#I know they “technically” got together in s5

[angelshizuka]

I obviously don't want them to speedrun Stolitz and magically fix their complicated relationship in like one episode, but I also don't want them to unnecessarily drag it out the entire series, we already have Miraculous for that kinda shipping bullshit.

[halforcdad]

I watched POI when it already finished airing so whenever I see someone said they watched it when it was still airing I went

Oh honey

Oh dear

Oh sweetie

You watched it live?? You watched 5x10 live?? Not knowing whats going to happen??? *Give you a hug*

I already know what was coming and still that episode left me heart broken just shattered emotionally (which is to say, also, that good writing can still make an impact even when the audience knows what's going to happen so take notes Marvel)

On another note, the 4x11 self-sacrifice lives in my head rent-free. "If you die die for something that you love" and "i'm a sociopath i dont have feelings" then she goes and kisses Root and saves them all I am on the floor bawling

the funny part is i saw bts photos from the finale that showed root and reese together and i naively thought, 'ok cool they still might die, but at least they survive until the end' and the writers really said Lol. but considering the type of show it was (and what happened to carter) and how dire things were going in s4-s5 i kinda prepared for character deaths leading up to the season. it left me numb and sad for a while, but i dont remember being extremely devastated about it. all the stuff we got with shaw dealing with it afterwards, however, that shit hurt bad. and unfortunately i love angst a lot (the writers were very good at writing sad stuff!)

my main complaint is that the death was so sudden and kinda anticlimatic (but i guess there has to be one of those to further stress how much their backs were against the wall). everyone else in the show gets a poetic death/sacrifice scene and in carter's case, at least she was killed by a significant villain in her arc and we're allowed to really feel the pain and consequences of her death, root gets taken out by a guy who started the job like two weeks ago and no time to mourn bc we're in a war Lol (and they had to rub salt in the wounds by showing us her for-sure dead body and telling us samaritan dug it up to get her implant, which while realistic, was brutal).

i feel like a lot of people talk about it as one of the worst writing decisions, but i can see why they chose to keep root's fate the same. yes, it sucked to losing a wlw character (especially when that was so close to clexa, if im not getting my times wrong), but i don't believe lgbt media should only be happy, soft stuff and that lgbt characters should be plot armor protected always. i still found a lot of meaning and emotion in the ending we got with shaw carrying on the work her team left behind with the machine and having some small piece of root to hold on to (and shaw being the only one next to fusco who never really had a lot of direct contact with the machine, getting the chance now to work closely with it and understand root more maybe that way). the show was always dealing with death/loss and grief and emphasizing how people still leave significant legacies behind and stay with us even if it's just the influence and impact they left on their surviving loved ones. i would still prefer if it had ended differently, but at least I could understand the message they were going for.

ill never stop loving 4x11 it's genuinely one of my favorite tv episodes ever. poi was very good at normalising shaw's apd and everything they did with shaw and especially what they did in the aftermath of that episode ripped me to shreds (her telling simulation root that she was her safe place and then telling real root she'd rather die than get them all killed, that made me totally normal). shaw getting the big emotional, meaningful moments in 4x11 (in the machine's simulation when she shows root one last act of kindness with 'maybe someday', the subway scene with the bomber, and of course the ending scene) was so important and well done. and root's slow-moed reactions at the end were gut-wrenching i must have rewatched that scene maybe 1000 times.

[007reid]

u have absolutely no idea what 'coffee caramels' did to me omg 😭 u write spencer and his mannerisms so WELL hsbsghdbdh so i come to u with a lil request if that's okay with u !!

spencer insists on playing pretend-doctor for reader who's sick (but denying it) so he invokes his technically-a-doctor card and gives his second opinion just to take care of reader n smother them w looooove

essentially just him teasing y/n and being the stupid Cute attentive nerd he is <3

(inspired by S5E3 where he gets stuck at the bau w garcia bc he was being stubborn abt his injury)

i am never ever Normal abt this guy 😞 i look forward to reading more of ur work and losing my mind over reid with u, aine !! mwa

hiii tysm for requesting, youre so fucking sweet!! <33 drop an emoji to let me know who you are and let’s loose our mind over our fav boy together anon!!!! also sorry this took so long, i wrote like 3k but then hated it so i started over, i love this prompt sm so i feel like i had to do it justice.

pspspsp i love s5 spence so fucking much... his hair went from beautiful to ethereal to mad sexy...s5 treated us well. requests are ALWAYS appreciated !!!!!!

soup. spencer reid

spencer reid x fem!reader, 3k

you've been off it for so long, dodging virus after virus and disease after disease and just right when you thought that you are immune to sickness, you caught it. the inevitable fever.

there was no denying it, you've tried. after getting a headache, you popped a tylenol before you went to sleep, nonchalant. the next morning was when reality really came crashing down. a sore throat.

it progressively got worse throughout the day, and when you came crashing into bed after a long day at work, your nose was feeling stuffy and your were coughing, spewing sickness everywhere you went. you woke up in the middle of night sweating like you had just ran a fucking marathon and only able to breathe through one nostril unless you shift your body entirely.

you did not take to these news well. firmly in denial, you still planned to show up to work the next day.

except you didn't show up to work. sickly and delirious, the part when you press snooze then snooze again slip your mind and at one point you must've turn off your alarm entirely. drifting in and out of consciousness and slipping into dream after dream, it gets harder to tell what is real and what is not.

"y/n? y/n!"

now, it is very probable that the voice isn’t actually real, because why the hell would you be hearing spencer reid’s voice outside of work? the chances are slim to none, and despite the heat pounding at your skull you manage to smile. there is something unexplainably comforting about spencer’s voice, soft and deliberate. it would be foolish to say that under the mad spell he’d cast on you (him simply saying two words) he’s managed to melt away your headache, because he didn’t. you still feel like shit.

“y/n?”

you frown, the voice sounding too insistent and real and not matching up with the visuals of your dream. you feel a tapping on your shoulder and when you blink your eyes open you could’ve screamed.

you jump up and then backwards, huddling your blanket with you, scared for your life. because right in front of you is perhaps the most intimidating creature on the earth; spencer reid in a purple sweater vest with his face so close to yours he could breathe in your sickness, hair tucked carefully behind his ear.

“spencer?” you ask incredulously, but instead your voice comes out a rasp. you clear your throat, feeling something warm creep up your cheek. it might be a blush, but you blame it on the chills. you keep blinking, trying to regain your vision and feel instantaneous embarrassment. you look a mess, sick and dehydrated with dry lips and bad hair and you probably reek of morning breath. and spencer’s there, looking like heaven’s finest angel, smiling at you like he’s smiling at a person and not a monster. spencer has the tendency to treat and look at everyone like they’re the love of his life. you sort of hate it.

“hi y/n,” he breathes, crouching down on the floor before you on the bed. “i—“

“what are you doing here?” you’re too impatient to wait, still in shock.

now. you try not to make it obvious that you have a mad crush on spencer, because if the fact were to spill, you’re not eager cleaning up the consequences. it’s an unestablished, unspoken rule that should be common sense that no workplace dating will be allowed and usually it’s a ridiculous rule, because who the hell would want to date their coworker, like actually? work crushes are normal but they exist only in a part of your day, an eye-candy for you to stare at to get through the day, then you go home or go out and forget about them. who actually has serious work crushes, actually? actually? it’s ridiculous.

your defense is completely solid, you’d say. your number one defense is you can’t help the fact that you and spencer were meant to be friends. the moment you joined the team, you and spencer clicked together like two lego pieces, despite your clashing personalities. you find it refreshing to have someone like spencer, someone who’s soft and sweet but cunning and resourceful but thoughtful and kind, and it was equally refreshing for spencer to have someone blunt and straightforward but still patient enough to put up with him.

spencer doesn’t like physical touch but ever since your first week he made you the exception and if you could, you would parade the privilege around like a badge. what can you say, you’re proud to be spencer’s little exception, anyone would be. he makes you feel special, differently than the others do and what’s a girl to do? to have that great of a relationship with a coworker and not be work spouses and not be actually head over heels with the guy? how laughable.

it’s not something you’re proud of, however. you know it’s a lost cause, chasing after spencer. it hurts, sometimes, but you always patted yourself on the back with an ‘it is what it is.’ spencer, as sweet and vulnerable as he is, has layers behind his thinly veiled heart. he talks a lot but he never talks about himself and he never talks about the past so he doesn’t have to revive it, so all the memories are just wounds left out and neglected to burn. spencer’s trouble, definitely trouble, but it’s hard to be aware of the workload that spencer reid is when he’s rambling to you about something as innocent as halloween or knocking his knuckles on your knee during a flight trying to get your attention.

