#but ACTUALLY. he wrote to her at least ONCE (1). incredible

[binch-i-might-be]

George Washington had Mommy issues?

George Washington was the most mommy issues bitch out there

[afterglowsainz]

don’t wanna break up again | oscar piastri

pairing: actress!reader x oscar piastri

summary: you never go to any of oscar races and he’s always been okay with it, until he’s not

fc: rachel zegler

warnings: angst

a/n: i am in such an oscar kick lately you cannot physically stop me (i’ve also never wrote angst before this is so fun!)

—

liked by oscarpiastri, gracieabrams and others

yourusername vacation barbie☀️

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username uhmmm ???

username obsessed with her going on vacation instead of supporting yet another one of his boyfriend’s races

username so now she’s not allowed to go on vacation after working for five months on a movie? grow up

oscarpiastri the prettiest🥰

username oh to be called the prettiest by oscar piastri 😩

username so beautiful 😍

username respectfully looking 👀

username day number 482927 praying for y/n to attend a race

username at this point i feel like the only way she’s attending is if she has to promote a movie or something

username petition for y/n to be in that f1 movie they’re making just so we can see her at the paddock once

liked by yourusername, mclaren and others

oscarpiastri absolutely love austria 🧡

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username that’s my driver right there !!!

yourusername so well deserved❤️ (liked by oscarpiastri)

username another podium where y/n wasn’t present😊

username i could treat you so much better i swear!

mclaren incredible drive oscar🧡

georgerusell63 👊🏽👊🏽

username next podium is a win👀

liked by gigihadid, oliviarodrigo and others

yourusername star of the year is insane! thank you so much for this award and to all of you, i love you all to the moon and back and without you this wouldn’t be possible🫶🏽 thank you thank you thank you ⭐️

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username so so well deserved y/n congrats! 🎉

username ms. rabbit has fainted

username oh she just looked unreal tonight 🤩

username she IS the star of our generation 👏🏽

oscarpiastri couldn’t be prouder❤️

yourusername love you! 💘

username she’s just THAT GOOD

username star of the year indeed😍

liked by yourusername, landonorris and others

oscarpiastri incredibly proud of the most talented, hard-working, brightest woman i know. you’re not only the star of the year you’re also the star of my life and i know there will be many more awards to come your way🌟

tagged yourusername

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username oh

yourusername i can’t put into words how much i love you❤️

oscarpiastri ❤️

username now i just know he did not went out of his way to go to this award show for her during a race week and she can’t even be bothered to go to one (1) race

username he literally made a post about the critics recognizing her work as an actress and you’re commenting stuff like this? jesus

mclaren congratulations, y/n! 🧡 (liked by yourusername)

username y/n they will never make me like you!

username cutest couple🥰

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55 and others

oscarpiastri hungary will always be in my heart 🇭🇺 🫶🏽

view all comments

username obsessed with the first picture

username about to tattoo this whole race in my forehead brb

logansargeant congratulations mate🎉

username TWO MCLAREN MAIDEN WINS THIS YEAR ARE YOU KIDDING ME

carlossainz55 congrats oscar👍🏼

username so rookie of the year of him 😩

landonorris congrats muppet 🍾

yourusername so so proud of you congratulations my love‼️❤️‍🔥

oscarpiastri 🥰

username girl you weren’t even there…

liked by lilymhe, taylorswift and others

yourusername six weeks of breathing clean air, i still miss the smoke.

view all comments

username no way they actually broke up😭

username can’t believe it’s been six weeks i thought they were gonna get back after two days

username but why is she calling her relationship with oscar toxic? 😔

username at least she’s going out!

username oh you know it’s getting serious when she’s pulling out the taylor lyrics

username refusing to believe my parents are divorced (i’m older than them)

username finally we’re out of the trenches‼️

username currently praying for oscar’s next girlfriend to be supportive🙏🏽

comments have been disabled.

[trixy812]

⋆｡‧˚ʚ You have all my support ɞ˚‧｡⋆ pt 3.5

{Nanami Kento x reader}

ִֶָ࣪☾. Content: kento nanami x reader (boyfriend x girlfriend), fluff, funny, nanami jealous, gojo being chaotic

ִֶָ࣪☾. Synopsis: Reader meets Gojo!

ִֶָ࣪☾. AN: I wrote this like an Omake! I really enjoyed writing this. I hope you write comments! :D if not, i am really really happy with likes & reblogs <3 xoxo

pt. 1 - pt. 2 - pt. 3 - pt. 4

Reader meets Gojo

First time

🅼🅰🆂🆃🅴🆁🅻🅸🆂🆃

Two days before graduation, Nanami received a last-minute notice: he had to deliver some documents and mission reports to Jujutsu High. He didn’t want to go, but he couldn’t refuse. Knowing it was going to be tedious, he agreed to your suggestion to accompany him.

You observed everything with curiosity. While you didn’t have much interest in this world, it was fascinating to be there. Plus, you knew there was a chance you might encounter the most famous figure of this world: Satoru Gojo.

"Maybe we’ll run into Gojo Satoru, huh?" you said casually, though your heart raced just thinking about it.

Nanami, walking beside you with his typical straight posture and serious demeanor, scoffed.

"You’re not missing much."

That killed your excitement, but only for a moment. You decided to let it go; after all, you knew Nanami couldn’t stand the famous Strongest Sorcerer. Just as you were turning a corner, as if someone had heard your thoughts, there he was: Satoru Gojo.

"Nanamin! I see you’ve got good company."

Gojo appeared out of nowhere, with his carefree smile, dark sunglasses, and that energy that seemed to fill the entire hallway. He walked toward you as if he were on a runway.

Nanami immediately tensed, his jaw clenching audibly.

"Gojo," he said in his usual monotone, but you…

You froze. Your eyes lit up, and before you could stop yourself, you took a step forward, clasping your hands together as if standing before a global celebrity (which, in a way, you were your parents had taught you so).

"You’re Satoru Gojo?! Oh my God, I can’t believe it!" you exclaimed, bringing your hands to your mouth.

Gojo smiled, clearly delighted by your reaction.

"That’s me. In the flesh. Autographs later? Photos? I’m quite busy, but I can make an exception for such an enthusiastic fan."

Nanami closed his eyes for a moment, clearly holding back a sarcastic comment.

"It’s an honor to meet you," you continued, almost tripping over your words in your excitement. "It’s incredible to meet a sorcerer of your caliber."

Nanami turned his head toward you, clearly surprised. He didn’t know if you were joking or actually serious.

"My reputation precedes me? Of course it does," Gojo replied, tilting his head slightly toward you. "What do you think, Nanami? She seems to have good taste."

"Don’t start," muttered Nanami, clenching his fists.

But you were too caught up in the excitement to notice Nanami’s tension.

"I never thought I’d have the chance to talk to someone like you. You’re amazing! Your abilities are legendary," you said quickly, your eyes sparkling with admiration.

Gojo placed a hand on his chest, feigning modesty. "Ah, please, you’re making me blush. Although… it’s the least I’d expect from someone with such a keen eye."

Nanami shot you a look of utter bewilderment.

"Oh, is this the girl you told me about?" Gojo asked mischievously, turning to Nanami.

"Wait… you knew about me?!" you exclaimed, clearly thrilled.

"Of course. Nanamin here doesn’t stop talking about you," Gojo lied shamelessly, ignoring Nanami’s glare. The only thing Nanami had told Gojo was—The girl who used reversed cursed energy in the hospital, the one I was we were once sent to investigate. I bought flowers with your loan. I gave her the flowers. We're dating now. —leaving him completely disappointed by the lack of details and the simplicity of the anecdote.

"And now that I see you, I understand why. Although," Gojo added, leaning slightly closer to you with a playful smile, "I wonder how you ended up with someone so serious. Wouldn’t you prefer someone more… exciting? Like me, for instance."

Nanami stepped forward, his shoulders tense. "Gojo…"

But you, still mesmerized by the celebrity in front of you, barely processed his words.

"Huh? Well… maybe…" you replied absentmindedly, making Nanami practically scoff.

Gojo, seizing the moment, stepped even closer to you. "See? She’s a smart girl. Come on, leave boring Nanamin and come with me."

Nanami didn’t wait another second. He pulled his weapon out of his bag and placed it between you and Gojo, creating a clear space.

"Keep your distance," he said in a low, threatening tone, though not entirely serious.

"Ooh, how territorial!" Gojo teased, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Relax, Nanami. I was just testing your patience."

You finally snapped out of it, covering your face as you laughed nervously. "Sorry! I got carried away. It’s just… It’s Satoru Gojo!"

Still irritated, Nanami put an arm around your waist and pulled you closer to him. "Yes, it’s Satoru Gojo. Can we go now?"

Before you could escape, Gojo raised a hand as if he’d forgotten something.

"Oh, by the way, T/N. Such a shame about the fine your parents got. What an unfair way to treat a healer family."

You blinked, confused. "Fine? What fine?"

Gojo raised his eyebrows behind his sunglasses. "You know, for you using reverse cursed energy without registration. 10% of what your parents earn from each mission… such barbarity! Truly unfair, if you ask me."

You opened your mouth, but no sound came out. You turned slowly to Nanami.

"Did you know about this?" you asked quietly.

"I thought you already knew."

"What?! I didn’t know anything!" you exclaimed, holding your head in your hands.

Gojo chuckled, clearly enjoying the chaos he’d just caused. "Well, I think I’ve gotten someone into trouble. Lovely meeting you, T/N. Nanami, take care of her. She’s a real treasure, though I think she might want to reconsider her options."

