#wanted to get involved in fandom or whatever

[n3ptoonz]

'Timeless'

Pairing: Congressman!Bucky/Congresswoman!Reader

Fandom: MCU

Warnings/tags: None; fluff(?), angst if you squint, lover boy, cute lil fic, tried to give it some plot, his trauma mentioned - dude misses the 40s a lil, tried to stick to the theme of the tweet i hope i did it well! half proofread

not my original idea! this is based off a tweet i saw and HAD to write for it 😁 og tweet here!! tweet below in case you can't access the link

Word count: 1.9k+

The Congressman rarely ever smiled. Always wore that resting face Sam constantly reminded him of. Didn't converse much outside of politics talk, and even that was very little because he didn't understand half of it. Or more he didn't care. The goal was and always will be to take down whatever shady shit Valentina was involved with. Sooner or later, her down fall will come. He'd rather sooner.

The press, God, he hated the press. Less than half a term and he's already ready to quit. Turn in his resignation letter now as we speak. The Congressman never had a reason to trust the system, yet the title he wore gave him no choice. So, as he walked into where the impeachment proceedings were being held, his eyes didn't fall to the suspect on trial. They landed on the woman sitting next to Congressman Gary. You.

He sat down, watching and listening intently to the hearing. Valentina's undeniable charisma and charm didn't go unnoticed, which couldn't have bothered him more. He's played these games before.

Your eyes only met his one time when he walked in and took his seat. His chest might've tightened a bit. A little warm under the collar. You were composed; poised. Professional. Damn good at your job. Dressed prim and polished. Not "out there" but it's not like you didn't draw eyes to you every once in a while.

Luckily, she didn't have the entire committee under her thumb. Gary, you, and many others on the board weren't hearing her bullshit. He spoke, you added on, making it clear that the investigation was due to continuation. No matter how confident Valentina seemed in her innocence plea.

The meeting ended. The Congressman's eyes lingered as Valentina passed by him. At first off in space, then to you. He stood up when you did. Keep it subtle. He walked out, a little more pep in his step. He watched people file out with nods and an attempted smile of acknowledgment like he wasn't waiting on one person to round that corner.

You were speaking with someone when you rounded the corner. Passing by Bucky without even glancing his way. He felt stuck. He wanted to reach out and get your attention but the words died in the back of his throat. He let his metal hand dangle at his side as he watched you descend the corridor. Even your walk was perfect. Effortless. Wore that pantsuit like it was nobody's business.

He tore his eyes from you and he sighed. Bucky couldn't help but feel stuck in time when he was around you. Hell, merely seeing you teleports him back to '43. He feels like that solider in his late twenties who wants to impress the young lady he spotted at a diner. The girl he'd write letters to. Some tear stained. Some playful. Some just plain sincere. You just reminded him so much of that time, he started to picture all types of scenarios. You'd be someone he never got to give a proper farewell to. Someone The sergeant would be too shy and too lovestruck to actually say something to.

Bucky swore he'd forgotten all about that time. He didn't have a choice. It was foggy. Fragments of, ironically, the happiest he had been. Despite being drafted. He hadn't smiled like that in a long time. Last time was when he spent time with the Wilsons. The few conversations you've shared, though, had him cheesing. Almost like everything up to this point was worth it.

The cryo, the torture, the deafening screams. Forgetting any and everything that tied him back to James Buchanan Barnes. How ice cold and fiery hot his veins felt during and after every brain wipe. One snicker at a stupid joke he made about how frustrating the system was worth it all. Every moment with you was better than the last.

"Barnes." he was startled out of his daydreaming upon hearing a voice to his right. Bucky looked over and saw you standing there with an apologetic expression on your face. "My apologies if I scared you there." you continued with a sheepish laugh.

Bucky almost lost his train of thought there, but now with you actually standing here he couldn't just blink you away.

"No, no, all good. You're good." he said as he returned your energy as best he could. "I was just thinking about all this." he added while gesturing around to their surroundings. The implications were hopefully there. He couldn't help but cringe at his own self whenever he talked to people. Especially you.

"Ah, yes. This investigation, this case is no joke. They're doing the best they can to uncover the truth on Valentina. But, enough with that. I couldn't help but notice I walked straight past you earlier. My assistant told me it looked like you had something to say but I was too in the zone to tell. Unless she read that wrong...?"