spencer blinks sheepishly, settling criss cross apple sauce on the ground, lanky legs twisting uncomfortably. “you didn’t come into work and you didn’t answer your phone,” he explains. “emily told me to go check on you.”

you nod. he’s here because emily told him to. it makes a lot more sense now. “i’ll head in the office now,” you say, making your way out of bed, wiping at your eyes. “sorry—“

“no you’re not,” spencer says immediately, not even hesitating. he places a hand on your upper chest, pressing you back down on the bed. the butterflies at the pit of your stomach throws a fit. you know he means nothing by the action—has spencer reid ever been the one knowledgeable about romance?—but knowing that doesn’t help the heat that spread up your cheeks that’s definitely not from the sickness. “you’re burning up,” he says. “i’ll get you some water. you should clean up,” he says, uncrossing his legs difficultly and then stumbling out the room, mismatched socks slipping on the hardwood floor.

you take advantage of the time that spencer’s not there and race to the bathroom, ignoring the blackout and the dizziness that threatens to make you faint from getting up too abruptly. you squirt some toothpaste onto your toothbrush and by the time you exit the bathroom, spencer is already there, waiting, except he’s by your desk, hands on a book.

typical.

he perks up when he hears your footsteps pad into the room, turning around, looking like a child who’s been caught with your book in his hands. you smile at him, albeit it’s a pathetic smile. you feel dizzy.

“you like toni morrison?”

“i love toni morrison,” spencer chirps, excitement bouncing all over his face. “especially her masterwork, beloved,” he looks back down at your red copy admiringly then sets it down. "get back in bed," he says, and you can't wrap your hand around how ridiculous the situation is. your coworker, or work crush, is at your house, checking your temperature and shooing you to bed to rest. "i bought you soup so you can eat up, i--"

“you bought me soup?” you ask, incredulous. spencer nods seriously.

“it's proven that eating soup makes people feel better, not just some stereotype. the right amount of sodium can help help relieve sore throat pains and the vitamins and minerals found in soup can play a very large part in recovery...i had a feeling you were going to be sick, it’s the weather, you know? everyone is catching the cold. you need to eat it before it gets cold, the heat helps with nasal digestion and also sinus pressure and it'll be useless if you ate it lukewarm...i’ll be right back…” and with the babbling his voice fades out as he walks back out to the living room, leaving you alone standing on the side of your bed. you look at the forgotten copy of beloved set carefully back onto your desk, smiling to yourself slightly before climbing back into bed, because spencer says so and spencer’s always right but mostly because your legs feel like they’re going to give out.

spencer is speedy, striding several steps at once with his ridiculously long legs that looks unnaturally lanky but once he reaches your room again, soup and spoon in hand you were already nodding off, head lolling and eyes slipping shut. spencer stops at your bed stand, thinking to himself for a second before balancing the plastic bowl of soup on one hand and using the other to gently nudge at your face, waking you up. he grimaces when he feels that your skin burns to the touch, a bright tint to your cheeks that he hates himself for liking because you're sick, he shouldn't be thinking that you're pretty or stuff like that.

spencer waves the thought away, determined to focus on his mission. deliver soup, make sure you're okay, and send his farewells. that's what emily told him to do, and even though derek added a "kiss her goodnight too, loverboy!" he's only going to listen to emily, because emily knows best.

yes. perfect. that's exactly what he's going to do.

"hey," he whispers, caressing his thumb across the lightly purple patch under your eye, frowning to himself. you haven't been getting good enough sleep, and he feels guiltier for waking you up, but then straightens himself up resolutely--no. emily said the soup must be delivered and consumed--just to melt again when your eyes flutter open, confused and traces of sleep still floating around your facial expression. "sorry," he mumbles, feeling oddly embarrassed. "it's just--i mean, you don't have to, jus' want you to eat something before you sleep again."

you sit up slowly, and once you're fully awake again, the smell of the soup hits you like a bucket of ice and you suddenly feel your mouth watering. you feel like a princess, sitting there with your hands crossed in your lap while you wait for spencer to unwrap the plastic utensils and tissues from its clear packaging, carefully opening up the lid of the soup on the night stand and hot steam floats around the room, engulfing both you and spencer in a bubble of tomato soup.

spencer, a planner that he is, didn't let you eat directly from the plastic take-out bowl from the restaurant and had rummaged through your kitchen for a bowl and pours half the soup into the ceramic, no spillage and perfectly clean. then he hands the soup to you, and you eat.

to say that spencer is concerned is to say the least. you're a profiler, and you're trained to pick up on this sort of thing but you only need to be a child with an undeveloped brain to work out that spencer's worried, watching your every move and monitoring that you eat enough, the crease in his brows deepen whenever you set the bowl down so you pick it up again and stuff two more spoonfuls in your mouth, to hopefully make him worry less.

the silence is awkward, the only sounds in the room is you biting down on the spoon occasionally as you drink your soup and spencer watching intently, hands on his chin and unaware of his staring problem. you and spencer rarely has these kind of silences, the silences where you scramble for things to say because the atmosphere would always be too comfortable. you sneak glances at him as you eat. since spencer's completely oblivious to the heaviness of the silence, you feel it's up to you to break it.

"i'll clock in once i'm finish eating this, don't worry," you say, trying your best to sound reassuring as you try to choke back a spoonful of soup too big. you lick your lips, and spencer is biting his, a bad habit.

"no you're not, y/n," he says, exasperated. normally, when spencer uses his 'i'm right so you should listen to me' tone like this, it means he's geared for an argument and you would be happy to challenge him, but now you can't find the energy for it. yet you muster enough up anyway.

"i'm only a bit shaken up 'cause of the weather," you say, trying to sound as convincing as possible, still in the calm before the storm of the bicker. "'m not immobile. and i already used up all my off days visiting my family--"

spencer, however, didn't bother for the peaceful offering. "you're not coming in today, y/n," he says, and he sounds a bit anxious but you know his true intent. his eyes are mirthful with confidence, and he knows he's already won the argument. despite the buzzing in your ears and the fuzziness in your brain, you can't let the bastard win. you can't.

“i can’t miss anymore days spencer, and i won’t,” you say coldly, but you slurping on the soup hungrily like it’s your last day on earth sort of ruined your cool facade. “i’m not too sick, either, it’ll be useless for me to stay home—“

spencer reaches to press his palm against your forehead, his skin cold to the touch. you close your eyes instinctively.

“you’re burning up,” he announces. “means your sick. you’re not coming in today, y/n.”

“says who?” you say defensively, feeling a bit like you’re loosing.

“says me,” spencer says cooly, cheeky smile at his lips. you should hate it more than you do. “who’s a doctor.”

you scoff. “so now you’re an actual doctor? you got a medical phd on you?”

“i have a bachelor in medicine and enough doctorates to make me slightly knowledgeable in every field,” spencer quips and you didn’t even know that he had a bachelor in medicine. how many fucking degrees does this guy even have on his resume?

“whatever,” you grumble, sounding a lot like someone who’s just got defeated. you set the bowl of soup down on the nightstand and spencer hands you a bottled water before you could think about needing water. you pluck it from his offering hands, muttering a “thanks” under your breath.

spencer laughs quietly, watching you drink patiently and putting the cap back on when you hand him back the bottle, setting it next to your soup. you feel ridiculously babied and your cheeks burn with the guilt you feel. you’re talking him off his office hours just to be here and feed you stuff and make sure you’re taking care of yourself.

spencer, the 24/7 profiler, notices. "is something wrong?" he asks innocently, round eyes blinking and oblivious. bless him. "you got redder. is it too hot? i can adjust the a/c."

“fine,” you mumble, still a little embarrassed with your realization. “little cold, actually.”

“it's the chills from your fever,” spencer informs you. “i…” he pauses, frowning again, frustrated from not being able to finish his thought. he abandons it. “do you need anything else?”

“no spence,” you laugh sort of pathetically, throat strained. “you’ve been an angel already. you can go back to the office, if you want.”

spencer thinks back to what emily had told him. soup. make sure she’s ok. leave. he’s done the past two steps. it’s time he completes his mission.

but…

“are you sure?” he prods, a little bit of him hoping that you'd say no. he doesn't know what it is; something bothering him, making him dread leaving.

you didn't get the cue. "mhmm," you shoot him a reassuring smile. as reassuring as you can manage, anyway, grimacing at the insistent throb in your head. spencer gnaws on his bottom lip, indecisive. you don't know what he was deciding between.

whatever battle it was, he wraps it up quick. "okay," he repeats. "i'll get back."

"you do that."

"remember to drink water."

"i will."

"do you need me to bring you more?"

"i'm okay."

"okay."

