#s3 was ... but i continue to feel normal about this show

[ixoren]

the blood orange string of fate

[lyxchen]

who's notification spoiled it 😭

I don't really want to say cause it wasn't their fault and I'm not mad at the person, also it was just a reblog of a screenshot of somebody else's tweet. This mostly just sucks cause I didn't think at all about turning notifications off. Only thing I will say is that it's a little meh to post such giant spoilers right after the show comes out. Like I saw it probably 6 ½ hours after the show was released so if I hadn't paused my watch at all then I probably would have already known the spoiler anyways. But just to me, if I got through a season this quickly I would still wait a few hours to post about major spoilers. Just cause I'd be so scared of other people who are also watching it right as it comes out but who take longer to watch all the episodes accidentally seeing. But again it's not their fault, I didn't click on it but I'd assume it was spoiler tagged properly, so really this was just a sucky situation

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Epic Buddie Fic Rec | February 24th-March 2nd 2025

IT'S SEASON 8B WEEK EVERYONE!!! OUR WEEWOO SHOW IS FINALLY BACK!!! 🥹🥹🥹

Complete

and I love you to the core by disasterbuck/ @disasterbuck (Getting Together | 1K | General):

Idly watching the news during some downtime on a shift, Buck gets a surprise when he sees Eddie appear on screen talking to a reporter. About him. - "So the two of you are best friends?" Frowning slightly, Eddie glanced at the camera before fixing his gaze back on the reporter. "Yeah, but, look… What Buck and I have goes beyond friendship and I love him to the core."

You're My Home, And I'm Happy Here by giselleslash/ @gigi-gigi (Established Buddie, Moving In | 2K | General):

Chim teases Buck about moving too quickly with Eddie and it brings out all of his doubts. Fortunately Eddie has no doubts about them. Not a single one.

Homophobia in the Build-A-Bear by paleredheadinascifi (Getting Together | 3K | Teen):

“Maybe we should bring them to the firehouse,” Buck jokes. “Like mascots.” “I, uh, I don’t know if I’m ready for that just yet,” Eddie blushes. “Oh, yeah,” he nods, going along with the bit. “You want to like… give them time to settle in?” “More so I don’t really want to come out to all of A Shift with a gay Build-A-Bear,” Eddie clarifies. Or, Eddie builds a very gay Build-A-Bear. Unless you ask Buck. Then it's just a very rainbow ally bear.

I Might Change Your Contact (To "Don't Leave Me Alone") by fangirling-feels (fangirlingfeels)/ @nibblyssacrifice (PWP, Post-S8A, Eddie Moves to Texas, Phone Sex | 2K | Explicit):

Or; Buck finds one of the shirts that Eddie left behind on accident, and proceeds to react very normally about it.

i know you can see we're more than a secret by DeadAndDying (PWP, FWB, Getting Together| 3K | Explicit):

It’s fine that in the last week, Buck is the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last before he falls asleep. Everything is Buck, Buck, Buck.

crawling careless out of the sea by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (S3/S8, Getting Together | 3K | Mature):

In 2019, after getting injured in a fight, Eddie shows up at Buck's in the middle of the night. In 2025, after breaking his own heart, Buck stumbles home to find someone waiting for him.

don't go barking my heart by simplyylupin (Post-S8A, Buck Gets a Dog | 4K | Teen):

“Do you remember Callie?” He frowns, wracking his brain. “Sure,” he says. Now that he’s thought about it, he can vaguely remember Buck talking to one of the staff members – a pretty brunette girl who’d laughed at something he’d said and had a tattoo etched on her upper arm. Callie. “Well,” Buck continues, his head ducked, “I’m thinking of taking her home.” The words come out in a rush. Eddie chokes on his toast. 

could you be mine? by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Werewolf Eddie, Established Buddie | 4K | Teen):

Eddie loves Buck, though. He knows he does. It’s just…he can’t have Buck be his mate. He can’t. OR: An innocent question from Buck sends Eddie spiraling.

This Is A Set (Do Not Separate!) by bellabrady (Engaged Buddie, Bachelor party | 4K | Not Rated):

“I’m showing people Buck!” Eddie explains excitedly, turning his phone screen towards Chimney to show him a picture of Buck smiling at the camera. But after a moment, the joyful expression fades from Eddie’s face, replaced by something more somber. “I miss him,” he says, his eyes downcast. “Shit, is he dead?” the stranger slurs. “I’m sorry, man.” “He is not dead,” Chimney hurries to clarify. “They’re just codependent. Don’t worry about it.” — Or: Buck and Eddie are engaged and have separate bachelor parties. Unfortunately, all either of them can think about is the other's absence.

do you believe in magic? by Tizniz/ @tizniz (Witch Buck, Getting Together | 5K | General):

Buck’s magic has been infatuated with Eddie since the moment Buck laid eyes on the man. It didn’t matter that Buck himself had less than pleasant feelings towards Eddie, his magic decided that Eddie was the love of its life and it was going to do anything it could to be near him. This went against Buck’s own feelings because of the whole not liking Eddie for exactly two days and also because Buck has always been told to keep his magic a secret.

i'll only know in the moment by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Post-S8A, Love Confessions | 5K | Teen):

Naturally, Buck and Eddie have the worst timing.

okay, fair play, here we go by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Jealous Buck, PWP | 6K | Explicit):

He narrows his eyes at the sight of Eddie having a rather friendly conversation with someone. He was talking to a firefighter from the 133. The firefighter was a guy. A male firefighter, by the way. Or: Eddie has a new old friend. Buck loses his cool. Likely thing to happen.

trying hard not to act a fool by arcanaphora (Didn't Know They Were Dating | 9K | Teen):

“Bet this isn’t what they had in mind for their first kiss as a married couple,” Buck winces in sympathy. “Tell me about it. Here’s hoping ours goes a little more smoothly, huh?” Buck huffs out a laugh, nodding in agreement. Then the words register. Or: 5 times Eddie jokes to Buck about marrying him + 1 time where Buck doesn't think it's very funny anymore

everything is wrong, but it's alright by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Near Death Experience, Love Confession | 9K | Teen):

Buck & Eddie get stuck. They have a lot of feelings about it.

fueling the fire until we combust by bandshirts (S8A, Possessive Eddie, Getting Together | 10K | Explicit):

But lying here, loose and relaxed, with a warm flush spreading over his skin and a lazy sense of pleasure singing in his veins, he’s a little too gone to care. Buck’s voice is dripping in starlight, hot and familiar in his ear, and with his eyes shut he can almost pretend that he’s here, beside him. He can almost pretend it’s Buck’s fingers that are making him feel this good; can almost pretend that Buck’s eyes are on him, dark and wanting as he watches Eddie lose himself. Or, the one where Eddie has lots of very homosexual gay as fuck thoughts about men. And about Buck. Mainly Buck.

i want to feel you from the inside by xylodemon/ @xylodemon (PWP, Post-S8E8, Getting Together | 11K | Explicit):

He realizes, as Eddie's asking a Texas realtor about bathroom accessibility, that he's in love with Eddie. That he's probably been in love with Eddie. And there's nothing he can do about it. Eddie has to leave.

hope I make it through the night by arcanaphora (First Date | 12K | Teen):

To: Buck Hey. To: Buck So I was thinking. People get hungry, right? To: Buck I mean, I know I get hungry. :laughing: To: Buck How about you? Do you think you’ll be hungry on Thursday? Around 7? To: Buck I mean. We could be hungry together. And go eat. Somewhere nice? To: Buck Let me know :thumbs-up:  Or: Eddie and Buck go on an awkward first date.

🔥 i'm not obsessed (far worse, i'm fine) by DeadAndDying (Love Confessions, PWP | 13K | Explicit):

Looking at Eddie right now is equal parts a flood of relief and nearly unbearable. Buck tries to grapple with the opposing emotions as Eddie stands before him looking a little worse for wear. This time it was not helplessly digging through mud or a desperate crawl; it was a routine save. They’d done this countless times before. Buck just wishes it hadn’t been Eddie that needed saving. or Eddie doesn't get hurt at all and Buck manages to be totally and completely normal

🔥 tailspinning by doitgently/ @doitbuckley (Post-S8A, Eddie Leaving for Texas | 15K | Explicit):

Or, Eddie tells Buck he’s moving to Texas. In response—as the world’s most supportive, caring and well-adjusted best friend—these are three things Buck absolutely does not do: 1. Keep tabs on Eddie, his calendar activity and his iPhone location so that he can spend as much time with Eddie as humanly possible before he leaves. 2. Almost violate California Penal Code 646.9. 3. Lose his entire fucking mind.

