#i mean. how different could they be!el oh el!

[nightbutterfly09]

I saw this on my page, and I was like, I must deliver. This is such a good ideaaa 😭

(Im working on three different fanfics, save me TvT)

Thank you @keyhai 🩷

// I also paid attention to your comment under the post //

How cute~

When Sae arrived at his new home at thirteen the new school, the dorm building seemed huge. Heck, the whole of Spain seemed monumental compared to Kanagawa. The prefecture he knew so well. He couldn't exactly comprehend how he’d be studying, living and practicing here. 

It was hard at first. Getting to know his age group, his new teammates who were all a little older than him. Sometimes he was close to giving up. Occasionally his Spanish teacher had to consol the little boy. That old man was his only hope. The only parent-figure he could keep in touch with. 

The only person who could understand him. Without that stupid language barrier he learned to hate.

All the bullying he received as a child. Just because he is younger and japanese. He learned how cruel the world is.

Everything changed when he saw a taller girl rush across the hallway. A football and a sports bag in hand. Sae scoffed. “She must be late for practice… slacker” or so he thought.

A sense of familiarity hit him. Clueless why. He definitely hasn't seen you in school, nor at the dorms. What he did know, was that she seemed to be much older.

A week later the Re Al football teams got together to say bye to a retiring coach. Sae has learned that it's a custom to show up to the retirement party for everyone who plays in the club regardless of age, time spent there, or whether or not they knew the person in question.

For Sae Coach Emiliano said nothing. He didn't know him, nor did he hear about the old man. Ever. Each group dressed in their respective jerseys gathered around the man. Sae didn't understand how could people adore this Emiliano, if he has never ever heard his name before. Surely if he was an important figure he’d know.

“Do you want some cookies?” A girl looked down at him. Not much taller, just, maybe a tiny bit. Fine, who is he kidding. She was towering over him. 

He saw how you looked at him. It was a gentle gaze. Not one he is used to. He had no idea what you just said. He understood that you asked him if he wanted something. It was above him to know the word cookie. 

“Yo! Y/N El idiota no tiene idea de lo que estás diciendo! El es japones.” //Yo! Y/N The idiot has no idea what you're saying! He's Japanese.// A guy around your age shouted. He didn't need to understand everything to hear the mean tone in between. He was totally looking down on him. Like everyone. “Oh, sorry, then do you know english?” You smiled.

You smiled. 

Smile?

That guy just told you how he is an idiot and all that. But instead of the usual racism and downgrading, you smiled. At him.

He felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes met yours and they lingered for a while. He saw that you were getting nervous by just staring at each other so he quickly had to say something. “Not the best.. but I know more.”

“That's wonderful! Don't listen to Rodrigo, he doesn't know what he’s talking about. One time, he slammed the ball into the coach’s head- “ you laughed. “He got punished for 3 weeks straight.” 

Your laughter struck a chord within his heart. What was this feeling? He didn't mind being with you even if you were speaking way too fast. He did understand what you found funny though.

Maybe there is a hint of light within the world.

~~~~~~~~

Days passed. You two got closer. Started meeting more due to your training regimen changing. The girls team played at the same time with his team, just across from them. 

With his translator in tow they finally arrived to the court. It was time for practice to start.

His eyes occasionally drifted to the other team. You were captivating. You mainly passed the ball around. You also looked to be a midfielder. 

He hates that position. He wanted to be a striker all along. Hell, even his promise with Rin is about being a striker, but the coach thought this would suit him best. “I’ll show him, I can be a stiker if I want to, I’ll hog all the goals” or so he thought. 

But as he watched you play maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe passing it around, knowing who is in the best position is maybe more attractive than taking all the glory.

Plus, a striker has to be loved by all. Which he isn't. Or so he's told. “Sae! Coach wants you guys to watch the girls play. They have a training match in 20 minutes!” His translator informed. He nodded and went to the other court. Not that he wasn't already looking at you.

Throughout the whole match you were captivating. Not only for him but many of his teammates found themselves focusing on you.

That was how he fell in love- With the midfielder position. naturally..

~~~~~~

Days of knowing each other became weeks. Later became months. Even years. Years of staying in contact. 

Just like how silent stares, occasional greetings, shared laughs, smiles, nods at each other made your relationship somewhat questionable.

These stolen moments eventually became stolen kisses. They lasted for a moment in public, but when you started going on dates, sharing food and all of the above it all became clear to Sae.

He fell in love. With his senior.

“This is a joke Y/N” he sighed tiredly as you tried feeding him like a little boy. “Come on! Don't be a party pooper, come, say aah~” 

“I am not a child dumbass!” he scoffed and grabbed the fork. “Eat” as he nudged it towards you.

“Oh come on, you are shorter! You can't feed me!!” What logic even is that… not that it mattered. When you were with each other, making sense wasn't always important. Or so he learned.

“Just was. You live in the past mi vida” he flirted. True, as the years passed he became more attractive. You started looking at him differently. Eventually he was more than a younger student. Someone you should help and support. He became someone you could find solace in. “I do not-” but as you opened your mouth the cake found its way to it. 

It was yummy. The fruits and the cream balanced each other so well. Wasn't too sweet, but not too sour.

He saw how much you liked it and couldn't help but also take a bite. From the same fork. /Indirect kiss- your brain interrupted the moment/

“You know, I used to hate Spain. The language, the city, the people, even soccer for a while.. but maybe it's not so bad afterall.” “Think of it this way, if you weren't here, you’d never know me” you grinned. 

“True, although… sometimes I think that’d be less troublesome” “Stop being mean!!!” You whined.

He chuckled. “Come on, eat the rest of this” he said as he pushed the plate closer to you. “Only if I can feed you!” “No” “Come on! Just one bite!!” You squint your eyes in a pout.

“Fine, but only because I’ll never hear the end of it otherwise.” he blushed and sighed. 

He bit down the fork you placed to his mouth and slowly leaned back. “How cute~” he blushed. But it's whatever. Your giggle meant more to him than stupid cake. “I am not 13 anymore Y/N.” He retorted and looked down at the cake.

You took a bite from the cookie on the side. Galleta. It was pretty funny to him. You probably didn't ponder about this. Nor did you remember your first question towards him. But to him, that sentence was life changing.

…Well not the cookies, but you get the point.

Coming to Spain was worth it. The hours of studying was worth it. Interacting with others was worth it. Saying bye to his childish self, was worth it.

That's how Spanish lessons became important. How feelings crept up within him. How he learned about others. And about himself. How he fell more in love with soccer. Maybe at the end of the day, the language barrier has one tiny advantage. Maybe being “special” or out of place within a country isn't always so terrible.

The world may have changed at 13. But change, isn't always a synonym for bad.

[emmitaaa4]

Anon (and @elainsgirl), I feel this in my SOUL.

rant incoming :)

Honestly, I like Elucien, or rather what they could be. I respect the OTP eluciens that like & love Elain (and tbh I feel for them, I see anti-Elain content in the Elain tag from GAs so I cant imagine what it's like in their tags), I love that they see her potential and recognize her importance, and I 10000% support them in thinking that Elucien would take precedence over Gwynriel. Because it is the real, objective truth. Ik ik, opinions and all that, but let's be so for real. You might not "feel" like Elain is developed enough, or think Gwyn being mentioned a bajillion times in SF means she'll have a PoV next, or that her return to the library (gasp) and eventual exit is a pressing issue, or say SJM "made you" fall in love with Gwynriel because 1) you love their hypothetical relationship, 2) they have such great fanfics so they make sense, 3) OMG BUT THE BONUS AND SPARKEDY SPARKS AND THE SHADOW (SINGULAR) TANGO-ED WITH GWYN'S BREATH... you can think all those things, but so what?

Hope, vibes, & prayers to the mating-bond gods dont dismiss the urgency of Elain's story to the narrative: her powers & choice in regards to the mating bond cannot be dragged for another decade, let alone have her romantic arc resolved/decided by Azriel's choice. A decade is generous, because remember: it's ACOTAR 5, then mysterious book (ToG i beg), then maybe CC4 or ACOTAR 6 or the ACOTAR novella. They don't even pretend to make sense: "Elain's PoV last because an Archeron needs to close the series"... says who? The people who think the series is NOT about the Archerons? Dont make me laugh.

"OMG all the ships (Elriel and ig Bryceriels?) attack us poke holes in our arguments and we dont like it, they must be so threatened we feel threatened." Like no babes, your ship simply does not make sense in the larger picture and people are point that out. Anyways, it's been YEARS of Gwynriels basing their ship in anti-Elain/Elriel rhetoric, and we've responded to every single one of their challenges to our takes and moved on. Gwynriels? "Ugh Elriels are so annoying with how they keep quoting the books, and they're so aggressive (they say after being under pro Elain/Elriel content spewing their nonsense). All of this, yet us saying that we don't think Gwyn will have a PoV is hate? Not thinking that she's Azriel's mate is hate? Stating that she isnt directly nor uniquely tied to the overarching plot is hate, whilst they insist on how it'll be an "Azriel book with heavy Nesta action as they explore their Dusk connections... oh btw Gwyn is the LI/sidekick"? We're literally saying the same thing: they know a Gwyn PoV is dependent on her being Azriel's endgame, we just dont pretend gwynriel is anywhere near as likely/relevant as they want them to be.

Also lol, Bryceriels tend to fight Gwynriels because they're arguing over the same thing: who Azriel's mate is. Elriels? We believe Az & El will be endgame whether they end up being mates/chosen mates or not. THAT's the difference, and it's telling: we follow where the narrative is bringing us. They can mock us all they want, it doesn't change that the author chose to question the origin of bonds and whether there are different types, chose to leave that open ended while questioning elucien's bond in regards to the Cauldron and connecting Elriel to the Mother, chose to bring up how interesting she finds the concept of rejected mates in her biggest interview.

Anyways.

The fact that they're now (apparently) butting heads with eluciens about whose book is next, just confirms what we all knew about the ship wars: it was always exacerbated by how a certain side of the fandom regards Elain's character. Doesn't help that Gwynriels live in their little bubble, made out of the last 3 pages of one bonus chapter & the last 20% of SF and strengthened by baseless "canon" claims propagated in their spaces, so now they've lost sight of the plot.

I genuinely don’t understand how some Gwynriels interpret any criticism of them as people being “threatened” by their ship. Maybe they should consider that it’s less about the ship itself and more about their behaviour. It’s that no one has ever been able to join this fandom without being immediately cornered about whether or not they’ve read "the" bonus chapter, or being subjected to some patronizing lecture about how you’re supposed to read it correctly.

