#the fact that two characters that are believed to be straight by the ga have the songs about dealing

[theoriginalsapphic]

what the opening track in their spotify playlist represents according to ChatGPT

Will Byers (Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash)

The song “Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash is a classic rock track that features themes of uncertainty, ambivalence, and indecision. It’s a song about a character who is struggling to decide whether to stay in a relationship or leave.

A character who is represented by “Should I Stay or Should I go” might be someone who is facing a difficult decision or crossroads in their life. This could be a romantic relationship that they are considering leaving or staying in, or it could be a broader life choice.

The character might be feeling torn between conflicting emotions or desires, and struggling to weigh the pros and cons of the options. They might feel trapped or stuck in their current situation, but also afraid of making a change and facing the unknown.

Overall, a character represented by “Should I Stay or Should I Go” would likely be experiencing a sense of uncertainty o inner conflict, and grappling with the difficult task of making a tough decision.

Mike Wheeler (Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat)

“Smalltwon Boy” by Bronski Beat is a powerful and emotive song about a young gay man who feels isolated and ostracized in his small town. The lyrics describe the character’s experiences of discrimination, rejection, and loneliness, as he struggles to find acceptance and a sense of belonging.

A character who is represented by “Smalltown Boy” might be someone who is grappling with their identity as a sexual minority, and the challenges that come with being open and honest about their sexuality in a society that doesn’t fully accept them. They might feel alienated from their family and community, and struggle to find a sense of connection and belonging.

The character might be experiencing feelings of shame or guilt around their sexuality, and might be afraid of the judgment and rejection they might face if they were open about it. They might feel trapped and alone in their small town, and yearn for the freedom and acceptance they believe they might find elsewhere.

Overall, a character represented by “Smalltown Boy” would likely be experiencing a sense of profound isolation and disconnection, and struggling to find acceptance and belonging in a society that doesn’t fully embrace them for who they are.

El Hopper (Papa Don't Preach by Madonna)

“Papa Don’t Preach” by Madonna is a song about a young woman who is dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, and is struggling to navigate the conflicting pressures of family expectations, personal autonomy, and societal norms.

A character represented by “Papa Don’t Preach might be someone who is experiencing a sense of conflict or tension between their desires and goals, and the expectations or demands of their family or community. They might be facing a difficult decision that challenges their sense of identity or threatens to disrupt their established relationships or social status.

The character might feel torn between their own desires and the expectation placed upon them, and might be struggling to find the courage to assert their own agency and make decisions that feel authentic and true to themselves. They might feel pressure from their family or society to conform to certain norms or expectations, and might be experiencing feelings of guilt or shame around their choices.

Overall, a character represented by “Papa Don’t Preach” might be someone who is grappling with the complexities of balancing their own desires and needs with the expectations and demands of their family and community, and who is seeking to find a path forwards that feels true to themselves and aligned with their own sense of identity and purpose.

Dustin Henderson (Break On Through (To The Other Side) by The Doors)

The character represented by “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” is someone who is seeking a way to escape their current circumstances and find something more meaningful in life. This person may feel trapped in their current situation, whether it be a dead-end job, a stagnant relationship, or simply a lack of direction or purpose.

The lyrics suggest a sense of urgency and a desire to break free from these constraints and find a new path forward. The character may be feeling frustrated or restless, and may be willing to take risks or make bold choices in order to pursue their goals. At the same time, there may be a sense of fear or uncertainty about what lies ahead.

Overall, the character represented by “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” is someone who is struggling to find their place in the world and seeking a way to break free from the limitations that are holding them back. They may be willing to take risks and pursue new experiences, but may also be wrestling with doubts and fears as they navigate their journey.

Lucas Sinclair (Bicyle Race by Queen)

This character is someone who is searching for a sense of freedom and liberation in their life. They may feel trapped or limited by their circumstances and are looking for an escape from their mundane routine. Riding a bicycle provides them with a sense of liberation and a feeling of being in control of their own destiny.

At the same time, this character is also someone who is a bit of a show-off. They like to be seen and recognized for their skills and abilities. They have a certain level of confidence and swagger, and they enjoy being the center of attention.

Underneath this carefree exterior, however, this character may be hiding deeper emotional pain or a sense of dissatisfaction with their life. They may feel disconnected from the people around them or unsure of their place in the world. Riding a bike is a way for them to escape these feelings and find a new sense of purpose and meaning.

Overall, this character is someone who is searching for a sense of freedom, independence and self-expression in their life, while also struggling with deeper emotional issues. They may be a bit of a risk-taker, but they are ultimately looking for a way to find a sense of meaning and purpose in their life.

Max Mayfield (California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas)

A character represented by the song “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & Papas could be someone who is yearning for a better life or a new beginning. The song’s lyrics describe their desire to leave a cold and dreary place behind in search of sunshine and freedom in California. The character may feel trapped or unsatisfied with their current situation and longs for a change.

The song’s themes of hope, escapism, and the search for something better could also suggest the character is somewhat of a dreamer, with a desire to break free from the limitation of their current circumstances. They may be optimistic about the possibilities that await them and willing to take risks to achieve their goals.

Alternatively, the character may have a sense of nostalgia or longing for a simpler time of past that they can never return to. The song’s lyrics could represent a desire to recapture a moment in time or a feeling of freedom that has been lost.

Overall, a character represented by “California Dreamin’” may be someone who is searching for meaning, purpose, or a sense of belonging, and is willing to take risks or make changes to find it.

Jonathan Byers (Creep by Radiohead)

The character represented by “Creep” by Radiohead is often someone who feels like an outcast or misfit, struggling with feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, and self-doubt. They may feel like they don’t fit with the people around them, and may even feel like they don’t deserve to be loved or accepted.

At the same time, this character often has a deep yearning for connection and intimacy. This character is aware of their own flaws and shortcomings, and feels like they are fundamentally different from the people around them, but they still long for human connection and affection.

In some cases, the character may be dealing with depression or other mental health issues, which can contribute to their feelings of alienation and isolation. They may feel like they are trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts and emotions, unable to break free from their own self-destructive patterns.

Ultimately, the character represented by “Creep” is someone who is struggling to find their place in the world and connect with others, even as they feel like they fundamentally flawed or unworthy. The song captures the pain and longing that comes with this struggle, and offers a powerful message of empathy and understanding for anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong.

Nancy Wheeler (Girls Just Want to Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper)

A character represented by the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper might be someone who is breaking free from societal expectations and gender roles. This character could be a woman who has been raised in a conservative or traditional environment and is now rebelling against those norms. They may be seeking to assert their independence and individuality, and the song’s upbeat and catchy melody reflects their newfound sense of liberation.

At the same time, the character may be facing pushback from those around them, including friends, family, and society at large. They may be judged or dismissed for their desire to enjoy life, and could feel misunderstood or isolated as a result. However, the character remains determined to live life on their own terms, embracing their own identity and celebrating the joy and freedom that comes with it.

Overall, a character represented by “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” is someone is unapologetically themselves, breaking free from societal norms and expectations to pursue their own happiness and fulfillment.

Steve Harrington (Take On Me by a-ha)

The song “Take On Me” by a-ha has a vibrant and youthful energy to it, which suggests a character who is adventurous, daring, and willing to take risks. The song’s lyrics also hint at a sense of longing and desire, as the character seems to be trying to win over someone’s affections.

A character who is represented by “Take On Me” might be someone who is not afraid to pursue their passions and dreams, even if it means going against the expectations of others. They might have a charismatic and charming personality, with a talent for making people feel energized and alive. At the same time, there may be a sense of sadness or loneliness lurking beneath the surface, as the character struggles to find genuine connection with others.

Overall, a character represented by “Take On Me” could be seen as a complex and multifaceted individual, with a bold and adventurous spirit that masks deeper feelings of uncertainty and insecurity.

Joyce Byers (Thriller by Michael Jackson)

A character represented by the song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson might be someone who is fascinated by the macabre, the supernatural, and the dark side of life. This person may be drawn to horror movies, spooky stories, and anything that gives them a thrill. They may also have a bit of a rebellious streak, as they are not afraid to challenge societal norms and embrace their inner weirdness.

At the same time, this character may also be struggling with their own identity and trying to find their place in the world. They may feel like an outsider, disconnected from those around them, and yearning for a sense of belonging. They may also be drawn to the darker side of life as a way to escape their own problems and find a sense of purpose.

Overall, a character represented by “Thriller” may be complex, multidimensional, and even a bit enigmatic. They may embody a mix of darkness and light, rebellion and conformity, and fear and excitement.

Jim Hopper (I've Been Everywhere by Johnny Cash)

“I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash is a song about a wanderer who has traveled all around the country, visiting a multitude of different places. The song’s lyrics list off a vast array of locations, from small towns to major cities, and it paints a picture of someone who has seen and experienced a lot in their life.

A character represented by this song might be someone who is a bit of world-weary and jaded. They’ve seen so much and been to so many places that they might have become a bit cynical or disillusioned with the world. They might feel like they’ve seen it all and that nothing really surprises or excites the anymore.

Overall, a character represented by “I’ve Been Everywhere” might be someone who is equal parts adventurous and disillusioned, someone who has seen and done a lot but is still searching for something more.

i'm not saying that a stupid spotify playlist should serve as evidence of how a character's arc would proceed, but i'm saying that so far it feels pretty fucking accurate.

[latibvles]

AND — [ jacket ] sender takes their jacket off and hangs it on receiver's shoulders WITH viv and bucky because i need to see the tender side of bucky hehe 🤭🤭🤭🤭 THANK U POET !!!!!!!

jacket.

u ask for soft Bucky I give you soft Bucky . another post-bremen thing because for some reason if I write June and willie coping then I've gotta write Viv too. Anita (Rivera) is another character of who gets name dropped here — another pilot, woohoo! As is Ellie Harris. That in mind: soft tender Viv/Bucky feelings will be the end of me personally.

—

If there was one thing that’s been nailed into their heads, one thing Bucky learned the hard way, was that it rained in England. A lot. It came down hard and heavy and seemed to never end once it started. Tonight is no different: it’s raining cats and dogs and forcing everyone to stay in the Officer’s Club longer than they already do. No one wants to make the trek back to their huts and get soaked in the process, their shoes and socks filling with mud. So they order another round and take their time on sipping those drinks until the ice melts and dilutes the whiskey.

