#the love is real but unrequited

[lorstone]

I am genuinely baffled that anyone could possibly think that Extraordinary Things is about anyone other than Geralt.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The squad of all time has arrived on scene.

[mrsmangi]

Yellow Carnation 💐

just friends - luigi mangione

♡ flower prompt: yellow carnation - a rejected love confession - meaning: in victorian times, to receive a bouquet of yellow carnations was read as a rejection to a romantic proposal. they can also be used to express sympathy or remorse. ♡ w.c.: 2k ♡ a/n: "pls more fluff" "pls more soft luigi-" no. angst will reign. this work of fiction is based on true events, directed by mrsmangi. enjoy!

♡ send me a flower & i'll write a drabble based off the prompt ! ↪ prompts that have been requested

“I like you, Luigi.”

You have rehearsed this moment countless times in your head. You have crafted every word, anticipating every possible outcome. You wish someone would have told you, even with all the possible precautions taken in the world, nothing could ever prepare you for how it actually feels–baring your heart to someone and watching your entire life teeter on the precipice of change.

The words escape your lips, raw and trembling, vulnerable in a way that makes your stomach churn. You’ve been holding these feelings in for so long that they’ve started to claw at your insides from within. They have pulled at your thoughts and tightened your chest every time Luigi’s name lights up your phone. Tonight, though, you’ll let them spill over, even if it means losing everything. 

“I thought if I just ignored my feelings for you, they would go away,” you begin gently. He doesn’t interrupt, letting you continue. “I would never risk doing anything to jeopardize my friendship with you, but there’s really no use in denying it anymore. Every time you look at me, I’m just reminded of how much it’s not going to happen. So, I try to cling to that and it helps me, sometimes.”

He chooses not to speak, but there’s a look on his face–one that highlights a tension in his features, and the faint crease between his brows–that tells you he’s listening. You take a breath to try to laugh it off, ease the tension, but it feels more like a deflection.

“I mean, it’s come to the point where I go out with guys just because they look like you,” you say, forcing another laugh, but your breath stutters. “Then, I’m disappointed by them when they don’t act like you–which is ridiculous in itself, I know.”

You know the words you utter won’t change anything because deep down, you already know Luigi’s answer. He doesn’t like you. “I know these feelings are completely unreciprocated,” you add quietly. “So, you don’t have to remind me.”

His lips twitch and he looks like he’s about to say something–something you know will just demolish you if he does, so you continue. You’re not ready to let him say it. “It just weighs on me, Luigi. My sentiment for you creates these expectations for you in my head that you’re not obligated to fulfill whatsoever. I have these urges to get to know you better–to know every boring, exciting, sad, stupid, happy thing about you. Friends don’t get urges to know you like the back of their hand or kiss you when you make them laugh. And it has everything to do with me, and nothing to do with you. I just really needed to get this off my chest and be done with it.”

Finally, he sighs. When he decides to speak, his voice is gentle, careful. It reminds you of a hunter attempting to approach a frightened deer. “I’m flattered,” he says. “But...” He trails off.

That, in itself, tells you all you need to know. It’s not a cruel rejection–not even a flat out rejection, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less. You know what he attempts to convey with his half-sentence alone. On the contrary, his kindness almost makes it feel worse, like a salve that stings more than it soothes. He looks at you as though he’s attempting to soften the blow. “I care about you, (Name). I really do.” 

You nod wordlessly. How can words help you now? Your own have failed you. There’s no anger in your heart, no resentment toward Luigi because how could there be? He’s an outstanding friend. He’s been nothing but good to you, he makes you happy more than any other person you’ve ever known, and he’s never faltered. There’s no reason you could be mad, even if you wanted to be.

“I just thought you should know,” you manage, even though the lump in your throat makes it difficult to speak. Difficult to breathe.

“I appreciate you telling me,” he whispers. You can’t help but let out a laugh of disbelief, shaking your head and looking away. 