And with that, Gojo disappeared, leaving you with a mountain of questions and Nanami visibly irritated.

As you walked back to the transport, you couldn’t stop thinking about the fine.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why didn’t they tell me?" you muttered, thinking about your parents.

Nanami, still processing the incident, sighed. "You should talk to them. Maybe they had their reasons for not telling you."

Then you turned to him with a mischievous smile. "Although… it was interesting to see how you acted with Gojo. Were you jealous?"

Nanami frowned, looking away. "Don’t be ridiculous."

"Oh, sure, because pulling out your weapon was completely casual," you teased, laughing.

Though he didn’t respond, the faint blush on his cheeks was enough for you to know the truth. You laughed to yourself. You couldn’t help but feel like the entire experience had been unforgettable, especially seeing how Nanami had shown, without words, just how much you meant to him.

pt. 1 - pt. 2 - pt. 3 -pt. 4

Reader meets Gojo

First time

-

🅼🅰🆂🆃🅴🆁🅻🅸🆂🆃

[alexisnoir]

Good Omens S3 theories

I got a bit bored, so I quickly wrote down some theories on what might happen in that 90-minute "masterpiece." Personally, I still think they should make a 190-minute film or at least a 130-minute one. I’m praying that the scripts for the six episodes, which the actors got to read, after that finale aired, will eventually be released online so that we fans can read in detail how it was actually meant to unfold. In fact, they could even publish them as a book—I’d pay just to know what we missed out on.

1)

Aziraphale is riding up to Heaven in an elevator with Metatron. As the doors open, they step out, only to be stopped by the most unexpected sight—HER, standing among the other angels, but most notably, flanked by two incredibly surprising guests��Beelzebub and Jim (Gabriel). After leaving the bookshop, they traveled to Alpha Centauri, where she awaited them. Just because she was silent and seemingly absent doesn’t mean she hasn’t been keeping a watchful eye on what her children have been up to. The biggest source of tension is Metatron’s plan to proceed with the Second Coming, something that isn’t part of the Ineffable Plan. I imagine her taking Metatron by the ear and leading him to a corner like a naughty child for a “time out.” This would give Aziraphale the opportunity to speak with her and truly understand what went wrong in his conversation with Crowley.

Meanwhile, Crowley is driving forward aimlessly, without direction. Eventually, Bentley, his car, comes to a stop in South Downs and refuses to go any further. Resigned, Crowley decides to settle there and open a plant shop. This story, which the creators could tell within a 90-minute frame, would allow for a focus on characters like Maggie, Nina, Crowley, Aziraphale, Anathema and Newton, Beelzebub and Gabriel, and Muriel. It would also offer an opportunity to reveal previously unseen scenes from the past.

That’s one theory I have.

2)

The other is that Aziraphale simply tells Metatron to “go to hell” and returns to Earth, descending in the elevator, while Heaven is closed off by God forever. This would also prevent the Second Coming.

3)

Another theory I have is that the Second Coming was just a cover and that Metatron doesn’t actually have any plan. He only wanted to separate Crowley and Aziraphale because he knew how powerful they are together. Add love to the mix, and you have a force comparable to HER own power.

On a different note, imagine Crowley and Aziraphale in South Downs, taking care of Beelzebub and Gabriel's child—or perhaps Anathema and Newton's. Two uncles. Crowley would definitely teach them gardening and how to keep plants standing strong so they don’t wilt, plus he’d give them astronomy lessons, while Aziraphale would read them bedtime stories. Additionally, I’d love for HER to restore Crowley’s vision. He has serpent’s eyes, and snakes can’t see stars well, or at least not in perfect detail. She could leave the way his eyes look, but I imagine he’d want to see his own creation in all its glory once again.

How much of what I wrote do you think will come true? It's a bit like reading tea leaves, and I happen to have the same first name as Agnes Nutter ;)

[femmecelworld]

weekender

concept pics and behind the scenes stuff

these pics, and this one of course

hiiiiiiiii! if you’re here from my fic, welcome to all the little rabbit trails of my headcanon for weekender, including a lot of stuff I hinted at in the fic -> SPOILERS AHEAD

let’s start with Roman’s new watch:

the date! Succession has played pretty fast and loose with what year it is/how much time passes. here’s how I picked this date: the show aired autumn 2018, which is a midterm election year, and that’s confirmed by Shiv and her Senate candidate. but we know it is NOT a general election year because Senator Eavis has only just started his presidential campaign. reasonable to assume he’s two years from a general election. So the conclusion then is the Mencken v. Jimenez election takes place in 2020. this theory is undercut by Logan Roy obit in s4, where it claims Logan was 84 when he died. And s1 opens with his 80th birthday. but whatev!! so I did the math on what day in April they had the pick the president episode in s3, and what lined up with Michelle Ann’s quote about Election Day, and it would have been April 24, 2020.

Why I choose to believe Mencken bought him that watch: If you pay close attention to Roman, you can see that Roman is pretty faithful to his grey Rolex. We see him wearing it exclusively through seasons 1-3. The other Roys circle through a variety of watches, most notably Ken and Logan. But Roman seems to just have the one.

Then in season 4, he’s wearing a new watch, the blue and silver IWC. It’s an interesting departure. And one could, if one is a freak, choose to interpret that as a hint to a gift from someone new in his life. Like someone that was introduced at the end of season 3.

The Rolex Roman wore through the first 3 seasons is a Rolex Datejust, which is supposed to retail between $10-20k. But the IWC? Costs about $4k. It is the least expensive watch worn by anyone in Succession. And if you’re a rich snob, which the Roys are, almost distinctively cheap? Why would Roman, who is incredibly image conscious, choose to wear such a cheap (by his insane family’s standards!) watch? HMM. CURIOUS. JS!

the Mencken family

the Menckens’ lake house is near Asheville, NC. which, yes, is a very liberal town, but also a popular tourist spot. Mencken’s home district is in Charlotte, NC in a neighborhood called Providence Plantation (on a street named Silver Fox Road) (because it was just too funny a coincidence to pass up) (weirdly those districts 1. just got redistricted, they added a 14th district last year, and 2. it is currently repped by a Dem irl). HIS district is the 8th, essentially part in a Charlotte suburb and the rest is like a +12 R majority.

Sarabeth (his wife) comes from old money, which is how they can afford 3-4 properties.

Part of the reason I love writing Roman & Mencken is the dichotomy and struggle that’s built into their situation. So, while I wrote something that is very sweet (for them), it’s also dark as hell.

1)Mencken took his mistress on a vacation to a house he shares with his wife (that she probably bought because she’s the one with money) Jail!! Straight to jail!! And at the end of anointed, we see Mencken is an absent (deadbeat) father… he could have spent a weekend with his damn kids for a change! instead of once again putting his own interests ahead of the people who love him.

2) speaking of which…. I know everyone was v. stressed in anointed about what was going to happen to Roman after Mencken made a deal with that old creep, then we saw that Roman’s anxiety clouded his perspective. They finally talk about it in weekender and that’s kind of the end of it (although, Mencken doesn’t actually deny that he would do something like that...)

3) I considered adding a chapter of Mencken POV to this but I cut it because it would give away too much of what’s going to happen in a later story. but uh, don’t forget about ch. 2 👀

4) I said this one of the comments on ao3, but I think it’s so funny that hardcore conservatives love songs that are about them being the baddies. amazing example is Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” which so many conservatives have tried to play at their rallies and Bruce told them to f o. It’s like when the Vatican asked Hozier to come there to play “Take Me To Church” 🤡. So that playlist Roman made has a bunch of those songs on it (and the last couple were like, Roman being suuuuuper unsubtle lol)

And that’s all, folks! See ya next time ♥️

[greenerteacups]

i have two questions for you! the first is: could you tell us more about your decision making process with narcissa, and how you brainstorm and eventually write for her character? for context, she’s one of my favourite female characters, but very few books portray her as authentically and gut-wrenchingly painfully real as you do. my second question is i’d love for you to tell us about how you do your research when you write harry potter fics. you mentioned google sheets upon google sheets of research and i’d love to learn more. i think you’re incredible, and lionheart is one of the best, if not the most excellent, draco and hermione fics i have ever read. the way you ended volume i so poetically lives in my head rent free. i want it on my tombstone. ily so much!

Hello! Delighted to answer both. Talking about writing is my special treat to myself for actually doing it.

1. Narcissa: She's so complex! She's just a spiny mille-feuille of a creature, she's so complex. I wrote the prologue before I'd even outlined Book 1, so I had this idea of Narcissa, as a widow, attempting to somehow manage the legacy of these two enormous wizarding houses without allowing them to suffocate her son, whom she loves intensely and truly — her son, whom she loves enough to lie to the face of an immortal dictator just to know that he's alive. What's she like? And so I started picking through her backstory, like: what makes her tick? What does she believe, why did she marry Lucius, why is she the only Black of her generation that survives? And then, once I had the questions lined up, the answers started coming: she grows up sandwiched between Bellatrix and Andromeda, neither of whom are model pureblood daughters, so as a sort of reaction, she ends up becoming this Model Pureblood Gentlewoman, which is epitomized by her marriage into perhaps the only house as old or important as the Blacks. But she's still an heiress in her own right, which means she doesn't need Lucius either for his money or his connections — so theirs was probably a love marriage, or at least an arrangement she had some say in. And she's the last Black standing after two era-defining wars, despite the fact that she's in very close proximity to power in both of those conflicts, so she obviously has some serious survival skills and an intuitive grasp of how to manage people.

