Series Summary: The most divorced vamps in California tentatively attempt to reestablish a connection.

Title: His Proper Place Author: Harlow Rating: Explicit (Pegging, Punishment, Season's Beatings) Length: 671 words Setting: Ambiguous, Pre-Series Summary: Darla is displeased that her lover has spent Valentine's day committing atrocities without her. She decides to teach him a lesson.

Title: Still Life in the Deserts of the World Author: Girlpire Rating: Explicit (Existential Crises and Nude Modelling, Slaughterhouse Things, Zoo Life, Mental Health Issues, Sex, OCs Who Will Steal Your Heart) Length: 20,064 words Setting: 1977 Summary: It's February of 1977. The first Star Wars movie hasn't hit theaters, Elvis is alive, and a lonely vampire with a soul is working two part-time jobs in Bridgeport, Connecticut, still teaching himself how to survive. This is a snapshot of Angel's life in the days leading up to the tragic encounter in the donut shop in Orpheus.

This next fic features various combinations of the Fanged Four (and a few other Aurelians), but it is very much Dangel-centric throughout:

Title: A Divine Comedy in the House of Flies Author: QueennHalloween Rating:Explicit (An Assortment of Kinks, Dubcon, Pregnancy, Family Orgy, Angst and Feels, Contains Fanart) Length: 38,270 words Setting: The Afterlife, Various Parts of Darla's Memory Summary: Darla is dead… again. It's the only thing she's actually sure of.

[velvet-cupcake-games]

Made Marion Development Update, July 2023

Hello everyone! We're back to our regularly scheduled mid-month updates!

Beta Release Successful!

We released Beta 0.1 at the beginning of July and everything went pretty smoothly! We managed to catch and patch a lockup bug the night before release, and testers only found one more minor lockup bug (and no crash bugs) after release.

Our biggest issue as always is missing dialogue tags that cause a character's dialogue to look like it's narration instead. This happens due to the way I paste the script into Visual Basic, so when I write Will's script I'm looking at making some changes that will minimize these errors. Thanks so much to the testers who reported in on the errors they found!

Fee fi fo fum, I smell the bug of an Avalon. (This bug was fixed well before beta, but it was funny.)

What's On Deck

I have two more scenes to write for Robin Chapter 3, and it should be about 50k words at that point, so my prediction that the routes will be at least 60k words appears to be accurate. Since it looks like many people are waiting for the full route to be available before joining beta, I will wait and release Robin Chapters 3-4 together so the entire route will be playable in beta for our next release.

Speaking of decks, I've been testing the game on the Steam Deck, and it's playable, but the UI needs some improvements for gamepad control. I'm working with Shawna on these improvements, which should also be helpful for general useability and increased accessibility. We shouldn't have any trouble being Steam Deck certified by our Early Access launch!

Meanwhile, Arrapso is busy completing the secondary character sprites needed in Robin's route and Lawrichai is working on Robin cut-ins. Shawna is programming in the Extras menu as well as working on the gamepad issues. I'm commissioning a new trailer that will feature our final character sprites and will serve as the intro video to the game, so it'll have less narration/marketing language in it.

See you next month!

[sexiestpodcastcharacter]

[Image description: 6 screenshots of virtcharactertournament's Hatsune Miku vs Hera final poll, taken at different times. Hera ranges from 17.5% of the vote with 6 days and 21 hours left, to 49.9% of the vote with 1 day and 21 hours left. Ultimately, she lost with 45.6% of 1292 votes. End ID.]

So, I didn't get any screenshots from when were reportedly at 50/50, but the closest I ever saw was literally two votes short. I am so proud of us, especially given where we started. Miku may have ultimately won, but it took some panic on her fans' side during the last 24, and especially the last 4.5, hours for the victory to be so clear.

I mean, Miku beat GLaDOS 54.1% to 45.9% in the-robot-bracket. We did a good job if we're comparable to GLaDOS.

And a belated congratulations to our very own Juno Steel for beating Miku in a fight.

Alright, back to your regularly scheduled programming of this blog only reblogging other polls a single time each. Thank you to every single one of you who voted for Hera, and an especially big thanks to each of you who reblogged the polls from me multiple times.

[lunarcovehq]

CAMPFIRE RETREAT - RECAP

Camptown ladies sing this song doodah doodah Ah the Camptown race track's five miles long oh doo-dah day

Good morning campers! We hope you all had a great weekend. The event is now officially over and we will return to our regularly scheduled programming, but before we do...

ANNOUNCEMENTS

This is the last plot drop for our Summer event. A recap of the discord party is below.