🔥 Upward Over the Mountain by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Established Buddie, Dad Buck | 27K | Teen):

Early into their relationship, Eddie helps Buck through an unexpected and rocky journey to fatherhood. A journey that brings up more insecurities than Eddie predicted.

🔥 homesick by earthtolovers/ @earthtolovers (Post-S8E8: Wannabes, Getting Together | 34K | Explicit):

He sat on the couch, with his tongue between his teeth, literally biting his tongue. Because well, every part of Buck—down to the molecular level—wanted to convince him to stay. Beg, or bargain. Ask Eddie to take Buck with him. Hide in his suitcase. Cry, maybe, or throw the tablet at the wall, break every other electronic in the house. But that would be selfish. And really weird. Or: Eddie goes to El Paso. Buck moves into his house. He'll come back, right?

🔥 there is no road by littleghost/ @ghostlandtoo (Post-S8A, Eddie moves to Texas | 99K | Explicit): Years ago, almost a full decade, Shannon had asked him to move and Eddie refused because he was trying to build a life for himself again. Eddie knows if he asks Buck, he’ll get that same refusal. Worse, Buck could say yes and Eddie would be uprooting Buck from the very life he built for himself. He doesn’t ask, and Buck doesn’t offer, and they pack up Eddie Diaz’s life in Los Angeles into cardboard boxes. Or: Eddie moves to Texas. Buck buys his house. There’s a love story somewhere in here.

WIP

🔥 Gentle On My Mind by Daisies_and_Briars/ @cal-daisies-and-briars (Canon Divergent, Shannon Lives, Buck/Eddie/Shannon | 18/? | 104K | Explicit):

In which Shannon lives, tells a lie, and sends hers, Eddie's, and Buck's lives down a very different path

Podfic

[Podfic] I'm still standing in the same place where you left me standing by Anonymous_911version // fic by trysetmeonfire/ @try-set-me-on-fire (POV Bobby, Hurt Eddie, Getting Together | 30-45 min | Teen):

“It’s alright,” Bobby says, another useless lie. Eddie’s eyes open, look straight into his, and his next words are remarkably clear. “I love him, Bobby.” “No,” he shakes his head, a strange and frantic panic bubbling up inside him. “You can’t tell me this- you can’t tell me this-“ a hundred smiles shift slightly to the left in Bobby’s memory. It’s barely a surprise, really, he picked Eddie out for Buck himself, years and years ago. He thought they’d make a fine pair. “You have to- we’re getting out of here and you’re telling him yourself, you can’t-“ -- Bobby deals with the ramifications of a misplaced confession

[clementineofmine]

I'm sitting here rewatching Tua S3 for reasons, and one interesting thing I picked up is that the entire season is really just each of the Umbrellas struggling to define and searching for family in their own way. Here's me laying down some thoughts for y'all:

Luther - For him, family has always been about the team. That's part of the reason he's so drawn to the Sparrows, bc at first they seem to have the cohesiveness that the Umbrellas lacked. Remember, Luther was the last one left at the Academy, then Reginald sent him to the moon alone. So of course seeing a "functional" team is going to be compelling for him, and he desperately wants to be part of it. And then he and Sloane quickly fall in love and for the first time in his entire life, someone wants him for him. It's intoxicating and utterly consuming NRE that is more powerful than anything he's ever felt.

Diego and Lila - For these two, it's about figuring out how to be a family. Both together, but also a little bit with the other Umbrellas. Diego looking out for Allison and Klaus and Lila and Five coming to a truce are part of this - more about Lila and Five in a sec.

Allison - In her mind, her family is Claire and Ray. This one is obvious, but I also think that the writers did us a disservice by not letting us into Allison's perspective. If you think about it, it's completely normal for a parent to put their child above all. While I don't defend her actions, her motivation could have been more compelling and it would have strengthened her character. But sadly she's the character on the show that is most "othered" (which is bad for many reasons)

Klaus - he really dug deep into individual relationships w family, starting with Five (e2 and 5 Five and Klaus bonding are still some of the best bits of the season imo), Diego, Reginald, Sparrow Ben, and then Luther in the afterlife.

Five - Five remains a pragmatist. His bar for family is very low - success for him means the Umbrellas being alive, no matter what the personal cost or sacrifice to him or to some extent others. It is somewhat depressingly delightful to see how he makes his peace with the end of the world as the season progresses. Before that, however, I'd like to meander back to e3 and 4 where Lila convinces him to electrocute himself and then they go on the Commission mission. Both of the actors do a fine job here bouncing back and forth between witty banter and genuine emotion and I love it. It's a quick and subtle piece of dialogue when Five explains how he saved Lila from the Handler. The undertone is that they were both abused by that woman in a similar way - ultimately, she developed and kept them both as pawns in her own game. And I think Five, starting in S2E10 and fleshed out through S3, develops genuine empathy for and eventually acceptance of Lila as family, as one of them, because of this shared experience.

Viktor - Like Viktor in all seasons, he continues to feel out of place with the Umbrellas and compensates by over-prioritizing his relationships with others. Don't get me wrong, I do empathize with him that he lost real love with Sissy and Halan, but I also think Allison was 100% valid to call him out on his lying in E6, and it was on point to verbalize how the constant focus on Viktors pain minimizes her (and everyone else's) experience. (Edit to add: Viktor finally seems to get the message on this, after being called out by Allison, then subsequently both Sparrow Ben and Five, and spends the last few episodes trying to make amends. Real character development here and I like to see it)

Reginald - Well, his overarching motivation since S1 has always been bringing back his dead wife, so I won't belabor that, but also it's interesting to see how he interacted with Klaus particularly - esp in E7 when he sobers up it seems he is experimenting with remembering his role as a father. Now we don't get a ton about his internal motivation here, but you can tell there is some mild curiosity, if not affection, for Klaus, despite the fact that he ultimately is cool with sacrificing him.

Some of these are more obvious than others, but when you tie them all together, the idea that they are all desperately looking for family and the blind spots that that creates for them, some of the messiness of S3 starts to make a bit more sense.

[love-byers]

I see byler. But it would make me feel so weird because Mike has liked a girl for four seasons and he has treated Will horribly, getting away from him because of a girl. I don't know, it would be pailful to rewatch the show and see all this ald later see byler being canon

i encourage you to rewatch the show because it is just flat out not true that mike "treated will horribly". if mike liking a girl for 4 seasons holds impact then so does the way mike has CANONICALLY treated will during those same seasons.

in s1 mike is determined to find will, believing he was alive even when dustin and lucas didn't. he defended will multiple times ("wait this is will's fault?" "i'm the only one acting normal here! I'm the only one that cares about will!", pushing troy down). he stayed awake in the hospital waiting room so he could go to will immediately when he woke up. he was the first one in will's hospital room and laid his head on will's chest. he breaks into a cheesy grin just watching will play dnd.

in s2 mike is extremely attentive and protective of will. he notices when will wanders outside the arcade and puts an arm around him to guide him back inside, he notices when will is being quieter than usual, he doesn't let anyone else touch will on halloween, he sees himself as will's protector, he comforts will by suggesting they'll lose their minds together, he jumps to will's defense over the dart stuff, he stands in front of will to protect him from dart, he is worked up over will missing school, he stares sadly at will's empty desk, he calls the byers house from a payphone because he's eaten up with worry, he goes to the byers house after school and bangs on the door calling for will, he holds will's hand and assures him all the terrible things he's going through are happening for a reason, he sleeps on will's floor to stay close to him, he sleeps in a chair next to wills hospital bed, he gets flustered when will remembers him despite having amnesia, he notices when something is wrong with will despite him not moving or changing his expression at all, he tearfully recounts the day he met will and describes it as the best thing he's ever done in his whole life.