But she's also deeply damaged. She's lost her whole family. Bellatrix joined a cult and went off the deep end, Sirius and Andromeda ran away, and Regulus died. Narcissa is the only one who did exactly what she was supposed to do, and her reward was being abandoned by everyone she ever loved. She has baggage. Her life basically ended at the close of the First Wizarding War, and the only thing she has left to live for is Draco, who she knows that she's losing to influences outside of her control, but she doesn't have the power — or isn't willing to use the power she has — to stop him, because that's how she lost Sirius and Andromeda. Pushing too hard. She doesn't want to be Walburga Black. Her problem is that she remains a Black to her core, and for her, that will always mean certain rules and certain ideas. The possibility that Draco might be moving in the right direction — i.e., that her worldview might be outdated and profoundly misinformed — is incompatible with the fact that for years she has been sacrificing her own happiness on the altar of this Thing, this Idea, of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. If 'pureblood' doesn't mean something, then Narcissa has ruined her life for nothing. She has lost her entire family for nothing. Reform? For what?

2. Research: God bless the fanwikis, because they are my best friend. If I need a date or a timeline check, the fanwiki is my first resource. I have a spreadsheet of important dates ranging from 1971-1991, just because the backstory with the Blacks and Snape and Lucius is somewhat involved (many irons in the fire!) and when I was writing Book 3, I realized that I needed to hash out what happened when and where all these people were at different points in each other's lives. (Like, did Sirius and Snape see each other during the war, or is Book 3 the first time they've crossed paths since the 1977? Surely not, right? But then... when?? And where the fuck has LUPIN been since 1981? That question took about an hour to hammer out.) I make these things sound like chores, but they're not: they're more like fun little writing side-quests that I get to do before coming back to the main story. A lot of it won't even end up in the actual fic, but knowing it helps me keep the text consistent, and it also informs how I write the characters.

I also keep a big list of "miscellaneous Information" at the bottom of my outline document. Yearly quidditch rosters go here; so does stuff like political factions, family trees, and (most recently) a full diagram of who works where in the Ministry of Magic, because I realized I'd invented a passel of bureaucrats and couldn't remember who was allowed to order whom around. I have short character profiles for people like Odin Davis and Prescott Parkinson, especially ones like Pansy's mom who barely appear, because I need to know who they are if I'm going to write Pansy consistently; I also have a reference sheet for hair/eye/skin color for everyone in the cast, because I don't want to get caught up and have to invent a reason that Theo's eyes are blue in one book and brown in the next. (E.g.: they're brown, have always been brown, will always be brown. #browneyedTheo truther.) Finally, I use sites like the HP Lexicon, the conceit of which is basically "odd lists of things you didn't realize you wanted." That link takes you to a list of Harry's Christmas presents for all seven years, which is bonkers helpful if you're trying to write a Christmas scene and you can't remember who gave who what and when.

I also make a point of keeping a copy of the books on-hand while I'm writing, because I want to make sure I'm not neglecting subplots (and, if I am, then I at least want to be neglecting them on purpose). Lionheart is canon divergent, but I want to minimize the divergences to things that I can attribute to a change I've made deliberately, not just because I forgot someone was there.

Finally, if I can't find an answer to something, I might consult Reddit or fan sites to see if someone's dug it out of the books. Names of odd second-cousins, really remote family trees, who's married to whom and why, stuff like that, I'll rely on word-of-mouth. Then, if I can't find something (or find it after a reasonable search) I'll just make something up. I console myself with the knowledge that most people will tolerate you getting Harry Potter's great-grandfather's goldfish's middle name wrong so long as it's in the service of a good story, which is what I hope I can offer.

[happy-mokka]

Good Grief

Mark (Dan Levy) is happily married to Oliver (Luke Evans). They have a beautiful relationship, a nice (probably unaffordable) house in central London and are both successful in their jobs.

On the way to a business trip to Paris on Christmas eve, Oliver dies in a car crash involving the taxi taking him to the airport.

Smitten by grief, Mark gets the support of his two best friends, Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), both staying by his side him during the next months.

Right before the 1 year anniversary of Oliver's death, Mark finds out that Oliver actually had an appartment plus lover in Paris and actually had planned to talk to him about it once back from the Christmas business trip.

Shocked by this revelation, that his marriage hadn't been that perfect after all, he persuades Sophie and Thomas to accompany him to Paris to check out the appartment and find out more about that unknown part of his partner's life.

The trip opens up old wounds, not only for Mark but for his friends as well and leads to long overdue catharsis in their friendship...

The title and the first 10 minutes of the movie put the focus on the loss of a beloved person and the immediate consequences of trying to handle the inevitable grief...

But soon it shifts and the central theme becomes that of friendship.

Romantic relationships are the key goal of most people, but when push comes to shove, its your friends that become just as important and help you managing the unmanageable.

Dan Levy, who also wrote and directed the movie, did a beautiful job in casting Mark's friends and writing great character that all add up to the story.

Ruth Negga as Sophie is amazing. She fiercly stands by her friend Mark and tries to get him out of his sorrow and into dating apps again. She is funny and drives her friends with so much energy through their lives. On the other hand she fears commitment to her long-time boyfriend and ends the relationship on the night he was asking her to marry him, out of fear of the actual safety he would provide to her... So with this in her "backpack", she is firmly determined to just have a big party and lots of fun on the Paris trip.

Sober And Selfish. Oh My God, That’s The Title Of My Memoir. (Sophie)

Thomas, played by the adorable Himesh Patel, is the voice of reason in their relationship. He is also gay and was Mark's boyfriend years ago for a short time. They managed to stay friends and so he doesn't twitch, when the time comes to help Mark and stand by his side.

Sometimes You Have To Do Things You Don’t Want To Do To Get To Where You Want To Go. (Thomas)

Dan Levy plays Mark and he does that with the whole spectrum of his abilities, between gut-wrenching pain and grief on one end and incredible warm and funny charm on the other.

Sometimes You Lose Sight Of What’s Going On Around You Because You Just Want To Breathe The Same Way You Did Before. (Mark)

I’ve Been Lying A Long Time To A Lot Of People And It Feels Really Heavy. Like I’m Swimming With My Clothes On, And I Can’t Take Them Off. (Mark)

Despite the sad start, the movie really ends up as a beautiful heartfelt story and left me absolutely positive behind on the couch. Some crying was involved, true, but in a good way.

Loss, death, grief but on the other hand friendship and tons of tons of love. That is its message.

The last but not least quote comes rather towards the end of the movie, and unexpected at that from Mark's brittle lawyer. But it beautifully sums up the movies message and also my feeling on it:

As it turns out… to avoid sadness… is also to avoid love. That hindsight is a discomfort that you will forever mistake for indigestion.

After all, where there is love, there is always

[melonbear51]

can you tell us about your own vtm characters? :3

Ooh, this is an exciting opportunity! So I only recently started playing as a PC. My past experiences with VTM had been as a storyteller for V20 (my friend thought we should start with that instead of V5 with…mixed results 😅) and of course playing the video game and choose-you-own-adventure games. I actually thought I’d never get to play as a PC and kinda resigned myself to just having ideas, but thanks to a friend I now can tell you about my first character!

So my first character happens to be one of the concepts I wrote in my very first VTM post. His name is Ben Thatchwood, and he’s a Lasombra antiquarian book dealer in Chicago specializing in occult volumes. He’s earned a bit of a reputation as “the book guy” in Camarilla circles, as if you want it, he probably has it. As such he’s on relatively good terms with the Tremere, though price negotiations can be tough and he often questions the competency of some of the clan’s younger members. He also fucking HATES the Tzimisce based on the fact that the only interactions he’s had with them are Sabbat-aligned assholes leaving effed-up ghoul creatures running amok near his coterie’s territory. Speaking of coterie, his consisted of a Ventrue and a Hecata. I say “consisted of” because the Ventrue PC murdered the Hecata last session while Ben was recovering from a nasty werewolf attack, but that’s another story 😅.

So Ben is…troubled. Not Malkavian-level troubled, but he’s got some issues. Despite being a pretty calm dude, his beast likes to come out quite a bit, leading to some awkward moments. Luckily nothing TOO bad, though a Tremere ghoul’s nose was broken and a hiker MIGHT have suffered from an “animal attack” if you know what I mean. He’s also got quite a bit of trauma. As the younger, less-favored sibling out of a set of fraternal twins, Ben always felt he had to be useful and prove himself. He always wished he would be the one the family picked, at least once. Well, years down the line, after starting a successful business and finally beginning to get over his self-worth issues, a family member did pick him. Just not in the way he wanted.

See, part of the reason Ben’s family treated him coldly was (unconsciously) Ben reminded them of another family member. A long-dead one who popped in every now and then to see if anyone in his bloodline was “worth the investment.”

Introducing…Benedict Thatchwood, Ben’s sire and 4x great grandfather (approximately)! Benedict, much like Ben, was an occult book nerd who developed a reputation in interested circles. He was happily married and had just had his first child with his wife Clara. Then WWI hit, Benedict went to war, and was presumed killed in action. In reality, he was embraced by a Lasombra and spent a good amount of time doing Sabbat stuff before jumping ship and joining the Cam. As he saw generations of his family come and go, he cared less and less about them. That is, until he saw Ben (who resembles his grandad quite a bit in more ways than one) and took an interest. Following the tradition of the Lasombra, he then proceeded to fucking ruin his future childe’s life by:

1. Making it seem like Ben was selling faked versions of 1st-edition books, tanking his credibility.

2. Letting word get back to Ben’s “old fashioned” family about his bisexuality, which did nothing to help the relationship.