It's about the exhaustion of being bombarded with the same handful of cherry-picked lines, completely removed from context. It's about the glaring double standard in how characters are treated. Azriel gets turned into something unrecognizable to serve a narrative. Both Elain and Lucien, who have been integral since the first book and are central to ongoing plotlines, are dismissed as underdeveloped, while outrage erupts if anyone dares suggest Gwyn, a new side character, might not be the next protagonist. Gwyn’s healing journey, which was so clearly focused on regaining the lively and competitive personality that was repressed by her trauma, is misrepresented as romance. It’s just… bizarre.

Some Gwynriels insist Elriel was never romantic (despite the actual text), while others say it ended definitively in a bonus chapter (despite the ridiculousness of that idea). They moralize lust and rewrite moments depending on who’s involved, and they completely ignore clearly romantic scenes if they involve characters they don't like. It creates this alternate reality version of the story that’s bizarre to witness from the outside. And people tend to want to talk about things that are bizarre.

People don’t keep bringing up Gwynriel because they’re threatened. They do it because Gwynriel has turned into a spectacle. And it is not about shipping preferences. The spectacle of Gwynriel is the insistence that actual canon narratives do not exist, and that sweeping canon-defying extrapolations are confirmations of a complete change in direction of the whole story. And that people should just accept this as true when it is just categorically bizarre.

It's not about being threatened. It's about the exhaustion of having someone down your throat for four years while they demand you respect them. It's about being suffocated to the point that you kind of just have to talk about it. In a "what the hell is going on"? kind of way. I remember mutuals who left already in 2021-22, who had been in the fandom for years, because they felt so suffocated and exhausted by this behaviour. And four years later, I'm still here and that is still going on. The fandom was not sunshine and rainbows before Gwynriels, but it was nothing at all like this.

im sorry - they think we’re “threatened” by their fanon ship? LMFAO. Threatened by what. Despite spending time in the ring with his “mate” who would Az think off every night? Elain Archeron. His mate was in danger, went through something so traumatic- what did Azriel do? Leave her with Mor to carry on with his job. Two years. He didnt visit for two entire years, he didnt check up on her. Ask about her. I could go on but you get the gist - no one is threatened by gwy/riel. There is nothing tying these two together. Az could leave training and thats it. He wouldn’t see Gwyn most of the time. Elucien at least have a bond, gwnriel dont even have that. But ofc they’d twist us critiquing them and their behaviour- not only to us but to their own eluciens as us being “threatened”.

The bonus chapter is the only thing that they think gives them some standing, it doesn’t. The same bonus that isn’t reprinted in the special editions, the bonus that over half of the fandom do not know about - but you know whats rlly embarrassing for them? Not a single part of the “gwynriel” bonus was mentioned in acosf. Not the late night training. Not the singing shadows. Not Az and Gwyn becoming closer. Not the necklace. That is how irrelevant it all was, so damn unimportant that in the 300pgs you had left after solstice - Mass didn’t bother to mention any of it once. But ofc they don’t care cause they cant think outside of “spark!” “Glow!”. They can’t enetertain any other possibility or narrative that doesn’t fit what they set for themselves. God forbid, you challenge their takes. At first they’ll try to debate but once they realise they’ve gone through their 5 repeated points, want to know what happens next?

“elriels are like sooooo mean!” “Elriels are just so so toxic.” “Elriels are bullies!” “Elriels always use canon!” Elriels are this, elriels are that.

oh and no one can say anything about precious Gwyn. Nope, she is perfect. She is exactly what they want her to be. Lucien and Elain are irrelevant, Az is toxic, incel and disgusting but ONLY towards Elain - these issues don’t exist with Gwyn, Elain is too undeveloped for a book but perfect, flawless Gwyn has the right amount of development so she will obviously be next. Lucien? He’s irrelevant too, Gwyn is linked to autumn and thats more important then Luciens messed up family. Gwyn will deal with the troves, the prison and koshei - Lucien and Elain need to sail off on a lake somewhere. Etc etc. Gwyn is currently THE most important person everyone else is just there to remain sitting little ducks until Gwyns fabulous story is over.

Gwynriels guide on how to read the bonus correctly: whilst reading the elriel part, keep on chanting “Azriel is toxic” “Azriel is disgrunting” “elain is boring” “elain is manipulative” etc then whilst you finally get to Gwyns’ part - highlight everything. Az chuckled with Gwyn, aww he has NEVER done that before - highlight it. Now.

THIS. Its the fact gwynriels cherry pick what suits them and what doesn’t. They need to”evidence” from all 3 series just to make sense…and yet their arguments are still so terribly illogical. That was one of my biggest turn offs from Gwynriel actually, them acting as tho throughout acosf, Gwyn was crushing on Az which was not the case at all and is such a disservice to her character.

Gwynriels 🤝 contradicting statements which is why it’s hard to take them seriously. Lmfao, like Elain making Az laugh so joyously means nothing to them and isn’t romantic but Gwyn making Az chuckle and snort - is the beginning of a gwynriel romance. Its hypocritical.

Say it louder anon, literally no one is threatened by a ship where the two characters dont even have any romantic interest towards each other - but gwynriel and gwynriels have become something to witness with how desperate they’ve become to convince everyone including themselves their ship is just as much as a possibility like elriel or even elucien. Its like when a kid in your class gets an answer so wrong you just have to put your pen down and wonder how tf they reached that conclusion.

gwynriels have definitely affected the fandom, im sure some are nice but majority are disrespectful, condescending, stubborn etc. They come into elriel spaces and talk about their ship and how they’re right, they’re constantly mocking elriels - Im sure the fandom wasn’t lovely before but gwynriels have turned it more hostile. I dont blame anyone that left this fandom because of them - it’s exhausting trying to see reason with people who believe a bonus holds more weight then the previous 4 books. That a new character we’ve just met is suddenly the most interesting and important then any of the OG cast - Someone said it before, but gwynriels argue with their own version of canon mixed with opinions and biased interpretations- you just can’t logically argue with that.

And if a gwynriel genuinely listened and understood how little a bonus affects the books - they’d see reason.

[beelzeballing]

i could write an entire thesis abt this but its 3am and i have work in the morning so you'll have to deal with just this snippet of a twitter thread i just wrote.

[bylertruther]

i don't like season three when viewing it as a continuation of seasons one and two, but i do very much like season three when viewing it as the prequel to seasons four and five... hmmmmm.

[atebyflowers]

︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ thinking about masturbating on the phone with mean ellie . . you guys weren't dating — not even close. and she was very adamant about needing her personal space and not wanting anything serious. so it was embarrassing for you, to be calling her so desperately, at such a late time in the night. you were staying with your parents away from college [and her] for the winter break, and had tried everything you could to get your release. even resorting to watching old videos of the two of you together, but nothing was working.

of course you debated it for a while, afraid she'd be mad you woke her up or interrupted a hook up between her and another girl. but you gave it a chance anyways, eventually to horny to give a fuck what she responded. "who is this?" she questioned, her tone no different than it was most of the time — causing you to let of a sigh of release, at least she wasn't sleeping. "ellie?" you said, your voice immediately hitting her ears with recognition. "oh hey it's you" she responded, you on the other end — layed underneath your sheets, desperate for something out of her. "did you need something..?" she asked, breaking you out of your minute long silence. "yea actually" you spoke, hearing a shuffling on the other end before actual words. "well? what is it, kind of busy here babe" she added. you were hesitant again, something about actually hearing her voice scared a bit of sense into you.. but not enough to erase the ache your body felt. "i... um.." you paused, hoping she'd somehow catch on. but you knew you were out of luck when she told you to speak up and stop wasting time. "i can't make myself cum" you spit out, another sigh of relief, heavier than the first one, leaving your body.

it was silent on her end fo a moment before she started to laugh to herself, "you called me because you're horny? jesus y/n.. didn't know you were this much of a whore" she responded, "well go on then, touch yourself for me baby" — the only instructions you needed before slipping your hands down to your cunt, heavy breathing being received on her end as you toued with your clit. "that's it.. let me hear her" she spoke, referring to your body as separate people. you, moving the phone lower towards your wetness, "speed up" she ordered — and you did just that, the sounds of your juices and fingers merging in harmony as you let out soft noises, careful not to be loud. "i need you s-so bad els.." you confessed pathetically, "mmm i bet huh, can't even make yourself feel good without me.. such a stupid slut" she said, getting a few more desperate whines out of you. m close els.." you told her and she hummed, "you wanna cum for me baby? let me hear how desperate you are for me" her words sent you dizzy. "y-yes- i wanna cum for you fuck, wanna-"

you were cut off by a beeping noise, the line going dead just as you were about to release.

"ellie??" confused, dizzy and egar for the orgasm you had been waiting for all week — you received no response, prompting you to sit up, opening the chat with a single shaky hand and texting her.

y/n: what happened?

you sent, and minutes went by before she responded. you — sitting sweaty and uncomfortable as you waited for something, attempting to call her back twice but receiving no answer. . until your phone finally went off.

from ellie: sorry. bedtime sweetheart. meet me when you get back to town, maybe i'll let you finish in person ;)

she responded, your mouth left agape as you read the text.

fucking bitch you whined to yourself, irritated, a few tears welling in your eyes as you were left with nothing but a cramped hand and leftover wetness still unfulfilled. you should've known it was to good to be true, how quickly she responded to your initial needs . . she really did love torturing you as much as possible.

︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎

a.n: this is unedited so ignore any spelling mistakes please and ty 🙌🏼

[rainbow-starheart]

@el-sandwich-de-geto

@hunternocedacsgf

I’ve been watching for a while now. And I think it’s about time someone laid this out crystal clear for everyone to see. Let’s talk about what’s REALLY happening here.

1. Gaslighting & Manipulation

Proshippers LOVE to act innocent. ‘We’re just enjoying fiction!’

No, sweetheart. What you’re doing is romanticizing sexual abuse, grooming, and CSA and hiding behind ‘it’s just fiction’ to excuse it. Pretending it’s harmless while desensitizing audiences to harm? That’s gaslighting. You manipulate language to make others feel stupid for calling out harmful content.

2. False Equivalence Tactics

Comparing liking problematic characters to romanticizing their actions is like comparing admiring a villain’s complexity to saying their crimes are sexy. Caleb SAID that already. But you keep twisting the narrative to say, ‘Oh, but you like dark fiction too!’

That’s false equivalence. You’re deliberately confusing the act of engaging with fiction and glorifying harm. Two VERY different things.

3. Baiting for Emotional Reactions

Let’s be honest. You weren’t here for a discussion. You baited Caleb into a debate to get an emotional reaction, and when they stood their ground? You mocked them. Laughed when they were physically ill. That’s not conversation.

That’s emotional manipulation. You wanted them to snap so you could play victim. And I won’t let that slide.

4. Victim-Playing & Tone Policing

When Caleb finally fought back, suddenly it’s ‘watch your tone’ and ‘stay respectful.’ Cute. But where was that energy when you were laughing at their distress? You can’t set fire to someone’s boundaries and then cry when they defend themselves.