"okay."

the conversation feels incomplete and spencer isn't interested to complete it, booting out the door, except he lingers for a bit and awkwardly turns around, hand on the frame. you are already looking at him when he looks at you.

you and spencer are never this awkward, never this hesitant and strange. the tension that suffocates your room feels like signature first-date-tension, the kind of nervous excitement and tip-toeing blind lovers and uncertainty.

"are you sure?"

i'd rather you stay. you push the response away. "i am."

"you have medicine right?"

you do have medicine. for a brief moment, you want to lie about it; want to say that you ran out this morning and then he would run to the store for you and return and then spend more time in your insufferable, sickly presence. you brush the thought away within a second. never in a million years do you want to bother spencer, especially not with a thing as selfish as that. maybe it's because of your biased vision but spencer is looking like he's desperate to leave, practically screaming for outlet at the door. it's time you let him go and indulge in the worst sleep you'll ever have.

"yeah," you say, clearing your throat. "i do."

"okay," spencer says. "i'll go."

"thanks," you add awkwardly. "for the soup. and for coming."

"'course" spencer says absentmindedly, lingering at the door frame but not looking at you in particular, not looking at anything. he snaps back and sends you a wave. spencer has a power to him where everything he does looks unplanned, like he's doing it against his own will.

he leaves. if you had change your mind and ask for him to come back, for him to stay, he would've. no hesitation. but you didn't, and he wiggles back in his broken in converses and return back to the bau with no elevator partner.

maybe another day.

a/n: sorry for the ending, this was getting too long so i had to cut it short ��😓but i think it's kinda fitting! lmk if you guys want a part 2 <3

[jttwlmkaddiction]

Can I Just take a moment to scream into the void my frustrations about how WELL they write Wukong so we have NO IDEA what’s going on with anything and theorizing is practically impossible?

S5 spoilers included sportactically

.

.

.

.

He is THE one in the show that does not give up anything about what he does and does not know and when he does it’s easily counter with another statement that counters it or brings it into question. He’s surprised Azure came back but not Macaque, for example. He never has a plan, yet everything he does nudges everything in the direction it needs to go. I’ve said before that he is the most planning non-planner that has ever existed. I see it as him having incredibly fine-tuned instincts that in his existence is the same as having a carefully detailed 20-step plan that others would have but i digress…

Does he know what’s really going on? Clearly not, but he knows something. Did he know there were trials? He acts like he doesn’t but simultaneously does things like divert MK from the mural and push him to go to the colored stone, which apparently he didn’t know was up there (but DID he though????) He is frustratingly good at making everyone think he’s a bit dense but it’s clear he’s not. It’s seems like he’s taking a back seat and it’s all intentional.

Did he kill Macaque? Something happened. He doesn’t give ANY indications about his take on what happened. He doesn’t seem surprised when Macaque comes back yet in their argument he questions how he did. In the flashback he seems shocked though, like he didn’t understand what he just saw. But when MK questions if Macaque’ll get away, Wukong acts upset about it, like he knows Macaque didn’t get away from HIM. SO…????????

It’s like things just happen around him and he literally doesn’t question anything ever (Macaque even points that out) yet he is the 4D chess guy who is always acting (not thinking) 5 steps ahead of everyone else. He’s impulsive but that’s his schtick and he uses it to his advantage by making everyone think he’s flying by the seat of his pants . Which to be fair he kinda is but just because he can’t really verbalize what he’s planning to anyone doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking through dozens of high-level scenarios.

I don’t buy that he is just sitting back letting things happen yet he does seem surprised when he realizes what MK is going to do. I don’t buy that he hadn’t already put that together, especially since he shared the initial vision with MK. Maybe he was already counting on it being him and wasn’t even considering MK would try. Maybe he got a DIFFERENT vision. Who the hell knows? He’s not gonna tell.

He has no idea who the NHD is. And it seems to bother him. It’s not the first time he doesn’t remember stuff, but it really seems to puzzle him. This is the guy that has been manipulating everything almost the whole show, and not necessarily in a bad way. If ANYTHING I’d say he and Wukong were probably friends. I mean - he DID free MK early so he could get a taste for life and have context to make a decision. That’s totally a thing Wukong would be on board with, especially if it was a monkey born from his own stone. If NHD did something in the past that make them enemies, what was it when the big bad he did this time was just to let MK experience life? It’s not exactly a dick move.

The only thing I can come up with, other than he 1) just has no idea what’s going on and 2) he totally knows and is just playing his part, is that it’s 3) a bit of both.

The cycles happen. The show is subbing the idea in for reincarnation, I think, because if the gang was reincarnated in the usual way it would be at odds with the whole ‘reaching enlightenment’ thing because reincarnation is in effect, a punishment-ish to try and get it all right. But if everyone gets recycled at the same time, that’s different. What I can’t wrap my head around is that Wukong is immortal, so what happens to him? Does a cycle reset all the gods too? I doubt it, probably just the mortal realm, but he arguably walks the line between moral and celestial since he was born from the stone yet worked his way up to having all the celestial powers and rank. He is literally born of earth and sky.

So, I wonder if it happened before but it affected his memory. My current theory, which is going to be 100% wrong but my brain needs to make order out of the history before the chaos they just unleashed, is that the exact same scenario happened with Wukong and Macaque that happened with Wukong and MK, which Macaque somewhat remembers but Wukong does not - at least not entirely.

Stay with me here - I think Macaque tried to sacrifice himself and Wukong tried to stop him, and because he is the 6-eared macaque or because he was technically dead, he wasn’t impacted by a cycle reset and because Wukong is immortal he only wound up with his memories affected for some reason, which he does recognize.

But because Wukong is Wukong and operated just as much on his gut as he does his mind and he is the closiest closed book I HAVE EVER SEEN we have NO idea what is happening in that stupid monkey’s head which means whatever is happening we get NO clues from him and if we do it’s unreliable! Is he really just dumb and doesn’t think about all this stuff? Does he know exactly what’s going on? Does he realize that there is something wrong with him but because he doesn’t know what it is he just chugs along following his instincts and trying to piece it all together silently in his head? The guy is OLD and I could see either him OR Macaque manipulating everyone, however benign or not, for any myriad of reasons. Macaque sure as hell is hiding stuff but the show lets us know that he is (or - it’s possible he doesn’t remember EITHER), so we can piece some things together but not so for the Monkey King.

Anyway……they write Wukong so annoyingly tight-lipped that he doesn’t even give a HINT of what he’s thinking or feeling other than MK and to some extent, Macaque and that makes it really difficult to theorize because he is arguably the most important piece of the giant puzzle.

*SIIIGHH* /rant

[multifandomlover01]

It Was Always You

Spencer Reid x Female!Reader (not explicitly AFAB…I don’t think…)

Established Relationship

Warnings: mentions of Lila Archer (Amber Heard by extension), but it’s in a negative light basically, also kinda anti-JJ? For plot convenience? Just a bit? But does it makes any sense? Maybe not Oops. Derek is mentioned possibly being his typical jerky teasing self. Also mentions of S1 Spencer being a bit of a creep technically (ooc? Maybe I dunno) but S5 Spencer is remorseful about it at least

WC: 506

Summary: Spencer is concerned being back in LA with the same detective as a case from years ago might bring up some memories for her…but some memories end up coming back for him instead (that’s…not what it sounds like lol I swear. Spencer feels nothing for Lila this is fluff not angst)

Eps: 1x18, 5x7

GIF credit: onscreenkisses

GIF credit: criminalmindscaps

🤷🏻‍♀️ it’s from the ep, it’s good enough

(Also neither gif was made by me I just found them)

“Does it uh…bother you? Being here? With…with the same detective as…that time?” Spencer asked you as you sat next to each other at the table in the area of the precinct that was set up for the BAU.

You glanced up at him.

“No. Why would it?”

“Well you…um…got quite upset last time…”

“I had no right to be upset.”

“Yes you did.” Spencer shot back.

“No. I didn’t. It’s not like you were cheating on me. We didn’t get together until after.” You shot right back at him.

“But if you hadn’t gotten upset and I hadn’t gotten concerned…we might not have gotten together.”

“That’s one way to think about it, I suppose.”

“Did it bother you that JJ brought it up?”

“Why would it?”

“She didn’t need to bring up that the detective was the same as the stalker case.”

“She was merely saying there was some familiarity.” You shrugged.

“No. She wasn’t.” There was a bit of a bite to his words.

“She wasn’t? What was she doing then?”

“Being antagonistic.”

“No. She wasn’t.” You shook your head.

