#it's hard when you love the character - like joyce is one of my very favorites

[lucassinclaer-archive]

i've once again neglected my joyceposting

[artist-issues]

Omg I was gonna recommend rotg to you since it’s my favorite Dreamworks film besides HTTYD. So happy to find another fan of it! The fandom is lovely and the book series does a good job adding more background to the characters. If you want to talk about it at all, feel free; right now I’m feeling a lot like Jack in the beginning (lonely and invisible) so I’d love to gush over it with someone who gets it. ^^

I love Rise of the Guardians! I don’t think I’ve ever analyzed it before to figure out why. I think it’s probably just how earnest it is. It’s really firing on all cylinders, really trying to create moments of genuine impact and emotion out of characters that everybody has had a take on for like…several generations.

They didn’t just do their take on holiday characters. They tried to pay homage to everything a kid would like about those characters in their wildest fantasies. So yeah, Santa has tattoos and swords, but you know what else, he’s still jolly and jiggling his belly around and laughing. He still feels like Santa. He doesn’t feel like A Superhero Version of Santa. Because they put thought into having him be seen first in his workshop, making something, then making loud, silly noises of distress when it gets smashed. His first scene is not a superhero scene.

Bunny, too. Bunny is probably the farthest thing from what anyone imagines the Easter Bunny to be. But it feels like, if the character designers sat ten years-olds down and said, “okay, here’s a bunny. Now what if I give him boomerangs, should he have boomerangs? What if I make his legs longer so he’s up tall, should I draw that? Now what if he can throw eggs like grenades, should I draw that?” The ten year-old would be saying, “YES! YES!” At every question.

And they put so much effort into the way the characters move. But at the same time, nothing is too violent, or too scary. But they’re not afraid to do real, genuine emotion, or tackle hard subjects like, “What Does it Mean to Believe in Something?”

And they come at this movie from a kid’s perspective. I know they owe a lot to Joyce, but the movie has a lot of heart put into it. I don’t think it would lend itself very well to a sequel, but for a one-shot, it was wonderful. I think I saw it four times in theaters.

[coraniaid]

🔥 on fuffy's dynamic? or anything fuffy related

I think most Fuffy shippers – me included for sure – have a habit of making Faith seem a bit too … well, nice.

Don’t get me wrong: I like Faith a lot.  Not just as a character – and she is one of my favorite characters on the show, even if she only appears in less than two dozen episodes – but on a personal level too I have a lot of empathy for her.  I think she has a pretty rough deal in life.  I think she’s very badly let down by a lot of people, both before and after becoming a Slayer.  I think the narrative itself is often far less sympathetic to her than it is to other characters. I think she’s pretty miserably unhappy most of the time, and I think her redemption arc is genuinely very good, even with the little we see of her post-Sanctuary.

That said, it feels to me that a lot of Fuffy fanfiction is written by people who have decided, whether consciously or not, that the “real” Faith is the Faith we see awkwardly asking Buffy if she wants to go the dance with her in Homecoming since she already has the tickets, or showing up on Buffy's doorstep in Amends with some crappy Christmas presents, still not quite able to admit there was never any “big party” she could have gone to instead, however obvious it is at this point, and somehow managing to make a million different heartbreaking microexpressions when Buffy says she’s glad to see her. 

Yes, I like those moments too – I like them a lot – and I think that they are definitely indicative of a real aspect of Faith, one she tries hard to keep hidden most of the time.  But I think it’s an injustice to her character to make that the sum total of her personality.  If this were all there was to Faith’s character, she wouldn’t be half as compelling.

What about the Faith who, however troubled she looked at first, manages to shrug off the fact her new boss is planning to have Willow murdered when he tells her he’s also bought her a Playstation?  What about the Faith who attacks Joyce, ties her up and threatens to kill her?  What about the Faith who fantasies about stabbing Willow and taunts Tara by telling her how much Willow used to love Oz?  What about the Faith who, right from her first appearance, is perhaps a little bit too into beating up vampires and killing demons?  What about the Faith who threatens to torture Buffy, who tries to kill Angel, who definitely does torture Wesley and who kills Professor Worth while he begs for his life?  What about the Faith who probably was going to kill Xander? What about what Faith does to Buffy in Who Are You?

I’m not saying all Fuffy authors should exclusively write angst-ridden enemies-to-lovers in which for the first 100,000 words Faith really does seem to revel in being able to kill things without consequences even as she lets her obsession with Buffy Summers lead her into actively and deliberately trying to hurt her or bring her down to her level. (Though it would perhaps be nice if some of it was like this!)  I don’t have any moral objection if people would rather write fluff in which Faith and Buffy have an awkward first kiss at the Homecoming Dance, or AUs in which Faith never sides with the Mayor, or post-canon fic which takes for granted the fact that Faith is now redeemed and happily devoted to Buffy (it would make me a bit of a hypocrite if I did, since I’ve written all of these things).

But the sort of Fuffy writing and meta that I most enjoy, even if it doesn’t dwell on Faith’s worst moments or if it takes place in a continuity where they conveniently haven’t happened, always treats Faith as somebody who could do those things, if the circumstances were just a little bit different.  Always recognizes her as somebody who does have a lot of barely-suppressed anger in her, who is more likely to listen to an authority figure who tells her what she wants to hear than one who doesn’t, who is more than a little bit jealous of Buffy’s life, who does think, deep down, that being a Slayer makes her better than other people.

To me, that’s the appeal of Faith as a character and also of her relationship with Buffy. The two things are kind of inseparable.  Faith is a reflection of a lot of Buffy’s own worst impulses; she’s somebody that Buffy could have been if things had turned out differently (and if Buffy hadn’t had a certain inner strength and self-belief that Faith, for all her posturing, doesn’t quite ever have herself).  She’s the Buffy we’ll see hints of throughout Season 6, the Buffy we saw in Season 2’s When She Was Bad, the Buffy we see in Season 3’s The Wish. And, as a reflection of Buffy, she has some of Buffy’s strengths as well as exaggerated versions of some of Buffy’s flaws.  She’s not uncomplicatedly Evil, even at her worst, but she does a lot of things that are very hard to forgive, and she enjoys doing some of them more than some people like to admit.

I think if somebody’s going to try to write Fuffy, and get both Buffy and Faith right, that’s something they need to remember.  Let Faith have some jagged edges.  Let her be a little bit dangerous.  Let her be a little bit cruel. Let her be a little bit self-destructive.  Put simply: let her be Faith.

[kakerutori]

I would like to know your opinion about soundtracks. I've already seen theories about The First lie and The first I love you, and many people think the soundtrack matters. But have you ever thought that they could really be random? I recently watched the series and found out that the soundtrack that played in the romantic scenes between Vicky and Robin was the same as in the scenes when Еl puts on Nancy's dress and Mike calls her pretty.

Oo, the soundtrack!! I love talking about the soundtrack parallels whenever they come up, especially the motifs of “Kids, “ “Eulogy,” “Eleven,” “This Isn’t You,” so on and so forth, plus, of course “The First Lie”/“The First I love You.” This is a really good question, because the way that the soundtrack is titled seems to indicate to me that it’s important to help express the emotions and often evoke memories for each scene, even if the titles don’t seem to match the mood. But I don’t think that the soundtrack is ever played randomly.

As for the scenes you’re referring to, you’re right, and it’s kinda hard to explain. I’m not even sure myself. The track that plays behind the scene where the boys are helping to disguise El and the scene where Robin and Vickie are making PB&Js is called “Kids Two.”

At first, I swore that this was “Still Pretty” but it’s not! It has notes of the riffs from “Kids” but with a slower tempo, and I think that maybe using this track was meant to parallel the tones of budding attraction and the purity of the moment apart from the world’s chaos - in other words - the innocence and some typical affections during one’s youth, thus, kids. And, yeah, as much as Robin and Vickie are teens, they’re still technically kids, so, it works.

But as much as I try to justify that title, another great one that doesn’t technically make sense is “On The Bus.”