in s3, yes mike is not a great friend to will all of the time, but it wasn't specifically targeted at will. he and el were being bad friends to the whole group over the summer. and despite that, mike is still attentive to will, noticing when something was wrong in the theater despite the fact that he's supposed to be paying attention to the movie like everyone else. he double checks that will is okay. he immediately back tracks and tries to keep playing dnd when will gets upset, even forcing lucas to backtrack as well. he follows after will when he storms off. he doesn't want will to bike home in the rain. he continues to apologize even though will is ignoring him. he compliments will's campaign and assured him he doesn't think its bad. he's extremely regretful after snapping and saying something hurtful to will. he calls after will, begging him not to leave. he bikes to wills house in a rainstorm and bangs on his door, apologizing and begging will to come outside and talk to him. he doesn't just accept that will doesn't want to talk to him and instead searches through the forest in the dark rain for him. he jumps to defend will and encourages the rest of the group to believe him about the mindflayer. he sticks close to will during the sauna test. he worries about will leaving him behind when he moves to california. he is delighted when will assures him thats its impossible. he tearfully hugs will goodbye. im not gonna go into the byler coding in hop's letter because some would say it's speculative, but yeah. mike was fucking devastated at losing will.

between s3 and 4 mike is eaten up by the idea of will not reaching out and making new friends. he feels like he lost will. he openly complains about joyce's job holding up the line because he wants to talk to will. he mopes in his basement and plays nintendo because he misses will. to him everything feels weird because will isn't there. hawkins no longer feels like home because will isn't there. he loves his other friends but finds that there's something different about what he feels towards will.

then in s4 mike does start out being a dick towards will. or at least it looks that way. it seems like mike doesn't want anything to do with will, but later on he flat out admits that that wasn't the case at all. he was still being highly attentive to will, analyzing his facial expressions and demeanor and hoping will to talk to him. will didn't ruin mikes day by being too involved in his date with his girlfriend, he ruined it by not being involved. he stays close to will after el hits angela, literally shoulder to shoulder with him. he seeks will out to apologize to him and let him know he didn't deserve the way he'd been treated, and goes on to tell him how much he'd missed him and how he was afraid he'd lost him. he wants them to be best friends again. he wants he and will to be a team through whatever happens next. he is overjoyed when he thinks will made a painting for him. he assures will that they will kill vecna together and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder (despite the fact that he was too s scared to hug will 5 days earlier). he stays at will's side when the world is ending right before their eyes.

i truly truly do not understand why people say will deserves better than mike because the entire fucking point of their dynamic is that he handles will with much more care than he does others. im sorry but it really just sounds like an excuse to say byler bad without sounding problematic because the truth is that you just don't want mike to be queer. mike is very tender and caring with will and trusts him above anyone else. will is the same way towards mike. and he is devastatingly in love with mike. mike who has done everything stated above for him. why would they not be a good match? why does will not deserve the person he feels understands him better than anyone else, the person who makes him feel loved and special in a word turned against him? bffr

and about mike getting away from will because of a girl, this is a very common trope in childhood friends to lovers stories. that is what deepens the relationship between the two friends. the jealousy, the pining, the emotionally charged arguments. one of the friends usually doesn't realize what they have until they are faced with losing it. hello, s3 epilogue! the love triangle dynamic has already been used multiple times in stranger things. nancy genuinely did have romantic feelings for steve even when she got with jonathan. joyce had genuine romantic feelings for bob despite the fact that she was clearly in love with hopper. the writers have clearly shown that love is something entirely separate from attraction, and that it's easy to get lost along the path to it and get those feelings mixed up. why would it be any different for mike? especially if he's queer and in love with a boy? that makes everything 100x more confusing. especially if he's bisexual because the world back then conditioned people to think there was only homosexuals and 'normal' people. it would be so difficult for mike to figure everything out if his romantic feelings towards el are very much real, because he doesn't think he can have both. he feels caught between two slides, as one might say.

so yeah rewatch the show with an open mind and i promise you it will not make you feel weird, it will actually make a whole lot more sense. and if it does make you feel weird then i think you need to address an underlying attitude towards gay people. im not flat out calling you homophobic, it's very easy to be biased and not even know it when the world is as heteronormative as it is. just try to have an open mind

[sarabethsilver]

Jess and Rory were bound to fall apart in S3. They were two teenagers living in a crazy town that put ALL kinds of pressure on them, they were headed down very different paths, and Jess wasn't ready for a relationship at that point. They had to go their separate ways for a bit.

But what really makes them tragic? Is that all of the adults - and eventually Jess and Rory themselves - come to understand their relationship's demise as entirely Jess' fault. And this narrative is really bad for both of them.

We all know Jess' mistakes in this relationship. The show makes a point to blow them up and examine them thoroughly, often with multiple characters chiming in to talk about how terrible Jess is. A single missed phone call, concert tickets purchased for the wrong reason (??), a poorly-timed black eye, a fight with Dean, the fact he left town. All of these choices are discussed and framed as solely Jess' fault. Jess' behaviors get no context. It doesn't matter that he was working late, that Rory yelled at him throughout that dinner, that Dean threw the first punch, or that Luke kicked him out. S3 decidedly concludes with Rory, The Poor Victim and Jess, The Jerk Who Broke Her Heart. The show never re-examines this perspective.

But if you pause and examine Rory's choices throughout their relationship, she doesn't look that good. Their relationship starts with a lie: Rory kissing him, demanding he keep it secret, and then ghosting him for two months. She's really angry with him when she returns, having sincerely expected him to wait around for her while she continued to date Dean. She withdraws her friendship while Jess dates Shane. She yells at him in the street, joining the chorus of townsfolk who publicly dislike him. She eggs his car and mocks him about it. She runs away from their first real kiss with zero explanation. She scolds him for kissing her in public, prioritizing Dean's feelings over her boyfriend's. She lies about Dean repeatedly. She gives him the silent treatment after a single missed phone call. She tricks him into attending dinner with her grandma, then yells at him the whole time. She spends the entirety of Kyle's party mocking Jess while ignoring his increasingly desperate pleas to leave.

Does any of this make Rory a terrible person? No. She's a teenager, and she was in a really complicated, no-win situation concocted by her mother and a slew of Stars Hollow adults who are far too obsessed with the love lives of teenagers. Rory's a people-pleaser and she was desperate to spare everyone's feelings, unable to accept that by nature of this situation: somebody was gonna get hurt no matter what. But in trying to protect everyone, she ended up hurting Jess the most. She doesn't trust him, she doesn't prioritize his feelings, and she doesn't communicate with him. She ultimately follows along with the town narrative that Jess Ruined Everything.

The really sad thing is that this narrative is bad for both of them. Jess ends up feeling like the world's biggest failure, fleeing town without a word and ending up totally alone. Rory ends up feeling like a helpless victim, utterly lacking agency in her own relationships. She is told, over and over again, that her relationship problems were not her fault. That it's normal to sit back, make no effort, and expect to be treated like a princess by a guy who has to read her mind and do absolutely all the work. You can draw a straight line from Rory being Blameless in the Jess breakup, and Rory having an affair with her married ex a year later.

What I would give for an effort to re-examine their relationship toward the end of the series! It would have been good for both of them to understand that they were both kids, they both made mistakes, but they both tried their best. There were no villains here. Just two flawed humans who cared about each other and tried to have a relationship before they were truly ready.

[sludgewolf]

Mohawk Mark x other reader from Our Marks time line. They are a sorceress or have the Black Canary’s powers, maybe they are called Siren or something. In Mohawks Mark time line they are normal and part to their hair is dyed a color (you can pick). After class in there run down highschool he tried to start a fight but his reader intervened and it turned into a battle of insults. That’s how they became friends, unfortunately 2 years into their official relationship the reader got killed by a stray bullet made for him. In this universe he can get a second chance…..wait you and this universes Mark aren’t in a relationship?!

