#i just don’t see stories where the endgame is anything other than a romantic relationship (if unorthodox) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

melrosing · 3 months ago

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I’m sure you’ve talked about this before but tumblr’s search function is ass 😭 what’s your endgame prediction for Jaime esp in light of the show? I think Jaime is def fighting the others as hinted in his weirwood dream. But the way got ended doesn’t feel right to me. On Reddit everyone’s saying it makes no sense so it has to be a bad adaptation of what GRRM told them but idk I don’t buy it. Especially since it seems like Cersei replaced young griff’s role

i have talked about it before but even i can't find it ha so i don't mind talking about it again however.... my thoughts on this are vague. longwinded post ahead which is more thought starters than anything definitive.

to briefly address the show ending... I mean it's literally impossible for Jaime's story to end like that, because we know that Cersei's can't end that way. Cersei is going to be murdered by the valonqar, whoever that turns out to be. and even apart from that, the book version of the twins are so done romantically. sure, there are the barest vestiges of that connection in Jaime's ADWD chapter ('back to Cersei, another part of him whispered'), but ASOS/AFFC otherwise make for an extremely thorough deconstruction of that relationship that ends with Jaime leaving Cersei for dead and wandering off the grid with Brienne. like.... GRRM didn't write all that for nothing. and sure, some people still think he might still bounce back to her in some way or another, but generally i have found.... that those theories don't tend to accompany the strongest takes on jaime's character dhjkls

for the same reason, I don't really know where this leaves us wrt the valonqar prophecy. if Jaime were still preoccupied with Cersei's cheating, he would've acted on it by now. Tyrion thinks in ACOK that if Jaime ever found out about Lancel, he'd have killed the kid himself. Jaime in AFFC suggests Lancel eat something and go to therapy. Jaime himself imagines in AFFC scenarios where he exacts revenge on the Kettleblacks and Cersei herself, and yet given the opportunity to do so.... he wanders off in the opposite direction.

the reason being that the connection Jaime once felt to Cersei has died. that bond was his reason for living, for doing anything at all - and now it's not enough for him to even stick around long enough to see what's happened to her in KL, never mind return to her side to exact revenge on her himself. in practise, he doesn't harbour the kind of action and rage he dreams about, or claims to Ilyn Payne. it's the same as how he claims he's Tywin's heir, and then keeps letting people off the hook t any given opportunity. like for all Jaime knows, he could die fighting """"the Hound"""", and never see Cersei again, and that's apparently just fine. the opposite of love isn't hate it's indifference etc. and no I don't think Jaime will ever feel truly indifferent to Cersei - she is his twin, the mother of his children, and the woman he has loved all his life. but I think it's entirely fair to say that the extremes of love and hate he felt within the context of their romance are gone, because the romance itself has gone. Jaime's feelings towards Cersei exist outside of that now.

returning to the valonqar prophecy. I don't think it's necessarily guaranteed that Jaime the valonqar, but I do think it would be myopic to claim that he isn't a real possibility. and since Cersei's end has to factor into what Jaime's is or isn't in some kind of way, I'll suppose that he is the valonqar for the sake of this post. it's not written, so I can't say how exactly I'll end up feeling about its execution, but per the previous paragraph, I don't imagine this will have anything to do with the 'Moonboy for all I know' shit. that was for AFFC. that was building to Jaime burning her letter. Jaime in TWOW is going to have left much of that behind, bc frankly he'll have other stuff to worry about.

but we know that Cersei will be dealing w wildfire (apart from what happens in the show, this is one of the most heavily foreshadowed events in the book), and whilst it's not clear when or why she'll use it, it seems like a natural site for the valonqar prophecy to come true, in whatever way it does. and Jaime has been here before w Aerys etc, this has perturbed him in other Cersei x wildfire scenes in AFFC, so it seems it's a likely full circle moment. potentially Tommen's life is wrapped up in this too - I think it's also foreshadowed that Cersei (I assume accidentally) will manage to kill Tommen in the wildfire blast as well. so like, sure, ig that would set the scene for valonqar Jaime. I've never really liked this prophecy for a whole host of reasons, but the idea of spurned lover Jaime tramping back to KL to kill Cersei over Moonboy is uh. ??? yeah im not worried about that

[as for the more sensitive implications of Jaime being the valonqar as Cersei's ex lover, which I believe exist regardless of whether the act is about Moonboy or not: I think that's an important conversation to be had, but not one I feel effectively able to have until we have the scene itself. so whilst i want to acknowledge that context, I've found that conversations aren't often productive when participants are each imagining a different version of the scene in their minds]

then we're just left to contemplate where exactly any of this comes in the broader picture of TWOW/ADOS. if it is (per the show) effectively the last act of the series, then idk. maybe Jaime dies in Cersei's wildfire/the general pyre that is KL by this point idk?? like ok sure. he saved the city once but he couldn't save it this time etc.

however I tend to believe that TLN will follow what happens in KL, or in the very least will follow Cersei's death. i'm never certain of this, but if not, it leaves you wondering what exactly Cersei, Aegon, Arianne, Joncon etc are even doing in the south throughout all this. like. carrying on as normal?? do they even notice TLN?? winter is setting in everywhere.

and I do fully believe Jaime will fight in TLN per the weirwood dream, widow's wail etc. Jaime's story is a redemption arc (whether ppl like that term or not, GRRM uses it himself), and fighting in TLN is a natural conclusion to Jaime's pivot to the pursuit of honour, and his arc's own gradual turn towards the northern storyline. Jaime's story has always been about leaving behind loyalty to individuals and institutions, and instead fighting for causes he believes in, according to his own set of values. there's also the fact that he has to attain widow's wail somehow (which i'm certain he will), and as it is currently in KL.... it seems reasonable to assume that Jaime will be stopping by KL before he moves north again. this could be a tenuous assumption or it could be entirely correct, guess we'll see. but whatever

so if TLN is the final act of the series, then Jaime either dies in TLN (fine), or possibly even survives the series (though on this I always hedge my optimism). survival possibilities include becoming Hand or a KG to Bran, joining the Night's Watch, becoming a hedge knight, literally whatever. I like the idea that he stays with Brienne whatever ends up happening, but if it's some bittersweet long distance shit then sure whatever that's workable. however i do prefer to just assume he'll die for my own sake xo

#ask #jaime lannister #cersei lannister #asoiaf

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nalyra-dreaming · 9 months ago

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About DM, having read som theories and speculations of yours and others I would love to add some of my thoughts and hear what you and @virginiaisforvampires and @cbrownjc thinks - if you are interested :)

1. Armand clearly reacted to Louis offering Daniel the Dark Gift, and reacted even more strongly to Daniel basically saying “No, thanks”. On the surface it seems in the latter instance that he was just offended by Daniel’s verbal barb, but I’m sure this is actually clever obfuscation by the writer/director/actor, no?

2. Given 1) and the foreknowledge of DM, Daniel responding ”A cure for Parkinson’s” when Armand (as Rashid) asked if Danial has everything he needs could be an unfired Chekhov’s gun…?

3. What really is/will become Armand’s endgame? I actually believe that it is as it seems, that Louis is the driving force behind this second interview. And that Armand actually be still be somewhat angry/resentful following the (presumed) breakup of DM. I think you speculated that Daniel might have wanted to leave to live a life since Armand refused to make him a vampire? While Armand might have wanted to spend the rest od Daniel’s mortal life with him? This would explain the charade, it being a way for Armand to either try to stop Daniel’s memories from resurfacing (per his request?) as well as Armand’s attitude in season one (as he seems annoyed with Daniel at times). Daniel’s terminal illness might be changing Armand’s mind however (á la DM), as previously suggested. Honestly? A part of me want to see some sort of fucked up Dracula situation, where it becomes clear gradually in a terrifying manner to Daniel that he is trapped by this ‘monster’ who claims to know him better than he knows himself/knows what’s best for him. The latter seemingly being a version of the dynamic playing out between Armand and Louis currently.

4. How will Daniel feel about Armand following season two? I think Daniel’s view of life and of the vampires has been shown to be quite different than to back in the 70s. His view of Armand must surely also be influenced by hearing of Louis’ bloody history of him? As he will presumably get to know Armand chiefly from Louis’ story and be quite critical of him - even viewing him as quite sinister as he realizes and gets Louis to realize the part Armand has played in tampering with their memories and Claudia’s death. Of course Armand is participating in the interview so his perspective will also come to light, and Daniel seems according to the trailers at one point be talking to Armand one-on-one. So he’s open to listening. I believe that Daniel’s view of Armand will be quite negative - even following the return of his memories, at least initially. That putting these memories and feelings together with his current view of life and view of Armand will be anything but simple. I would guess at this point that the romantic nature of their relationship is something that will be revealed very late - maybe even be a cliffhanger for the next season (together with other stuff).

5. A more nuanced view of Armand. However it wouldn’t completely surprise me if Louis, and possibly Daniel, somewhat consensually agreed to have some of their memories tampered with. I think Louis on some level after Claudia’s death might, due to his intense grief, wanted to emotionally “run away” so to speak. And that this series basically began with him for some reason or another now feeling ready to confront the past. So Armand’s seeming malevolence as a mind-manipulator will potentially be tampered by these facts. However Daniel will now presumably together with Louis find out about the role Armand played in Claudia’s death. Daniel’s empathy for Claudia is somewhat limited though, understandably as he has the human perspective and does, quite rightly, not excuse her murderous ways. But he might dislike Armand due to the self-serving aspect of the trial? Or maybe not?

6. At this point, I don’t think Louis and Daniel have been in a serious romantic relationship. I wouldn’t be surprised if they hooked up or something similar but Louis seemed very genuine and definitive in welcoming Daniel as a friend he met once/or a few times years ago recording the tapes. If he was hiding a past history and/or romantic relationship from Daniel I think he would behaved differently. Of course he could also not remember, but I don’t think that’s the case here.

7. I guess what I’m most curious about is what kind of dynamic will take form between Daniel and Armand during and immediately following season two? I would love to hear your thoughts. Also the Dracula comparison was not my idea but something I’ve read somewhere here. So sorry for long post! Love your blog!

Hey!