Bucky doesn’t hate nights like this, shitty weather aside, but for the first time in a while he eyes the door frequently, silently willing for her to show up. Or rather, to come back.

It wasn’t like Viv to be the first one out — more often the last one, rounding the stragglers of her crew up like a shepherd, giving him a playful promise to come by his hut and tuck him and Curt in. But instead, she exchanged quiet conversation with Willie, her co-pilot clapped her on the shoulder in a silent see you later, and then Viv bid them all goodnight with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. No jokes, no fanfare, no shepherding.

It is one of the only things that Bucky realizes he can’t quite shake with drinking and dancing — the rain started coming down a little after she left and his first thought was the unshakeable worry about her getting caught in it; slipping in the mud and hurting herself, or getting soaked through her clothes and getting sick.

It is this unshakeable worry of his that has him slipping out early — polishing off his drink to save face with an excuse about seeing if he could pull Buck from his cot tonight to join them. It’s not much, but it buys him what he hopes is enough time to poke his head in, make sure Viv is still up and kicking and possibly get a real smile out of her. Part of him wholly wanted to believe she was as unbreakable as the war goddess emblazoned on her old PT shirt, but Bucky wasn’t counting on that fact.

He’s never been more thankful for the hard leather of his sheepskin and how the rain slides off it, but he still wastes no time in jumping into his jeep and making his way down the road. It wasn’t coming down hard enough yet to completely obscure his vision; Bucky keeps glancing to the side in case he catches that tall silhouette of hers making its way back to the huts on the side of the gravel road.

But he doesn’t and Bucky’s slightly imbued with the small hope that she’s beat out the rain, that she could walk just as fast as she flew.

It doesn’t do much to shake the feeling though. His jacket might’ve been doing a good job keeping the rain out, but concern is already embedding itself deep in his bones like a chill he can’t shake, urging him to press on the gas in spite of the wheel’s trembling protests. He just curls his fists tighter until he rounds the corner — and then it’s a straight shot to her quarters from there.

Warm light pours from the two windows sandwiching the door to the hut, and Bucky doesn’t realize he’s hesitating until a fat droplet plinks onto his nose and he’s yet to knock on the door.

Lines were drawn pretty quick once the women joined them, this being one of them. Anita laid them out for him pretty plainly when he dared to ask: you don’t go with a guy to check out the inside of his fort, they have to wait outside the Hut, don’t bring any of them into our forts — they’d figured out all the ways the rules about fraternization could bite them in the ass and then filled in the holes before they even learned anybody’s names. Bucky, for all the trouble he liked to find himself in, was not in the business of dragging Viv or any of her girls into it.

But he can’t help it — the way his jaw clenches and his fists furl in undeniable frustration.

Fraternization be damned, is she not one of his to look out for?! They were a group, a team. He couldn’t shake that feeling of distance between himself and his guys after they’d gone up and he wasn’t there — and little else mattered to him than closing it before it got too wide. He’d be an idiot to act like there couldn’t be a gap there between himself and the girls too, now that they’ve been up. He’d never really asked her how she was holding up, did he?

Internalized guilt aside: she’d do the same for him; that much, Bucky is sure of.

So he opens the door quickly, stepping inside all at once and not letting the door slam behind him, because if he’s going to invade their space he might as well try to have some manners about the whole thing. Nothing could really prepare him for the sight before him, though.

One footlocker she uses as a desk, the other she uses as a chair. Her hair’s all saturated from the rain, stringy and sticking to the sides of her face. Her uniform’s a wet, crumpled pile on the floor. And he really doesn’t know what he was expecting, coming in unannounced, but it wasn’t pale yellow pajama shorts, Viv’s lips pulled into a concentrated pout, and her cheeks and nose pinkened from frigid summer rain. There’s something tentative about the whole thing, vulnerable.

The Vivian he knows is teasing and sharp-tongued; all smiles and quick remarks and quicker actions. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re the only two people in here, or maybe it’s the fact that he’s not used to her quiet; but he suddenly feels like he’s intruding in a way that he hasn’t really felt with anybody else. He whips his head to the side and starts sweeping droplets off the hard leather of his jacket, but he can see her lifting her head to look at him.

Unfortunately, it’s Viv, who is his friend, so he kind of has to look at her when she speaks — lest he make this all about him and his newfound sensibilities when it comes to women in their pajamas, apparently.

“Hey, you,” she tilts her head to the side, curious. “Didn’t know I was getting visitors.”

“Wanted to see if you beat out the rain,” he starts walking towards her and she tilts her head up to look at him, the flickering overhead lighting up her pretty features. Viv smiles, before letting it fall and giving him a half-hearted shrug.

“It caught me,” she admits dismissively, as if he couldn’t see it already. “Guess I should’ve invested in one of these, then. You got extra lying around?” She reaches up to pat his arm.

“You tryna match with me, Savorre?”

“Well if you’re gonna be my ball and chain we might as well,” She counters, swivelling on her makeshift chair and turning her back to him. “Was that it, though?”

To his credit, Bucky doesn’t mean to be nosey — Viv’s just got tragically neat handwriting and it’s something to look at that isn’t wet hair clinging to a lithe neck. But he pauses all the same, his brows knitting together, and the reason for her early absence hitting him all at once.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Harris, you may not remember me… starts off what looks to be a letter. And Bucky remembers the name like he remembers the burn of alcohol in his throat and that feeling of elation he got three days ago when Harding decided to graciously bump him back down from Air Exec.

Ellie Harris was a part of the only female crew that went down — no chutes. He met her, just like he met Viv and Anita: out on the runway in Utah, all chapped faces and pigtails, suspicious eyes. Nice girl, honey-haired and quieter than the other two. He didn’t know her as well as he knew Viv, or even Anita, but he knew her. He poured one out for her crew, too — Adams, Schmalenbach, Petrich, Harris, and all their brave men.

“Bucky? Did you need something?” Viv asks again, turning to look at him. Likely reading the expression on his face, she looks back at the letter, and then to him. She takes her lip between her teeth once his eyes resettle on her. “I know that this is… Kidd’s job or yours, technically, but I just figured…”

There’s a heavy silence that hangs in the air, a brief moment of guilt shared between them. Him, for not thinking of asking about Ellie when he realized she’d gone down — and Viv for probably something small. Like writing her family a letter. He doesn’t want to share this feeling with her but on all levels but physical: he’s effectively scrambling for a means to rid her of it. He comes up empty-handed.

“Her folks sent me and ‘Nita Christmas cards. I figured I owed it to them to at least give some personal condolences.” Her words feel like rain pelting against his skin, the way she avoids his stare turning it frigid. But it’s that imperceptible, barely there shiver of hers that nearly does him in. If he could take the pen and write the whole thing himself, he would, but she’d never let him do that and it’d defeat the purpose of writing at all.

Her back turns to him and he watches a droplet fall from the ends of her hair and run down her back, turning that flimsy yellow material translucent. His jaw clenches involuntarily. He’s shrugging his jacket off without a second thought.

She’d do the same, he rationalizes, if it were me, she’d do the same.

Viv almost seems to freeze entirely as he puts the sheepskin over her shoulders, thankful that the inside was still dry, that the worst of the rain was yet to come. It’s warm, he knows it is because now he’s realizing just how damn cold this hut is right now. Granted, it probably wouldn’t be so awful if his hair wasn’t wet.

She hardly even needs to turn her head much — Bucky hasn’t exactly straightened himself out yet, still slightly hunched over, fixing the collar to keep it out of her way. He’s close enough now to notice some gold in the brown of her eyes. She wants some type of explanation, a what’s all this for likely posed on her tongue and he knows that ‘just felt right’ is a piss-poor excuse.

“You were shakin’ like a leaf over here. Can’t have my wife catching a flu, not on my watch.”

“Uh huh. Right.” Viv retorts sarcastically, and Bucky can’t help the smile on his face as she rolls her eyes at him. Even as he stands up straight again, he doesn’t back away much.

Her fingers ghost over the collar of his jacket, doing little more than softly exhaling — Bucky can’t help it, he lingers in her space and she smiles up at him. Something full and appreciative of what he’s done — she’s given him that look a couple times now and everytime she does, Bucky can’t help but feel like he’s won something. She doesn’t even put her arms through the sleeves, content to let it hang off her shoulders. He likes the way it envelopes her all the same, at least two sizes too big.

There’s a thought that his smell might cling to her skin, and something about that makes him grin a little more.

“You know you’re gonna need this back, right?”

“Jesus, Viv, can you just let me do my marital duty?” He complains, melodramatically, and she laughs, a full sound as her fingers curl over his jacket to keep it on her shoulders.

“That’s not…” Her voice trails off, then she rolls her eyes and Bucky really can’t help how his smile grows at the sight of her. “Fine. Sure. Do your duty. You gonna tuck me in, too? Read me a bedtime story?”

“Depends. You like Guys and Dolls?” He retorts as he takes a seat at the edge of her cot. Viv reaches over to swat at him and he can’t help the chuckle that escapes.

“Don’t make me kick you out of here, Egan,” she threatens half-heartedly, before turning back to her letter. Ten minutes. He’ll let himself linger for ten minutes and let her keep the jacket just for tonight. It suits her better anyways. He can’t help his staring and he knows she feels it because she’s glancing at him from the corner of her eye and chuckling to herself. “What?” He has no excuse this time, so he shrugs and she laughs and mutters something about him being ridiculous.

The sound and the sight of her make him hope that these ten minutes go by slow.

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, on the topic of James's birth.

The opening scene takes place in the "Northwest Territories" of Canada in 1845. General knowledge (by which I mean most of the wikis) place Wolverine's birth as Alberta, late 19th century with no specific year.

So they're moving his date of birth back a bit here. But they also don't reference Alberta.

That's actually correct. They shouldn't. Wolverine cannot actually have been born in Alberta. He was born in the territory of Canada that would become Alberta, established 1905. Whether you go with the year the film is set in minus however old he is in this scene or with the "late 19th century" estimation, James Howlett's birth predates the province of Alberta.

So, why did they move Logan's birthyear back? Probably because they had to in order to do this cool bit in the credits.

In which Victor and James travel thousands of miles to go fight in another country's civil war.

That might seem silly but actually tens of thousands of Canadians did, in fact, come south to fight for the Union. Slavery had already been abolished in Canada for about thirty years when the American Civil War happened, and so the cause of fucking up the Confederacy elicited some sympathy from the Union's closely-tied northern neighbors.

