#and he doesn't deserve them but he wants them anyway and he wants them to want to be with him despite it all!!

[adulthumanproblem]

Also pitching it as a fresh start, and then bringing back Rose? Doesn't fit.

Like, I don't mind bringing classic Who elements back, it certainly deserves some love. But at the same time, this refusal to bring back classic *enemies*, like the Dalek or Cybermen, and instead inventing the most ridiculously childish robots etc, I think that hurt the show too

Personally I like big arcs, that was the best thing about RTD's first run. And I don't mind character driven plots. But. Let them stay IN CHARACTER. Belinda couldn't decide whether or not she likes the Doctor, that's find, make that a plot point. She also wanted to be more than a mother and housewife, and LO AND BEHOLD

Also RTD's desperate attempts at being cool or trying to say something. His failed attempts at feminism. Please sir, just let women write it. "Doctor you should've stayed a woman, we can let go" oh fucking spare me. And right after they called Rose non-binary too? Meanwhile I'm just disappointed because the character of the Doctor would be such that he'd spend hundreds of years thinking about how to save Donna. Instead he, what, was just sad about it?

Also all the incel bits. I agree we need commentary and pushback on that, but just calling guys incels and killing them, idk. Weak.

And don't get me started on Conrad. The implication that a fascist wouldn't be a fascist anymore if he was happy. That a fascist's idea of happiness wouldn't be a totalitarian state. Please. And WHY does he get to be happy, anyway? After all he's done. He's not some innocent little uwu boy, he's an adult man who knew what he was doing. The Doctor used to lock people in mirrors for all eternity for less. (Ruby deserved to punch him in the face too)

And Belinda. Her character assassination. But also her telling SHIRLEY that she'd rather live in a fascist state than let go of an imaginary baby she never wanted and wouldn't remember, that's just gross.

For all the show of how bad disabled people have it, the narrative still doesn't give a shit about them. Conrad gets to be happy in the end, after what he'd done to Shirley and everyone else, and she doesn't get a say. She barely gets lines or things to do.

And don't get me started on the magic. Or Rose Tyler.

The finale was in many ways fantastic, but it also dropped the ball so fucking hard. Welcome back RTD, I guess.

When Gatwa Who started, it was pitched as such a fresh start, such a good jumping-on point that it wasn't series 14 of New Who, it was series 1 of a brand new third incarnation of Doctor Who

Quickly it became, in an arc sense, by far the most continuity-obsessed incarnation of modern Who. And there's a superfan tendency to laugh and celebrate this but no, it really is a bad decision to make so much of the emotional resonance of a show whose ratings are lower than ever, and at a point being pitched to casual fans as a *soft reboot*, depend on characters and story arcs from decades ago. It's an self-destructive decision. At the end of the day, did RTD have any ideas for what he wanted to do with Doctor Who, or did he just have a checklist of fanboy elements he wished he could've included the first time around

[rawme-schlatt]

Charlie with a puppy!reader?? Please 😰😰

OH? YOU WANT PUPPY READER AND CHARLIE?? TOO BAD!! YOU GET ALL THREE! (But if u do want some good pup content to look at @pupslimes he is like the origin of my pup kink lol.)

Anyways horny rambles abt pup!reader for each plus them all together below the cut!!

Charlie

Oh my god. You would think hes the sweetest, right? Wrong!

Mans will sweet talk you in that voice that screams *aren't you a dumb little pup? Aren't you so cute?* all while keeping you just shy from satisfaction.

Your collar is deffo green, with his name and phone number written on the back of a heart shaped pendant, whatever nickname yall agreed on written on the front

I also feel like he treats you the most like an excitable little pup. He doesn't use commands because they're just too complicated for your simple brain! He'll just have to shove you around instead :(

Yes, he let's you sit on the couch, little pup needs a soft space! Ofc he does expect you to show him your appreciation, pulls out his cock and guides your head.

Tummy rubs! Tummy rubs! Tummy rubs!🙏🙏🙏

He totally buys you little floppy dog ear clips

Has a bunch of dog toys for you to chew on when youre bored, let's you entertain urself when hes busy

(Also has some other toys if you get needy😔🙏)

Definitely makes you hump his thighs before you ride him, calls you his "perfect little pup! Cmon, puppy, you can do it!" When he makes u keep going even after ur thighs shake with exhaustion.

Overall, great owner!

