#that's why I love our dnd with the gays

[revoleotion]

I feel like there is this big difference in our pnp group regarding the implications of playing aliens/non-humans. I WANT there to be a difference. I want Chiss to be creepy and off-putting and feral at times. I want Dawn's eyes to glow and I need his teeth to be just a little bit too long. I need him to snarl and hiss because he isn't just a human but blue.

But the others are now making jokes about him being weird and a furry and I'm like?? First off, that's not a bad thing to be but also

Embrace the uncanny valley

Embrace playing something non-human

It's FUN

[lokittystuckinatree]

Happy Pride losers, I’m ready to be clowned but my dumb ass is now convinced Rogue is the Master…

Rogue and Renegade have eerily similar meanings under the right circumstance.

To rebel against an organized group. To go rogue.

An endearingly naughty person

Koschei, our second fave Renegade Time Lord

Apparently they were also called a Rogue Time Lord? I am not making this up.

Although Maestro is Master in Italian and look how that turned out

“Lord” interesting.

Red and Blue. The master and 13 were red and blue coded respectively. Have they switched, Symbolically?

Rogue was looking at the Doctor rather nefariously, even once they were buddies. Just go through some of the scenes again. It’s harder than you’d think to tell if he’s trying to seem seductive or evil

The entire premise of this ep seems to be “things are not as they seem; people are not as they appear” which is a Master staple

The Master has been haunting the fuck out of the narrative lately.

Here’s my thread on just how much

When I saw the first trailer, I instinctively thought “ballroom dance guy” was gonna be the new Master

The inside of Rogue’s (familiarly messy) ship has controls eerily similar to the configuration of a TARDIS.

Rogue is obviously a time traveler if he has that space ship and knows DnD (Rogue + Time + Lord. Oh?)

DnD might be a dead giveaway

Was Rogue’s name being inspired by DnD necessary to include? Cute thing the writers wanted to put in, or clue?

Why would Rogue know what DnD was but not know what cosplay or improv was?

The Master has been taken prisoner by the Toymaker, infamous for his love of? Games. You know who also has a running theme of “winning” and “losing”? The Master

In DnD you play as a character and rely on skill and chance to survive within the confines of a structured storytelling game. Bending the rules is often involved. The Master tried that against the Toymaker and failed.

DnD players will often have little tiny figurines of their characters. Remind you of anything?

the Master is a dnd rogue archetype. Trickster, lone wolf, shapeshifter.

If the Doctor is symbolically trapped in a TV show, is the Master trapped in a game? If the Toymaker is the DM, is he going rogue against the Toymaker?

The Master is infamous for their disguises and “cosplays” and has catfished the Doctor before.

Rogue is almost suspiciously too much the Doctor’s type. He’s like the love child of River Song and Jack Harkness. He is exactly the type of character the Master would create to lure and seduce the Doctor.

He and the Doctor just…get each other. It’s like they’ve known each other for much longer than a few hours. They’re too cushy (haha)

Rogue threatened to kill the Doctor, and then imprisoned him in a nice little cage. Familiar?

He tried to make the Doctor kill Ruby, who we all know is just Clara 2.0. Familiar?

He knows too much and too little

He knew the party was attended by alien birb people but only knew about one alien birb? And did he reaaaally think Doc was an alien bird?

The Dancing. They knew they wanted there to be a dance party before they even settled on a time period setting for the episode. Enough said.

The ring was…interesting

That’s a lot of commitment, even if only a promise ring. Something tells me he intended it as an engagement ring though

Someone tried to write a book in the 80s where 5 and Ainley were ex spouses, but it was shot down

Just an unrelated detail, but a ring on the pinky is a gay thing

Mirroring. Thoschei do that. A lot.

“You!” “No, you!” “no, you!”

The way they danced

The scene where they kept turning on and off the music

Speaking of music…Bad Guy by Billie Eilish? Too on the nose? Can’t get you out of my head? Poker face?

You remember that lady’s hand that picked up the Master in his widdle toof? Hand of the Rani?

This episode was written by two women. The Master would literally be in women’s hands

I remember watching Sacha Dhawan’s Spy Master for the first time and going…darn, he reminds me so much of Avengers era Loki. Kate Herron directed season 1 of the Loki Series and had a lot of creative control. Would it really be surprising if RTD (confirmed Loki fan) went to her for the Master after Sacha?

Didn’t Russell say he’s leaving the Master for “other writers?”

“The Master is parked” did he happen to park a Tardis disguised as an everyday spaceship???

In an interview, Kate said she and Briony designed Rogue to be the Doctor’s “equal”

References

“When I see him, I’ll know” and he is drawn to Rogue like a magnet.

“Travel with me” who must you be to want the Doctor to be your companion instead of vice verse

“We can argue across the stars”

“I’m in your head” + “can’t get you out of my head” + the Master being referenced multiple times in almost every episode since PoTD

“I’m trigger happy” feels really fucking intentional

He said “find me.” If he is the Master, the person he lost was the Doctor, (notice he said “them” and not “her” or “him?”) and the Master and Doctor always find each other.

Scream of the Shalka? And didn’t the Master fall through the floor like 40 times in Curse of Fatal Death? Richard E Grant was the Doctor in both of those.

For more, @bugeater77 and friends have this lovely thread

Guys CHECK MY REBLOG, RTD posted something wild.

[infectioustomfoolery]

HALF LIFE HEADCANONS

(feat my man kade)

For all intents and purposes, this is for fun and any time period mishaps should be ignored. Part two eventually.

Gordon Freeman

- 5’10”, green eyes and slutty little waist, he/him, autistic, dumb little ponytail.

- So white. So very very white.

- Makes absolutely no facial expressions ever.

- Talks exclusively through sign language, but even then sparingly.

- Got a major staring problem.

- Probably trans idfk.

- He’s definitely gay or aroace.

- He has no idea he’s autistic, gay, or in love with Barney.

- He has PTSD and because of that he’s a prick to the Vortigaunts.

- Hopelessly addicted to morphine

- Anger issues but no one can tell

- Everyone in Black Mesa wants to fuck him silly.

- Derealization issues

- Really does NOT fw Alyx

- Regularly keeps up with Aperture Science

- Chell’s brother

- “I’m not gay, Barney.”

- He is. He so is.

- Definitely thinks Barney is a sexy beast in the combine uniform

- Plays DND and likes Star Trek

Barney Calhoun

- 5’6”, he/him, spectral heterochromia

- Gay and knows it

- Probably trans too fuck if I know

- Fluffy hair, permanent 5 o’clock shadow. He’s so goddamn hairy.

- If he doesn’t pluck his eyebrows, he’ll grow a unibrow

- Dadbod

- Alcoholic

- Literally never shuts up

- Every single guard in Half Life 1 is Barney. They’re all Barney. Always have been.

- The Blue Shift Barney is “our” Barney, though. I like to think he retained all the other Barney’s memories.

- Frat boy in college. He told them he liked football and now he has to pretend

- Poses infront of the mirror everytime he has a uniform on

- Understands Gordon Freeman perfectly literally no matter what

- He got a fucked up leg from the elevator crash.

- Cries over Gordon at least once a day

- Really hates all the Half Life 1 scientists. They’re douches.

- Gun enthusiast

- Likes conspiracy theories

- Lauren doesn’t exist, she never existed. He’s just a fat liar.

- Listens to Mitski

- Beefs with Adrian because Adrian thinks its funny but really does not care

- Southern as Hell

Adrian Shephard

1.) She’s a FEMALE

2.) She’s not a BOY

3.) and most importantly, She’s a GIRL!

- 6’5”, blue eyes, she/him (she has a preference for she but Does Not Care.)

- Butch lesbian

- Was in the military with Soldier from TF2. She played along with his antics and sort of “trained” under him.