“Yes she was. She knew what she was doing. You were in the bathroom and she asked me if I’d ever called Lila. It was completely inappropriate when she’d known we were together since a week after the case wrapped up. I mean why the hell would I call her when I’m in a relationship with you? And it’s not like she called me when she was in DC. She never really cared about me. I was just some…novelty toy to her.” He grimaced. “But you know I uh I never really cared if she called me or saw me again or not. I only cared about you…when she kissed me…I wished it was you. I know I told you that at the time but…it’s still true. And I told you this at the time too but I feel the need to reiterate it: I do not prefer her over you. You are the only girl that I have ever wanted to be with.”

“I know that, hon.” You reassured him as you placed a hand on his arm.

“And if Morgan says anything, I swear I’m gonna…” he trails off.

“What?” You ask, curious.

“Be very cross with him. Especially if he mentions bikinis.”

“She was in a tv show that took place on a beach, if I remember correctly…was it not appropriate for her to wear a bikini?” You questioned, slightly confused.

“I saw her in one and Morgan made fun of my blush but…I wasn’t exactly looking at her…I was imagining what you’d look like in a bikini.”

You chuckle. “What? Really?”

“Yeah. The more I talk about this, the more pathetic I sound…” Spencer turns away from you slightly, trying to hide his shame.

“No, no…well…maybe a little but it’s ok.”

“No it’s not ok. God I feel like such a creep.”

“Ok so yeah imagining another woman while you look at and kiss a woman is…kinda…two layers of…questionable…”

He groaned.

[kasienda]

Fanfiction Year in Review 2023

I fill this out every year. It’s become a bit of a tradition for me. Allows me to reflect on everything that I’ve written and kinda think about where I want to go next. And I like it better from the ask games because I don’t have to wait for asks to come in and can compare my answers from one year to the next. ^_^

1 List of fics completed this year in the order they were finished:

Displaced (Ladrien oneshot)

No Regrets (Ladynoir oneshot - smut)

You Don’t Have To Pretend With Me (Platonic Adrino oneshot)

Representation Reveal (S5 Adrinette oneshot)

Kisses in the Rain (S5 AU Love Square - technically multichapter, but it’s shorter than many of my one-shots)

Would Trust You With Everything (Adrino multichapter)

Just An Ordinary Girl (Marichat oneshot)

Love Remains (Ladynoir multichapter)

Spin the Bottle (OT4 with cour four - technically oneshot, but it’s longer than Kisses and has more kisses in it. Haha!)

2 Number of words written: 

Written: 166,114 words

Published: 151,018 words (more than twice 2022’s number!! Go me!!) 

Those numbers are incredibly close together because I haven’t been redrafting as much. Those numbers include six one shots, three completed multi chapters. And another four multi chapter WIPs saw at least one update.

And in another fun milestone! I broke a million words published on Ao3 just this last week!! (I've been writing fic since 2003 and everything I've ever written is on Ao3!)

3 Your most popular fic:

Not Part of the Plan - I suspect that this is mostly because being a teen pregnancy fic, it’s my most tropiest story this year. Haha! 

4 Your personal fav:

Aftermath - This story has usurped Right Behind You as my favorite. I’ve been able to connect to the raw hurt and grief in this story, and there’s something very raw and human about it that others seem to be able to connect to as well. I think it’s some of my best work, and that is also thanks to an amazing beta in @ladyofthenoodle who has lent her expertise in more than one way in making this one more true to lived experience. 

5 Your fav scene:

It’s so hard to pick a favorite!! I narrowed it down to my three favorites in no particular order. 

The last scene in Ch 5 Love Remains - Chat Noir give amnesiac Ladybug a geography lesson from space. It’s got Whole New World vibes, and I just loved the imagery of it.

Ch 4 of Aftermath - I’m particularly proud of Marinette’s panic attack when Adrien tells her she doesn’t have to keep coming over. Like it feels like it comes out of nowhere, but it just totally makes sense. And how it manifests and how she soothes herself (it’s not healthy, but it’s so GOOD!)

Ch 7 of Would Trust You With Everything - The scene where Chat Noir tries to tell Nino who he is, but inevitably doesn’t. And how Nino reassures him through all that. This scene feels so raw, but so heartwarming in light of Adrien’s fears. And I don’t know - it’s beautiful to me.

6 A fic or scene that challenged you:

I really struggled with Right Behind You this year, though it wasn’t for lack of trying! I had started out the year hoping to go back to an update a month here and I only updated it three times throughout 2023. 

This was incredibly frustrating because the initial drafts of scenes would come pretty easily, but I couldn’t seem to make them pop the way the earlier chapters did. The good news is I think I figured out what the issue was. Most of my writing this year has been speed writing. And a big part of that is just where I’ve been emotionally. I’m very very out of practice in editing and redrafting, which this story and Aftermath both definitely need. 

I’ve only been able to edit Aftermath because I’ve had a ton of help. (Thanks Noodles!) Sadly, it’s harder to find betas for rarepairs, but I have succeeded! (Thanks@coffeebanana!)

7 A line of writing you’re proud of: 

“She wanted to be there to see it. To see him.”

This line is way better in context, but I’ve made myself cry about three times with it. And I refuse to explain it because that would give its power away. Guess you’ll just have to go read Aftermath. 

8 A comment that touched you: 

I can never answer this question without mentioning several!! 

Would Trust You With Everything - this story had a ton of enthusiastic followers - way more than rarepair work usually gets, and I wrote this story right after my life fell apart and all the commenters here made throwing this story together just that much more joyful during a time when I REALLY needed it. (I'm looking at you, @bittersweetresilience, @bbutterflies @flightfoot @coffeebanana and so many others that I don't know your tumblr name!!!) Not Part of the Plan Comments - I added sex ed lessons to the end of each chapter here because there’s so much about fertility and pregnancy that people don’t know if typical pregnancy fics are anything to go by, and this seemed to inspire so many people to share their pregnancy stories!!! And these have been so cool because I’ve learned that these stories just don’t often have an opportunity to be shared. And it’s neat that this story with its accompanying lessons could create a space for that!! Aftermath comments - lots of people who have really struggled with moderate to severe depression have apparently felt very seen by this fic. And that a story that is essentially about two characters who feel very alone and like no one can understand can help people feel LESS alone and MORE understood is simply amazing!! I love this story so much!! AHH!! Here's one from @neurovascular-entrapta that meant a lot to me.

9 Something that inspired your writing:

Grief and the need to feel things in a distant abstract-these-are-story-book-characters kind of way so I don’t have to feel my actual feelings as closely every moment of the day really kept me writing the whole year long.

10 Your proudest accomplishment (that one scene; finally finishing that one fic; posting your first fic; etc):

My writing has been really raw and messy this year, and I can’t keep tenses straight to save my life. But there’s something powerful about the rawness that I really like even as all the grammatical errors and the lack of effort on the technical side of most of my stories has driven me nuts. 

I am proud of myself for being able to get back into the big projects in these last few months after not being able to face them from April to October. And I’ve started participating in a few writing events here and there again in addition to working on my own pet projects. 

11 Do you have any writing goals for the next year?

Well, I wanted to finish Not Part of the Plan in 2023, which didn’t happen only barely! So hoping the last chapter and the epilogue make it out within the next month. Once that’s done I think I want to try and make Aftermath and Right Behind You my primary focus projects this year. And of course, I’m sure new plot bunnies and writing events will take over my brain on occasion. Last year, I said I wanted my writing to become a reliable mental health tool for me again, and I’m glad to say that it definitely was that for 2023. I hope I’m able to use my writing this year to continue my healing journey. 

And maybe go and proofread all of the fics I finished in 2023 to fix all the inconsistent tense issues to prepare them for being bound eventually!

12 Anyone you would like to thank?

SO MANY PEOPLE!

@jennagrinsoverml for being one of my oldest fandom friends! For becoming a real life friend for all that we haven't actually met in person. For all the times you vented to me and listened and sent me pictures of your family and gushed over pictures of mine. I'm lucky to know you!

@ladyofthenoodle - for showing up in my DMs, For being a most insightful beta, for dragging me into a larger community over and over again, for listening to both my real struggles and my first world problems, for being my friend!!

@thelibraryloser - I don't know how to put this into words. But I very much look up to you. For your resilience through difficult times - you are role-model for how to handle this world with grace and kindness. Thank you for your stories!

@coffeebanana - for being so enthusiastic in the creation process before and after! When I have a story that is getting no attention one comment from you makes it so it doesn't matter. You give me all I need.

@bittersweetresilience and @wackus-bonkus-maximus for just being so kind and enthusiastic and supportive of any idea I happen to be talking about in any given moment. I guess for enabling me. Haha!

@blur0se and @mila-beedoodling for sharing your ideas and inspiring me to create new things!!