“Oh, my God,” you breathe, hand rising to hold your head. You run your hand through your hair, still laughing, but it’s bitter. It’s disappointing. “I’m thoroughly impressed by how you’re somehow managing to dodge rejecting me while simultaneously rejecting me.”

“It’s not that,” he protests weakly. “You know, (Name), it’s just that…it’s just a crush.”

“Right.”

“You’ll move on.”

“Okay.”

Silence hangs between you. It feels suffocating, so unlike the comfortable silences you’ve shared before.

Luigi shifts in his seat, his discomfort visible. He’s trying, you can tell. Trying to say the right thing, to make this moment less unbearable for you both, but there’s nothing more to salvage. It’s not just his rejection that stings. It’s the hope that came before it, the fact that you let yourself believe–even just for a moment–that Luigi might feel the same way. You think about the nights you spent convincing yourself that the way he laughed at your jokes or lingered in conversation or did his damndest to bring you joy meant something more. In hindsight, it feels foolish, but at the same time, it just felt so real.

“I really want to stay friends, but I don’t think it’s fair to you,” he says. You can tell he means it. “It feels like I’m not helping you.”

He hasn’t. With his big dumb grin and his stupid awful jokes, how could he ever help you get over him? But you can’t say that. How could you possibly put the blame on him when all he’s ever done is be himself? It’s not his fault you’ve fallen in love with him. It’s not his fault he’s everything you’ve ever wanted. 

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“It’s up to you,” he whispers. “I’m giving you the option. You know yourself better than I do.”

True, you think, but if it were up to you, you’d stay at his side forever. You’d let him twist and bend you, like a piece of plastic until it inevitably snaps. Let him ruin you, let him devastate you.

You say nothing.

“I obviously don’t want to,” he voices what you both think, after you don’t reply. “But I know I would end up hurting you and I don’t want that either.”

He doesn’t have to hurt you, though, you hear a voice that sounds like your own whisper in the back of your mind. You’ll do that to yourself anyway. 

“Your friendship means so much to me,” you tell him, gently. “I'd really like us to stay friends because having you in my life is important to me. I just wanted to be honest about where I'm at emotionally, so I can work on handling it in a healthy way without jeopardizing what we have.” 

When he sighs with relief, your heart falls in your stomach. 

“You’re so emotionally mature, it’s insane,” he says. There’s still a carefulness, a subtle difference that wasn’t there before. “We don’t have to let it change anything. We decide how we deal with it.” You can’t tell if he’s trying to convince you, himself, or both.

You finally make yourself look at him, and the expression on his face nearly causes you to unravel. His dark eyes are so soft and apologetic–so guilt-ridden, you feel as though you may throw up. He must notice the contorted look on your face because he leans closer, frowning softly. 

“Is it really bothering you?” he asks after a moment. He sounds so tentative. You’re almost tricked into believing he was just lying to you, mere moments ago, when he implied he didn’t feel the same way.

Of course, you’re bothered. You’re sitting here like an idiot, choking on the weight of his kindness. The way it hurts you more than any outright rejection ever could. It’s not that Luigi doesn’t care about you–it’s the fact that he does that just makes it all so much harder. 

The affection you crave from him, solely him, isn’t something he can offer to you. 

“No,” you say finally, forcing a smile. “I’m okay.” 

You don’t have to say anything to know that he sees right through you. His expression doesn’t change–not really–but the way his eyes dim, filled with a subtle sadness, tells you he knows the truth. You can tell he wants to say something. You try to ignore the tense posture of his figure when his lips press together tightly in a straight line. You feel the weight of his restraint as if it were your own. You’ve always understood him in that way.

The conversation dwindles after that, neither of you quite knowing how to move forward. Eventually, you stand. The chair scrapes loudly against his wooden floor and you have to stop yourself from crying when he looks up at you with something akin to regret. 

“Thank you,” you say, and his eyebrows knit together in confusion. 

“You’re thanking me?” he asks. “For what?” 