With this plot drop, the event is over. You can return to your regularly scheduled starters and threads. Feel free to have your characters react to any of the events that occurred above or below.

Given that we have so many fun event related starters, we're not going to reset the starter rule at this time, though we will be having regularly scheduled acceptance come Wednesday.

We will also be having a Council Meeting in the weeks to come, though we are planning to change up the format for how those meetings will work moving forward so please keep an eye out, leaders, for that.

Last by not least, we hope you have fun!

RECAP

LEADING UP TO THE DISCORD PARTY:

Amrita had the most points out of any character with 508.

As for the events leading up to the camping weekend that determine points, for the trust falls, you had the opportunity to win up to 57 points at the time (1 per each character in the RP at the time when the trust falls happened).

The only character not caught during the trust falls was Elena (who fell into a pile of tripped wolves trying to catch her).

For the Field Days (including Capture the Flag) the witches walked away with the most points, vampires were in second, CONs were in third, werewolves in forth and fae (who should have been in third or fourth) had the most points docked from them losing a total of 44 points from- Aiyla (1 point down per fae given that Aiyla’s throw could have been an accident in the midst of the heat of the game), Rangi (the other 43 points from choosing violence as not part of the game in retaliation to an activity) & Suresh (only Suresh lost points for being disqualified given that Team Cove did not win but he lost half of his points losing another 44).

Dilan also lost points at the Werewolf BBQ for pushing Aiyla twice.

Then we gave everyone points for the free days (same amount across the board) and points if you completed your pairing threads. You received points if you participated in the talent show and additional points correlating to the number of votes you received for your talent.

Amrita & Bri won the Talent Show with Efe coming in second

DURING THE DISCORD PARTY:

The campers teamed up into the following pairings:

Team Lunar Cove Fire Department: Efe & Julian - 892 points

Amrita & Tommy (Team Bite & Bark) - 870 points

Team The Final Boys: Altan & Todd - 849 points

Team Flower Power: Briar & Poppy - 845 points

Team Snap, Crackle, Pop: Kitty, Suresh & Gia - 840 points

Noel & Frankie (Team Sexy Back) - 799 points

Team Les Amis: Aiyla & Royce - 796 points

Team Sense & Sensibility: Ben & Bri - 792 points

Team Moon Prism Power: Aspen & Daphne - 739 points

Team Witch & Wolf: Nate & Cece - 725 points

Team True North: Jonah & Rohan - 711 points

Team Spring Spirits: Skye & Rae - 707 points

The Meena & JC Team: Meena & JC - 692 points

Team Twilight (aka Jakeward): Ronnie & Elif - 691 points

Team Flip & Sip: Elena & Wendy - 671 points

Team Midnight Rain: Nyra & Safiye - 685 points

Team Vigilantes Aaliyah & Dilan- 664 points

Team Big and Lil Spoon: Jake & Song - 650 points

Team Formaldehyde: Ralph & Rangi - 623 points

Team Neverland: Ken & Leyla - 622 points

Aysun & Scott (TBD team name as the players couldn't make the discord party) - 622 points

Team Hercules You Mean Hunkules & Meg: Nico & Jas - 619 points

Team Meddling Kids: Jo & Eren - 592 points

Team Moose: Kui & Remmy - 576 points

Team B Squared: Billie & Bexley - 567 points

The teams all attempted to compete for sleeping arrangements, searching for flags hidden all over the campsite and trying to steal flags from each other.

Some highlights from the event include:

Rangi & Dilan getting into a fight to which Dilan pulled out a knife that was confiscated from Meena who handed it off to Aiyla

Aaliyah then had to pick Dilan up to prevent the fae from continuing to go at it

Team Moose (Kui & Remmy) failed to procure flag #5 and in turn, Moose slipped and fell into the riverbank when trying to find the flag. Remmy & Kui had to go in to save them.

Team Lil & Big Spoon (Song & Jake) were chased through the woods by a Mamma Deer when they tried to take the flag from the baby deer's mouth

Team Vigilantes (Dilan & Aaliyah) slipped and fell into mud, sliding all the way back to camp trying to procure their flag

Team Midnight Rain (Nyra & Safiye) tried to get the flag in the mud as well and also slipped and fell into the mud, sliding all the way back to camp

The Meena & JC Team tried to get a flag from a baby bird, only for the bird to peck at their hand.

The Spring Spirits (Rae & Skye) tried to get a flag out under a heavy rock. They were able to lift it a tad before it slammed down on the flag and they were unable to procure it.