5. Weaponizing Ignorance

‘How do you define romanticizing?’ Oh please. You KNOW what it means. You just pretend not to so you can play the ‘poor confused proshipper’ while pushing content that normalizes harm. It’s not ignorance. It’s weaponized stupidity.

And listen here @el-sandwich-de-geto I don’t care how many followers you have, how many white knights you send, or how many posts you make. You don’t scare me. You don’t scare any of us.

We’re not here to play your twisted game.

And Caleb?

They’re not alone.

We stand with them. We protect our own. And we know the difference between freedom of expression and freedom to harm.

So if you want to keep digging that grave, sweetheart? Go ahead. But when you look up and realize no one’s left to save you? Don’t say we didn’t warn you

@hunternocedacsgf

hey pooks! sorry to have to answer to you by post but my ass is embarrassingly shadowbanned again (for no reason might i add, i haven't posted anything weird), so i am not allowed to comment.

first of all, thank you sm for taking the time to reply! /gen/ i didn't expect any anti to, so i appreciate it.

secondly, well, how do you know the difference then? how do you know proshippers actually romanticize the crimes? are you sure they aren't joking? playing a persona? playing a fantasy of their own? (which there is nothing wrong with! everyone who selfships does that!)

furthermore, since you claim to NOT "romanticize their crimes", do you go around making sure to tell everyone you talk to that you DON'T support the character's crimes? isn't that a little dumb? lmfao. i'd think everyone would be mature enough to know you obviously don't support rape or murder or wtv irl without you having to say it, it's a... surprisingly common belief despite what you might think! /lh/ most people i'd say think that not committing crimes is very hip and cool! :D 🤙🏼

also, what does "romanticizing" even mean? finding a character who kills 'cool' (most characters do that in fiction) isn't "romanticizing" enough? i'm sure you've found a character who kills 'cool' at least once.

anyway, that's most of what i wanted to say. thank you again!

[celestialgalaxyglow]

Batfam and Danny, Part 11

A few hours later.

The JL had finished debriefing after their raid on Luthor's lab, Most members had returned to their homes, but some still remained at the Watchtower to do some work.

Clark: Danny!

Danny: Hi Clark, back so soon?

Clark: Yes, I brought my family with me.

Danny: Kryptonite weakness removal?

Clark: Yes, if you don't mind.

Danny (getting up): Not at all.

Clark: Everyone this is Danny, Bruce's grandson, aka Phantom.

Danny: Hi.

Clark: These are my sons, Kon-El and Jon-El.

Kon: Hey.

Jon (flying over to Danny and giving him a hug): Hi, it's so good to meet you! Damian talks so much about you. He really likes to have someone to teach swordsmanship.

Damian: Damian also talks a lot about you, he really likes talking about how great of a best friend you are.

Jon: Yeah Damian's a great best friend too.

Clark: Jon, give Danny some room to breath.

Danny: Don't worry, I don't need to breath.

Clark: I- never mind. This is my cousin Kara Zor-El, and her kids Otho-Ra-El and Osul-Ra-El.

Kara: So you're the kid that eat a shard of Kryptonite?

Danny: It was delicious!

Kara: There is something about the House of Wayne that makes you children a little feral.

Danny shrugged

Otho: It's good to meet you Phantom. You may call me Octavia.

Osul: And me Oscar, unlike our relatives we care about our secret identities and don't use our Kryptonian names as our Earth names.

Clark, Kara, Kon, Jon: ...

Danny: Yeah... that's a bit of an oversight.

Kon: I-

Otho: A one letter difference doesn't count.

Osul: Honesty, Kon and Con.

Clark: I- I did not bring the two of you here to judge me.

Lois: The kids has a point.

Clark: And this is my wife Lois.

Lois: Hi. Not Kryptonian so I don't need any healing.

Kon: So you can just heal our weakness to Kryptonite?

Danny: Yup, if you guys could just stand still. Danny made his way through each of them snapping his fingers. There you go, that should due the job.

Bruce: Let's see. Bruce reached into his toolbelt and took out a small shard of Kryptonite. Here you go.

Kara: You just keep Kryptonite, on your person?

Bruce: Clark gave it to me.

Clark: I give all the Kryptonite I find to Bruce for safe keeping.

Kara: I knew that, I just didn't expect he'd just carry it around at all times. Anyways let me see. She picked up the shard of Kryptonite and fiddled with it. Hmm nothing. Clark. She threw the shard to Clark who likewise felt nothing. They proceeded to pass the shard to each other till it returned to Kara.

Kara: Yeah, this thing is useless.

Danny: Does that mean I can eat it?

Bruce (looking at Danny): I'll like to keep it for research if you don't mind Clark.

Clark: Sure thing I gave them to you for a reason- oh... guess your contingency plans won't work anymore...

Bruce: Yeah, I'm already working on a way to harvest the power of an artificial red star in a small easy to carry object. So don't sleep too soundly.

Clark: Yeah that's fair. Let's go I'll help you.

Some time passed, Bruce and Clark were working on Bruce's plan to make an artificial red sun, Kara, Otho, and Osul were sunbathing on the outside of the Watchtower, and Danny, Kon, and Jon were just chatting.

Danny: Wait there's something that doesn't add up. If you're 12 and your parents are 34, then that means they had you when they were-

Jon: 22, yes.

Kon (laughing): Mom and dad, and uncle Jimmy, graduated from high school when they were 16, and college at 19. They all started working at the Daily Planet shortly after that, that's when they all met. Mom and Dad quickly became close and then a few years later during a workplace party, mom and dad both had a little too much to drink and nine moths later my little brother here was born, a few weeks before our parents turned 23.

Clark (who walked over): Yeah Ma and Pa were a little upset about me having a kid so young, but they were a massive help during Lois' pregnancy and with Jon as a baby.

Lois (laughing): My dad on the other hand almost marched over to Clark's apartment with a shotgun when he found out.

Clark: I don't think he's ever fully forgiven me.

Lois: Nonsense he loves you!

Jon: Look if anything I get to brag to Damian that I'm 10 days older than him. It makes him so mad.

Danny: Yeah I read about the circumstances surrounding Damian's birth. Look, I've never meet Talia al Ghul, I'm sure she's a smart person, but if you're going to seduce someone to get blackmail out of them, don't get so involved into the conversation that you end up drinking so much, that you end up having a drunken one night stand.

Bruce: I really should have kept track of how much we had both been drinking, but Talia knew how to hold a conversation. That was an interesting night nonetheless...

Kon: How about the night of the pink Kryptonite incident from 8 years ago?

Bruce and Clark: WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT!

Danny: ...

Lois: Still can't believe you threw the pink Kryptonite into a black hole rather than keeping it for us to use.

Clark: And I can't belief that's what you decided to focus on.

Lois: What? I can't blame you for what happened, we had never come across pink Kryptonite before, so you and Bruce went to test it in a safe isolated environment. None of us could have predicted that it would do what it did, let alone that it would indirectly have the same affect on non-Kryptonians. The whole thing was nothing more than an accident.

Danny: What did it do?

Bruce and Clark: NOTHING!

(Master Post)

Just a few notes from the author:

In this AU Otho and Osul are not Phaelosian but Kryptonian. They also survived the destruction of Krypton.

Clark arrived as a baby 34 years ago.

Jon was born 12 years ago.

Kara arrived on Earth 7 years ago, at age 16, is now 23.

Kon joined the family 6 years ago (then biologically a 14 year old) is now 20 years old.

And Otho and Osul arrived on Earth 2 years ago at 14 years old, they are now 16, and were adopted by Kara.

p.s. I kinda messed up the timeline a bit with the ages, I wanted Bruce to adopt Dick when Bruce was 24 and Dick 14. In the present Dick is 25 and Bruce 34 (still hasn't turned 35). Then I decided to make Bruce and Clark the same age so Clark is also 34. Then I decided to make Damian and Jon 12 without doing the math that Clark and Bruce would have been 22 when they had them...

By the time I realized, I just decided that what happened happened and rolled with the idea.

Lastly pink Kryptonite in this AU basically causes the Kryptonian to develop a blinding level of lust for the first person they see, a feeling that can transferred to the person if there's any physical contact between them.

[sir3n-s]

Steve knew that one day he wouldn't be able to refuse to play dnd. 

Especially since he was now dating a dragons master or whatever it's called. He can't keep up with all the names. 

And don't get him wrong Eddie is great and dnd sounds sort of interesting but he's been against playing for so long he doesn't want to give up the act. 

But he if was going to give up the act he was going to get something in return. 

The kids were all gathered at Steve's house for a movie night. 

They had 2 different kinds of movie night, one where they all actually watched movies and the other where the movie was just there for background noise while everyone either talked or worked on something.

Tonight Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin were making character sheets for Eddie's new campaign while trying to get Steve to join as well. 

"Just play one campaign" Dustin whined for the 20th time that night. And probably the 100th time in his life. 

"Are you ever going to let this go?" 

"No! You have to play one now that you're dating Eddie. Aren't couples supposed to try out each other's hobbies?" He got him there.

"He's got a point Stevie," Eddie says finally engaging in the conversation after being glued to the TV. Despite the volume being low he was still watching it with intense interest. 

"You're right, couples should try each other's hobbies" Steve agreed. 

"Uh oh," Robin says without looking up from the puzzle she was going with Nancy, knowing what he was going to say next since he ran his plan through her first.

"I will play a campaign but!" He says before the kids could get too excited, "you all have to play basketball with me" 

They all groaned. Except Lucas who was completely fine with this arrangement.

-

It was Saturday and they were all at basketball court in the park. Most of them were wearing their gym clothes. 

Except for Lucas and Steve who actually had basketball jerseys. 

Max and el were also playing since they wanted to join despite the fact they won't play dnd either. 

And who was he to say no to them? The more the merrier.

Robin and Nancy were sitting at the bench in the shade, Robin saying she refuses to play a sport because she's too clumsy and Nancy saying Robin shouldn't have to sit alone. But Steve knows they just want to talk shit about them. 

He wasnt going to stop them, he knew it was a lost cause to try to get them to join as well. 

The only rule they had before playing was that Steve and Lucas couldn't be on the same team, 'it wouldn't be fair' Dustin said and everyone else agreed. Even Robin and Nancy. 

So they ended up being the team captainsin on each team. 

Steve's team was Max, Mike, and El while Lucas had Will, Dustin, and Eddie. 

And it was going well! Better than Steve thought it would. Especially with how unathletic most of them were. 

Steves team was winng, and despite Dustin whinning about how it was because Steve was older and had more experience he hasn't even made all the points. 

He did score the first point but El scored the last 2. 

It's was 3 to 1. The only point they had was from Lucas. Eddie couldn't throw for shit, Dustin kept dropping the ball, and Will was actually doing pretty well but was kinda being ignored because Lucas and Dustin wouldn't stop arguing.

