#this is a long one but it's necessary

[bmodiwrites]

Eddie is a struggling musician with a health problem when he meets Steve Harrington, a newly enlisted Marine. They hate each other from the start but a series of circumstances throws them together. Find out what happens when Eddie gets married to a stranger to scam the government - he's so sure he'll be able to use Steve & run the other way. What makes a marriage & when feelings become involved, can Eddie & Steve make it work?

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I just have a lot on my mind.” Steve was leaned against the counter then, his eyes roaming over Eddie’s bare chest. He squinted before continuing. “I run to clear my head.”

“Or run away from everything,” Eddie mumbled under his breath. While it was loud enough for them both to hear, Eddie was thankful Steve decided not to acknowledge it. The look they shared was knowing and just the slightest bit heavy, though. Sometimes, the hard truth was tough for everyone to swallow.  

With a sigh, Steve straightened up. “It’s deployment day, so we need to get to the base. I’ll make sure your medical is all taken care of before I go.”

Eddie smiled at Steve in response, though he stayed silent. The gesture was enough for Steve to turn his attention towards the shower that quickly steamed up the whole room. Bypassing it entirely, Eddie stepped into the spare set of clothes he put in his bag and waited to see the show unfold.

True to his word, Steve took him to get a magical ID card that suddenly meant Eddie had great insurance. He pocketed it with a soft thanks, all while trying hard not to let a smile show. His husband was leaving – to anyone looking into their situation from the outside, expressed happiness wouldn’t make any sort of sense.

It quickly became easy to truly feel sad as they walked up to the crowd of soldiers about to get on buses and their families desperately trying to savor one last kiss, one last hug, one last goodbye. Eddie suddenly realized that an unseen side of military life existed, that all parts of a family connected to a soldier paid a price. Everyone looked strung out and devastated to watch their loved ones go. Ducking his head to fight back his own tears, Eddie tried his best to listen to Steve while he hastily spoke.

“If anything happens to me, you’re my next of kin.” He handed Eddie a folded up piece of paper. “Call my brother,” Steve said, gesturing to the note in Eddie’s hand, “tell him about what’s going on between you and me. You can make up a story. Just – don’t let me father know, okay?” Steve looked so earnest that Eddie could only nod.

Steve gripped both of Eddie’s cheeks when he spoke next. “We’re being watched from here on out. Texts, calls, video chats. It’s game time.” Beautifully plump lips were quirked into a smirk that Eddie didn’t believe for a second, though he tried to return the gesture all the same. He had no idea what to say or how to feel, but that was okay because time was up. Steve leaned in to kiss him softly once more before pulling away completely. “See ya, Ed.”

Eddie wanted to reach out and yank Steve back to him, but he settled for a lame little wave, instead. He watched Steve climb the stairs of the bus and settle in and he kept watching as all the other soldiers started to join him. There were cries and whines and sobs that rocked Eddie to his core, but he didn’t turn away. No matter how much he wanted to, Eddie didn’t turn away. The show before him was what he signed up for, taking it all in, every ugly piece of it, was the least he could do.

Chancing one last look at the filled buses, Eddie was seconds away from pulling himself together enough to walk off when he heard Gareth’s voice. “One more time for the newlyweds, boys.” Suddenly, four of Steve’s buddies were off the bus, picking Eddie up so that he could give Steve another kiss, one last one to tide them over. The fellas chanted and hollered and cheered to the point where the only thing left to do was give in. Eddie gripped Steve’s neck and kissed him with everything he had.

“Take care of yourself,” Eddie whispered against Steve’s lips. When he pulled back, Eddie tried not to notice the tears forming in Steve’s eyes or how they matched the ones Eddie was still trying so hard to fight back. The guys put him safely on the ground to take their place back on the bus, but not before Eddie gave Gareth a clinging hug.

“I’m expecting an entire album when I get back,” Gareth joked as he stepped away.

Eddie smiled and punched Gareth’s arm. “Just for you, man.” The interaction was quick and silly but Eddie clung to the feeling of it. As he watched the buses roll away. As he saw Steve look back to shoot him one last look. As Eddie climbed into his car and mindlessly drove home with tears streaking down his cheeks. While Eddie didn’t want this, the attachment or feelings or worry, he realized it was already there, settled into the depths of his chest like mold in a dark basement. Eddie wasn’t sure when it happened but Steve Harrington had gotten under his skin.

Read the rest on AO3!!!

tag list (message if you’d like to be added): @thefreakandthehair, @corrodedcoughin, @prettyboisteveharrington, 

[etoilesdeglace]

Colin. Could I ask you something? Of course. Would.... would you kiss me? Penelope... It would not have to mean anything, and I would never expect anything from you because of it, but I am nearly on the shelf and I have never been kissed and I am not certain I ever will be. I could die tomorow— You are not going to die tomorrow. But I could and it would kill me— You would already be dead? I do not wish to die without ever having been kissed!