This track plays when Lucas and Max have a heart-to-heart on the bus in season 2, and it also plays when Mike and Will have a heart-to-heart in Will’s room (aka the apology scene) in season 4. And I really don’t have an explanation for this title (besides the literal meaning because Lucas and Max were sitting on a bus) other than maybe it could be a metaphor for taking a pause and letting people in like how busses stop at different stations? Otherwise, like this example, I think that sometimes the soundtrack isn’t literally a direct callback to what it’s titled but rather a callback to the things happening during the scene.

That being said, some soundtrack titles are really specific to their titles and what’s happening, like “The First Lie” and “The First I love You.” And of course they hold very clear similarities just in a slightly more developed state. This is also found in “Kids” and “Teens.”

I think that Stranger Things, as it’s expanded, has also expanded a lot of its soundtrack. As it stands, seasons 1 and 4 have around 80 tracks on their own, meanwhile, seasons 2 and 3 have around 30-40.

Season 1 set the train running for motifs later on, seasons 2 and 3 lightly expanded (but of course most notably added “The First Lie” and “The First I love You”), and then season 4 re-contextualized and aged a lot of familiar tracks from all three.

I notice the soundtrack more and more whenever I rewatch season 4, most often of all seasons. They use a lot of established tracks almost like Star Wars does with certain characters such as “Eleven” for her moments in the lab and “Papa” for his. One of my favorite motifs and favorite reappearances in season 4 is “One Blink for Yes” which signifies a moment with lights across the Upside Down. It’s the track that played when Joyce first saw the lights from Will in season 1 and then it played when Nancy, Robin, Steve, and Eddie discovered the glowing particles in the Upside Down.

So, yeah, overall, the titles are not perfectly aligned across seasons to what’s happening on screen or, on the other hand, are extremely specific to what’s happening onscreen and thus might not carry over in other scenes too smoothly, but I think that it’s clear which tracks are meant to express bonds, romantic interest, discovery, and other key elements as a supplement to the scene. And I think that the motifs in particular are most important (many of which Byler have so 😉).

[brionysea]

I feel like I'd like jopper more if Hopper wasn't a cop. Honestly I like Bob more, and wish he didn't die, and felt like he was better for Joyce. I don't dislike Hopper, I just feel like his character could have been better. Maybe it's just my own personal views. But he's an OK character. He's not my favorite. I like the actor and glad he got more roles. But he's over all not my favorite. Because of the cop issues mixed with his anger/violent issues

Honestly I think that most people just aren't very good at writing romance...

On top of that, all the women on Stranger Things are intentionally better when they're operating independently, as commentary on how the societal pressure to be wives and mothers makes them smaller (although Joyce was amazing when she was acting as a mother, because she's special like that - I'd say she probably *wanted* children and definitely loves them now that they're here, which makes her seem more at home in it, as opposed to someone like Karen Wheeler who was trapped into it).

Nancy is an exception to the rule, because when she's investigating with Jonathan they're still entertaining to watch (aligned interests and the freedom to choose your own path, instead of being pressured into a romantic relationship where you have to pretend to be someone you're not to fit your role, make for a better match - they put the effort in to prove it with Nancy/Jonathan), but Joyce and Hopper were better as a duo *before* season 3, when they got explicitly romantic and Hopper got annoying. The proof of concept isn't really there for them, so it's hard for me to buy that they're better off romantically involved when all evidence (so far) points to the contrary.

I know season 4 was supposed to be Hopper's redemption arc or whatever, but I am. not convinced. He was abusing his power (aka enforcing POLICE BRUTALITY) constantly in S3, and a sob story in one scene isn't really enough for me to see past that. It's too real to just breeze past. They'll probably make him normal again in S5 and I'll like him again (honestly I just thought he was fine before too), but at this point I don't have much affection for his character, and his S4 subplot was so boring (as well as committing the cardinal sin of dragging Joyce down with it) that I'm like "would it be *so* bad if he just stayed dead?"

[aimmyarrowshigh]

fic writer meme: 2, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72?

Answering under a read-more!

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

For long multi-chapter fics, I plan ahead by chunk but not necessarily by chapter -- I have a general outline and I write to that, and then after I write, I cut it down into chapters where there are "good breaks." I never decide ahead of time how many chapters I'll have and then outline to that, though! That's too much planning for me.

For long one-shots, I generally don't plan and I often don't outline more than knowing the beginning, the climax or big turning-point, and the ending? (And I often don't know the ending tbh.)

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

I would say that not getting feedback affects me less than it used to, just because there are so many things that I write now that DON'T get any feedback that if it still made me feel like total shit, I'd feel like total shit all the time, and I don't have the bandwidth for that.

Getting feedback definitely makes me feel more connected to a fandom, though, and inspires me to want to create more for that fandom than the fandom(s) where I don't get any feedback. Fandoms like Steve/Bucky, The Baby-Sitters' Club, Scooby-Doo, and Miss Fisher give me more creative energy through feedback than, say, The Old Guard where I don't really get any feedback anymore, even though I objectively like TOG in a more "fannish" way than Scooby-Doo, or whatever.

I'm in fandom in large part for the connection to other people who love the stuff that I love. If there's no feedback, then a major part of the equation is missing for me, and if I don't feel like the other people who love the thing are out there, then it makes me love the thing less, too.

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

Not really -- it depends on the fandom and how to best serve the story. I've written in first-person, second-person, and third-person POV; I've written non-HEA darkfic; I've written kink and vanilla and gen; I've written slash, femslash, and het. There are certain tropes/kinks that I personally am not at all into and wouldn't write just because I personally don't think I'd ever like a fandom where those were in-character for the characters, but that's just kinktomato. There are a LOT of things that I wouldn't write "on request," though, because I would have to have an actual inspiration to be able to feel out the thread of the story -- like, I wouldn't write Steve Harrington/Joyce Byers for an auction/exchange fic, even though I wrote a 10k fic for them. Same with Poe Dameron/Ben Solo.

32. Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

This changes all the time and I more have favorite fics than favorite writers, but I always love @dracosollicitus, @fille-lioncelle, and @kaikamahine when their fandoms-they-write line up with fandoms-I-read. But 99% of the time I pick to read something based on the summary and not the writer.

42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

I've been in a book reading phase for a while now and less of a fic reading phase, so I'm not 100% positive what the last fic I read was! HONESTLY it was most likely a reread of owlet's Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail series, which I recommend to literally everyone all the time. It's a fic I would recommend to my DAD, it's that good.

52. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do but I'm slowwwwww at it. I get anxious that I'm going to sound stupid or conceited or something, so I let the comments pile up until there are an unreasonable amount and then I get overwhelmed by how many there are and how long I've been sitting on them. It's a bad system, but it's what I got. I do try to write back reasonably quickly if someone asks an actual question or something, though.

62. Thoughts on cliffhangers?

Very hard to write well. Even in books. I can count the number of actually good cliffhangers I've read on my fingers, and honestly at this exact moment the only one I can really say definitely counts is the end of Catching Fire (THG #2). I think A LOT of the time they feel really contrived and don't actually hit that emotional tension spot that a good cliffhanger needs to hit. Oh, you know what fic has a good one? The Maskfic (despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) by @praximeter). It's not the ending, it's the chapter-ender of the Big Reveal.

72. What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

It depends on the format! For a free prose longfic like Lent From Tomorrow, I write out of order and just go for the scenes in the way that they come to me and lead into/from one another. Usually it starts from either the climax or the opener and then jumps around to get from one to the other.

BUT if I'm writing something as a structured drabble series like Not In The Answer But The Question or Could Use A Guy Like Me, I write strictly in order chronologically. Those I can't write out of order because I would die.

[bunnimew]

What do you think about the GOC books? Personally I enjoy them, but separate to the film. It’s very hard to connect the two worlds in my head especially when Joyce keeps rewriting the lore every couple years (no hate, love him as a person but it can get frustrating). With the added lore from his insta and stuff it just doesn’t feel like the same story

Hello Anon!!