Probably goes without saying that, like everyone else, Canadians were in WWI. In fact, WWI is where Canada developed their reputation for being absolutely fucking terrifying. Merciless and brutal combatants who drank the tears of prisoners and pissed out war crimes.

Sending invincible regenerators into enemy trenches is honestly tame compared to the shit Canada was actually doing in the war.

By the way, I love this shot.

Victor gets shot and we cut straight to James like.

"Oh, I think I left the mustard gas on in the other trench."

Oh you better believe Canadians were there in WWII. You think Canada would miss out on a chance to remind Europe that they're the scariest motherfuckers on the planet? Nah.

"Hey, is it weird that my bruh enjoys being here?"

"Bro, it's D-Day. This is a weird fucking time to start hand-wringing about whether I'm too violent. If there is any conflict in history where Canadians' love of war crimes is acceptable...."

"Alright, it's Vietnam. This war historically sucks and our country refused to join it, though tens of thousands of citizens nonetheless enlisted in American forces. Now can we talk about this?"

"Dude, I'm getting my slaughter on. You've waited twenty years to have this conversation. You can wait another day."

Tragically, Logan does wait another day to have this conversation, and the results are disastrous. Victor starts team-killing our own troops because he wanted to do some raping. The famously rapey Vietnam-era U.S. Army opposes Victor's raping so he just starts killing dudes.

And Logan's over here like, "Something seems peculiar about this man. I can't quite put my finger on it.

They're trying to convey so much gradual character development in these two men's relationship in the span of an opening credits sequence, which has to be done entirely in the form of Logan giving Victor increasingly questioning gazes.

Like, I get what they're going for here but it's also hilarious. Their entire military history is a hundred years of Sabretooth and Logan throwing themselves into armed conflicts and then Logan stopping periodically to go, "Pourquoi mon frere?" before I guess resuming the killing.

Like. Even after this scene, they're executed by firing squad and then they're just chilling in their cell.

"Hey man, remember when I got us executed because I'm a rapist and I guess the Americans don't like that this week? Good times."

Like. They don't even talk about it. James gives Victor another Concerned Face

"You know, I'm beginning to think this guy might be problematic. Hm. Food for thought."

And then they're cool.

[mazzystar24]

OMG i still feel like I'm in a fever dream. I keep refreshing tumblr just to make sure that it HAPPENED.

We've been waiting for this for so long, i can't believe that they made Buck Bi!! Also here is the thing i want Buddie to happen and I am a hundred percent sure that it's happening (i don't know why people are thinking that it's not like???) the way i could see this going down is buck and tommy exploring their relationship and Buck beginning to question more and more things such as his relationship with Eddie. I WANT and him and Tommy to be in a relationship for a while (because they're actually pretty cute) and eddie pining. tommy will be the catalyst for Buddie.

Also: Oliver stark literally said, Buck has a crush, gets the person (exactly what happened with tommy) and that he has to work for his relationship to work and ryan saying "closer than ever??"

I also hate the fact that so people are mad and hating on the actors , that it wasn't with Eddie. Like of course a Buddie conformation would've been great, but we all knew that that wasn't gonna happen in this episode? We got FUCKING BI BUCK !!! Let's just celebrate this and just watch this beautiful story unfold. I really love reading your prediction and your positivity, please continue with that !!!

What do you think is going to happen in the next episodes? Sorry for the long ask!!

Sameee like I keep trying to be normal then I REMEMBER I’m like wow I didnt hallucinate that??

Exactly like they flat out called Tommy a plot device, confirmed he’s here for a little bit and that it’s a fling, so enjoy it as much as you want to while it’s here but don’t lose hope for buddie people? like legit this is the biggest confirmation buddie is on the horizon

YES THE INTERVIEWS HAVE BEEN REALLY FEEDING INTO MY DELUSION

Like let’s not forget Ryan saying they’re trying to give the people what they want🫡and that they are closer than ever - like legit he has no reason to say this in the same season buck realises he’s bi unless something BIG is gonna happen for buddie (maybe not full canon but vibes???)

Anyone hating on the actors can legit fight me.

Oliver and Ryan have been such troopers for the fandom and Oliver now with this storyline you can tell how much he genuinely loves buck and like understands him as a character but also how to give this storyline what it deserves. Like Oliver has been endlessly respectful to the fandom too like he’s been making sure that he doesn’t get peoples hopes up while also trying to play buck in a way that is true to the character. Like did you guys see his message to the fans? Or his interview talking about how he was gonna actively play buck as bi this season as much as he can even before he got told abt the kiss. Like that man hasnt just been supportive of the fandom he’s been an advocate for us and for buck which is such a wonderful thing.

Also yeah it wasn’t Eddie but do people realise that it’s VERY hard to write an up to now presumed straight character’s self discovery in their 30s LET ALONE TWO?? Like Tim found the easiest way to set the scene for the new audience and the GA who won’t have picked up on early seasons undertone and the little things planted throughout and while I would’ve loved buddie without the middleman I completely understand why they did it this way and I’ll enjoy seeing it unfold

And YES EXACTLY BI BUCK like that alone is a MASSIVE win like we are getting such rare bi rep of not only a guy in a very “macho” job and a womaniser type character BUT ALSO a person figuring stuff out in their 30s not in a repressed full of sex shame and guilt way but in a they genuinely just never explored that side of them!! Like that’s so huge we can talk for hours about how many queer rep stories are just plain depressing but this one is so authentic while also being quite light and sweet

Also aww thanks I genuinely love these asks sm (me? In love with everyone who sends me an ask? More likely than you think🤭🤭🤭)

Also omg I’m sorry this is so long like I spent most of this talking about everything except your question😭😭

Okay so predictions:

So we know that Buck is gonna tell some people and some will be surprised some not so much and some will be like it’s about damn time, my bets are:

chimney- surprised but maybe not through insider info (Maddie)

Maddie- KNOWS HAS KNOWN but the only shocker for her is that it wasn’t Eddie like I can imagine the confused and so tired face rn, I think she probs has either thought he knew or knew he didn’t and just was giving him the time and dropping as many hints as she can in the meanwhile

Bobby- supportive father icon, KNOWS (and while he also I fully believe is the buddie captain as well he will play it a little closer to vest if you get what I mean- but inside he’s going insane and his eye is twitching because he poached Eddie for his dumb bi son only for them to ACT married for six seasons and go to him for dating advice abt other people constantly and now that his son is a man kisser it’s not the man Bobby was hoping for😔 pray for him y’all)

Hen- she’s the it’s about damn time response

Athena- also might be the it’s about damn time response

Ravi- in a permanent state of confusion- not about this he’s just confused always (also still fully convinced the poor guy thought buddie had been married cos that headcanon is endlessly amusing to me)

Now for actual plot I think that like the date is low-key a train wreck after the Eddie and Marisol interruption and that either we get a chenford-like double date or we just have a brief intereuption from Eddie and that’s a minor thing and like it’s buck admitting it’s his first date with a guy who hates throws a lot of questions in the air because Tommys reaction was a bit 👀 like I think it’s more or less confirmed that Tommy was repressed for a while when working with captain dickhead so maybe he’s like gonna be taking a step back cos he thinks buck needs more time to like explore this part of himself (but I hate that trope so hoping not) or maybe we get the buddie shipper daydream and Tommy is like more aware of buddie than buddie are and he either says that to buck as the reasoning but buck doesn’t tell Eddie that OR he says something cryptic about it to buck and buck doesn’t fully understand and he’s like you will eventually👀👀👀 (I need a lobotomy yes the delusions are a part of me now)

I hope that Marisol gets the fuck out right about now but I say that every episode 🫡 (edy’s face and voice make me wanna scream I hate her homophobic, transphobic ass sm)

Anyways I’m gonna shut up now bye love ya thank ya and sorry 🫡🫡

[amethystina]

I wonder how Gaon and Yohan are going to explain the change in their interactions to Elijah, since it's going to be obvious to her that something has happened between them. Since Elijah knows that there's nothing between Gaon and Soo hyun, I wonder if she will play a role in clearing Yohan's misconception? Thanks for the update! I can't stop thinking how many ways this story can play out😅 Btw i really appreciate the time and effort you put into responding to our questions with such detail.

That definitely depends on who's doing the explaining xD Yo Han would just brush it off and pretend that nothing is happening — which would just piss her off — while Ga On would make a stilted effort to explain without making it too obvious what it's actually about. Which would also annoy her.

That poor girl, seriously. She doesn't deserve to get caught between these two idiots.

I'm not sure I agree that Elijah "knows" that there was nothing between Ga On and Soo Hyun, though. I think she very much thinks there was something between them. I mean, sure, they denied it when she asked if they were dating, but THE WAY they did so was pretty telling (especially in Soo Hyun's case). Even more so since Elijah is a bit... well, innocent? I think most of her experience with love comes from media, books etc. and how Ga On and Soo Hyun behaved is, well, straight from a drama xD

And Elijah also had that talk with Soo Hyun when they were eating ice cream on Ga On's terrace, where it became pretty obvious that Soo Hyun is in love with Ga On and has already confessed to him several times.

So I think Elijah very much believes they were in love. Which means she won't really play a role in convincing Yo Han otherwise — if asked, she'd probably only make it worse, even. Because her understanding of love is a bit superficial and probably pretty geared towards straightness. That's not to say that she's not aware of gay people (I think she might actually know more about that than Ga On does xD) but from the evidence she's seen both Ga On and Yo Han seem straight to her (because I can't imagine that Yo Han has flaunted his dalliances with other men in front of her).

I know I'm very, very firm about this but Elijah doesn't know that Yo Han and Ga On have the hots for each other. And not because she's stupid, but because she's grown up in a country where straightness is the norm and Yo Han has done everything he can to hide the depth of his and Ga On's relationship from her. Also, she's a self-centred teenager x'D

Like, take me for an example. I was around 23-24 and very comfortable in my own pansexuality but was still IN NO WAY PREPARED when my mum basically went: "I may only have had sex with two women in my life but, let me tell you — 10/10, would recommend." Because I had only ever seen her date and talk about men before and therefore assumed she had no interest in anything else. That's how easy it is to miss that someone close to you isn't entirely straight — especially if it's a parent/guardian.