Bucky nodded along as you finished talking, "I did, yeah. I, uh, I was wondering if you were going to, err..." he trailed off, trying to cover up his nerves with a dry chuckle. "Are you going to the gala tonight?" he finally spit out. A part of him holding on strong enough to not let his eyes trail any further than your eyes.

Your laugh matched his as you thought about it, checking your watch. "I'm not entirely sure." you said. He hoped you didn't hear him gulp. "I'm kind of behind on some paperwork I should've signed and gotten done a few days ago. There's a chance, but it's small."

Bucky gave a look of understanding even if he was a little disappointed. That was really the only thing he was looking forward to since he was only going to keep an eye out. Maybe get Mel on board.

"Understandable. Well, I hope that small chance trumps all. Don't think I've ever seen you without pants." he replied. After about two seconds his face went pale. You narrowed your eyes and his collar suddenly felt tighter than before.

"Oh?"

"I am so sorry, that is not how I meant that to come out-"

"-I think I got what you meant." you cut him off and turned halfway to leave but couldn't hide the smile growing on your face. "I'll see you around."

Bucky waved weakly as you walked away. Didn't even have the energy to say goodbye. Of all words that could be put together in an English sentence, really? He tried to shake it off and not overthink and/or panic. Just go on about his day.

To nobody's surprise, the gala felt stuffy and snobby. Not a single sincere conversation within an earshot of him as he traversed the floors. He couldn't bear anymore fake smiles and short lived laughs at dry, corny jokes that he definitely didn't understand. So, he took to brooding on the second floor. Standing at the banister and watching over people like there was something brewing.

The Congressman couldn't help but let his mind drift off again as he leaned forward on his elbows. Seeing these people dressed up, champagne in hand and conversing gave parlor vibes. Back in his day when socializing at least seemed desired. And without missing a beat, he'd have a dame on his arm for the night. Then he thought of you. Again.

If only you actually had time to be here. So hard working and caring or whatever. Imagine. He could only sigh and smile to himself, wondering what it'd be like to hold you close and drown out the noise.

The banister shifted forward very slightly from the extra weight, but not from him. He blinked with furrowed brows thinking he accidentally put too much pressure using his metal arm.

"Congressman."

Bucky jolted again, like earlier. You stood there, leaning on your hip. He turned his attention to you. He caught himself before he started gawking.

Eyes up here!

"Congresswoman." he replied but he made it so obvious he was completely caught off guard. Not necessarily by your sudden presence but surely how you were not wearing pants. A gorgeous gown in your favorite color--he remembered--paired with that necklace you always wore under your collar.

"Someone's feeling social today."

Bucky scoffed, but not at you. He briefly glanced at the crowd below and rolled his eyes.

"Would you want to talk to these people about 'diplomacy' and 'the climate of D.C. politics' right now?"

You immediately shook your head with a halfhearted smirk. "Hell no." you said. "That was apart of the paperwork I was just finishing up."

Bucky listened to you talk about what your last three to four hours looked like. Paperwork stacked to your knees but luckily most of it was just putting your signature on it and mailing it out. Then it started up again. Young James Barnes by happen chance meeting a girl that he was genuinely interested in what she had to say.

"Wow, that's...a lot." he commented. Your gaze met his for a moment before he smiled at you in attempts to make sure he didn't look inevitably threatening due to his resting face.

"Yeah." was all you could say back because you really were stressed. And Valentina's case didn't make it any easier.

Bucky noticed immediately.

He held out his flesh hand towards you before saying anything, watching your eyes fall to his palm.

"May I have this dance?" he asked. He figured, fuck it. There was no better time than to ask. He'd been bumbling most of the time you two talked. Words weren't really his strong suit...but he could've told you that.

You took his warm hand in yours without second thought. He didn't even really move far from the banister either. The second floor wasn't as crowded so he was going to take advantage of it.

"This isn't really 'dancing music'." you pointed out the soft jazz idly playing in the background. Bucky shrugged and held your hand anyway, the other around your waist.

"Any music is 'dancing music'." he said. So quiet you were surprised you heard him. "My mom used to say that all the time."

You both swayed back and forth in each other's arms. Eye contact never breaking and the rhythm never faltering.