I try pretty hard not to yuck somebody else's yum when it comes to the GoC books. I know people like them and I don't want to dampen their happiness.

But man. Do I not like those books. I didn't even finish Toothiana's, technically, because I got so bored that skimming wasn't even good enough and I took pictures of the pages before I had to send it back to the library, telling myself I'd read them later. I never went back and read them. And at this point, I likely never will.

I have a laundry list of problems with the books. And if you really want to know the full extent, you'll have to ask in a private message somewhere because I don't want to make random strangers on the internet upset. But my dislike goes beyond the movie and book canons not lining up. Honestly, Joyce should have just embraced them being different canons, and the fifth book would have been better for it.

The tidbits from his insta don't even make sense half the time 😂 I appreciate his love of imagination and I respect that he just wants kids to feel a sense of wonder, but my personal journey with imagination and wonder do not work with his modus operandi.

I love hard science. I always have. To me, the weird things that are real will always be more fantastic than the weird things someone made up. I love the whole magic is science we don't understand yet concept, and given what the leading edge of science is doing right now? It feels real to me. Scifi is my home genre, and when scifi meets fantasy? My heart sings.

Joyce threw science so hard out the window it left orbit.

So there was really never a chance that I was going to seriously like these books. And his continued dismissal of continuity, while his right as a creator, feels like sandpaper to my physicist soul.

I do enjoy seeing what people pick from book canon to apply to movie canon when writing/drawing AUs. That can get very creative and interesting, especially since some of the characters from the books are solid and would have been cool to have in the movie. Kam and I, ourselves, have used book characters in our fics, because they do add something to the whole. Twiner and Jamie teaming up on Jack has become one of my favorite things.

So I'm glad the books exist. You just won't be finding them in my personal collection.

Thank you, Anon!!

[nightshift-clocking-in]

10 books

Thank you to @wanderingdonut for the tag, I love any excuse to talk about books. 🖤(These are in no particular order)

PET by Akwaeke Emezi

I read this book in summer of 2021 and I think about it all the time. Something in this book rewired my brain, I cried so much that I left stains on the pages. It poses the question if there was a utopia, a perfect society, would there still be monsters? Honestly its fantastic, but please check the trigger warning because it discusses a lot of hard topics.

What if its us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli

Words cannot describe how funny this book is to me. Chaotic and completely ridiculous, but this book made me fall in love with audio books, I listen to it once a year and still laugh out loud.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyers

This is the book and author that made me fall in love with stories. Its why I love retellings and fanfics (Marissa Meyer was a fanfic author before she was published hehe). If you knew me around the age of 15-16 there is a good chance that I read at least the first book out loud to you. But this story is what inspired me to start writing when I was younger and for that reason, it will always hold a special place in you heart.

One last stop by Casey Mcquiston

A lot of people apparently don't like this book, I don't care I do. I love this book, the mystery, the side characters, the trauma? Amazing. There is so much going on, and I say that as a good thing, so many little things to keep you on your toes to try and figure it out before the end. Honestly it's amazing, and made me feel seen in a way I never had in books before. Also a light sprinkling of smut and mommy issues.

Gender Queer by Maia Kebabe

I'm a firm believer that you should read banned books. So I read this only for it to give me a gender crisis (I know the irony) and I realized so many things I assumed were universal experiences where in fact not. Honestly, it's super funny to think about now but I did have a breakdown while read this on my friends broken couch while they played sims. Truly iconic.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

This book breaths summer to me, a very important person in my life read it to me while on camping trips over an entire summer. It has everything you could want in a book; adventure, sword fighting, pirates, death and true love. If you have not at least watched the movie, you should.

The Guardians of Childhood Series by William Joyce

It's been years since I read this, but the world building, imagery and the lessons at the heart of the stories where beautiful. I read this to the kids in my life when they were younger, and its just a beautiful story full of whimsy and hope.

So this is Ever After by F.T Lukens

This book poses the question of what happened after your question end, you beat the evil king but how do you repair a kingdom that's been cursed for 100 years? Honestly the first page of this made me laugh so hard I had to put it down, its just fantastic.

Heartless by Marissa Meyers

I know I already listed a book by this author but I'm sorry I just love it so much. Alice in wonderland is my favorite classic story of all time, so retelling are hit or miss with me, and this is perfect. I love how its a prequel, to the world and you meet the character in much different circumstances. The Queen before she was a queen, the hatter before he when mad, and new characters too. It fills me with childlike wonder. I have a complete annotated and dissected copy of this book going into all the details of the world. I read it at least once a year. And this is what got me back into writing as an adult, which seems silly to say out loud but it's true.

Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall

Just chaotic all the time. I have not read all of this authors works, but from the ones I have they are hilarious. While this is a silly little romcom with some of the funniest details (Like a dung beetle ball) it also goes over a lot of harder topics; complicated relationships with parents, guilt, OCD, ignoring your own need so you can "be better", ect. Sometimes you just have to stop caring about what others think, and realize that its okay to be a mess, because everyone is a mess all the time.

No pressure tags:@crying-lightningx , @jegulusofwesper, @underburningstars,

[scheodingers-muppet]

Taylor Time again! Debut album time. Also, I'm so excited about the eras tour! it's gonna be my first time seeing Taylor live and I'm probably never gonna shut up about it

Tim McGraw: Lumax. "He said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night. I said that's a lie." Max wouldn't know what to do with a genuine compliment like that. "I was right there beside him all summer long. And then the time we woke up find that summer gone" The whole chorus too. Max thinks of the dance for her happiness. Being with Lucas. Even if they aren't together, she would hope he thinks of her too. "In a box beneath my bed is a letter that you never read from three summers back"

Picture To Burn: El. This one is all headcannon. But I think Joyce would get scary-angry over a bad breakup like this and I think El would pick that up the longer she's with her. Same from Max. We've seen her get angry already, during season 2 especially. I don't think she'd be like this with Mike, but with whoever she dates after (if it isn't Max). I also love the line "my daddy's gonna show you how sorry you'll be" and the fact that Hopper is overprotective of her

Teardrops On My Guitar: Steddie. I had to. My favorite trope is Steve talking about his crush on Eddie as a way to flirt, but being slightly vague (like, "they've got the best curly hair") and Eddie just not connecting the dots.

A Place in this World: Max. "Even though I'm not the only who feels the way I do, I'm alone on my own and that's all I know" "I'll be strong, I'll be wrong" "I'm just a girl trying to find a place in this world" "I don't know what I want" This song is so Max coded

Cold As You: Stancy. "I start a fight cause I need to feel something" "I'm not what you wanted" "Ain't no use defending words that you will never say" "Every smile you fake is so condescending" "Counted all the scars you made"

The Outside: Steve. "How can I ever try to be better? Nobody ever let's me in" "I've been a lot of lonely places. I've never been on the outside" "I would give it all up to be a part of this"

Tied Together with a Smile: Platonic Stobbin. They are both extremely strong, brave, important characters who put themselves down so much. I also can imagine them saying the chorus to each other. But the first part is about Robbin. She puts herself down a lot in season 4, talking about how she know she can be too much and that she's awkward. Second part is Steve and how he goes above and beyond for all his people. Especially the line "I guess it's true that love was all you wanted, cause you're giving it away like it's extra change"

Stay Beautiful: Ronance. I love the idea of Robin calling Nancy her "beauty." Like "Sorry, I can't pick up another shift, I have to see my beauty" But also, I think Nancy would deal with some impostor syndrome and imagine Robin there to help her through it. "it's hard to make a conversation when (s)he's taking my breath away" Even if they never date, Robin would tell her she's beautiful

Should've Said No: Stancy. Enough said tbh

Mary's Song: Byler. "I looked at you like the stars that shine in the sky" "take me back to the house in the backyard tree" and Castle Byers. "The time we had our very first fight...you stayed outside till the morning light" This whole song is about marrying your childhood best friend

Our Song: (fun fact; this is the first Taylor song I ever heard) Jopper. This one is also all headcannon. I think they dated in high school and had a very similar thing to the Nancy-Steve-Jonathan thing. I can imagine a young Hopper sneaking to Joyce's room and them having quiet conversations like with Steve and Nancy. Then them getting back together now and reminiscing about their high school dates.