Schlatt

Ohhh my god. Girl im sorry but he is NOT giving you a break😔🙏

You want anything? You gotta earn it.

Makes "sit" and "stay" while he jerks himself off in front of you, and only if you can stay still until he finishes all over your face does he let you hump his boot.

Buys you one of those collars with a handle on the back so he can easily scruff you for "misbehaving"

Lowkey loves it when you act up, loves punishing his dog.

Ngl I think he'd have you cock warm him with ur mouth while he sits on the couch, whiskey in hand.

Does NOT let you up on the couch, dogs belong on the floor! (He's does give u a pillow to sit on though🥺)

Calls you his "mutt" more often than not.

Doesn't mind you biting, but only on command.

Yes, hes cum in ur doggy bowl and made u lick it up. Yes he took a video of it🙏

Honestly loves commanding you, doesn't care if you obey or not bc either outcome is fun to him.

If you dont obey? Great, he gets to punish you.

If you don't obey? Great, he gets to reward you!

Fav punishment is edging you until you cry, fav reward is overstimulating u until u cry.

He is a simple man, just wants to see hit pathetic mutt cry.

Overall, great owner!

Ted

Oh my god. This man. 😫🙏

Definitely the strictest with his pup. Expects and obedient dog and makes sure u know it!

Gives you a nice thick leather collar, one he can yank on but doesn't chaff your skin.

His favourite thing is training you and seeing that training pay off.

Which ofc means you spend plenty of nights practicing "sit" and "stay" with a knotted dildo shoved in you.

And "roll over" so you can present yourself to him in any position he wants

Let's not forget "off" whenever you get too excited and start to paw at him.

Deffo has a dog bed for you at the edge of the sofa bc dogs aren't allowed on the couch!

He can and will drag you around the apartment with his fingers hooked under ur collar😫🙏

Whenever ur an obedient dog he praises u so well! "Good doggy!" And "awe, good job! You did so well!" Are common when u do what he wants.

If u dont? Sorry, hes taking away ur knotted toys and making u watch him jerk off. Only good dogs get to feel good😔

Overall, great owner!

All three

Sorry, you wont survive lol.

They argue SO MUCH abt how to treat u its actually comical😭

Staring up at them with big wet eyes as they argue over whether you deserve punishment or not for barking at them, all while totally ignoring you.

Ted wants you well-trained, Charlie is more sympathetic bc ur just a puppy, and schlatt encourages ur bad behaviour lol.

They all do agree to get you a nice expensive collar of your favourite color though!

Deffo feel like if its all three then you get the most pup stuff bc it's a *thing*, yknow?

Collar, dog bed, doggy bowls, crate, toys, the works.

Yes schlatt convinces them to all cum into ur doggy bowl😔 it was inevitable.

Tummy rubs!!!!

They deffo let you hump thier legs while they chat amongst themselves, idly patting your head, not bothering to address u bc ur just the pet.

They buy u a muzzle after you get a bit too excited and bite Charlie's hand😔🙏 mans was literally bleeding all over the nice carpet.

Ofc they all take turns fucking u before bed, they gotta get their puppy settled!

Uhhhh yeah puppy brainrot what can I say

[lightlycareless]

hiii i hope you're doing well !!! omg why is it lowkey embarassing to ask for something nsfw....

i saw the post u made about naoya being super nervous of stuff like holding hands, meanwhile y/n being the one with the most lewd thoughts🫠

i was wondering, in the highschool au, where they've been dating for some time, when would naoya notice that his gf is actually a little freaky🫣🫣?

only if you're comfortable with this request ofc, take care !!!

Hello!!

How have you been? I hope well 🥰🥰 I'm sorry it took me a while to get back at you, I've been slowly but surely getting to all of my other asks + some oneshots I've been wanting to write for a while now, but I never forgot about this ask!

I gotta say, I do enjoy this prompt hehe. It's sooo cute yet a bit nsfw to think of 🤣 mainly because we all believe Naoya would be an absolute pervert when it comes to Y/N (and he is) but it's the first time he gets to be vulnerable with someone, so it doesn't come as easy to him as it would Y/N (while she, on the other hand, is the first time she can get intimate with someone)

I ended up writing something that I think first conveys that revelation, it's a bit silly but seems to fit with the fact they're teenagers 🤣 Y/N will become bolder as time goes on of course 🙈 I hope it's to your enjoyment anyways!!

warnings: highschool au. fluff. naoya is a jealous man and you seem to take advantage of that. also, dorks in love.