"Sounds like a great woman of great taste." you said, matching his volume. His lips curled up in admiration. Oh, his mother would adore you. His father would tell him to not be stupid. To keep you close because you were different. Made Bucky act different. More like a man than ever.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" you asked in a teasing manner. Bucky's breath caught and his metal hand instinctively held you tighter, pulling you closer. You didn't mind. You found it...oddly comforting.

Wholesome.

"Your face, it's just..." he said in a low, softened tone. Studying every centimeter so he could never forget what you looked like. Should he, for some reason, lose his mind again. Experience that bimonthly random short term memory loss, this is a sure fire thing he can bury deep into his memory. If not your laugh, your lopsided grin, the way your face contorts without you realizing, your confident stride, it's the way you look up and into his eyes. Giving him your full attention. There's no way he'll forget it.

"It's...?" you prompted him to go on. Heart beating loudly in your chest in anticipation. Bucky looked at you like you were the only woman in the world. Like everything was okay. Like it was worth it. He slowed his movements and inched you closer. Your faces a few inches away before he spoke again. Probably the softest most sincere way he's ever spoken to anybody in his entire life.

"It's timeless."

[loremmaradeur]

It has became too comfortable for people to call other people's views and opinions as "headcanons", especially when it involves anything with multiple choices outcomes and variations of playthroughs. And use it as a weapon to degrade how valid other POVs are in such cases. "mhm uh-huh go enjoy your 'headcanons' further but the CANON is different anyway!"

Oh, and of course only what those people say and think is canon, no matter how contradictory it is to what is really happening in source.

Just fucking tell me how in the hell turned into vampire being Tav/DU is just a spawn for Astarion to control around against their will, if:

They don't get burned by sun

They are absolutely free to feed from their "lord" - Astarion, he isn't just giving no shit, he straightforward encourages it

They can even say "fuck everything I'm going to Avernus"

Even their eye color doesn't change (I personally do not think that it's because of rushed finishing of game, but could be, but still)

They don't seem to have usual vampire spawns weaknesses at all

Astarion isn't controlling them at all, they are free to do and wish for whatever in the world they want

Even Astarion himself mentioned he has dropped a bit of his own blood into his lover. It is NOT a mere spawn just from this little fact.

And it's so god damn ridiculous how people are pissed off from "bride theory", calling it (and many different proofs that ascending path for Astarion isn't that bad at all) a total bullshit. "Just a fantasy of those delusional pro-fanatics" just go fuck yourself at this point, I wish I could say. It's pointless to argue when the point of their view is to show themselves superior over other side, nothing else. Tell those people to go touch grass and have a personal life, a real-life hobby, I don't know.

Guys, having fun and your own kind of fun is prohibited! You can no longer enjoy what you personally want! /s

I am cranky, yes, I admit it, but being on the outside part of this fandom is tiresome, you can only calmly exist in little inner circles. Such a healthy, welcoming and accepting enviroment, isn't it? /s I cannot go and watch Neil's streams or their recordings because I 100% know there are a whole parade of people in chat and comments bullshitting on AA fans and this path as a whole. Neil's choice is his own choice, it's his game and I as every other sane person respect that, but it gives no right to the crowd to use it for anything, it doesn't prove anything, how hard it is to understand that?

I really didn't want to post publicly this meme of mine, but it's simply the truth of Astarion's fandom, and AA fans are the minority everyone enjoys to kick around. Thanks, I guess. I'm glad I'm making people mad and giving them a major reason to express their hate by my mere existence. /s

I'll go draw something nice with Ascended Astarion for his other fans because we all simply deserve it.