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: Platonic Stobbin again. They would so spend their Friday nights off work with each other. "Living in a crazy world, trying to figure out what is and isn't true" "I don't try to hide my tears, the secrets, or my biggest fears" Robin came out to Steve even though she was terrified "Nobody gets me like you do"

Invisible: Pre-Jancy. They likely knew each other kinda well through their brothers and I think Jon had been crushing on her for a bit. He would likely see her with Steve and think they wouldn't be a good fit. I can also really see this being from Barb's point of view

A Perfectly Good Heart: Lumax, from Lucas's point of view. After the first real break up - after Billy - Lucas is hurt. He's confused and angry but he doesn't want to hurt Max. More than anything, he's confused. He understands Max is going through a lot, and doesn't want to add anymore onto her plate, but he thought he could be there for her at least.

[just-jordie-things]

Bite Me - Mike Wheeler

word count: 4052 warnings: swearing, unedited and poorly written summary: Mike has harbored a crush on (y/n) since the day they met.  And all it takes is a run-in with Billy Hargrove for him to lose his shit and let his feelings be known. (a/n): I just randomly felt the need to write for one of my best boys

___

(y/n) (y/l/n) was a sweet girl. If you asked anyone they’d tell you how kind she is, to everyone she meets.  From giving out homework answers when someone forgot, to sharing her lunch, she’d lend a hand no matter who you were.  She was a good person, and that’s why Mike was so in love with her.

He had been ever since she’d joined the Party, back in the fourth grade.  She’d been bringing in an extra juice box and snack for two weeks, just for Will, and the four boys agreed unanimously to offer her a spot in their group.  Mike can still remember the look on her face, the wide grin that showed off her recently lost tooth, and the way she’d giggled and agreed instantly.

They taught her D&D, she was invited into Will’s fort, and taken in by Joyce as one of her own.  She was truly one of them.

She didn’t look at him like everyone else did, it’s one of the first things he’d noticed about her, and he could see it every time their eyes met.  That annoyed expression that he was used to receiving -from peers, from his parents, even Nancy, even their friends- he’d grown so accustomed to it, until he’d met her.

“Fuck you! Fuck you!” Mike was shouting, about to lunge towards Steve, before (y/n) and Dustin grabbed his arms to yank him back.  “We can’t just stay here and-”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing!” Steve shouted back, shoving a scolding finger in the younger boy’s face.  “We’re staying here, so I can keep you dipshits safe!”

Steve rolled his eyes before spinning around to leave.  Nothing stressed him out like these kids.

“Come on, we’ll figure something else out” (y/n) said quietly, and tugged on Mike’s arm a little more.  

His glare softened when he turned to her.

She nods her head off to the side, prompting him to walk off with her.  He groaned, but he followed when she pulled him towards the living room.  Her hand didn’t let go of his wrist until they were away from everyone else.

“You know nothing you could say right now is gonna make me less pissed off-”

“I know,” (y/n) giggles before he can start ranting again.  “But maybe you can just take a breath and pretend to calm down?” She hums, and she laughs again.

Mike groans loudly, loud enough that everyone in the house could hear him, before he threw himself down onto the sofa.

(y/n) just shook her head, and sat next to him.

“Steve’s just trying to keep us safe, Mike,” She says, voice just as soft, but a bit more serious now.  “He’s not doing this to make you mad, you get that, right?”

He nods, but hangs his head in his hands.

“Are you… um… upset because El’s out there?” She asked unsurely.

She had a pretty good feeling that Mike had a crush on Eleven.  He was distraught when she left, and since she’d come back (a few hours ago) he’s been extremely on edge.  Hence the pouting right now.

“I guess,” He shrugged.  “I just- I want to just-”

“I know,” (y/n) murmurs again.  “I get it”

She admired Mike’s need to help, to get involved.  He was brave, if not a little reckless as well.  But there was something sweet about his extreme need to help.  Even though she was still convinced he was only wired this way because of his crush on Eleven.

Mike looked over to her, finding that loving look on her face.  His favorite expression -maybe even his favorite thing- and it somehow calmed him down a bit.  She smiled when he hadn’t started grumbling again.

“You good now?” She asked.

“Yeah,” He sighed.  “I’ll be fine”

She grinned, and poked his cheek affectionately before getting up from the couch.  

“I’m gonna get a glass of water and make sure Steve’s calmed down too,” She told him.  “Guess I’m the only sane one around here”

He laughed a bit as she left the room.

“Steve?” (y/n) called gently as she approached her older friend.

He turned to her, an unamused, and rather annoyed, look on his face.

“You alright?”

“I will be, once I’m in a retirement home and have restraining orders placed on all of you,” He answered, making the girl laugh.  “Your boyfriend calm down yet?” He asked, and her laughter stopped almost instantly.

Steve was chuckling now at how red her cheeks were turning.

“He’s not-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, heard it before, pretended to believe it before, whatever,” He said, and (y/n) busied herself with getting a drink.  “Now’s as good a time as any to just, you know, confess.  You’re stuck here anyways”

“No I… I can’t um…” She shakes her head, staring down at the bottle of water she’d grabbed from the fridge.  “I can’t do that” She finished weakly.

Steve had known (y/n) for a few years now.  He’d met her the first night he’d hung out with Nancy in the Wheeler home, she’d been there with Mike coming up with a new character for D&D.  His first impression, as it was for all of the kids, was that she was a geek.  And she was, but she was a lot of other things too, and what stood out the most to him was her kindness.  She didn’t exactly fit in with the Party like the boys seemed to.  Not only because she was a girl, but because she was… friendly.

Mike wasn’t cruel to Steve by any means, but he was a snarky little shit that sometimes made Steve just want to-

“Why the hell do you like that little asshole so much anyways?”

(y/n) was still blushing as she shrugged her shoulders.

He’d picked up on her little crush one of the first times she’d met him.  He called her out on it right away too, luckily only Dustin had heard, and he’d laughed it off, thinking it was a joke.

It wasn’t.

“He’s such a piece of shit,” Steve said through a laugh, earning a pointed glare from (y/n).  “Obviously he doesn’t treat you the same way he treats, well, everyone else”

“No, he doesn’t,” (y/n) sighed lovingly.  

Her eyes glanced out to the living room, where Mike and Lucas were heatedly, and quietly, arguing.  She rolled her eyes at the sight, not that it surprised her.

“He’s very, um-”

“Sweet on you?” Steve supplied, earning another look, which quickly turned into a nervous smile.  “Yeah, that’s how I’d put it.  I don’t know why you’re being such a baby about it.  He obviously has a little crush on you too,” Steve said, wagging his finger around in her face.  “Otherwise he wouldn’t be such a little gentleman towards you”

(y/n) didn’t say anything else, but she didn’t have to for Steve to know how she felt.  He’d always known.  She didn’t do a great job at hiding it, but her friends, and Mike for that matter, were oblivious.

They were interrupted by a bright light shining in through the windows, bright enough that she shielded her eyes as she wandered out to the large picture window.

“Who is that?” She asked, as everyone gathered around to figure out who could show up at the Byers’ house right now.

Their question was quickly answered.

“Sinclair!”

The angry, dangerous voice sent a shiver all the way down (y/n’s) spine, before an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach.  Billy Hargrove was bad news, but him being here, right now, was even worse.

“Stay inside” Steve ordered, shoving the kids down underneath the window.

“I know you’re in there!” Billy screamed again from outside.

“Stay inside” Steve repeated, before walking out of the house.