3. Drowning Ben’s friend and romantic interest Layla while the two were drinking by the beach, leaving him with survivor’s guilt and making his friends turn against him as they believed his negligence led to her death.

And 4. Setting the bookstore on fire with Ben in it, resulting in Ben badly burning his hands while saving incredibly rare tomes. Still, in spite of these challenges and the toll they took on him, Ben persisted. And then started doubting his sanity because he kept seeing a guy who looked just like him out of the corner if his eye, or hiding in the shadows. got bit. Things culminated one night with Ben going to the bathroom to wash his face, only to turn on the light and find Benedict standing in front of the mirror with a distorted reflection flickering behind. The last words Ben heard were “You have Clara’s eyes,” before the darkness claimed him.

So yeah. Ben’s been through a lot, and having just been given independence from his sire rather recently, he’s been trying to navigate what it means to be a Lasombra in the modern nights, as well as rebuild and reclaim his own identity after all that’s happened. I know this was long, but I couldn’t resist gushing about my boy! I hope you enjoy him as much as I do!

TL;DR: My only PC character I’ve played and have been playing so far is Ben Thatchwood , a Lasombra antiquarian book dealer with MAJOR trauma and grandpa issues 😂

[ryutarotakedown]

Haori for the ask!

[ask game link] MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL MY GIRL THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME ABOUT HER!!!!!!!!

How I feel about this character: um. see above. she is my favorite dgs girl ever and i love her so much and she deserves the entire world and also to rest once in a while. she is incredibly brave to the point of recklessness and she is incredibly responsible to the point of self loathing and she feels emotions so much all the time and i think she might actually be the least deliberately-repressed character in dgs which doesn’t say that much but still! every day i think about her in awe

— seriously, sixteen years old and you’ve helped make an entirely new poison and diagnosed its symptoms on sight and acted accordingly and also went into a beach hut to yell at a confirmed murderer. didn’t even do it because she hated her, did it because she wanted her goddamn poison back. who is doing it like haori murasame

All the people I ship romantically with this character: susato!!!!! and gina but i haven’t thought about ginahao as much as i should tbh. i think haori would take a shine to her immediately but actually fall for her the moment she sees gina scream at someone for susato’s or haori’s sake

My non-romantic OTP for this character: all? of them? yuujin and wilson are both super fascinating dynamics to explore with haori! but the one that actually takes up my entire frontal cortex is her and jezaille.

— they are both women in the same field but jezaille is lauded because she’s british whereas haori surely is not — i mean, that’s not actually said in canon but auchi disparagingly refers to her as a “tomboy” and susato mentions how incredible it is that she has a job in an all male university, i refuse to believe she didn’t have a fucking Time of it. and that in itself inspires jealousy, right, and then haori finds out she killed her mentor and she still has to work with her for Months??? i’d go insane! it’s a miracle haori didn’t actually murder her! like. here is my only chance to bond with someone who understands the exact position i am in, and then it turns out she hates me for almost the same petty reasons as the men in the laboratory. and also killed a guy. haori is so fucking alone it drives me up a wall

— also i wrote a ficlet in dante’s ronin au once where jezaille calls her susato’s attack dog

— also also, we do not have any information on whether she knew asougi or not but i like to think she did. just like as that guy who’s always around susato with the sword and the cringefail aura. maybe they had conversations while waiting for susato to come out of her tutoring sessions! maybe they knew each other!! do you think susato told her that he was dead after getting back to japan, or do you think she only found out after mamemomi accused mikotoba of covering it up at the end of 2-1?

My unpopular opinion about this character: tragically i dont think theres enough haori content for me to actually have unpopular opinions on her. but she performs so incredibly well under stress. i think shes one of the rare people for whom stress actually helps to narrow down her focus.

— also one thing i always laser in on when writing her is her unfailing emotional honesty which is deeply funny considering 2-1 happens because she decided to find out about the poison on her own rather than telling anyone; the self loathing slash impostor syndrome slash fear of failure and rejection overrules that bit of her i guess :pensive: she is fully in panic mode for so much of 2-1

— oh yeah Yeah The Self Loathing thats also something ive never seen in any haori fics yet! she has a whole bit about wanting susato to throw her to the ground in the recess halfway through the trial and it’s kind of a joke but also Not yknow. “i completely betrayed your trust” like. god. theres a perfectionist streak there i think or at least signs of a not super great self esteem!

— hey haori would you say that the two things you hate the most (about yourself) are poisoning and betrayal. haha. okay thats not actual character analysis but i couldnt resist the reference

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: i wish she came back in any form at all i wish susato mentioned her after 2-1 at all although i will say that 1) her being part of the defense in the end credits is like catnip to me and 2) it is my firm belief that susato deliberately avoids talking about her because she’s too afraid of her own feelings to even consider opening up to ryuu about her

— when will the haori murasame fancase of that trial at the end appear, by the way. i want them to get hosonaga a decently light sentence for theft and then he is immediately accused of murder right afterwards

— she also should have gotten to learn about wilson being awful. and also should have been the one to give susato jezaille’s case notes in 1-1 (i saw that hc in a susato roleswap au fic and i have completely integrated it into my belief system. as far as i am concerned she was that person. but a confirmation in 2-1 woulda been nice)

My OTP: [poking head out behind ao3 page and enough susahao fanart to drown a man] take a guess

My OT3: add gina in there baby!!! i dont have as solid ideas on the rest of the girlcule yet but gina is Necessary.

— i actually think haori would dislike both maria and nikolina upon first meeting, maria because of The Racism (she’d scream at her about believing in skull sizes) and nikolina because she does come off as pretty privileged and smug and aloof when you first meet her

— [insert five page rant about how we never see nikolina outside of her being afraid for her life and therefore have almost no idea what she was like in the troupe or among the crew but also she was probably afraid for her life while in the troupe as well so in a way we do have a pretty good idea of her behavior and also i think she uses aloofness as a shield]

— but Point Is they both remind her of jezaille too much for her to like them at first. but later! who knows?

[hot-take-tournament]

Thank you so much for putting this together, it was really fun to do. These are the best answers I could come up with:

1. In ‘what the hair’ I believe it’s Gothel in the dream sequence right? Thats such a cool way to open a show I think, it really draws to you. But it is incredibly confusing if you didn’t watch ‘before ever after’ first

2. I think in the first opening it’s 3, I’m not sure about the other two. If I’m being honest the first season is my favourite.

3. A music box is laid out and when rapunzel plays it it activates the atomatons hidden in the gift boxes.

4. Okay that’s one’s really hard, I know for a fact Varian has blue eyes and I’m pretty sure Monty does, but I really can’t hunk of anyone else. Rapunzels are Green, Eugene and Lance’s are both brown. I don’t know, Faith? Maybe Frederick but I think his are green.

5. The one in the right I think

6. If I remember correctly, which is highly unlikely, Rapunzel starts the song so I’m going to guess Eugene finishes it as a part of the little back and forth they have. I’m more of a ‘nothing less to loose guy myself’, so I don’t actually remember that song much.

7. I think it’s in ‘Once a handmaiden’, but I could be wrong. That episode is really good for a number or reasons, but there’s something really funny about Varian canonically inventing a gun, good for him.

8. The left one?

9. Happily ever after, I know it’s a reprise of the first song in the ‘Before ever after& short movie but I’m not sure if it’s called something slightly different

I really struggled with most of these, clearly I’m a fake fan </3 it’s fine I tried my best, at least this makes good practice for when I do eventually have to go up against the devil to avoid eternal damnation.

It was really fun though :D thank you for putting this together it was super cool. (Not to be that really annoying guy but I do highly recommend TTS it is a very fun watch)

Also slightly related fun face Zachary Levi plays Rocky in the the new chicken run movie and you can really tell. He uses the same line deliver as he does with Eugene it’s pretty funny to compare the two characters.

it's no problem at all, one of the best parts of this blog for me is being able to learn about everyone's special interests!

besides, considering how much experience i have in combing the internet to research fandoms i'm unfamiliar with (mostly so i can make bad puns), it was kinda fun for me to try and put that ridiculously niche skill to the test under time pressure

though... in retrospect i maaaay have accidentally made some of the questions completely impossible

(also, i know i answered your asks out of order, it sounds weird but the genuine reason is that because of the times you sent asks i was worried you were losing sleep over the stress of not knowing whether your asks were anonymous or not)

anyway, here are the answers:

1. you're totally right, it's Gothel who speaks first - no one else has a line until the 2-minute mark, they just kind of make noises at each other. i know they did it because it's a dream sequence, but it's still inexplicably funny if you pay attention to it, it reminds me of final fantasy

i did watch the first episode in full to get an idea of what this show was about, and i do have a lot of questions - tangled was one of the only two disney princess films i watched when i was a kid and i still don't really understand how her hair has grown back or who cassandra is (she seems nice though)

2. yeah in hindsight this one is basically impossible to get from memory, and when i wrote it i didn't even realise that there were different animations for the later seasons

the first one has 7, the second has 4 (i think?), and the third has 3, though it's really hard to tell

3. i actually got that wrong, i thought the music box turned into the robot, but you're right, it activates the parts hidden in the presents that then assemble themselves

4. people make fun of disney for their disdain for green eyes, rapunzel is the only disney princess who has them

excluding tangled, i can't even think of two human disney characters with green eyes period

well apparently they decided to overcompensate by making it so that almost no tangled characters have blue eyes, and honestly it's kind of hilarious

even characters who had blue eyes in the movie had their eye colour switched to green for the series

i was only able to pick out five because i noticed the trend and started actively looking for it - and even then, it was like finding a shiny pokemon anytime someone with blue eyes appeared on screen

so the fact that you were able to think of five off the top of your head is crazy impressive

he does - so do varian, frederic, faith and monty, so that's five

5. the mirror is the one on the left

the one on the right is actually based on the broken plate from breaking bad

6. eugene sings last, i have no idea what the context of the song is though

i actually was originally going to use 'nothing left to lose' but i changed it like five minutes before the timer ran out because i realised there were a lot of questions about cassandra, she's just in every clip

7. yeah, it's 'once a handmaiden', i think once her imaginary british friend pulls the cloak off it never comes back

i may have got this one from the wiki

8. the yellow eye is her(?) right eye

9. you're right, it is just a reprise of the first song from before ever after

(though i found out just now that disney's official songlist technically calls it 'life after happily ever after', which is dumb, so i'm going to ignore it)

so, overall i don't think anyone can accuse you of being a fake fan, you definitely got most of them

still, i'm glad you enjoyed it <3

[norcalbruja]

Just finally trying to explain my weird relationship(s) with spirits

--

So I could never figure out how to say this in a non-awkward way, considering my more pressing issues, but the Water-Spirit is not straight. Like at all.