“For letting me say it. For listening,” you say. “I’m sorry if I made this weird.” 

He doesn’t respond immediately, but when he does, he does so quietly. “Of course.” 

You can’t take it anymore. “I should go,” you gesture to his door. He doesn’t stop you. He doesn’t try to convince you to stay or ask you if you’re sure. If you want a ride home. He just nods, his hands resting loosely on the edge of his kitchen table. You wonder if he’s just as desperate to get out of this position as you are.

“Text me when you’re home,” he says softly.

You only manage to nod before grabbing your things and leaving. 

By the time you make it home and close the door behind you, the first sob chokes you as it escapes your throat. It’s soft at first, but it snowballs into something larger quickly, the weight of the evening crashing down on you all at once. You sink to the floor, burying your face in your hands as the tears pour. It’s exhausting and messy–the kind of sobbing that leaves your chest heaving, you coughing, and your head pounding. You let it happen.

The tears finally subside after what feels like a lifetime. You wipe your face with trembling hands and drag yourself to your bed. When you open your phone, Luigi’s name still sits at the top of your messages, just as it always is. 

 Luigi: Take care of yourself and get home safe, okay? - 40m ago

You stare at the screen for a long time, debating whether to text him as he asked. You could type something simple. His message is nothing dramatic. There’s no overreaching attempt to comfort you, no empty reassurances. He says nothing wrong. He doesn’t try to fix anything or pretend it’s not hard for you. This is Luigi. “Steady, dependable, who will always care about you, just not quite in the way you want him to” Luigi. The text is not cruel, Luigi never is, but it’s distant. Only a reminder of the boundary that has always existed between you, one that feels more evident now than ever before.

A simple “Made it home safe” text from you would suffice. You could pretend everything is fine. Pretend you’re fine. But you can’t bring yourself to do it. Not yet. 

It’s too fresh, and the thought of attempting to say something that feels adequate enough to reply with seems impossible now. Your friendship isn’t over, you know this, but this version of it has come to an end. Tomorrow, you’ll figure it out. Take it step by step, work on moving on from this chapter of your life. This “crush.”

But tonight, you want to soak in your ache. In a way that’s not cathartic or labeled “progress.” Just in a way that feels real and unforced. And maybe, for now, that’s enough.

[saturdaysky]

a little morning pick-me-up

-

A morning on the way to Baldur's Gate. The party booked themselves into an inn and enjoyed real beds, hot baths, and privacy for the first time since the Nautiloid.

Gale and Mayhew shared a room, of course. They were filled with the relief of surviving the shadows and the glow of finally getting together, so their private room was probably a blessing for the whole party, honestly.

-

This was some ascended anatomy practice! Referenced some great stock from @null-entity.

[wangxianficrecs]

Looked so alive, turns out i'm not real by KatAnni

Looked so alive, turns out i'm not real

by KatAnni

M, 36k, Wangxian

Part of the MDZS Big Bang 2024

Summary: "Nothing leaves the Burial Mounds alive." Lan Wangji goes on a side mission night hunt with Wei Wuxian during the Sunshot Campaign, and finds out just how true that statement is. Inquiry rings through the room, and Wei Wuxian answers. This of course, has consequences. For the MDZS Big Bang 2024, Collab with Sweetlittlevampire Kay's comments: This story was meant for WIP Rec Week but it posted quicker than I was able to rec it! But it had me aboslutely hooked from the first chapter. Stunning writing and art! A story in which Wei Wuxian maybe doesn't really return from the Burial Mounds alive and Lan Wangji finds out during the Sunshot Campaign and I'm so hyped. Had some really strong cliffhangers in this story and the built-up to the happy ending was devastating. Featuring beautiful art by @sweetlittlevampire Excerpt: As if his strings were cut, Wei Ying crumbled to the ground, his head meeting the floor with a sickening sound, and Lan Wangji was on his feet immediately, Wangji clattering to the ground with a dissonant sound. “Wei Ying!” He sat next to the prone form, his hand shakily reaching for a shoulder, the other a wrist. So still. Not moving. No pulse. “Lan Zhan?” His voice was groggy, as if from far away. Lan Wangji was still holding his wrist, and tried to still his own heartbeat at the lack of one from Wei Ying. “What- Hey!” Wei Ying was on his feet within the next second, his hand withdrawn, and Lan Wangji stared up at him. “What did you do?!” His voice was suddenly sharp, accusing, unforgiving. The flute, that cursed black flute, was in his hands, pointed at Lan Wangji like a knife. Lan Wangji stared, unblinking, as realization seemed to dawn on Wei Ying, as his brows drew together. “You made me say that, with that song! How- Why-”