“What the fuck does he think he’s gonna do?” Lucas asked, as everyone peeked their heads up just enough so they could see what was going on outside.

“He’s gonna fight him” Dustin said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“He’ll lose,” Max mumbled.  All eyes turned to her, but her gaze was trained on her brother, afraid.  “He’ll kill him”

“He’ll be okay,” (y/n) whispered to her new friend.  “Steve’s a tough guy, and can throw a punch-”

“I’m not so sure he can take one, though” Max said.

(y/n) frowned, and set a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“We’ll be alright” She assured, even though she wasn’t certain what was going to happen.

Steve was now walking down to Billy, who was still yelling, but they couldn’t make out what exactly.

“What’s he saying?” Mike hissed, only to get shushed by Dustin, thus starting a ‘shh!’ war.

(y/n) only let it go on until Billy shoved Steve back by his shoulders.

“Boys!” She scolded, sitting up a little straighter as the fight outside escalated.

Just as she’d sat up, Mike grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her back down.

“You want to get seen and murdered?” He whisper screamed.  She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her sweet smile.  His brow furrowed at her smile, but he wasn’t quick enough to say anything about it, as everyone’s attention was pulled back to the scene outside.

Billy had shoved Steve to the ground, and was racing up to the house now.  He locked eyes with the Party, who all quickly leaned down as low to the floor as they could get.

“Lucas, run!” Max screamed, shoving the boy to haul ass before her brother could storm in and get his hands on him.

When the door swung open so hard it slammed against the wall, Mike grabbed (y/n) by both arms and just about ripped them out of their sockets as he pulled her upwards with him to get her as far fucking away from Billy as possible.

“We have to help Lucas!” She tried telling him while he dragged her off to the other side of the house.  “Mike!” She shoved his hands off of her, and gave him a pleading look.  “This isn’t like you, come on, he needs our-”

“Where are you, Sinclair!? Come on out!”

She ran away from Mike before he could convince her to hide.

Finding Lucas shoved up against the wall, something in her clicked.  Billy’s significantly larger framed towered over the boy, who was clearly afraid, while Billy snarled nasty things right in his face.

“Why don’t you just fuck off?” She yelled at him, before thinking through the consequences of her actions.

Dustin and Mike stared at her in shock.  She didn’t curse much, so to hear the foul word come out in her voice was… pretty out of character.

Just as Billy whirled around, likely about to send one knockout punch to her face, Lucas took his moment of distraction to knee him right between the legs.  (y/n) squealed, both hands covering her mouth in surprise.

It was then that she took Mike’s advice to run back into the kitchen, and duck down behind the cabinets so she was out of sight.  

“You’re fucking dead!” Billy howled in pain, and while every bone in (y/n’s) body told her to cover her ears, close her eyes, and stay hidden, she peeked around the corner anyways.

“No,” A different voice, a calm voice, a familiar voice, spoke up.

(y/n) had never been so relieved to see Steve in her whole life.

“You are” He finished, and took a strong swing of his fist against Billy’s jaw.

The crack that resonated made her wince, and she shut her eyes only for a moment as illy toppled backwards.  He didn’t fall, and instead swung back at Steve, starting a very violent fistfight in the Byers’ kitchen.

“Come on, you gotta move” A pair of arms encircled her torso and helped her up from the ground.  

Mike’s hands were much more gentle with her now than they had been a few minutes ago, and this time she let him bring her out to the living room, away from the fight.

Her eyes were wide with fear as she watched Billy throw Steve around the kitchen effortlessly.  It was terrifying, she felt as though she was about to see him get killed.

When he landed a rather harsh punch, right under Steve’s chin, she cried out for him.

Steve crumbled to the ground, definitely knocked unconscious.  He looked dead, though, and as the thought crossed her mind, she felt it again.  The snap.  Like an instinct buried deep was just let loose.

“You motherfucking piece of shit!” She screamed in a way that Mike, or any of them, had ever heard before, and was charging at Billy in an instant.

It was a hasty decision, grabbing the beautiful vase of flowers off of Joyce Byers’ table and throwing it full force at the back of Billy’s head.

While his head was soaked, and definitely bleeding from the shards of glass, he still managed to stay standing, and was fuming with anger as he glared down at (y/n).

“You made a big mistake little girl” He growled, and began to stalk towards her in a threatening manner.

“Bite me” She snarled back at him, followed by the rash decision to spit on him.

“(y/n) what the hell are you-!?”

Mike’s warning was cut off when Billy reached her, and she kicked him with all the force she could right in the gut.  He grunted, but it hardly slowed him down.  All she could see was red as she kicked him again, and began to throw her fists against his chest.

She didn’t have an ‘oh fuck’ moment until he grabbed her wrists in his large hands, and kept his hold so firm that tears welled in her eyes from the pressure.

“I’m gonna fucing kill you, little girl” He snarled, teeth bared right in her face.

Oh, fuck.

She tried to yank her body backwards, out of his grip, but he was faster, and stronger, and bigger than her.  This resulted in her being thrown, no, slammed into the nearest wall.  She cried at the crack of her skull against it, but had no time to react as Billy’s fist was all she could see, before it struck her and knocked her out instantaneously.

She fell like a limp, broken thing, and even when Mike grabbed her and shook her by her shoulders, she remained unconscious.  It didn’t matter that Billy was still looking for blood, he pulled her into his lap and held her close against his chest.  He was living a delusion thinking he could protect either of them if Billy came back for more, but he didn’t care.  He was gonna keep her safe now.

Max had plunged the syringe into her brother’s neck, and was threatening him with Steve’s bat, but Mike hardly paid them any attention.

“(y/n), wake up, come on,” His voice was barely a mumble, and he hated to admit it but his throat was growing hot and tight with his tears choking him up.  “C-come on open your eyes” He stuttered.

He pushed her hair out of her face so that it wouldn’t get sticky from the blood running out of her nose.  He wiped away the red substance with his sleeve, not bothered by it at all.

“We’re going!” Lucas called, and rushed over to Mike to help him carry her.  “Dustin Will and Max are getting Steve in the back.  I’ll help you with her”

Mike didn’t have time to question anything Lucas had just said, and hastily went along with the plan.  They looped (y/n’s) arms over both of their shoulders, and made their way out to Billy’s car. ___

Everything.

Hurt.

It was the first thing that (y/n) was aware of when she came to.  Her legs, her arms, her torso, her head-

Oh shit my head hurts.

She groaned softly, reaching a shaky hand up to prod around her eye.  She wasn’t exactly sure why, but it was definitely bruised.  The rest of her body had to have been bruised too.

She suddenly shot upward as the car went over a bump, and that’s when she realized she was even in a car.  Why was she in a car…?

Her head rolled against the seat, and she was met with someone’s shoulder against her cheek.  She winced at the pressure, probably because her cheek was bruised and bleeding.

“(y/n)?” A gentle, but distant voice called.  It sounded kind of hazy, like the person talking was miles away, and not right next to her.  “Hey, can you hear me?”

Her eyes met Mike’s round and worried brown ones, and a lazy smile tugged on the edges of her lips.  Even though his brow was furrowed, and there was a deep frown on his lips.

“What happened?” She asked, voice scratchy and quiet.

“What happened?” Mike repeated, much louder than he intended.  She flinched, and while an apologetic look swept over his face, he didn’t apologize.  “(y/n), you attacked Billy Hargrove” He told her in a grave tone.

“I did?” She asked proudly, her smile returning.

“No- don’t- jesus (y/n) what the hell are you on?” He asked.  “He almost killed you, I mean, look at you!”

“Can you please stop yelling dipshit?” Max called from the front.  “I’m trying to focus here!”

(y/n’s) eyes widened, and it dawned on her that Max was the one driving.  But just as she opened her mouth to protest being in the car right now, Mike continued on with his angry little rant.

“I mean, seriously, what the hell, (y/n/n)? Did you think you were gonna win? Did you really think that you were gonna take him down?”

Her brow crinkled and her eyes welled with tears, both from all the pain and his cruel words.