@asukiess, @chocoluckchipz, @sariahsue, @miabrown007 for creating so many beautiful things and for being kind and engaging in so many conversations!

And now, I'm really nervous that I'm forgetting someone because this is the first time where I feel like I've had more than three fandom friends. Haha! It's a good problem to have I suppose. In general, thank you to the miraculous community for helping me to survive this year. <3 <3 <3

Happy New Year Everyone!!

I invite anyone who wants to, to fill this out! (Or something similar because I think it can be modified for artwork pretty easily). But if you do, please tag me, so I can be a cheerleader for all you've accomplished this year!

[imthepunchlord]

Did you watch Season 5 of Miraculous? What did you think of it?

I stopped watching Miraculous at s3, I didn't watch s4 or s5, but I've heard a bit about it. Technically can't really give an opinion but I can share what I think based on what I heard.

I heard Adrienette dating was not too bad, but should've been much sooner. I agree. Could've saved us a bunch of trouble and salt. I also heard that they had the most powerful kiss that adults literally could not tear them apart XD that was funny to hear.

I got to learn that melting Miraculous down doesn't count as destroying them so, who's going to tell Frodo the one ring actually isn't destroyed as apparently melting doesn't count as destroying. Who knew?

And I got to learn that Gabriel was able to make the wish, getting what he ultimately wanted terrorizing all of Paris for 5 seasons, is remembered as a hero, and Adrien never learns about it which is all a really big wth. From what I've seen, no one was happy about that.

Uuuuh... I heard Lila got exposed, but it was meh. I heard she now goes by Cerise? Which ok, let's just make this confusing character even more confusing. Also, how much you want to bet that Cerise/Lila will join them in high school, and there's a repeat of Marinette knowing that's Lila who is lying to them but no one believes her and thinks Cerise is someone entirely new.

Ummmmmmm... oh, I heard Feligami is now a thing? Very rushed and kinda creepy/weird? But I guess they did a decent job as I do see the occasional fanart for them. Personally, I'll just stick to Kagami with girls. That moment in Riptose stuck with me waaaay to much to really get behind her being more interested in boys. I will say, Adrigami did have some nice moments, and there's concepts there where I think they can work nicely off each other (Adrien needs to learn to grow a backbone while Kagami wants to rebel and make friends, they can help each other with that), so Adrien could be the only guy I could roll with for her, but still prefer her paired with girls more.

Also I guess Felix is now a hero despite stealing the yo-yo from Ladybug and handing off... 14 Miraculous to Gabriel. And presumably making him more dangerous/difficult, though he is an idiot so I don't know how much more challenging he got. As far as I know, it was pretty much like another Tuesday.

Oh and apparently there will now be 18 heroes in Paris as I got to learn through asks. I wonder how that's going to work, if at all. Place your bets on how often we'll even see those full time heroes, as they can't really take much attention away from Marinette and Adrien, but who knows. S6 is in that weird placement now that Thomas is no longer apart of the development of ML, so it's hard to say how different it'll go.

Oh. I don't like Tikki and Plagg's true forms. Kinda Digimon over complicated design, and biblical in aesthetic which I found weird when they're supposed to be tied to Taoism. I have yet to find anything similar to biblical angels in Toaism, so I feel like this design choice works off a Christian view more (which isn't surprising as Plagg works off the unlucky black cat, which is exclusively from Christian Europe roughly 400 years ago).

Additionally, Gimmi felt like more of a Nooroo true form, than a fusion of Plagg and Tikki. I think they should've brought the concept of Null back. I think they were a better thought of a fusion of Creation and Destruction as these two concepts brought together would just nullify each other.

So over all, based on what I've heard, it's a pretty negative view of s5.

[astra-galaxie]

Can I ask for 🫂😇 💝 🪢💔 😭 and 😶 for Gabriel Herrera please??? With a cherry in top? (I was originally getting strength to ask for Jones but someone asked already so here I offer you my other silly)

No worries! If you had given me a second Jones request, I would have tried my best to create new headcanons!😊

And of course you can ask for Gabriel! He’s an awesome character and one of my favourite S5 teammates! That being said, let’s see what I can come up with while enjoying the cherry you gave me!

🫂 A friendship headcanon

Even before studying psychology, Gabriel has always been the “therapist” friend. He’s an excellent listener and provides perfect advice to his friends, even if they might not like hearing the truth. He is the first person his friends come to for advice on how to handle certain situations. And while they might not be able to give him amazing advice in return, they always show their appreciation in other ways so that Gabriel knows how much his friendship means to them.

😇 A headcanon about their religion/lack thereof

I can see Gabriel being raised Roman Catholic, but he doesn’t practice as much as an adult compared to when he was a kid. He still attends Sunday mass but does skip a week every so often. But he always attends mass on special days like Christmas Eve, Good Friday and Easter. He wears a gold cross under his shirt and holds it sometimes to help him concentrate or relax.

💝 A headcanon about their love language

Gabriel expresses his love through words. Be it verbal, written, or even sung (though that one is rare), Gabriel has a way with words and uses them to tell people he loves them. He can also do it in other languages like French, Italian and Spanish. While English is his best language, he knows how to use others to charm a lover.

🪢 A headcanon about their family

He comes from a wealthy family, but his parents and relatives are not stuck up or out of touch with reality. They often donate to charity and support local not-for-profit organizations and programs to help improve the livelihood of those less fortunate. Despite growing up never having to worry about money, Gabriel is not one for luxury things or spending money without worry. He enjoys budgeting and buying things that serve a purpose and not just for the name or price they carry.

💔 An angsty headcanon

After Rupert died, Gabriel was the shoulder everyone cried on. While he was there to help Amir the most in the wake of his mentor’s passing, the other members of the GBPD also came to him to get out of their grief. But Gabriel never had anyone offer to listen to his grief. While the team buried Rupert together and mourned their loss, Gabriel never had a shoulder to cry on. The closest he had was Sofia, and while she did her best, there was only so much consoling that could be offered over the phone or through video calling.

😭 A headcanon about the worst thing that happened to them

Gabriel battled cancer as a child; it's why he never takes anything for granted and why his family gives back to charities, especially those for cancer research and to help sick children. He spent months in and out of hospitals for treatment and was in constant pain. He had multiple surgeries to remove the tumours and went through dozens of rounds of chemo. When the doctors declared him cancer-free, Gabriel was ecstatic. But he never forgot the pain he felt while fighting for his life and goes for routine testing to check if the cancer has come back.

😶 A random headcanon

He got to keep his policeman stripper outfit. He might not technically be a policeman, but that doesn’t mean he can’t put on a show for Sofia using the sexy uniform…

There you go! Some silly little headcanons for your other silly!

Thanks for the request and the cherry!

[atalante241]

Welcome to my merged tmnt AU that’s very weird and doesn’t make sense

So, the premise is that somehow the 2k3, 2k12 and rottmnt universes are merged together.

The three Hamato Yoshi’s are related to each other. How? You may ask. I don’t know but I do know that they’re brothers with an age gap I don’t know the length of and that 03 Yoshi got separated at one point and ended up on the streets and taken in by the Ancient One and the story goes as usual.

So, I basically remember nothing about the clan situation with 12 Yoshi. Only that Saki rebuilt the Foot Clan after incel angsting or something. But maybe the Hamato clan had some mystic branch or whatever and Lou got to know about the Demon Shredder (separate dude from Tengu Shredder (also just now realized that this would mean that somebody decided to name Saki after the dude that got possessed (also a complete separate dude from the dude possessed by the Tengu Shredder))) if that’s how he knew about that I do not remember.

But basically everything goes as usually, but only with 12 Yoshi and Lou awkwardly sometimes going “hey bro” because they’re very distant (don’t even know each others fav colors)

Then the reasons for going to New York happen. But when 12 Splinter mutates, the man of course spends some time on the streets, and during that time he tries to get in contact with Lou but it doesn’t rly work bc he doesn’t have his actual number and Lou’s agent or whatever shoots him off. So some time goes by, eventually a bit over 7 (the 12 turtles are 8) years. And one day while scavenging 12 Splinter comes across semi-newly mutated Lou and the 4 baby turtles, there some pointing and confusion (and panic) but they calm down. 12 shows Lou to his place where the 4 8yr olds spend their time immersed in studying the babies or whatevs. During that time 12 & Lou talk and somehow realize who both of them are.

As for the 03 side. Oh boy are you in for a treat. Bc— hold on I have to re-do math bc the rise turtles have actual ages.

Oh boy are you in for a treat, bc when 12 turns 9, the 2003 show starts off. And by that I mean everything. The alien invasion, mutant outbreak (Donnie possibly getting blasted on every TV in the world (maybe it was just the UN, who knows)), the turtles getting blamed for kidnapping the president. The literal apocalypse in s5.