Glad you like! <3

Sorry this took a moment (the answer is also a bit longer^^)

He did. And yes, it might contain obfuscation, but mostly… I think Armand was almost afraid that Daniel would accept the gift from Louis. Maybe Louis offered before, maybe he did not, but Armand surely didn’t. And… Armand loves Daniel. Ultimately Daniel will be his only fledgling. There is a level of possessiveness to that, of course, and also to the not-healed bite marks on Daniel’s throat, which more than likely did not just stem from Louis’ attack (because Armand would have needed to heal Daniel there at least a bit, and over the following 12 years he bit Daniel often). I think there are a lot of things at play. For the book readers it is a nice little easter egg on various levels (both Daniel’s and Armand’s past together and also Armand’s personal past being referenced), but also something more hinted at, something we have not been shown yet. Though, given the title of that music part (Alice is in her third trimester) a while back - maybe we will get to see it. Something must have happened to make Armand let Daniel go, and the repeated refusal in the books served to open a rift between them. I could easily see that happen here as well. That said, it would mean that we will get a LOT more DM in s2 than thought so far… and I’m not sure that will be the case. What I could easily see is Daniel reminiscing (or getting memories back) about the moment he “got his shit together” as he called it in s1 - but I do not think we will get all of what that entailed yet.

Most certainly :) I think he’s already getting it. Fareed is not there to play around after all^^.

I have speculated that the aforementioned rift that developed through Armand’s repeated refusal to turn Daniel will lead to Daniel seeking other … comforts. But I think it would actually need a big reason (like a baby…) to make him struggle for real - and I could see someone else then decide to end that struggle. Put an end to the hunt/relationship because it was not good for Daniel, ultimately, and because Armand could not be moved. As per Armand… I think Armand did acquiesce to Louis’ wishes to have Daniel redo the interview, and he likely was not happy about it. I mean, imagine how it would be to see the love of your life... and said love of your life does not remember you. Verbally throws things at you. It must be a wild mix of feelings for Armand, from annoyance over helpless love to utter devastation. No wonder he tried to literally hide from it. I do think Armand was already aware of Daniel’s sickness - the aforementioned medicine by Fareed he is getting - that had to be prepared. Planned, designed. Researched. Whatever it is they are giving him is not what they claim it to be (the side effects don’t match), and… given Daniel is not stupid he might hone in on that pretty soon. Now, in the books there is a pharmaceutical empire that is led by a powerful ancient vampire, Gregory, and he and Seth (who is Akasha’s son and Fareed’s lover/maker) are roughly on the same level. Seth, but mostly Fareed, builds whole research centers for the vampires. There is a LOT of potential for the show to hook into that, and I actually think both the more physical sex and the absent death sleep during the day are thanks to Fareed. If that will ever be spelled out? No idea, but the first is something Fareed already makes happen in the books and the second is something he plans to remove… so I do think that is connected. I think whoever is orchestrating behind the scenes (coughs prime minister coughs) wanted to help Daniel to live long enough to maybe reconcile Armand and Daniel. And for that Daniel needs his memories back. If that is Armand though… the show will tell :)

Well, I think it will be the same as in the book when the memories come back - Daniel will realize that he “loved this thing”, this monster, despite everything. Despite knowing what Armand has done. That is part of the horror, that the lover overshadows everything he knows, and that he is, in a way, helpless against that. Oh, I’m sure there will be a development of feeling, of course. But ultimately Daniel will realize that he loved Armand - absolutely, totally - and then eventually he will realize that he still does. And that will make him just as confused and vulnerable and hurt, and emotional as it makes Armand.

I can easily see Louis saying something like “I want the pain to stop” or something similar, and then Armand taking that as his cue to interfere. The thing is, Armand back then… is not the Armand in Dubai. DM happened in-between and it changed him. So when Armand likely “tinkered” with Louis’ mind back then it was more to serve himself - when he “tinkered” with Louis’ mind later on it was likely to help Louis. However he did and what that tinkering might entail. So yes, Daniel might challenge him on his part in it all, of course. I am counting on it, actually. Because Daniel is there to pull the truth out of Armand - that is (part of) why the interview is being redone. And of course that will shape Daniel’s view of him further - only the feelings won’t care for that view when they come back. Armand was quite the “villain” in the earlier books - that changed a bit with the later ones. But he is still a coven master, and Lestat calls him “ruthless” in the books. The show will present both Armands to us in direct confrontation - and I bet the emotions of the audience will be just as tumultuous as Armand’s and Louis’ and Daniel’s own are by this confrontation.

Oh, Daniel and Louis… probably got along really well and even intimately during those 12 years. I think Louis definitely has a personal connection to him, much more than in the book. It’s a weird relationship triangle they have there, and soon Lestat will be added to the mix - and I bet it will be revealed that Daniel has met Lestat before (as well).

I think after s2 Daniel will still be an old man, still be the interviewer, the chronicler. But remembering much, much more, and therefore challenging whoever else is on that couch then (I expect Lestat) a lot more as well. For example wrt episode 5. I would bet real money that we will get episode 5 in s3 from Lestat’s POV. Because by now I think there was nothing random, or unplanned about it. This show is a puzzle, and we have had only a few pieces. I think Armand and Daniel… will be very … raw with each other. Emotions are high, vulnerability as well. There will be intimate moments, but also rejection. Daniel’s view on eternity will change at some point, and probably rather rapidly with the memories coming back. There will be anger at the meddling. Daniel is no pushover. He will challenge them, and especially Armand. At some point he will realize that he does not need to ask - he can demand, to an extent at least. And that will change the dynamic once more.

It will be very, very interesting to watch^^.

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doodlegraveyard · 7 days ago

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High its been a while im always wondering how people will handle bloom's and sky's relationship especially on sky's side so i wanted to know how your gonna do it

Hi again Seth @seth-the-whalelord!! Thank you for being interested :)c

Big blab ahead:

Sky is so hard for me because im trying not to let the residual haterism from my childhood keep me from writing him a good arc. There’s not a lack of criticism for him in the fandom so I won’t beat a dead horse. Honestly the bones of the story are there - he fucks up plenty, and he causes some good conflict and story drama, I honestly think the story just needs to follow through.

A lot gets fixed by just……..working on Bloom and Sky being friends? In general I have beef with how aggressively paired off everyone in the winx/specialist groups are and I think its a bit ridiculous how it seems at times like they don’t have friendships with each other outside their significant others. With a cast as huge as Winx has, communicating a group dynamic is SO important to combat it feeling bloated.

I think a big Sky problem to me is, he does some things that we see are short sighted/ hurtful to Bloom, but its like…I feel like when he’s not doing something that we (fandom) is booing at him for he’s also not doing anything that interesting? When Riven does something that sucks the story makes sure you know it, everyone says it sucks, the narrative knows it sucks. But he’s arguably the Specialist who has the biggest story beats, and that’s memorable. I think it really does not help Sky in any of our memories that the main things he does in early seasons are when he ditches bloom when he sees the fake prophecy from the trix, and that he dated her while neglecting to say anything about his arranged marriage, and that it doesn’t REALLY feel like he made any changes or did any growth about these things.

So a lot of what Bloom and Sky have going on for me are[loose vibe outline]: they mutually crush on each other early on, but they don’t really know each other. I like to imagine they’re both the bantery-y type so they have a lot of fast paced clever exchanges. They have the idea of someone, and of course that isn’t a stable thing to have a relationship based on - they wind up hurting each other because that’s what happens when you date the idea of someone in your head. They would spend MOST of the story not actually together, but they’re very important for each others arcs

My Bloom had a much more defined misfit weirdo vibe growing up, so some of what she deals with in gaining this group of friends is these underlying trust issues she has. She very much is ‘hot and cold’ - goes from being impulsively smitten with Sky before she knows him that well to thinking the worst of him once she thinks that he’s purposefully fucking with her feelings.

Meanwhile Sky really wants to be seen as Normal and likes Bloom because he sees her as a down to earth girl. However he needs to actually look at himself and realize that the way he was raised and the privileges he has /do/ affect his perspectives and how he acts, and he has to own up to that. a lot of the time because hot-headed Bloom will call him out on it. And being okay with the fact that the charming ‘normal’ girl he likes actually has a lot going on that takes priority over him!!

Sky starts out defensive but comes to really value the person Bloom pushes him to be. He likes her because of her fiery passion and ability to stand up for what she believes, something Sky would be envious of. Meanwhile Bloom, ever the escapist, learns she'd rather know him, a guy who has worked hard to gain humility and be a better person, and a friend who will stand by her even at her worst, than just the rakish knight in shining armor she took him for. I have this idea of doing something with the relationships where im not defining every endgame ship… my goal is that Sky is definitely written as one of Blooms primary potential romantic interests, and they have chemistry and growth together such that you can easily imagine them together by the end of the series/story, but I’m not actually making anything set in stone official.. so u know ppl can do what they want….

#winx #winx club #winx bloom #winx sky #winx rewrite #i actually dont know what the ship tag is??#asks #seth-the-whalelord

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devine-fem · 10 months ago

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lol might get hate for this but in my opinion in terms of the ranking the SuperBat pairings….

1.) Damijon/Jondami- Yes I’m completely bias but I never felt this strong for such a pairing (regardless either platonic/romantic! ) Such an iconic (chaotic) duo! I’m glad the dynamic of Damian and Jon worked out well and is well loved!

2.) Superbat-I mean they are the OGs and I can get why fans love their dynamic and pair them! I’m more bromance for them but I do look forward to their interactions whenever the two appear together!

3.) Timkon-I’m neutral for them. I like the fanarts if I see them but otherwise I think they seem more aesthetically good together than like actually together. Hey at least Tim has Bernard now and personally Kon deserves better.

Jon + Damian have squashed potential. Their friendship would have done both their characters so much good. Eventually, as they grew Jon would have felt like he’d have to chase after Damian and keep up and Damian would seek and find in Jon when it comes to anything he can’t obtain as a hero.

Out of all the popular ships, this one is particularly rare.

Imagine a world where Jon and Damian did engage in a romantic relationship in later years. I think it would be great queer rep to show two people who knew each other as friends - grappling with the same heroic pressures and coming to terms with the fact that they might not want to be just friends anymore (a common queer experience) I also think that in stories where they are do become Batman and Superman, it’d feel very refreshing to see DC have the courage to portray an iteration of their most popular characters like that.

These characters are both fairly new and not so much engraved into the audience. They both know each other and share chemistry so there wouldn’t be a lot of room for complaint.

Superbat is meh to me. Over the years, It has done a lot regarding DC fandom, it’s a ship that’s become iconic and is popular amongst passive fans which could become quite annoying.

Superbat is realistically, never going to happen. Respectfully, I doubt DC would do anything in all seriousness when it comes to anything romantic between these two.

Especially with the obvious things like how Batman is and how Clark has a wife and kids.

Although, no ship is shipped under the ideation of becoming canon so I give this pair its flowers because honestly, it could be nice in domestic situations or maybe a workplace relationship but I don’t see it being endgame or like anything happening at all in a likable way.

Timkon, I’m very, very bias about how much I dislike Timkon. Most Timkon shippers realistically do not read comics and I know this because I was one at first for a short amount of time and realized how deluded and far off from the truth Timkon actually is.

It’s crazy to me because fandom is so intense about this ship and all for it to be… alright?