Happy reading!!

“An egg?” Naoya raises an eyebrow as you come running to him to show off your latest… assignment? Prank? What is this? “You have to do what now with an egg?”

“Take care of it, it’s supposed to teach us about parenthood and such… I think.” You frown, still unsure if such thing was even achievable with this… odd task.

“I don’t recall having to do this last year.” Your boyfriend admits, though most likely if he did, he would’ve eaten the egg and bribe the teacher to pass him instead.

“Well, maybe it’s the first time it’s supposed to happen.” You explain. “Anyways, I have to take care of it for the next month like it was my actual child!”

“The next month? A whole month??” Naoya scowls. “Does that mean you’re taking it everywhere with you?”

Even on dates????? Anything but the dates!

 “Except missions, of course. I also need to record evidence that we hadn’t been slacking on your responsibilities—parents can’t afford to do that, right? Guess I’m a mother, now!”

“Proof? Like pictures?” He raises an eyebrow. You nod eagerly. “And I’m to take them, aren’t I?”

“If my handsome boyfriend would oblige” you giggle, stepping on your tip toes and pressing a kiss on his cheek. He’s putty beneath your touch.

“Alright… This is nothing compare to what we’ve been through, I suppose.”

Besides, what possible threat could an egg pose to him, the amazing, talented, and incredibly good-looking strong heir of the Zen’in?

Not much, it seems, until he finds himself feeling the one way he never expected to when it came to an egg.

Jealous.

For the time and attention you’ve placed on that thing, your pseudo child, appeared to be far more than what you’re giving him.

But if that wasn’t enough to get on his nerves, the unreasonably cute way you speak to it… it became too much for him to handle! Your indulgences and devotion belong solely to him, and him alone!

Who would’ve guessed that the so-called remarkable heir of the Zen’in could feel threatened at the presence of a make-believe baby? Did he fear you’d no longer care for him, and instead, grow to be solely interested in that?

And to believe he doesn’t even know its name… doesn’t he deserve to know how to call his rival, after all the pains that ailed him?!

“When are you going to tell me what you call that thing already?” Naoya demands, doing his best to hide his growing irritation—but his tone passes undetected to you, once again, too focused on your child. “Is it that bad?”

“Bad? No, of course not! I’m just… not ready to tell you.” You shyly explain, a subtle tint of pink adorning your cheeks. “That’s all.”

“Ah, but let me guess—others know already.” He frowns.

“Nope, only sensei.” You respond, barely lifting your gaze from that damned egg.

“But not me.”

“You’ll know eventually, no don’t need to worry about that.”

“I don’t like all this secrecy around a damned egg.” He scowls. “You seem far more enthralled with that make-believe baby than me!”

Just how long will he have to tolerate you bringing along this thing to all of his scarce moments with you?! He might as well…

“Well, I’d rather have your babies than this egg...” You quietly admit, and at the unprecedent confession, your boyfriend naturally flinches. Did you really just—

“What?” Naoya blinks, still unsure if he heard you right. “My wh—what—what did you say?”

The red in your cheeks deepens.

“No—Nothing!” you cry back. “I… I have to go now, I forgot I needed to fill out a form before this Friday. I’ll see you for lunch!”

And the following days appeared to go on just as the rest, with you placing your utmost care and attention on the egg while he dejectedly strung along to take pictures of your so-called responsibility, evidence you’d compile on a detailed essay which provided your general thoughts of parenthood, how this whole experience made you feel, and ultimately if your initial perspective changed.

A file that he managed to find laying across your belongings while waiting for your return in your dorm. Naoya tried his best to appear nonchalant, he had been nothing short of dismissive of said egg throughout the duration of your experiment, so it was only right that he’d continue on that way.

But when it comes to the forbidden fruit before him, just a few inches away from him and so easily to grasp by simply reaching out… curiosity gets the best of him and reads through it all.

Though the beginning, where the name of said egg is finally detailed, was enough to satisfy his interest. And change his perspective about this situation that, when made genuinely (and most importantly, willingly), was considered a blessing.

Student/parent name: L/N Y/N

Class: 2nd grade.

Child name: Naomi.

Written with the same kanji as his.

Naoya blushes.

“Dammit, Y/N…” Were you even aware of the consequences of what you boldly declared back then?