I mentioned somewhere that Loki once rage-kissed him to try and get a reaction out of him, because the Water-Spirit is constantly treated as more powerful than he tells me or even believes about himself, due to the whole "colonization has isolated him and wrecked his mental well-being" problem (and since he’s technically a giant squid, that makes a LOT of sense in hindsight as to why the other gods decided not to question him TOO much about his identity).

--

Haik Number Four does not care about being "straight" or not, either. When he was thinking over the whole mess of "yeah, the Water-Spirit has TECHNICALLY been impersonating Haik, but he was a GREAT imposter!", he also told me, "Well, if none of the other anito are going to claim you, I suppose I will."

And I was like "I don't know if you're the actual Haik, but thank you."

The Water-Spirit got nervous and said, "Yes, okay, Ama. You remember that she wrote all the poems and the novel-draft about you? I'm not going to stop you if you want a relationship with her, but I just want you to be kind to her--"

Haik Number Four was alarmed/insulted and went, "Why do you think I'm TAKING her?! Do you think I'm a Spaniard, to treat women like cattle?!" And he just went, "well, I can't just leave you on your own. You're both mine now."

And I was like, "Thank you, Haik Number Four, but... that sounds extremely bisexual."

And Haik Number Four was like "Mahal, Tagalog spirits aren't Catholic. We don't pay attention to GENDER or that kind of shit. And HE is a trickster. He loves you, but he's as straight as Dionysus."

And I was like, "oh, yeah. Other husband?"

I also mentioned at some point that I have a couple of spirit-"husbands" like Dionysus, but they don't use "wife" in the MARITAL sense, but more like "devotee."

Sometimes I forget that me and Dionysus are even "married." Like... immediately after he asked me about it, Dionysus went for weeks on end just dropping into my meditations and acting like a drunk roommate/friend, but when he's SOBER, he is surprisingly nice and can act suspiciously like a therapist.

He still barely sounds like he's involved with me, at least until a pushy male spirit won't leave me alone. Then Dionysus comes in with his metaphorical guns blazing, and he may or may not fucking suplex him, while ordering him to "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY WIFE."

So ever since Hera told me that she considers me and the Water-Spirit "basically married, but one of you has a shitty memory and you're both extremely depressed/traumatized," Dionysus apparently thinks that was a long time overdue. What with all my yearning poetry about the-guy-I-thought-was-Haik, and how I wrote a whole novel draft about a Filipino woman being married to Haik across different lifetimes. He's just started going hog-wild with affectionately calling the Water-Spirit "Other Husband." Not "YOUR Other Husband," just "Other Husband."

He also finds it a blast to call me "OUR wife," as the classic communist-Bugs-Bunny meme is often used.

That makes our relationship effectively open, because to make a VERY long story short: The Water-Spirit and I are the "main/regular(???) couple," and Dionysus says he considers himself my "backup/supporting(???) husband."

There's a thin line between "a god" and "a powerful spirit," but it's definitely there. Sometimes Dionysus has gotten nature-spirits to just STOP what they're doing and leave, even reluctantly. Once he comes in and tells them "Hello, I am an Olympian and that lady over there's my other wife. I will fuck you up if you keep bothering her," they just automatically go.

Unless the person he's telling to shove off is 1) an older/more-powerful god, or 2) a nature-spirit of Shark's caliber, who is incredibly old and is “set apart from human-and-deity matters.” (Shark has called him a "godling," but I don't know if that's because his mother is mortal and he's ‘technically a demigod,’ or because he's ‘youthful’ as ‘the hot twenty-something-year-old who parties a lot.’)

The Morrigan is my patron, but while she is really good at fighting or booting threats out of my headspace, she does not always have the patience to get me out of danger because as a goddess of warfare, she tends to go "FIGHT NOW, QUESTIONS LATER." That means Dionysus ends up being the one who escorts/hauls me out of places, as he once had to do when Shark decided to just start tearing the Not-Children out of me.

--

Another spirit-husband who I will only name in this paragraph for clarity is a Bear-Spirit. I usually call him the Bruin becauuuuuuuse I am playing it safe and not using the proper word too often. His exact species varies, but he's always some form of "brown bear." Sometimes he looks like a grizzly, sometimes he looks like a European brown bear, and other times he looks like a fucking massive cave-bear.

He can shapeshift into a mostly European-looking man with pale skin, brown eyes, and long and shaggy brown hair, but like... he's Not Human at the end of the day. His eyes have No Understanding or sapience in them like a god or a human (and sometimes I just see endless caverns in them, like I see the ocean abyss in the Water-Spirit's eyes). Sometimes he doesn't even bother shapeshifting some clothes on besides "draping his real form's pelt around like a cloak/skirt," so trying to lock down his "ethnicity" is futile.

And like, I just want people to know that this has all slowly accumulated over ten or so years, and trying to write it all down is as much for myself as it is for whoever is reading this.

[explosionshark]

Oh yeah no worries about the late reply I really appreciate you finding me recs given that's how this started and all, I'm actually planning on getting started on that Buffy pile today that you've sent my way since I just finished the big fic I was reading yesterday.

Quick note on Graduation Day part 2 since that's where I finished off last ask, like I didn't dislike it by any means but I dunno didn't feel as strong emotionally as part 1 or either of the previous finales, like the Mayor's great and all love him, I did really enjoy seeing him definitively caring about Faith, but Angelus and Faith can carry way more emotional stakes and even the Master did via Prophecy Girl's prophecy but it's good as a sendoff for the Sunnydale high era. Also whoo big dumb snake we love to see it.

It turns out I'm some kind of sleeper agent because I didn't even know I still remembered the Angel theme song but as soon as it started playing I was in, it was all flooding back to me full of nostalgia, I haven't even seen Series 1 before. Great stuff, I enjoy that they're having to work in somebody explaining all the deets of Angel's backstory every episode so far, and I didn't realise how early they get their mission statement in there, first episode you've got your visions, Powers That Be, Wolfram and Hart. Definitely has its own vibe. I didn't know I did but I've missed seeing sad brooding Angel just standing on top of rooftops. I'm looking forward for Cordelia to get the character development she deserves and I like Doyle so far, he's good fun. Lonely Heart was neat getting in an MOTW episode about what the show's about as your second episode.

S4 of Buffy also feels like a new vibe for the show like you said. I like Willow's new haircut (this is the first thing I wrote down upon starting S4) and Giles in his flop era. It feels like this is where Willow decisively grabs second most important character status, Angel's gone, Giles doesn't have a job and with Cordelia gone Xander's dropped to almost the bottom rung of the regulars. Living Conditions such a fun episode my favourite of the bunch I've watched so far, like every little grievance Buffy and Kathy had being worked into the fight at the end was great, all the over the top camera work, and the juxtoposition between Buffy not having that bad a roommate and Willow truly living her worst life with her's but keeping it together, RIP Kathy I knew she wasn't long for the world when Buffy's roommate couldn't even get in the opening credits even with two new gaps, she could've handled a Cordelia workload if she'd stuck around I'm sure. Plus it was a neat throwback for Buffy to have to worry about keeping Slaying a secret again.

Oh yeah I'm looking through my notes and I had written down in the Freshman 'Whoa is that Pedro Pascal? It is. Wild.' then immediately afterwards 'RIP' Also for Harsh Light of Day I have 'Buffy deserves her post Angel+Faith rebound as well. Good for her having a good sexual encounter.' followed immediately by 'Well at least its not as bad as when Angel lost his soul but not great'. But congrats on it not being as bad as Harm. At least Willow is allowed to have a good relationship. Also congrats on Xander's rebound in this episode about bad rebounds being the last girl he was with? Anya being in the triangle of dejected women was kinda incredible considering she's not nearly in such a bad position as them but we need that cool shot. Also multiple times about Angel so far 'What a dork, love him'

Also like sidenote I don't know American geography at all I didn't realise like how close Sunnydale and LA are so close together? I always figured Angel moved a sizeable distance away but for America it's like he's moved one town over or something they're so close together

Yeah, as fun as the Mayor can be, the real emotional heart and soul of s3 is Faith, so once she's out of commission the stakes just aren't as personal and that kinda takes the wind out of the sails a little imo. Still it's a good two-parter. At least we get the gay shared dreamspace and the forehead kiss.