A lot of Timkon stuff is boiled down to being one-sided on Tim’s part. It really irks me that Timkon's evidence is like Tim trying to clone Conner while knowing that he has a thing about not being cloned because he’s a clone himself which irks me.

Then him dating his ex-girlfriend is a HUGE red flag to me, especially when their relationship was semi-abusive and built on grief but good thing it didn’t last.

Also, Tim and Conner are NOT as close as people pretend they are. Conner doesn’t know much about Tim beyond him being Robin, they don’t hang out outside of being heroes.

In reality, Conner doesn’t know much about Tim at all and he’s much closer with his other teammates - literally any other YJ teammate other than Tim. Conner's established friendship with Tim caused a lot of really horrible character assassinations on Bart, Cassie, and Conner. It pushed all characters aside in an attempt to emphasize their relationship.

If they were to have a relationship then people acknowledge its toxicity - see toxicity doesn’t take away from shipability but frankly, I think both these characters deserve to be happy.

If they did date, I seriously give them half a year before they break up. I’m happy Tim is with Bernard because he seems much happier than he’s ever been. I’m sorry, reading those comics it felt like Tim was just grieving his friend after having lost a family member and he was spiraling and needing help, that’s not ‘cute’ to me.

Anyway, I notice Timkon shippers use Kon more as an accessory to Tim and melt his character down for that. If they read his comics then they’d know that he is canonically attracted to Bart anyway (I say canonically because of the on-the-nose insinuation which I take as gospel because it’s crazy for a writer to just outright mention Conner might be attracted to Bart.) Which Bart is most of the reason Conner is queer coded like he is now anyway.

Anyway, not saying all Timkon shippers are horrible but I don’t like the shippers or the ship. It’s substanceless for me. If you like it I’m very happy for you. I think all of these ships are iconic and adorable. This is just me being a person with an opinion.

Anyway, my thoughts.

#asks #conner kent #damian wayne #jon kent #jonathan kent #super sons #dc comics #batman #clark kent

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queerofcups · 1 year ago

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Dear Yuletide 2023 Writer

Hi Yuletide writer! This is my first time doing Yuletide, so thank you SO much for the fic you’re gonna write. It probably doesn’t exist yet, but I already love it. Please don’t take my chattiness as directives (other than my DNWs), I’m really just putting you in the general arena of stories I wanna read, go wild from there.

Requests: Worlds Beyond Number (Podcast)

I know Word of God is that Suvi, Ame, and Eursulon are faaaaamily, but I think it’s legal to think the kid you went to summer camp with turned out to be a hottie actually.

There’s so! much! tension! Between these three and its nearly all unspoken and I think that’s very sexy and interesting

OT3 endgame, but totally fine with pre-endgame hookups & feelings between any two members of our little party

Plotwise, go nuts here, I’ll take anything from silly falling into bed together to the serious, hard work of making a relationship work with people with VERY different politics, or even the aforementioned, “oh damn, such and such got hot???” fic. I just want more of these three together.

The Bear (TV 2022)

Carmy and Sid hooking up would be a TERRIBLE idea, professionally speaking, and probably also emotionally speaking. I want to read about the ways that it could go wrong and why they do it anyway. Do they keep it a secret? Do they fail at keeping it a secret? Is it incredibly obvious to the rest of the crew?

I’ve read a lot of very sweet fics where they fall in love and all is great, and those are wonderful, but I think messy power dynamics are hot and interesting and they’ve got bad idea written all over them.

Bonus bonus points if you engage with what food, cooking and meals mean to both of them.

Barbie (Movie 2023)

Let Barbie be gay!!!! Greta Gerwig was trying to tell us something with all that Indigo Girls and Birkenstock and I wanna read someone picking up what she’s putting down. Barbie’s first gay hookup! Barbie’s first, third and fifteenth u-haul! What does it mean for an idea that’s an icon of heterosexuality to become a person who…isn’t straight!

Whether it’s funny or deadly serious, I’m interested in what people imagine might happen if Barbie turns out to be a lesbian, specifically.

Joy Ride (2023)

I can’t be the only one who saw some sexual tension between Lolo and Kat. Do they become rivals for Audrey’s affections? Is it a competition to see how many people they can sleep with (and then they end up sleeping with each other?). Does Kat realize that her hubby is great, but actually can’t keep up with her and has to outsource? The world’s your oyster here, anon!

General Likes:

Emotional introspection from characters

Descriptions of setting, food, sensations, etc

Messy lines between friendship, romantic relationships and sexual relationships

Messy & fucked up power dynamics - Not necessarily dead dove, but any semi-realistic takes on people who, due to their positions, really shouldn’t be doing this

A lot (most?) of my request involve at least one person of color. I like fic that acknowledges that those experiences mean something. I don’t need an anti-racism TED talk or anything, it’s just nice to know that someone’s thinking about that kind of stuff.

Gay shit! Similar to the note above, I’m not looking for a TED talk, but I like fics to contend with what it might mean to be a queer person in the world (if its a canon where that matters)

Smut wise: public sex, sex pollen, ABO (if you’re gonna say something thoughtful about sex/gender/sexuality), casual kink, edging, descriptions of sensation

Tropewise: I like curtainfic, I don’t mind an AU (love mail-order bride AUs, arranged marriage AUs, anything requiring people to get used to each other)

A note on femslash: I’m not interested in fic that’s gender swapped men. Also, I love fic about trans women, but I’m not interested in futa fic.

Hard Nos: * Noncon (Dubcon is fine, but I need there to be clear signs of the no becoming/being a yes) * Underage * Major Character Death (in which they stay dead) * No scat, no puke, no pee, I feel neutral about blood, sweat, spit, etc. Race play, racial slurs being used in non-reclaimed way

General Dislikes: *Purely sweet, fluffy fics *Grimdark, dead dove, trauma for the sake of trauma *High School AUs *Crossovers w other media *Kink being formally negotiated on screen *Kidfic *Pregnancy fic (but I am fine with dealing with an unexpected pregnancy) *Gen fic *COVID mentions are fine, but no COVID plotpoints

#yuletide 2023 #sorry about the long post #i do not know how to do cuts on tumblr anymore apparently #don't mind me

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percontaion-points · 1 year ago

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The Chemist chapter 22

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Chapter 22

She hit the [send] button. Things couldn’t get that much worse, anyway.

I mean, Daniel could be dead. So don’t say that it couldn’t get worse, because they 100% can.

“Was that a drug deal, then?”

[...]

“You think he’ll tell someone about us?”

On a list of people that could and would be questioned about Julie/Kevin/Daniel, the college kid selling dope on the street corner is not going to be of much interest to the government. I doubt that he’d even flag their system as a possible witness.

She supposed it was inevitable, the way they’d been carrying on, that given a quiet place far away, for the moment, from any danger, with just the two of them together and no interruptions, there would be nothing to keep them apart any longer.

Again, I’m not exactly seeing anything romantic in their relationship. Julie is coming from three years of forced isolation and no more contact than necessary with other humans. Of course she’s touch starved!

And I’ve kept saying this, but Daniel is suffering from a combination of the aftereffects of torture plus some form of Stockholm Syndrome.

Both of those things mixed with their constant near-death experiences are pushing them together. I’m willing to bet that once the danger has resolved by the end of the story, their attraction towards one another will wane, and they’ll break up. It’s not exactly like they have much in common besides shared trauma.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips. “I love you.”

Even if you ignore EVERYTHING that I said about how wrong that their relationship is, they’ve still known each other for barely a week at this point. Slow down there, champ.

Happiness with a deadline, just like she’d thought before. Only the happiness was greater now. And the deadline was crueler.

Chapter 22 summary: They stop for more gas and to stock up on food without incident. Then Julie goes into a 24-hour internet cafe to finally send the email. As she’s walking back to the car, she sees a drug deal going down. So she goes over and asks for drugs; she assures Daniel that a drug dealer would likely not rat her out.

They continue on to the cabin, where they both collapse in bed for a few hours. When Julie wakes up, she looks around some and showers; in the process, she determines that it’s been a while since anybody was there.

She goes back to the bed where Daniel is still asleep, but she can’t stop thinking about what the future might hold for either of them. Daniel wakes up, randomly confesses his love for her, and they start making out.

Mercifully, Kevin calls and cockblocks them once again. He says that although Julie sent the email, it only forced the guy he was watching to start moving more “underground”. Going into somebody else’s office to make calls, etc. The email only told him that he was being watched, and kind of had the opposite effect. Regardless, we’re in the endgame here, and they can’t exactly throw in the towel. He asks that they come to DC. He also gives them the address of a dog boarding place in Georgia, and a story for Julie to tell as to why Lola is shot in the leg.

In the garage, Julie is excited to see a SUV that are a dime-a-dozen on the road. Bland, boring SUV with Virginia plates. Nobody will see them coming. Daniel is sceptical about stealing from old family friends, so Julie promises that they’ll return the car if they’re alive to do so. Besides, they’re leaving Humvee, which is worth way more than the SUV. They then force themselves to sleep during the day, so that they can head out for Georgia around 2 AM.

#the chemist #chapter 22 #spy thriller #new adult #contemporary fiction #romance novels

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girl4music · 6 months ago

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Finally got the chance to comment about this article.

First of all, I want to say that I never really realized that Nicole Haught wasn’t the only queer character to not be killed off throughout the entire show’s run. Wow.

Second of all, I want to address this part of the article.

“Why It Matters.

The point I’m trying to make in all this is that killing off queer characters isn’t necessary. There are ways to write dramatic tension that don’t involve death, and Emily Andras just proved that in spades with the most recent season of Wynonna Earp. Death, maiming, torture, and suffering as default for Dramatic Satisfaction™ and Shock and Awe™ just isn’t going to cut it anymore.

Neither is flat, overly saccharine, stakes-less storytelling that ditches true dramatic tension for predictability seemingly to avoid pissing off queer audiences. I don’t know about you, but the idea that I have to be treated like I could ‘go off’ at any second because queer characters face any kind of threat feels pandering and condescending. We deserve better than that, too.

In the end, it’s about building trust with your audience. Once Andras proved that she’s not out to kill us, we can trust her to handle WayHaught with the delicacy it deserves. We don’t have to worry that Waverly will kill Nicole, or that Nicole’s secret marriage will completely destroy their relationship. Having proven that she cares about the community and representing our characters well, audiences can lean into the tension of the narrative without fear that it means death, suffering, or a breakup.

Wynonna Earp proves this middle road can be walked. Queer female audiences now know that they don’t just have to hope for better than infantilizing or destructive stories, they can actually get better stories. We can get well-paced, well-written sexy, sexy drama that honors character growth, plot, and themes. We can see our faves and their romantic relationship survive anything and everything the plot throws at them. We can get Unkillable Queers.”