Team B Squared (Bille & Bexley) got attacked by a bunny trying to take the flag it was laying on.

Team Witch & Wolf (Nate & Cece) went looking for a flag hidden in a wolf hiding spot, only Nate couldn't remember where the clothing hiding spot was.

Team Hercules You Mean Hunkules & Meg: went looking for the mud flag, only to come sliding back all muddy.

THE SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS:

Team Lunar Cove Fire Department: Efe & Julian - 892 points

For stealing the flag hanging like an ornament from a nearby pine tree (found by Altan & Todd), drum roll please... now you get a chance to be a tree ornament! You have won a hanging tent with one rather thin blanket to share inside. You do not have to set up this tent yourself. Lucky for you, it is already installed. Though there is no ladder up to the tent and the door is precariously on it's side, so have fun climbing?

Amrita & Tommy (Team Bite & Bark) - 870 points

They won a luxury tent! If you came to glamp, now is your chance. This tent may only be made up of two rooms, but it has a couch! A COUCH! And a bed! A real one. You're practically all set up to move into the woods if you so choose.

Team The Final Boys: Altan & Todd - 849 points

For taking the flag from an annoyed raccoon who is hungry for food, you have won drum roll please... the jungle gym of any kid's dreams! This jungle gym comes equipped with multiple hammocks for you and your teammate. You can have one each and then have hammocks to put all of your belongings. There is also a colorful play mat/gymnastics mat beneath you and a lawn chair to lounge in.

Team Flower Power: Briar & Poppy - 845 points

You didn't crawl in the mud to find your flag for nothing. You've won drum roll please... the pièce de résistance, the luxury camper of luxury campers! The RV of all RV's. You will spend the next two nights living it large with a swanky two decker RV. You each get your own bedrooms with king sized beds, egyptian cotton sheets, pillows, you name it. There are living rooms, kitchen space etc. Anything you think an RV may have? This one does. It also has a roof to lounge out on to watch the stars and it comes with its very own hot tub. You heard us right - a hot tub!

Team Snap, Crackle, Pop: Kitty, Suresh & Gia - 840 points

For stealing the flag hidden in a cave in the small mountain range bordering the town that was at risk of caving in (that was found by Nico & Jas), you've won drum roll please... a camper! You get your very own RV to glamp in. The RV has beds for the both of you as well as a king bedroom in the back, a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room space and is all fully equipped. You also have two lawn chairs and your very own personal fire pit.

Noel & Frankie (Team Sexy Back) - 799 points

They won a luxury three room tent! When you walk in the tent you will find a stocked mini fridge and two lawn chairs to lounge around in with a blue tooth speaker for your phone. While both rooms come with air mattresses, blankets and pillows for a good night sleep.

Team Les Amis: Aiyla & Royce - 796 points

For stealing the flag buried somewhere along the river bank (that was found by Ken & Leyla), you have won drum roll please... a glamping tent! This tent not only has a luxurious bed and pillows and blankets, you also have a full meal prepared, catered in to your taste buds as well as an electric tea kettle, research desk etc.

Team Sense & Sensibility: Ben & Bri - 792 points

For stealing the flag located on a small mound on the other side of the river (found by Ken & Leyla), you have won drum roll please... the most pastel pink, glamorous tent with florals framing the entrance, blankets, pillows, poofs, you name it - it is definitely a tent you'd want to lounge in.

Team Moon Prism Power: Aspen & Daphne - 739 points

For stealing the flag that Kui & Remmy found tucked away in a prickly bush, you have won drum roll please... a changing tent! These tents are all the rage with social media influencers who need to make a quick change in public. Though, the tent is vertical with not much room to stand. Have fun sharing it with two. But, you do get a picnic blanket to share too for the aesthetic of it.

Team Witch & Wolf: Nate & Cece - 725 points

For finding the flag tucked away in a nook of a tree (werewolves may on occasion use this nook as a storage spot for their clothes), you have won drum roll please... a blanket fort! This blanket fort comes equipped with plush pillows, turkish rug, plenty of blankets and privacy while also have a good view of the sky given how your ceiling is made of blankets and scarfs tied together.

Team True North: Jonah & Rohan - 711 points

For stealing the flag hanging from a low hanging branch a half a mile out from the campsite (found by Jo & Eren), you have won drum roll please... a hammock of some people's dreams and other people's nightmares (let's just hope you're not afraid of heights). You do not have to set up this hammock yourself! The net hammock is already set up, high up overhead amongst the trees, but the only way to get to it is to climb and once you are up there, the net is see-through, so try your best not too look down and maybe avoid bringing small objects that can fall through up there with you? You do get four pillows for you and your partner though so yay for that!