- white, but very tan

- She gets hurt a lot

- Laughs obnoxiously loud

- Wears boxers

- Blonde, either a crewcut or mullet situation

- Probably has an eyebrow slit, but in a scar way not in a gay way

- Speaking of which she is COVERED in scars and bullet wounds

- Also freckles why not

- Very high pain/spice tolerance

- Fucking LOVES nascar (poor and stupid)

- Was able to make it into the military because when she was filling out the papers she wrote "yes" next to sex and the government just thought he was a normal amount of US Marine stupid

- Colette and Gina saw her from across the bar, and they really dig her vibe

- Her mask makes her sound really grovely and awesome (see: https://youtu.be/Fr8Jxm65EC8?si=5WvOpXfQerjM7G79 )

- She beefs with Barney

- Gets a kick out of annoying Gordon Freeman to death

- Probably makes thirst traps on TikTok

- Has really good abs

- Scout’s older sister

- So she’s from Boston

[glisten-inthedark]

I find it super duper interesting that both times Mike and Will have had a one-on-one argument, it’s circled back to the implication of Will being gay/having feelings for Mike👀👀👀

like, s3 fight: “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

then, s4 fight: “and us?” “we’re friends! we’re friends.”

for the s4 fight, Mike would not have said it that way if he was arguing with Dustin or Lucas. the implication behind his words are, “we’re friends [not boyfriends].”

I’ve seen some people on youtube say that this is Mike trying to “let Will down easy” (which, that is NOT easy, my guy) but if that was the case, that would indicate that Mike suspects Will likes him and doesn’t reciprocate or is uncomfortable with it, and that would absolutely extend to the rest of the season. Except it doesn’t. The next time we see them alone together, it’s Mike apologizing and being way more like his s1 and s2 self. It’s them being comfortable together. He does say, “like friends. Best friends,” and some people might think that’s another example of him trying to let Will down easy………..except it’s not framed that way and Will most certainly doesn’t take it that way, considering he immediately grabs the painting after. It has the complete opposite effect if that’s what Mike was actually trying to do. And it’s not a subtle, roundabout rejection from Mike that gets Will to sacrifice his own feelings—it’s Will caring about Mike and believing Mike needs to be uplifted Cyrano de Bergerac-style. He “gives up” his feelings for Mike out of love for Mike, not Mike rejecting him.

So no, I truly don’t believe Mike was trying to “let Will down easy” like I’ve seen people say elsewhere.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that the fact that their arguments always circle back around to Will being gay/having feelings for Mike means that Mike is (consciously or unconsciously) thinking about Will as a potential romantic interest, and that those feelings are the core of every conflict between them, even if there are other issues to work through too

No, but this!

Their first argument was and still is completely on Mike, not Will. At no moment did Will say anything about liking girls, Mike just went for the jugular for no reason whatsoever or so we think.

Their second one about Mike saying "we are friends" is another example of that, because let's be realistic here, at no moment did Will imply anything to suggest otherwise. Mike saw that Will was being a douche to El, but he couldn't have possible surmised why before the painting, so it's not like he assumes Will is in love with him because there's no reason for him to even think of it.

If Mike was about to let down Will easy, he could've done it in the van, instead he was staring at Will as if he was the best thing ever since DnD.

And yes about their discussions being centered around their feelings, but I also want to add: Mike projects a lot, because in both instances he's the one making those statements with no evidence, mind.

Will never said anything about not liking girls, Will never asked Mike what about our very non platonic relationship? So it should makes us wonder, huh.

[ubernatural]

Due to the overwhelming majority of positive votes on my poll, this is a small snip of my as of now unnamed destiel fic. Please please please talk to me about how I can improve or what you liked about it <3

———

Cas was alone. Again. His roommate had fucked off, predictably, and left him to stew alone in their half unpacked room right before his first classes of the year. Normally, he’s fine being by himself. Thrives in it, really. But after the way he left things with his family, he’s craving human contact more than ever.

His parents will tell you he “ran away,” but, really, he just never told them he got accepted into KU. He just packed his bags, and left for the fall semester. He had been working jobs since he was fifteen and had saved every last cent of his pay, so he had some money to help with tuition. He also got one mean scholarship, so all he really needs are the books. But that won't stop his parents from calling him “selfish” and “entitled” when all he really wants is to live his life not being constantly squished into the image of the perfect son that hasn’t fit him in a long ass time.

It also doesn’t help that they are super religious and did not support him coming out as gay. They insisted it was a “phase” and “would pass.” But Cas had known for years that he was into men. He knew it before when he picked a girl in class to “like” just so he would fit in. He knew it in Senior year when Hannah, a girl in his school, invited him over to her house to study, or so he thought. She said she was going to change into something more comfortable and he figured that meant pajamas, but apparently that meant buck ass nude. He was embarrassed and, frankly, grossed out. He made a speedy exit, and avoided her for the rest of the year. His parents, Chuck in particular, kept asking him what ever happened to “that lovely Hannah girl.” Well, now they know why they never saw her again.

Pushing away the thought of his family, he rises from his bed to get ready. He throws on a pair of worn dark wash jeans, a black shirt, and pulls a battered gray zip-up over it all. He grabs the old messenger bag he was able to snatch from his father before he left, and fills it with the books he’s going to need today.

The walk to class was pretty uneventful. It was a nice day, and Cas only got lost once. He quickly asked for directions, and was relieved that he wasn’t even that far off course.

He was still pretty proud of himself when he got to the lecture hall. It was relatively full, but not so that it was hard to find a seat. He ended up picking one close to the middle next to a small redhead with glasses. They shared a polite smile before she reached her hand out for him to shake. “Hey there. I’m Charlie.”

Cas tentatively grasped her hand and gave it a firm shake. “Hello, Charlie. My name is Castiel.”

“Oh, that’s so cool! I might have to steal it for my new DnD character,” she playfully shoots back.

“Yes, well, you would be too late considering it’s already the name of mine.” His lips tick up in a smile as he sees her face brighten.

“Dude, you should totally come over and play sometime! I’ve only got one other friend who plays, and his younger brother who’s usually our DM.” Her eyes widen a fraction before she continues frantically, “I mean, obviously you don’t have to, and this is kinda weird since we know basically nothing about each other and-”

“I would love to join you, Charlie.” He cuts off her rambling before she can talk herself out of his invite.

Her face splits into a wide grin, and she’s beaming again. “Did we just become besties?” she asks.

“Yes, I believe we did,” Cas amusedly answers.

-

The Queen: handmaiden, come quick

emergency dnd meet in my room

now!

and bring the good popcorn

-

Dean gets the text as he’s finishing his last class for today. He’s pretty drained from all of the “introduce yourself” and “get to know you” chats that he was forced into all day. The sun’s setting, and all he really wanted was to curl up in bed and maybe watch Tombstone for the millionth time. But he loves Charlie, and he can’t refuse his queen. He shoots off a text saying he’ll be right there, and heads for his room to get the requested snack.

Ten minutes later, he’s standing outside Charlie’s dorm with the half cheesy, half caramel popcorn that she likes. He knocks once and is utterly unprepared for what he sees when he lets himself in.

“Hey, Charles-”

He stops in his tracks as he takes in the scene. Charlie and some guy are sitting on the floor as Charlie is very animatedly ranting about something or another and the guy is just sitting there, softly but excitedly smiling at her. Upon second glance, the guy is hot. He’s wearing a shirt that hugs his shoulders perfectly and matches his messy black curls. The guy also has a straight nose and full lips. When he looks up at Dean, he’s struck by just how blue his eyes are. Blue enough to drown in. Shut up, brain.

Their impromptu staring contest is interrupted by Charlie springing up from her spot on the floor and practically yanking him all the way inside the room. “Dean,” she says, “this is Castiel. We have English together and he mentioned he plays DnD, so I invited him over to see if we could coerce you and Sam into getting a game started.” He raises a quizzical brow and her responding look says “just go with it.”