This ask, can't say I didn't have a lot of fun writing it but it did create a life of it's own and kept growing more than I expected but it was good to stretch my yandere/ predator prey writing legs Warnings : Mohawk Mark being himself, yandere themes, being hunted like an animal, during the Invincible War so spoilers for the ending of S3

Masterlist Invincible Masterlist

Disclaimer: do not copy, repost, take or feed to AI or NFTs anything I post

My song bird - Mohawk Mark x Reader

Mark cant understand why as one of the most powerful beings on earth his nag of a mom still annoys him to come to school

there's just a bunch of weaklings learning how to count and how to be the biggest tool in this cement block that can't be called prison for fuck knows why

what? these idiot humans don't know how to fucking count so every kid is forced to come to this cesspool?

great, just great

The day drags on, with Mark getting more and more frustrated as the hours tick

time feels like it's moving slower than when he fought those time manipulation idiots and they hit him with their time gun thing

his father said it'd be a great practice for when the time comes but it was more annoying than anything, the fun was sneaking back in without the old hag noticing

but that's then and this is now, and the now sucks

It was by chance that your paths crossed and it was by chance that he decided, you were the perfect target for him to vent his frustrations on

why? He's not sure himself, he just glanced over and your hair stood out from the extras. Simple as that

" Hey scrawny, where do you think you're going" he shouts down the hallway

pulling your bag closer you try to speed walk away from the cockatiel yelling at you, today of all days you don't have the patience for this

Your shoulder hits the wall, the other one still in the clutches of the one who pushed you. Looking up you glare at the offender once again opening his stupid ass mouth to cry about you ignoring him "I'm talking to you Skunk "

shoving him off of you you get on his face, forcing him to step back "Who do you even think you are, Rooster "

This only causes his cocky smile to widen, stepping right back where he was in this stupid game of chicken you unknowingly started

this continues for a while, him pushing your buttons and you putting him back to his place. You are fun, you're mouthy, you're not one to roll over and let him walk over you like all other useless humans and Mark likes it

Your little dance quickly escalates into a shouting match, attracting the attention of the teachers who promptly broke the fight by giving you both detention

But after that whole fiasco he's addicted, you're the funniest, most entertaining human in this stupid rock and Mark will make it your problem

he tries to interact more with you, showing up more and more where he knows you'll be

annoying you any chance he gets, taking your things to grab your attention, trying to make you laugh at the expense of others

which soon escalated to picking fights and "protecting you " from people that have decided to pick on you after hearing of the scene you made

In all of that Mark has only managed to get to your nerves more often than not

but you do have to admit, you do like his challenges, this menace of a classmate can be quite entertaining

and it doesn't hurt that he's kinda cute

Once you're past this first hurdle and don't yell at each other on sight you start tolerating each other more and more

hanging out and just existing together in general

when Mark is not sleeping during class he'll play with your hair, running his fingers through it and making sorry excuses of braids

one time, you put it up using a pen and it fascinated him so much that it was something one could do that he spent the rest of class tangling every pencil and pen he had in it

until it got to the point that it was too heavy, your hair getting loose and dropping everything on the floor earning you both a scolding from the fossil getting paid to blabber at the front

Even after leaving class he still won't stop trying to play with your hair, grabbing at your dyed streaks pulling them in front of your face blocking your eyes

he then after a moment of silence and awkward staring opens his mouth "you know, your skunk streaks would look better being blue"

" What? Want me to wear your color that much?" you snatch your hair from his hands with a huff but you can't keep a smile from crawling on your face as you see him looking away bashfully

He keeps annoying exclusively you for the rest of the morning until you let him color your hair with some blue sharpie just to shut him up while you nap at the back of the class

the next day you show up with properly dyed hair, having caved in with how cool it actually looked, though you'd rather die than admit it to him

"Haha, so you can listen to me" he smirks at you, already playing with your hair again

you brush off his teasing claiming "It's better for my hair to have it done properly instead of being sharpied in by some crazed asshole. Besides it seemed to be the only way to shut you up"

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night Blueberry. Or should I say Sonic?"

Your hand meets his face for a well deserved shove as his laugh booms through the hallway

you almost regret ever letting him into your life

... almost

This push and pull relationship you developed keeps on for weeks, none of you having the courage to take the next step

the tension keeps growing and growing, until during one of your now famous arguments you mutter to yourself "fuck it" pulling Mark in and kissing him hard

after that you were an item and worst than ever

That is, until you weren't.

Mark's brows scrunch together as his hands fumble to stop the bleeding, his ears ring as he tries to catch his breath. His eyes search yours, repeating his words over and over again like a mantra

"It's okay its ok its ok..."

but he knows that's just an easy lie, he feels your heartbeat grow weaker and weaker underneath his hands, your eyes can't focus on his anymore

it's just like his father had said, watching his love die away as he remains

you draw your last breath, your hand in his and despite it all you smile

you smile knowing he was safe, knowing you could protect your heart

Invincible's head snaps up, eyes locking to the rebel still standing there with the smoking gun in their hand

Embers fly in midst of the smoke, the city is chaos incarnate, panic palpable in the air

you're stationed at the bridge standing tall on the roof of your unity's truck, your cerulean strands swaying with the wind and uniform fresh from the seamstress, though you'd prefer for it to be a better situation to take it out for the first time

Using your powers you project your voice far and wide, leading the civilians in the evacuation effort as your teammates help them on the way

A chill runs down your spine, dread fills your chest as you turn around to see what it looks like a missile coming straight at you

bracing yourself you take a deep breath, ready to scream away whatever it is

but before you even have the chance to do so the projectile suddenly speeds up, the air is knocked out of your lungs with a pitiful "uff" as you're snatched away

The crowd grows smaller as you're being taken further and further up in the air

You cough as the pain of the impact still impairs your ability to breathe normally, your lungs burning with the air moving in and out. Your arms flail around as you try to get out of your attacker's strong grasp, nails sinking into his arm trying to pry them off of you

looking over their shoulder you see your team rushing to try and save you while others work to calm the civilians trying to prevent panic from breaking out

cries of "Siren" and "hang on tight" can barely be heard over the terrified screams of the people

A soft and carefree laugh interrupts your train of thought startling your attention back to your captor

he sounds happy and so ... relieved??

Craning your neck you're met with chocolate eyes staring down at you

"Careful, you don't want me to drop you " his scratchy voice reaches your ears with an obvious smile in his tone he pretends to let you go, forcing you to cling to him in fear

Mark can't contain his laughter as he adjusts you in his grasp "that's more like it" he teases before speeding away, completely ignoring your team's attempts at saving you leaving them long forgotten back at the bridge

Invincible... well, this Invincible flies through the destroyed city, the destruction is even greater than what you imagined, building collapsed in a way that you wouldn't think there was a building there before, the smell of scorched flesh burns your nostrils, nausea slowly overtakes you forcing you to shove your face to this Invincible's shoulder much to his own enjoyment

it doesn't take long for you to feel yourself be gently set down onto the floor, looking around you find yourself in a clearing probably in the nearby woods. Taking deep breaths you try to clear your lungs of all the smoke, with your head not spinning anymore you now have to think

running is a no go, from all you know the maybe impostor standing before you seems to have the same abilities as Invincible

so fighting him will only end up with you either dead or if he wants you alive, which surprisingly seems likely, you'll only tire yourself and end up completely defenseless

friendship is magic you guess, or to phrase it better, your only option is bargaining for your life

Your attempt of looking more confident than you are and putting some space between you is quickly foiled by your legs faltering due to your adrenaline coming down, causing you to stumble forward right back into his arms

"Awww, miss me already?"

his laugh is loud and annoying, making you want to punch him for desecrating your ears with it's sound but you hold this urge in not wanting to provoke the viltrimite

instead you push him away once more and he allows you

stepping away from him relishing in the shadows of the threes you try thinking of a way to escape this. His eyes following your every movement like a predator watching its prey

he stalks towards you " cuz I did miss you"

"I - I don't even know you"

"But you do, in my universe "

your back hits the rough bark of the three, Mark's arms caging you in, you feel his warm breath hit your face

using all your strength you try shoving him away

"in my universe" you mimic his voice " but not fucking here, I don't know you"

"But you want to"

"No I fucking don't!"

"Oh but you will Blueberry" Mark keeps you from escaping by grabbing your waist, "Ya know... I missed this" he pulls you closer, dragging your feet on the dirt ground

you snap, punching him to create some distance before using your sonic attack by screaming sending him to the other end of the clearing, you take this opportunity of him being dazed to flee

Your lungs burn from running for so long, your legs and arms sting from the various cuts you got by running through bushes, if you can find a river you may be able to use it to use it to move faster and further

Invincible for sure has been after you for a while now, toying with you, giving you hope that you'll be able to get away while being oh so close

you feel his eyes trailing you but you can't pinpoint where he is, feeling like prey you feel yourself suffocating, clouding your thoughts to the point you don't even notice you ran yourself into a dead end until your hands meet with the cliff side

Sinking to your knees your breaths come in as hiccups, a chill runs down your spine, he's here

"Done running my little Skunk?" Mark sneers, his breath hitting the shell of your ear as his arms slink around your waist once more "It's time to go home"

you don't put up a fight, having spent all your energy in his game of cat and mouse Invincible is able to take you with his with no resistance on your part

With you in his arms once again, Mark lets himself smile truthfully once again

after all this is the only reason he agreed to help that walking tumor man that calls himself Armstrong.