Look,… while I am fully sympathetic to the notion of how harmful the Bury your Gays trope is and how often queer female characters get killed off in particular, I do think people take this trope to the extreme when they claim it. Queer characters, female or otherwise, can be killed off in TV art/entertainment without perpetuating BYG. It just depends on HOW and WHY they’re killed off. Whether it makes sense, whether it’s the most appropriate endgame for them depending on what type of character they are and where their story goes. Xena’s death in the final episode of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ is highly regarded as Bury your Gays in the Xenite fandom and I 1000% disagree with that statement because of the respect to who Xena is as a character and the fact that she had all the agency in whether she should stay dead or be brought back to life. SHE’S the one saying that she has to stay dead. SHE’S the one that chooses a heroes death. To die with a sword in her hands. While I don’t like the plot for those last 2 episodes of the show because I think it’s lazy writing, I do like that the queer lead female protagonist character has all the agency in deciding and that her love has to respect her wishes in that. That is not a Bury your Gays situation to me at all. Bury your Gays, to me at least, is when a queer character gets killed off completely unawares and therefore has no chance to have any agency in what happens to them, and either during an intimate moment with their love or right after intimate relations have happened - because that comes across in the narrative as a direct punishment for being queer. Bury your Gays to me is Tara’s death, Lexa’s death, Villanelle’s death - there are many more examples…

Just killing any queer female character off at all does not immediately make it perpetuating that harmful trope. Some deaths of queer characters actually made the storytelling better or more consistent not only for all other characters but that character as well and I would say Xena is one as she does die how she wants to, and given what is set up with the soulmates AU’s, it actually makes the most sense for her to die first. The way the plot goes isn’t the best writing in the world, I do agree there. But death for her character’s endgame is not wrong and is certainly not perpetuating Bury your Gays. And I’m sure there’s other deaths of queer female characters that aren’t either. While, yes, I do understand that killing off queer female characters is a a cheap, easy and lazy way often used to build the tension and create higher stakes in the narrative or be the catalyst for evolving another character’s arc… it is not always done with malicious intention when it does look and feel like Bury your Gays and sometimes a queer character dying point blank does not look or feel like Bury your Gays at all. For example, I consider Tara’s death to be Bury your Gays because it looks and feels that way to me personally, but I can guarantee you that it was never intended that way and I could legitimately tell you that it rarely ever is any time it’s happened. It’s been claimed by the queer community and those claims are of course valid but I really do think they’re claimed too often out of anxiety and pain and not enough out of reason and logic.

It’s an extremely controversial subject to talk about and I am sympathetic to that but in all honesty I think the real problem with this harmful trope is a lack of education on it. A true understanding of what it is to kill a queer character and the tragic legacy it has led.

And lastly, I would like to say, once again, how much Emily Andras and Co have proved that to have a compelling and satisfying dramatic story in a show, you do not have to kill off any queer character at all and congratulate her and her team on how well she proved this by still putting her queer characters in life-threatening situations in deep respect to them as main or significant recurring queer characters in a supernatural/fantasy storytelling but showing that having them survive and thrive can still be satisfying and completely natural and logical in the narrative.

When it comes to my interest and engagement in TV show storytelling, i am always much more concerned about the story told and how and why it is being told than I am in how representation anxiety eclipses it. Meaning - I don’t have an issue with a female queer character being killed off so long as it’s written well and it makes the most sense both within the narrative and for that character’s own character development. I’ve always believed Xena’s death especially was the right or most appropriate endgame for her character because she had all the agency in it happening and how it happened and because it’s consistent with what was set up many seasons before it happened. There are other examples I can give where I believe this but I think I’ve made my point well with Xena.

Thematically it has some issues because it’s not a nice message to leave the show on and can be considered as glorifying suicidal ideation but it does make sense for a character like Xena to choose to die in the end regardless of how much we believe she didn’t deserve to and how much we wanted her to forgive herself. If she had had no agency - none whatsoever - then I would have had major problems with what happened.

In the final Pride Month throwback, @gnjoneswriter lays out her argument for The Unkillable Queer in fiction.

#wynonna earp #unkillable queer #nicole haught #katherine barrell #bury your gays #xena warrior princess #xena #lucy lawless #trope #subversion #storytelling #emily andras #character representation #character development #wlw representation #the fandomentals

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thepenultimateword · 2 years ago

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Hey! Hope you’re taking care of yourself <3

I’m interested in your favourite tropes vs your least favourite tropes? As well as favourite vs least favourite character dynamics? Thanks! :)

Favorite Tropes:

Fake Dating

Arranged Marriage (bonus if they’re royalty or at least one of them is)

Found Family

Enemies to Lovers/Rivals to lovers

Love-hate relationships

Slow Burn romance

Second Loves (if it’s done right)

Physically weak/average male characters with arcs that having nothing to do with getting strong

Rags to Riches

Pirates (is that a trope?)

Space westerns (that’s probably more a genre)

Least Favorite Tropes:

Love triangles (I despise almost nothing more)

That things romances do where the protagonist’s long time crush ends up being a horrible, terrible person because apparently that’s the only way to justify them choosing the main love interest. Like why does there have to be something wrong with them? Why can’t they just decide they don’t like the person anymore?

Strong female characters who aren’t actually strong female characters (either because they don’t actually do anything, or because they’re emotionless robots that think they’re better than everyone)

Affairs/cheating (especially when the person they’re having an affair with is endgame). I don’t feel like I can support the relationship when they’re hurting other people in the process.

Isekai. Well, more specifically, reincarnation isekai. I know it’s popular but I just hate it. Do you know how many times I start reading a fantasy story that could genuinely stand on its own as it is, and the main character suddenly goes “you know I’m not actually the princess, I’m actually a 28 year old woman from 2022 who was hit by a bus and reincarnated into the body of my favorite fantasy character” and then the fact they’re actually from 2022 has almost nothing to do with the plot? Aggggh! Sorry, I could go on forever.

Rich, hot man falls in love with girl whose only personality traits are being messy and clumsy.

Childhood sweethearts. I don’t know why, but as soon as I find out halfway through the story that they knew each other as children, I get mad. There are very few exceptions.

Favorite Character Dynamics:

Sorry I’m advance these are mostly romantic dynamics

Sunshine and grumpy (romantic or platonic)

Alien x human (like imagine a Star Trek setting where they are coworkers on a star ship and need to learn each others cultures or like awkward first contact, also acceptable )

Monster x human (this can range from vampires to werewolves to sirens to whatever)

Villain x villain

Bromances (just ultra platonically devoted to each other)

Strong female x weak(er) male

Popular girl x unpopular/nerdy boy (I don’t see this one a ton, its usually the reverse)

Tol x smol

Flirty x stoic

Least Favorite Character Dynamics:

Adult x minor (unless they’re two years apart, it’s very uncomfortable for me)

Teacher x student (unless that student is in college and their professor is close to them in age)

I feel like there has to be more, but for some reason I’m totally blanking.

#no writing #tropes #fav tropes #character dynamics

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randommusingsstuff · 3 years ago

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Why Ben and Devi are Endgame (Meta)

At the heart of every rom-com, it always comes down to this: what does the protagonist truly want?

Why Devi and Paxton Don’t Work

In the season 2 finale, Devi triumphantly says “So, I guess I'm Paxton Hall-Yoshida’s girlfriend now”. She got what she thought she wanted at the start of her journey, only it’s not what she wants anymore.

Although Devi cares for Paxton, she views him as a status symbol. Paxton, for all his growth, still sees himself as cooler than her. And no, he was not just embarrassed because she cheated on him. Before he knew she was cheating, he invited his friends on their first date and refused to call her his girlfriend. In the finale, it once again takes someone else to point out that he shouldn’t blow her off. As Devi and Paxton walk into the dance, he gives his friends a sheepish look while they judge him. Not only does he still have lingering feelings of embarrassment, his friends’ reactions suggest turbulence ahead for their relationship.

There is also a lack of communication between Paxton and Devi. They have a magical kiss by the window, and makeout sessions afterwards, but they don't actually talk about their relationship in that elapsed time. Devi makes the assumption that they are together and Paxton doesn’t articulate what he wants until it is forced out of him.

What can we conclude from this? Paxton is a great character, but he is not the one for Devi. They have differing interests and goals, a lack of communication and they do not see each other for their true worth.

Can the writers surmount all of these issues to give them an endgame? Yes, but it would require fundamentally changing who Devi and Paxton are.

Why Devi and Ben Work

In episode 1 of season 2, Devi wants to pick Ben but her friends talk her out of it. This is crucial to understanding why they belong together: her gut instinct has already revealed the truth. She had both guys vying for her and she wanted Ben. Just by this one fact alone, we can infer that Devi’s relationship with Ben was more meaningful to her than her pursuit of Paxton in season 1.

When it’s revealed that Devi is two-timing the boys, Paxton is hurt but Ben is devastated. Paxton likes her, but Ben connected with her on a deeper emotional level. Devi follows Paxton out of the party, which is understandable because he is the one walking away. Again, this is cleverly hinting at their communication styles. Paxton wants to avoid the situation and Ben wants to talk about it. From Ben’s perspective, Paxton is the guy she has wanted for so long and he is the second choice.

Throughout the season, Ben never considers the fact that Devi could want him over Paxton, which is equal parts sad and infuriating. Her therapist asks what she wants more than anything and she says Ben. In context, it’s a comical line, but it’s also Devi revealing her truth. Like she does at the beginning of the season, she makes a choice and it’s Ben. She pursues Ben romantically before Paxton even though Paxton is the one more willing to forgive her.

It takes Ben longer to forgive her, and yet he is still there for her when she needs help. The little things he does like give her advice about Aneesa and make her feel better about Paxton’s rejection all show Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben.

As an aside, they had the opportunity to show Devi being vulnerable with Paxon but didn’t take it. In episode 8 of season 2, Paxton sees Devi crying and she reveals that she got into a really bad fight with Eleanor. I was thinking: here it is, here is the moment that Paxton finally helps Devi with her problems... but no. His response is “seems like you’re in a fight with lots of people” and the conversation quickly shifts to her apologizing and helping him yet again. Devi is able to open up to Ben and be supported by him in a way that she can’t with Paxton.

Before I talk about the finale, which is arguably the biggest point in Ben and Devi’s favour, I want to look at the season overall. The entire story arc is Ben and Devi wanting to be together but constantly running into roadblocks in the form of Eleanor/Fabiola, Paxton and Aneesa. It was so alarmingly obvious they belonged together after season 1, that the writers had to find ways to forcibly separate them for the time being. It’s important for Ben and Devi’s relationship that she dates Paxton first. If she had been allowed to go for Ben, they would have had to explore Devi wondering what she missed out on. When Devi and Ben do get their happy ending, it will be because Devi has realized that Paxton is not the person for her.