[charmac]

Mac and Dennis not having sex.

[benevolenterrancy]

("Always. Continuously. With increasing apprehension, and decreasing hope. I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you every Tuesday. I will love you as a corpse loves the beak of the vulture. I will love you no matter what happens to you, and no matter how I discover what happens to you, and no matter what happens to me as I discover this." -- paraphrased from The Beatrice Letters, Lemony Snicket)

[electrozeistyking]

Welcome to Longer Than Necessary, an AU in which I trap Siffrin in the time loop for — you guessed it — longer than necessary!

I do actually know how long he’s been in there, and so does Loop! That being said, I’m planning on potentially making another comic where Siffrin learns that, and I’d hate to spoil the surprise! :)

Though, you are allowed to make guesses. I can’t (and won’t) tell you if you’re right, but you can guess how long they’ve been here. :3

[thedinanshiral]

What to read before The Veilguard drops

Yes people, we have homework. In case you missed it, or need to refresh that memory because hey, it's been a while, here's a quick short list of what to (re)read in preparation for this new entry in the series.

Books:

From Tevinter Nights: Down among the dead men (introduces Emmrich and Manfred), The wigmaker job (introduces Lucanis), The streets of Minrathous (introduces Neve).

The Last Flight, last novel released somewhere around DA: Inquisition. Takes the action to Weisshaupt, Grey Wardens HQ, and jumps between that present and the past explaining how the Griffons became extinct during the Fourth Blight. Will explain where Davrin's griffon came from.

Comics:

Magekiller. It's pretty introductory overall, set around Inquisition but it introduces "magekillers" as a job some people do. While in Tevinter Nights Lucanis is introduced as an Antivan Crow seems he's decided to change careers so it can't hurt to learn a bit about it.

The missing. Gives us Varric and Scout Harding already working together, and introduces us to Neve.

Short Stories:

Posted a while back in the BioWare page for Dragon Age day as crumbs to feast on while we waited, and waited, and waited..I recommend reading all of them simply because most people may have missed them and they add to lore and characters that while not among the new companions may still make an appearance and be relevant in Veilguard.

Of course I recommend reading EVERYTHING if possible, it all adds more layers and flavor and we know Solas is in the details, we can't miss a thing, but I think if you're short on time this counts as light reading enough to know where you'll land when Dragon Age: The Veilguard finally arrives.

[halorvic]

The danger is clear and present: COVID isn’t merely a respiratory illness; it’s a multi-dimensional threat impacting brain function, attacking almost all of the body’s organs, producing elevated risks of all kinds, and weakening our ability to fight off other diseases. Reinfections are thought to produce cumulative risks, and Long COVID is on the rise. Unfortunately, Long COVID is now being considered a long-term chronic illness — something many people will never fully recover from. Dr. Phillip Alvelda, a former program manager in DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and the development of mRNA vaccine technology, is the founder of Medio Labs, a COVID diagnostic testing company. He has stepped forward as a strong critic of government COVID management, accusing health agencies of inadequacy and even deception. Alvelda is pushing for accountability and immediate action to tackle Long COVID and fend off future pandemics with stronger public health strategies. Contrary to public belief, he warns, COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID. Let’s repeat that: At the current rate of infection, most Americans may get Long COVID.

[...]

LP: A recent JAMA study found that US adults with Long COVID are more prone to depression and anxiety – and they’re struggling to afford treatment. Given the virus’s impact on the brain, I guess the link to mental health issues isn’t surprising. PA: There are all kinds of weird things going on that could be related to COVID’s cognitive effects. I’ll give you an example. We’ve noticed since the start of the pandemic that accidents are increasing. A report published by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022. They also found the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28% over that period. Other data, like studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came to similar conclusions, reporting that traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high across the country in 2021. The TRIP report also looked at traffic fatalities on a national level and found that traffic fatalities increased by 19%. LP: What role might COVID play? PA: Research points to the various ways COVID attacks the brain. Some people who have been infected have suffered motor control damage, and that could be a factor in car crashes. News is beginning to emerge about other ways COVID impacts driving. For example, in Ireland, a driver’s COVID-related brain fog was linked to a crash that killed an elderly couple. Damage from COVID could be affecting people who are flying our planes, too. We’ve had pilots that had to quit because they couldn’t control the airplanes anymore. We know that medical events among U.S. military pilots were shown to have risen over 1,700% from 2019 to 2022, which the Pentagon attributes to the virus.

[...]

LP: You’ve criticized the track record of the CDC and the WHO – particularly their stubborn denial that COVID is airborne. PA: They knew the dangers of airborne transmission but refused to admit it for too long. They were warned repeatedly by scientists who studied aerosols. They instituted protections for themselves and for their kids against airborne transmission, but they didn’t tell the rest of us to do that.

[...]