pov lan wangji, canon divergence, temporary character death, sunshot campaign, major character death, sentient burial mounds, hurt wei wuxian, hurt lan wangji, not actually unrequited love, wei wuxian's three months in the burial mounds, fix-it, somebody lives/not everybody dies

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

[saederkrupps]

i think the hate for "miscommunication" in stories is undeserved. miscommunication is part of Being Alive, everyone experiences. you as the viewer think "ugh this is so annoying, why don't they just say what they really mean/why don't they clear it up" but in reality everyone is always miscommunication its a fundamental part of being alive and interacting with people.... im the lone defender of miscommunication tropes ok. i support u

[geraskierfanficprompts]

Prompt 134

Jaskier sits in the clouds, and sings colors and vibrancy into the world he passes by. His clouds take him across the continent from a bird's eye view. He'll lounge on his stomach, and strum his lute, and sing down below him, and watch the life of the villages he passes become more lush. The villages marvel at the skies, and the plants, and the birds, and the butterflies, and even their own clothing, as it seems more colorful than usual, and it's all because of Jaskier, the rainbow, having passed by. He loves making people happy, with his songs and colors. When he sees a village taken by tragedy, he sends them good tidings in the forms of his rainbows. Beautiful beacons of hope, as well as a stairway for the lost souls. A way to climb to their new home instead of turning into some horrid ghastly creature witchers hunt. ... Witchers. Now that's something that intrigues Jaskier. He's never been able to catch one. They seem to run from his colors. His songs. Sulking all alone in the gray. But when he catches one, he promises himself he'll make sure the witcher sees every beauty possible. Jaskier climbs down the staircase of a rainbow and decides to nap in his favorite meadow. Jaskier wakes up to a sword against his neck. Hm. He looks up and spots- "A witcher!" He grins. "What... are you?" "I am a rainbow!" "...What?" "I'm a rainbow! Would you like to see? I could make some things more colorful, or paint in the sky, or make a rainbow to show you-" "You needn't go through the trouble." "Pleaaasse? Please can I show you!? You witchers are always in the grayest parts of the world! Let me give you color, please? Please, mister witcher?" "I was sent here to kill you. The nearest village believes you to be a troublesome fae intent on tricking them." "All because I made their begonias pinker?" "It appears so." "Well, I'd rather like to ignore the 'kill me' part going forward with our new companionship." "Our what?" "I'm going to show you beauty, Witcher. Just you wait!"

[ck2k18]

"I physically injure my blorbos" "I give them more trauma" "i kill their parents" all basic. Wanna talk about REAL torture? I make them gay and in love with their best friend.