Team Spring Spirits: Skye & Rae - 707 points

For finding the flag tucked under a heavy rock somewhere in the woods, you have won drum roll please... a two person tent! This tent comes equipped with a mosquito neck, a rain protectant cover, sleepings bags, pillows, a cooler and a cheese platter (don't worry, the cheese has been kept cool this whole time).

The Meena & JC Team: Meena & JC - 692 points

For finding the flag for this location is in a tree with a bee's nest dangling above it, drum roll please... you have won a hammock! Just one hammock that you will have to set up yourself, but hey, hopefully you and your partner enjoy snuggling?

Team Twilight (aka Jakeward): Ronnie & Elif - 691 points

For finding the flag hidden at the bottom of the river, you have won drum roll please... a giant, multiple room turtled shaped luxury tent! This tent has so many rooms, you won't know what to do with them all. One of the rooms even comes with a ball pit. There are bedrooms for the both of you, lounge rooms, a blow up couch, a mini fridge - it is safe to say, it is fully decked out.

Team Flip & Sip: Elena & Wendy - 671 points

For finding the flag somewhere in the woods up in a tree, you have won Drum roll please... a luxury bubble! You heard me right, a luxury bubble. Brought to you by Bubbl. the restaurant, this bubble is completely indoors. It is essentially a cabin with a queen sized bed, luxury mattress, pillows, sheets, lights, chairs etc. It even comes with a telescope. It is perfect for star gazing! The only catch- while you can see everyone else, they can see you as well.

Team Midnight Rain: Nyra & Safiye - 685 points

From stealing the flag from a bird who had claimed it as their own, you have won drum roll please... a glamorous two person tent! This tent has enough room for both you and your partner. It also comes equipped with twinkly lights, candles, so many fluffy pillows you won't know what to do with and blankets! The tent even has a rain protectant cover. What more could you ask for?

Team Vigilantes Aaliyah & Dilan- 664 points

For stealing the flag located around the bottom of the small mountain range bordering the town (found by Billie & Bex), you have won drum roll please*... a party blow up bubble tent! This tent looks straight out of something from a Space movie and you will feel like you're in another world when you're in it! Enter the entrance hallways where you can leave your stuff before making your way to the main bedroom where there is a king sized bed with pillows and blankets and a surround sound system. Jam out to your favorite tunes and relax in comfort. Let's just hope you brought sleep masks, since unfortunately, when the team was setting up the tent for you, the buttons for the lights broke and are now permanent set on. As you sleep the entire tent will change colors from bright blues to neon purples to pinks etc. But, some people would love to sleep in a rave tent, wouldn't they?

Team Big and Lil Spoon: Jake & Song - 650 points

For stealing the flag that is hanging from the flag poll in the center of the square (found by Billie & Bex) you have won drum roll please... Two sleeping bags! That is it. Just two sleeping bags. But, hey at least the outside is waterproof right? Or at least water repellent?

Team Formaldehyde: Ralph & Rangi - 623 points

For acquiring the flag that was floating in a tiny raft long the river, you have won drum roll please... an air mattress with pillows and sheets! The only catch - someone when you were collecting your flag, moved your sleeping arrangement. It is not in the river too! Guess it's time to live out your very own Parent Trap, Meredith Blake moment, and go save it.

Team Neverland: Ken & Leyla - 622 points

For stealing the flag in the rasberry bush (found by Billie & Bex), you have not only won a snack for later, drum roll please... you've won the hammock of kings! It is still only one hammock and you do have to share it with your partner, but it is preset up and comes with pillows and blankets. There are lights overhead that you can turn on and off. Stargaze in a set up that is straight out of the movie Tarzan.

Aysun & Scott (TBD team name as the players couldn't make the discord party) - 622 points

They won a hanging tent that looks like its straight from animal crossing! Have fun in your own hanging bubble. It comes with blankets and pillows, multiple zippered windows and doors, though there is no ladder to get to it, so you'll have to figure out your way to get yourselves up in your tree tent and down.

Team Hercules You Mean Hunkules & Meg: Nico & Jas - 619 points

For stealing the flag hanging from a low hanging branch of a small tree with poison ivy lays beneath it (found by Billie & Bex), you have won drum roll please... a canopy tent. Perfect for tailgating! Only you're not tailgating are you? Instead you're camping... out in the wilderness... for two nights straight. At least it comes equipped with two lawn chairs and a table! But no aloe or ointment so hopefully you didn't end up with poison ivy... (the RV depicted in the background of this image is not included in this sleeping arrangement. That is sleeping arrangement someone else can win, while your canopy tent will be set up in view of them where you can watch in jealously and, yes, you do still need to set up the canopy tent yourself.)