Most definitely so, after all, why would you leave this around knowing well he was to come?

Is this your way of hinting you wanted more? It has to be, because why else would you react that way if that wasn’t what you wanted?!

The topic of children of course is a bit too much considering their age, and if he was being honest, he’d want to accomplish certain things before finally tying the knot with you…

But he can oblige the other in the meantime. As much as both wanted.

You’re not as innocent as he believed, but such realization only makes him fall deeper in love with you.

it's so stupid of course naoya would think that (lets be real, y/n wanted to imply more but that's what came out of her mouth lol) but at the same time, aw, young love. the new jjk movie stuff has fueled my hs au mind, so expect more to come hahahahaaaa

I hope it was to your liking!! Thank you so much for your continuous support 🥹🥰 Take care and hope to see you soon 🥺❤️❤️❤️

[gepm251-blog]

I have this soulmate au in my head, where like

-Pangi and Lukey are soulmates

-Everyone assumes they are together or started dating or courting or whatever

-They WOULD HAVE except that everyone has really been accidentally pressuring them into it since basically day one so now it's a fuck no

-Especially from Lukey, because he might not remember, but he spent his entire life as Lucas thinking he didn't have a soulmate like Newt, so now this just feels wrong (they might have both secretly thought they were soulmates and it just didn't show. Men of science don't need supernatural forces to decide stuff for them anyway)

-Pangi had believed on and off in his life that he didn't deserve a soulmate, then half the time hoping his crushes would turn out to be his soulmate and give back the outpour of commitment and it never happened and also his last crush/platonic soulmate died because he was obsessed with another guy. It doesn't get more fucked up than this

-Then they date to 'beat the allegations' and show that they really aren't like that. But then they have the worst date in the history of dates and...Lukey wants to do it again...and Pangi agrees

-In short, everything is the same, but they are soulmate and horrible procrastinators

[rocketbirdie]

thinking about how zack is so used to violence that it rarely even occurs to him that there's any other options. when SOLDIER screws him over his first idea is to become a mercenary, because the only way he knows how to make a living is to do it by killing. he doesn't bother trying to talk things out because that's never worked in his favor. what does work is ripping and shredding through those that stand in his way, so why stop now?

[mishiami]

good morning tetro community

@jubileedeeznuts-posting dragged me into this because he's a dastardly awful terrible unforgivable wretch and i HATE her

[mamawasatesttube]

thinking abt kon getting hurt/upset about something big and clark bundling him up in his cape... ouuhhhhh souperfam save me...

[pocketgalaxies]

beau and caleb butting heads so bad about what to do with essek...oof!

[introspectivememories]

please put your reasonings in the tags!!!! esp if you pick the last one

[qoldenskies]

NEUROTIC FLOOR TURTLE??

That's beautiful anon.

But I love how you made him feel more comfortable sleeping on the hard floor, cuz it does make you feel grounded when you're that damn traumatized. I, too understand the need for neurotic floor time, Donnie...

it's actually something he does because of the laundry room :( it grounds him and it doesnt,,, because its definitely a response to him feeling unsafe. he spent an ambiguous amount of time just laying on the cold hard floor dissociating. in the closet, too. it's a mix of that and the fear that he doesn't "deserve" soft, pleasant things, and him not even wanting to develop attachment because his room was ransacked... it's unfamiliar and sometimes just too much.

he'll go to the laundry room if its really bad, even in the new lair, but otherwise he'll just sleep on the floor of his own... and there's really no way to stop him, but it's one of the biggest reasons they regularly went to stay with him in cw, outside of the night terrors. it wasn't good on his body when he was recovering. he doesn't do it as much but there's a billion little things to overcome in his recovery that just wax and wane depending on his mindset. all they can really do is try to make it comfortable for him.

[kdelarenta]

potential tw: slut-shaming, catcalling, misogyny, parental abuse

me when i try to break the cycle but the cycle breaks me 🙂💔🥀

name: claire coleman

li: alaric

story: debt of deception by @debtofdeception-if

[luvevee]

Getting into Mouthwashing is awesome until you wanna autistic babble to others about it only to realize most of the convos discussing the game are 95% about Jimmy and nobody else, please I want variety

[spydoclovr69420]

It is my saddest take today to say that Thoschei is so deeply doomed by the plot that the closest we can get is allusions to it.