Imagine being 12 Splinter and Lou during that time, lol. Trying to huddle with the kids by the TV watching 5 dragons have a battle over the city. By the end of the 03 series I’d like to think 5 years have gone by, that’s includes the FF time skip. So the 12 turtles would be 14yrs old.

The 12 series would start off when they’re 15, 03 21yrs and rise being 10, 9 & 8

After this I have no idea. But all the turtles would meet at some point. No idea how or when but at some point. I can’t get the idea of how 03 Splinter is technically 12 and Lou’s nephew and the turtle their grand-nephews out of my head.

Here’s a graph that doesn’t have 0 as a time indicator bc fuck that.

Also this whole thing was born from me loving the idea of 03 Splinter being 12 and Lou’s nephew and the turtles their grand-nephews

Also I have no clue abt the whole Oroku Saki situation— wait no. I do. 03 is using the fake name bc of the (tengu) story/rumor. 12 is just named that and I surprised by the famous business man 03 Oroku Saki having the same name as him. And rise is dead.

Also it’s now 6 am and I have not slept, curse you great tmnt crossover fanfiction!

[takaraphoenix]

I'm currently rewatching Teen Wolf with my best friend, right.

And, for me, Teen Wolf is very unique in that I remember exactly what happens, when and with whom. I'm generally more of the type who remembers the overall and remembers what happened, but it all... blurs together into one story. There are only two shows where I can distinctively say "yeah, that's the plot/villain of season x", or where I can rank you the seasons without having to look up what happens in which season, and those shows are Teen Wolf and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Today, in preparation for further watching with the bestie, I realized there's a season 5B.

I know the storylines and villains of s1, s2, s3A, s3B, s4, s6A, s6B and, until today, I was... falsely... under the impression s5 was one story, namely the s5A storyline.

And I can't really decide if being forgettable is better or worse than remembering and hating.

Because I loathe s6B and s3A, a whole lot. Truly so much. But I know what happens in them. Well, bit fussier on s6B than anything else but that's also because I only watched season 6 one time so far.

When I first got into Teen Wolf, I watched the first two seasons 3 times. In a row. And then continued on watching the show in real time as it released regularly.

Until season 5. I quit the show after season 5, the first time around. And I thought that I did that due to That Fucking Scene in 5A, I fully thought 5A was the thing that made me quit, but there's a whole half season that I also watched and after which I actually quit and I... forgot about it.

I picked the show back up in 2018, rewatched all of it and then watched season 6 for the very first time. So technically, I've seen season 5 two times already. And now, remembering that there are a 5A and a 5B I do recall hazy vague bits about it, but... really not much?

I don't know what this post is. Probably a manifestation of dread building up in me about whether not remembering means that 5B was actually worse than the ones I do remember and hate, and that's why my brain erased it? But then I find it utterly impossible to make worse television than s6B or s3A, so... ya know.

[iinryer]

Failed threesome?

- @try-set-me-on-fire

HAHAH oh the failed threesome fic, my white whale… the concept started out as a joke but then i wrote like six thousand fucking words about it and realized I actually had a lot I wanted to say!! the idea was some time in a nebulous early s5 where buck and taylor stayed weird friends and never got together, but eddie and ana decide to try something out (threesome). they ask buck, he agrees, they go through the motions of planning, and then ana and eddie break up like, the night before. the rest of the fic is them dealing with the fallout of I know, in great detail, everything you would have let me do to you. and having several crises and breakdowns about it lol. they fight a lot <3 it’s fun <3

the current conundrum is whether or not i want to drag it into a post-s6 timeline and have it be marisol instead, i kind of want a scene i wrote between buck and taylor to be buck an kameron. because i like her and it would be funny chchdhdh BUT i haven’t decided anything yet. i do love this fic. it’s kind of insane but it’s very special to me. here’s the opening scene:

—

“He asked you what?!”

This conversation was a mistake. This friendship was a mistake. His whole life was a mistake.

“It’s not even a big deal—,” Buck tries feebly.

Taylor’s jaw drops cartoonishly before she bursts into near-hysterical laughter. Barely managing to get out, “Buckley. You are quite possibly the stupidest motherfucker alive,”

He’s decided that he hates having friends, actually.

He throws the pillow he’s been strangling with white knuckles for the past few minutes at her head, where she sits a few feet away from him on his living room sofa. It half-hits and is half-caught as she wheezes, tears in her eyes, and throws it back at him.

Taylor had come over to his loft for their whenever-we’re-free wine and bitch night and immediately clocked that he had something on his mind. And he did. A very big something. And luckily for Taylor, the nosiest asshole he’s ever met, she’s probably the only person he could imagine telling about it without dying of mortification. She doesn’t bullshit him either, which he thinks he might need right now.

Or, at least, he thought he did, before she started laughing at him.

Buck makes a half-hearted attempt at suffocating himself with the newly returned pillow, groaning into it dramatically.

“God, no— wait,” Taylor gets out, breath hitching as she tries to compose herself around the bubbling giggles, “He— You’re telling me that he invited you to have a threesome?”

“Not in so many words,” Buck whines, muffled into the pillow, “and technically, it was his girlfriend inviting me,” he levers himself back upright, letting his head fall against the back of the sofa, “but yeah. Yeah he did,”

The exact words used were ‘You can tell me to fuck off if this is… uh, way off base, but Ana was wondering if I’d—well, we’d talked about—we want to invite you into bed. With us. Sometime. If that’s something that would interest you,’ expression stoic, gaze anywhere but Buck. His whole face had turned deeply red under the neon lights of the bar where they were grabbing a drink, and Buck would have been delighted by the sight of it if he hadn’t been using all of his brain power not to choke on his beer, ‘we talked about… new things. To do. And she knows I trust you. Obviously. So. Yeah,’

And he had the audacity to shrug afterwards. Like the entire concept didn’t entirely rearrange Buck’s brains.

[chirpsythismorning]

Personal opinion; I think the Duffers are doing a mistake by not promoting Byler as a possibility at all. I know some people are gonna say that it is because they are trying to keep Byler as a plot twist, but still, they can promote the idea of it without going too far.

We like to say that how the 'ElMikeWill' love triangle is not acknowledged as a love triangle by the GA, Melvins or other fans, but honestly? It is not that it is not acknowledged as a 'love triangle' by non-Bylers, it is that it is not acknowledged as a love triangle by the show, creators or writers. It is not promoted like how Stancy versus Jancy thing is promoted. Mike’s not conditioned as having to choose between El and Will. Honestly, If I were to make my audience get warm for the idea of Byler potentially happening, i would put content regarding it, would try to portray the situation as a love triangle, like ‘Which person Mike is going to choose?’ questions would be on media outlets. Remember that the Duffers still refer to Stancy versus Jancy thing as a love triangle, they portray it as a situation where Nancy has to choose someone, media outlets talk about the love triangle aspect. Whereas for Mike and El and Will, there isn’t something like that. Mike’s not conditioned as being in a love triangle where he has to choose. Will’s situation only gets referred to as relatable and him getting acceptance. They portray Mike and El as a legitimate couple without any question, etc. That’s not exactly portraying as ‘love triangle’ situation here.

Take this as a criticism towards how they're approaching the situation, I guess. Now, I do not know what they're going to do once the trailers or filming or promoting whatever start in a couple of months. But so far, I think they just... are doing nothing and it is not good, imho.

This is all fair!

I do believe that they're going to have no choice but to be more obvious about byler endgame in promo for s5. And so I agree that in large part how I feel about their approach thus far does rely on what is still yet to come.

Personally, I think it's going to be impossible to throw in happy couple milkvan moments, seeing as there wont be any scenes like that. Not saying they wouldn't trick fans with simple fast shots of them side by side dispersed throughout a teaser or something, I just don't think they're going to go all out with trying to convince the audience that Mike and El are romantic in official s5 promo.

S5 is going to be a point when baiting milkvan romantically would be an odd choice if they want people to fully accept byler romantically. So, I do sense that a shift will happen as s5 gets closer and when promo really starts ramping up.

We already technically saw that with s4, where they didn't really prioritize Mike/El in official posters, like at all? We got couple posters for Netflix covers with Jopper/Lumax/Byler, while the one featuring El was her on her own? Then there's the Cali poster with Mike looking at Will, his feet pointing towards him, literally detouring in Will's direction like that meme... Them willing to be that obvious for s4 posters tells me that the s5 posters are going to be even more obvious. If you think about it, it honestly would have been weird to have no byler in s4 posters, same with no byler in s5 posters, only for them to end up together? Thus far that has not been the case tho bc s4 was unhinged as hell, and so it's likely s5 is going to be the same and then some.