“Do you even realize that he could’ve killed you? Huh? I mean, I really thought he did for a second.  Do you even care?”

“What’s your problem right now?” The girl whimpered

“You are! You’re my problem,” He said, not thinking through the fact that she was crying right now.  “That was really stupid (y/n), really reckless”

“Oh, because you care so much about playing it safe,” She scoffed.

It was getting awkward for the others in the car, minus Steve, who was still knocked out.

“All you wanted to do tonight was to get out there- well- well here we are, Mike!” She shouted.  It hurt her head to yell, and Max was yelling again too, but she drowned it out.  “Hope you’re freakin’ happy” She mumbled, holding her hands against the side of her head.

Mike sighed, and pulled her hands away from her face, staring at her seriously.

“(y/n)...” He said softly.  “I’m sorry it’s just…” He let out one more heavy breath to prepare himself before diving in.  “Look at yourself (y/n), you’re hurt and there’s- there’s nothing I can do about it”

(y/n’s) brow furrowed as she stared back at him.

“What do you mean?” She mumbled weakly.

“I mean I- you… I have to… ugh” He groaned, clearly frustrated by his inability to form a coherent thought.

“You have to… what?” She hummed, face leaning around his shoulder tiredly.  

They were close enough that their whispers were only heard by them.  And somehow, it felt like they were the only people in the car.

“Mike?” She whispered when he hadn’t said anything yet.

His eyes flickered over her battered face.  The black eye, her split lip, her bruised and cut cheek, his heart broke looking at how much pain she must be in right now.  He couldn’t believe he let this happen.

“...protect you” He answered lamely.

“Protect me?” She repeats, soft, and loving.  “From what?”

“Apparently everything from interdimensional monsters to senior year bullies” He said, making her laugh softly.

“You don’t have to do that,” She said with a small shake of her head.  “I’m alright, I will be anyways.  You don’t have to worry so much about me-”

“See I do though- you- you make it impossible not to worry.  I’m just always- I’m a mess, okay?”

She giggled again, and rose a brow.

“I’m not following…you sound kinda crazy Mike-”

“I love you, okay?” He told her.

She choked.

“And I just need you to not get yourself hurt… okay?”

She’d never heard him speak so quietly, so nervously.

“You- you’re- um-”

“No more fighting people- and-and things- bigger than you, deal?”

His hands cupped around her face, thumb stroking over the bruise on her cheekbone in a comforting sort of way.  She swore she was melting into his touch, for a moment she forgot all about the agony her body was in.

She didn’t think twice about leaning off his shoulder so she could reach up and plant her lips against his.  It’s a gentle kiss, because her lips are sore and she was a bit nervous.  

Mike’s eyes widened, and he was sure this wasn’t real.  No, it couldn’t be real, there was no way (y/n) was kissing him.  Maybe he was the one that got knocked out? And this is all some kind of twisted nightmare-dream?

But it was real, she was kissing him.  And it was… wow it was great.

She’d almost pulled away, but he pulled her right back in, and shut his eyes to kiss her properly this time.

If he was being honest, he wanted nothing more than to just take her and pour every ounce of love he had for her into this kiss, but it would probably only hurt her more.

They were cut off by a low whistle, and (y/n) turned to see Steve, who had apparently been sat next to her this whole time, and Dustin, who was sat on his other side, both giving the pair very different looks.

Despite his face looking just as messed up as hers, Steve pulled a sly grin, and winked.

Dustin, however, looked like he might vomit.

“What.  The.  Fuck!?” His voice cracked when he screamed, making both (y/n) and Mike jump a bit in their seat.  “You guys have been- been- hooking up this whole time!?”

“What? No!” (y/n) argued back, shaking her head and trying to kill the idea in Dustin’s head before it escalated, but it seemed to be too late for that.  

“You have! You’ve been frenching!”

“Oh my god,” Mike rolled his eyes.  “Dustin, shut up”

“Can we save this argument for later, fellas?” Max hollered from the front.  “I don’t think that this is the most important thing going on-”

“W-wait a- wait a minute- wait a-!” Steve’s eyes widened as he started to panic.  “No! No way! Stop the car right now! Who let her drive-!?”

His screaming was abruptly cut off by the car swerving, causing everyone to scream now.

“Drive on the right side of the road! Jesus Christ we’re all gonna die!”

(y/n) wrapped both arms around Mike, one behind his neck and the other around his torso, keeping her secure.  In case this car were to crash, her seatbelt, and Mike, would anchor her in place.  Well, she hoped it would anyways.

He reacted quickly, embracing her tightly.

“I’ve been thinking I would get killed by a demogorgon,” She mumbled to him.  “Guess it’ll just be a plain old car crash that takes me out”  

He chuckled, but shook his head at her.

“No one’s dying, we had a deal”

She glanced up at him, a sweet smile on her lips.  And she waited for him to look back down at her to say anything.

“I love you too” She hummed, just soft enough that Dustin (luckily) couldn’t hear.

The smile that grew on Mike’s face was brighter than she’d ever seen from him before.  (y/n) was so relieved that her feelings were returned, that she felt she could go back to sleep, if she wasn’t getting nervous all over again about what was going to happen.

All they had to do now was to kill a monster and save their friends.

___

xoxo ~ jordie

[blush-and-books]

Top 5 all-time favorite ships?

TEA!!!

Warning - this list is literally just the same m/f couple in different fonts. A lot of these were more formative and influential in my childhood or were from series that are from a couple years ago. I am naming these as my top five because of how insane I went over them/how hard I hyperfixated on them.

When I made this list I was disappointed to realize that there hasn't been a wlw couple from a series or movie that has influenced me this powerfully, but I hope to find it soon and if you have any recs lmk! :) Will also include honorable mentions!

1. Kirsten Clark and Cameron Goodkin, Stitchers (2015-2017)

This is tied with Julie and the Phantoms for one of my biggest hyperfixations ever. Kirsten and Cameron were a slowburn that was done really beautifully and nobody was doing it like them. I watched this show at a very pivotal developmental point in my life, and I think these two taught me a lot about the work that a relationship takes and the fact you have to be willing to put it in - they were a healthy relationship example for me at a time that it was necessary for me to see it. They have a lot of character development over 3 seasons but grow together in healthy ways, and the writers kind of bake it into the plot that they're meant to be lmao. They also are just a great example of loving someone for everything that they are. They definitely made me a little mentally ill but also inspired me to be a writer, so...

2. Julie Molina and Luke Patterson, Julie and the Phantoms (2020)

I don't know how long you have been following me anon, but if I've been on your dash at all in the past couple years, it was most definitely related to Julie and the Phantoms, and probably related to Julie and Luke. In one season, they had insane development and beautiful chemistry. The way their characters were written made them naturally fit together, and made me cry "soulmates!" quite often. I will forever mourn what they could have been, and be grateful for some of the most stellar works of fanfiction I've ever read that were produced in their name.

3. Anne Shirley Cuthbert and Gilbert Blythe, Anne With An E (2018-2020)

Technically they're from the whole Anne of Green Gables Universe but AWAE is one of my Shows Of All Time ™ lol so I'm crediting them to the show!!! Just everything about them..amazing. Definitely gave me unrealistic expectations for love tho bc who tf assaults a man and still bags him in the end!??? Anne. She's that bitch and I haven't reached that yet but I'm working towards it.

4. Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice (2005, dir. Joe Wright)

This is another one of those ships where I'm like if you've followed me long enough you could have seen this coming lol. These two are from the general Pride & Prejudice Universe, first created by the lovely Jane Austen, but P&P 2005 is by far my favorite movie of all time, and it is still breathtaking every time I watch it. Keira Knightley and Emmy Award Winner Matthew Macfadyen are really a perfect pair and their adaptations of the characters are so genuine and whole. Everything I do, I do for them.