If Thoschei were to happen, if they were to become friends again, they still wouldn't be able to see each other often, or it would ruin the format of the show. If they got together it would be even worse for the ratings (likely) because if the very pretty characters are together, then self-inserts are less likely, which makes people who like that a lot less likely to watch and enjoy the show as much.

These two aren't just doomed by the plot, they're doomed by the format. Without the Doctor out there saving people, they show doesn't happen. If it's just the Doctor and the Master together, then the show is lacking a character to relate to for the viewer.

Basically, the show can never do Thoschei really because it'll break the format. BUT that doesn't mean they can't do flashbacks to when they were young and happy.

Fanfiction is a holy medium.

[camellcat]

@wondlas SAID THE PACK IS TRANSFEM XANDER CODED BC THE ALPHAS OF HYENA CLANS ARE FEMALE AND THAT WAS HIS ROLE. GASPING CHOKING DYING I NEED MTF XANDER NOW!!!!!!!!!

[chirpsythismorning]

This is a continuation in exploring why I think Mike's character regression over the seasons can be explained in part by guilt, which he has yet to confront

Original post

Now we're onto s2, which jumps us ahead in the timeline a bit.

Mike has been calling out to El on the walkie for approx. 252 days now, under what he views as the false hope she might actually be alive. This is mostly based on the fact that Mike thought he saw El outside of his house a few hours after she 'died' (he did see her, bc she was there...) and so a part of him does think there's a chance. And yet this is also isn't something Mike seems to be comfortable talking about the others with.

Which brings us to the crazy together scene. Although this scene has a lot going on, there's one aspect of it in particular that I want to focus on, as it's the driving force for what is going to be discussed, which is that Halloween night was also the last night Mike called El, aka day 353.

I just want to preface what follows, with the fact that I do not personally think Mike giving up calling El, as a concept on its own, means that he couldn't possibly love El romantically or something. It's not even about that idea from an audience perspective. And this is because any average person, in reality, mourning someones' death, should not be calling out to that person for almost a year. Letting go doesn't make you a bad person, whether it was romantic, platonic or even familial. It's called healing and accepting what is and trying to move on and live your life.

Neither does Mike giving up after that night make him heartless or a bad character in my opinion. It literally just makes him human. But that also doesn't mean that's how Mike feels about it, nor does it mean that the manifestation of this guilt isn't going to affect his behavior over the course of the series, causing some very unfortunate choices on Mike's part to then lead to some very unfortunate events for everyone...

Where it starts to get sort of complex is that I think the whole point of the crazy together scene and where it ended up was to for it to showcase how Mike and Will were both willing to accept each other, despite these secrets they've been keeping to themselves.

Will revealed the truth to Mike about how he could still see into the UD, with the addition of seeing this big 'shadow in the sky', followed by asking Mike to not tell the others because they wouldn't understand. Mike then responds by saying El would understand, followed by confiding his own secret to Will that he's been keeping from the others, which is that he thinks he's seen signs that El could still be alive.

The scene then ends with them in agreement that if they're both going crazy, they'll go crazy together, with it arguably being their most incriminatingly romantic moment to date, as it juxtaposes other uncannily similar romantic mentions on the show involving that same word.

But no matter what happens, they're promising to support each other, specifically the weird shit they have going on and could presumably continue to explore that weirdness, without telling anyone else who might judge them for it or misunderstand their feelings entirely...

This is why Mike had no problem with Will going crazy in s2 because as promised, he was going to be right there with him. Also meaning, Mike COULD have had no problem continuing to test out his theory that El was alive, because Will would have supported him.

Obviously, Will sort of had his hands tied in s2 (literally?), but the point still stands. It's not like this was something Mike HAD to give up, because that conversation between him and Will instilled that they would support each other and what makes them feel crazy.

I think the issue though, is that what's causing Mike so much grief daily for almost a year now, is the guilt that came with El's death and him feeling responsible. And so, in contrast to Will's slightly more justified assumptions that what he's seeing could actually be real based on what's happened to him, it's like Mike is asking himself whether he's actually seeing El because she's still alive OR is he just imagining she's still alive because he wants to forgive himself?

A kid deducing that in their head would make them feel pretty awful, don't you think? Maybe even lead them to calling out to that person for almost a year in hopes that they might still be alive?

Meaning Mike choosing that night to walk away, to give up, is likely a result of his conversation with Will making him feel more comfortable with finally letting go of some of that guilt in order to actually start the process of moving on. Because a big part of why he didn't want to move on was because of guilt in the first place.