“Uh, hey, man,” he says, transferring the nearly forgotten bag of popcorn under his left arm, reaching the other out for the guy to shake.

“Hello, Dean.” And damn, if he hadn't thought this guy was hot before, he definitely thinks so now. His voice is whiskey smooth yet still has a gargling gravel quality to it. His handshake is strong, too. And just as he realizes that fact, he also recognizes that he’s held this guy's hand for a beat too long and was staring again.

He clears his throat and extracts his hand, trying to control the flush he’s feeling. Judging by the small smirk on this Castiel guy’s face, he’s failed miserably.

Turning back to Charlie, resolutely ignoring the self satisfied smile on her smug little face, he extracts the popcorn from under his arm and offers it to her with a small bow. “M’lady,” he recites.

“Why thank you, handmaiden,” she says liltingly, and pats him on the head.

“Anything for you, my queen,” he says as he straightens.

He throws a glance back over at the guy, who is doing a comically adorable squint-tilt of confusion. He sniggers a little to himself. Where did Charlie find this guy? “So, Cas,” he starts, “are you a sweet or salty kind of guy?”

The squint deepens until the whole look smoothes out. “Well, I prefer sweet to salty snacks, if that’s what you’re asking. Although I do believe that opinion is almost entirely based off of my older brother sharing his sugar addiction with me.” His face turned contemplative and almost yearning.

“Well, that’s good since that half and half crap she has me pick up is more 70-30 on carmel to cheese. Now it works out,” he grins, “you two can split the 70 and I’ll get the 30 all to myself.”

“That’s… agreeable.”

His smile widens much more than the comment earned, but he can’t help it. He’s swooning and the man only said two words. “Great, I’ll get Sammy on the phone. Charles, why don’t you and Cas set up the game?”

Sam picks up on the third ring, predictably still awake and not trying to ignore his big brother. “Hey, Dean. How did your first day go?”

“Ah, it was alright, Sammy. Met some people, found some classes, nothing real eventful until now.”

“Until now? What does that mean?” He sounds equal parts concerned and cautious.

“Nothing bad, you can relax. Charlie found herself a new bestie, and we were just wonderin’ if your dungeon master skills could be brought out for a quick game.”

There’s a large sigh on the other end of the phone before he inevitably relents. “Fine. Put me on speaker, I’ll go get my notes.”

“Yes, Sammy!” he shouts excitedly “This is why I love you.” He puts his phone on speaker and flashes a thumbs up at the other two in the room who had looked up at his outburst.

“There’s gotta be more reasons than that, jerk,” Sam replies petulantly.

“Why don’t you come over here and find out, bitch,” he throws back.

There's grumbling and shuffling on the phone, and Dean grins triumphantly, even though the comeback didn't make much sense. “Ok,” Sam pauses, “am I on speaker?”

“Yeah. Hi, Sam!” comes Charlie’s reply.

“Hi, Char. And, uh, hi, Charlie’s new bestie?”

“Hello, Sam. My name is Castiel. It is good to speak with you.” Dean could listen to Castiel read an organic chemistry textbook and never get bored.

“Hello, Castiel. It’s nice to meet a fellow nerd,” Sam jokes.

Cas laughs and if Dean likes his voice, he loves his laugh. He could bottle it up and get drunk on it each night. God, when did he turn into such a sap?

They stay on the phone with Sam through a two hour adventure that he found lying in his notes. Afterwards, it’s pretty late, but they stick around and chat for a bit. They find out some random things about Cas, like, he’s 20 (just a year younger than Dean), his favorite animal is a bee (”But that’s not an animal, Cas, It’s an insect.” “And insects are a type of animal, Dean.”), he has one older brother, and apparently is in a band.

“No way, dude! That’s so cool! What do you play?” Charlie practically bounces off of her perch on the edge of her bed in excitement.

“Well, I play guitar, but I also sing, sometimes.” He shrugs, “We’re very flexible with who takes the lead, though. It usually comes down to who wrote the song and what they want to do with it.” He then smiles shyly, “Then again, most of the songs are mine as well, with more than a few written by my friend, Meg.”

Charlie nearly chokes on her own spit. “Wait, Meg, as in Meg Masters?”

The squint-tilt is back. “Yes. Megara Masters. Do you know her?”

Charlie scoffs, “Know her? No. Know of her? Hell yes. What kind of lesbian would I be if I didn't know the hottest gay in school?”

“Hey,” Dean protests, “the hottest gay is obviously that Aaron guy.”

She reached over and gently laid her hand on his cheek, “Oh, sweetie,” she said pleasantly, “you keep telling yourself that.” She pats his cheek lightly before she withdraws her hand. The whole exchange leaves Cas more than a little confused.

The topics ebb and flow however it wants, and soon they’re debating the merits of each Hogwarts house.

“I don’t care what either of you buffoons have to say, I gotta back my girl Harmionie,” Charlie yells.

“We’re not talking about characters, Char, We’re talking about the house itself!” Dean yells back.

“But if we were talking about characters,” Cas chimes, “That would give Hufflepuff a point because of Sedric.”

“Oh, yea?” Charlie snaps. “And where’s Sedric now, Cas? That's right, he’s dead,”

Dea narrows his eyes, “That was a low blow, Char.” No one disrespects Sedric and gets away with it.

Cas is about to speak, presumably to come to Dean’s aid, when his phone chimes. “Oh dear,” he says.

“What is it, Cas?” Dean asks as nonchalantly as he can, but if the look Charlie shot at him is anything to go by, it didn't work very well.

He laughs breathily at his phone and begins tapping away, speaking distractedly as he goes. “It looks like it’s much later than I thought, and Gabriel seems to have been trying to contact me for quite some time now.” He bites his lip thoughtfully before he starts typing again. Dean tries not to let his gaze snag on the gesture.

“If you gotta go, man, that’s cool,” Dean relents.

“Yeah,” Charlie chimes, “we should all probably get some sleep, anyways.”

“Yes I think I might do just that,” Cas answers. Just then his phone starts buzzing in his hand. “I have to take this, but it was lovely meeting both of you, and I hope we can possibly do this again sometime?”

“Of course, dude,” Charlie answers and goes in for a hug. Cas is a bit awkward, but he’s smiling, so it can’t be too bad. “We nerds gotta stick together!” she declares.

Dean sticks his hand out for Cas to shake. It’s firm and strong and lasts a little bit longer than a normal handshake, but Dean’s probably just imagining that. He also probably imagined when Cas’ eyes seemed to flick down to his lips. He had to have imagined it. No way would this guy be interested in a sack like Dean.

Cas seems to come back to himself abruptly when his forgotten phone starts buzzing again. He answers swiftly with a sort of fond and annoyed look that belongs to most younger brothers. “Gabriel, ya kak raz sobiralsya pozvonit'. Chto vam nuzhno?” He casually shoots them a wave, and closes the door on his way out.

Dean and Charlie are left staring after him in shock. Was that Russian?

[oceanic-sunsets]

Mike Wheeler and Will Byers, Character Arcs explained by the Duffers and Letting Characters surprise you

I’ve been so excited to write this analysis because I love talking about character’s arcs, development, and storytelling in general. For this particular analysis, I’m going to focus mostly on Mike, the Wheelers, and Will, but I’ll touch on a few other important characters too to draw parallels/give examples. 

Once again, I’ll remind you that I believe Mike is gay, so my analysis will touch a lot on the subject. 

Now let’s get into it:) 

I’m going to start this off with a few notes from the Duffer’s Masterclass, lesson 7: Character Development. They tell us their creative process, how they come up with characters, what defines them, and later on, what their main arc will be. 