He can tell eddie was getting annoyed with having to constantly break up their fights.

Their team only needed one more point to win and Mike had the ball.

"Pass it to me!" He yells towards Mike and he does pass it to him. Just way too hard. 

Because it goes past his hands and right towardd his face. Smacking him hard in the nose and knocking him over. 

He hears everyone gasp as he groans on the ground.

He heard the tapping of people feet on concrete, and on grass, get close to him. 

"Holy fuck are you okay?" Despite his eyes being closed he can easily tell that's Eddie's voice.

"Damn Mike why did you throw it so hard" he hears max says. He also hears a light punch but doesn't comment on it this time.

"I didnt mean to!"��

"I'm okay" Steve says while getting up, grabbing his nose when he felt something on his lip. Blood, of course.

"That would've been a great throw if I was a little bit farther from you," he says towards Mike as Eddie helps him off the floor and leads him to the bench despite saying he was okay to keep playing.

Everyone gather arounds him as El hands him some of the napkins she keeps in her pocket.

"If this is how you all act everytime someone gets hurt it's going to get extremely annoying as we keep playing" Everyone makes weird faces, except for Robin who was grinning.

And Nancy because Robin definitely told her. 

He smiles. "You guys are going to want me to play more than one campaign, so you will all be playing more games of basketball."

While Lucas smiled, everyone else groaned.

[willow-wispwolf]

The lore implications behind Martyn’s new rat are actually driving me insane. I've been obsessing over his rat for like an hour or five.

So, I know his rat is a part of his VTuber story cause of the scars

If you look at the designs, the scars are the same, except there are more as they go on. (I wonder if the eyepatch will stay for the rest of the lore)

The idea of him being back in the Rats world makes for a really interesting story cause I'm not sure if he'll see it as the same game or a sequel game. What makes it even better is that there are repeat characters from Rats 1. He doesn't look terribly different from his Rats 1 character, with the same hair, ears, and color scheme, so feasibly, characters like Trash Rat, Bek, El, Shelby, Will, or Tubbo could possibly recognize him. How will he interact with them?

I mean, it's clear that he's still the pun master, like his Rats 1 title. His favorite food being pie this time is cause he's a pie rat. Then, obviously, there's fishing and phishing. Phishing is clearly the punny synonym for his looting specialty from his previous Rat.

Then, the fact that he's a PI-RAT makes this even more interesting. Martyn's clothes look almost identical to his Pirates smp outfit. Maybe something happened because Doc wasn't responding, and so he got sent to the next world with some Pirates data still with him?

Oh yea and let's not forget the fact that he's the only rat who shares an occupation, and it's with REN

Y'all, I'm so ready for Rats smp 2

I wonder how many jokes about how in Pirates, we were rats in his boot, and now he's a pirate rat there's gonna be. We're gonna be flees in his boots.

[mywritersmind]

pookieeee how are youuu 💗 I'm in NEED of a Franco fic where the reader is João Félix's little sister...

So she obvi speaks Portuguese and English (maybe some Italian in there too) butttt unlike her brother her Spanish is rusty. So when reader drags her brother (and of course some of the guys from the team) to support her best friend at a race, he's listening in to every little comment Franco makes about her in Spanish and trying to subtly give hints to reader that he likes her, and of course some good brother teasing! Just hardcore fluff, friend pining and good old family banter!

HE CAN UNDERSTAND - FC43

listen up : i used google translate don’t come for me. not proofread! super cute and fluffy! loved this request sorry if i didng execute it well😭

word count : 2281

⋆｡‧˚⋆

“Franco!” I jump into my best friends arms as he laughs. The moment I asked for three Grand Prix tickets, he sent them over immediately and went on a rant of how excited he was to see me.

“Y/n!” He grins widely at me, “I’m so happy you’re here!” He's in his race suit, his hair messy and extra wavy. I run my hand through it, fixing it a bit.

“You’re a mess.” I laugh as he pushes my hand away and rolls his eyes, “Oh!” I suddenly remember that my brother is standing behind me. “This is my brother, João! I can’t believe you two haven’t met!” I smile at both of them as my brother shakes Franco’s hand.

Oddly professional for someone he knows I love. “Nice to finally meet you. Y/n never shuts up about you.” I slightly blush at his words as Franco lets out a laugh.

“Good to know…” Franco gives us a mini tour. I'm so beyond happy for him. This has been his dream since forever, the first time I met him he even jokingly flirted and said I could be a WAG.

Franco is charming and hilarious so my brother likes him instantly. We end up in the William’s garage, everyone scrambling around and talking in languages I can’t understand.

Since it’s race day, i’m genuinely surprised Franco had the time to see us. Especially since Qualifying was earlier today.

But my best friend works in magical ways.

⋆༺

FRANCO

I watch Y/n talk to Alex’s girlfriend. I watch as her hair flows down her back and her hand covers her mouth as she laughs. “So,” João turns to me, sort of intimidating for his height but so far I think he approves of me. “You’ve known Y/n for a while, huh?”

I nod, “Yeah, she hasn't been able to shake me yet.” He laughs, nodding his head.

“You care about her?” Why do I feel like i’m getting interrogated?

I nod, “Of course. She’s my best friend.”

“I mean as more than a friend.”

I laugh uncomfortably, joking with him, “Are you asking me my intentions?” He does not find this funny. I clear my throat and breathe out, “We’re just friends.”

Y/n comes skipping back over to us. I’ve always been taught to not lie, but i’m not about to confess that I like her to fucking brother.

“J, you’ve got to see his car!” She takes his arm and pulls him away, “You coming, Fran?”

I’m about to follow after them but my engineer taps my shoulder, “Gimmie one second! Don't touch anything, Y/n, I know how you are!”

She gives me one of her signature smiles, making my pulse quicken and my smile falter. I catch her brother giving me an odd look before I sit up and wave.

I turn to my engineer who’s smiling, big, “Dios mío, te estás sonrojando.” (My god, you’re blushing.) I roll my eyes at him, turning to see Y/n point to my car and start asking questions to someone in blue.

“¡Cállate por favor!” (Shut up please!) Her Spanish is more than rusty. I've tried to teach her some but she gets distracted and she always ends up persuading me into something different. Still, it’s weird talking about her when she’s right there.

“Vamos, ¡te gusta! Es la forma en que la miras... como si fuera el sol.” (Come on, you like her! It’s the way you look at her… like she’s the sun.) I push his shoulder at his words. Christ, is it that obvious?

“Actúas como si fuera un cachorrito enamorado.” (You act like i’m some lovesick puppy)

“¡Porque lo eres! Siempre hablas de ella, tu pantalla de bloqueo es ella, ¡siempre le estás enviando mensajes de texto! Admítelo.” (Because you are! You always talk about her, your lock screen is her, you are always texting her! Just admit it.)

I cross my arms at him, not daring to glance back at her. “No voy a arruinar mi relación con ella…” I shake my head and tease him, “¡Ahora vuelve a trabajar!” (I’m not ruining my relationship with her… now get back to work!)

I join Y/n and João again, smiling and doing my duty as a tour guide. João gives me another weird look and i’m hoping it’s not because i’m losing his trust. I know i’m not her boyfriend, but I still want him to like me.

They are soon asked to step into the visitors area as I warm up for the race. Y/n kisses my cheek before she goes, “Good luck, Fran. Be careful!” I know my cheeks are red but all I can focus on is her so close to me, her lips on my cheek.

I nod, “Thank you. Have fun watching.” I wink at her and turn, getting ready.

⋆༺

YOU

“I’m so nervous! It’s so rainy!” I bite my lip as the cars go out on track in a second formation lap. The race hasn’t even started and someone’s already out!

My brother eyes me, he’s been acting weird all day and I hate it. He suddenly turns to me, “You don’t like Franco?”

It catches me off guard, “Uh… of course I do?” He rolls his eyes.

“I mean can you see yourself with him? I think you’d be cute.” I laugh out loud.

“João, when have you ever wanted me to date someone?” Especially Franco. I mean, maybe i’ve thought about it.

Okay maybe I've fantasized about it… a lot.

But what am I supposed to do? Confess to my best friend who’s always been there for me that I think he’s irresistible and criminally hot? No.

“I just think if you’re gonna date anyone… He’s a good option.” My cheeks heat as I shake my head, “You’re blushing! Come on, Y/n, why not?”

“Just shut up, the race is starting!”

The next time he brings it up is at a yellow flag, “He’s definitely nicer than your ex.” I give him a death glare and attempt to tune him out, “And who did you go crying to after he broke your heart….?” Franco. The answer is Franco because he’s always there.

It’s been hard recently because of his races, but he’s constantly texting or calling me. I think he just wants someone to gossip with.

“Again, he’s my friend. Just because you have a girlfriend now doesn’t mean you know everything!”

“No but I know everything about you, and you don’t look at your other friends like that.” I hate that stupid smug smile on his face. And I hate that he’s right.

My stomach drops when Franco goes into the wall. I grab onto my brother's arm who doesn’t look concerned at all and more happy that i’m so worried! I slap his arm, “You have no empathy!”

I cross my arms, biting my lip as I watch him exit the car. Thank god he’s okay.

Franco gives me a small thumbs up when he’s back in the garage. I can tell he’s absolutely gutted, the air is awkward and thick with tension since Franco’s crash meant that the whole team's weekend is over.

The race is long and honestly scary. Still, all I can think about is Franco.

Maybe this weekend, his attention to me, my brothers comments, and how Franco’s been looking at me, has finally sealed what I've been dreading.

I’ve known I like him for a while, but I don’t want to ruin us. I can’t be embarrassed by my closest friend!

I’m not an idiot, I see how he flirts with interviewers or even fans. Part of me wants to believe that’s just his personality, but the other part is screaming at me that he doesn’t like me.

His eyes though, he looks at me so deeply that sometimes I feel like I'm apart of some big trick.

“Hey,” My brother nudges me, “Race is over.” I snap out of whatever daze I was in and nod, “I gotta pee, go talk to Franco!”

When I look to where he points, Franco’s already looking at me. His race suit is unzipped and he looks so tired. “Hi.” He smiles softly but I can tell it’s forced.

“Sorry your first race with me sucked.” He frowns, leaning against the little barrier from the garage and friends and family.

“Hey…” I touch his arm briefly, “It did not suck! And It’s not your fault. It was scary though…”

His eyes look sad and I know it’s not just because he crashed. Franco feels so deeply and this weekend has been especially hard for him. I can tell he sees the worry on my face, “I'm really really happy you’re here. We’re getting dinner later, right?”

I go to the hotel with João first. We change and meet back at the restaurant. “I’m so hungry!” I groan as we sit down, Franco said he would be here soon but I am not above ordering early.