[0zzysn00k]

hello tumblr i present to you The Only Boyfriends Ever (i got obsessed with a new brain overnight)

[lithth]

“I love black butler!” “I ship sebaciel”

[waitineedaname]

how good do we think shen yuan's english is? he complains about airplane's shitty chinglish, which could mean his own english is pretty good or it could just mean he knows airplane's english is terrible. my guess is that if shen yuan's family is rich, he probably received pretty thorough english lessons, so his english is pretty good, though he can read/write it much better than speak it because he took what he learned from his lessons and immediately used it to be a menace on english-speaking parts of the internet

[dayurno]

so sick and tired of people writing fics about jeremy treating kevin like shit over kevin leaving jean at the nest like that is either 1) in character 2) something jean would appreciate or 3) fair. do you even bother to read the books you’re writing fanfic about or is the urge to create cheap angst so overwhelming you can’t see past the tropes you write for every other fictional pairing you like? the idea that jean would appreciate jeremy going out of his way to poke old wounds in his and kevin’s relationship when jean himself does not even like for jeremy to joke about kevin near him is absurd, and that’s without mentioning the fact that jeremy is not so clueless as to think he has any idea of what the nest was like, or why kevin felt he had to leave the way he did. if you need something to make your ship more interesting thinking beyond your flat interpretation of it is a lovely start, but don’t use kevin’s name and storyline if you’re just going to butcher it for the sake of a milquetoast sob fest the characters involved in would not even appreciate

[theoriginalbylergod]

Mike Wheeler is important and there's nothing wrong with analyzing him

Since y'all wanna be insufferable bitches about it I'm gonna explain to you why he's important, why Will loves him, why his struggles should be acknowledged, and why his character depth is pivotal to byler endgame being a satisfying conclusion for both Mike AND Will. Deal with it!

We are not seeing smoke where there isn't a flame. We are seeing smoke where there is a literal fucking forest fire.

Starting off with something a lot of people aren't ready for but I've seen more people talking about: Mike is the main character of s1 at the very least. He is the character that brings us into the world of stranger things. He is the character that the writers chose for this. Mike is the main character of s1 and it was an instant hit. The writers love Mike. Contrary to popular belief, giving a character an arc where they are struggling and their behavior changes from what is normal for the character we know and love does NOT mean the writers hate that character. It means they deliberately chose to give that character complexity and depth. Your inability to like characters that do anything wrong ever is not the fault of the writers. Your decision to act as if a character is not important is not reflective of the actual narrative because it in fact is in direct opposition to the narrative. So just to be clear, if you genuinely believe that Mike isn't important, or that the writers hate him, or don't care about him, or that his story "takes away" from any other character's - ESPECIALLY WILL'S - you are simply wrong.

In s1 and s2 Mike is established as an extremely caring person. He's loving, loyal, brave, intelligent, and trying his best. He is also established to be hot headed, someone who speaks without thinking quite often, someone who is capable of hurting his friends despite that being the last thing he wants to do. He is all of these things and more. He is a human. He is a kid. So in s3, when suddenly he is entirely different, it is completely logical to assume that there is a reason for that. He did not just wake up one day and decide he wanted to be an asshole, push Will away, make his friends feel abandoned, and echo the same sentiments their bullies held. Something is happening with him. He has so much going on in his head and it is painfully obvious. He's holding something in, he's hiding from everyone and from himself. We see glimpses of what he's trying to hide after Will calls him out on his behavior. Will gets through to him. Mike is usually unresponsive to tough love, except for when it's coming from Will. After their fight, it is obvious that he's trying to be better. But he still doesn't wanna face certain things, and he doesn't know how to navigate that. Because he's 13 years old.

There is a reason for all of that internal conflict. There is a reason it comes pouring out of him at certain times. He's crumbling. He is quite literally falling apart because he's holding on to too much. It's not a stretch to assume that, it just takes basic media literacy. Why would the writers have Mike act this way if he was just supposed to be a one dimensional character? Why would Finn be directed to portray Mike the way he does if there was nothing more going on? There are times where Mike looks like he's in physical pain because of his internal conflict. There is a reason for that. And acknowledging that DOES NOT mean people are taking away from Will. That's the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Do y'all seriously not understand that more than one character can have emotionally complex storylines? Genuinely asking, is this a new concept for you?

Will's love for Mike

Will is head over heels in love with Mike. That is very much established. So when you're dismissing the emotional depth of Mike's individual arc because you think acknowledging it "takes away from Will" you are actually diminishing the significance of a huge aspect of Will's emotional arc. By taking away the significance of Mike, you take away from the significance of Will.

Let's do a quick recap of the very significant role Mike has played in Will's entire life:

Mike is Will's first friend.

They have grown up together and it can be assumed that they've reached important milestones together.