So as we can see, some names were changed, Will was Tommy and Mike was Joel. Something that stands out is that Mike, since he was named Joel, has always been intended to be Will’s best friend, the closest one of his friends. 

Now, for Sheriff’s daughter, the Duffers mention how she didn’t make the cut, and this is only me assuming, but it sounds like the role Max would later on have: she’s the new girl who two of the main kids are interested on. 

Next we are shown the following characters’ descriptions: 

The Duffers then explain how a lot of it “mostly stuck”, how some stuff didn’t make it into the show, and then we have characters whose name changed but their purpose stayed the same, or those who got some traits swapped up with a different character. For example, how the “Billy Flanagan” role was first represented by Steve back in S1, and later on by Billy, even with the same name. 

I’ll talk about a few characters, their old traits vs what I think (based on the show) they ended up changing. 

Karen Wheeler: She's first described as a great, overprotective mom, who suffocates Mike and tries to protect him from the evil around him. She hides from his husband. Projects happiness but actually very sad inside. This obviously didn’t stick. This sounds an awful lot like Joyce, word for word. See, instead: Julie Conley. We’ll get to that in a bit.

Ted Wheeler: Suburban, always busy with work, never around and not close to his son.  This is still pretty spot on. Ted Wheeler was always meant to be exactly who he is. But wait, could there be more to it?

Mike Wheeler: --introduce him with DnD-- shy, birthmark on his face and neck, which he is bullied for. No confidence outside his friend group. Ultimately coming of age, falls in love with El.  Mike’s connection with DnD and being bullied stayed. The rest, however? it all changed. Notice how Karen used to have a role more similar to what ended up becoming Joyce. Now, look at Mike’s first description. Sounds familiar, right? That’s because it basically describes our Will: shy, with an overprotective mom, no confidence outside his friend group and with the ultimately coming of age. Falls in love with El Mike. I’ll get back to Will in a bit, for now, let’s go back to Mike. The Duffers also mention how his character completely changed and it was influenced by Finn Wolfhard’s performance: the Mike we know isn’t shy, quite the opposite! he’s brave and fills up the group leader’s role. 

What does this mean? It means his character arc can’t stay the same, because his fundamental traits, those that define him as a character and give him a drive, also changed. See one of Will Byer’s previous descriptions: More normal. Rings any bell?:) 

Lucas Conley: Nerd, dungeon master, dresses in black, glasses, LOTR and other fantasy books, videogames, unkempt. As the Duffers say themselves: this is nothing like our Lucas Sinclair. Instead, it sounds more like…

You guessed it, Mike! With his Hellfire t-shirt, long hair, more edgy look and interest in videogames and fantasy. This is not the only reason why I think Mike ended up filling this character’s role. Just wait until you read the next ones.

Terry Conley: Lucas' dad, disappointed in his son, makes him shave his head and hair, abusive with his mother. Very obviously not our Lucas’ dad. Instead, it’s a mix of both Ted (disappointed) AND Lonnie (disappointed and also abusive). Why do I include Ted, when you could arguably say he’s not disappointed, just never there emotionally? Because of the hair thing and his wife’s description. By saying he makes his son shave his head and hair, it’s implied that it’s because it’s long/not “normal”, or “adequate” enough. Ted Wheeler is an absent father, but he also represents conformity and traditional values: he would not support his son’s hairstyle choices. 

Julie Conley: Lucas's mom, very sweet, doesn't stand up for Lucas, should leave dad but doesn't. Again, not our Lucas’s mom. This is word for word the Karen Wheeler we know: sweet but doesn’t really stand up for her kids. Should leave Ted (see: the almost-cheating plot and their unhappy marriage), but doesn’t. 

This is the family that’s meant to represent normalcy, conformity and traditional values, but they happen to have a rebellious son. THIS is the role that the Wheelers ended up filling, you see it very clearly from the very start with Nancy, a little bit with Mike (who then retreats, trying to fill his expected role) and we start seeing a glimpse of rebellious Mike again in s4. 

Will Byers: Mike’s best friend, more normal, more shy, goes missing, killed by an entity.  He doesn’t have much of a description, but besides going missing, two traits stay: Mike’s best friend, and shy. As I mentioned when I talked about Mike, since his traits changed, so did his character arc. He’s still the shy, missing kid that drives the show, defined partly by this experience and the events that revolve about it. We just have to add the missing pieces to it: (see: Mike Wheeler’s original description) lacks confidence outside of friendgroup. Overprotective mother. Tied with DnD. Bullied. Ultimately coming of age. Falls in love with El Mike. 

Need more convincing, more proof? Let’s take a look at this section of the show’s bible. 

Now again, with my notes. The yellow highlighter represents what is true to Will’s character, and the blue one represents Mike (yeah, I know, I know). 

“He’s never had a first kiss, much less a girlfriend. [...] he will discover a courage he didn’t know he had. By the end, he will even kiss a girl.” This was meant to be Mike’s original character arc. You COULD argue that it’s only about season 1, but even then, it is not true to the events of the show. Mike’s s1 story was NEVER about his insecurities with girls, not having a girlfriend, and finding courage. The entirety of Mike’s actions in s1 (and therefore, his arc) are driven by Will’s disappearance and the goal of FINDING him. It’s NEVER, not even once, not even when other characters try to convince him of it, getting a girlfriend and kissing a girl, despite having kissed El by the end of s1. 

Instead, whose plot is intrinsically TIED with romance and a confirmed coming-of-age story about finding courage within yourself? 

Yeah:) And you KNOW what’s the logical conclusion the Duffers have written for this particular arc? “By the end, he will even kiss a girl boy.” That’s the resolution to this kind of arc. NOT rejection. It is a pretty clear example of “Taking a character from point A to point B”. 

The Duffers say: “you can’t give everyone an amazing, big arc. [...] We gave Mike the biggest arc in terms of him coming of age” and then explain how IMPORTANT it is to not try to explain everything all at once, instead, drop hints so you're telling the audience, "this is an important part of this character and we're going to continue to explore it, but we're just getting started you can't just include it all, reveal it all too soon”. You can’t make it too complex from the very beginning either, instead, simplify and slow down.

Then they mention how they like to take a character that's a stereotype, make the audience believe they know this character, make them believe it’s a comfortable portrayal, something they know. And then you flip it and reveal there's more to this character because no one can be so easily defined. However, just HINT it. The reveal will happen on its own, at the right time for the story.

So, based on all of this… What do I think that happened?

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I do not think they planned byler from the very start. I think they had an idea of what they wanted to do, of what message they wanted the show to send, but found out along the way a different, more natural, and groundbreaking way to accomplish that. And I think they realized as soon as early s1, when they knew they wanted it to become a several seasons show rather than a limited series. It’s no coincidence there are elements like Will’s sexuality, homophobia, and conformity present from the very beginning. But they also found a way to portray this in a subtle way so it made sense in both outcomes: if they didn’t get a s2, s1 could still stand on its own, make sense, and feel resolved enough. If they got more seasons, they had more time to hint at this story, get the greenlight, and develop it over the course of all the seasons.

I also think the characters themselves, despite being written by them, lead them to this conclusion naturally. As they say in their masterclass… 

“You can drive and throw obstacles at them, but they can become very real, and sometimes they end up doing their own thing, surprising you”.

To finish this analysis, let’s do a little exercise. 

What is Mike’s Overall Arc, considering the following? 

His family represents conformity, an upper-middle-class household that’s apparently normal and very traditional. 

Both Nancy and Mike are meant to be the Rebellious Children in their very normal, traditional family.

Mike goes from leader to comic relief, to the Angry-closed off-messes-up character archetype. This is so evident that he even becomes unlikeable to most of the General Audience.

The Duffers remind us that hints are important and addressed later. Seemingly ‘weird’ actions and off personality have an explanation: there’s something deeper going on with Mike. You cannot address it all at once, it has to be over the course of episodes and seasons.