S4 is kind of a weird transitional season and I think it suffers a little from not having a very compelling big bad BUT there are some all-time great episodes there and the start to a lot of very important arcs. And we get a little more Faith! Also yeah Buffy's s4 love interest (post-Parker) is not a fan favorite and I certainly have some criticisms of the boy but I DO think that Buffy Summers DESERVES to get laid as much as she wants and I think it's nice that s4 is finally where that happens for her (with fluctuating degrees of associated trauma).

Re: the Angel sleeper agent stuff - one of my favorite parts of my own Buffy rewatch was having my brain rocketed into the past by the theme song and other little moments that were just ingrained on me forever. I'm not generally a big rewatcher when it comes to TV but sometimes there is something genuinely so nice about revisiting a thing you really loved!

Also yeah the geography of the Buffyverse has been confounding fans and scholars for ages. You have to just roll with it. The implication DOES seem to be that they're only a couple hours apart, but if you factor in California having terrible public transit and Buffy having NO CAR the distance definitely feels a little more insurmountable

[mashitandsmashit]

AGT Season 17: Auditions 2

11: Marvin Aichi. Obviously, this was just to get people's attention...And to get Terry to join in on the flexing...

Progress Prediction: We're probably not gonna see this guy again, except maybe for a cameo or two...

10: The Bock and Roll Band. This was part pet act, part Rube Goldberg machine...Obviously she laid feed throughout the obstacle course...But I guess it was cute enough, and the little band at the end was a creative touch...

Progress Prediction: Quarter-Finals at best...

9: Zeno Sputafuoco. Typical gross sideshow stuff...Though he had a pretty good presence...

Progress Prediction: Assuming he doesn't have any stiff competition, he'll make the live shows and then get eliminated in the Quarters...

8: Aiko Tanaka. Aaaannnnd, we've found our dirty, middle-aged comedienne for the season...Once again, I see potential, but nothing hilarious from her yet...

Progress Prediction: Semi-Finals at LEAST...

7: Jojo and Bri. A nice harmony between the two, they're both solid singers...Not much else to say...Just that the song choice is one of the greatest AND most overused songs of all time...

Progress Prediction: I guess it all depends on their competition...I'll just guess Semi-Finals...

6: Metaphysic. These “technical” acts are generally just there to show off their technology and then not return...That being said, it's cool to see, and Daniel had a chance to come back and stroke the ego of the guy who gave him so much criticism from the beginning of his run on the show...Probably the closest we'll ever come to seeing Simon actually sing...

Progress Prediction: I suppose there may be potential for what else they can do with this...Otherwise, I still hold to my first sentence on this act...But beware: Deep-fakes are coming, and they're gonna take over the world!

5: Drake Milligan. Never been a fan of this modern country music...But he wrote his own song, it was catchy, and not quite as twangy and vomit-inducing as a lot of the other crap we hear on country stations...Gotta acknowledge what he did well...

Progress Prediction: ...Because America's not gonna give a CRAP about his pros and cons! If the judges want to avoid another country act decimating the competition, they'll want to take him out in the callbacks while they still can! Because otherwise, between his good looks and country roots, not only will he make the Finals, he'll be in the Top 5 AT THE VERY LEAST!

4: Maddie. Well at least they were honest about her being an audience plant, but it still felt incredibly scripted...Whatever, this girl WAS a really good singer...Honestly, I wouldn't mind if she kept doing the acapella thing EVERY round!

Progress Prediction: No doubt she's our child singer of the season, and the story with her dad only adds to that...She will sail all the way to the Finals!

3: Funkanometry. These guys were a lot of fun to watch, between the unique moves and comedic reactions. I look forward to seeing what they can do with a bigger set!

Progress Prediction: They'll surely make the live shows, but then they'll be on the chopping block right off the bat...That being said, they seem very popular online, so that could help them at least make the Semi-Finals...

2: Viviana Rossi. While it's hard to say so far how she'll stack up with Alan Silva and Aidan Bryant, just like them her audition shows a lot of promise, and she could very well step it up with each round...

Progress Prediction: It all comes down to whether or not she CAN step it up...Though I guess she also lacks the stories of the examples I'm comparing her to...so far...

1: Fusion Japan. Another cool Asian act, LITERALLY combining two dance groups into one! I just wish the camera would settle on them...But what else is new?

Progress Prediction: While I still think the yo-yo guy will be the cool Asian act eliminated in the FIRST live show, this will likely be more like Spyros Bros and Unicircle Flow as the one that is eliminated in the Semis...

Not much else to say about this episode...It was pretty good, even though the Cowellized acts are beginning to rear their ugly heads...

[ragana62]

Fictober Recap and Updates

Well, it's officially the end of the month...

This year I have 22 completed before the month ends, which given I've been sick most of the month I'm going to say is pretty good. I also wrote for at least 4 new fandoms, which I am also here for, made a whole companion playlist, turned things into at least two spin off mini-series, and did some art for quite a few of them!

I do plan to finish the remaining fics that don't exist yet, and will update this post with links once that's happened, but for now, here's what we've got!

Ratings:

General: ❤️

Teen: 💛

Mature: 💙

Explicit: 💚

Miniseries and Ongoing Fics will be indicated with: 💘

Link to the Series

Link to the Playlist

Day 1 ❤️

It's a Team Effort

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Lost Pet Meet Cute

Song: We Are Going to Be Friends - White Stripes

Pairing: Hermione Granger & Neville Longbottom

"Hermione has never been good at making friends. But this is a new school, a fresh start, and she's very determined for things to be different this time around. Even if it seems everyone in the magical world has incredibly questionable taste in pets."

Day 2 ❤️

Just Like Riding a Bike

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: "Left... Your Other Left"

Song: Bicycle Race - Queen

Pairing: Harry Potter & Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley

"It's not that he's intentionally a bit of a disaster. It's just that the whole constant murder attempts and saving the world thing left Harry with very little time for an actual childhood. But now, Voldemort is properly dead, nobody is expecting anything from him beyond the occasional photo-op or the like until September, and he's got all the time in the world to learn how to be the kid he never got to be. Why that seems to be a hell of a lot harder than fighting giant snakes and murderous lunatics, he couldn't say, but at least he's trying!"

Day 3 ❤️

Romanticizing Life

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Favorite Scent

Song: My Baby's Taking Me Home - Sparks

Pairing: Angelina Johnson

"Ever since she had that potions class on Amortentia, she’s been looking for that particular combination of smells everywhere. On every first date, every meet cute, every chance encounter, but despite searching for it every day for years she’d yet to find it. But what she had found was almost better."

Day 4 ❤️

The Night Market

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Market Day

Song: Thick as Thieves - Kasabian

Pairing: Rhaenyra Targaryen x Alicent Hightower

"Everyone else is excited for tomorrow's joust, but Rhaenyra is more excited for the market tonight. Officially, that's because she still needs a gift for her soon to be arriving little sister (and it will be a sister, she's determined), but if it also happens to be the perfect excuse to convince her favorite to escape the castle with her for a moment before everything is consumed with the tourney and the new baby, well, all the better."

Day 5 ❤️

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Gravestone

Song: Two Coffins - Against Me

Pairing: Harry Potter x Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter

"It was an odd habit, he’d be the first to admit it. But who else was he supposed to talk to about these sorts of things?"

Day 6 💛

It's Like the Internet, Only in Person and With Candy

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Mistaken Identity

Song: Sexy - Mean Girls on Broadway

Pairing: Percy Weasley x Oliver Wood

"Maybe muggles were onto something with these whimsical masquerade parties. He could be anyone here, anything too, and they’d never know better. Something about that felt almost, relaxing in a way."

Day 7 ❤️

This is Our Get Along Sweater

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Hoodie Weather

Song: Get Over It - OK Go

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fred Weasley x George Weasely, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley

"Harry and Ron both might have points, but the better one was that they needed to get over this little spat or nobody in the whole of Grimmauld Place was going to get any sleep."

Day 8 ❤️

Banned Books

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Getting Revenge

Song: All My Life - Cruel Youth

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fred Weasley x George Weasely

"It was bad enough that Harry and Ron were still constantly bickering. Getting her banned from the library over it was another matter entirely, one that Hermione was hardly inclined to take lying down. How fortunate it was that she'd clearly picked up a few new companions who were more than happy to help her sort the matter out to her satisfaction."

Day 9 💛

Champagne Problems

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: "Don't Do That!" "But..."

Song: You Stupid Bitch (feat. Rachel Bloom) - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Pairing: Sirius Black & James Potter, James Potter x Lily Evans Potter

"When you thought about it, really thought about it, it wasn’t really fair that all the big parties and accomplishments after your 17th birthday and graduation were so focused on settling down. And like sure, it was his best mate who was engaged, and Lily wasn’t a completely terrible choice if he was going to lose his partner in crime to someone, but it was the principle of the matter, and the principle of the matter was Sirius Black was feeling left behind. And very very drunk."

Day 10 ❤️

The Claw

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Bet, Game, Contest

Song: Cabinet Man - Lemon Demon

Pairing: Lavender Brown x Ron Weasley, Lavender Brown x Hermione Granger

"Hermione had sworn off being Ron's keeper after the war, which was probably why he had somehow forgotten he was meant to be at a date tonight with Lavender. A really genuinely terrible date, actually. Just because she wasn't managing him anymore, that didn't mean she couldn't still honor girl code and usurp his failed attempt at winning back his ex though, right?"