Also confiding in Will and only Will, not the others, who were hell bent on interpreting all of Mike's feelings for El as romantic, was maybe Mike's way of avoiding the pressure to associate his whole relationship with El as strictly romantic. With Will, maybe Mike knew he wasn't going to spin it into something like that. And he would’ve been right, because Will didn't.

October 30th, Halloween Night (Day 353 - Last call)

You cannot tell me that day 353 isn't framed as the last call. Like Mike is literally walking away dramatically, leaving El alone, with her now just a tiny dot surrounded by darkness. The way it's framed leaves the viewer genuinely feeling heartbroken because there's some very evident finality to what is being presented. And we even see that El feels it too, hence the episode cutting off dramatically with her tear filled eyes.

And so why did Mike choose THIS moment to give up? Why did he choose now to put his 353 day streak to rest? Like, that was impressive as hell. He could have easily kept that going, but instead he decided that this was going to be the last time he was going to try calling out to her...

November 1st (Day 354)

El is still pretty bummed that Hopper came home late last night, but I'm guessing she's even more bummed still processing what might have very well been Mike finally giving up that night too.

Although I don't think El would blame Mike for giving up, still, she too throughout all of this had been building up hope herself. El's been clinging onto the bond she made with Mike, specifically the romantic moments, to the point where she has been watching shows with romantic themes, putting herself in the position of the love interest.

So him not giving up, to El, has been a signal that what they are feeling between each other is very deep and... romantic. Him keeping this going this long is a sign to her that these feelings are pretty much guaranteed. And if he doesn't continue, that hope would obviously dwindle.

At breakfast that morning, Hopper acknowledges the TV cord peaking out of El's room, which is the device she uses to visit Mike from the void, all the way from the cabin. Without it, she is not able to 'communicate' with him, let alone see if he actually didn't give up after that night she feared he did...

Unfortunately her and Hopper have an argument after this, leading to her storming off to her room. And after Hopper is gone, El finds herself being so impatient to see Mike after almost a year of waiting, that she decides to take fate into her own hands. She isn't willing to wait until the evening, which is roughly speaking the usual time Mike uses the walkie to call her every night. She needs to see him now.

And lucky(?) for her, she does!

Finally! A SIGN! After almost a year of no signs that El is alive, since the night she went missing, Mike is getting a sign El is alive!

And he runs after it! He goes to check to confirm his (valid) suspicions, only for her to not be there, with Mike looking disappointed, but also kind of like he's accepted it's a lost cause at this point.

Mike's hope that El is alive and okay and the relief that would come with finally letting go of this massive weight of guilt, is not within reach. He just needs to accept it and let it go. He needs to forgive himself and move on.

On top of all of this, Will is experiencing his own version of crazy. And Mike seems more concerned with focusing on this and supporting Will, than holding onto this hope that El is alive.

So even though Mike just got a sign that El is alive (which parallels to the initial evidence of her being alive outside his house, what literally initiated him to call out to her for almost a year), he doesn't revert back to his approach of not giving up. He sticks by his decision.

The irony of what happens with El the same night that Mike doesn't call, for the first time, is not lost on me...

Tragically, El doesn't know Mike actually gave up (just like she feared he did) because she lost her ability to communicate with him that night.

I wonder how differently things would have played out if she new the truth. Would she have held onto this really romanticized idea of her and Mike's relationship because he never gave up? Or would she have maybe reassured Mike that it was okay that he gave up and moved past it and still hoped and tried to make it work? Honestly, I think the later.

Because again, it's not Mike giving up that makes him a bad person or something that refutes his ability to love her romantically, it just means that it's not true that he never gave up.

And Mike being the only person to know this fact... Um... Cannot be good for him.

October 2nd (Day 355)

As El is trying to revive a modicum of hope that she can see Mike again through the void, to confirm her hopes that he didn't give up, by using the TV like she usually does, she discovers that the cord is broken. It's a lost cause.

On the other side of town, Mike is entirely focused on Will. The previous night, he did not reach out to El. He gave up. And El is none the wiser.

The writers made the choice to have one more night that Mike could have called El because he was at home that night on day 354, a day that actually involved an incident that you'd think would have reignited his hope that she was alive, before he inevitably jumped head first into focusing on Will, with him not being home for the rest of the season. They could have shown us Mike calling out to El from the other side of town, and then cut to her in her room not knowing... And yet, they didn't...