More advice from the writers: sometimes you plan something but end up realizing it works out better in a different way. Sometimes your own characters surprise you, and take you to the path that is more natural for them, who they are, and their story.

Mike’s character arc was never getting the girl once the Duffers really established who Mike was. 

And with that, I conclude this analysis. :) Wait for the next one! Please tell me your thoughts if you liked this and read this far. I love reading your tags and comments.

[madbadash]

🎵🎵🎵 Album tag game 🎵🎵🎵

rules: share the albums that you can listen to nonstop. those lightning in a bottle-albums that scratch ur brain just right. every single track, an absolute banger. u could not skip one if u tried. no notes. stunning, show-stopping, immaculate. ur no-skip albums.

🔎 bonus & optional (but imo, v fun) rules: 1) add a track rec for us to listen to! AND 2) share ur favorite line(s) from that track! 👀

Now lowkey I'm cheating here because I don't really listen to albums in full and I would probably would skip at max like one song on each of these albums but I wanna participate in the game so I make the rules.

ANYWAYS thank you @bluecoolr for the tag

I will Tag @probably-a-plant-thing @bobeatspie300 @thelemoncoffee @boxtyphoon @toborusk and a cover all if you wanna do it do it!! Also these are all very low no pressure tags.

Billie Ellish- When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We All Do?

Penelope Scott-Public Void

Mother Mother-Inside

Chonny Jash-The Will Wood Power Hour

Eliza Anastasic-The Grand Relics

Billie was my number one artist on Spotify for like 2 or 3 years in a row and she hasn't left my top 5 since I started listening to her. I fucking LOVE ilomilo

Lyrics: So, where did you go? I should know, but it's cold And I don't wanna be lonely So tell me you'll come home Even if it's just a lie

The fact I get all my music from Tiktok is showing ANYWAYS Penelope Scott has some bangin ass music. I actually associate this song with Steven, and if Bob is down and people are interested I can totally go into why.

Lyrics:You fuckers know it's all built on lies But the beast refuses to die And so I guess well neither can I

Mother Mother is the most basic gay people music but DO I CARE??? NOOOOO!!!!! I can and will add both Haylofts into Oc Playlists! Anyways this bitch got a funky rhythm and I like the way they sing. Also this is probably the album with the most skips but I make the rules I don't care I'mma put it anyways

Lyrics: I'm thinking, "Oh, my God, what a chatty creature" It just kept talking and talking and talking all around in a circle I said, "Hey, little guy, I think it's time to go now"

CHONNY I AM GONNA KISS YOU SO HARD OH MY GOD. YOU, ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTISTS, COVERING WILL WOOD??? MY OTHER TOP ARTIST. I AM CRAZY AND DERANGED

Now I do think you should listen to both versions of Thermodynamic Lawyer but I really like the lyric changes Chonny does so do whatever you want.

Lyrics:He'll rationalize rhymes 'til the T's and the I's Are re-crossed and re-dotted to a blur Blacks out his eyes, hides the lines, flays his thighs 'Til the-, they think that "he" is their "her"

Ok ok now hear me out. Hear me out here I know it's fucking weird but listen to me. Hear me the fuck out.

This is a fan-Album based on the Podcast The Adventure Zone Balance. Everyone should listen to Balance. It's a funny DND podcast. It is earnest, and stupid and funny and it has made me cry and if you don't have 69 hours to throw to this podcast (with the first 6 episodes being a bit rough as it's their first time playing) I HIGHLY recommend listening to their Current Arc: Vs Dracula. They all know what they're doing and they're doing it hilariously

Rant over. These songs are based on 7 magical objects that are collected by our main characters. These songs also include some clips from the podcast. I'm gonna rec the first one because its the least spoiler-y.

Lyrics: I'm a weapon of mass destruction That can literally fit on your hand So what are you waiting for? I'm thralling as hard as I can Go ahead and put me on- Gloves do not have long attention spans!

[cameronthecryptid]

I used to be a part of a dnd group in a server filled with friends where one of our friends was the DM and we were redoing a game of Curse of Strahd where I was just a redone version of the character I did before with a slightly different character plan in regards to a potential madness spiral that Strahd and his spouses were meant to play on and getting him from the inside. But things happened and me and the group are no longer friends with the DM anymore but I always wonderwhere they were going with my character’s details.

See, my character, named Mac, was a knight of a now long since fallen kingdom that Strahd destroyed all the way backwhen. But the thing was that he was pining for one of the princes of the kingdom who he was good friends with (named Varis), and also a side thing were he was kind of seen as a omen that the kingdom would win in the fight/war against Strahd but through plot fell through. Mac ends up almost dying in an attack when Varis uses magic to not only save him but seal him into a sleep state so that Mac can’t run off and get himself killed again due to his personal burdens. However, because Strahd is trying to kill the who royal family, Varis flees leaving Mac hidden somewhere apparently vowing to return someday. But hundreds of years go by and Mac is awoken through other means but due to his injury being a head injury, he has amnesia and doesn’t know who he is, where he came from, or his origins, only recalling the name Mac and some blurry vivid memories na d just wandered around till the plot called for him and the party.

Through adventures and occasional things in game, Mac starts to feel a sense of familiarity and recognition with various things but doesn’t know why or how. For example in the Death House he finds a book about his since fallen home and recognizes the names of the kingdom and the royal family and Varis specifically, but he doesn’t know why. After leaving and destroying said Death House he wanders around a nearby town to try and think about why these names seem so familiar when he comes across a mysterious stranger who talks to him a little and upon finding that Mac is trying to recall the realm’s history gives him a large book full of the entire history and then disappears. And unfortunately for us all, that’s where it got cut off due to the break up.

I will mention that the plan was that one of Strahd’s spouses Escher looks a bit like Varis and though some shape shifting actually takes on the prince’s appearance because Strahd (somehow) knows about the Mac and Varis situationship and is trying to lure Mac into either madness or into a form of manipulation via having him think that the fake Varis is the real one so that Escher can make Mac do things because of his love for the real one. But also there would be a bit more drama because Escher, who’s grown battered through Strahd’s treatment and obsession with Tatiana, sees how much Mac cares for him under the idea that he IS Varis that he at some point actually falls in love with Mac and so has this whole dilemma of being in love with the “enemy” and feeling bad for having to play and betray him while also knowing that my character the love he is receiving is not actually for him but rather who he pretends to be. Meanwhile Mac is faced with not knowing who he is but knowing that this person before him means everything to him in some way that he can not remember and a sense of shame rooted in both his present amnesiac self not remembering and his subconscious believing that he’s failed the one he loves and swore to protect with his life.

All the while there is no answer as to what happened to or where the real Varis is.

Yes, I made tragic gothic gays^2, and yes, the DM let me do it. But I’ll never know what they were cooking up in terms of making it happen

[northlight14]

DnD incorrect quotes: Necrotic Music edition

Aka the ship between my OC’s, Warryn and Hecate

—

Hecate: sorry I’m late. I was doing things

Warryn: hi I’m “things”

—

Warryn, trying to flirt: So, you come around here often?

Hecate, confused: I mean, this is my house, so yeah.

—

Hecate: Hey, about that love letter you sent me-

Warryn: *blushes* What are your thoughts?

Hecate: The fourth sentence-

Warryn: Yeah, that’s where I got really emotional and I-

Hecate: It’s “you’re” not “your”.

—

Hecate: Okay, I’m going to get the wedding cake.

Warryn: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear.

Hecate: ...

Hecate: You mean ring bearER, right?

Warryn: ...

Hecate: Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding.

—

Warryn, in Hecate’s bed: Morning… how’d ya sleep last night?

Hecate, knocking Warryn off: WHAT THE HELL?!