[butterflysonnets]

yes i'm rooting for m*leven breakup because byler is neat but mostly? i'm rooting for m*leven breakup for the sake of el and mike.

to me, their romance was always a puppy love born out of a combination of social pressures, naïve curiosity, and a lack of true understanding regarding intimacy and romantic love and what it really is. it was real in that they do truly, deeply care about each other and they are close friends, maybe even shared an attraction, but a maturing romance is so much more than that. they've grown up and out of being boyfriend/girlfriend, and that's okay! i think television/film needs to show more often that most of us don't have definite "soulmates" or first childhood loves that we spend our whole lives with. it doesn't mean these relationships meant nothing and didn't impact us, it just means they've run their course and that something else is in the cards, and this is part of life!

i've always felt el was at her best and most confident self when broken up with mike, discovering who she was and what she liked alongside another girl her age instead of just relying on mike for mentorship on how to live in the real world. she deserves more of an opportunity to find herself, her autonomy, and her independence, and to love who she is, and she's made it clear she's felt insecure in the relationship with mike because she isn't being loved and understood the way she wants, needs, and deserves from someone who is her partner.

also, it's okay if mike doesn't love her in "the way he should". he is not obligated to love her romantically and stay in a relationship with her just because she's a girl, because she "needed someone", or because he cares about her a lot. he shouldn't be pressured into a romance if it's not truly coming from his heart. he deserves freedom to find out and honour who he is, too, instead of just staying in his non-functional first relationship — one he got into as a child, essentially — and defining himself that way because it's what's expected when a boy and a girl are close. he loves her in some way, yes, but it's okay if he doesn't feel comfortable or secure being her boyfriend anymore, for whatever reason that is. he's felt insecure too, and that's valid and it matters.

they are their own people and are steadily growing and changing every day. they need time to figure out who those people are, and it's become clear (at least in my opinion) that those people aren't meant to be a couple at this stage.

they deserve freedom. they deserve to grow up and be authentic to themselves and not feel like they need to lie for the sake of a relationship. they deserve to move on from this version of their relationship that isn't making them happy and rekindle the best part of their bond: their strong, beautiful friendship. they don't have to be a couple if it doesn't make them stronger and better and happier people.

i think it would be healthy and wonderful for a show, especially one consumed frequently by young adults, to show a relationship starting, progressing, and ending on good terms in this way. sometimes things don't work out, and that is okay.

[cherry-blossoms-in-red]

You were born bluer than a butterfly

Wish they didn't cut your wings off.

Drown me in that Blue, will you?

"You should've killed me when you had the chance." I breathe out, my knife a mere centimetre away from his neck.

"Why? So, i could lose my chance to admire art from this close." He says, his breath hot and heavy against my ear. Goosebumps trailing across my body as I supress a shiver.

"Where did you pick up that line from? Google?"

I ask, a smirk maring my face as I hide behind my perfectly crafted mask that tends to somehow crack under his intense gaze. Trying and failing to ignore the fast rhythm of his heart under the palm of my hand.

I am heavily conflicted with whether to rip his eyes out of their sockets or to stare into them until I gasp and beg for air before the blue in them drowns me.

If I were to die, i would hate love to die that way. To drown myself in that perfectly cold yet welcoming blue hue that seemed to hold a fire hotter than the sun.

If only we weren't on the opposite sides of fate. Maybe i could feel alive while breathing too, instead of thinking longing to about drown drowning.

[foursaints]

thinking about pandora again

AUTISM GIRL!! with her big pale unsettling eyes and sallow cheeks and heart-shaped face and knobby knees. she’s like something that would crawl from a lake & drag you to your death in a fable… xeno was her favorite author, and fifteen years older than her, and she was a weirdo student who ran off to marry that old man (scandalous!)

if she had lived i think she would have been the ministry’s most unruly cursebreaker, and she would have quietly filled rosier manor with pilfered artifacts like the villain from an indiana jones movie, and she would have crowsfeet & pale yellow hair to her knees, and bill weasley would have WORSHIPPED her during his internship.

i hate the idea of her in cutesy tiktok clothes. i dislike the idea of her as fashionable? that’s another oddball child from Rosier House… she was brought up in ancient motheaten hand-me-downs from her grandmother & fraying cardigans & muddy nightgowns she dragged on the floor. she dresses like evan (soft fabrics, baggy silhouettes, for comfort) with her tangled hair limp in her face but she has a magpie impulse that he doesn’t— she collects bangles and bottle-caps and bird-skulls and beads to wear all at once…

i associate her with weather-based magic a lot? i think her magic has a lot of whims (works cited: blowing herself up). i see her accidental childhood-magic to have involved the grotesque (reanimating roadkill), yes, but more frequently bringing the outside weather indoors. if it’s storming outside, it rains in the twins’ room as well. pandora has trouble with boundaries (indoors/outdoors, alive/undead, herself/her brother) and blurs them. her magic smells like ozone & singed hair.