5. Nina Martin and Fabian Rutter, House of Anubis (2011-2013)

My original Ship of All Time. Was very mentally ill over them. I rewatched this show last year and I expected to be like "oh god this is cringe how did young me like this so much" but instead I was like "oh god this is so well written how could anybody hate this show." Yes it has its silly moments but I could write essays on how well it was written. The foundation of trust between Nina and Fabian was more powerful than any "do you trust me?" YA teen fantasy movie moment of the 2000s. Fabian was the blueprint for every fictional crush I have had since.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Kaz Brekker and Inej Ghafa, Six of Crows Duology and Shadow & Bone TV series

Aziraphale and Crowley, Good Omens

Su-hyeok and Nam-Ra, All Of Us Are Dead

Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper, Stranger Things

Zoya Nazyalensky and Alina Starkov, Shadow & Bone Trilogy and TV series (yes I am a Zoyalina truther sorry)

Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf, Gossip Girl (will I receive hate for this one? to be determined)

Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson, Stranger Things

John B and Sarah Cameron, Outer Banks

Ethan and Sarah, My Babysitter's a Vampire

[coraniaid]

Anne is such a well constructed episode.  It’s not the best season opener (that’s Bargaining) and it’s not my favorite season opener (probably When She Was Bad), and if you’re feeling cynical you could argue it’s at least partly a pilot for the Angel spin-off series in disguise (since … it is?), but it’s just so well put together and full of so much foreshadowing and symbolism and references to previous episodes.  I really like it and I really liked rewatching it, almost more than I was expecting to.

The last time I watched it I remember being annoyed by the fact it didn’t focus entirely on Buffy in LA.  I thought the scenes set back in Sunnydale were a distraction from her story: I don’t care about Xander and Cordelia’s relationship and I don’t care about the Scoobies' attempt to stake one very obliging random vampire.   And yet, for some reason, this time around I felt a lot better disposed to this half of the episode.  I do still think it would have been interesting to have a whole episode away from Buffy’s friends, and that the Sunnydale plotline is a lot less intense than what’s going on in LA. But I think it’s a mistake to conclude the scenes in Sunnydale are a waste of time or don’t do something important.

The juxtaposition between a Buffyless Sunndale and a Buffy who’s stopped being Buffy felt a lot more deliberate this time around, whether that meant cutting directly to Buffy’s dream about Angel after Willow said she wished she knew where she was, or the way the big, noisy crowd at the first day of school hard cuts to Buffy sitting alone in silence in her tiny rented room, or Joyce asking Giles “and who exactly is she?” right before Lily comes back to the diner to ask Buffy for help.  And, having set up this pattern, the fact that we never once cut back to Sunnydale while Buffy and Lily are trapped in the hell dimension suddenly feels weirdly claustrophobic, and makes that final jump back to Joyce at home at the end work a lot better than it otherwise would. 

I also really really like Lily.  As Chanterelle in Lie To Me she wasn’t really given much to do, but Julia Lee is really good here as – not quite a proto-Faith, but another alternate Buffy who’s quietly hinted to have a pretty horrible backstory.  That pause after Buffy asks her “what do they call you at home?” speaks volumes, as does the way she assures Buffy she wouldn’t tell anyone about who she is or where to find her because “I know how it is when you’ve got to get lost”, or how quickly she resigns herself to believing they’re in hell later because she “always knew she belonged here”.

And, almost at the same time, she’s also a great comic foil (asking Buffy if she can “come with her” right after agreeing that they should split up, or coming back to apologize to her when she's meant to be getting away "in case we die").  I love that she gets to push Ken off the balcony mid-speech (in fact, I almost think the episode would be stronger if that really was the last we saw of Ken: I’m not sure his reappearance later just to be killed by Buffy herself really adds much).  And I love the argument about Rickie’s death (that isn’t really about Rickie) that she has with Buffy: “he didn’t do anything wrong, why would this happen to him?” versus “These things happen all the time. You can’t just close your eyes and hope they’re going to go away.”

I really like the fact that Lily (as Anne Steele) goes on to be a minor character on Angel, but I do wish we’d had some hint that Buffy really had stayed in touch with her after this episode the way she promises she will.  Once again I am imploring the Buffy writers, decades after the fact, to please let Buffy have a few more friends. 

(Oh, and, look: neither Buffy nor Lily get magically pregnant and die this episode!  The possibility doesn’t even come up!  Maybe this wasn’t a stealth Angel pilot after all...)

And I've not even touched on the wonderfully unsubtle foreshadowing of Ken’s repeated lines about kids “getting old fast here”, or the way this episode almost acts as a proto-Bargaining (with Willow very clearly taking charge of the group in Buffy’s absence, even taking on the Slayer role in the pre-credits scene), or Oz throwing his stake at a retreating vampire and then ruefully noting that “that just never works” as it bounces harmlessly wide, or just how much everyone in Sunnydale seems to miss Buffy in their own different ways, or Larry insisting this is the football team’s year if only they can “keep discipline, maintain focus and not have quite so many mysterious deaths”.  Or that last shot of Buffy back home, and how it’s deliberately framed from her mom's perspective rather than her own.

Honestly, I just think Season 3 is so good and I love it so much (I furiously remind myself, knowing that Dead Man’s Party is up next and will try its best to convince me I’m wrong…)

[yukiotacon]

So I recently starting do the relic quest, and in order to do it, you need to level up crafting. But in order to level up one crafting job you need to level up all of them. How would any characters you like react to learning that wol has mastered 9 different crafting professions in just 3 days?

Profession grind hcs Elezen edition

Aymeric

I cannot believe I am saying this but you made him rethink his working habit

Seeing you master all these professions in the short amount of time is both amazing and terrifying to him

He loves you and admires you,but this will not stand

After the 999 synthesis of lunar adamantite, he would immediately bridal carry you away form your work bench

" I am sorry my love but this crafting session must end for now" Aymeric says with a commanding tone

Will pamper you into submission when you guys go home

I am taking hot baths , tea and snacks

Ending with a nice cuddle session

All in all your lord commander loves you and so he is ready to pamper you to oblivion

Estinien

You were crafting up a storm when suddenly you felt the aura of a very angry dragoon boyfriend

He respects your ability to master any jobs ,but this concerns him greatly

Watching you craft anything impresses him

However, Estinien worries about the physical toll

The idea of you overworking makes his blood boil

It was at this moment you fucked up hard

Estinien doesn't wait for an explanation, he picks you up and hoists you up his shoulder

He then brings you to your shared quarters and proceeds to swaddle you in atone of blankets till you are a burrito with no chance of escape

Yeah, this all happened because Vtra told him how you were crafting with no breaks

" You are not leaving this room till you have rested " Estinien growls

He doesn't stay made at you for long

Will feed you your favorite snacks while in burrito mode

As you nap in his arms he quietly says " take care of yourself please my love " then proceeds to join you in sleep

Haurchefant

He is absolutely positively enamored by the fact you mastered all 9 professions

Haurchefant becomes rather giddy when he sees you craft

That feeling however diminishes after the 2 day straight of you crafting

It becomes a big concern when he hears from his knights you fell asleep on your work bench

He would definitely put it upon himself to make you take a break

Haurchefant will pull out all the stops, I am taking massages, cuddles and most importantly hot chocolate

Stephanivien

A person after his own heart

The fact you mastered all field made his heart skip a beat

You are lucky he didn't propose to you on the spot

Admires your working spirit

Considering both of you tend to overwork, it's Joyce who snaps Stephanivien out of it first

He sees you in the same state and decides to pull you out

You guys decided to have a nice break and have a nice meal in the firmament

Little did you know, his plans were to get to know you more;3

[share-the-damn-bed]

as much as it was great thinking about jonathan having fun and being chill with argyle (i'd like to think he had some stress-free moments before we see him again in S4), PLEASE DUFFERS DON'T CONTINUE TO DO HIM DIRTY. i worry that someone (nancy?) might blame jonathan for not being there in hawkins to "protect" nancy when a) have you met nancy she doesn't need protecting and b) have you met jonathan who is this new character you've made up? just stop with the steve/nancy garbage fire

Unpopular opinion time: I love everything about season 4 Jonathan. I even think this is his best look ever ( I LOVE IT, sue me). This is my favorite season for him (after season 1 of course. It goes 1, 4, ... 2,... ... 3). I really don't think his moments with Argyle at the start of season 4 are as "chill" as people are making them out to be. Jonathan is clearly stressed and admittedly in a nightmarish cycle of existential dread surrounding his future fed by the trust issues from his childhood (mostly surrounding his own relationship with his dad and his parents' marriage).