Warryn: Ow—

Hecate: What were you doing in my bed? You were supposed to sleep on the air mattress on the floor!

Warryn: I had a nightmare.

Hecate: You had a nightmare? What are you, five years old?

Warryn: Listen, I needed to feel comfortable and I was getting this perverse power dynamic vibe from me sleeping on the floor and you sleeping up there-

Hecate, in a royal accent: Why yes, how high and mighty I am up on my twin XL!

Warryn: That is not what I meant—

Hecate: Silence in the presence of your queen, who sleeps a lofty twelve and a half inches above the ground!

Warryn: Listen, I’m not ashamed. I slept comfortably when I got up on your bed and I’m sure you did too.

Hecate: Yeah, okay-

Warryn: You know what? I wanna know. How’d you sleep last night?

Hecate: …That was the best I’ve slept in a while.

Warryn, gasping: The queen slept comfortably with a peasant in her bed!

Hecate: I did not consent to this-

Warryn, dramatically: But my liege, our love is forbidden!

Hecate, on the phone: Hi, is this the front desk? Yeah, there’s a bed bug in my room and they’re 3ft tall, they’ve got black hair.

Warryn: Ask them if they have one of those “Do Not Disturb” signs. I’ll put it on the door next time we… do it.

Hecate: Okay, I'ma go shower and wash all of the you off of me.

Warryn: Oh, maybe together we could—

Hecate: NO.

Warryn: Just to save water—

Hecate: No! You don’t even pay for the water!

Warryn: …Good point.

—

Warryn: Do you want to know your gay name?

Hecate: My... my gay name?

Warryn: Yeah, it's your first name-

Hecate: Haha. Very funny Warryn-

Warryn: *gets down on one knee* And my last name.

Hecate: Oh- oh my god.

—

Warryn: Hey, I’m getting in the shower. Wanna help me out?

Hecate: ...Have you never taken a shower before?

—

Warryn: Relationships should be 50/50. Hecate cooks us dinner while I sit on the kitchen counter looking pretty.

—

Warryn: So you like cats?

Hecate: Yeah.

Warryn: *tries to impress them by slowly pushing a glass off the table*

—

*Warryn comes home absolutely drunk, undresses, and stands in Hecate’s bedroom.*

Hecate: Babe, are you.. coming to bed?

Warryn: No thank you, I’m sure you’re lovely but I have a girlfriend.

Warryn: *Lies on the ground and falls asleep*

Hecate: ...

—

Warryn: The stars are so beautiful...

Hecate: They're just giant balls of gas.

Warryn: You know what, if you're just going to ruin this, then-

Hecate: And yet none of them are as huge as my love for you.

Warryn: Oh...

—

Hecate, trying to flirt with Warryn: I think both of our lives suck.

—

Warryn: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us.

Hecate: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

—

Hecate: I can't take this anymore, someone needs to take me out!

Warryn: In a dating type of way, or an assassination type of way?

Hecate: I don't know, surprise me

—

Warryn, throwing their head into Hecate's lap: Tell me I'm pretty!

Hecate, lovingly stroking their hair: You're pretty fucking annoying, that's what you are.

—

Hecate: Look at me straight in the eyes and tell me the truth, Warryn!

Warryn: You can’t expect me to look into your eyes and be straight.

—

Hecate: If I'm extra sarcastic with you it probably means I'm flirting with you or you really annoy me and I can't handle your crap... have fun figuring out which one.

—

Hecate: Did it hurt when you fell-

Warryn: From heaven? Wow, I didn’t think you were such a flirt-

Hecate: No, I meant when you fell down the stairs.

Warryn: ...

Hecate: You just laid there for 15 minutes.

—

Hecate: I owe you one.

Warryn: That’s ok. You can just date me and we’ll call it even.

[hessolivagant]

God, this scene tells me a lot about how mike is feeling. Mikes micro expressions from el to will, is so??? Mike seems to have some conflict going on but we don’t exactly know what it is yet, which i 100% think is going to be addressed in s5. All of the looks, heart eyes and speeches are all going to add up to mike being a gay man. I know that Will isn’t going to be used for his queerness to help a straight relationship. This will ruin all three characters arcs, it would not make sense and it would also be harmful to the queer community:(

Mikes arc: this is based off my interpretation of mike and what i think his conflict and how he’s going to end up in s5. His conflicts are his queerness and his internalized homophobia that causes him to push everyone away while also watering himself down to the standards of “normal” mike is actually a gay man who loves to play dnd with his friends, he also loves star wars and writing :) but his father makes fun of him a lot, he was bullied in middle school, and he is associated with the “occultists”(dnd group💀) at school, he’s pretty much been outcasted his whole life for being different, so of course the poor boy is gonna have internalized homophobia and he going to repress who he actually is to impress el and to seem straight. He even pretended to not gaf about dnd but immediately after s3 he joins a dnd group, clearly he’s pretending to be someone he is not. At the airport he’s wearing his silly little outfit, and argyle points out that it’s a shitty knockoff, which is a double meaning. The clothes are knockoffs of ocean pacific and mike is a knockoff of himself. He was pretending the entire day. So his conflict is pretending he’s normal. Even though he stated in the first episode(with his gay montage) that he doesn’t want to be normal but then he turns around and does this? Interesting.

Mike and eleven: why i think mike and el won’t be endgame, mike won’t have his arc of being himself again and he’s gonna repeat the same thing his parents did(nuclear family) which is boring as hell and also ew? Why are we romanticizing this possibility?? Mike changed for el, mike changed to impress el. He also feels inferior to el and he’s said “i love you” twice to her for the past?? 4(?) years(I don’t remember I don’t pay attention to milkvan) mikes arc would be useless if he was just pushed into this other than, accepting himself and being who he was in s1 and s2 where he didn’t feel the need to pretend.

Mike and will: will, doesn’t pretend to be someone he is not. He’s still in the closet but he’s still himself. He doesn’t want to pretend to be anything else whilst mike is pretending. Mike needs will to fulfill his interests and accept who he is. They need each other to be themselves and they need each other in general because they love each other. If mike ends up with will, we will see our beloved s2 mike. And we will see a more interesting version of mike than mike with el.

Mikes s5 ending: none of us know but one thing i do know is that he’s gonna have his gay little moments, and i want it to be NOTICEABLE. I want people to be like “ohhh, okay that makes sense” LMAO YK?? Also byler kiss!! I’ll take anything, as long as they kiss and confess to each other. I don’t think theyll pull a reddie or all of us bylers are going to riot💀 so i want mike and will alive, they deserve a happy ending.

Also in s5 i want mike to be with another queer character where they open up, like robin orr vickie(?🤨) or maybe even just a conversation with will. OR SUPPORT, ANYTHING FOR THE POOR BOY😭😭 el could be like “mike, ik what you are” and it would work. Please, he needs comfort 😢

(Im in class and my teacher has been showing us monkey photos for like 30 minutes, so um😭???)

[andiwriteordie]

hello andi! for the mini prompts, some platonic snarky madcleric gossiping w each other if you would be so inclined? xx

lark!!! oh my god i love madcleric so i am OBSESSED with this prompt!!! they are Best Friends to me, okay? so have this little ficlet!

(also this isn't explicitly stated, but this is set in the same universe as let our walls cave in in case anybody cares hehe)

—

swear i don't love the drama

Wednesdays are Will’s new favorite day of the week.

Okay, that’s maybe a bit of an exaggeration, and Will knows if he tells Mike or really anyone else in the Party that Wednesdays have become his favorite day of the week, every single one of his friends will throw a temper tantrum. Especially when they learn the reason why.

But hey, Will can’t help it. The others can get over it. 

Because Wednesday afternoons at 3 PM are for one person and one person only.

Max Mayfield.