A second chance on happiness, a second chance with you

[elialys]

Hope you don't mind me info dumping my thoughts after watching newsreader and also reading some of your thoughts (I am so hyper focused on this show lol)

If Dale is neurodiverse, what sort of neurodiversity do you think he has? Is he a bit on the spectrum or ADHD? But then it would man that he would mask himself quite well, he's just a bit awkward.

Anna was very beautiful this season.

I never understood why Lindsay was so obsessed with Dale? It was very creepy

I know I shouldn't but I really want to diagnose Dale, like Helen is BPD, but I feel like Dale had mental health issues, but it could also be just him being repressive.

I am going to imagine that post s3 he gets therapy and gets together with Helen. He accepts he is bi too.

I have SO many thoughts when it comes to Dale being on the spectrum! A lot of it is my ‘neurospicy’ detector going off when I watch him, but joking aside, I think I see him as a neurodivergent character because he displays a lot of traits that are fairly common for people on the spectrum.

Disclaimer, I come from a family full of neurodivergent people, some with a diagnosis, some without, many with…‘characteristics’—myself included. I also study/work in a field that has me spending a lot of hours every day with people on various versions of this infamous spectrum, so while I am joking about having a neurospicy ‘detector,’ I am sensitive to neurodivergence, and often recognize it (and I’m usually right when I do).

Dale is socially awkward. Yes, I know, it sounds like a cliché, but it is an actual fact that social interactions are often hard when you’re neurodivergent. You’re just…slightly off, in a lot of situations. Dale takes things literally. He rehearses how he’s going to deliver lines, way beyond how he will be on camera, but with people too. The mirror thing he does? I’ve done it, and I know a lot of people on the spectrum do it, it’s a real thing.

Also, he hyperfixates. He’s got special interests—in this case, newsreading and journalism (since he was a very young child), to the point of it becoming his entire identity. He also likes rules, and following those rules, and fitting in boxes 🥲

You’ve mentioned masking, which is one of the main things neurodivergent people do, in an attempt to fit in with people and society. Very often, when you’re neurodivergent, the world around you makes you understand at a very young age that any odd behavior/responses you have are not acceptable; you’re often rejected/mocked for being awkward in social settings. So you learn to mask, without realizing you’re doing it. It’s a coping mechanism. Everyone does it to some extent, but autistic people do it on a whole different level—and it’s exhausting.  

(I’m continuing the rest of this TED Talk under a read more because I need to talk about season 3, so, SPOILERS!!)

Dale’s entire arc from season 1 to 3 is a form of masking. He says it himself in the finale “You would hate the real me, everybody did. So I changed him, and now, you hate him even more!”

He’s obsessed over his image, about how people view him, about needing to appear normal, may it be in his masculinity, in his sexuality, in everything that makes him HIM. So many of those horrible comments he listens to say something along the line of “he’s weird, he’s off-putting, there’s something stilted about him.” The harder he tries, the less “normal” he appears, and it makes him absolutely spiral.

Dale hitting himself in that heartbreaking scene in 3.06? To me it’s not just a physical representation of his self-loathing.

[article]

I’m no expert so I don’t want to extend too much on that and risk saying the wrong thing, but self-harm most definitely is a thing autistic people may do, especially when they experience meltdowns, which is when someone is so overwhelmed by a situation that they lose control of their behavior. To be honest, the whole first half of episode 3.06 is Dale’s inevitable meltdown from everything he’s put himself through this season—and everything that was done to him by ‘exterior forces’ (Lindsay on top of the list).

So to link back to another one of your point, Dale most definitely has mental health issues, too, due in part to his past traumas, the abuse he was suffering from at work, and the fact that he’s a neurodivergent (bisexual) human living in a neurotypical society. In a newsroom of all places! 💀

[variousqueerthings]

so the thing is, back when i first watched s3 of elementary i was not a fan of joan coming to this moment of "oh maybe i should break up with my stable, attractive, nice, charming boyfriend" only for him to immediately die, because it felt like a cop-out -- that she'd almost come to some kind of moment in figuring herself out, but now she'd be regressing into "oh well, i can't have romantic relationships because it's dangerous, not because i don't want them," there will forever be a tinge of something in her relationship with andrew now, even though she was literally in the process of breaking up with him because it wasn't doing anything for her. a certain rose tint over what was actually happening, which was that she wasn't into the idea of the relationship, or indeed, any romantic relationship

however this time around i'm more into it, because this time i'm suuuuch a fan of the continuous push and pull of introspection and refusal to introspect that exist in both sherlock and joan -- getting the emotional truth out of either of them is like pulling fucking teeth!

the fact that the "aftermath episode" of her bf getting murdered in which joan is steadfastly refusing to Feel Her Feelings is the same episode as the sherlock-and-marcus excursion, in which marcus bell is telling sherlock over and over "call me marcus" and sherlock's grimace makes it clear that too much vulnerability feels like getting stabbed, something he's only allowed five times it seems:

two are with people who are locked up (jamie and abigail, although the latter has some serious extenuating circumstances)

one is dead (alistair, and even then i feel like alistair never knew how much he meant to sherlock)

one is on the run from the law atm (kitty, although i know she works that out)

and joan

(and arguably mycroft, but that's slightly different, they're siblings, being a sibling is smthinsmthin)

and even with them -- with the exception of joan and previously jamie -- he is oh so very careful about how much of himself he shows

it's such a fascinating double-up episode exploring their attitudes towards relationships (the fact that jamie makes a form of appearance and it's via writing a letter to joan!!!!) (also ofc sherlock calls him marcus by the end)

and now back to joan, who is ostensibly much more "adjusted" to living a conventional life, after all she's prepped for conventional since she was a kid! except she really isn't, is she? she's canonically trying to fulfill some assumed goal of normalcy (stated to be expected of her by her mother/upbringing), and she's fighting against it every step of the way. she doesn't do close friendships really (she tried, and she sucked at it until she started meeting people more like sherlock, and then it's a little closer to the way he does "friendships" that is, we create a wide network of people, but we don't have to know that much about each other beyond what we need to support one another), and she certainly doesn't do romance (or, she tries for a bit, but fails over and over) and the entire time she's insistently going "sherlock you need support to figure yourself out, you need some help to stay sober, if you want to talk..."

her whole Thing is that she's very polite and charming, so of course she's not like her standoffish abrasive partner, sherlock, she's the "Nomal One" who's so well-adjusted, except when this life forces her to make decisions beyond her control

and now going "well, i'm dangerous to get close to, so i may as well not try anymore" is another wonderful way to avoid thinking about what she wants. she doesn't have any choices you see, it's simply the way things have to be (oh noooo). anyway this interaction suddenly happens halfway through the episode:

joan: you know i pulled away from you last year because uh… i felt myself sucked into this world that you built. i wanted something normal. something that was mine. sherlock: there's nothing wrong with that. you have a right to your own space, physically and mentally joan: im not sure that i do. i don't think i can keep our work and my private life separate. it just doesn't seem possible. but you already know that, i mean it's part of the reason you life the way that you do sherlock: yes but my choices dont have to be your choices watson joan: it might be better if they were. andrew would have been better off

see, andrew would have been better off, that's what the problem was, suuuuuuure. girl you were in the middle of dumping him when he was murdered, stop avoiding the real issue here! you shouldn't not-be-dating because of The Work, you should be not dating because you... don't want to. you've got to admit that you like the world you were getting sucked into. do it!