João sits across from me, “Gotta wait for your boyfriend.”

I eye him, “You better not say anything in front of Franco. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.” He laughs a bit.

“I really don’t think I will.” He’s so ominous today. “I can tell i’m making you uncomfortable though. My only question is… why?”

“Why?”

“Why can’t you accept that you like him? He’s obviously not going to turn you down. He’s practically got hearts in his eyes when he talks to you.” The waiter brings water which I gulp down immediately.

“I- No! I can’t like him. He’s my friend.”

“So you’ve said… but the best relationships start out that way.” Why is he pushing this so much?

“I just… I don’t want to ruin our relationship.”.

“Funny…” he mumbles something, “That's what he said too.” but I can’t hear him because Franco sits and starts saying hello.

Our dinner is amazing, the food is perfect and I can’t stop laughing at Franco and João. “You’ve gotta come to a match sometime!” My brother laughs, “The team would love you.”

Franco grins, “I would be honored! Y/n always talks about your games, you’re pretty good apparently.” This boosts my brother's ego far too much and we end the night while talking about football and childhood stories.

“He always teased me with his friends!” I roll my eyes at the memory, “They were all learning Spanish in highschool so I never understood them!”

Franco laughs as João shakes his head, “Why didn’t you take spanish in highschool?”

“I did! I just never caught on. Plus João became fluent after school anyway so his schooling barely helped.” I shrug as Franco’s expression turns odd.

He blinks, looking to João, “You’re fluent?”

“Si.” He looks almost smug about it as Franco nods slowly, swallowing.

“Así que escuchaste…” (So you heard…)

“Todo.” (Everything) Franco’s smile drops completely at my brothers words. But my brother still carries on with a smile, “Eres muy obvio, pero lo apoyo.” (You’re very obvious, but I support it.)

I frown at their communication that I can’t understand, “Okay, can you two stop gossiping? I’m ready to leave.” Franco smiles at me, nodding slowly as we stand.

Our walk back to the hotel is short and luckily no fans interrupt it. The warmth of the inside makes me smile and the ding of the elevator makes me yearn for my bed.

“Uh, Y/n?” I look back at Franco as he talks, “Could I speak to you for a moment…” I look at my brother who nods, a smile still on his face as he disappears behind the elevator doors. “Let’s go outside.”

It’s no longer raining so we venture out into the hotel's garden. It’s beautiful with tall plants and trees, a small path that we walk on, and flowers that I've never seen before.

“What did you walk to talk to me about?” I turn to him, he looks oddly scared and a bit chilly. He starts to speak but then closes his mouth and thinks, “Franco…?”

“I like you.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, I freeze, “I really like you and not just as a friend… like way more than that.”

I blink, “You’re kidding?”

The panic on his face is immediate, “No?”

“Shit. Okay!” I realize i’m so caught up in my own world that he probably thinks I don’t like him, “I feel the same.”

He breathes out, stepping closer, “You fucking scared me.”

I smile, not believing this is even real, “You really like me? Because my brother has been making me feel delusional all day!” He takes my hand in his and I swear my heart skips a beat.

“He heard me talking about you in spanish…” I raise a brow, “My engineer was teasing me and I didn’t know he spoke it!” I laugh, shaking my head at his story, “But I'm glad he did. I probably would be sitting in my room all alone if he hadn't.”

I grip his hand tighter, stepping closer, “I’m really glad too. I didn’t want to ruin anything but fuck I really like you.”

He grins and leans in, He paused before I nod. Franco presses a kiss to my lips softly, “I can’t believe you have a crush on me.” I whisper as groans and rolls his eyes, trying to walk away.

“No! No taking it back now!” I laugh, pulling him back to me, my hand going to his neck and my lips meeting his, “You’re stuck with me now.”

[snowy-vee]

ALL MINE Pt.1 (E.W ff)

oblivious loser bsf! ellie williams x posesive popular bsf!fem reader

n/a: English is not my first language, any misspelling will be corrected later on, also, please feel free to leave a comment and rb!!

Pt.2 Here

Inform yourself about what's happening and how to help! FREE PALESTINE, FREE CONGO.

“Bye, girls!” you waved to the cheer team before getting into Ellie’s car, greeting her with a small ‘hi’ and a kiss on her cheek. “Why weren’t you at cheer practice? I missed you looking at me from the bleachers like a little stalker,” you giggle, grabbing her phone to put music to your liking.

“I don’t look like a stalker... Do I? I don't,” she said quietly, and you laughed again. “Anyway, I was doing a project, and I didn’t notice how late it was until you called me to pick you up.”

She started the car and began to drive home. You were both roommates in an off-campus flat, and since Ellie was the only one with a licence, it was common for her to drive you everywhere and pick you up.

You kept looking for a good playlist while ‘Too Fast’ by Sonder was playing when a notification came in. You blinked twice, thinking you might have seen something wrong, but the message from Dina saying she had a good time was still there.

“Dina was your partner for the project?”

“Yes, why? She is very nice; I wonder why I’ve never spoken to her; she’s got a good vibe.”

“Yeah, but isn’t she kind of a loser? I mean, the only interesting thing about her is that she dated Jesse.” You scoffed. The ugly look she gave you after that was enough to make you stop laughing. “I don’t mean it in a bad way! Just saying that you might not want to hang out with her that much.”

“I am a loser too; shouldn’t I be hanging out with my kind of people?”

“You’re not a loser! You just have different interests than the rest of our friends—"

“Your friends"

"My friends, whatever, you hang out with me; that gives you some status and makes you not a total loser but a partial one.”

Ellie rolled her eyes as she parked the car, grabbed her backpack from the back seat, and got out without opening your door, as she usually does. You opened your mouth a little offended and got out too.

“Els! Come on, don’t get angry. I’ll cook dinner, yeah?” You tried to apologise, but she had already locked herself in her room. You snorted, throwing your bag on your bed and then throwing yourself off too.

You and Ellie had been best friends since middle school. You came in as the new girl and soon caught the attention of many, but Ellie was the only one who made you feel comfortable in every way. You were always together and inseparable until high school, when you decided to become a cheerleader, and that’s when the distinction between you and Ellie began.

Although you tried to make time for her or integrate her into the “Populars” group, it didn’t work out, and it was obvious that it made both parties uncomfortable, so the only times you shared space together were at parties or break time. Ellie had friends, not counting the online ones, but for her, they were more like classmates, so she barely spent time with them.

It doesn’t matter; you were going to sleep and apologise in the morning—that is, until, coming out of the bathroom after taking a good shower and changing into your pyjamas, you heard giggles and voices from Ellie’s room.

Was she laughing with Dina? How was it possible that they were already at the level of making video calls? Was there something else she wasn’t telling you? No, you were best friends; you told each other everything.

“Els, I’m going to make instant ramen; do you want the chicken one or?” You opened the door without knocking first to confirm your suspicions, and yes, it was Dina on the other side of the phone. You could see her face and how her smile slowly faded. “Oh, hi, Dina.”

"Hi,” she said softly. “Well, I’m going to have dinner too; talk to you later, Ellie.”

“Yeah, okay, bye, Dina." Ellie smiled, hanging up. She woke up from her bed and nodded in your direction. “I want chicken ramen; I’ll go shower real quick.”

She was still annoyed with you; you could feel it, so that meant you had to apologise tonight.

Your cooking skills were not the best; it was strange that you touched the stove burners, mostly because Ellie did. Talking about the Queen of Rome, there she was standing in her black pyjama pants and sports bra. She was drying her short hair as she watched you cook.  

"Can I help you with something?" She asked, but you refused. You were almost done; you just needed to put the food on the plates. You left the dishes on the table in the living room. "Actually, I was planning to eat in my room today."  

"Ellie, please... I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk like that about your  friends." You started apologising by grabbing her hand and leading her to the couch. "Forgive me, yes? I hate that we're upset about something so small."  

"Ugh, I hate that I can't be mad at you for too long." You squealed with excitement, and before you knew it, you both had finished eating and were now sharing a blanket on the couch while watching a movie.   Your head was resting on her shoulder, and although it was a comfortable position, it got on your nerves that Ellie was on her phone, sending messages and giggling from time to time. It was driving you crazy.

You cleared your throat as you got off the couch. "I'm going to sleep; tomorrow will be a busy day," you said.  

"But the movie isn't over yet," Ellie protested, looking at you with those beautiful eyes of hers. For a moment, you were about to stay, but Ding! Another notification caused her to divert your attention to her phone again.  

"No, I don't want dark circles under my eyes."  

"Wait, one thing..."  

"What?"  

"Tomorrow, where was that party?" you frowned at her question, confused that she's asking about a party.  

"Uh... at the same frat house where we went for the Halloween party, why?"  

"Yes, but can you send me the address?"  

"Yes, but why? You said you didn't want to come, remember?"  

"I know, but you're going to drag me anyway, and Dina said she wanted to come, so I won't be alone."  

"You're never alone; I'm with you," you replied. Ellie raised an eyebrow as she looked at you. "Most of the time, I'm with you, Ellie!"  

"I know! I appreciate it, but... I think I want to get to know Dina more, if you know what I mean." Her cheeks began to redden, and she had a shy smile as she looked at her phone.   That made your stomach churn.

You nodded and couldn't help but let out an incredulous chuckle that went unnoticed by her. "I'll send you the location tomorrow, Els."  

"Great, you're the best; I love you."  

"Me too, get a good night's rest," you said, walking down the hallway to your room. You looked once more at Ellie before entering, still hooked on her phone.   You definitely had to get rid of Dina.  

You didn't have a problem with sharing other things, but Ellie? No way; she was yours, all yours.

[steveseddie]

hot chocolate, on me

written for @steddieholidaydrabbles | prompt: hot chocolate | rating: g | wc: 995 | tags: different first meeting, babysitter steve, steve is a sweetheart, pre-relationship read on ao3

The same shitheads that dragged Steve into an interdimensional fight less than two months ago have now dragged him to the Christmas market. 

It’s definitely an improvement– at least Steve won’t get a concussion here. But that doesn’t mean this is how he wanted to spend his days leading up to Christmas. 

At least since his reputation already took a tumble it doesn’t really matter if he’s seen herding a bunch of nerds– or, in this case, wandering between carol singers and stands decked with lights all by himself after the kids he oh so kindly drove here ditched him and wandered off on their own. 

Whatever. It’s not like they’re starting to grow on him or anything.

He still keeps an eye on them since he’s kind of responsible for their asses. Right now he can see Byers and Henderson trying on dorky Christmas hats, Wheeler with his arm around El as she stares at the big Christmas trees and Sinclair and Max huddled together, drinking hot chocolate.

As a shiver runs down his spine, Steve thinks the last two have the right idea so he looks for the stand selling hot beverages. He stands in line, tuning out the people asking for hot chocolate, mulled wine, and apple cider. 