See, the two of them have a new tradition. Every Wednesday afternoon, he and Max will drive over with Rosie the rottweiler to the local coffee shop, buy themselves iced coffees (surprisingly, they have the same exact order), and sit down at the same table near the back of the coffee shop. If someone is sitting in their spot, Max will make up some excuse to guilt them into moving. Rosie the rottweiler even bares her teeth sometimes for an extra dramatic flare.

And yes, Will had been absolutely mortified the first time it had happened, but then Max had joked that the world still owes them both reparations for… you know, saving the world and ending up with a lifetime’s worth of physical, emotional, and mental trauma. The least the citizens of the world could do was allow them to sit in their favorite spot.

So, that had been that. 

Very quickly, Wednesdays had become Will’s favorite day, and every week, he finds himself counting down the days until he and Max are able to hang out again. He consistently comes back from their little coffee shop dates with a grin on his face, and every time, Mike always wants to know what new gossip Will has learned this week.

…

Oh, yeah. 

That’s the other thing about the Wednesday Will and Max coffee dates.

They use this time to talk about everything… and everyone.

“Okay, so catch me up,” Will says, after he’s helped Max into her own chair and taken a seat across from her. “Who is Steve dating now?”

A grin forms on Max’s face, and she takes a sip of her iced coffee. “Some guy who’s going to the same college as him and Robin,” she says. “According to Robin, this guy acts just like Eddie. She says the resemblance is uncanny.”

Ah, Eddie Munson. Unfortunately, Will had never gotten the chance to meet Eddie, but from what Mike and Dustin have both shared with him, Will thinks he… probably would’ve gotten along with him. At the very least, they could’ve bonded over DnD and maybe shared some music recommendations with each other.

Plus, from what Robin has told him about Eddie, it might’ve been nice getting to know an older, gay teenager because when he was young and still in the closet. Maybe he and Eddie didn’t have that much in common besides DnD and liking guys, but still… Will thinks he probably would’ve liked having Eddie as a friend.

“I mean, that could just be a coincidence, right?” Will asks curiously. “Also… I didn’t realize Steve was bi. Good for him.”

“I don’t think he did either,” Max chuckles, stirring her coffee absently. “And look, I’d think it was a coincidence too, but here’s where it gets weird, Will.”

She pauses for dramatic effect, and Will rolls his eyes. Max likes to do that when she’s about to share some really juicy gossip. It’s a bit ridiculous, but honestly, Will loves it. If they’re going to gossip like they’re Karen Wheeler and all the moms of the Hawkins parent-teacher association, they might as well act like it too.

“Guess who the guy looks like, Will,” Max says with a grin.

Will raises an eyebrow. “Who?”

“Jonathan!” Max exclaims, and Will damn near spits out his coffee. 

“No fucking way,” he says, staring at his best friend in shock. “Wait, so… Steve is dating a guy… who looks like my brother but has the personality of Eddie? Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Max nods. “Robin says it’s the craziest thing, but she thinks it makes sense. I mean, your brother’s an attractive guy, so that makes sense, right? And I don’t really remember that much from the week that Eddie joined our little group—you know… ‘cause I was worried about being brutally killed and stuff—but from what Robin can remember, Steve and Eddie really hit it off.”

“Damn.” Will leans back in his chair, still reeling from this new information. “That’s… damn, okay. Well, good for Steve… I’m glad he’s figuring this out and stuff! But… Jonathan and Eddie.”

“Jonathan and Eddie,” Max confirms, taking another sip of her iced coffee. “Crazy, right?” 

“Didn’t Eddie hold a knife to Steve’s throat?” Will recalls, thinking back to the stories Dustin had shared with him from that week. “And I’m pretty sure Jonathan once beat the shit out of Steve the week I went missing.”

Max purses her lips together. “Sounds like he has a type,” she remarks, and Will nearly chokes on his drink again.

“Max!”

“I’m just saying!” Max laughs, leaning back against her chair. “It sounds like Steve’s type is…”

Her voice trails off, and slowly, a look of horror forms on Max’s face. “Oh no.”

Will raises an eyebrow. “What? What’s wrong with you?”

“If Steve’s type is who guys who could beat him up, that means…” Max shudders. “Holy shit, Will. Steve got the shit beat out of him by Billy the first year I moved to Hawkins.”

“No,” Will says flatly. “No, absolutely not.”

“I’m just saying—”

“Steve Harrington’s an idiot,” Will interrupts, making a face at his best friend, “but I refuse to believe that he’d have a thing for your asshole step-brother. He fucking hit Billy with a car, remember? And he confessed later that he didn’t even know Billy was flayed at the time. No way Steve had a thing for him. He’s too good for Billy.”

Max exhales; then, she takes another sip of her iced coffee. “You’re right, you’re right,” she agrees. “God, I thought we were about to have to drive across the country to knock some sense into Steve. Rosie doesn’t like long car rides, so that would’ve sucked.”

Will laughs, and he reaches over, patting Rosie’s head gently. “Well, we would’ve taken lots of breaks, right, Ro?” he says with a grin. Rosie lifts her head slightly, and she wags her tail, clearly excited to be receiving attention from Will. “Anything for you, Rosie. Aw, you know I love you!”

“Dude, stop trying to steal my dog,” Max complains, kicking Will’s shin lightly. 

“Not my fault your dog likes me so much,” Will retorts. 

“Byers, I know you feed her scraps under the table sometimes,” Max deadpans. “It is absolutely your fault she likes you so much. Can’t believe you’re trying to steal a service dog from a blind girl. That’s just a new level of fucked up.”

“You’re a drama queen,” Will deadpans in return. “And here I thought I was dating the world’s biggest drama queen. Nope. That honor goes to Lucas and El.”

A grin forms on Max’s face at the mention of her partners, and she reaches down, petting Rosie’s head. “I wear that title like a badge of honor,” she says dryly. “Especially since it means I beat Mike at something. I know that he probably hates that.”

Will rolls his eyes; then, he takes a drink of his ice coffee, leaning his head on his hand and looking at his best friend. “Okay, so, besides the Steve drama, did you learn anything else from Robin?” he asks curiously. “Because Mike and I learned some really interesting things from Nancy and Jonathan the other day.”

The grin on Max’s face just grows, and she leans in closer to Will. “Robin doesn’t think Steve’s little fling is going to last,” she reports. “Vicki agrees with her, and they’ve got a bet going on for how long Steve will be with the Jonathan/Eddie doppelganger. But other than that… that’s all I’ve got. What do you have for me, Byers?”

Will smirks, sipping on his iced coffee. “Okay, are you ready for this?”

“Hell yeah. I was born ready.”

Will just laughs, and he smiles at his best friend, before recalling the gossip he’d heard from his brother: “So, Nancy sometimes still talks to Murray, right? And they were on the phone the other day, and apparently…”

[dirtbagdefender]

🩷🧡💛💚🩵💙💜💐🌸 Gimme Billy thoughts for the soul pls n thx

🩷 Why are they your favorite?

ok ok ok . so for as short of a time as we got billy - we got a LOT of characterization for him. like, even with max, we didn't get that much characterization. why? was it dacre? i lean more towards yes than i would contribute that being w the duffers tbh. back to my point - that backstory is legitimately one of the most intriguing characters i've seen in a long time. and there's so much to play with there! he's not just your typical cardboard "bully" -- THERE'S MEAT ON THAT SKELETON, you know?!?

❤️ How did you discover them/get into them?

oh man, so one of my friends loves steve, and she was aghast that i hadn't watched stranger things and i was like, "alright, watch it with me." so. and that was *checks calendar* the fourth of this year. so. you know. normal amount of time to be this obsessed. mhm.

🧡 Do you have anything in common with them?

we're both california transplants in indiana! and... while i didn't live on the ocean quite like he did, i miss being within driving distance of the coast. and uhhhhh. terrible relationships with our dads is 😎 good times. plus, being dramatic is bitchin'.