(once she's made the change to wearing suits, we know she's started to sort herself out, it's coming, she'll get there)

end of the episode:

joan: i feel... ok. i feel clear about something: our work, what we do... it's not just a job now, it's who i am. i'm a detective, i'm ready to embrace that. i live in this world - your world - and i probably will for the rest of my life sherlock: it isn't my world. it's our world joan: i understand that now. i accept it, i know what it means sherlock: and what does it mean? joan: it means that... it's ridiculous for me to think that... i can have a normal life. i'm not gonna do that anymore.

joan i want to study you like a bug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(but also, youknow, if it's getting her there, then let her think it's the detective work enacting upon her life like an unstoppable force that she must stop fighting and accept the inevitability of. youknow. that's an aromantic way of looking at things too. can't do romance, oh so unfortunate, but The Work!!!!!!!!!)

[yannaryartside]

I am tired of Sydney being a “knight in shining armor” for these immature men

The trailer of s3 made me reflect on a big problem with the show for me so far. The use of Sydney on the plot overall and in the character arcs of men. This is a rant, if you happen to be on the side of the fandom that think these men are perfect and Syd is valued as their support, feel free to scroll.

Part 1: the woman

Sydney Adamu is insecure on her leader/social skills and her creative habilities. That, and her kindness, is what makes the audience root for her. She is releatable but most important she is real, she has taken it impulse by impulse, creating on the fly ways to succeed in a industry not very welcoming to people with her personality (or that look like her). All of that makes sense in a story of an underdog.

But yet, the show has normalized at this point how much shit she takes from a group of really emotionally immature people. And how much they expect her to figure it out answers to the problems that they themselves cause.

Thinking about it like an animal getting into a new pack without the capacity to defend herself from any attack. The shitshow she tolerated in s1 has never been properly addressed and it seems like the worst storm is yet to come in s3. She fixed the logistics of the beef and implemented a hierarchy. Things that Carmy was incapable of doing due to his story with the staff and his own mental turmoil. In s2, she was the only professional chef actively making decisions and efforts in the future of the restaurant. Carmy even reprimanded her for not making the decisions he was supposed to do. And she reminded him “you wanted the final say, this is on you)

Syd is not helpless in any way, but she has applied kindness and fairness most of the time to this point, and I wonder if this time that is gonna cut it. I am mostly tired to get her back to that scenario again. If anything, the part that got me the most excited of Richie’s redemption is how she could actually rely on him. And then it came the trailer.

Part 2: the men

The part that got my blood boiling in the trailer is the response “Show me a functional one” from Richie and Carmy.

We are in season 3, and with all the growth and all those balls, these men seem to expect her to fix an issue, wich core is actually their own emotional immaturity. I am sick of it. “Mother, maid, therapist”🎶

She must deal with Carmy’s recklessness and the fight between him and Richie. A very green new staff and a unqualified old staff mostly. All of that creates the dysfunctionality in question, and I wonder where her character will go to resolve it. The restaurant had a shaky base (particularly on front house staff and line cooks) and now Carmy is getting on everyone’s nerves. Putting fire to an already unstable chemical.

Part 3: Heroine’s Journey

It would take a pro to resolve all of this shit, and the people involved (and responsible for the problem) turn to this young, inexperienced woman for guidance and answers because the only person in the kitchen with actual industry experience is trapped in his own destroying tendencies.

That is not only the underdog story that is human vs forces of nature, another common plot structure. Forces of nature incarnated in unstable men and our hero is a woman. That is so fucked up and yet so real. That is the value I give to this scenario.

I really don't think that, besides Tina and Nat, there is a single member if that kitchen aware of how much Syd was alone last season picking Carmy’s slack. And even they were barely able to help her. Everybody else was to happy for Carmy loosing his virginity apparently. All this scenario could very well repeat itself this season on how much they are insisting on Claire and Carmy getting back together.

I know the show is about leaving toxic cycles and the people who can help you get better. Sydney is supposed to be made from a different matter than the Bearzattos because otherwise, the toxicity will continue. I just wish she could coldly let them know how much of a pest they can be sometimes. And not be treated as unfair because she left her “role” in creating a new system. Anger is boundarie setting emotion and it can be very constructive, and expressed without the chaos of the Bearzattos. She did this in s1 and if done again I think this time the general audience (except the racist/misogynistic obviously) will understand that this tough love is necessary as well.

Let's not normalize (in this show) women taking shit to be good women and a reward for seeing the potential of men. It is not like society is not doing that for us already.

Sydney is not a punching bag, and she knows it, she definitely will stand her ground this season, wich can be very encouraging to young woman entering a workforce that is not designed to support them. I think she will go to Ember to work closely with Chef Terry (Olivia Coleman) to get knowledge of how women can shape this toxic places. It will be her version of forks. The toxicity may escalate to a turning point for her. She tolerated (and transformed) s1 and s2, we know what is in her heart. The point will definitely come, because this is the time for evolving or dying, for everyone.

But again, I need these men (besides you, Marcus, you are going to be her rock) to start taking responsibility for the shit they are fucking up. That would be nice. I am sure there will be moments of it since this growth is literally the show's theme. I am just kind of tired of the “Mother, maid, therapist🎶” undertone of it all. It could be applied to Nat and Tina as well.

[celeborne]

when people watch shows, they’re allowed to form their own thoughts and opinions based on what’s in front of them 🤓 this show is full of nerds and was created for nerds - don’t act shocked when some fans are gonna be the biggest nerds that analyse it very deeply lol.

if you have a problem with people’s byler posts, then you should have the tag blocked so you can’t see anything if you hate them so much - then you can feel comfortable, and so can we, because i feel weird and uncomfortable knowing some byler antis purposefully seek out byler posts to criticise and “call them out” and then make shady posts in response. if you hate the ship and you think it’s stupid and won’t happen, i’m not sure why you’re lurking in byler spaces to begin with?

anyways, there’s always gonna be people who see things differently and that’s fine but i am certainly allowed to complain when a character i love gets worse after getting into a relationship, and when this specific relationship is literally hurting the characters in it (and other characters around them) AND when my favourite character has suffered the entire show loving his best friend and has been forced to watch someone else with him (even though we’ve seen over and over again that him and his best friend have a much stronger emotional bond and make each other feel more safe and comfortable than the actual canon couple who are dating).

and yeah, it’s a fact that most people started to dislike mike when he started officially dating el (s3 + s4). not all general viewers are stupid either. some definitely are lol, but some are capable of just… thinking normally about the characters and they can just simply see when someone changes and gets worse. sometimes i like seeing what people have to say when they’re not biased when it comes to ships too. most hate mike when he officially starts dating el. i don’t know what else to tell you. and some of them actually did think m*leven was cute in the first 2 seasons as well, but not after s3 and s4. they can just see how negatively mike has changed. it’s not calling him evil, he’s a KID with insecurities and struggles, but i don’t know how you can lie and say “he’s so perfect and hasn’t done anything wrong” after seeing how he acts when he’s with el and how other people (who also have their own struggles and trauma!) around them get upset too 😭

every single person i ask does not like him in these moments. the characters in the show get annoyed with him too, so it’s not just a viewer thing, it’s intentionally written this way. his behaviour is just bad. viewers don’t like him, his own friends get pissed off at him, hopper went crazy because of him after being disrespected. none of these were issues before he officially started dating el. the vibes changed because THEY change in this relationship. they’re fake because they’re insecure with each other and constantly lie. they force themselves to only focus on each other and do lovey dovey things that they see other couples do. they don’t even have deep, honest conversations because they’re not truly emotionally safe and comfortable with each other. mike feels like a loser and nerd, el feels like a monster. they make each other feel this way, and it may be unintentional, but both literally admitted they do. THAT is what’s canon. and people are allowed to feel upset about that, because it’s sad seeing them suffer in this relationship and also upsetting those around them.

i’m not saying that makes them horrible people and i am very aware of their age and past trauma, but if that’s the case and they’re dealing with their own individual struggles, they should at least break up, focus on healing and then when the time is right, get back together. if they’re actually soulmates, then it’ll work at the right time, right? but no, they don’t do that. they just stay in the relationship and continue hurting each other AND others around them.

it’s also very normal to be frustrated seeing a gay character have to suffer watching his best friend that he’s in love with date someone else and THEN be used as a plot device to push his best friend into telling his girlfriend he loves her. i’d actually be shocked if people aren’t disgusted by this.

mike, as he said himself, feels inferior to his girlfriend. he is drowning in insecurities. he confessed all of this to will. and we know el is struggling too and feels like a monster as she literally said directly to mike. does that mean that they automatically have to break up just because they have personal struggles? no, not necessarily. but we’ve seen over and over and over again that mike and el don’t actually do anything to communicate properly or solve their own issues. they handle things immaturely or always need someone else to intervene. and i’d be ok with a friend giving a friend advice here and there, but NOT when it’s will, who’s been in love with mike since the start and who is literally breaking inside seeing him with el. you may feel absolutely nothing because you despise will and don’t care about anyone other than mike and el, but it’s disgusting that the writers did what they did. even if i initially shipped mike and el, i’d feel very weird about it after watching season 4.

we literally see on our screens that will, mike’s best friend who’s in love with him, is the only person that actually gave mike strength all season and helped him with his insecurities by confessing his own feelings (even if they were disguised as el’s) and giving him the painting. this is what pushed mike into saying he loves her. i genuinely do not understand how you can watch this show and just… move past that without caring and then celebrate that monologue like it’s the most beautiful and romantic thing knowing it wouldn’t have happened without will. mike would’ve still been so insecure if will didn’t make him feel loved.