“What can I get you?” The woman asks the guy directly in front of Steve. 

“Greetings, fair lady,” he says with a dramatic flourish of his hand. “Might I have a warm draught of spiced cocoa, sweetened and brewed with hot water?”

Both Steve and the woman stare blankly at the guy, who laughs and asks for a hot chocolate.

While the woman prepares the drink, Steve looks him over. The moment he turns around to dig in his back pocket for his wallet, Steve recognizes him. 

Eddie Munson. 

His usual mane of black hair is tucked under a black winter hat and his familiar vest has been replaced by a green jacket but his voice and his showy way of talking are impossible to miss.

And his laugh– Steve remembers hearing it one day during lunch and surprising himself by immediately wishing he could hear it again. 

Right now he tries to pay attention in case Eddie decides to laugh again but all Steve overhears is him cursing as he pats the front of his jeans. “Shit– I, uh– I think I forgot my wallet, sorry–”

Eddie sounds embarrassed and when he pivots to leave, his cheeks are bright pink, his forehead pinched in a sad frown. 

Cute is what Steve thinks first before feeling bad for him. 

The woman has to clear her throat to get his attention.  

“Sorry,” Steve says sheepishly, still staring at Eddie as he disappears into the crowd. 

He gets an idea. “I’ll get that guy’s hot chocolate and another one for me, please?”

When the woman gives him both drinks, Steve goes looking for Eddie. 

He finds him staring up at a big Christmas tree, the bright multicolored lights reflecting on his face and making it glow. Steve can’t help but think he looks pretty. 

“If you’re planning to throw that on my face, Harrington, at least let it cool first,” Eddie says, startling Steve.

“What?”

“Isn’t that why you’re lurking?” Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow at him. “Or maybe you got that for your date? Has the King moved on already?” 

Steve ignores the last part and holds out one of the paper cups. “Actually this is for you.”

Eddie’s eyebrows knit together. “For me?”

“Yeah, I was behind you in the line and heard you forgot your wallet so I got it for you.”

“Why?” Eddie asks warily. 

Steve isn’t about to admit he wanted an opportunity to talk to Eddie so he just shrugs. “I don’t know, man. Blame the Christmas spirit or something.” 

Eddie narrows his eyes. “So this is– what? Charity?”

“No! No, no–” Steve shakes his head. “I just wanted to be nice.” 

“Nice? To me?” Eddie asks skeptically.

“Yeah.” 

Eddie’s nose scrunches up. “No, thanks.”

“What?” Steve says, dumbfounded. He didn’t expect Eddie to turn down free hot chocolate. 

“I don’t need you to pay for my stuff, Harrington.”

“It’s just hot chocolate, dude,” he says, keeping his tone light, friendly. “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” 

“It means I’ll owe you.”

Steve lets out a heavy sigh. “If it’ll make you act like less of a dick you can just pay me back.”

Eddie purses his lips but when Steve stretches his arm out again, offering him the drink, Eddie takes one teeny tiny little shuffle of a step towards him and grabs it. 

“Fine,” he mumbles, grabbing the cup with both hands and blowing on it. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Steve says, a smile settling across his face. “Was that so hard?”

Eddie glares half-heartedly. “Don’t push it, Harrington,” he says but his voice is teasing, and when Steve chuckles, the corners of Eddie’s lips tug up in a smile.

So Steve decides to push. 

“Are you, uh, here with someone?” 

Eddie freezes mid-sip, narrowing his eyes again. “Why? Are you gonna make fun of me and call me a freak?”

“Dude, no,” Steve says, rolling his eyes. “Just- there’s this Christmas show happening soon and I thought we could see it together? It’s probably not your thing but I heard there’s gonna be music. You like music, right?”

“Do I like–” Eddie laughs and there it is- that happy, delighted little sound. “Yes, you could say I like music, Stevie.”

Stevie. 

The nickname makes something warm flutter in his stomach that has nothing to do with his hot drink. “So do you wanna? See it with me?”

“Why?” 

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose. “Are you going to be this difficult every time I’m nice to you?”

“Yes. But only because you’re cute when you’re annoyed,” Eddie winks.

Oh. That giddy fluttery feeling in Steve’s stomach gets stronger. 

Maybe that hot chocolate will mean something after all. 

[miwiheroes]

Season 1 Mike Wheeler Queer-coding

Just some of my favourite pieces of queer-coded Mike evidence that I have found from season 1. Let me know if you have never seen these before because I'd love to add to the conversation <33

My overall conclusion from season 1 is: Mike gets taught that being queer/ not liking girls is dangerous. It means you die/ disappear. Being 'normal' or straight is therefore easier. Take this conclusion in mind as you read this.

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion. If you want to interact with this post because you disagree with me, please be respectful.

(Yes I will be doing all the other seasons at some point but it will take a while because this one took me a WEEK)

1. Ted's Comments

Take these with a grain of salt, because when I watched the show again I was a little unsure of whether these are actually implicitly homophobic or due to other things.

So here Ted says 'see Michael, you see what happens?' after Nancy storms off and goes to her room. This could be in relation to Mike shouting at Nancy earlier and that's why he's scolding him a little, but also Mike was talking about how it isn't Will's fault that he's gone missing. It's also kind of established that adults in the town think that Will is gay (more on that later) and was hatecrimed, so Ted could be referencing that.

It's also notable that Mike thinks his dad is talking about Will's disappearance because he then says 'what happens when what? i'm the only one acting normal here. i'm the only one who cares about will.'

So I think it's pretty clear what he's insinuating here. He didn't want to explicitly say 'see what happens when you're not like everyone else' but you can tell. And why would this be said to Mike in relation to Will's disappearance if not for queer-coding? Even early on in the show, Mike could associate being queer with going missing.

Ted, later on in the season, says 'our son? with a girl?' which tbh i thought could be because he's a nerd and only likes hanging out with his friends.

But now that I'm thinking about it, they also say that kind of stuff about Will in season 3. And people on twitter who were against Will's queer-coding before season 4 figured that a lot of the reason people called him slurs was because of him being shy/ stereotyped/ a nerd/ sensitive. But it was confirmed after season 4 that the slurs were queer-coding aka we were right. So the same could easily be said for Mike in this situation.

2. The 'Talk' tm

We've all seen a lot of people talk about this, but I have a teensy bit more to add onto what others have said already because it's sort of funny.

This scene is different to both Karen and the audience. To Karen, she's basically asking Mike if he's feeling particularly sad about Will being missing because of reasons. But to the audience, and Mike, this is a moment for him to be worried about the fact he's hiding El in his closet.

Karen says: 'with all this that's been going on, with Will, i can't imagine what it's been like for you. i just-- want you to feel like you can talk to me. i never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. i'm here for you. okay?'

This feels like something Joyce will say to Will in season 5 LMAO like-

If you aren't queer, you will never understand how obvious this is that it's a gay talk. The word 'hide' is so often used in these situations. What is she insinuating? I understand that the 'i want you to feel like you can talk to me' might just be about Mike's sadness, but the emphasis on 'hide anything' is crazy. Also this is about Will and nothing else because at the beginning she pointedly says, 'with Will'. She's basically insinuating there's something different about Mike's relationship/friendship with Will.

What she could also be insinuating is that she thinks that Will's disappearance had something to do with him being queer, (which is rumoured about). She then applies this same logic to Mike. She may be thinking 'oh if Will didn't feel safe about being queer, I'd better let Mike know he is safe.' -- This could be far-fetched though.

Okay so what is very interesting is that El's in Mike's closet at this time. There are multiple reasons for the directors to put her in there: One, to show a flashback from when she's in the lab, and Two, for her to be in the closet during the queer-coded conversation.

Here's why: RIGHT AFTER KAREN SAYS ALL THE HIDING STUFF, THERE'S A SOUND FROM MIKE'S CLOSET......

Walk with me here folks... To the audience, this is funny because Mike is hiding something. He's hiding El. But. Also the sound came from his closet. He's hiding the fact he's in the closet-- *gunshots*. Double meanings exist i swearr

3. Lucas's Teasing

This whole scene is so interesting to me. I used to ignore it because it's possible Mike and El proof but...

It reinforces the heteronormativity of Mike and could even feed into how he acts in his relationship with her. First of all, Lucas tells Mike that just because he is being nice to a girl he must want to marry her and love her right?

This could be a 'Mike could like El' scene, but no. Mike is literally like, 'Lucas what are you talking about?' HE IS CONFUSED. He's also fed-up, he's not embarrassed. He's not flustered. He's not like 'omg shut up hahaha' he literally bluntly says 'shut up Lucas' in this voice that sounds kind of tired.

What Mike learns here is that being with a girl is kind of expected. He's not allowed to be friends with a girl or care for a girl without people assuming they're a thing.

This leads perfectly onto the next point.....

4. Bullies' Homophobic Comments Exhibit A

Straight after learning that Lucas assumed he had heterosexual feelings for El, Mike learns that being gay is a 'bad thing'.

These comments could just be coding for Will, sure, but there are indications that it could be Mike queer-coding as well.

First of all, 'He's dead, that's what my dad says. Probably killed by some other queer', is a very weighted comment. The fact that Troy's dad said this to him implies that Will's sexuality is like a rumour amongst adults in the town. It's also the show portraying how hate like homophobia can be taught from parents.

Mike's then the one to be like 'just ignore them' and goes to walk away. SPECIFICALLY IT IS HIM THAT IS TRIPPED. I REPEAT!!! HE IS TRIPPED NO ONE ELSE.

This could imply that the bullies were targeting him as well as Will for homophobic bullying, maybe in the past as well, and the 'killed by some other queer' comment could be directed at him. I guess you could say that he was tripped because he was the nearest person, or that he was the one speaking, but the directors chose him to be the one walking there. And SPEAKING. Why??

So: Mike has just learnt from Lucas that being nice to a girl can be seen as attraction and means he has to love her. THEN Mike has just learnt from the bullies that maybe Will died because he was gay, and that being gay gets you hurt (tripped over).

Mike is given a choice between the lesser of two evils: choose to fit into a heteronormative society but get made fun of Lucas, or embrace being gay and get killed/ bullied like Will.

Later on in the season, he finds out Will has died. Let me repeat that. He. Believes. Will. Has. Died. Would this maybe reinforce what the bullies said? That being gay = disappearance. Oh poor MIKE OMGGG

Queer coding all up in this scene lads. (+ a reason for internalised homophobia uwu)

5. Bullies' Homophobic Comments Exhibit B

This scene and the previous scene are inherently linked.

Mike is the one to confront the bullies about Will, defending him, so the bullies instantly resort to homophobia. This means that they may be implying that Mike trying to defend someone who they view as gay is also gay.