💛 Do you have any polar opposite traits to them?

i would much rather be playing dnd with eddie and the nerd squad rather than lifting weights with billy.

💚 What are your favorite added rep headcanons for them? (queer labels, disabilities, nationalities, ethnicities, etc.)

ohhhhh i love all of them, because they all feel like... they're common enough for me to get the gist of him, but the way different people write him is so interesting! i think my most favorite is that billy's gay. there's a few where i've read post-s3 where he's disabled from the mind flayer and THOSE are SO GOOD.

🩵 What's a popular headcanon for them you just can't get behind?

not that i can think of? i like seeing what hc's people come up with, how they see them, you know? if there's an hc someone has for him that doesn't fit my version, that's okay! that's their version, and that's the fun in hc's!

💙 What's a popular headcanon for them that you adore?

that he just wants to protect max, as much as he abhors how he's responsible for her. that even though they fought and whatever, at the end of the day, he loved max. i also love when he welcomes the rest of the party into his protection, like a little mother duck or something. oh, i really love when billy has powers, too. 😈

💜 'Put that guy into situations' or 'take that guy out of situations'?

¿ por que no los dos ? put my mans in more situations with children. (specifically erica, so he can shoot down those racist allegations and also be read to absolute filth in .5 seconds from a girl who barely comes up past his hip) get him out of situations with neil.

💐 What are your favorite poly ship(s) for them, if any?

hmmm. harringroveson is the only one i know of? ALTHOUGH i do enjoy the thought of stevexrobinxbilly. so. uh. harringrovely? anyway.

🌸 What are your favorite mono ship(s) for them, if any?

my fave is definitely harringrove. i haven't dipped my toe in mungrove, but i could be persuaded. platonically i love him being besties with heather and being bullied by a mean lesbian who isn't intimidated by his machismo attitude. as seen above, i really love him having a soft spot for erica, as well as jane. and being a "good" big bro to max.

[crystalsamethyst]

Dnd: Brought to you by delicious chicken piccata!

Magus is back! And a little upsetti he's been poofed yet again. Sorry, Magus! Our wizard will eventually find a way to figure out how to do something about it.

---

Our wizard cast minor illusion on a regular deck of cards to make a picture book of our pirate fight in the campaign our characters were from. The elven guide, Arathorn, is very jealous and thinks he would be great at it.

---

Druid: Wait, you learned how to use guns at the wizard academy?!

Wizard: Uhhh, yeah?

Bardlock: Do you remember how to use one?

Wizard: No lol

---

DM: So your party is very stealthy, the journey is uneventful. You come out-

Bardlock: I'm gay!

DM: Good for you. You come out into a clearing-

There are 4 white wolves with psionics. Why. I don't wanna fight wolves. I love them. But! We are ready for them! I am summoning velociraptors. I gotta bring out the excel spreadsheet.

---

DM: These creatures are pretty big so even behind a tree you can see its ass- is that a fruit by the foot??

Me, mouth full of fruit snack: Mhrm

DM: Nice.

I gave them all fruit snacks afterwards

---

The wolves are 8-16 feet tall? Hello?? That's too fuckin large versus my poor tiny creature velociraptors. I have only one left as of this sentence. It did one little bite. But! They served as a good buffer for one round while the rest of us began to run out!

My velociraptor survived another round and managed to get both hits in! If it takes the wolf down it's going to be hilarious. Also I want the yellow starburst even though I won an orange one from melting the crap out of one wolf with burning hands and my fire spirit's flame spit.

One of the wolves is fighting an illusion doing psychic damage, aka, bad vibes air. At least he's off doing his own thing.

Oh hey. I cleared out two more, including yellow and pink starburst, with a leveled up fireball. Wildfire druid ftw. And our bardlock killed the last one! Proud of ya, Harper. Great job!

[jadienjaystoriesandart]

You know you see people learn about the Life Series Lore and how the Watchers are holding everyone hostage. And how Grian is a Watcher but he stil participates. And that Grian is aware they are being held in these death games. And Martyn was contacted by the Watcher. How evil they are.

It just paints this very deep lore picture. Of angst, betrayal, pain, and despair.

….

Then you watch the series. And it’s just.

- gay homo romantic tensions.

- A funky man who tried to scam people and is scary but also pathetic.

- a ‘watcher’ whose trap alway fail.

- a man who can’t stop dying first every time.

- Alliances that you fall in love with and who are dumb as rocks.

- skin changes like crazy that you wonder how their computer handles it.

- lack of sleep for the sake of fun times.

- These guys totally are married but are now divorced.

- What do you mean he’s already shirtless.

- Whelp there went all hope for that pairing.

- why do they bother to keep pets!?

- and there is another monopoly/dog army.

- script what script!?

- lore what lore!?

- Let’s build a bread bridge guys!

- The frogs are my family… then kills one as it didn’t pay rent.

- they stole something of ours/hurt our feelings, so we are gonna burn your house down.

- why did you make it out of wood!? Have you learned nothing!?

- whose gonna become a tyrant first place your bets now.

- Narrative foils that happen with improve.

- well that didn’t take long for someone to go red.

… the list goes on guys.

This is legit a DnD campaign of where everyone is going by with only low rolls. Yet somehow it has big lore.

and I’m here for it.

(This is meant to be humor. The chaos is what I live for.)

[occasionally-romealone]

Late night blues

STEDDIE & SON DUSTIN

📺warnings📺

Steve x Eddie, STEDDIE, son Dustin, fluff, gay, homosexual, gay shit, fluff

📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺📺

Steve sighed as he stared at his son and husband, the two looking sheepishly at the other "hey baby" Eddie said softly as Dustin made himself look smaller "it's two am on a school night, you two agreed to take a pause at 10!" Steve had his hands on his hips "you promised, now clean up and bedtime! You have school tomorrow and Eddie you promised you would help Gareth move to his new apartment!" Steve scolded as he watched them pack up the dnd stuff.

"I better not hear any complaints about being tomorrow!"

"Yes dad...""yes angel..." Eddie and Dustin walked past him and Steve flicked off the kitchen light and went to Dustin's room, the teen groaning as Steve kissed his forehead "daaad! I'm fifteen!" He complained but Steve payed no mind "hush"

When he went to the bedroom, Eddie was changing into just his boxers and smiled softly at him "still mad pretty?" He asked softly and walk over to grip Steve's sides before slipping into a warm embrace, swaying them side to side "not mad, but you both know the rules"

"Nobody under 18 up past 11pm except for weekends and holidays"

"Exactly"

"So does this mean I get to keep you up tonight..?" Eddie purred out and Steve blushed but rolled his eyes "have fun explaining to Gareth why you're so tired"

"Fine... But tomorrow you're mine"

"Can't, watching the Gremlins, tomorrow is Friday and this weekend's our house"

Eddie groaned as he let Steve lead him to bed, the lanky brunett pulling Steve into a snuggle as he kissed his ear "love you"

"Love you too ed's..."

[summerblademoontime]

This year everyone in my group of school friends coordinated Halloween costumes with at least one other person. So this year our group is:

Lilith and Eda from The Owl House (specifically then as teenagers)

Nico and Will from the Percy Jackson books

And ALL FOUR TELETUBBIES

Idk why I’m telling you this I just figured you’d find it funny

ALL FOUR TELETUBBIES.

get to my school I would love to see a teletubby vs the Wiggles fight

(my friends are going as the fucking Wiggles)

AAAAND

I'm becoming my dnd character for a day

WITH my party!!!

... I was in the cafeteria eating when I saw a 12th grader get up on stage and shout to everyone that if he got two dollars he would be the corpse bride

and this other dude just threw a toonie at him.

So now I have something else to look forward to.

(also, to me what it sounds like is the gays the girls and the teletubbies is what you described as you and your friend group)