Day 11 ❤️

The Westview Gardening Club

Fandom: Agatha All Along

Prompt: Ingredients & Spells

Song: Spellwork - Austra

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal, Coven Vibes

"If Wanda's boy wanted to play games, then Agatha could play with the best of them. Just as soon as she figured out how to get out of this damn tunnel, ideally without her ex-girlfriend overcomplicating matters further by telling her quasi-coven all their dirty little secrets at once. And, apparently, figured out how to give Mrs. Hart or whatever her name was, a taste of magic herself seeing as green witch or not she clearly was the greenest thumb they had."

Day 12 ❤️

Picking Up the Pieces

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: "This is Spooky" "Really?"

Song: Fantasy - Lush

Pairing: Lavender Brown x Hermione Granger

"Sure, crashing and salvaging the date had been purely for altruistic motives. But, if Ron was so determined to drop the ball, why shouldn't Hermione take full advantage to get the girl after all?"

Day 13 💙💘

Dreams of Morning

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Attic, Cellar, Hidden Room

Song: Pink Pony Club - Chappell Roan

Pairing: Helaena Targaryen x Rhaena Targaryen, others will be included

"For much of her life Rhaena has never quite felt like enough, not for her father, not for her step mother, and not for a dragon of her own. Helaena has spent most of her life knowing she was not what everyone wanted her to be. What if they were exactly what the other needed?"

Day 14 ❤️

You Have Witchcraft in Your Lips

Fandom: Agatha All Along

Prompt: Mundane AU

Song: Fast Girls - Sarge

Pairing: Agatha Harkness x Rio Vidal, Lilia Calderu x Sharon Davis

"People came to West View University for a bunch of reasons. Small class sizes, the ability to attract genuinely world class professors on the promise of leaving them alone and not forcing them to publish on shit they didn't want to, a shockingly good hockey team for being a small liberal arts school, all of them were valid. But they all stayed for the same reason. Sure, every school had a tradition or two, but none were nearly as good as the annual post-finals performances of the West View Questionably Accurate Shakespeare Society."

Day 15 💚

For Your Health

Fandom: Doctor Odyssey

Prompt: "What are you wearing?" "It's Laundry Day."

Song: Favorite - Liz Phair

Pairing: Tristan Silva x Avery Morgan

"Avery's been stressed for weeks, more than usual even. Tristan is of course more than happy to help with that, particularly after a middle of the night emergency has her curious enough to ask."

Day 16 💛

Magic for Dummies

Fandom: Fate: The Winx Saga

Prompt: "Yes, No, Maybe"

Song: Come Home - Willow (feat. Ayla Tesler-Mabe)

Pairing: Farah Dowling x Saul Silva

"Magic wasn't exactly his area of expertise, but then again it wasn't exactly the first world's area of expertise either. Lucky then, that Farah is magical enough to more than make up for it."

Day 17 *Coming Soon* 💚

No New Intentions

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Only One Bed

Song: Number 1 - Goldfrapp

Pairing: Kingsley Shacklebolt x Hermione Granger

"She was there under false pretenses, their friends had clearly misunderstood even worse, but when in a very nice hotel suite you didn't have to pay for, why not make the most of it?"

Day 18 *Coming Soon* 💛

So What Does That Make Us?

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Bewitching

Song: So Into You - B*Witched

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fred Weasley x George Weasley

"Two weeks had never flown by so fast, but now that things were set to return to some form of normal, where exactly did that leave things between Hermione, Fred, and George?"

Day 19 ❤️

Threads of Fate

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Yarn

Song: Chains of Love - Erasure

Pairing: Helaena Targaryen x Aemond Targaryen

"He was the only one in this family who seemed to understand his job, much less do it with any consistency. Aegon and Helaena were the two getting married today, and yet Aegon was still missing, and Helaena was sitting on the ground and making a mess of herself while muttering nonsense. But if it wasn't entirely nonsense that had her so unsettled this morning, how exactly was Aemond meant to protect his family from something that seemed so inevitable?"

Day 20 ❤️

It's Easy When You Mean It

Fandom: Rosaline

Prompt: "Written but Never Sent"

Song: All the Words We Don't Say - Hiatus Kaiyote

Pairing: Rosaline Capulet x Dario Penza

"He was annoying, weirdly fixated on his boat, always thought he was right, didn't know when to shut up, and frustratingly persistent. By all accounts, Dario Penza was her father's worst pick yet. But he did tend to make himself useful, and it was nice to talk to someone who actually talked to her instead of at her even if it was more often than not just to throw a one liner of his own back at her…"

Day 21 ❤️

The Red Queen

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Bonfire

Song: Venus - Shocking Blue

Pairing: Rhaenys Targaryen x Corlys Velaryon

"After such a long voyage, all Corlys wants is to set foot on familiar shores, at least for a moment before setting his sights on a new adventure. As it happens, his next adventure means to find him before he can even make it to port."

Day 22💙💘

Courtly Love

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Heirloom

Song: Knights in Shining Karma - XTC

Pairing: Alicent Hightower x Rhaenys Targaryen, Alicent Hightower x Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys Targaryen x Corlys Velaryon

"She had always been the sentimental sort, ever since her father had brought her to the unfamiliarity of the Red Keep and told her to make friends with the princess. Anything that reminded her of home, of the peace she’d known before all was consumed by her father’s ambition and her duty was nearly sacred, none more so than her Mother’s necklace, the last thing she had to remember her by. And now, that too was gone. In her favorite books, this would be the moment a brave and handsome knight would ride in to rescue her, to battle beast and warrior alike to see it returned. But Alicent was not living in one of her stories."

Day 23 ❤️

Bad Dog

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Stormy Night

Song: I Was a Teenage Werewolf - The Cramps

Pairing: Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin x Sirius Black

"Everyone always talks about heightened senses like they're some sort of superpower. For Remus, they've always felt more like a recipe for guaranteed headaches, and never more than during a storm. Over the years, he's come up with his own means of managing it, but when his boyfriend gets a little too excited trying to demonstrate his new trick, that goes right out the window, and he's left improvising."

Day 24 *Coming Soon* 💚

Eat, You'll Feel Better

Fandom: Doctor Odyssey

Prompt: Comfort Food

Song: Bad Wine and Lemon Cake - The Jane Austin Arguement

Pairing: Tristan Silva x Vivian Montgomery

"It's been a very long day, full of very high maintenance passengers, doing unreasonably stupid things to themselves. All Tristan wants to do is fall asleep, ideally in a bed somewhere, but anywhere will do. Too bad tonight is supposed to be his first proper date with Vivian, and he'd decidedly made other plans for what to do in that bed that are going to have to be adjusted."

Day 25 ❤️

Monsters, Ghosts, and Ghouls

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Haunted House

Song: Punk House of Horror - Teenage Bottlerocket

Pairing: Harry Potter x Ginny Weasley

"Harry had insisted on sending the kids to muggle primary school for a reason, and though the Fall Fun Fair and other nonsense events weren't that reason, seeing his wife's responses to what muggles considered scary certainly was an unexpected perk."

Day 26 *Coming Soon* 💛

Finding Family

Fandom: MCU

Prompt: "I can't find it."

Song: Can't Hardly Wait - The Replacements

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff

"She hasn't been an Avenger nearly long enough to be losing things around the tower, nowhere near long enough to be asking the others for help after what she did. That doesn't change the fact that her last reminder of her brother is gone."

Day 27 ❤️

Outside Looking In

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Afternoon Stroll

Song: L.E.S. Artistes - Santigold

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Percy Weasley

"War has a funny way of clarifying all the complicated bits of life. The people, the places, the things, that mattered, and what the price one was willing to pay for it, all of it became so much simpler when it had to be condensed to one bag and whatever few meetings you could sneak around all the running, hiding and fighting. But then again, both Hermione and Percy had always been good at compartmentalization, at narrowing their focus. Maybe that was why the same war that had everyone else scattering had pulled them back together."

Day 28 *Coming Soon* 💙💘

How the Other Half Lives

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: Lucky Charm

Song: All Tomorrow's Parties - Rasputina

Pairing: Alicent Hightower x Rhaenys Targaryen, Alicent Hightower x Corlys Velaryon, Rhaenys Targaryen x Corlys Velaryon

"If asked, Rhaenys couldn't have said what made her feel so protectively towards the daughter of the man she hated so much, or what had made her act as she had the night Aemma died. What she does know, is that things have not changed much since she was the girl of fifteen walking the halls of the Red Keep, and that is not a good thing. When unfavorable events conspire to bring that girl, and her niece, to her door once again, she knows what must be done."

Day 29 *Coming Soon*❤️💘

Angry Makes Me a Modern Girl

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Time Capsule

Song: Modern Girl - Sleater Kinney

Pairing: Lavender Brown x Hermione Granger

"There's nothing else to really do, is there? Moving on always requires a proper girls night, burning the memories you don't want to keep, ideally over a glass of cheap wine. Moving on together, though, has it's own rules."

Day 30 *Coming Soon*💚

Just Some Lover

Fandom: House of the Dragon

Prompt: "Forever"

Song: Love is a Lazerquest - Arctic Monkeys

Pairing: Rhaenys Targaryen x Corlys Velaryon

"It hadn’t been that long, since they had last seen one another. Not in the grand scheme of their thirty year marriage, at least. Somehow, this time three weeks seemed longer than thirty years."

Day 31 *Coming Soon*❤️

Wishful Thinking

Fandom: Harry Potter

Prompt: Make a Wish

Song: Man on the Moon - Sugar

Pairing: Neville Longbottom x Luna Lovegood

"Blown dandelion tufts, burnt bay leaves, shooting stars, watched clocks for 11:11, it was all well and good, but it wasn’t getting her what she wanted. She needed something stronger if she was going to make her wish come true."