This is where I jump to the end, because the focus primarily when it comes to El and Mike's arcs for the rest of the season are with El trying to find her mom and discover more about herself, while Mike is trying to be there for Will in any way he can.

The sad part is that despite Mike giving up and trying to move on from El's death, that guilt is never really going to go away. He gave El expectations that she had to risk her life to find Will, and all of that built up and inadvertently led to her death.

But maybe Mike can right the wrongs he had El endure by following through on his focus of not letting Will die too? Maybe if Mike can save Will, El wouldn't have died for nothing?

But with this guilt and Mike trying to overcorrect it all, he's also experiencing very real and emotional moments with Will. Will is his best friend, and just a year ago Mike risked everything to get him back. A lot of those moments he experienced with El in s1, moments mixed with romantic expectations, are now also lingering here with him and his friend in s2. Except these aren't forced expectations. Everything Mike’s feeling and doing the entire time comes naturally to him, with none of it requiring pushing or advice from those around him. It's just pure instinct.

In the end, Mike's beside Joyce and Jonathan, who are sharing memories they have with Will to him in hopes it will prove to them he's still in there and able to be saved.

This emotional sequence builds up to Mike using his own memory of Will to try to reach him, one that comes off as platonic in every sense of the word, but visually, and when looked at in the grand scheme of things, especially with what is about to follow and those romantic expectations with El soon being thrust back on him... Well... Shit is about to get real messy.

Upon reuniting with El, Mike was quick to want to tell her that he never gave up, only for her to interrupt him with the exact number of days he called (before he gave up).

This is news to Mike for an abundance of reasons. It means he's not crazy and that El actually was alive those two times he saw her. All this (survivors) guilt that's been building up over the last year could have been avoided if he'd known that she didn't die, that she was okay.

It also means that for some reason, El heard him, and yet she doesn't know that he gave up...

And here Hopper is, revealing that he's been hiding her the whole time aka the perfect person for Mike to take all of this pent-up emotion out on.

Hopper then tells Mike that they will discuss this privately, which I find to be very interesting because it offers a chance for the viewer to see just a glimpse into Mike's emotional state at this moment, without everyone around to affect his ability to truly open up about how he's feeling. And not alone just anywhere in the house, but in Will's room...

Mike is understandably upset because El is alive and Hopper knew this whole time and didn't tell him.

While Hopper didn't technically lie to Mike, at least not in canon because we never got an outright scene on-screen of Mike asking Hopper if El was alive with him denying it (all while knowing she was), it's at the very least a lie of omission...

But the thing is, if Hopper not clueing Mike in on El being alive qualifies as a lie of omission (off-screen), so does Mike not telling El he gave up (on-screen).

If anything Mike's lie of omission also qualifies as a plain old lie, because he outright told El he didn't give up (lied) and didn't correct her when she informed him she knew he didn't. She fully believed it, despite him knowing deep down that it wasn't the full truth.

So while Mike is taking all of his anger out on Hopper as this fighting match comes to a head, it takes a turn.

Hopper is fine with Mike blaming him, he says it's 'okay'. But it's not. Nothing about this is okay to Mike, seeing as this isn't even the whole problem. It's not the problem Mike's actually hiding within his outburst in the first place.

Suddenly Mike starts screaming to Hopper that he's a 'disgusting, lying, piece of shit', chanting LIAR over and over and over again, shoving him repeatedly, only for him to fall into Hopper's arms and start crying, with Hopper reassuring him that he's okay.

Something tells me Mike's emotions here aren't all about Hopper...

Something tells me that Mike's fixation with the word liar doesn't apply to Hopper here as much as it applies to Mike himself (in his eyes)...

The main reason why I think this is what's actually going on here, is because there was no reason to put so much emphasize on this concept of Mike literally walking away that last time he called her.

Why go through the trouble of creating this misunderstanding, by having the TV not work, with El not being able to go into the void to see Mike, THE very night he gave up, if to not plant the seed that this misunderstanding was going to bear some significance? That this misunderstanding (lie? lie of omission?) was going to lead to El assuming Mike didn't give up, all while Mike knows he gave up, but going along with the story that he didn't, for both El's sake and his own?

BECAUSE it's a surprise tool that will help us later!