[edwinisms]

banging my head against the wall every time I see someone reblogging a post of mine with tags mentioning the ‘unrequited confession’. we have been OVER this it is NOT a case of unrequited romantic love it is completely canonically up in the air as a possibility. listen to jayden revri himself and be enlightened i am begging you

[neonpaperlanterns]

the player and dogday have feelings for eachother but player feels undeserving of dogday´s kidness and trust, like they are tricking him somehow, and they are too damaged and guilty to even act on their feelings (they are oblivious of dogday´s feelings btw)

[A/n: I wrote this at like 2 in the morning. If it's bad you can blast me for it.]

I don't deserve to say I love you

It wasn’t fair or well maybe it was. Maybe this was your punishment for everything you’ve done and should have done. For every red flag that went ignored as you continued on like nothing was wrong. Like you didn't know something was off. No this wasn't fair but it was absolutely earned. 

It was deserved.

You deserved this. You just never thought it would happen. How could you? Did anyone ever really expect to fall in love? Though you should have. With his sweet words and soft assurances DogDay had wormed his way under your skin and into your heart. 

And oh the way he looked at you. As if you had hung the moon and created the stars. He gazed at you like you were something special. Something worth saving. 

  You knew deep down that you were only privy to those gentle looks because of what you didn't do. If you had just done something, anything then there is a chance that DogDay never would have ended up like this. Wouldn't have to call you Angel and thank you for saving them because he wouldn't have to be saved in the first place. 

Yet you were selfish and terrible and most likely going to hell; but you couldn’t or maybe wouldn’t stop yourself from trying to be as close to DogDay as possible. 

Was it really so wrong to want a touch of kindness?

The answer is yes, at least in this instance. But this was your punishment. To love someone who could never love you back. To have that someone so close yet you couldn’t breach that remaining gap. Your love would fester and it would grow and grow until you were consumed by it. This is what you earned and you would swallow it down no matter how much it choked you.

Because as much as you loved DogDay you could never tell him. That is the one thing you didn’t deserve.

[reineyday]

just finished acofaf and lord airavis is truly an icon. lou's intention was for him to be Not A Good Guy but the entire time all he did was stay winning lol he was the only one that fucked, he was a staunch and loyal supporter of his cousin the entire bloom, and he fell in love with actual jeremy renner right at the end after an arguably successful theatrical adaptation of the book he wrote. 😂 we love to see it!!!

[th30ra3k3n]

HE!! CARED!! ABOUT THE WHOLE WORLD!! BECAUSE!! OF!! HIM!!

[mileven11forever]

Hey! I disagree with you completely but I respect that you seem to be a kind and respectful Mileven. So I’m curious.

What would you say to the idea that if Mileven is endgame, based on the way the story has been written especially in S4 (with Will being in every Mileven shot, Will’s painting inspiring Mike to monologue to El, paralleling Byler to Rovickie and other ships, just the whole story of building out Will’s feelings for Mike over 4 seasons in what would be a slowburn rejection if you’re right), the Duffers have inherently crafted a homophobic and problematic story?

Most Bylers don’t just believe Byler endgame makes the most sense for the story, nor do we just believe it would be queerbaiting because of promotion outside the show. We believe the story itself is deeply problematic when viewed through a Mileven endgame lens.