LP: How would you grade Biden on how he’s handled the pandemic? PA: I’d give him an F. In some ways, he fails worse than Trump because more people have actually died from COVID on his watch than on Trump’s, though blame has to be shared with Republican governors and legislators who picked ideological fights opposing things like responsible masking, testing, vaccination, and ventilation improvements for partisan reasons. Biden’s administration has continued to promote the false idea that the vaccine is all that is needed, perpetuating the notion that the pandemic is over and you don’t need to do anything about it. Biden stopped the funding for surveillance and he stopped the funding for renewing vaccine advancement research. Trump allowed 400,000 people to die unnecessarily. The Biden administration policies have allowed more than 800,000 to 900,000 and counting.

[...]

LP: The situation with bird flu is certainly getting more concerning with the CDC confirming that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive after being exposed to infected cows. PA: Unfortunately, we’re repeating many of the same mistakes because we now know that the bird flu has made the jump to several species. The most important one now, of course, is the dairy cows. The dairy farmers have been refusing to let the government come in and inspect and test the cows. A team from Ohio State tested milk from a supermarket and found that 50% of the milk they tested was positive for bird flu viral particles.

[...]

PA: There’s a serious risk now in allowing the virus to freely evolve within the cow population. Each cow acts as a breeding ground for countless genetic mutations, potentially leading to strains capable of jumping to other species. If any of those countless genetic experiments within each cow prove successful in developing a strain transmissible to humans, we could face another pandemic – only this one could have a 58% death rate. Did you see the movie “Contagion?” It was remarkably accurate in its apocalyptic nature. And that virus only had a 20% death rate. If the bird flu makes the jump to human-to-human transition with even half of its current lethality, that would be disastrous.

[starflungwaddledee]

I love how you draw galacta knight so elegant. He's graceful, angelic, but overpowering. The duality of the justice he was meant to serve and uninhibited, raw violence i love it sm

ahh yes thank you, you get it!

i think it's specifically important that he is so insanely elegant and pretty and also deadly haha. there's a line in one of my fics where bandee identifies some jungle plants as "far too beautiful to be anything but carnivores", and i think that really sums it up

[surreal-duck]

master artist and his number one fan

guy who is being so normal about the new additions to their profiles. i think abt midoris initial infatuation with his art slowly developing into appreciating yuzuru himself as a person and idol to the point he worries about how he sees him (ex: a bit of home party and in workplace survival rules) sometimes thats a lie i think about it a lot. and yuzuru learning to enjoy art just for the sake of drawing!! seeing the lets try diy story where he doesnt even refute drawing on midoris desk and was only worried that his doodles might cover up the mascot design compared to how discouraged he usually would be in earlier ! stories. everything to me i adore their dynamic if that wasnt obvious by *gestures to basically everything*

and happy pride month 🏳‍🌈

[turtleblogatlast]

[ cw: (temporary) piercing / ]

AU starts here!

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I’d imagine Cassandra wouldn’t make a big deal out of Leo’s newfound abilities tbh

And yes, she is in fact wearing her full fight ensemble under her clothes tyvm

Bonus:

[zilabee]

I love how ridiculously warm John would feel about the fact that Paul still loves him so much and sings with him at concerts and wanted to finish another song with him after all this time, and I love how John would kind of just feel it all behind his beautiful face, looking down, trying to be nonchalant about it.

The way that Paul loves John, so absolute and steady. The way that John didn't feel loveable like that, but craved it, but didn't recognise or trust it, and the way it was there and real anyway despite him. I don't know. I like that Paul is so relentless in loving him.

[masterwords]

Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture:

And this picture:

They're the same picture.

Bonus:

[charmac]

I think getting railed by Mac would give Dennis a new perspective that doesn’t change who he is and is consistent with his characterisation... Just a thought tho.

[ricecaqes]

funny how we get attached to the struggle

hey guys i already posted about this but. guess whogot farewell golden (its me....). ive had this idea for a drawing for like probably a year now but i didnt let myself do it until it had officially Done It. and we're here now! and it still feels so surreal ...

it is genuinely impossible to try and express what celeste means to me beyond being my favorite game and a special interest. its just like. i cant even articulate it. it means the whole world to me and ive spent the past 6 years growing n changing and it has stuck and helped me with shit. and getting fwg inevitably in Some Form means im closing the book in terms of how far i can go w the base game but i am nowhere near done w celeste and i hope i never will be. sorry for beang sappy i huave autism about this game really bad. peace and love on planet earth yall

[musical-chick-13]

This is the only thing I'm going to say about the election until it's over:

Anyone who did not vote for Harris or who attempted to dissuade people from voting for Harris, you are indirectly responsible for whatever shit Donald Trump does if he gets elected. That blood is primarily on his hands, yes. But it is also on yours. I hope you can live with that because I sure as hell wouldn't be able to.

[gardenofskeletonss]

THEY DON'T KNOW YOU LIKE I DO