So I really don't think that Elijah would notice until it gets a lot more obvious than this xD

Which wasn't technically what your ask was about (sorry for the tangent xD), but still important to know because Elijah really won't be all that helpful when it comes to Yo Han and Ga On figuring out their feelings for each other. In fact, she might just end up making things harder for them without meaning to. But more about that in later chapters ;)

ANYWAY. Thank you so much for the lovely ask! I'm so happy to hear that people are this excited and involved in my story! And, tbh, I can't help replying because I'm very excited, too, and love talking about my writing, my thoughts, and my takes on these characters. How could I resist? More often than not, I have to cut my answers short because I keep writing longer and longer ones.

Like, you guys have no idea how long the first drafts of my author's notes usually are. One time I had to cut half of it because it was reaching truly spectacular lengths. And sure, I know that some of you probably wouldn't complain if I had posted that first draft, but I'm trying to contain myself, okay? And also not reveal too much since it might end up spoiling future plot points. It's a constant struggle.

So yeah. I'm actually consciously holding back a lot of the time because I'm trying to not come off as completely unhinged x'D

[elwolfen]

Alfred Molinathon Day 2:

The Steal (1995)

Cliff Williams

His Role: I didn't expect much going in. Hell, I have never heard of this movie till I watched this for the marathon. A sculptor and clean freak roped into a hi-tech robbery with the messiest American woman to exist and it's a romance!? Excuse me? I love it. I was not expecting a romance, I just knew it was a comedy!

He was hilarious to watch in this unraveling series of events. Him playing this Tony Brummel character and Kim, as his fiance? I love her aggressive, fake New York accent and her playing dumb. Every time no one was looking, he'd just quietly snap at her. To which I was mimic but with more aggressive growling because I thought it was funny to me.

Kim being tech savvy and Cliff being a luddite (being opposed to new tech) is interesting. She'll go on about the intricacies of what she can or can't do with her laptop and him just trying to grasp any of the words she's saying. But then the reverse happens when it comes to his building planner expertise, and she gets feel the ame as hedie with her hacking. Very nice touch, simple and effective.

Every time she'd make a mess and he just stare in disbelief of her disrespect, I really felt that (even though I can also be quite messy). Her being like, hey, I made you coffee and he finds the milk and stuff spilled all around the cup of coffee was insane. I swear she had to do that on purpose!

Kidnapping Childwell was certainly a chore for the two, first getting the man in the first place! Cliff putting on a fake beard over his beard was an interesting choice, and it constantly falling off when waiting for Lord Childwell to get ready was making me squirm with anticipation of the fact he might get caught, always trying to fix while quickly switching back to his stoic and stone-faced persona as the driver. I'd probably keep questioning my eyes or sanity if I was the Lord. And the drive while Kim tries to start the gas to knock him out, my God! What was the issue? Have Cliff help you! Instead, it kept spiraling out of control till the point she just shoves the little hose into the man's mouth and held his nose. Goodness, savage. After getting him to Mrs. Fawkes and taking the poodle pictures, Cliff is constantly threatening to cut off his ears and be like: I'm not being serious, calm down, you should have Stockholm by now. And yet he gives him a coat because he's worried he'll be chilly when they drop him in the middle of nowhere... he's giving this man whiplash! Probably Kim too. To be honest, I'd be the same.

I realized when watching this that wet suits? Kind of sexy, at least on those two~

Kim pretending to be French while Childwell shows up to the house and also starts speaking French, what does she do? She just outright drops it and says she's screwing with him. Just so random and hopefully it was believable for the moment. This movie has the calmest and most quaint car chase ever between the two duos (Kim & Cliff/Childwell & Wilmot). Not super tense or funny, it was just weirdly low stakes. But after that's all said and down, the inflatable boat going off in the car and the other duo driving into the water, we get Cliff getting reasonably upset and wanting to back out but BAM! A kiss from Kim! Then straight to the sewer.

The whole sewer scene. If I had a nickle for every time there was a sewer scene on 1995 movie with Alfred Molina in it, I'd have two. Which isn't a lot but- yes I know he wasn't in the sewer in Species. Anyways, it's a great long scene building the tension, and he's so damn impatient, I understand why. Being heard and someone slowly coming down to their little hideaway and the water quickly rising? Add in the fact that it was his fault they heard him, but it was whoever put that thing he accidentally kicked down the later when having a leg cramp. Kim just waiting and waiting, almost like a gambling addict waiting for a big win. Which, oh boy do they. After they finally leave and have to dive and swim underwater, I was actually worried Kim just outright drowned when Cliff couldn't find her, I would've been devastated. But thankfully she doesn't, I needed the two just caressing each other's face in the water, thank you.

The robbery was successful and they live on a beach, a nice call back to the beginning, where she saw Cliff's very interesting sculpture. At first, it looks like a cobblestone walkway (on the wall), but if you slide the two pieces apart, there's a beach underneath. She says that she likes the beach, he explains that it's metaphoric and also he doesn't like the beach. Yet, here they are together at the end. Finally, he can just retire and follow his interests instead of being a planner for the town council, all with Kim. It just ends right after.

Overall, I enjoyed Cliff and Kim's antics and blossoming romance very much. And of course him getting angry or frustrated never get old

~~~

The Rest of the Movie: I went through most of the plot on the above section. But we have Jeremiah, the man who instigates the whole thing. At first I thought from the description it would just be for money, but no, it's to steal from a corrupt bank chairman for cheating the people of Golanda and give it back to them. A more noble act than I expected. But after appearances, he disappears halfway through the movie, which I didn't mind. But the end he tells Childwell and Wilmot what's going on and I didn't exactly know why but it all went well in the end. 28 million was sent to the people of Golanda to help heal the damage that banker cost them.

~~~

Childwell and Wilmot were an unexpected turn into the story, I really liked their shenanigans with trying to figure out what kind of car he was transported in during the kidnapping (a Morris Minor or a Moggie as some call it). He has perfect memory of his surroundings; the feeling, sounds and the not very helpful clues in the pocket of the coat that Cliff gave him. Wilmot thinking it's all political got a chuckle from me.