Mike has always been a safe person for Will. He's been a constant in Will's very chaotic and unfair life. Until the summer of '85, Mike had always been something good in Will's life. (That's not to say he is no longer something good, but it can be assumed that the summer of '85 is the first time Mike has been a causal factor in Will's unhappiness)

When Will went missing, Mike did not hesitate to search for him. It wasn't even a question of if. The moment he knew Will was missing he knew exactly what he'd be doing that night. He spearheaded the search amongst the party. He was the leader.

When Will came back, Mike was the only person that didn't treat him like he was gonna break. He cared for him, and he was there for him, but he didn't treat him differently; Will tells us as much. Which means we can infer that the way Mike was with Will in s2 - how gentle and loving he was - was nothing new. He had just always been like that.

When Will was possessed, Mike stayed by his side. Even when it was scary, even when it could've gotten him killed, he stayed. Because once again, for him, it wasn't even a question. That's just where he knew he needed to be. He was in the shed when they were trying to get through to Will. He was set apart from Lucas and Dustin, but he also wasn't equated to family. And his retelling of the story of the day they first met was the final push Will needed to find a way to communicate.

After a year of things being "weird" between them, Mike tells Will that he didn't deserve to be treated the way he had been. Mike tells him that he wants them to be okay again, and for the rest of the season he puts in the work.

Things get rough in s3, and at the beginning of s4, and despite all of that, Will confesses his love (albeit veiled). In a moment where Mike is feeling awful about himself, he tells him that he loves him and needs him, and he tells him why. And to him it doesn't matter that he's breaking his own heart to do it, because it's Mike. Mike, who makes him feel like he's not a mistake at all, and that he's better for being different. For Will, there was no other option. The person he loves was hurting and he knew how to help, and so he did.

Mike is the first person Will tells about Vecna still being alive. Because they're back to being a team. He knows he can trust Mike, and Mike seems to be very determined to prove him right.

SO.

These are all real and canon aspects of Mike's presence in Will's life. Will falling in love with Mike isn't something that just happened for no reason. Will fell in love with Mike because of who Mike is. When you acknowledge that, and when you acknowledge the reasons they've set out for why Will loves him - the reasons Will literally told us - you can better understand Will. But when you dismiss all of these things about Mike, you are dismissing a large portion of Will's emotional and romantic arc. You aren't being a Will Warrior. You are erasing so much of him and his feelings and his lived experience. That is not the hill you wanna die on.

Will loves a person. Not a feeling. Yes, he says that Mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake and that he's better for being different. But that's not why he loves him. He feels that way because he loves him.

Mike is a fully fleshed out character with his own feelings and struggles and fears and traumas and motivations. He's not a plot device. He's not just an accessory to Will's arc. He's not a character that was written only to be Will's love interest. He's Will's love interest because he's Mike.

If Mike didn't matter, and if Mike didn't play a significant role in byler, then they would be able to write in a love interest for Will in s5 and have it be somewhat satisfying. But they can't do that. Will's love for Mike has so much depth because Mike has so much depth. It is genuinely crazy that this has to be stated and that I have to back up this claim because it is simply a canon fact.

So yes, the rain fight affects Mike's character development and his involvement in it is important. Yes, the van scene literally could not exist without Mike and therefore his involvement in it is incredibly important. Yes, every single byler moment has an impact on Mike, and Mike has an impact on it because they are BYLER moments. Yes, Mike will have a lot of significant moments - with Will AND on his own - in s5 because his arc deserves and needs as much attention as Will's in order to execute byler endgame in a satisfying way.

No, none of these facts negate Will's importance or take away from his story. If anything, they add to it because Mike and Will's arcs are corresponding and intertwined.

Mike's struggles

To name a few

Dysfunctional family

Has been bullied his entire life

Extreme self worth issues

Inferiority complex

Hero complex

Lack of self preservation

Suicidal ideation (has been on display since SEASON ONE)

Internalized homophobia

To get this out of the way: Mike's internalized homophobia is allowed to be discussed. Discussion of it is not the dismissal of Will's internalized homophobia. Surprise surprise, two queer kids in the 80s have internalized homophobia! Who'd'a thunk it?! Their internalized homophobia presents in different ways but it is there for both of them. I personally relate to the way Mike's is portrayed way more than I relate to Will's. So why is it that we can't discuss it without being accused of erasing Will's experience? Or without people saying that we're "copy and pasting" Will's story? Because quite frankly, that feels dismissive of my - and likely many others' - real and lived experience. So please for the love of all things that are good just stop with this talking point because it will never hold up.