In the finale of season 2, we get 3 crucial scenes from Devi and Ben. The first is the bathroom scene which reaffirms Devi’s ability to be vulnerable with Ben and his ability to support her (something she doesn’t have with Paxton). The second is their tension-filled scene at the dance where they longingly stare at each other. This directly contrasts the scene in episode 8, where Devi tries to reframe her mindset and stop seeing Ben as someone she is attracted to. Here, it becomes apparent that she is unable to stop thinking about him in a romantic way despite actively trying.

The third scene is basically Eleanor saying “you dummy, she wanted to choose you!”. The writers intentionally reference the pros-cons scene from episode 1, re-affirming that Devi wants Ben. The only reason they are not together is because he is not an option.

Then we get the line “it wasn’t always him”. Many Devi and Paxton fans believe her choice was Ben, but he took too long and now it’s too late. But when has it ever been too late for a main love interest in a rom-com? Mindy Kaling is a rom-com savant, and she knows as well as I do that it’s only ever “too late” for douchey guys who do not acknowledge the self-worth of the heroine. That’s not Ben though, he has always seen Devi for who she is.

The heartbreak on Ben’s face is infinitely worse than Paxton’s voicemail at the end of season 1, although these scenes are meant to parallel each other. Devi and Paxton are two people who like each other but do not work as a long-term relationship. Ben and Devi are two people who work as a long-term relationship but never acknowledge their feelings for each other at the right time. It’s a tragedy just waiting to be rectified in season 3.

Season 3 Predictions

Now that I've given my analysis on why Devi and Ben are meant to be, here are some predictions I have on the Devi-Ben-Paxton love triangle for season 3.

Fabiola/Eleanor will be the ones to help Devi act on her true feelings for Ben. This one is a no-brainer for me. After sabotaging their chance to be happy in the first place, Fabiola and Eleanor will decide that they want their friend to be happy and set things right. It will also parallel Ben mending their friendship in season 1.

Paxton and Devi will have some sweet moments in the first half of the season, but not without their issues. The lack of communication and their respective status (the way they view each other) will cause them to fight. They will break-up mid-season, but the ending will leave hope for reconciliation.

On that note, I do not think they will kill the love triangle. Even though we will likely see Devi confessing her feelings for Ben and saying that she wanted to choose him all along, this is still a TV show. Contentious love triangles = buzz and money.

Ben and Aneesa will break up by mid-season, but probably earlier. Ben will find it hard to be in a relationship with Aneesa as he grapples with his feelings for Devi.

Ben will be a pillar of support to Devi as she navigates how to be a girlfriend. It’s the classic trope of the guy helping the girl win over the man of her dreams, only to realize that the person she wants is right in front of her.

Devi and Ben’s friendship and lingering feelings will culminate in an epic finale confession and kiss. Everything that they were unable to say to each other last season will be spoken aloud in season 3.

Ben and Devi are soulmates, drawn to each other and unable to avoid their feelings. I can’t wait for them to take over my life again next year.

#benvi #ben x devi #ben gross #devi vishwakumar #nhie #nhie season 2 #never have i ever #never have I ever season 2

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wenellyb · 4 years ago

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Is Sambucky Canon or Not?

TL;DR: Yes, it is

I've seen some people saying that they only see friendship between Sam and Bucky, and I can understand that. Because depending on your education, the environment you grew up and the kind of media you’re usually exposed to, you will have a different interpretation of different situations, in real life or in TV. Just let me insert a short story before I dive into the Sambucky topic:

My best friend's uncle is in his fifties and has been living with his roommate (a man) for more than 10 years. They lived together, went on holidays together but officially were just roommates. My best friend wondered if they were a couple, but never talked about it to her parents because it wasn't her business. Two years ago, they decided to come out and get married. My best friend's parents and his parents were genuinely surprised, they were not expecting that, at all, not even a little bit. Let me tell you that it didn’t even cross their mind that it was a possibility, at all. For them, it had always just been two men who had decided to live together because they were single. And preferred to have a roommate rather than living alone.

What I want to say with this story is that people will see what they want to see, or what they're used to see, or what they were raised to see. It’s human.

What I mean is that you will have different perception of a same event, depending on your own circumstances. And I think the writers of TFATWS were counting on that a little bit when it came to Sam and Bucky’s relationship. They obviously didn't want to make some big announcement or big love declaration.

And yes, of course, I have my own circumstances as well, influencing the way I see things. I have shipped SamBucky since Civil War, when they were supposedly enemies. I never expected anything to happen between them on screen. But then they got a show together and I was so so happy about it but I didn't expect anything other than friendship between them.

I was perfectly fine with that because a show was already more than enough: my man Sam Wilson was becoming Captain America, the show was great, the characters were great, their interactions were great, and this wasn't a love story anyway but a superhero show. I thought that here was no way the showrunners would ever go there. I changed my mind after episode 5. I tried to stay objective, but it was clear to me that the writers were hinting at a relationship that went beyond friendship between Sam and Bucky. In some of my previous posts, I explained that there are some scenes and writing choices that make absolutely no sense if you read them as a scene between two friends. I can link them if anyone’s interested.

Side note: I would like to know if one person on this website can tell me what was up with Bucky's behavior with Torres (in episode 5)? What other explanation is there, if not jealousy? It's a scene they chose to keep, so it was probably written this way, there must be a reason. Please I’m begging someone explain it to me. I'm genuinely asking, because otherwise that scene alone is canon Sambucky.

After episode 5, I was convinced they would make Sambucky canon, one way or the other and I started speculating about the ways they could do it. What I said was that if they did make Sambucky canon, they would do it in a very subtle way, in order not to make it too obvious because that’s generally how Marvel movies deal with love stories. And also because they wouldn’t want to scare away their homophobic audience ( I guess Disney needs their money...who knows)

So here are the scenes of how I imagined SamBucky becoming canon and the comparison with reality:

- What I thought we could get : AJ and Cass calling Bucky "Uncle Bucky" - What we got: AJ and Cass running up to Bucky and playing with him. This point is interesting because it’s also related to the point I made about how the environment you grew up in influences your perception of things. I grew up in a big family and I know that, at least in my family, kids don't run up to an adult like that just because it's their uncle’s friend or just because he's nice... There's a real bond there. They haven't seen Bucky just that one time when he slept on the couch. They're obviously close. But some people might just see this as kids being kids. Also, if you watch at how the kids were fake punching him, they were really coordinated with Bucky. They have done this plenty of times. 2.

What I thought we could see: A non-explicit scene where we were supposed to draw our own conclusions. I thought they could show us Bucky staying over for the night, and the last scene would be an empty couch, meaning we would have to understand that Bucky slept in Sam's room this time.

-What we got: Bucky arriving in Sam's car ( A few people on Tumblr pointed out that it was the car Sam was driving in episode 1) So here again we have a scene that a lot of people will not notice. But they still chose to put it there. 3.

What I thought could happen: Sam asking Bucky to stay in Delacroix

What we got: Bucky wrapping things up in New York, as if he was leaving the city for good and coming to Sam's party as if he already knew everyone there. You can read my take on this here. 4. What I thought could happen: The scene in the trailer where we see them looking in the same direction and then we get a shot from very far away where they're holding hands but it’s not so obvious because they are being filmed from a disctance. -What we got: The scene in trailer and then a blurry shot of Sam holding Bucky and then fondling with his neck to find the best spot to rest his hand on. So none of the scenes I was imagining happened exactly like I had imagined, but it felt like all of them happened but in a different versions, which is still crazy to me. If it had been only one scene. I could probably understand the people who see them as just friends. Actually, I still do understand the people who see them as just friends, because everyone has their own interpretation. What I am saying is that they are NOT being portrayed as just friends. There are TOO many scenes in the 6 episodes for it to be a coincidence. One or 2 would be ok but friendship doesn’t explain everything:

The therapy scene (not the therapy scene itself since it was improvised) but the therapist saying she had heard a lot about Sam and wanting them to do a couples’ therapy

Bucky following Sam no matter what

Sam saying ok as soon as Bucky says "do it for me"

Sam asking "what about Bucky?"

Bucky starting to touch Sam whenever he has the chance

Bucky being the one to bringing the suit for Sam

The boat repairing montage

Bucky wanting to stay at Sam's place, when a hotel room would have been more comfortable than a couch

The second day of boat repair in closed quarters with an intense staring scene.

And there are so many other scenes, soft touches, looks,...

These writing choices are not a coincidence, it’s not involuntary, and it’s not fan service ( Fan service is the roll in the flower field scene, or the therapy session). This is them telling a story.

Let’s not even talk about the scenes in Endgame:

Sam comforting bucky at Tony’s funeral

Sam looking up to Bucky for approval before accepting the shield from Steve.

So yes, Sam and Bucky are canon in the sense that Peter and Gamora were canon in the first movie, or Wanda and Vision were canon in Captain Civil War. Meaning that there was no big moment, kiss or anything, but the show is consistently throwing elements clearly showing Sam and Bucky as a romantic item and hinting at a lot more than friendship between them.

It is normal that some people have a different opinion. Because it is extremely rare, in big productions like this to have two male leads with romantic feelings towards each other, so not a lot people who see it will interpret it as such (I don't think it ever happened). You’ll see what you’re used to seeing.

I guess it also depends on what you expect from a love story. For me, the storyline between the characters, their scenes, their chemistry, the way their feelings towards each other are described, are the most important. The kiss scene is just there as a bonus, but I don't need it when the love story is told perfectly. If you’re used to seeing love stories with many kissing scenes, that’s what you will be expecting to see in most love stories.

If you're only used to seeing male friendships in superhero or action movies. The 1000th time you see men interacting in that type of movie or show, you are more likely to assume it is a friendship and nothing more, no matter how many codes and tropes usually associated with romantic movies, the writers and show makers are using.

Add to that the conviction that Disney would never approve Sambucky in a million years, and there you go, I can understand the people who see only friendship.

But, just think about it, if we had the same show, same scenes, same dialogues, but minus the action scenes and the project was being marketed as an Indie movie, would you think they were just friends or a blossoming couple?

If you read Sambucky’s relationship like a friendship: some scenes don't make sense. If you read it like a developing romantic relationship: it all makes sense. "When you hear hoofs, think horse, not zebra" If a writer or a film director chooses a last scene with a romantic setting and the two leads are staring at a sunset, smiling repeatedly at each other and then walking away together with one of them touching the other's neck, with a love song in the background, maybe friendship isn't the first thought they had in mind.

Some people may say “I see them as just friends” and other people may say “ I see them as lovers” and both are fine, because people have different perceptions, and that’s ok.

What I am saying is this post is that the show and the writers are portraying them as more than just friends, they’re portraying them as two characters who are romantically involved.