Wilmot himself is quite interesting, having fall out of favor after some sort of exposure of his "parties" yet many people seeing him and knowing his style of living are quite friendly towards him. I love that everyone keeps asking if this whole search and the fact they keep seeing Childwell in his trousers (helps the process, really) and Wilmot simply says: of sorts~

~~~

The comedy itself is hit or miss, got a real taste in the beginning when Kim was in America. They tried with physical humor and such, but the cuts, pacing and delivery were very hindered. But I do believe it got better later on.

It's a nice quick watch, so if you have the time, I suggest checking it out if you like these type of heist movies.

[pinesource]

We've seen the versatile and charming Chris Pine take on a litany of roles over his career that have stretched him both emotionally and physically. He has been the suave space pioneer Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek movie franchise, the sophisticated CIA special ops man in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, the charismatic and rakish swindler Frank in��Don't Worry Darling, and most recently, the down-his-luck scoundrel in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. He has handled each of these characters with just the right amount of deft, nuance, and effusive energy. But the role that is without a doubt his most layered and measured is as Toby Hooper in the Taylor Sheridan-written neo-Western Hell or High Water.

While it might surprise some to learn that Pine has never even been nominated for an Academy Award, there is one singular part we think deserved not only a nomination but a straight-up Best Actor in a Motion Picture Oscar, all thanks to his elegantly rugged portrayal of Hooper. By now, he should have a little golden statuette on his mantle as we speak, and the fact that he wasn't even nominated needs to be re-examined as there are a handful of "Oscar moments" for Pine in the film.

Chris Pine has been called on to play all sorts of characters in his still very young career, but his role in the Taylor Sheridan neo-noir Western is by far his best. In Hell or High Water, Sheridan writes a part for him that really pulls out all the actor's talents as a modern-day Frank James to his brother Tanner’s wild-ass Jesse James. After a series of ham and egg bank robberies, the two main characters settle into place. Tanner is brash, irreverent, and seems okay with giving the whole world the middle finger. For Pine's Toby, it's not quite so easy. He has to be the brains and measured temperament of the outfit as they are on a mission to steal enough money to pay off the bank lien on their family ranch that sits amid the sprawling West Texas plains. Sheridan wastes little time giving Pine the emotional anchor of the misanthropic antiheroes and asks him to deliver a sympathetic felon who you somehow want to see succeed no matter how many laws he's broken or people he's harmed. It takes serious dramatic savvy to do that and be convincing to a smart audience.

As the Hooper brothers are on the run from the law played by the equally dyspeptic tandem of sheriffs named Marcus Hamilton and Alberto Parker (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham, respectively), they stop at a remote convenience store in the middle of nowhere. When two punks pull up next to Tanner waiting at the gas pump in a bright neon green muscle car and start to give Tanner shit, Toby comes out of the store and sees what he perceives to be a threat to his kin (the driver brandishes a gun), and doesn't hesitate for a second. It's Chris Pine's second "Oscar moment" in Hell or High Water as he single-handedly delivers an epic beating of the driver. By the time he makes his way to the passenger side of the car, he is met with a stunned and frightened kid who doesn't want any part of the ass whipping he just witnessed. The beautiful part of the scene is watching Toby proceed calmly and get into the car and the two share a laugh as they drive away from the scene arguing the merits of Dr. Pepper verus Mr. Pibb. Pine can deliver the brawny goods if he needs to and the size and physicality combined with a protective brother bear instincts make for a stark and utterly believable outward expression of the lengths he'll go to protect who and what he loves.

We've mentioned "Oscar moments" throughout this article and there is complete validity that in order to win the little golden man, you need to have at least one remarkable and memorable moment that gives us goosebumps, warm fuzzies, sadness, fear, or any other manner of emotions. But aside from these isolated turns, there is an overall tone and mood that the character must create that permeates and sets the tone for the entire film. In Hell or High Water, Chris Pine has an unmatched reserved urgency about him that both slows down and speeds up the measured pace of the movie. There are a handful of tender moments between father and son, and the two brothers as well. He doesn't have a lot of dialogue, and that's the way we like our leading men in Westerns. In fact, Pine spends most of the film with his chin planted firmly in his upper chest peering up at his counterparts. At the same time, there is a restlessness about him that is difficult to pinpoint, but impossible not to feel — all the way to the front of your cinematic cerebral cortex in a weighty performance that is criminally unrecognized.

[wibble-wobbegong]

Does Dustin Know Mike is Gay?

Now I know what you’re gonna say; “But Wibble! This goes against everything we know about Mike’s character! He’s supposed to be hiding, why the fuck would he tell Dustin!?” And I get the skepticism. I do. So, I am gently grabbing your hand and asking you to entertain me for a minute. Let’s consider what we know.

Number One

Thus far, Dustin doesn’t play any significant role in Mike’s arc with his sexuality. In fact, he’s the only party member who doesn’t somehow influence the way Mike interacts with his sexuality! How Will and El play into Mike’s arc with his sexuality is obvious. Lucas is Mike’s leader in understanding the Straight Man act in S3 and he’s representative of what Mike has realized he can’t have in S4 — normalcy. Mike can’t try to be normal like Lucas. Whenever Mike needs an example of what he’s supposed to be, whether to imitate or to be angry at, Lucas is where he turns (even though the S4 conflict itself goes beyond any sort of jealousy). Max is an influence by proxy. She’s another example of what Mike is supposed to want (girls) because that’s who Lucas wants.

Dustin, however, never seems to hold any real significance in Mike’s story with his sexuality. Hell, if we’re being really honest, Dustin hasn’t been much of a player at all in Mike’s story since S1. The one and only time we see Dustin brushing the monstrosity that is that internal conflict, it’s when he’s dragging on Mike and El in S3. You could argue the Phoebe Cates comment as well, but that doesn’t have as much to do with Dustin himself than another example of Mike being disinterested in girls.

This immediately gives Dustin an advantage in this argument. If Dustin doesn’t play a significant role in Mike’s arc with his sexuality, Mike doesn’t have much to fear with coming out to him compared to other characters. It also guarantees that Dustin won’t be heavily encroaching on that part of the story in S5, because it isn’t really relevant to him.

Number Two

Obviously that isn’t enough to say Mike would come out to him, Wibble 🙄. He still wouldn’t want to lose one of his best friends and he doesn’t know whether or not Dustin is okay with gay people!!!

Yes. Sort of. Of course he doesn’t want to lose Dustin, and coming out does risk that. However, may I introduce you to the most openly queer man in Hawkins; one of Dustin’s very good friends; someone Dustin is shown to care about dearly…

Edward Munson!

Eddie is at least somewhat open about his queerness, considering he wears the black bandana in his pocket to school and his whole ‘embrace the freak’ personality. The bandana is code to call out to people outside of his circle, but I have zero doubts that Eddie is open about being queer when he’s with the Hellfire members. Eddie isn’t ashamed of who he is, and the bandana is an active invitation to other people to join him. The bandana doesn’t serve a narrative purpose, seemingly, but that sign that he’s trying to communicate to other queer people that he’s also queer (and available). He doesn’t hide it. The same way he hunts down fellow freaks, he’s calling out to other queers.

Dustin clearly doesn’t care, considering how close he is with Eddie regardless of his blatant queerness. He’s defensive of him when accusations are thrown around about him being a murderer. Friendly reminder that the satanic panic and hunt for the freak is meant to be a metaphor for the AIDs crisis! There’s a reason they specifically mention sodomy in the magazine Eddie reads out of. Sodomy is literally anal sex. The activity most popularly believed to be the cause and spread of AIDs. It’s a pretty blatant metaphor, and Dustin goes out of his way to prove that Eddie isn’t a murderer like everyone claims, that he’s a good person even though he does play DND. There’s a ton of emphasis put on the fact that DND isn’t this horrible, sickening game that everyone believes it is; being gay isn’t a disease and Eddie isn’t a murderer. Having gay sex doesn’t kill people. Eddie engaging in gay sex (hence the black bandana) doesn’t mean he’s spreading AIDs and killing people. He’s not a murderer.

The point is, Eddie is openly queer and Dustin is not only accepting but goes out of his way to protect Eddie.

There’s some incredibly important timing going here. When do Dustin, Lucas, and Mike actually meet Eddie? The start of the school year.

Now, this is important for Mike because this means an openly queer man is approaching him and inviting him to do the very thing he’d just spent all his time doing since the Byers and El moved on July 4th. Mike hasn’t been together with El since before Starcourt. He’s been mourning the loss of his best friend for months by doing the very things he associates with being gay and in love with Will. He’s taken small steps forward in accepting himself, but having someone like Eddie be proud of himself and his identity was critical in his journey with queerness. Meeting Eddie at this point, where he’s been forced to face the fact that he can’t change the way he feels about boys, about Will, and has been broken up with El for months with no reason to assume they’re gonna get back together creates a golden opportunity for Mike to start exploring himself in a space without having to worry. Eddie is there for him.

At the same time, Eddie becomes the first openly queer person Dustin has ever met. Mike watches Dustin accept Eddie and look up to him just like he does. Dustin has a great relationship with Eddie and, as I already said, doesn’t just accept him but embraces him too. Dustin shows that he doesn’t just tolerate queerness but actively defends it.

Where Lucas doesn’t have a very good relationship with Eddie and is trying very hard to be normal, Dustin develops a great relationship with Eddie and doesn’t show anything less than full support. We can assume that this support we see in S4 doesn’t just occur then, considering the satanic panic is an ongoing issue we see picking up at the end of S3. That’s not to say Lucas is homophobic by any means (his acceptance is actually gonna be incredibly important to Mike’s arc in S5), as his motives are completely unrelated to Eddie’s queerness, but that Mike can’t have complete faith that he won’t lose Lucas more than he already has if he tells him. Telling Dustin, on the other hand, is something he knows isn’t dangerous.

Dustin having the relationship he does with Eddie shows Mike that he’s safe. Mike realizes he has a friend who knows Will who he can talk to without fear of losing him or of him being disgusted. Eddie can guide Mike through his queerness, but he doesn’t know Will. Dustin knows Will.

Number Three

That last thought brings me to point three; Dustin seems to be aware of Mike’s troubles with Will l specifically.

We’ve already established that Dustin is a safe person for Mike to talk to and that he’s the only safe person Mike knows who also knows Will. He’s one of Mike’s best friends. The possibility of Dustin knowing about Mike’s communication problem with Will is confirmed with his line about Mike’s whining, and we know that Mike doesn’t use the phone to talk to El. The choice to have Dustin be the one to give out this information is especially odd, considering Nancy is there and if there were problems with the phone she would know better than Dustin, since her and Jonathan have been staying in touch somehow. She could’ve been the one to point it out, but they have Dustin do it. They make a point out of Dustin having to deal with Mike’s whining.

I implore you to remember the last time we saw Mike whine. Like, literally whining.

Peak whiny Mike.

Again, we have mlvn put up against and losing to byler through this parallel. The last time Mine was being whiny, it was because he didn’t know he was allowed to call her first (or didn’t want to) and his partner in crime was Lucas, his exemplar of normalcy. Now, we have Mike being whiny because he literally cannot reach Will because the phone is busy. Mike is reaching out completely on his own and now he goes and whines to Dustin about it. It’s meant to be a romantic parallel just like the breakup vs the rain fight where we see how obvious it is that Mike will fight harder to keep Will in his life. I can’t imagine a scenario where Mike would be comfortable complaining so much to Dustin about it if he hasn’t told him. Reminder that, according to Lucas on the Line, Dustin does know Mike keeps in contact with El through letters. Also, Dustin’s not stupid. He knows they can’t risk exposing El to the government via phone call.