The idea that this kid Will would go through all of this suffering and that they’d emphasize the bond between Mike and Will in this way… the idea that Will would say “I’m not gonna fall in love” in S3 because he doesn’t believe there’s love for gay kids like him… the idea of the painting veiled confession… the idea that the writers would have Byler literally end the season together side by side alongside other canon couples… only to have Mike reject Will in S5?

We believe that to be horribly homophobic writing, so to us it’s not simply a question of which ship we like more like other ship wars in history, but a real moral line in the sand. We believe it’s either Byler endgame, or the show falls apart, and the writers have explaining to do.

It’s not that hypothetical story of a gay kid falling in love with his straight best friend is homophobic, it’s the specific narrative choices that would be surrounding Mileven endgame in this context, each of them completely avoidabl, each of them specific decisions the writers made.

Additionally, Bylers believe Mileven endgame would A) make the show’s writing weaker and less meaningful, B) make the show make significantly less sense from a writing standpoint, and C) go against the main themes of the narrative.

Lastly, if Will were a girl, based on the way Mileven and Byler have both been written, there’s no way Milevens wouldn’t see the clear love triangle. The only reason it’s difficult for some to see it is because of heteronormativity and the idea that Mike is straight because he has a girlfriend. If you remove that, there aren’t any barriers to at least seeing the clear triangle.

Thoughts?

I honestly just disagree. I don't think there's anything wrong with the story and the way it's being told. Will being in Mileven shots in season 4 is because it was from his POV in those moments. Will's painting didn't really inspire Mike's monologue, he just helped Mike find the courage to tell El how he really feels. And I don't really see the parallels people point out as being significant proof of anything. I do think Will's story will involve being rejected by Mike, while also being accepted by Mike as a friend. That's just what his story is, that's something a lot of queer people go through, there's nothing wrong with writing a character having to deal with and overcome that. I think it'll be an important part of Will's arc and character development. I don't see anything problematic or homophobic with any of that personally.

Yes, Will has suffered a lot unfortunately, but that's just his story, that's how life is for some people. He's unlucky and has just happened to be in these awful situations throughout his life, but that has nothing to do with Mike or his feelings. It's sad, but that's just how it is. Just like Will can't control how he feels about Mike, Mike can't control how he feels either, and that he loves El and just loves Will as a friend. It sucks that Will fell for his straight best friend, but that happens lots in real life too. And yeah, Will thinks he can't have love like everyone else because of his sexuality, and because of the time and place he lives in, which sucks, but also doesn't mean that he's automatically going to end up with his childhood crush. I think he should end up with someone eventually, but I just don't think it can be Mike. He needs to learn that he can have love and be loved, but just how he can't choose his sexuality, Mike can't either. They both can't change who they are, and that's ok.

I do think the painting will come up at some point and probably lead to Will's confession to Mike, but again, that's just Will finally sharing his feelings which has nothing to do with how Mike will respond. It'll be complicated, but Mike isn't going to just suddenly fall in love with Will when he finds out the truth about the painting.

And Mike and Will stand together at the end because they're friends. Just because the other pairs happen to be couples doesn't mean Byler is going to be endgame. That would be ridiculous in my opinion. I really don't understand when Bylers look so deep into little details like this and use that as evidence, it could literally mean nothing, or something other than Byler.

Once again, I don't think the writing choices the Duffers have made are homophobic, they just want to tell Will's story a certain way, and I don't see a problem with it.

I just don't agree. I think Mileven endgame is good writing, I think Byler endgame would make no sense. Mileven doesn't make the messages of the show any less meaningful in my opinion.

And yeah, I think that's probably true for some people. Heteronormativity is very prevalent and some people are definitely in denial about the obvious love triangle. I accept that there is a love triangle there, I just don't agree with a lot of people on how it will be resolved. Will likes Mike, El likes Mike, and Mike likes El. That's how I see it. I feel like the show has made this clear, and it's obvious which couple is actually happening in the canon story. Some Bylers just read a lot of meaning into things that I don't think was meant to be read like that.

If anyone has anything else to add, leave a comment or reblog this post.