Perceive what you want but that’s how they are being presented in the show.

Bucky’s therapist said that the exercise she gave them was for couples who want to figure out what kind of life they want to build together. Then, the show ends with Sam and Bucky, staring at a sunset together, looking in the same direction.

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. “ - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What else do you need???

This show had more romance than half of the Marvel projects out there. Not every love story needs a kiss (for now...)

We'll see in their next projects which direction the writers want to go with this. But since it was said that the writer on the movie is the same as the writer from episode 5, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll keep seeing this dynamic. I don't think they would have made the same choices if this had been a movie. But I won't complain that we got this. I hope they keep this going even if it stays subtle like in the show. Just hope they will add one explicit scene where one of the characters acknowledges their relationship. But even if we only ever get this show, it’s already a great love story. Let me know what you guys think and sorry for the typos and grammar mistakes, I was tired when I wrote the last part. I hope it still makes sense!

If you think they're only being portrayed as friends let me know why! I would also like to know about the way you see this!

#sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws spoilers #Please feel free to comment on this and tell me what you think #I'm genuinely interested in having other POVs

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kl125 · 2 years ago

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hey!! you commented on my post ab mileven and byler and I looooved it. your explanation is genuinely the best one I’ve seen and from that point of view I can totally understand how mileven could work out.

I’m curious to know what you think about a few other things if you’re willing to answer!

1. I agree that if mileven is endgame the use of a lighthearted and funny breakup was a bad choice. but I’m wondering what you think of the fact that mike and will’s conversations in that season are very serious and obviously a lot of care was put into those scenes.

2. also, I reblogged a post a few days ago where the creator edited mikes monologue to be a bit more romantic and I’m wondering why they didn’t do a more isolated montage if it’s meant to be romantic. I’ve been racking my brain to come up with an explanation for this bc I like to try to find counterpoints to byler theories just to see if there are any you know. but I rlly cant understand why they didn’t make it more intimate and leave will out of the frame/show more memories.

if you have any thoughts pls let me know bc I adored the way you explained your pov!!

Hello again, friend! Glad to see you enjoyed the analysis! I’d be more than happy to expand on these points, along with the other asks you sent.

1. I think the writer’s must have weighed which storylines could best fit a more lighthearted tone, and which really needed some seriousness. However, one of Season Three’s biggest weaknesses was its jarring tonal shifts. I don’t think Mike and El’s breakup should have been played for laughs, but I see why they picked that one over others for the lighthearted tone. However, just because something is played for laughs doesn’t mean it’s not important to the story, or that the writers didn’t care about it.

For Will’s storyline, it needed the weight of a serious tone. Playing it for laughs would have completely undermined Will’s trauma and the “coming-of-age” aspect. He’s screaming for help and attention, so playing that one for laughs would have seemed cheap and unimportant.

2. I think they were trying to focus on the big picture. Mike’s monologue wasn’t solely about their relationship. It was about El and how she views her place in the world. It was about reminding her that she can do anything she sets her mind to. Maybe they could have made it more pointed, but I guarantee if they had done that, there would be people asking why they didn’t do the opposite. In truth, it’s all about balance, and in that moment, El needed encouragement from someone she loves. She’s not basing her self-worth entirely on what he says, but there’s something to be said for hearing someone you love say that you’re capable and strong. El has always drawn strength from people she loves. Her mom, Hopper, Mike, etc. It’s not that the writers didn’t care, it’s that they were trying to encompass a lot of one storyline into a small amount of time.

Blame me entirely for waiting so long. Life got in the way, and then I took a social media break. Hopefully, I’ll get the other asks you sent answered soon.

#my post #stranger things #mileven #mike wheeler #eleven #stranger things 4 #internetfierce #asks #reply

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proud-mama-joyce · 3 years ago

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Mike, El, and “inevitable” love

A newly released interview with Finn and Millie has been making the rounds today, in which they discuss the future of Mike and El’s relationship in the show at one point:

I don’t view one interview as definitive given the wider context of Byler, but that’s a discussion for another day. This post is more of a reflection than a persuasive argument. I’m in the mood for a kitchen table talk, but feel free to scroll along if that’s not your cup of tea.

Some people who know me on here know that I went through a tough breakup last year. It was a long relationship—one where we grew into ourselves together, encouraging and floundering and leaning on each other during many of the most stressful experiences of our lives up to this point. Its dissolution left a lot of shattered dreams for the future in its wake.

We loved each other. And we still love each other, but in a new way, as close platonic friends. It was a challenge to make that shift, but it was one we were both committed to making.

The thing is, while going through that transition in our relationship, I realized how few examples I had of our end goal. How rarely that story gets told. I understand why, too—the beginnings of romance are the stuff of stories; who wants to stick around to witness a lovers-to-best-friends aftermath? Doesn’t that mean it was a mistake, a waste of the years spent together, a roadblock on the path to finding the One True Love? Once the romance is gone, shouldn’t it all turn sour?

Oddly, I found myself drawing from some of the same lessons I learned while coming to terms with my sexuality years earlier. Trust your feelings over others’ expectations. What everyone thinks doesn’t determine how you feel. Who cares if they think it’s unnatural, or doomed, or strange? The parallels were surprising, forcing me to reflect on how much my expectations had been culturally shaped to feel that the only options were A) continue the romantic relationship or B) sever all major ties with each other. And we decided: no. Those weren’t the only options. Our relationship wasn’t a waste; it was a valued part of our lives. It didn’t have to turn sour. Also, a salvaged loving friendship now didn’t mean that there was something inauthentic about the love that came before.

(Sidenote: I realize I am lucky in a way. The decision to be friends with someone you once loved romantically is a complicated and personal one, and my ex and I happened to agree that working toward that outcome was healthy for us. I don’t mean to speak for anyone else’s relationship by sharing my own experiences.)

All of this is to say, Finn’s comments in particular in the above interview resonated with my recent experiences (whether or not his intent was to discuss a romantic endgame for M*leven), which in turn cause me to reflect on our expectations as viewers. Describing how Mike feels about El, Finn says that “…it’s like air or anything…they’re a part of your life. You can’t just pretend it never happened.” I can’t know his full intent with those comments, given that they were said in the context of a spoiler-free interview. All I will say is that they are consistent with how I view someone who was by my side during a pivotal period of my life, even though it’s no longer a romantic relationship. They were there; they’re still around; it happened. It was easy to see that they’d still be there, once I ignored what I thought to expect. Millie’s comments ring true to me here as well: her description of their relationship as a marriage “with no option for divorce” reminds me of the underlying feeling of inevitability: We’re important to each other, and we both know it. This relationship is in my life to stay. My error was mistaking that feeling of inevitability for a belief that my relationship couldn’t change in a major way (i.e., shift to be platonic). I wouldn’t be surprised if two trauma-bonded teens struggled with the same concept if they valued their relationship while discovering romantic incompatibilities.

Mike and El, I would argue, do love each other. The depth of that love may not reach as far as some other relationships on the show just yet due to their amount of time together, but it has time to grow. As Finn and Millie described, they are bonded, mutually indebted, and are significant figures in each other’s lives. From a Byler perspective, though, I can see how it’s tempting to downplay their relationship: how genuine can their intentions be if they’re not Meant For Each Other, or if they’re starting to question their roles? But—is it a bad thing if their relationship deepens before they understand that it’s platonic? If they’re ultimately wrong about the type of love they share, does that mean any act of love for the other is flawed or dishonest in that context? I don’t think so. Discussions of shipping can understandably lean towards those kinds of simplifications because of the comparisons that are made between multiple relationships. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that a relationship can still exhibit authentic love even while undergoing a gradual shift in perspective.

But when have we seen characters continue a happily platonic bond after a longstanding romantic one is over? Very rarely, at least in my media experiences. I think that’s another variable clouding the discussion here: we expect, based on other media and storytelling, that a relationship that deepens after being defined as romantic will then need to continue to be romantic, or else break down entirely.

Stranger Things frequently critiques our societal expectations for interpersonal relationships. I, for one, would be very satisfied to see this romance-or-bust dynamic turned on its head in the show with M*leven if the writers move in this direction. (Steve and Nancy too, for that matter, based on their shot from the recent trailer.) Mike and El could portray a moving example of how romantic incompatibility doesn’t have to accompany blatant toxicity. How romance lost doesn’t have to mean a relationship dissolved. How people can grow and experience new depths to their love after, or even during, the process of redefining it as platonic.

The writers have a lot of potential here to break some ground not only with Byler, but with close, meaningful platonic relationships that survive beyond a romantic label. I really look forward to seeing how they handle it.

#byler #byler tumblr

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absolutelyfizzing · 4 years ago

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He can't hurt you anymore

Bucky x reader

Description - Reader is the barista that Bucky has befriended at his local coffee shop but he thinks you may be hiding something. Your boyfriend might not be as kind as he tries to come off as. One day Bucky investigates and intervenes. Takes place around TFATWS but the shield isn't a factor. After the events of Endgame. Its pretty platonic Buck x Reader but it's sort of implied that future romance is probably a thing.

Warnings - TW DOMESTIC ABUSE!!! This is a big part of the story, if this is triggering for you, DO NOT READ THIS!! If you are in a situation where you need help getting out of an abusing household please get help. also endgame spoilers! Theres some cussing as well and female pronouns are used.

Word count - 4700 ish?

A/N - I am writing this from how an abusive relationship was for ME, how I acted, and the ways that I felt. This is in no way a generalization of how these situations are for most people nor is it a romanticization of abuse. Please reach out to someone or even me if you need help or you want to talk about anything. Do not read this story if you will be harmed by reading this, PLEASE.

MASTERLIST

Bucky's favorite part of his day was when he went to get coffee from the small shop down the street from his apartment. He didn't have many places he liked to go outside of the small room that he often felt trapped him but he knew that it was good for him to get out and interact with people. His therapist had told him as much.

He really didn't even like the coffee that much, he found that it made him jittery, but he went just to say hi to you. He always got the same order and usually got there around the same time so sometimes you would even have his coffee ready just as he was walking in. When you did things like that it made his heart flutter. He liked you in a romantic way but you only ever lightly flirted. Not wanting to scare you away, he never pressed and he kept his conversation moderately friendly. He had noticed that sometimes you seemed off. More so than he would say might be caused by a bad day.

On these days your eyes would be flying around the room and your hands shaky. You normally had bags under your eyes and you might even have bruises around your body. He also noticed that on those days you would cover up more but he could catch a glimpse of a purple bruise on your arm under your sleeve when you moved.