[nobylerdoubt]

Hii, not a byler doubt bit I ship mileven and in general I like them in s3, not at the beggining tho, I mean, Mike seems to care abt El when he starts like "what did I do wrong?" And later tries to get her back in some way, I feel like this is a popular byler doubt or at least it would be if I was a byler so what do you think abt it as a byler?

Thanks for submitting this ask! I think it's really cool of you to interact, so know that I mean my answer with all the respect in the world. I don't want to rain on your experience with the show - so take what you will from this. Protect your peace.

So there's two ways to answer your question - the Bi Mike perspective and the Gay Mike perspective.

From the perspective of the show that Mike is bisexual and did have feelings for El at some point - this is easy to answer. You because Mike had feelings for El in season 3 doesn't mean he has those feelings now, and we see more of a transition from liking El to realizing his feelings for Will and how his relationship with El isn't exactly healthy or mutually beneficial in season 4. A Bi Mike Truther would say "so what?"

But I'm not a Bi Mike Truther, so I always argue from the Gay Mike perspective.

From the perspective that Mike is gay, and has never had real feelings for El, we understand that Mike is experiencing compulsory heterosexuality.

I mention in this post that I believe season 1 mileven can be separated by pre and post Lucas's teasing - where before Lucas pointed out "if you like her so much why don't you marry her?" Mike's interactions were strictly friendly, and after Lucas points this out is where Mike gets this seed planted in his head - this idea that he can't just be friends with El, his feelings towards her must mean he likes her.

And in season 3 we see Mike continuously turning to Lucas for guidance and validation on his relationship with El. Lucas is the driving force behind Mike trying to make things right with El - he's the one who drags him to the mall to buy something for El, and he pushes Mike in the hospital waiting room to talk to El after she extends the "olive branch".

I also find it kind of poignant that Lucas points out that Mike is "hopeless" in the hospital scene.

But I think the best example of why season 3, and this subplot of Mike trying to win El back, is actually a gold star example of Byler is because of episode 3.

We start episode 3 with Max and El just after El dumps Mike's ass.

Max insists that Mike "will come crawling back to you in no time, begging for forgiveness. I guarantee you, him and Lucas are, like totally wallowing in self pity and misery right now. They're 'oh, I hope they take us back!'"

And when El spies on them what do we see? Mike's not sorry - he doesn't think he's done anything wrong.

In this same episode, Will and Mike get into a fight too, and Will runs off. And what does do when this happens? He comes racing after him in the rain begging for forgiveness.

Mike apologizes to Will about a fight they had after El broke up with him before he apologized to El.

And in the end - it's El who came back to Mike hoping to rekindle their relationship. Mike never properly apologizes to El (granted he does try during the Sauna Test, but gets mad after El reveals that she spied on them.) El is the one who ends up coming back for the relationship after three months.

All in all - I think Mikes attempts in season 3 to 'get El back' come from a somewhat selfish place of trying to hold onto this scrap of "normal-ness" that he has. It's not that Mike doesn't like El - I think the best moments these two have is when they seem to abandon this pretense of being a couple and just try to be friends.

In Mike's life he's been told many times that he needs to be straight, he needs a relationship with a girl. Granted this is 100% not how Mike is thinking about this, but he knows heterosexuality is what is expected from him, so subconsciously he's pushing himself to have this relationship with El, because I imagine she is a girl he can see himself being happy with. But in the end he can't love her the way she wants to be loved.

I have another post that talks a little bit more about my season 3 thoughts.

[malevolententity]

sorry still thinking about the death to fandom post and how actually the deep seeded dread i feel at pd return is not at ALL based in the fear of what the boys are gonna do. but is 100% based in finding the fandom at large a very very fucking annoying echo chamber of 16 year olds. which they are allowed to be. but dear fucking lord in a show by and for people in their mid 20s. i am REALLY not looking forward to the gaggle of 15 year olds that are gonna shit themselves when vynce continues to not date will. when ashe continues to not be in the plot because he doesnt want to be a hero and yakko is an adult and busy and has a life. when dakota just simply exists and has a disagreement with will so everyone tells grizz to kill himself because for some reason everyone hates the one gnc person on cast.

like truly death to fandom. if fandom is more than 5 closely vetted people you are doing it wrong. big fandom is lying to you. you dont need their shitty headcanons. you could be so much smarter if you ignored them

thank you council for no pd s3 news besides "it aint happening stop asking" please continue this energy for. 5 more years. then everyone will be normal because they will have moved on or have started the ssris/antipsychotics they cant get rn fsjkfhs

[milevenstancyendgame]

In Defense Of Mike

Sometimes antis inspire you to write meta - I don't know why, but today I feel like going through these Mike accusations that someone left on my Eleven post, lol:

No one talks shit about my boy Mike on my post.😎

-"And not to make this about shipping because El is her own person and should be discussed outside of ships, BUT" - goes on long ass shipping discourse.

You nailed it right there, buddy.😂

-"Mike babies her throughout their relationship":

I think it's so funny that those who are on the fence shouting about El needing to break up with Mike, to be independent, are doing exactly what they accuse Mike of doing (gaslight much?). You're willfully ignoring her love for Mike, which is canonical, projecting your own dislike of him onto her, like you know what's best for her. You're babying her.

So when does he baby her? I can't think of any time, but since you also said that he's protective and "El wants to be trusted and supported", I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you're talking about SOME scenes between El and Mike in s3.

I think it's funny that antis wave Mike's protectiveness over El in s3 as though it was some big red flag.

Like, ya'll act as though he wanted to lock her up in the cabin. Oh wait, that was Hopper in s2, actually. I don't see you hating on Hopper though, even though he's an adult.

Mike is worried and traumatised from losing El several times before. Yes, he doesn't know how to deal with this, but like you keep saying, El is her own person and should be respected as such.

So what does El do? She shows that she doesn't like it, and in an intimate moment away from the over-the-top comedy of s3, she tells him "I need you to trust me".

And how does Mike react? Did you actually watch that? Because it doesn't sound like it. He ACCEPTS what she says IMMEDIATELY, even gives Max an acknowledging glance, and backs off, letting her do her thing.

Like this right there. That's growth.

And that's him doing exactly what you say El needs - that's trusting, supportive, and letting her decide for herself. Which, by the way, he has been doing the whole time and continues to do.

He apologies to her and shows that he has been self-reflecting, and is overly hard on himself. He's aware that he was jealous and that he doesn't know how to deal with his strong love for El.

That's healthy and wholesome, and also huge for a 14-year old emotionally neglected boy, who has no blueprint for a healthy romantic relationship.

But no, you don't want to see this. Nor anything else, apparently. Just literally this ONE DAY on which he was overwhelmed and worrying about El. And you interpret that as "babies her throughout their relationship". That is…wild.

-"Mike puts El on a pedestal" & "Mike never compliments El's personality" :

Wow, this feels like the most unjust accusation of all. You interpret him thinking and telling her she's a superhero as putting her on a pedestal?

First of all, how can you do that, when you just said that he babies her throughout.😆 It almost seems like your various views about him are incompatible...maybe because they're not founded on reality...👀

He's the one who constantly reminds everyone else that El is not a machine, that she has limits, that she has human needs...seriously, have you watched the show? S1? When everyone saw her as a problem or a weirdo or a traitor or a monster or a criminal or a science experiment....and he was the one who treated her for what she was - a scared, friendless child in danger. An equal. A friend.