Team Meddling Kids: Jo & Eren - 592 points

For finding the flag that had been nabbed by a baby deer whose mother wasn't too far behind, you have won drum roll please... one bivy sack! Don't know what a bivy sack is? Have no fear. A bivy sack is a one person sleeping bag esque tent. It will protect you from all of the elements. Though, you do have to share it with your partner, so you'll have to decide if you're going to squeeze in real close or if one person gets the bivy sack, while the other gets left out in the cold.

Team Moose: Kui & Remmy - 576 points

Congrats! You chose the easy way out (choosing the flag sitting in the center of the clearing out in the open for anyone to take) and, in doing so, you have won, drum roll please nothing! That is right, your sleeping arrangement is mother nature at it's finest. You have no sleeping bag. You have no tent. You must sleep in the clearing in the grass and the dirt.

Team B Squared: Billie & Bexley - 567 points

For finding the flag that an adorable bunny has made its new bed, you win drum roll please... a standard single person tent! There are no bells or whistles, though this tent does come with a rain cover in case and you both get a pillow and a thin blanket to sleep with even if the tent is only made for one person to sleep in.

[oreozfox]

@artistefish I finally got a new sketchbook, so we're back to our regularly scheduled programming! Here's the first part of Takashi's life in his second body!

[zeawesomebirdie]

Nine days and about a million words of superbat fic later, I think we're finally back to our regularly scheduled program here on the ZeAwesomeBirdie blog! :)

[literalcatpod]

This Month on the Literal Cat Podcast (August 2023)

As Anime Summer Season begins to wind down, we finally get around to the essence of what Anime is all about: Jojo references and Isekai stories with ridiculously long titles!

On August 9, we'll bring you an Over Arms character Creation session, where we give an anarchist cat with permanent Puss-In-Boots Face a Stand.

Then, on August 23, we get Isekai'd to the kingdoms of Ceria and create a demon lord cat, brought to you by a cult of catgirl demons. Oh, and of course the game This World Summons Too Many Heroes!!

This shall be the end of Anime Summer Season, and after kicking off September with our 30th-episode Special Lightning Round, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled, randomly selected RPG programming!!! Hope you've had a good summer so far!

Also, MAN, can you believe we've been doing this for over a year at this point? Our one-year anniversary came and went in July and we barely even acknowledged it! Just felt like saying it here and now, while I'm writing all this out anyway.

Follow the show online: https://literalcatpod.start.page/ 

Follow Joel Holland: https://jholland.start.page/

Follow Austin Erwin: https://twitter.com/AvalonAlchemist\

We’ve got a Patreon now! https://www.patreon.com/BadgerTrove 

Download the character sheets: https://bit.ly/literalcatpod 

Did you know we're on Pillowfort now, as well? Join the LiteralCatPod group at https://www.pillowfort.social/community/LiteralCatPod

Cover art and Intro/Outro music made by Joel Holland

Thanks for listening! We’ll Cat-ch you later!

[charmingbrute]

during atiascope did minfillia's spirit in ur canon just STAY as a spirit or did she like. physically manifest : ) ?

Alright, we're back on our regularly scheduled program of how much can we hurt Aries about Minfilia until he's broken, screaming, throwing up and crying again...

Before that, I'd like to mention that at first, he really didn't want to have a conversation with Hydaelyn through Krile during the early quests of Endwalker. A part of him was still in the cusp of distrust and a sense of betrayal for everything that happened in the First, the silence during the times he really needed her and the purposeful lack of information regarding the whole Final days and Zodiark ordeal. Even so, he listened to her explanation and acknowledged that her degradation was the reason for it.

Minfilia, for my canon, stayed as a Spirit, because I'm going with what happened in Endwalker as to why she was there to begin with. Hydaelyn told us this, which I think is the reason we were able to see her:

But like his Scions companion, he was able to smile when he saw her at Aitiascope because he was given closure by Hydaelyn, knowing that Minfilia's soul was returned to the Aetherial Sea was all he needed in order to completely move forward from losing her. That she could be reborn and have a chance for a better life than what she had gotten was more than enough. And the way that she was at Aitiascope? It meant that she waited for them and knew that they would need her to guide them for the last time, like their other friends who have also fallen.

I know full well he tried to hold her hand before rushing forward though, something he felt like he didn't do enough, even though it wouldn't be felt.