As he walked into the shop, he saw that today would be one of those days. He had been going to the coffee shop that you were at for probably 6 months and he had never seen you this shaken up. You seemed to be fully zoned out as you automatically did the cleaning in front of you. He had to clear his throat a bit to get you to notice him and when he did he regretted it. You flinched and your shoulders tensed before looking over to him. You relaxed a bit and a wide smile appeared on your face. He could vaguely tell it seemed to be fake but it was one of the best fake smiles he had ever seen. He almost commented on it before he noticed the bruises on your neck and arm.

"You okay?" He questioned, eyebrow quirked and his tone lightly teasing. He guessed they might be from whoever you were sleeping with having been a bit rough, something that he wouldn't have judged you for anyway. When you tensed up a bit and drew your hand to your neck he saw the look of slight fear cross your eyes.

"Oh I'm fine!" You recovered, "Didn't have time to cover them up this morning." You smiled and put your arm back down. It looked like you were going with his guess that they were from your boyfriend but in a non threatening way. His smile lessened a bit and he got out his wallet.

"Well, you know the drill. Medium americano with cream and sugar please." He sighed and he put some money in your tip jar while winking at you. You blushed and nodded before turning around to get started on his order.

While you were turned around he heard the bell on the door ring signaling that someone had entered. He turned to see who it was only to be met with an unfamiliar face. This was a bit of a rare occurrence considering he came here so often and he knew almost all of the other people who walked in. This man was large and domineering. He didn't look abnormal in any way, just that his eyes didn't hold the kindness that Bucky searched for when meeting someone new. The man pushed past Bucky to stand at the counter and knocked on it loudly, trying to get your attention. When you turned, you looked like you saw a ghost.

James studied you carefully as the color slowly came back to your face and the large smile that didn't quite seem right was plastered on your face again.

"Hey, babe! Can I get you something?" you asked him kindly and James realized that this must be your boyfriend. He noticed the slight waver that was in your voice as you spoke to to man and the way that your hands began to shake a bit.

"No thanks, I just wanted to check on you to see how you were doing and to apologize again. I was just heading in to work." Your boyfriend smiled and you flinched for a moment before taking a deep breath, bracing yourself.

"No worries, I already told you I forgave you." You grinned, this one looking more like it reached your eyes. "Have a good day at work!" You chirped at him. His hand came to your cheek and James saw you flinch before the man leaned in to kiss you. As soon as he pulled away and left, you turned back to the drink you were making for Buck and your hands were unsteady.

"Are you alright, Y/N?" He tentatively asked. He didn't want to push but he had a bad feeling stuck in his stomach.

You turned to him, ready drink in hand, "I'm doing great, thank you for asking, James" You smiled and Bucky nearly swooned when you used his name. He adjusted his glove a bit and fidgeted with the sleeve on his metal arm, a habit he had when he was anxious.

"Do you mind if I drink it up here? I'd love to chat a bit." He did this pretty often. There was a seat next to the counter for employees that he would occupy on days where the shop wasn't too busy. You gazed at him and nodded enthusiastically.

"How are you now that you're all settled into the new place?" You asked gently and he smiled. He appreciated that you remembered details about him. It made him feel less crazy for having known so much about you.

"It's good! The bed still doesn't feel right and there are still boxes lying around but I cant seem to get myself to unpack all the way. If I didn't have this part of my day then I think I'd be bored out of my mind" He said. You blushed a bit and smiled. You always liked hearing about how he was doing, you worried about him. He had told you at some point that he was a veteran and that he had some issues adapting to his new life. You didn't bring it up often so as to not scare him off but you liked to check in when you could.

"You might want to start looking for something else to occupy your time then, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here." You mumbled. You were still smiling a bit but your gaze had saddened.

"What do you mean? Are you leaving the city? Heading back home?" he questioned quickly. You had told him that you weren't originally from New York. You chuckled a bit at his panic.

"No, but might be moving in with my boyfriend, that guy who came in earlier." You explained but he still had a confused look on his face.

"Why does that mean you wont be working here?"

"Oh I don't know, he is trying to get me to quit while I'm figuring out life and stuff. Thinks I might be more helpful around the house and he has enough to support us both." you tried to explain but you knew the logic in your statement was flawed. The reality was that your boyfriend wanted you to be financially dependent on him but you were ignoring that as the bruises around your throat reminded you what happened to girlfriends who talked back. You looked into Bucky's eyes to find him staring sadly.

"You should be able to keep working if you want to." He sounded urgent and you laughed it off.

"You're just mad cause you won have an excuse to see your favorite barista anymore." As you turned back to the cleaning around the shop to do. It was a quiet morning so the silence was slightly deafening. You both didn't speak for a couple minutes before James broke the silence.

"Are you okay, Y/N?" he asked very lightly. Like he didn't want to scare you off. "I'm guessing your boyfriend left those marks and earlier when he came in-"

"It was an accident" You stated quickly. Urgently. Pleadingly. You still weren't looking at him but you had stopped cleaning. "He didn't mean to, he felt bad about it." You continued before turning to James. There were tears in your eyes and you tried to smile reassuringly.

"Those kinds of accidents shouldn't happen, Y/N" He muttered, trying not to make you feel attacked at all but also wanting to let you know that he knew something was wrong.

"It was my fault." You began.

"There is no way-"

"No it was. I messed something up and-and it was on me. James, you don't need to worry about me." Your voice was shaking a bit. "Please, don't worry about me." you were pleading. Your eyes were begging.

You both stood in silence for a moment before you began moving around. You didn't really have a task to be doing but you couldn't be still. You just couldn't be still.

"I am worried" he whispered and you felt the tears in your eyes threaten to fall. You knew you situation wasn't good but you didn't feel like there was anything you could do. And you were partially still convinced that your boyfriend didn't mean it, even though past experiences had already proved you wrong. You knew that after the 5th time, it wasn't accidental. But fear and guilt held you back. You were not an aggressive person. When he yelled at you he made you feel weak. You crumbled. You would never be able to escape.

You went through the rest of your shift in moderate silence. You worked when customers came in and when they left you would try to make yourself seem busy around the shop. James sat patiently, you knew he was gong to want to walk you back to your boyfriend's apartment. Your stomach clenched as you prayed that your boyfriend wouldn't be home.

After your shift you agreed to let James walk you home, you only lived a few blocks away. You didn't talk much and you felt guilty for creating that atmosphere. When you reached your building you stopped and turned to him.

"Thank you for walking me home." You smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow?" You asked and Bucky nodded.

When you turned to head into you building, he didn't leave. He waited. He knew something was wrong but he didn't want to create a mess for you if he didn't need to. He stood against the building before walking in behind someone who was entering. He made his way to the address he had caught on your key earlier and stopped about 3 floors down from yours. He wouldn't intervene unless you needed him and he could listen in from further away. One of the few times he was thankful for the super serum.

"Where have you been?" a growl sounded.

"I was just-"

"Your shift ended 30 minutes ago. Were you talking to that leather wearing asshole? Huh?" There was a yell. "Were you cheating on me, you bitch?!"

"No, babe, Bucky just walked me home, he was just being nice. The person taking over my shift was just a little-"

"He walked you home?" He screamed, "You're just whoring yourself out to anyone now, huh?"

At this point Bucky had heard enough but he noticed that the stairs were closed and the elevator was taking forever. He was hitting himself for not going up to your floor to be more prepared. His heart was pounding and he could feel his eyes watering.

"Babe, I'm sorry, he didn't mean anything by it, I promise-"

He heard a yelp and something making impact and he decided he was done waiting. He didn't know why the stairs were closed but it didn't matter. He broke the door to the stairwell open and he sprinted up them as fast as possible. It was easier to hear your whimpers as he got closer and he could still hear hitting.

When he made it to the door he didn't hesitate to break it in. When he entered the apartment he felt eyes on him. In the corner of your living room you were hunched in a corner, breathing heavily with tears streaming down your face and a fresh broken lip, your boyfriend leering over you with his fist clenched.

"Get the fuck away from her." Bucky felt himself growl. He didn't want to hurt this guy in front of you, knowing that would traumatize you more, but it was taking everything in him not to snap his neck right then.

"What the fuck are you gonna do?" Your boyfriend sneered, "You have no right to come in here and tell be how I'm supposed to deal with my girlfriend. Get the fuck out!" Your boyfriend had moved away from you and you took a bit of a breath. Bucky noticed the shaking of your body as you breathed and he saw red.

Before he really considered what he was doing Bucky was already moving toward the man in the middle of the room, his metal hand clenched. He moved to grab your boyfriend's arm and when he tried to block, going into the fight cocky, Bucky decided he would put him in his place. With what seemed to be minimal effort, Bucky turned the mans arm around and jammed his knee into his back. Once your boyfriend was on the floor, in less than 10 seconds, Bucky had his knee on his chest and his metal arm on his neck.

"You will never lay another finger on her again, you understand me? You're gonna go to fucking prison and you'll never be able to get near her again." Bucky growled at the man who was struggling futilely beneath him. He pressed on his neck harder and waited for his body to give out, holding long enough that he would be knocked out for at least a few minutes so he could get you out of there.

Bucky looked up at you and you were still shaking in the corner, seemingly still terrified. You looked so different from the girl he had come to know. Bucky realized that he might have just made you more scared of him but he knew it was worth it to get you out of the situation. You gulped and took a deep shaky breath before moving to stand up. Bucky moved to stand also to go over and help you but you immediately say back down.

"Hey, doll. I'm not gonna hurt you-" Bucky started but you cut him off.

"I know, I know I just..." You took another shallow breath and looked at the man Bucky was no longer holding down. He could get free and move toward you now if he were to wake up. Bucky understood your gaze sighed a bit, looking around the apartment he now realized probably belonged to your boyfriend. He then noticed the belt on your boyfriend and moved to take it off so he could tie him up with it. He heard you whimper and he made a guess as to why, his heart clenching once again. He quickly bound the large man's hands and attached him to a support beam in the middle of the room. He checked the bindings using larger movements than he needed to so that you would see they were tight from your spot across the room. Bucky then stood and slowly made his way near you. Instead of trying to get very close, he opted to sit against the wall about halfway between you and the man tied up in the room, trying to make sure that you didn't feel threatened by him and that you knew your boyfriend was no longer a threat.

"I'm gonna call a friend okay? You're okay now." Buck said gently to you and you nodded. Your eyes were watery as tears began to fall and you scooted a little closer to Bucky, still not sitting close enough to touch. Bucky made no move to push you. He instead just dialed the only person he could think of.

"Hey, Sam... You in town?.. I know but I need some help. I need the police here and if you could drive too that would be great. I got someone here I don't want going in a cop car... I know that's a lot to ask but I wouldn't be asking if it weren't serious... Please?.. That would be great if she's there." It seemed that the 'please' made the person on the other line agree. Bucky hung up and looked toward you. "Someone's on the way, okay? Do you need anything right now or need any medical help thats urgent?"He tried to be gentle but he couldn't hide the fear in his voice. If there was severe damage somewhere he needed to know now.