But all that goes to show the Dustin might just be aware of Mike’s feelings for Will. He finally has his place in this incredibly important part of Mike’s story without interfering with the other important people involved in this storyline, as he won’t out Mike to anyone. He can be Mike’s taste of normalcy in the sense that he doesn’t have to hide who he is around Dustin. I’m not saying they have these deep, inspirational conversations but that Mike has someone who won’t treat him differently if he wants to whine over Will.

[in-deep]

If you could only pick one piece of Byler evidence to convince someone that Byler is endgame, what would you pick?

First off - I wrote this stream of consciousness style so please be kind aha.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this question and I think it’s simply the fact that if Mike is in fact straight, then what is his character arc?

Let me explain.

A lot of the GA view Mike as a glorified side character - sidelined after S2 to fulfil the role of El’s incompetent boyfriend whilst simultaneously leaving Will (his best friend) behind and treating him like a dick. The GA also view Mike as straight. For many GA viewers, the idea that Mike is gay/bi, let alone in love with Will, seems implausible and were it to happen, it would come out of nowhere.

Which leaves the question of: what is Mike’s character arc?

From this GA perspective, he doesn’t have one. He’s destined to make up with El in S5 and support her independence, and kindly turn Will down and go on with being besties like the supportive guy they remember him being in S1/S2. If anything, his character has regressed from the early seasons into a douchebag - a mouth breather. 

Not to mention that from this perspective, he has no real internal or external trauma to be unpacked. While this is obviously untrue as it has been made clear by the Duffer brothers and even within the show (Mike’s suicide attempt, Wheeler family discussion around his behaviour at school) that he is struggling with depression, that doesn’t seem to play into their predictions on his ending. If anything, many GA viewers don’t really view his character’s conclusion in S5 as something important because to them, (just to repeat my earlier point) he’s just a glorified side character.

Of course, if you watch the show carefully and focus on Mike, you’ll quickly realise that his character is dealing with a lot of the direct pressures of heteronormativity and internalised homophobia:

His family is your classic nuclear family, Nancy talks about the Wheeler family dynamic extensively in a heart-to-heart with Jonathan 

S1 has a lot of homophobia - all of it is about Will, but a lot of it is targeted and directed toward Mike

There are multiple times he is visually shown to come to realisations about his feelings toward El and Will, respectively. Now I won’t analyse those in this post because technically, none of the contents of those realisations have been made clear to the audience, it’s just my own interpretations. I’m sure this will come back in S5, though.

To show Mike’s queerness in S5 is not changing his sexuality, simply just revealing what has been shown to the audience the entire time. Stranger Things is brilliant at show vs. tell. They tell us something, and then show us something entirely different or even something that directly contradicts what we were told. Much of the GA don’t pick up on this (and tbf I don’t really expect them to, it’s intended to be subtle!).

To reveal concretely that Mike is queer and in love with Will would change everything. It would be shocking! The GA would lose their minds - and many people would, at first, struggle to believe it. But upon rewatching the show, it would all make sense. It would turn what many view as an unimportant character into one of the most well thought-out and planned queer stories in media history (definitely an exaggeration but bear with me aha, I’m not normal about these boys).

What people thought to be an incompetent boyfriend and an absolute dick to his best friend for two seasons in a row would turn out to actually be a deeply traumatised boy struggling to remain on the “normal” path (quote from Finn Wolfhard on Mike), within the bounds of heteronormativity. A boy who desperately wants to play DnD and Nintendo with his best friend, but realises that what he feels for him isn’t “normal”. It would reveal so much about Mike and all the things we never got to see from his perspective.

And in terms of my predictions, I’m absolutely a believer in Mike being Vecna’d, and we’ll finally see Mike’s point of view on all of this. Just imagine Vecna taunting him about how he failed to be normal. He failed to do the “right” thing. He’s been in love with Will since before he even realised it.

So yeah. Byler is real. Byler is endgame. And I’m 10000% certain that Mike is going to become an extremely popular character once we get his insight. He’ll also absolutely need a hug once all is said and done. I will be hysterical. 

But at least he’ll have his cleric <3.

A really good video on Mike's internalised homophobia that essentially sparked me to write this post in the first place, and I highly recommend if you haven't seen it yet, was this one (@lesbianmindflayer) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6IOlmBEEgE&t=80s&ab_channel=LesbianMindflayer

But yeah! What would you pick as your one piece of evidence?

[acorrespondence]

From "i put this heavy heart in you":

“Hello?” says a voice over the line.

“Shit. You ain’t Raylan,” Boyd says. He steps out onto the porch and closes the door behind him. 

“Ah... no. Look, this line isn’t really for personal calls—“

“Well,” says Boyd, “I happen to have some information as pertains to the two enterprisin individuals busted out of Big Sandy this very night.”

There’s a pause. “All right,” the voice says eventually. It’s a slow drawl, professional enough, though something about it strikes Boyd as bored, maybe even sarcastic. Although he supposes he’d be aggravated himself, having to answer another man’s phone half past four in the morning. “What is your information?”

Boyd looks out at the headlights flashing by, the roads here never quiet, even in the small hours before dawn. “Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens was ten, fifteen minutes out of Parisville on the Mountain Parkway towards Big Sandy as of 9:20 this evenin. However, if you were to contact the prison, I fear you might find that Raylan Givens never made it back to survey the livin quarters of the escapees, as he was intended to do. I believe he encountered a gas station he saw as suspicious—and I have an inkling his suspicions may’ve proved founded.”

“And… how do you know this?” asks the voice slowly. Suspiciously. Boyd supposes it must sound like an awful lot of detail, to someone who hasn’t spent the last three hours turning every facet over in his head like seaglass, holding each one up to the light, waiting for something to shine through.

Boyd sees no cause to lie. He smiles into the mouthpiece, the one that shows every tooth in his head. “Well, Deputy, I was on the phone with him when he happened upon the very service station in question.”

The deputy on the phone makes a skeptical noise. “And you think this has somethin to do with the escaped convicts?”

“I do believe that to be the likely case, yes,” says Boyd. His hand flexes around the phone, a movement only half-conscious. He only notices when the plastic case creaks. “And if it ain’t, then, when you find him, you tell that fucker to answer his goddamn cell phone.”

The deputy snorts. “All right. Thank you for your information. And what is your name and loca—“ 

Ah, the phone call. As we know from later on in this chapter, the guy who answers the phone is Tim (and I do hope I did a good enough job characterizing him that this was clear even before he confirms it in the car on the way to Shirley’s later). He is going to be so bummed when he finds out that Raylan came out to Rachel first, after he laid such nice groundwork for such a confidence, but boy is just too subtle for his own good. Of course, this was a large part of the point of this scene: much of this fic deals with being closeted, how and when to come out, the fact that queer people often have to come out over and over again, and the fact that they can be out in some places or to some people but not others; if coming out should ever be necessary and the ramifications of that decision; etc. So, this is the first instance of anyone having cause to question whether or not Raylan is straight. Since Tim in this fic (and in canon, let’s be honest now) is gay, I gave that honor to him. He’s the one most likely to draw the correct conclusion.

I’m so glad you picked this bit, I was very proud of my Tim voice here; plus, it’s the first instance where we hear Boyd talking to someone he doesn’t live with, so I got to really stretch my vocabulist muscles. I know I’ve talked about it before, though I can’t remember where—possibly DMs with @boydcrowdr?—but based on my extensive rewatching of canon I came to the conclusion that Boyd’s language isn’t quite as elevated with the people he’s closest with, including Raylan. I’ve incorporated this quirk of character into my fic, and so while he always has a big vocabulary and likes to throw some impressive words in at random, I’ve written his everyday dialogue more casually so far. He’s at his most verbose when he’s a) defensive or b) trying to get someone (or a group of someones, as it were) to do something. Here, he’s stressed, at a disadvantage, and trying to convince someone of something, so it was fun to let loose on the eloquence front. The hope is that, upon close inspection, the fic hints at Boyd’s state of mind, as well as his intentions, in accordance with how pedantic he’s being.

I think Boyd’s feelings are pretty clear through the narration, but as for Tim, I think he starts the conversation annoyed and confused, but then gets intrigued, and by the time he hangs up he’s feeling pretty amused and obviously curious, which leads him to go fishing the next day, when he has Raylan as a lone captive audience. Prior to this call, he was stuck in the office doing boring shit in the middle of the night because of this prison break bullshit, his new colleague is out doing all the legwork Tim would much prefer to be doing right now, so this ends up being a pretty interesting event to cut through the boredom. Ultimately, he doesn’t regret picking up Raylan’s desk phone; his night would have felt a lot more pointless and monotonous if he hadn’t. Plus, you know. It’s nice not to be the only one.

So, after California, we now have all the most important players from the Marshals’ office at three different places when it comes to their knowledge of Raylan being queer: Rachel, who he told outright; Tim, who guessed correctly; and Art, who’s still in the dark. This, of course, adds several delicious layers of tension that are very fun to work with. And the one of the three who has the most reasonable argument to claim that he should know is the only guy who doesn’t.

(Ask game here)

[apatheticlexicographer]

psychoanalyzing the stranger things marketing team for fun and profit: “the heart”

(brainrot set in thanks to this post go read it it’s straight facts)

i think i know the strat the marketing team are using here.

in all the merch related to will’s painting and his corresponding speech they’re trying to frame it in a seemingly very platonic way. by having erica there in the new postcard design they’re basically just making it an “oh look these are the characters who play D&D, how fun” type thing. that holds up okay unless you actually watch the goddamn show, even as a GA member, because will’s painting is undeniably romance coded for TWO canon pairings (an “unrequited” pairing is still canon). with that in mind, the forcefully platonic approach in the marketing is so blatantly full of shit it’s kind of funny.

that being said, the people in charge of marketing have a pretty good reason for it, or at least a logical one. they can’t market the painting as a m’leven thing, even if that might be more profitable in the short term (i don’t even know if that’s true these days tbh), because anybody who’s seen the show knows that the entire m’leven approach to it is a straight up lie on will’s part. not even a lie to the audience, either, because we’re fully in the loop with it. it’s only mike and, by extension through his answering monologue, el who believe it. they can’t sell m’leven merchandise that centers around an unresolved lie, that just... doesn’t work. they also doubly can’t market it as a m’leven thing because after s5 people are gonna be pissed if they discover they were being conned into spending their money on merchandise for the opposite ship in the love triangle.

on the other hand, they cant market it as (romantically) byler-centric yet, because that blows the lid way too soon. considering how conservative of an approach (conservative as in moderation not as in boomer politicians) they took to directly indicating byler canon, they don’t want it being confirmed til s5. they dedicated a lot in s4 to m’leven being bones and obscuring mike’s true feelings about either of his love interests, but very little to explicit byler canon indicators (i’m not talking about deep subtext, i’m talking about the implications a GA member can pick up on after one viewing). since it’s clearly a close kept secret that they want to build up to revealing, they aren’t about to show their hand over merch of all things. this is probably both for the shock impact of the reveal and how “groundbreaking” it would be or whatever (which it would) and also to retain the maximum viewer base in the build up to the finale. regardless of how GA opinions are shifting away from m’leven, disliking mike and el doesn’t equate to liking mike and will, and though the show isn’t made for conservatives at allll (now i do mean it in the boomer politician sense lol) there are inevitably a lot of people in the audience who would throw a major tantrum and boycott s5. the duffers’ statement that they’re not going to let what the audience wants influence where they take the story is a major green flag for byler in this respect, but netflix can’t have viewer counts dipping for the finale of their flagship show.