[readnburied]

What I Read in March

Target: 12

Read: 7

I read more in the month of March than I have so far in the year, but still didn’t quite manage to reach my goal for the month. But no worries, since I read some really great books while others felt like a waste of time. So here are the books I read in the month of March.

Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

This is a standalone novel and revolves around the life of Oscar Drai who meets Marina by chance when he’s on his way exploring the quarters of Barcelona. Their meeting leads them to a cemetery where they meet a strange woman who perform a strange set of practices, which make no sense. So they decide to follow her only to realize there were things happening that were not only beyond their comprehension but actually beyond their control. 

I went into this book with high expectations as it was tagged as a gothic book and it was, to an extent. But then the author decides to pull a Frankenstein on us with all the monsters and gore and that really put me off. Instead of feeling scared I was just grossed out, because I don’t like gore in horror novels. And when I read how the author wrote this book in the horror genre, I have to say I disagree. I didn’t find anything particular scary in this book. There was a lot of mystery and intrigue though, but nothing horror. It reminded me of American Horror Story with the gore and monsters. So I was pretty disappointed but I loved the gothic aspects and atmosphere of the story. 

Once You’re Mine by Morgan Bridges

This is book 1 in the Possessing Her series and follows Calista who goes from riches to rags upon the death of her father and is trying to find his killer, and Hayden Bennett,who happens to be a powerful lawyer and can’t help his feelings for Calista, even though he had a personal vendetta against her father. But when fate throws Calista in Hayden’s path, he can’t help his obsession and ends up doing things he didn’t thought he’d do but he also knows he wouldn’t stop. 

I only read this book as a palette cleanser and I have to admit I was incredibly bored. Everything was incredibly predictable, even though stories like this usually are. But I just wanted some darkness and intensity and that wasn’t exactly delivered… at least, not as much as I wanted. Calista can certainly be obtuse and oblivious at times and Hayden was just boring. I just didn’t enjoy this book and I’m not sure if any of you would either. 

Seeing Sound by Albany Walker

This is book 1 the Tasting Madness series and focuses on Waylynn who has secrets which are better left in the dark and Memphis and Oswald Gravlin who can’t help but be drawn to Waylynn, to the point where they’re willing to do anything to keep her safe and happy. 

I don’t want to be mean but this book was downright lame. Like I regret ending the month with this book. I don’t like RH and this is the reason why I don’t like it. But it wasn’t the RH factor which I didn’t like, it was the book as a whole. The characters are incredibly flat; like one dimensional. Each of the three characters have exactly one personality trait each. Everything happens so fast and so conveniently that it doesn’t make sense. Like even in RH, if there are multiple love interests, there is a strong factor of jealousy among them initially which wasn’t there in this book. 

I mainly chose this book because of the title. I thought Waylynn had synesthesia, which is something I love to read about. But boy, was I disappointed. She doesn’t have synesthesia. But her condition doesn’t make sense to me when the title is explained in the book. I just wasted my time with this and yes, I regret it. 

The ending was downright absurd and frankly had me rolling my eyes with how predictable and boring it was. I’m sorry for being mean, but I’m just so disappointed. 

Circe by Madeline Miller

This is a standalone novel and a Greek mythology retelling about the witch Circe who is famous for turning her guests into animals as she thinks everyone is her enemy. And in a way everybody is, with the gods turning against her and her own family failing to accept her. But she doesn’t give up despite being shunned and shows the world just how powerful she is. 

This book is crazy popular in the book community and because of all the raves and praise this book receives, I had high expectations. But after reading it, I didn’t understand what the hype is about. The book reads more like a diary or an autobiography of Circe as she goes about her days and life. Yes, the Greek mythology aspect is interesting but I didn’t find this story as anything more than a sob story. I enjoyed it, I really did. There were some really interesting one-liners and phrases that vouch for the author’s talent, but the overall story fell short. Maybe I missed something or my two brain cell couldn’t comprehend the magnitude of this book, whatever it was, this fell short for me as well. 

Hookah by Cameron Jace

This is book 4 in the Insanity series and focuses on Pillar who is on his way to the save the world with Alice because if they don’t then the people of the world would succumb to a virus which might just destroy them. And they better hurry because the clock’s ticking. 

I’ve loved every book in this series so far and this one did not disappoint. I was also surprised how incredibly fast-paced it was. The whole novel ends in a few hours and there’s so much happening with the characters that you just keep reading and don’t realize you’ve reached the end until you do. This book will keep you turning page after page from the edge of your seat, so be warned. 

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

This is book 1 in the Rise of the Empress series and is an Asian-inspired retelling which follows Xifeng who hails from the lower class but is destined for greatness according to the stars by becoming the Empress of Feng Lu. And when she finally decides to embrace her destiny by embracing the darkness within her, Xifeng has no choice but do things she didn’t want to but would do them to gain what she truly wants. 

I loved this book so much! Reading an Asian inspired retelling was a novelty I didn’t know I needed in my life. Everything was perfectly executed in this book and I’m so glad I finally got to read this book as I started reading it a couple of years ago but couldn’t get to it. But now that I’ve read it, I’m so incredibly happy and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. 

Red Sister by Mark Lawrence

This is book 1 in the Book of the Ancestor series and revolves around the life of Nona who is taken to the Covent of Sweet Mercy where girls are trained to be killers because of an incident that could’ve cost her, her future. Nona learns a lot and makes a lot of friends and some enemies at the Convent, but when her past inevitably finds her, she has no choice but to face it or die trying. 

The book started out great. I loved the setting and the whole academia aspect of this book, to the point, that I wanted to be in this world. But the story started to drag during part two, to the point that we’re just reading about Nona’s daily routine. I understand why the author did that, but I started to feel bored and I didn’t want to feel bored. But I found myself skimming through the second half until I reached the climax. The ending was kind of confusing for me, but I would be reading the other books in the series as I did enjoy it, overall. 

So these are the books I read in the month of March. I wish I would’ve read more but I’m glad I got to read so many books even if I regretted reading some of them. Let me know if you’ve read any of the books and what you thought of them. I would love to know. I just hope I make better reading choices in the month of April. 

[beaulesbian]

okay, delusional theory time. i finally had some strength to rewatch these heartbreaking scenes and look at them from maybe a different angle.

what if, the same way will’s monologue wasn’t about el, the things mike said right before will showed him the painting weren’t about el either.

the way he starts talking about losing.. el. it’s so similar to how in vol. 1 he was worried about losing will, and how hawkins didn’t feel the same without him there.

he begins with “after this is all over.” meaning.. when they will part ways again?  will + el back to cali? mike back to hawkins?

he feels that [el] wouldn’t need him anymore.. what if it’s because he thinks [el] finds someone else?..

these are the words that el wrote in her letter. tbh we don’t know how true they are, since el has been lying pretty much about everything else in the letter. but they are still words that mike read and maybe thought about a lot.

more under cut:

and then this:

“i mean, she’s special. she was born special. maybe i was one of the first people to realize that.”

idk this thinking about el is just weird.. “born special”, does he mean she had powers since being born? and how was mike “one of the first people to realize that?” i think they all knew since they saw her she’s different.. special.

what if he is talking about someone else. someone that made him feel special too, since the day they met.

(superMAN huh, he could have compare her to a superwoman, or supergirl)

now with this in mind.. i feel, mike could have interpreted will’s monologue was actually about will, but it still left him confused what to do.

will said “like you’re scared of losing her” - which if mike could have read into the actual meaning, he connected it to how he is actually scared of losing will

if we can see that will is actually talking about himself, there’s a chance mike was thinking of will too. and i will believe that until s5 tells me otherwise ♥

then there’s the whole mike monologue in ep 9. and honestly, first of all. mike only starts once will said he has to

which is almost a continuation of will mentioning how mike is the leader, and the other will follow what he has to say (at least, that’s what Will believes in)

so he speaks

but again, what if he’s not talking exactly about el. but someone else he finds dear but can’t exactly say it directly to him

none of mike’s acting really make sense unless he does have feelings for will and can’t share them, is afraid of losing him.

he still gave weird looks to will in vol. 2, but also admires his painting and finds it incredible, loves listening to him, and he can actually open up to him.

mike and will are actually almost the only ones that had some longer two way meaningful conversations this s4. and were interrupted almost each time. 3 times in vol 1 (in jonathan’s room, then in will’s room, then on top of the car.), and in vol. 2 it was one long emotional monologue in ep 8, and then a short one in the hopper cabin in ep 9, where they were interrupted again.

now, i know i said i can’t defend mike like that again, but i feel it would be such a loss of a character if they really made him only straight and unable to properly communicate his feelings to his straight girlfriend. that’s just not good writing, it’s boring, lazy, overdone. especially since we have seen him being much more open towards himself around eddie at the beginning of s4, and multiple times around will.

so why take all that back just when he’s around el again, does he have to pretend because he can’t be himself? does he still have something to hide? it would still explain most of his behavior if he does have feelings for will.

his only two way proper moment with el was interrupted by argyle and the pineapple pizza. he was about to say something to their earlier fight in 4x3. a fight he described to will as something they can’t come back from.

the way will told him to say those words to el, i feel mike did say in a roundabout way 1. what el wanted to hear, and 2. what he does feel, but in a way they should properly talk about. bc it still could be (should be) platonic.

i guess that’s all i wanted to put together. once again, im reaching but am i? this definitely feels the only way to make sense of the mess that’s been s4 vol. 2 for me. i dont know if i can trust the duffers to write a good s5 with this mess. but we will have to see i guess.

<3