How come you're not hating on Dustin and Lucas? Maybe you're able to see how they changed? Or Max, because she's in awe of El in s2 and in s3 is 100%ly confident that she will be able to defeat the monster on her own? Maybe you're able to see that she had a normal reaction to finding out about someone's super powers and that she simply was mistaken? Or Steve, because he refers to her as "this girl with superpowers that we usually rely on"? Maybe you're able to see that this didn't reflect any dehumanising on his part?

Oh, but Mike is different of course.🙄

Mike never treats El as anything else but his equal. If he actually put her on a pedestal, he'd constantly be like: "Oh, but I'm sure El can fix it!" for every problem they have, and he'd be disappointed and shocked to witness her humanity - her flaws, her needs, her imperfections.

Well, he doesn't. On the contrary, he tries to provide for her every need, reminding others of them, is worried about her overexerting herself (which you hated on a moment ago, but now strangely seem to have forgotten), and never pushes her to fight for them. He's also always the one who wants to provide a back-up for her, to not let her fight alone or do everything for them (like in the caves in s2, or in s3 when they try to overturn the car in the mall).

Okay, and my personal favourite: "He also does this with Dustin and Will" So I'm guessing you're referring to Mike telling Dustin in s1 that his cleidocranial dysplasia is like a superpower, after being bullied; and in s2, when he tells Will he's like a super-spy now. And of course telling El that she's a superhero.

And you think this is bad????????

😳

Sorry, I just....HOW? He's literally reassuring Dustin that he not only accepts him as he is, but that his difference is cool, he compares him to the coolest people they know and admire, the super heroes from comics. He's trying to cheer him up after he got humiliated for being different. I mean...I guess if he had given him a hug, you would have found a way to interpret that as bad.😬

And the same with Will - he sees that his friend is barely keeping it together, he's rightly panicking, because he's possessed by an interdimensional monster, but Mike finds a way to distract him, invite his mind to see things in a different way that actually EMPOWERS him, reassuring him that they won't let the monster spy back, and again, this is bad, because?

Or do you mean it's only bad when he does it with El?😂 Because it's the same thing. He's trying to reassure her that she's not a monster, that he loves her.

And once again - when she shows in s4 that she doesn't like something he's doing (not saying "I love you"), he accepts that, he feels bad, and tries to give her exactly what she asked for at the next opportunity!

Apparently you didn't see that either.

And "he never compliments her personality". How many hoops do you want him to jump through?🤣

Mike shows that he loves and respects El all the time, he doesn't need to say "You have an awesome personality." for El to feel that. And she never expressed any need for that. Does Hopper compliment Joyce's personality to her face? Did Joyce do that for Hopper? Did Nancy do that for Steve or Jonathan or vice versa? Did Max say that to Lucas? I guess Lucas is the only one who really loves his partner, because he did that once.🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

Oh, and of course, the whole monologue at the end of s4 doesn't count, because. "I love you on your good days, I love you on your bad days, I love you without your powers, I love you with your powers...I love you exactly for who you are."

That's somehow not valid, hm?

Mike can't win in your eyes, because you don't want him to. This is called scapegoating, btw.

Lastly, it's strange that you have a reference to him in your username, when you clearly think he's so horrible and accuse him of all this...together with a reference to Will...hmm...how mysterious....🙄🙄🙄 Almost like you had double standards for a certain agenda.🤔

*Drops mic*

[libelula202]

I’m rewatching Numb3rs, a 2005 series about a mathematician helping his FBI Agent brother solve crimes.

And I’ve been thinking a lot of Jewish representation in media, what with the world being what it is right now.

Numb3rs stars Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz, and Judd Hirsch.

All three of whom are Jewish IRL.

Up until this point, the family’s religion has not been spoken about. Obviously the audience knows that all 3 men are Jewish IRL-but nothing has been explicitly talked about in the show.

I recently watched the season 3 episode Provenance, where a Jewish family has a claim to a painting stolen by the Nazis.

There is a scene where Don (Rob Morrow) asks his brother Charlie (David Krumholtz) why their family was never religious. Charlie shrugs and doesn’t really have an answer.

The story line continues, and is concluded when the family gets the painting back. And there is a beautiful scene where the song Hallelujah plays behind the family matriarch, as she holds the painting and reminisces about her family, who were all killed during the Shoah.

It ends with Don talking to his dad (Judd Hirsch) about using his FBI access to try and find any surviving extended family members. 

And it just struck me, that they never say their family is Jewish. The audience is just expected to know.

Their last name is Eppes (in the show), and of course we know these actors IRL are Jewish. But that’s all we know until this episode.

I just thought it’s so different to current times. The audience isn’t expected to be shocked that they’re Jewish, it’s just treated as a fact.

Yes, they’re Jewish.

Full stop.

No explaining, no “well I’m Jewish” moment in the dialogue.

Just an acknowledgment that this story hits close to home for them.

And then we move on.

——

I am not Jewish. I don’t know if I’m qualified to say if this is good representation or not.

But as a goy, I appreciated that I was expected to know this.

It feels like a flip of the normal culturally Christian USAmerican media script.

I don’t get explicitly told their religion, I’m just supposed to use context clues and figure it out myself. No explanation, no being force fed the answer.

It’s just a fact.

They are Jewish.

(Also I like that this is a s3 episode. Doesn’t feel forced this way.)

[vampyrhics]

i know that people are somewhat nervous about how in ep 10, guillermo is still at cannon capital. i myself, am not all that concerned, because there's some groundwork in these episodes that i am paying a lot of attention to as we continue through the season. a few things:

one being that jordan uses the family language that we have seen used by guillermo in previous seasons, but never outwardly returned by the vampires. this to me signals that cannon capital are using his needs to take advantage of him (jordan also mentions how he shows up early and stays late, and it's obvious that this job is changing guillermo as a person in a bad way). guillermo, more than anything, has wanted a place to belong, but i think his arc is realizing that the vampires are his actual family, not this soul sucking workplace. there's a lot of capitalism red flags floating around in this season that are making me nervous, because the company obviously views guillermo as expendable (where the vampires begin to work with him because they view him as not expendable -- they all fight over his room, showing they miss him, and they all show up because they're afraid of guillermo losing his mind being in the normal human world).

on top of this, it is obvious that jordan is just fulfilling the place of nandor, which guillermo has been trying to find since no longer being a part of the vampire residence full-time (calling him "master" accidentally, arguing with nandor he's not at jordan's beck and call and then answering his literal phone call). which is ironic, because this also mirrors nandor's arc in the season, with the desperation of filling the hole of guillermo in his life (which we have witnessed many times before). they are still all about each other, even when desperately focusing on other things. this applies to the relationship that nandor is trying to have with the guide, especially since it's been established that she is no longer attracted to him (s3 wedding), thought he was the conquerer but realized he wasn't (s6, ep1), and overall has not been very receptive to this change in nandor (s6, ep3) when she tells him "bye" in an irritated tone. i don't think this will work out, just like all other relationships for nandor that are not guillermo.

lastly, they are on equal footing this season more than ever before. there is no longer any "professional" involvement between them, they are just two people who were a part of each other's life for a long time, and all the complications of that. also, i think it is fair to note that kayvan has stated that they're acting a lot like exes -- how nandor can't accept that guillermo's new way of life does not include him, and in nandor's mind, it has to. he can't let guillermo go, and he doesn't want to either, and i think deep down -- guillermo is in the same boat. he helps fix vampire problems still despite saying that he wouldn't, offers a place for nandor to sit and talk when he's clearly upset (also that richard nixon speech says some things about how he feels about guillermo leaving him, even in a very fucked up roundabout way), and tries to keep nandor from being fired because he knows it will hurt nandor's feelings. is this aligned with someone who is truly over the vampires? i think not!

anyway, i have a feeling this will come to a head at some point, and it seems the promotion is going to be when that happens. also, to be noted -- that's not the last episode of the season, so chances are, we will see where the fallout goes. but how will that shake out? i don't know, but i do hope that all this setup is going somewhere because there's a ton of it this season whereas we used to not get any except a few moments here and there. this season's soul is literally the dynamic between nandor and guillermo, so i assume that this will pay off (we hope).