I think the 4x02 scene while playing golf was absolutely brilliant and one of the few (if only) scenes we have where Jonathan himself is shedding light on his own character development. (side note: I have always said it was weird for us to latch onto Jonathan's dream of going to NYU *since he was 6* when Joyce mentioned it in passing in season 1 and Jonathan has done nothing to additionally support this. I have also previously mentioned how hilarious it would be if Joyce mentioned this dream of his and his response was "mom, I was 6...")

Jonathan is literally self-medicating to avoid facing his future realities and sure that leads to some wonderful, funny scenes with Argyle, but I would not consider this all light and breezy.

Not to mention, as soon as Joyce mentions that she needs Jonathan to take care of Will, El, and Mike while she's in Alaska, he stops smoking and starts taking action. Jonathan hasn't been high since the dinner scene.

Jonathan in season 4 is the least passive he has been since season 1. He is taking an active role in moving the Cali plot forward. It was his idea to get pizza to escape from house arrest. Season 4 also gives rise to the return (and honestly the best version of) sassy Jonathan and we get to see a lot of his personality.

The only way in which I think Jonathan is being "done dirty" is that the Cali plot has substantially less screen time than the other plot threads. And, again, unpopular opinion, I found myself enjoying the Cali plot much more than Russia ( I found the Russia plot SO BORING) and the lab scenes with Eleven. Even during the Hawkins plots there were times where I was like "can we get back to Cali now? I miss them and want to know what they're doing."

As for worrying about people blaming Jonathan for not being there to protect Nancy... I don't think Nancy would ever think this (I think she may make a comment like "I wish you were here, I hated not having you here, it's so much easier with you here, it was so hard without you here, etc") and I think Nancy would shut down anyone who would make similar comments because you're right, she doesn't need protecting and that line of thinking is icky...

Regardless, if someone did make a comment about how he should have been there, (which if something bad happens he will probably blame himself because that's how he is) but he has a great excuse! Shit hit the fan in Lenora too. It's not like they're all having a great time. El got arrested and then sent to "super power camp" which they had to deal with, they (Mike, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle) survived a shoot out at their home and are now on the run from the military, they had to bury a dead body, and are now trying to rescue El from "super power camp" in the middle of Nevada. (Again, side note: I found it funny they all pronounced Nevada in a very non-midwestern way (imo as a native mid-westerner)).

And yes, stop with the garbage fire. Please. The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. So there better be SOME pay off.

[cricketsatnight]

JUST JOPPER THINGS TBH

I have been wanting to make this post for so long. Heck.

Incoming brain stew of theory, headcanon, and overall gushing about character/scene admiration~

Anyway, tl;dr I will always be a) a little defensive of Jim Hopper's characterization and emotions and b) just in awe of the master class acting between David Harbour and Winona Ryder. They give such depth, nuance, and cadence to these characters. Gosh I love 'em.

Season 1, Chapter 2: The Weirdo on Maple Street has one of my favorite early Jopper scenes.

Hopper is at the Byers house, talking to Joyce about the phone call she got. He's there to ask questions and provide the perspective that hey, awful people make prank calls when things like this are in the news. He’s rightfully, even if a little callously, incredulous that Joyce heard Will. He asks because Flo said she “just heard some breathing.”

Joyce says no, It Was Will. Hopper’s tone with her is flat, but he’s struggling with her visibly falling apart. It’s very likely triggering for him, despite his ability to stuff his own emotions down and react with anger to “protect” himself. Even Jonathan (ever the empath) is increasingly uncomfortable as Joyce goes on.

I mean, it sounds absurd. Joyce asks Hopper for a little trust, asks if he thinks she’s making it up. “It’s an emotional time for you,” he responds. He knows this experience. He lived this. She asks if he thinks she wouldn’t know her own son’s breathing– “Wouldn’t you know your own daughter’s?”

This lands HARD for Hopper. His jaw tenses, he freezes, averts his eyes. Even Jonathan, who we can’t be sure knows anything about the history between Joyce and Hopper, looks like a deer in headlights after she says it. Jonathan knows about Sara. Joyce recoils at herself as soon as the words tumble out. (For me, this shows that they both have the capacity to unintentionally and accidentally hurt each other, that this has likely been an issue between them for a while.)

Hopper, trembling, clearly unprepared for this, actually has to take a minute and walk away from Joyce.

He takes a breath and sets his jaw; he’s funneling his grief and hurt into being angry all over again.

“You hear from, uh, Lonnie yet?” He knows she hasn’t wanted Lonnie involved from day one. Maybe this is a scramble to get a barb in, get some semblance of control. A “well, fuck her feelings, too” type of thing. Makes me think back to his “haha, don’t forget: I slept with Chrissy” comment at the station. (Help– I love this insecure man.)

“No,” Joyce says, her own jaw set, her eyes cast downward.

“It’s been long enough, I’m having him checked out,” he mutters, leaving her house in a huff.

Joyce is even yelling, “Oh, come on! You’re wasting your time!” as he goes.

But Hopper’s outside, quick to medicate (it’s probably necessary for him right now) and Jonathan chases him down to offer to go to Lonnie. Hopper refuses the teenager’s help and very sternly (while grabbing his shoulders) tells him no– your mother needs you.

Anyway, I love this scene.

[truessences]

top 5 stranger things ships!!

Thanks for your question!

I always think so hard about this because I don't know if I have a Top 5 lol. I don't ship often, if I like the canon ship then I usually just support that and if it's a fan ship, it's generally because there was something in the movie/show... like Bamon lol.

But anyway:

Mileven- they're so cute and pure and I feel like they've done a good job at not only establishing them but having them go through some real problems that they always manage to find their way out of. Plus, I think Finn and Millie both do great jobs as Mike and El and have very nice chemistry. I can't wait to see them actually be together and not spend the entire season apart as we have in the past. They have some of my favorite scenes in the show, like their reunion in S2. They have so many great moments in S3, like in the sauna scene, how Mike catches her when she falls back into him (I loved that that wasn't scripted but they both kept going), the scene in the grocery store where he's trying to tell her he loves her, and in the cabin when she escapes from Billy's mindscape and he's right there... ugh, so pure.

Lumax- It would be a far margin between this couple and the first couple because it took me a long time to warm up to Max. But S4 really made me like Max and this couple. Not sure where we're going to going moving forward, but on subsequent rewatches, I like Lucas and Max's friendship and how while they're together, they have a different kind of friendship dynamic (especially because their personalities are so strong). I'm really rooting for them.

Jopper- I like them fine, I feel like this was set up from the jump because when I think it was Callahan said something about them hooking up in S1, it was already planted in my mind. S3 has them really being antagonistic towards each other but I like that Joyce doesn't back down from Hopper or anyone really. So sure.

Hellcheer/Eddissy- This is the only "fanship" on this list but I loved it. I really feel like Eddie and Chrissy were an extreme missed opportunity and I wish we got to see them interact more. That scene in the forest is such a masterclass at establishing and humanizing two characters who you think you have pegged from their first few scenes. The chemistry between them was palpable. Even if it didn't become romantic between them, I would have loved a strong platonic friendship too. His "Chrissy, this is for you", before his guitar solo also hit me because while I think he's crushed on her for a while, he's probably one of the few people who viewed her as a person and wanted to avenge her as a person, not just as a crush. Love them so much.

lol I don't really have a 5th one lol