In the last scene, I guess you could say that the comments weren't particularly targeted at Mike as well as Will because he wasn't at the forefront of the group (even though he was tripped over). But in this scene he definitely is. They chose to utilise homophobic language about Will because they know it touches a nerve with Mike: This homophobic language doesn't just affect the person they are talking about but also the person they are saying it to.

So here's what they say: 'Besides, what's there to be sad about anyway? Will's in fairyland now, right? Flying around with all the other little fairies, all happy and gay.'

The words that Troy is saying here are obviously more linked to how Will is queer-coded throughout season 1, but the way that the scene is shot, the music, the implications, they're all coding for Mike.

'Will's in fairyland now, right?' is posed as a question. They didn't have to make it a question, but they did. This is basically them saying 'oh we've told you this before, shouldn't you know?'/ implying that Mike would know because he's also gay.

Another line they didn't have to include unless it was queer-coding for Mike is: 'Flying around with all the other little fairies.' They could have just written Troy to say 'Will's in fairyland now. All happy and gay,' or something along those lines etc. The jab at Mike is that other gay people exist, and that Will is being gay 'with them'. The words 'all happy and gay' here doesn't actually imply Will's sexuality by itself, but the act of 'being gay together' or in a gay relationship so to speak.

So if you put the pieces together, they're making a point about Mike and Will's friendship in a sense. Also the fact that Troy at the beginning of this insult says 'What's there to be sad about anyway?', basically means that he's trying to get under Mike's skin by saying 'Why are you sad that Will's happy and being gay with other boys? Are you sad he's not with you?' I know that's like, on the nose, but whatever.

(Also Mike has tears in his eyes during this part showing how the words are also affecting him and not just Will)

Another thing I want to talk about is the music. Obviously this music is foreboding and is trying very hard to make the audience uncomfortable, trying to let you know that something bad is going to happen. When Troy walks away, the music swells and the camera zooms in on Mike's angry expression.

Then, Mike pushes troy over for the homophobic comment. This is interesting why? Because Troy tripped Mike over in the previous scene I talked about. Meaning: the scenes are linked. Troy was being homophobic to both Mike and Will. Mike's had enough, so he retaliates in the same way that Troy had treated him earlier.

I'd also like to add that before El saves Mike, he just stands there as Troy stands up and says 'You're dead Wheeler, you're dead.' He was ready to take whatever Troy was going to throw at him. Which is interesting because in the previous scene I talked about, Troy spoke about how being 'queer' means you'll get killed. ('He's dead. That's what my dad thinks, probably killed by some other queer.') So Troy is going to kill Mike, just like how Will is dead too.

A lot has happened between the previous scene and this one. Mike thought Will had died. Yes, during the assembly scene, he doesn't believe it anymore, but he watched Will's body being dragged out the water just recently. Just like in the scene where he jumps into the quarry, this is yet another instance of Mike not caring if he gets hurt in regards to bullying/ Will.

6. More Lucas Comments

"Screw you Mike! You're blind, blind because you like that a girl's not grossed out by you! But wake up, man. Wake the hell up!" (btw I'm not saying that Lucas is being homophobic here, they're little kids and they've been through a lot)

I mean, come on. This basically implies the classic compulsive heterosexuality concept of Mike choosing which girl to have a crush on because she's the easiest option, since she didn't know him growing up or didn't go to the same school together. Even if this isn't accurate, it is still coding because they wrote Lucas to say that jab at him, it hurts Mike inside, because he knows deep down it's at least a little true.

He looks saddened by this, not angry. Mike usually gets annoyed much quicker than this and whenever he's insulted he looks shocked or has a scowl on his face, but here he just looks... sad. Because he knows that Lucas is touching a nerve. (The top pic btw)

He's completely silent. Until, of course, Lucas starts talking about Will:

'She knows where Will is. And now, she's just letting him die in the Upside Down.'

'Shut up!' -- Mike suddenly shouts either because a) he doesn't like that Lucas is insulting El or something OR b) he hates that Lucas is implying that it is his fault that Will is dying in the upside down because he's being blinded by the fact El isn't grossed out by him.

I think it's B tbh <3 (this scene isn't toooo important for my overall conclusion but it's a little nugget of info i guess)

7. Mike Jumps Into the Quarry

Let's be honest here, before this scene, almost everything seems hopeless for Mike finding Will. Firstly, he physically saw Will's 'body' being dragged out of the same water that he's about to jump into. Then he found out he was still alive but somewhere extremely dangerous and he could be dying there for all he knew. Then his one hope at finding Will (Eleven) is gone and he can't find her ("She's a weapon!... We're no use to Will if we're dead!") and Lucas won't agree to help him find her.

This scene was foreshadowed earlier on, making it a very important scene anyways -- Hopper said that no one would survive the jump and the water 'turns into cement, hits you like a tonne of bricks'. Mike would have died if El didn't save him. And he seemed okay with it.

The camera focuses in on him, and if you listen closely, you can hear his heartbeat. You could say that he's only really doing this to save his friend, but like, why is he so willing and why did they so pointedly zoom in on him?

Here's where we get a little serious: Mike would have committed suicide if El wasn't there at the last second. He would have died in the same place where Will's body was discovered.

Quotes about how being gay gets you killed:

'See Michael? You see what happens?' --Meaning: What happens when you're gay? You disappear.

'He's dead, that's what my dad says. Probably killed by some other queer' -- Meaning: Being gay gets you killed/ means you should die.

'Besides, what's there to be sad about anyway? Will's in fairyland now, right? Flying around with all the other little fairies, all happy and gay.' -- Meaning: Will's dead along with all the other gay people, that's where they should be etc.

'You're dead Wheeler, you're dead.' -- Meaning: Mike you should die too, because you're just like Will, and you should join him in 'fairyland'.

(from this scene) 'Jump [into the Quarry].' -- Meaning: Mike you should die just like I told you earlier and in the same place that Will died. (Honestly I believe the whole town now think that Will is dead and his body was found in the quarry, so Troy would know too and use it against Mike.)

Then, after Mike survives this queer-coded death (which can be paralleled to Will's hypothetical death because it's in the same place), he says to the girl that he cares about and has been presumed to 'like' by his friends: 'You saved me. You saved me.'

(just wanna note that i think that is a very sweet scene and doesn't just have to be all about Mike's queer-coding. it's a bond between the party as friends because Dustin also hugs El. But still.)

You tell me what this scene means then.

8. Mike wasn't Lying (Theory)

Okay so this is more of just a theory than queer-coding, because there is something about this scene that I just find... weird.

I personally think that this scene with both Nancy and Mike talking about their so-called 'crushes' is meant to be so you can see the difference between someone who is lying and someone who is telling the truth. Their reactions to the questions are very different to each other (although it could just be a difference in their characters).

Mike: 'Do you like Jonathan now?'

Nancy: 'What?' *looks to the side, fighting a smile* 'No... no, it's not- It's not like that.' -- She's clearly lying because she's being vague, looking to the side, stuttering over her words etc. However, Mike nods like he believes her. This is key for later.

Nancy: 'Do you like Eleven?'

Mike: 'What? No. Ew. Gross.' *looks her up and down in disgust* -- Telling the truth because he stares at Nancy, doesn't stutter over his words and is very direct.

The fact that these reactions are so different (and we know that Nancy likes Jonathan lets be real) is purposeful in my opinion. It shows that at this point, Mike doesn't like insinuation that he likes her in that way.

Something else that happens later in the episode is also quite interesting to me, which further points to Mike 'telling the truth', which is that Mike thought his and Nancy's conversation was mutually truthful.

Why? Because he was completely confused when Lucas says that her and Jonathan are romantically involved later:

Mike: 'They're gone. Nancy and Jonathan. His car's gone.'

Lucas: 'They're probably just sucking face somewhere.'

Mike: 'What? No. No way.' -- Clearly showing that maybe he thought that Nancy was being truthful, meaning he thought their exchange was mutually truthful.

This seems a bit far-fetched but... something to think about.

Btw, I was going to talk about how the First Kiss between Mike and El is queer-coded, but tbh, it's more like... weird. Because they're 12/11 years old and El literally has no idea what a kiss is and they have this exchange about being brother and sister (ew). Then Mike kind of says 'oh i want to go to the snow ball with you, but not if you're my sister', just gives me vibe that he's just doing what he thinks is normal as a result of what others say. But that's it, not much else to say abt it really (also im tired of writing this post ive been doing it for so long <3)

In conclusion: Mike gets taught that being queer/ not liking girls is dangerous. It means you die/ disappear. Being 'normal' or straight is therefore easier. He internalises this for a while poor child <3

Thanks for reading!!! I love you <33 Let me know if you have anything you want to add or if you have contradictions idk byeeee

[conflictofthemind]

Thoughts on "Escape from Camazotz"

Oppressive Suburbia, Conformity, and Season 5 Themes

I've long thought that a major focus of Season 5 will be the contrast between the families of The Wheelers and The Byers, and exploring how non-traditional family environments can be freeing vs the oppressive structure of the nuclear family.

In a Wrinkle In Time, Camazotz is a planet controlled by the big bad of the book, the "IT", who forces the citizens into a conformity that resembles American suburbia. All of the houses the same, the citizens the same, doing the same things at the same time without individual identity. Without anything different. Different means a lot of things, but with Stranger Things dropping different in reference to Will's identity and the presumable themes of this season, it will heavily codify as queerness and how it threatens the cisheterosexual family model.

Henry was raised in the 1950s, a decade still revered by conservatives for it's traditional family dynamics that supposedly were the peak of culture and happiness for all. That was all a lie, of course, and Henry knew so as he shows to Nancy and Eleven during his monologue. The second most conservative decade aside from the 1950s in American society is widely considered to be the 1980s.

The Creels will serve in parallel to The Wheelers; the worst example of what they could become and the damage that this type of family could do to a child that is different in any way. Notice how Vecna selectively shows Nancy visions of The Wheelers dying, but not anyone else she may consider family or friends (like Jonathan).

That is; unless they change their ways and come together as a healthy functioning family facing their traumas, The Wheelers will be toast.

Karen has been moved up to a main character role this season. Ted's actor says the father starts to show up more for Holly (hold that) and realizes he wants to act differently. Holly has been recast. Finn has said Mike goes on a much more personal journey this season, and steps up as a leader.

Oh, also: the catalyst for all of this is that Holly goes missing. The contrast will help show how the Byers (including El and Hopper here) were able to pull together and help solve Will's disappearance, versus how the Wheelers as a closed off nuclear family grapple with Holly's vanishing.

Each of the Byers is in some kind of a non-1950s conformist relationship, but particularly Will (not in one now but we all know he will be). I think El might represent, after she breaks up with Mike, the fear of the unmarried woman being satisfied without a husband. The above shot really emphasizes my point.