Moving on

I'm not gonna do a full breakdown of all of Mike's issues. Because contrary to popular belief, there are a lot. And that would be exhausting and I'd get carried away and it's not the point of this post. The point of this post is to defend the acknowledgement and mere existence of them.

If you're a byler that for some reason thinks Mike only exists to be Will's love interest and his trophy as compensation for his trauma, let me ask you this: Have you considered how awful it would be to have a queer character's individuality and emotional depth completely ignored for the sake of focusing on the queer character that "really matters"?

If Mike's own issues, with his queer identity and otherwise, aren't thoroughly explored... What's the point of all this? If Mike really is insignificant in this storyline and his individuality has no effect on it.. where's the emotional payoff? If his perspective doesn't matter... Why have the writers gone to such great lengths to ensure we don't have that piece of the puzzle yet?

Analyzing Mike and understanding Mike is very important to understanding byler. Once again, I think it's crazy that this needs to be said.

I also think it's important to note that characters can have similar struggles. There's no rule against that. Just like real life. Characters having similar struggles is not a bad thing, and acknowledging that their struggles are similar is not dismissive of either character. We're talking about STRANGER THINGS. Jonathan and Nancy's thing is "we've got shared trauma". They have literal matching scars. Shared experiences are some of the main building blocks for this show's romances. Byler has a TON of shared experience, basically their entire lives. We already know that. So wouldn't it be so beautiful for them to learn that they've been struggling with the same thing this whole time? That the entire time they felt alone in what they were going through when really they had each other and they never even knew it? Wouldn't it be so beautiful for Mike's acceptance of Will and Will's love for him was also a step toward accepting himself? Wouldn't it be beautiful for Will to learn that his love makes Mike feel like he's not a mistake? None of that would be in the realm of possibility if Mike didn't have emotional depth and if his individuality wasn't important.

And that leads me to my concluding point...

A satisfying execution of byler endgame hinges on Mike's individual emotional arc being handled well

God I hope this isn't controversial to say. I sincerely hope most people haven't forgotten that.

Here's a hypothetical:

Imagine season five has been released. You're watching it, and you notice that Mike has been relegated to just a supporting character for Will. We don't get any of his perspective. We don't get any explanation for his s3 and early s4 behavior. His breakup with El doesn't have any real tangible effect on him, it's really just used for El's character development. We never see him pining for Will like we saw Will pining for him. And then suddenly Mike is learning about the painting and then suddenly he's confessing his love and then suddenly byler is canon and official.

Now wouldn't that just be awful? Wouldn't that be unfair to the audience, to Mike, and to Will? For us to never learn just how much Mike had to go through to even be able to say it out loud? For Mike to never get the chance to prove to himself through word and action that he is the heart? For Will to never get an explanation for why things did get so "weird" between them? It would leave us with one big, nagging question: What was the point of everything Mike has said and done throughout the entire show if his conclusion is that lackluster?

Disregarding Mike for a moment (I know that's incredibly ironic given what the entire point of this is but just bear with me) - how would that be a satisfying conclusion for Will? I mean, Will's s4 arc was basically dedicated to showcasing his struggle with his sexuality and with his love for Mike. We were shown just how deep that love is. We were shown how patient, unselfish, unwavering, and beautiful that love is. So how would it be satisfying for Mike's love for him to not be shown with just as much depth? How would it be satisfying for Mike to just be a one dimensional character whose s5 arc is essentially "break up with girlfriend, wait to find out best friend is in love with him, say he loves him back, then they live happily ever after"? I think Will deserves for his love to be returned with the same intensity at which he gives it. And I think it should be clear to the audience and to Will himself.

Back to Mike!