That's the other thing about promo with like official posters and trailers, in that they hold a lot more weight to representing the deeper message of the story, especially when the show is complete with all five parts making it like a whole experience. The posters for every season will be highly regarded as holding the truth to what was truly going on. While I do get being frustrated that they don't post enough about it casually on social media, it's just that, tbh no ones going to be using simple social media posts as hard evidence from way back in the day at the end of all this (it's more just a fun addition to the real shit). They're going to be looking at official promotion that was very intricately planned out with easter eggs and very specific foreshadowing in mind, ie. official posters, teasers, and trailers.

When it comes to the whole love triangle thing, with byler paralleling to jancy and milkvan paralleling to stancy, I think there are a couple reasons why they themselves can't acknowledge those parallels.

While I recognize those parallels, and I do agree on a basic level it's all intentionally paralleled deliberately in certain aspects, I still don't necessarily think these love triangles are intended to be seen as identical situations. They have different stakes and completely different circumstances, beyond the most basic similarities between them in that we're also dealing with 2 sets of siblings that are quite similar in character and so no duh they parallel each other.

The main thing that I think gets overlooked is that byler is meant to be a sort of callback to all of the queer-baiting in media that has led us to this point. The only reason they made the choice to go about byler this way, was to subvert a very deep rooted expectation that a boy and boy ending up together on a mainstream show cannot happen. They are feeding this expectation to an audience that is happy to abide by this norm, which is what is going to make the surprise of the boy and boy ending up together, and the fact that this time the gays were actually right instead of wrong for the #1,239 time, just makes it all the more epic.

While they are attempting to follow that same pattern of every other show on the surface, they are hiding the truth in the details. This means that they can get away with quote--unquote 'queer-baiting' within the show itself by making it arguably obvious Mike returns Will's feelings, but because they never acknowledge that it's happening at all outside of the show blatantly, they're technically not queer-baiting.

Them not outright acknowledging the love triangle going on, outside of the subtext on the show itself, works in their favor in fandom spaces as well, where it's super easy for fans to stay in denial because of all of these different things at play, most of all ensuring they can fall back on the safety-net that queer-baiting will always be the norm. The Duffers are nurturing that assumption, while also trying as hard as they can to hint to the audience in the details how close minded that assumption truly is.

They're setting the audience up basically. Those that aren't willing to consider byler even when presented with hard evidence, wont. And those that are willing to consider byler when presented with hard evidence, will. Both sides are able to be somewhat comfortable in their assumptions, bc the side that is unwilling to consider it has history on their side, whereas the side willing to consider it knows that the evidence is too astronomical to not be entirely intentional.

That's the whole reason they did the monologue with Mike saying I love you 9 times... because it allowed that sector of the fandom to be comfortable in their assumptions based on what was being superficially told to them, despite everything being shown to them surrounding that event outright contradicting those assumptions.

It's all very, very intricate, as they are making decisions with the audience's reactions in mind.

I am glad you brought up the love triangle parallels, bc this concept was eating my brain the other day. Though, I was more so hung up on the fact that them not acknowledging those parallels also could in and of itself mean that the rules don't necessarily apply identically to these love triangles?

Arguably, fans are still going to ship Mike and El just like fans are still going to ship Nancy and Steve post s5 regardless of them not being endgame. But, is that what they want at the end of all of this? I think with Nancy and Steve the stakes are nowhere near as high as the sort of build up and tearing down of Milkvan, in that, by not at all acknowledging Will's role in these events like they do with Jonathan, they are saying that it isn't as simple as Mike just falling out of love with El like it was for Nancy with Steve, only to realize her feelings for Jonathan.

If it was that simple, they wouldn't have needed to carry out this fandom wide misinterpretation of Mike not saying I love you over the course of 2 seasons and STILL at the end of all that, have that audience completely in the dark about Will's role in that conflict, unless the truth is way more complex here than it was for Jancy/Stancy.

I mean you could obviously make the argument that from the beginning the Duffers framed Stancy very negatively, so maybe at the end of all of this, they do want to make it obvious that they never wanted us to ship either of them in the first place? HOWEVER them holding off on this concept outright with byler is why I think it would make sense for it to be this big thing, bc otherwise why save it for the last season? It would feel sort of anti-climactic if they treated it just like the other love triangle's situation bc of the confusion they have caused? This is no doubt going to be fucking breaking news to the majority. They're gonna need a recap and context of everything that was left out or intentionally kept from them, otherwise they're not going to be able to subscribe properly to what happens in s5.

And then there's a whole other layer of familial implications we're dealing with. Like with Jonathan and Steve, they don't have to deal with the complexity of being siblings like Will and El do. Will and Mike ending up together means that El and Mike will literally be ending the show in a sibling dynamic. And so, I do think it makes more sense for them to really want to separate the viewer from being able to ship Mike and El together, especially when they're already a little nervous fans will be too homophobic to accept byler as it is. This would make a lot of the familial references with Mike/El in earlier seasons hit a lot harder too, assuming rewatch value with byler endgame was on their minds.

So, I guess I will say I would agree fully with all of your points if this was an average love triangle, but that's not the case here. We're dealing with a bizarre love triangle by definition and I think there's different stakes that make their approach to this valid. When it's all said and done, it will make a lot of sense even if it doesn't right now.

Though, if i'm being completely honest, I think what plays the biggest role in their reasoning is hiatus. Like it truly comes down to the audience having almost 2+ years to ruminate over what happened in s4 and sort of work through that and drive themselves crazy.

If they had treated byler as an equal option to milkvan blatantly in casual promo for s4, while still attempting to make it seem like milkvan was endgame, it would have been dubbed queer-bait irrefutably. Or worse, most fans would have figured out byler was likely to happen, making the 2 year wait and the hype of s5 promo sort of fall flat bc everyone saw it coming.

Instead, a lot of people are fully confident it cannot and will not happen. Like they are 100% convinced. And we still have at least a year for them to work through that assumption...

Something to also keep in mind, is how they've dealt with leaks worse and worse over the years. And so a lot of these really exciting surprises they have, get discovered before they get the chance to reveal them. But bc so many people are homophobic, they can have a lot of evidence for byler and still manage to make this a surprise to those people. That's what makes this revelation so fun to them. Because it's soooo obvious in their eyes and yet most of their audience doesn't want to see it. Like that's gotta be very satisfying for them in a big way. I can't even imagine.

How I see it going down, or at least how I think it would make sense for it to go down, is while hiatus is still going strong, they want to keep both sides fairly confident, but especially milkvans side because that is eventually going to disappear at the end of all of this. The clock is ticking. When it's over it will be over forever. And so I understand why they're trying to hold onto giving those fans hope that milkvan will happen bc they only have so much longer for that to even be an assumption before the truth is eventually revealed.

And yet still, there will be a point when they want the audience to like s5 and accept it as the best ending, and that will mean that s5 promo will present a major shift in terms of them sort of agknowleding that the fans who have been paying attention know that the writers care about the details. That people who say the deatils don't matter are not going to be ready for what is to come. That is going to very likely be the wake up call to those that have been using stuff like them forgetting Will's birthday means that they forget things and therefore nothing can be that deep. It will no doubt be a punch in the gut for sure to those that have been in denial about that, but it's going to happen and it's probably going to happen within less than a year before the premiere.

6 months is another time frame that I could see them getting more brave.

3 months is when it's going to start getting real.

1 month and weeks, days before, it's going to be crunch time. They're going to be very heavily encouraging rewatching the show. They're going to be getting defensive arguably to prepare themselves for the inevitable backlash.

But they also know that it doesn't matter because at the end of the day, the truth was hiding in the details all along. It didn't come out of nowhere. It was right there. I think they feel comfort in that no matter what, bc anyone claiming it came out of nowhere at the end of all this, is gonna look stupid when the creators themselves are saying that is the opposite of the truth.

And then when s5 finally does come out, likely in 2 volumes to hold onto the hype as long as they possibly can, before it ends forever, that's when it will really set in that they're not going to hold back anymore and this is officially canon now. That's when the cast will fully agknoweldge it and talk about it and how they dealt with keeping it in the dark for so long and why felt the need to do it this way. And that's when hopefully you and all of us will get the closure we need.

The idea is that the satisfaction of being the first ones right ever in the history of mainstream television, is going to be immensely satisfying. Arguably, seeing those who vehemently denied it happening's reactions to it happening, will make all of the doubt along the way worth it.

[spicybylerpolls]

I knew Finn is part of the cast of SNL 1975 but I just found out that the actor who plays Ted Wheeler is also in it (aka Finn's TV Dad) and Idk why but I find that very funny. Also, Finn's friend and collaborator Billy Bryk is also in it. That makes what like four movies together now? Good for them.