"N-no, it wasn't that bad. It's just my face and my ribs I guess but I've healed from worse." You mumbled, trying to be reassuring but then realizing that you may have made him feel worse. "I'm sorry" You mumbled as the tears began again.

"Whoa, what on earth are you sorry for?" Bucky asked as he felt his own eyes begin to water.

"Its just that-" you took a breath for a moment and tried to calm your shaking, "this isn't your job and I'm sorry that you have to deal with it and that I couldn't do it on my own." You cried a bit, Bucky barely being able to make out your words with how quietly you were speaking. He wasn't entirely sure how to help. He experimentally slid a hand along the floor toward you going very slowly so you could move or tell him to stop if you wanted. Instead you moved your hand and reached out so your fingers were touching on the floor. You still didn't move closer to him but the nonthreatening contact made you feel a bit better. He spoke up quietly.

"Y/N, I know this has been a really hard day for you and probably been rough for however long you've been with that asshole but you need to understand that this is not your fault. You did not make him do this to you and you did not deserve it. You will never be in a room alone with him again, okay?" He made decisive eye contact with you and you nodded a bit. "I am going to make sure that nothing happens to you now, I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again." He sounded reassuring and you scooted just close enough that his hand was holding yours. He smiled lightly at you and you jumped as you heard a knock at the doorframe of the entrance where the door had been practically broken off its hinges.

You tensed up immediately and Bucky stood a bit protectively in front of you, letting go of your hand in the process. You saw a tall kind looking man at the doorway, his frame slightly hunched to make sure that he didn't startle you too much. You looked at him a bit fearfully and took a deep breath before glancing at Bucky and then smiling lightly at the man in the doorway. He watched you carefully as he stepped into the apartment.

"Hey there, my name is Sam, I'm just gonna get him out of here. There's a police car with his name on it downstairs. I brought someone with me who's going to help get you out of here to somewhere safe, okay?" He smiled at you as he moved toward the man tied up in the center of the room. As the bindings came off you skittered back toward the corner a bit and only eased once he was dragged out of the room. From the doorway came a redhead with bags under her eyes. She looked like she hadn't gotten good sleep in a while and you felt like you recognized her from somewhere.

"I'm Pepper, is it okay if I come in?" She looked nice and she had a motherly presence. You nodded and smiled a bit. Her gaze softened further and she walked slowly toward you and as she walked past Bucky she touched his arm lightly, conveying something that you didn't quite understand. "Can I help you up?" she asked as she stood in front of you, her hand reached out. You nodded and put your hand in hers, allowing her to pull you up. You felt the damage that had been done more clearly when you stood up, there was definitely something wrong with your ribs and your stomach. She carefully and slowly put an arm around your shoulders as she herded you out of the apartment. you looked back to where Bucky was standing and he smiled at you reassuringly but his eyes seemed sad. You let yourself be led to a car outside with a man that Pepper called "Happy" driving. She sat in the back with you and made casual one sided conversation to put you at ease.

Back at your apartment Bucky began to try to pack you a bag. He knew that Pepper would take good care of you and wouldn't let anything happen. He would meet you at the Avengers tower later, assuming you would be staying there until you felt comfortable living by yourself at your own apartment again. He moved through your ex's apartment with a critical gaze, noting holes in the wall and a gun in the corner. He presumed it was to protect against home intruders but he didn't doubt that it had been used to threaten you too. He found the bedroom and got to work getting some things that he thought you might want like a hoodie that looked like yours and some personal belongings that were clearly your possessions. He was trying very hard not to accidentally grab something that was your ex's and once he had a full bag he headed out. He saw Sam leaned against the wall outside your building and Bucky immediately got worried.

"Wheres-"

"He's already booked at the precinct, I've got my guys on it and he isn't going anywhere." Sam reassured, having known what Bucky was going to ask. They began walking to the tower, not wanting to get in a car and knowing that the walk wasn't going to be too long.

"Sorry I had to call you, I know you were probably busy. I just didn't know who else to ask." Bucky stated quietly.

"You did the right thing, Buck. You probably saved that girl's life back there." Sam smiled a bit at the man next to him and Bucky felt a smile tug at his mouth too.

They both made light conversation as they made their way back to the tower. When they did, Bucky took a deep breath. He hadn't been back here since right after Steve left. He hadn't seen Pepper in a long time either. He needed to talk to her when he got inside to thank her and to see if she was okay. He knew she probably didn't want to see him very much but she had still helped you when he asked.

Back at the tower you were finally cleared from the medical wing. You were still shaky but you were masking it pretty well and you were about back to where you functioned daily where you could fake smiles if you needed to. Pepper stayed by you the whole time and you met a little girl named Morgan who was very excited to tell you stories that put you at ease. Eventually Pepper led you to a room that she said you could use to sleep and shower in for now and that you could call the AI if you needed anything at all. You asked it to tell you when Bucky got back and it said it would. You also now knew that you recognized her as Iron Man's wife but you didn't mention it, knowing she had lost her husband semi-recently. You also recognized that Sam, who you had met earlier, was the Falcon. Then came the question of who was Bucky. You knew there was a James Barnes associated with the Avengers but you'd never seen him and you knew he had a metal arm, something that you weren't sure was part of Bucky. You showered and cried again in the shower but this time out of relief. You realized that you didn't have to go home to that awful man and that you were finally safe.

The AI, you thought you'd heard Pepper call it FRIDAY, let you know that Bucky was in the building along with Sam. You dressed in the clothes that pepper had given to you, a pair of sweats and a loose T-shirt, and left your room. You carefully padded down the hallway, prepared to ask FRIDAY where you were if you got lost. Instead you saw Bucky down a hallway carrying a bag that you recognized as your own. Now that you were a bit calmed down you knew what you had to do. You got closer to each other, Bucky smiling slightly, and he stopped so that he wouldn't get close to you if you didn't want him to. Instead you continued walking toward him until you got close enough that you could wrap your arms tightly around his waist. He stood in shock before dropping the bag and wrapping one of his arms around you tightly. You reached out to the other one and felt the hardness of it. You guessed then that he must be the winter soldier that you'd heard about but you continued to wrap it around yourself so that he was hugging you all the way. You took a deep breath and smiled slightly.

"Thank you, James." You murmured and you heard his heart pick up its pace. He tightened his arms around you and sighed.

"You’re welcome, doll" he accepted the thanks with a bit of apprehension but this wasn't the time to argue about whether or not thanks were needed. "I promise I'm not going to let anything happen to you again." He stated quietly and he was reassuring himself more than you. Your arms tightened around him more and he decided that he would protect you with all he had if you would let him.

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wontbyers · 2 years ago

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Disclaimer, because this is a pretty new blog but if you want to follow you might see I’ll eventually have a tag for both #mileven and #anti mileven which might be confusing: I don’t hate Mileven. I actually think they are cute together and it wasn’t until sometime after volume 2 that I even stopped believing they would be the endgame ship. I only got into the Byler side of things after watching volume 1 and decided I like the ship (I’ve always been a multi-shipper in my fanbases, pairings literally don’t need to be either canon or endgame to simply enjoy them folks!!!) but I still thought Mileven was going to be endgame and I was content with that.

Until how vol.2 handled things with Will’s feelings and his whole plot relevance this season just being used to push Mike/El’s relationship back together—and Mike’s monologue had me feeling torn at first because it was half sweet? Like what I had been waiting for since vol.1, for him to tell her he loves her, but the other half just gave me this awful, sinking feeling….It felt wrong, and maybe because some of what he was saying wasn’t fully genuine, or maybe it’s because Will is my favorite character so it just hurts to see him hurt even if it’s (supposedly) good for El (which is arguable if that monologue was good for her at that point based on analyses.)

But it’s also because, if it turns out that Byler is NOT the end goal, that Mileven does stay together, that means they really used the one gay male character in the show’s pain and heartbreak to solidify the heterosexual pairing. And it’s NOT and will never be a competition of who between Will and El has dealt with more trauma or who “deserves” to be with Mike because love is not about deserving people anyway. It’s not about which ship would be cuter or healthier because they’re not real people, they’re fictional characters. They could easily be written to repair any “toxic” or codependent tendencies in their relationship and be perfectly fine and happy together!

It’s about the fact that LGBT+ people deserve to see stories where people like us are happy and not just “unrequited in love with their straight best friend” or “bury your gays” or anything else harmful. And LGBT+ audiences also deserve not to be toyed with and led on to believe that certain pairings we see suggested in the narrative could actually happen, only to wait years for the final season to come and find out that they were leading us astray to keep us invested just to realize “oh, no, that’s right, gay people don’t get happy endings….silly us, again.”

Rather than that, I choose to believe that the ST writers aren’t planning to do that to us. They’ve written a show about and for the outcasts and the people society shoves down, and I believe they won’t spit on our faces like that with Will’s storyline. I think they’re going to give him his happy ending. I believe in Byler endgame, which necessarily means I believe Mileven isn’t going to be endgame.

So I will reblog posts that point out specific details of the show with analyses that attempt to prove that the narrative we’ve been presented isn’t in favor of casting Mileven’s relationship in a positive light—contrasting them with Byler, and giving El a much-needed independence arc and autonomy she really hasn’t experienced yet in her life—and it isn’t about whether I like them together or not, whether I think Mileven could be healthy or not, whether I think El herself is “ready” for a romantic relationship or not, it’s about the story I want to believe they’re actually writing—which is to say not a homophobic one where Will Byers gets no happiness at the end of the day.

Also, don’t think this is me saying I only ship Byler because it’s gay or because of politics. I have ALWAYS been a fan of friends-to-lovers over love-at-first-sight tropes. Childhood best friends to lovers is actually my FAVORITE, which made it soooo easy for me to immediately love Byler as soon as I realized it was an option. I just wasn’t really aware of the ship in this case before s4 bc I didn’t see any of the hints that there were feelings between them, I just knew that Will was gay from s1 and thought that was about it. Didn’t even notice Mike’s queer-coding until tumblr analysts pointed it out. The Byler fanbase really opened my eyes and it’s impossible to go back now!

Idk if there’s anything else I wanna say on this topic rn, but yeah. I don’t hate Mileven, I just hate homophobia and if Mileven is endgame, the ST writers will literally have written quite a homophobic storyline for Will—because they didn’t need to make him be in love with Mike in the first place if he’s not going to get a happy ending. If they were just going to use his feelings to repair a straight ship. And did they accidentally queer-code Michael Wheeler THAT hard?? for no reason??? Nope. There has to be a reason, so I’m sorry Mileven, I loved you, but you will be a nice non-canon ship for me, because Byler is endgame or else <3

#byler #anti mileven #long post #op

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