I also think it's interesting that they decided to have Will go off and dance with a girl at the snowball BEFORE Mike decided to devote himself to El here on out. Like... that is quite the choice after a season of highlighting this bond between Will and Mike where they promise to go crazy together, which is a moment we know Will took romantically.... So, is it possible Mike also took it romantically? We know Will also took Mike's speech to him in the shed romantically, so is it possible Mike did too, with that experience only heightening his emotions and confusion over his feelings for El when he found out she was alive shortly after, leading to his outburst? But then Will is going and dancing with the girl, and here we have Mike's own version of falling behind (the Time After Time lyrics were more literal than you think).

What if they didn't do all of that? Would things have maybe panned out slightly differently if Mike wasn't under the (incorrect) assumption that Will didn't take those moments romantically?

While Mike's guilt might have started in s1, when he played the biggest role in pushing expectations onto El to help them find Will, only for her to 'die', it doesn't end there. Mike's guilt only builds when he holds the knowledge that he did give up hoping she could be alive, all while allowing El to believe the opposite based on what she saw, which was a guiding force for not only her love and dedication to him flourishing, but also for him to then shift his own version of expectations onto himself going forward to make it up to El by trying to be who she wants him to be.

We see how romanticized 353 days is interpreted exclusively as meaning Mike has to be in love with El. But he did give up. So what does that mean for all of this? For their picture perfect love story?

What does it mean for Mike to hold onto this truth, a truth that makes him feel immense guilt, only for him to spend the next year or so making it up to her...?

It means either Mike has to come clean, or he has to deflect and double down.

What option do you think a guilt-ridden, repressed homosexual kid in the 80's is going to choose?

Answer? Deflect and double down.

In s3, Mike is so focused on worrying about El (giving her what he thinks she wants) so he can right all the building up of wrongs he has done at her expense since he met her, and as a result loses Will in the process (where have we heard this before...?)

Instead of Mike having a moment in s3 where he acknowledges that he himself was the first to ever refer to El as a weapon in the first place, to try to save Will in s1, he's now turning around and blaming the others for using El as a weapon 'for no reason'...

No reason? Really Mike? Is it for no reason, or is it just not a good enough reason to you this time?

Or maybe has Mike just actually spent enough time with El now to truly feel a bond with her in order to see her as a full person, slightly outside of this imaginary superhero he's cooked her up to be when he met her that day in the woods, the day his life started because she was his first and only hope of finding Will? (I say slightly bc... I mean we all saw what happened in s4?)

I honestly think it's a mix of both...

I also think it's not a coincidence that Mike doubling down instead of facing the truth about this manifestation of guilt only makes things worse for him. And El. And Will.

Because suddenly he's choosing this moment to blurt out that he loves and can't lose her again, in front of everyone, even to his own dismay and shock. And when El walks in and gives him a chance to say it to her himself, like any person whose in love with someone would want to do, to make them feel loved, he looks terrified.

And when the season ends and Mike is given another chance to say it finally, to El directly, in roughly the exact same spot he had his emotional outburst in the previous season over finding out she was alive at the same time he was still grappling with losing Will again, IN WILL'S ROOM, he freezes. He just lets what happens, happen.

Because after everything, with El right now in front of him, telling him she loves him while being fully convinced he loves her too after everything they've went through, how could he possibly take it back, or try to make her understand his complicated feelings about all of this?

Answer? He can't.

As hard as it is to believe (not that hard honestly based on his track record), Mike's deflection and stalling era is just beginning...

[ponyrepress]

the MW fandom so bad on Twitter that fuckin. jimcurly shippers say their ship is ok cause “they deserve each other” but then think youre a terrible person for suggesting that anya and curly like. cared about each other deeply and fucked up. i hope this fandom dies soon dear lord.

Jesus Christtttt I hope the yaoiheads die forever. Like. What the hell is it with people wanting to ignore everything there is to be said about Curly and Anya's complicated ass relationship in favor of painting Curly as a cartoonishly bad person and Anya as someone who didn't volunteer to take care of him in fucking terrible condition Despite Everything. There's so fucking much to say about Anya and Curly as people who were hurt by the same person and watched the other be hurt by the same person and ended up stuck together at rock fucking bottom in that nurse's room but nobody wants to talk about that because there's "good" abuse victims and "bad" abuse victims and they can't have any attachment to each other even if they do in text despite ultimately failing the other because uhhhh no they didn't. I fucking guess.