I predict that Will will end up coming out to his family rather early on, and we will see all of them immediately accept him with little surprise or push-back. Will is a visible gay man who comes from an open minded non traditional family (divorced, non-married, adoptive) that is willing to have honest conversations.

But this theme will place the most focus on the Wheelers. Mike is the main character of said family and this will particularly focus on his arc, and his acceptance of his queerness in the midst of suburban conformity.

He is not visible, he comes from a Reagan-supporting family who don't communicate with each other. He is not particularly close with his family like Will is. He pushes his feelings down and tries his damn hardest to be normal despite it all. His trauma hasn't really been addressed at all. He is falling back into his usual habits - the one thing he dared to do different (grow his hair long) has gone back to how it was.

It's not all doom and gloom though. This season above all will be a redemption arc of the American nuclear family, how they choose to escape their conformity and learn to be there for each other, thus overpowering Vecna. Not that the Wheelers are going to end this personally.

"Great, more hysteria. Just what we need". "It's the news, now indistinguishable from the tabloids".

[byers-bowlcut]

I've seen people say El likes the IDEA of having a boyfriend more than she actually likes her own boyfriend, and jfc it's so true 😭 Like it's all over the show:

Season 1

She's initially attached to Mike because he's the first person to give her shelter, food, genuine human care and just,, not calling CPS immediately. Her feelings for him was born from trauma and dependency in season 1. And throughout the rest of the 3 seasons, we don't see it grow past that.

Also I think it's noticeable in S1 that:

She was uninterested when Mike tried to share his hobbies with her

She also did not seem to mind AT ALL when she questioned if Mike could be her brother. He voice is neutral and curious here, not the least bit repulsed by the thought of being siblings with Mike, like girl does not care 😭

Season 2

This season has zero onscreen moments of Mike and El actually getting to know each other further. They were separated nearly the whole season.

What we DO see:

El's attachment and dependency on Mike that was developed from S1

We also find out how El spent a year of her life watching melodramatic romance films. Many other middle schoolers might identify that relationships in real life don't work like those films. But El is fresh out of lab life, she's literally learning the world through this TV, and has now become obsessed with the IDEA of having a boyfriend/relationship just like that.

Season 3

Again, no onscreen moments of El showing interest in who Mike is as a person.

The very first scene we see of them, she's trying to get him to stop singing along to the song they're listening to. She seems to like kissing Mike. But isn't shown enjoying anything actually characteristic about him, like sharing interests with him such as music.

Hopper indicates that they don't do anything meaningful together either. We see here that before hanging out with Max, El had little sense of her own style, her hobbies, her interests- meaning spending time with Mike for months probably didn't involve many talking points did it?

Also in season 3, El dumps Mike with ZERO hesitation. Then she has the time of her life with Max. The most acknowledgment we get that she's oh so heartbroken is a small frown to Max that her and Mike aren't on best terms. And even that doesn't seem so paramount cause 1 episode later she totally dismisses Mike after he explains how Hopper threatened him. She just tells him maybe Hopper was right 😭😭

It's literally ONLY once she starts becoming in danger that she starts clinging onto him again. I feel like we've seen this film before hm.

Like where are any signs that she likes Mike as an individual, and is falling for who he really is, rather than simply being attached due to trauma, and liking the concept of doing romantic things (ie: kissing, dancing at the ball, etc.)

Season 4

This is the season it becomes the MOST OBVIOUS: El loves the concept of a happy relationship and being loved, but not really loving Mike for who he is. And bringing in Will's feelings just emphasizes this point.

To start, El continues doing all these relationship-y things that she did in the start of S3. She has Mike's name and pictures plastered all over her room. She makes a "Mike box" with his pictures decorated all over it. But the thing is: this is all sort of a façade at this point. We know she's BEEN unhappy with him for months ("From Mike! From Mike! From Mike!"). But with all these items, she's basically trying to convince herself that she's in this happy, fantasy, movie-like relationship, like she probably watched in hopper's cabin in season 2.

And then, there's the sheer difference between her and WILL in their feelings for Mike. We see it right off the bat when Mike comes to the airport: Will and El both have plans to give Mike something.

Will plans to give him a painting he worked extremely hard on. The painting is a connection of what they BOTH love: DnD, and it includes their friends who also play the game. It's very personal and immediately touches Mike. What's more is, the painting illustrates the exact qualities about Mike that Will loves: his leadership, his bravery, his guidance. This painting literally spells out to us that Will truly loves Mike for WHO HE IS.

Meanwhile, El plans on giving Mike a fun reunion date. She has the whole day planned out. And immediately: we see that what she wants to do doesn't actually takes Mike's interests and personality into consideration. You can see and hear the strain in his voice when he talks about "burritos for breakfast" 😬

You can see how he's not that relaxed at rinkomania, and nervous about skating, saying he's clumsy. He probably would've much preferred movies and playing a board game, over skating. But El has her own ideas. When she brings Mike to rinkomania, she tries to act really cool about it. She wants to impress him, wants to seem like she fits in and belongs.

Her present was never actually ABOUT Mike, and about loving Mike that she would plan this huge date for him. Her present was about her desperately wanting to have this cool date like every other normal teen girl might, with a normal boyfriend, and make it seem like they have a happy perfect relationship.

And then finally we reach their S4 fight. I find it extremely interesting how Hopper's cabin is framed in the background during their whole fight. It's almost like an indication that her desperate need to be loved by Mike stems from her trying to cope with losing Hopper and the hole left by him, that clearly did not exist when she happily dumped Mike in S3.

In their fight, when the topic of bullying comes up, Mike says he understands her, but El is quick to say he doesn't. She thinks Mike doesn't understand her, but this is just as much her not understanding HIM as well.

She doesn't get the extent of Mike's insecurities (definitely partially a result of bullying), something that Mike later divulges to WILL and not her. If the writers wanted to show us how much El understands Mike and loves him for who he is, her and Mike would work through his insecurities in their rs together, NOT through a middle man.

Overall it's pretty striking that we've never once heard El actually compliment Mike, or articulate, or even show what exactly she loves about him through four whole seasons. I mean...

Attachment to him due to trauma or grief =/= loving him for who he is.

Wanting to BE loved =/= loving him for who he is.

So really in terms of a relationship, what El ACTUALLY wants is the concept/idea of a regular boyfriend, and a happy easy relationship, all in an attempt to feel normal. And that's why we see them fall apart the way they do in season 4, and why Will is currently so involved. Because Will DOES see and love Mike for exactly who he is.

[deadrobinthoughts]

† love talk : kon.

⋆˙⟡ kon-el is not subtle. he does not believe in playing it cool when it comes to love. he loves like he fights; recklessly, completely, without hesitation. his affection is something big, something bold, something you feel in your bones.

⋆˙⟡ request: I was wondering if you could write something in regards to his love language(s)? What do you think they would be and how would he express them? Thanks❤️ ↦ kalico note: give me aaalll the kon requests thanks

♡ physical touch | "c’mere, babe." kon doesn’t just like touch - he craves it. not in an overbearing way, not in a way that demands, but in a way that feels natural, easy, like instinct. his hands find you without him even thinking about it; a lazy arm over your shoulders, fingers tracing the inside of your wrist, the weight of his palm splayed against your back. he pulls you into his lap like it’s second nature, leans into your space like he belongs there, like you belong with him.

his touch is never tentative - it’s confident, familiar, like muscle memory. a hand at your hip as he guides you through a crowd. a teasing squeeze at your thigh when you sit next to him. a chin on your shoulder, breath warm against your neck, arms looping around your waist when he’s feeling extra clingy. and when he kisses you? oh, he goes all in. lazy, lingering, hands roaming like he’s memorizing you all over again.

"you always gotta be touching me, huh?" you tease when he leans against you for the millionth time that day.

he grins, all boyish charm and mischief, but his fingers curl around your wrist, like he needs to feel you there.

"well, yeah."

♡ words of affirmation | "you know you drive me crazy, right?" kon talks big. always has. always will. but when it comes to you, it’s different. his words aren’t just cocky grins and over-the-top flirtation, they’re real. because he wants you to know.

"damn, babe, you look good today."

"what do you mean you ‘don’t get it’? you’re literally the smartest person i know."

"you know you’re kinda my whole world, right?"

he says these things so casually, so naturally, like it’s just a fact of the universe. because to him, it is. he hypes you up constantly. not just about how you look, but about everything - your ideas, your skills, the way you handle things. he sees you, he notices things, and he never lets them go unspoken. and sometimes, it’s not even words - it’s whistles, playful grins, looks that linger just a second too long.

"kon, stop looking at me like that."

"like what?" he grins, tilting his head, eyes glowing with something warm, something impossible to ignore. "like i’m in love? babe, i can’t help that."

♡ acts of service | "i got it, don’t worry about it." kon may not always seem like it, but he pays attention. and when he sees something he can do for you? he just does it. no asking, no expecting anything in return - it just makes sense to him.

he sees your shoelace untied? he crouches and ties it for you before you even notice. you’re cold? his jacket is already around your shoulders. you’ve got a long day ahead? he brings you coffee without you asking. he’s not trying to be smooth about it; it’s just what he does. and if something’s actually wrong? he’s already handling it.

"you don’t have to do everything for me, y’know."

"i know," he shrugs, handing you the sandwich he made while you were too busy to grab food. "but i want to."

♡ gift giving | "saw this and thought of you." kon is not the guy who waits for a special occasion. if he sees something that reminds him of you? he gets it. it could be anything - a small trinket, a cool rock, a stupid little souvenir from a place he flew past. it’s not about the price. it’s about the thought.

sometimes, it’s a leather bracelet he spotted in a shop that looked like something you’d wear. sometimes, it’s a sticker for your laptop because it made him laugh. one time, he literally found a heart-shaped rock on the ground and just handed it to you with a smirk.

"are you seriously giving me a rock right now?" you asked, holding it up.

"uh, yeah? it’s a heart. that’s romantic, babe."

"kon, this is the most ridiculous-"

"shhh, just take my love."

♡ quality time | "i don’t care what we do, as long as i’m with you." kon doesn’t need some grand adventure to be happy. sure, he loves a good date, loves showing off, loves taking you places, but at the end of the day? he just wants to be around you.

if you’re watching a show? he’s right there, arms around you, half-watching, half-watching you. if you’re doing something important? he doesn’t interrupt - just sits nearby, content just being in the same space. you want to go on a walk? he’s already slipping his fingers through yours.

and he doesn’t get bored of you. ever.

"you’re not tired of me yet?" you tease when he shows up at your door for the third time that week.

he just gives you that lazy, knowing smirk, arms crossed over his chest.

"babe. i’m obsessed with you. keep up."

♡ kon-el loves loudly, unapologetically, completely. he loves you the way he fights - without hesitation, without fear, without a single thought of holding back. he teases, he touches, he praises, he gives, he shows up. because for him, loving you is the easiest thing in the world.