by marketing the painting ambiguously platonically they get to keep the m’levens and homophobes placated because it doesn’t pose any direct threat to them, and keep the bylers and LGBTQ audience engaged because we see through their shit and take it as the byler dub it is.

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 5 Meakashi pt. 4

Ah, young love. Sickening, disgusting, vile.

The biker boys from chapter 2 made it back in the narrative! Good for them.

Shion is surprisingly adept at social manipulation isn't she. Rather than being able to compel people to do her bidding with her physical presence like Mion, Shion seems to tackle it from the angle of emotional appeal or by manipulating what people should do in the larger context of society. She hasn't really done anything yet, but I get the feeling that Shion is the more dangerous of the two. Mion is a more physical presence, but that seems to be it. Shion meanwhile is able to read a crowd and formulate plots to whip them to her side.

The fact there wasn't a heavenly choir to accompany Satoshi's arrival was slightly disappointing.

Rather conveniently changing art styles just straight up says which version is which. It's not an especially noticeable change, but I like that Satoshi's eye color in the Remake art style has a more pink coloration to it than the red of the console and original style. It's an odder eye color than you usually see, and I think it ties in rather well with his voice. I expected Satoshi to sound pretty close to Keiichi in terms of voice, so I was somewhat surprised to hear his more effeminate tone. It's not bad, I don't think there's been a bad performance yet, I was just surprised that he has a lighter tone than the other men in the cast. Part of me wants to theorize that the reason he has this lighter voice, and this innocent design is to emphasize the horrific abuse he endures until he inevitably snaps and beats his aunt to death with the baseball bat. That such a pure figure would be capable of such violence is an interesting contrast, and part of me very much wants to believe this is what they were going for here. But enough of me pontificating about character design.

Satoshi gets duffed up by the biker delinquents until they eventually run away.

Oh that Shion starting to fall head over heels for a boy she just met. There must be something in the water of the area that makes everyone become instantly completely in love slash utterly protective of. Maybe it's the volcanic gas.

And so, Shion who is living a life of hiding in peril calls her sister to get the skinny on the boy she just met. She learns almost everything their is to learn of the boy. Including the traumatic abuse Satoko gets to endure.

The next day she happens upon Satoshi out and about and the two go shopping together. Satoshi is a sensitive boy who catches on pretty quickly that Shion is teasing him about his lack of ability in the kitchen.

It was somewhere around the middle of this dialogue between the two that I came to a realization that this chapter isn't a prequel to the second chapter. Unless there's something I'm missing this seems a bit at odds with the way Shion is in Watanagashi. She's a lot more cavalier then, brazenly going out and about with Keiichi despite in theory being wanted by the Sonozaki family. I know that there's a year between where we are now in the narrative than where we were in Watanagashi, but each chapter seems to feature a different version of June 1983, so why not say this one takes place in a different version of reality in 1982? After all, in Tatarigoroshi Irie mentions that Shion is a manager to the Hinamizawa Fighters, and it doesn't seem like Shion as herself would be able to be a manager to the baseball team if she were having to sneak around and hide her presence in Okinomiya. Like I said, unless I'm missing something, this makes the most sense to me from a narrative standpoint. Who knows, maybe in two or three sections it'll be right around the time of Watanagashi 1982, and Oryou will call up Shion and let bygones be bygones.

Seems like there's unrest in the Houjou household. Going by previous chapters I estimate it'll probably be another three sections before things really go pear-shaped and become more generally horrific.

I don't really have much to say when it comes to the romantic subplots and so on with this series.

[grimm-tales-gamer]

Fallen Hero: Sidestep 2

Wow, I didn’t expect people to be interested in my 20 fallen hero OCs! Here is number 2!

Name: Daniel Ward

Gender: male he/him

Villain name: Anathema

Villainous Role: anarchist

Motivation: justice

Scar: suicide

Reason for gala: money

Where is he now: hanging out with Chen aka dog dad.. with two broken legs.

   Daniel is one of my sidesteps who looks put together on the outside but oh boy. He isn’t (I swear I have sidesteps with most of their crap together, we’ll get to them). He doesn’t kill (ever), saves people, embezzles the rich for money, and more. However, he is much more willing to break bones and give concussions than my previous sidestep. What’s funny is that as I was fleshing Daniel’s character out I realized: oh god, he’s kind of like Batman.

  I mean it. He doesn’t kill because he knows in his heart that he wouldn’t stop killing. I’m not saying he’d turn I to a joker type; but getting rid of corrupt politicians, bad heroes, and so on is a lot easier when you just break their necks rather than ruin their reputation with scandals and proof of crime. Which is a kind of Batman way of looking at it.. if I remember the red hood movie right.

   Daniel’s scar gives him a sort of inevitability to his cause. As a testament to Malin’s writing, Daniel’s inner thoughts from Retribution say it better than I ever could. He knows he can never stop fighting. Even if Daniel finishes his original goal of stopping the farm and whatever else is coming there is still more to fight. He realizes he’ll have to be stopped by someone. So he begins to endure himself to Chen to see if he’d be willing to stop Daniel.

   Also around this time is when Daniel realizes Chen totally knows who he is, and after they kiss for the first time, begs Daniel to stop; but they both know that won’t happen (Malin why are you so good at this stuff). Eventually they fall for each other, Daniel may have even told Chen straight up he is Anathema but then the meeting with Hollowground sort of messed that up. If the prologue is anything to go by, Chen just knows, they just need to sit down and talk about it.

Well that was cheery. How about some fun facts?:

He’s had a crush on Julia for years and finally admitted to being in love with her in the hospital at the end of Retribution.. so uh, that’s a conversation they (Daniel, Chen, and Julia) need to have soon. Daniel is *so* looking forward to it.

Daniel has an addiction to caffeine. Coffee, soda, energy drinks, doesn’t really matter where it comes from. But, he prefers coffee. Daniel REALLY likes Turkish coffee.

Daniel actually really likes Argent (platonically) and has an 80+ relationship with her as the villain. He also trusted her with the regenerator.

Daniel regularly rolls and tries to stretch his right shoulder on the account of it always hurting after the heartbreak fall.

He chose his villain name so that Anathema would never be forgotten. At least to himself.

Daniel, in my head-canon, is the best fighter among my sidesteps.

Well how about stats and appearance now? Also armor stuff, I can’t believe I forgot about that in my last post.

Daniel doesn’t have a preference between anonymity and arrogance. Literally ended Retribution with 50/50. Daniel is empathetic at about 80%. As some of you might have imagined, Daniel is daring at about 95%! Daniel prefers his subtle manipulation over his sheer power of mind, his subtlety being around 78.

Armor:

Type: practical, no cape. Simple, no frills, kind of blocky around vital areas and flat areas like shins and forearms but sleek like a body suit everywhere else. Helmet is simple, almost like a military helmet and gas mask combo. Colors are a bit more complex: black with red accents. Usually the red follows joints/bones throughout the body.

Add ons: speed and strength

Extra: I always imagined Daniel duel wielding martial arts batons while in armor.

Daniel’s appearance:

Race: black

Height: tall, I imagine 6.5ft (about 2m)

Hair: coiled and black. Short and styled, kind of a crew cut, shaved on sides and back with a little on top. With a well trimmed beard. Though they both might get a little wild while Daniel waits for his legs to recover.

Eyes: brown

Style: nondescript military surplus. Simple, affordable, doesn’t stick out, and it lasts forever. He also regularly wears sunglasses, aviators of course.

[redlerred7]

Something you find appealling in an unconventional or atypical way?

I'm not abreast of all the different ways one may find appeal in a thing. It's very hard for me to gauge whether or not the way I like or enjoy something is conventional or typical.

Anyway, Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai is probably my favorite anime. The characters are entertaining, the romance is cute, and it has a pretty poignant message about normative behaviors, the joys and follies of youth, and people's relationship with their hobbies, interests, and escapism in general.

But for the purposes of this ask, that's not the important part. No, the important part is that I consider the significantly less popular second season to be better than both season 1 and the sequel movie.

Let me explain:

Season 1 had the task of introducing characters, setting up the plot, and making you care that these characters actually go through all of said plot. To that end, I think season 1 did an good job of hitting all the story beats in moments where it resonated.

Unfortunately, I am a weirdo and the story beat that is considered by most people to be one of the most impactful parts of the story instead completely failed to resonate with me at all. Intellectually, I understand what makes it so powerful to others, but being unable to feel it myself made half of the whole point of season 1 fall a little flat for me.

Season 2 goes in a different direction, one where I can actually relate to the plot being depicted, on top of doubling down on the parts of season 1 I already liked.

That is to say, majority of the season is the characters acting like dumbass cringy teenagers who are part of a LARP group. AND there isn't some air of normative moral judgment over the fact that they're LARPing. They're allowed to actually enjoy themselves.

And as we find out as the seasons goes, the main cast's LARP group isn't the only group of weirdos in the school they go to.

Their school isn't even the only one! At some point they encounter a rival club that's tangentially related to their own that has their own unique brand of weirdness.

Normality is an illusion. Everyone is at least a little bit weird. I think this season communicates that theme much better than season 1 did.

Any issues that arise regarding their fun is a wholly internal problem within the characters themselves rather than a product of their environment.

Also I liked the love-triangle, though it's not really a love-triangle in the way most people think of them. It still has the jealousy, possessiveness, and two characters in love with the same person, but it was refreshing how blatant season 2 was about the fact that the other character has no chance.

Often I see shows try to at least be a little coy about it. They'd be like "sure, they do not and will not have a chance, but we're gonna try and make you believe that they do anyway."

None of that. Just a good, straight forward story about a new character who's about to have her heart broken.

And then learn how to move forward from that.

That last thing I mentioned is probably the best part of the love triangle subplot, to be honest. Possibly even the best part of the season if I'm being particularly generous to it.

To be clear, I like traditional love-triangles too—I like love-triangles in general. It just so happens that this particular love-triangle hits my buttons in such a specific way that I can't help but love it.

As for the sequel movie...

The reason I think season 2 is better than the movie is because the movie performs a little bit of character development backsliding (similar to how the K-on Movie reset the characters' relationships from the end of K-on Season 2 back to what they were like at the beginning of K-on Season 2). And after that backsliding, the main leads end up having same character development they had in season 2, except in a shorter amount of time and in a manner less open to interpretation.

Don't get me wrong, it's still a good movie. I loved that the movie is about the cast having a wild road trip all across Japan. The art and animation was amazing, too. But the things I loved the most about the series—the characters' adventures in LARP and how it affects their daily lives—just isn't as present. That automatically puts it at the bottom of my tierlist of animated Chu2 works.

[rmhashauthor]

Yet More Dreck!

I'm not kidding, I have a TON of these little pieces of things just lying around. They follow me from hard-drive to hard-drive and I just can't let them go. Every time I come up with a new species or character they get their own little vignettes to flesh them out before (if) I do anything with them. Sometimes they come out like dreams, and I'll look up after writing for two, three hours and stare at it like "where did this come from?"

This one I do have plans for, but they're secret plans 😁