Anyways, Mike and Ted in the same movie. It's just so funny to me. Which brings me to my question. Outside of Finn and Noah working together again after Stranger Things is done and over with. Who do you want to work again with Finn or Noah?

For Finn, I'd say Sadie Sink. Those two have great chemistry and are great actors. If they're so amusing as Mike and Max imagine them playing actual besties on screen or siblings. Another option will be Winona Ryder or David Harbour. Idk why but I think those two could play Finn's parents, especially Winona. And of course, I would love for him to work with Joseph Quinn again.

For Noah, it's MBB. I want them to play siblings. I know we technically already got that with Will and El, but like modern siblings or besties would be great too. Maybe Joseph Quinn too since he didn't get to have scenes with him. At least that we know of or have seen. Oh, and Joe Keery for the same reason.

Also, would you like them to work with the Duffer Brothers again? I think Finn might but I don't think Noah will.

Ooh, I agree that Finn and Sadie would work well in another project together! And I agree with you about Noah and MBB?

My wild card is Maya, and I know she hasn't really worked with Noah or Finn much at all (although hopefully that changes in S5), but I feel like her energy has the opportunity to play well with anyone. And I think Joseph Quinn would also work well with Finn in another context, and Grace Van Dien is another wild card option.

Also, curious why you think Finn is more likely to work with the Duffer Brothers again than Noah?

What does everyone else think?

[jennycalendar]

David Tennant seriously considered staying for S5. Asgard and Byzantium were supposed to be adventures River had with 10 on screen. It’s why we get shoehorned retconning (10 is River’s husband in Silence In The Library because he was supposed to be in S5 rather than because she’s done her research and recognises the face) and we’re also missing the dynamic where older River loves most a version of him he hasn’t become yet (because he didn’t do S5 and 11 turned up fully formed so there’s no in between for him and River). On long running shows production issues and sudden cast changed have to papered over with dodgy exposition and throwing continuity out of the window! Which I accept, but still makes me wistful for what should’ve been.

(these feel like essentially the same ask so i'm just grouping them together)

i didn't know that, and i have mixed feelings about this!

i definitely agree that the technical realities of making television can impact a storyline, but i also think that individual explanations for why a particular beat in this storyline doesn't actually work sorta overlooks the larger problem. like, sure, one aspect of river's character got tripped up by production issues, but there are also like multiple other aspects of river's character that got tripped up by garden-variety misogyny or the absolutely incoherent melody pond plotline. and even IF one aspect of river's character got tripped up by production issues ... maybe grieving the absence of a tv story for her that was written with intentionality is still legit?

i don't wanna officially get on my soapbox when it's been a while since i've watched the show in full -- i am handling this episode by episode, and right now, with everything i know about river, silence in the library just does not hold water for me.

[starry-mist]

General mid-s6 thoughts (because I haven’t had time to actually rewatch 609 yet to do a full post yet):

I love that the show is fun to watch again. I’m actually looking forward to it rather than dreading whatever bullshit they were pulling in the early part of the season.

I’m back from my attempt at being a casual fan (hah, we all knew I would fail) to full-on obsessed. I like it here.

With a little more context now, it seems that this season is very much about Charlie, which I initially disliked, but at this point I can kind of envision where they’re going with it. While the show has always been about the characters’ relationships with each other, there’s a real focus this season on how he’s grown as a character as well as how he copes with new challenges but also resolves some lingering issues, and maybe let’s go of some old baggage (like his conflict with his dad.)

I’m still not 100% convinced there will be entirely smooth sailing on the Charah front. It’s really hard to say given it’s this fucking show (affectionate,) they could go either way. There’s a chance they just continue to be strong and supportive of each other, and I love that for them. I’m just still hanging onto the parallel of Sarah being in school with Julia leaving Charlie to go back to school. I’d be fine with temporary conflict, by the way. Because regardless of if her studies become an issue in her relationship with Charlie (and again, that could go either way, it could just be that added profiler aspect for the team like that one press release said, or it could shake things up a little bit) I do foresee them working out. They’ve always been endgame, it’s just a matter of how they get there.

And in terms of the ending for Charah: I predict a season 7 renewal (there have already been hints,) so I feel like there’s a possibility that they “officially” move in together (excuse me while I roll my eyes at the idea of them not technically living together yet after it was heavily implied in s5) or there’s a proposal. I’m trying to keep my hopes super low so I’ll settle for another on-screen kiss or “I love you.”

Also, this is usually the past of the season where they start dropping more intense episodes, which I think we’re getting a hint of with the (spoiler) upcoming Rex whump and Rex disappearance back to back. I’m dying to know what led them back to filming in Hamilton too. The fact that there’s been the tiniest hint of continuity and mention of Trina has me curious. Not that she’d be specifically based there as CSIS (I honestly don’t know how CSIS works) but it’s where my mind goes when I think of reasons for them to have filmed there again. (My other theory is that Sarah’s sister is getting married there and someone gets murdered. My brain is a very strange place.)

Crap, this got long. I should be channeling this energy into fic.

[hexkia]

Rating Aphmau Ships and explaining why!

So im obviously going to start with Aphmau and Aaron first.

So I know that Aphmaua and Aaron’s relationship has been a sensitive subject for some parts of the fandom. Mainly because Aaron was a senior and Aph was a Freshmen when they met. If we want to be technical as well, they met in the game way before that. I do like that Jess didn’t have them date then or get to romantically involved other then the kiss which could’ve waited in my opinion.

We see Aphmau crush on other people in s2 of PDH. We see how it effected Aaron( granted he saw Ein and Aph and not who see was actually involved romantically with.) We can see that Aaron truly feels deeply for her even tho they’ve agree to just stay friends. Aph also still comes back to him at the end. I’m just glad we get to see her with someone else other than him atleast once.

Now we can talk about Falcon claw university but honestly I feel like talking about that series separately because I actually really love it.

Now onto My street. We don’t see them interacting a lot at the start but we obviously get to know that she hangs around Aaron a lot and even stays at his place on occasion ( I believe anyway). I still wish they had more sconces to show the build up of emotions both from just that season but years or then wanting to wait till they are ready. Them getting together at the con felt like the right time to do so. They are with their friends, they are somewhere that may has all the things they love and enjoy together.

love-love paradise gives us a good glimpse of them as a new couple and navigating it specially when her mom comes around. Also can see the frustration of having people getting between them like Katlyn, Gene, and even Zane towards the end.

Lovers Lane was actually a decent season and I’m glad we got to meet Aaron’s mom and sister. I will say it did feel a bit busy at some points like having to deal with the cafe, adding Aaron’s family in the mix, Aphs mom, and Lucinda and Ivan’s stuff along with Gene again. The “break up” had me tearing up when I watched it the first time and still makes me a little teary but it made me no like Aaron’s Mom. I’m still iffy with her even now. But I feel like it was a good way to show how complex emotions and relationships can be specially with issues from the past that someone didn’t get help for affected them as they got older. We also see Aph own up to her mistake when she realizes what she did and how it affected him. Granted she didn’t know everything and it could’ve been solved if they talked it out but when you’re running high on emotion it’s understandable.

Do we have to talk about s4? If everything he did just to get her back and protect her in that sense doesn’t scream how much he loves that women then I don’t know what to tell you. To add onto this, Aphmaus year which technically isn’t a season but very important to the story shows how much she’s struggling and he’s all she thinks about . Her leaning how to heal just so she can help him so just muawh. Perfect.

S5? Them reconnecting , then making she’s choices together, and getting engaged. We see Aaron coming to term to being a werewolf more openly even his family. We also see Aphmau getting used to it and making little mistakes and Aaron eventually telling her how it makes him feel. You can tell even with not being Allison eachother for a year how they’ve grown as a couple and strength. She needed time to grow and heal and he needed to start embracing who he is. My only issue even with this season was I feel like Aaron was to big of a what we call them now a simp and seemed to be dumb down a bit. Maybe he it was because he was more calm and relaxed and just glad to be able to be with her. But it was just a little weird.

S6 wasn’t really full of romantic moments between them other than Aaron going crazy about Ein killing her. Also her going after him to save him after she comes back to life. Then we have the ending.

I’m excited to see how things will go in season 7 and now they grow as a couple after they reunite for the last time. Specially if my theory of time travel to “fix” the timeline is true. Overall as a couple I do like them and I feel like they are very fitting for each other. They are actually one of my favorite Canon ships in the series. 9/10 mainly since the story isn’t over and they aren’t perfect and have definitely made their shared mistakes plus just small things.