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they trained her for stasis, they told her that waking up would be unpleasant at best. They told her that she would feel grimy, like she'd just been dug out of a crypt, and that the inside of her mouth would taste like she hadn't brushed her teeth in seventeen years. They warned her that she'd have to fight going back to sleep, and if she couldn't then she'd get a hefty shot of stimulants to make damn sure she woke up. During the training runs she'd been drugged into twilight sleep just to be jerked rudely awake by a needle full of epinephrine to the heart, had soaked for hours in tubs of ice to acclimate to the deep freeze of space, and signed off on the placement of a nasogastric tube that would keep her alive while she slept. She'd had multiple psychological evaluations, been trained in survival and hand-to-hand combat, and said goodbye to her friends and peers before her trip. The fact that she would probably never see them again had been discussed, but she'd believed that the benefit to mankind would outweigh her personal losses.

What they hadn't told her was that when she stepped into the launch capsule, a cluster of space rocks the size of buses would cross her path in forty-seven years and send her single-person craft into survival shutdown. Unbeknownst to her, there was a fail-safe built into her life-support systems that switched from maintenance to storage, taking her body from preservative deep sleep and locking it in suspended animation. Once her blood had been flushed with a solution designed to remain liquid even hundreds of degrees below freezing, the craft would shut down to nuclear battery power and send a distress ping alerting anyone or anything nearby that there was a vessel in need of help. And it did, for approximately four hundred and thirty-eight years.

Lyssa Alderman remained frozen, completely unaware that she slept through The Greeting, and first contact between humans and the huge semi-aquatic Dreen. She slept through the breaking of the Drassian Empire, its young Dragon Emperor abdicating his throne to save his people. She slept through asteroid storms, rings of gas giants like colossal dancers in the endless night, and the birth of stars in their placental clouded nebulae. And when her craft's signal was picked up all those centuries later and her rescuer Tafa scooped her out of the dark with a magnetic arm, she slept through that too. Lyssa only woke when someone with knowledge of 'defrosting' using generations-old tech pumped her veins with borrowed blood and cycled through the long, slow process of unfreezing her body before ramming a shot of amphetamine straight into her bloodstream. Lyssa jerked to life then, screaming a rusty shriek that rebounded on the white walls of the medical ward while her body protested against being folded in the same shape for half a millennium. Under conscious sedation, her saviors unwilling to anesthetize her again so soon after waking, her nasogastric tube was removed and replaced with an IV bag of fluid nutrients, and her recovery and reintroduction to waking life began.

Lyssa stared at her hands, stiff and curled into claws from her centuries of sleep, and tried to make sense of what Doctor Grissom was telling her. They found us? Aliens? Actual life beyond our system, not just single-celled things? Her mind, still sluggish, struggled to incorporate this new knowledge, didn't quite understand what Grissom was saying.

“You need to drink, Lyssa. It's thirty-nine degrees out there, drinking is the difference between life and death.”

He means Celsius. It's over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit outside, it's hot. The world beyond her hospital room glared with yellow light, the grassy dunes outside her window shades of dun and amber. Juua, he said this is Juua. Another world, a completely different star-system, a planet with very little surface water but nonetheless alive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The desert heat pounded mercilessly on her head as Lyssa followed Doctor Grissom across the campus. “You'll get used to it,” he assured her. “Make sure you drink plenty of water – you'll find community watering stations every block or so. Ask any Juun for water and they're happy to give it to you free of charge. They're an extremely hospitable people, even if they look strange to you.”

Lyssa had to agree. These Juun, the strange humanoid creatures that lived in densely populated communities in the desert, hadn't been discovered when she'd begun her journey, and the revelation that there was life beyond Earth, life far more complex than the single-celled bacteria of Io, had left her gasping to comprehend. Lyssa wondered when she would start to feel old, when time would begin to catch up with her. Sweat dripped down her face, her hair was soaked with it and dust clung to her skin from it. She and Doctor Grissom passed three of the aliens, their androgynous faces and bodies swathed in loose clothing that hid any distinction between male and female. Some looked more feminine or masculine, but she wasn't able to say how. All wore jewelry of some kind, some more than others, and it seemed that there was no one particular hairstyle. Some wore their straight or wavy light-colored hair cropped short, others long, some loose and others twisted into simple or elaborate braids or curls piled on top of the head or trailing down their slender backs. It was easier to accept their long, thin tails and legs than it was their apparent androgyny.

Grissom led Lyssa to his office, inviting her to sit while his assistant – a Juun with strawberry-blonde hair pinned to the back of their head with a piece of sharpened, polished bone – prepared them a tray of cold tea and dried fruit. “Lyssa, this is Asha, they have worked for me for several years. Asha, Lyssa is the patient I have told you about.”

Asha offered Lyssa a delicate cup and a friendly, genderless smile. “Doctor Grissom speaks well of you, Lyssa. I am pleased to see you alert and on your feet.”

“Um...thanks.” Lyssa took the cup, regarding the pale liquid with mild suspicion. Asha's clothes whispered quietly as the Juun bustled around the room, straightening books and collecting papers. Lyssa watched them, cautious of the thin tail that flicked silently around their ankles. Asha handled Doctor Grissom's things with great care, maneuvering their long, slim four-fingered hands with delicacy. When Asha moved a stack of files to a tray by the window, Lyssa took note of the fine hairs covering the Juun's arms, a soft pelt like mouse fur that left only the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet bare. Asha nodded to Doctor Grissom and he returned the nod. “Thank you Asha, I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Doctor.” The Juun padded out of the office, silent as a cat. Lyssa watched them go, unsure how to regard the exchange.

“It takes most people some time to get used to them,” Doctor Grissom began, “I know I was uncomfortable at first. But Juun are surprisingly understanding when it comes to humans, they don't seem to mind explaining to us humans how things work around here. When I first started my practice here Asha did much more than keep my schedule and handle my business affairs – they served as my social liaison as well. It's really thanks to them that the community trusts me. You can only go so far with an education, you have to have the people skills to go with it. You remember people skills, don't you?” Grissom's bearded face cracked a smile, but Lyssa frowned mutely into her cup.

The doctor set his cup down. “Lyssa... I know this is difficult. You missed out on almost seven hundred years of history and you're scrambling to catch up. But you're a brilliant woman, smart enough to enter the Federation's exploration program, so I know you'll be able to adjust.”

Lyssa stared into her cup. When she'd first climbed into the Rosetta craft, humans had been the only intelligent life she knew of. Two hundred and forty years after the Rosetta's signal had been lost, the Greeting came and the Dreen had reached out to humankind. A century later, the Nuani and Drass had made themselves known, and barely a generation after that the Drassian Empire's last surviving prince had disbanded the monarchy. Since then more and more species had come out of the shadows of space, and the Federation had cataloged them as they came. Lyssa had gone into stasis hoping humans weren't alone in the universe, and woke seemingly into an ironic dream – everyone she'd known, all of her relatives, everyone she'd loved was gone, dead for centuries, their descendants scattered to the stars. That she was related however distantly to Doctor Grissom made no difference – Lyssa was alone in the universe, as alone as she had been when the Rosetta had found itself adrift in the interstellar current. Doctor Grissom voice brought her back from the edge: “Lyssa, you should drink, dehydration can kill you in two or three days.”

She tipped the cup to her lips and drank. The cold liquid touched her lips and she realized suddenly that she was thirsty. The tea disappeared down her throat and settled behind her breastbone. When she set down the empty cup Doctor Grissom refilled it. “Better get into the habit now, it's easier to maintain hydration than it is to catch up.” Lyssa found herself remembering snippets of the survival training she'd undergone for months before liftoff. Two liters of water per day, per person. Always more if you can get it. She drank another cup of tea.

“Lyssa...” The tone in Michael Grissom's voice told her he wanted to breach a new subject, one that she might find distasteful. “Concerning your living situation, as well as your adjustment, I believe it would be in your best interests to place you with a foster family. Asha has located a pair of Juun willing to take you in for a time.”

“A foster family? I'm not a child-”

“Let me explain. Among the Juun, it's a common enough practice to take on fosters of any age. Older Juun with no living relatives can adopt or be adopted by a younger Juun family. Some of my staff live with Juun families, and they raise their children alongside Juun weans. It's a good system, it makes sure that no one is left completely alone. The pair I have in mind live outside of the city, in a canyon a few miles from here. They're nice people, I've met them before. They'll do their best to help you acclimate, teach you the language and the history you've missed.”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“I want to go home. I want to go back to Earth, where I belong.”

“Lyssa, Earth isn't like you remember. You wouldn't recognize the place – the shock would be terrible for your health, mentally and physically. You need to go somewhere quiet where you can come to terms with it all.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there's that. Another species, another world, more cultural exploration and drama, all the good stuff. I don't want to give too much away, but this story will likely be very experimental in terms of character-building and interactions. Hopefully I'll have the time to get it finished, it'd be nice to see it out in the real world on a bookstore shelf some day...

[deathon1leg]

it’s frustrating when people (mainly GA—and, surprise! homophobes!) act like byler is in the same vein as background ships that hardly even interact with each other—i.e fanonical ones with a loose basis in the actual show...

if you think byler is just some far-fetched fan theory you might wanna rewatch the show. i mean, it’s been several years since the first three seasons, a refresher could be good to remind you that mike and will’s relationship is sewn into the very fabric of the show. there’s always been special, very deliberate emphasis on the two of them in comparison to any other platonic pair in the show. there’s always been romantic framing, tropes, subtext, and parallels with them.

st*ddie and r*nance, for example, aren’t as deeply based in the show. they have real chemistry, understand each other and are very cute—i don’t mean that in a belittling or sarcastic way, they’d both make good couples and i’m a casual shipper /gen. the difference between ships like them and byler is that the show literally would not function the same without mike and will’s unique dynamic, and not going through with making them canon would be a huge storytelling failure and (yeah i’m gonna use the word) queerbait.

people treating byler like some made up impossibility isn’t just a way to demean us, specifically, though. the root of it is (unsurprisingly) homophobia. their rhetoric isn’t really about it being unrealistic, even if that’s what they’ll claim—it’s about us believing two well-established, likable, and not especially stereotypical MALE characters in a super popular tv show could actually get together. because as you know, all queer people look/act the same, never have comphet, and never get happy endings, etc etc /s.

(and it’s funny, because a lot of them are willing to accept that will’s in love with mike but only under the condition that will gets his heart broken. reeks of homophobia, methinks)

this is probably hypocritical considering this post but, to bylers: don’t let them succeed in demeaning you. please don’t let them make you doubt yourself. st*ddie and r*nance shippers too: their stories may not be as fully-fledged (partly because they’re more minor characters than the main party) but everything you see is intentional. you’re not making up the chemistry and dynamic you see, even the actors and actresses agree with you.

in conclusion (kinda), people think we’re seeing things that aren’t there because they can’t fathom a queer tv couple developing with the same tropes as tons of straight tv couples do: slowburn, several seasons in, love triangle, childhood friends to lovers, etc. the only queer couples they’ve ever seen in media are with characters that are established as queer from the get-go, and usually get with their s/o’s pretty early on. (also, there’s the large amount of people who cry that mike can’t love will back bc he has a girlfriend and is therefore straight—as if comphet and bisexuality don’t exist)

i don’t wanna be that guy but... it really does just come down to the fact if one of them were female, nobody would deny byler’s existence and that it’s endgame. it’s so stupid, but that’s actually what it comes down to. when you look past it all, the main anti-byler argument is “umm actually they’re both boys so :P”

so yeah. that’s what i wanted to say. thank you if you read it all <3 love u