Mike has been through so much shit. I don't think anyone that is denying that actually believes he hasn't been through shit. Because you'd actually have to watch the show on mute and with your eyes closed to think this kid hasn't had just the worst time. It's so ignorant to act as if this stuff hasn't affected him. There's stuff we've seen but there's stuff we also haven't seen. There are issues he has that date back to his childhood pre-canon. Just like Will, Mike has been a queer kid growing up in 80s smalltown conservative america. Acknowledging the pain he 100% carries because of that is so important. His perspective has been withheld from us, not because it's unimportant, but because it's the final puzzle piece. If we had Mike's perspective in s4, byler wouldn't be a "will they won't they" (even though we all know they will). If we got his perspective in s4, byler would be a "100% certain without a doubt they will". But the thing about his perspective is that it's so much more than just loving Will. It's fear. It's pain. It's insecurity. It's doubt. It's the belief that his happiness just doesn't matter all that much. All of that has to be explored. All of that has to be laid out in the open for us in order for byler endgame to feel earned. Mike's emotional payoff will lead to byler's emotional payoff.

Mike has known he loves Will. In s5 we will see him make a deliberate and active effort to overcome the things keeping him from doing something about it. And then he will do something about it.

And so when it finally happens. When both Mike and Will finally know that their feelings are requited, and when their arcs end with us knowing that they will face whatever life has in store for them together, that will feel earned. That will feel like the logical conclusion for both of them. Not just for Mike. Not just for Will. For both.

And Mike is just as important to that conclusion as Will is.

And one last thing...

Some people are going to talk about Mike more. Some people are going to talk about Will more. Because newsflash, people have preferences. Some people just relate to Mike more, or they find his emotional arc extremely compelling, or they just like him. It isn't an attack on Will or any other character. No one is saying Mike is more important than any other character (I'm sure there are people that say that but they are a vocal minority and they are simply wrong). We are just saying that he is important. If you wanna engage in media analysis, please understand that "main character" or "central character" does not mean "only important character" and "only character that should be analyzed". If you wanna talk about Will and only Will, that's fine. But you don't get to act like people that talk about other characters are doing a disservice to your fave, because that's not how any of this works.

[topaziraphale]

"Stop saying Crowley won't help Aziraphale in S3 he'd go back to him in a HEARTBEAT and nothing would stop him" I get it no one likes the idea of Crowley being bitter after what happened for a long period of time but like can we at least acknowledge that he's currently going through probably the most emotional pain in his life since falling? Can we agree that he's opened his heart entirely - something you couldn't pay him to do unless the world is literally ending and he's desperate - to Aziraphale, and got shot down? Can we understand that he did it AGAIN only to lose Aziraphale again? Not that what Aziraphale did isn't without Crowley's own shortcomings (hiding the truth of Heaven's cruelty from him) but like,,,,

The appeal here isn't Scorned Crowley Doesn't Love Aziraphale Anymore, or Never Wants To Help Him Again, the appeal here is Crowley learning enough self respect to not just walk back right to Aziraphale like nothing happened after Aziraphale has had a pattern of consistently refusing him. Going years ping-ponging between "We're not friends I don't even know him" to "That's what friends are for right?" and "We're friends, why would you even say anything?" and "Friends? We're not friends. We are an angel and a demon!"

Like I get it, Crowley is a heartbreakingly forgiving person. Of course he's gonna forgive Aziraphale, I'll be surprised if he didn't forgive him by the time he walked out the bookshop door, but gdi he could at least grant himself the luxury of being at least a little irritated for longer than however long it takes to make a globe and some books float and angrily cry out to God in his flat. But due to the change of pace and dynamic that is establishing part of the conflict for Season 3, I just really like the idea of him for ONCE prioritizing himself and being like "Okay, fine. We'll get back at it when you're ready, then," instead of just taking Aziraphale back like his words and actions meant nothing to him, when clearly they have an effect on him.

What is Aziraphale going to learn if Crowley just accepts what he did so quickly, like he always has the entire time they've been friends? Idk maybe I'm just projecting too much darkness on their dynamic but I mean, if the pattern of Aziraphale pushing Crowley away/disrespecting him one day and then being fine with his friendship the next + Crowley never stopping to be like "Hey, that's not cool, at least give me a little credit" or smth was fine all along and will continue to be fine in the future, then why, after 6,000 years of being friends and loving this demon, can Aziraphale still not accept that Crowley is just fine the way he is, and instead got excited to promote him to an angel in a heartbeat once the opportunity presented itself? You can't blame all of it on Heaven when Aziraphale has demonstrated his free will/defiance to Heaven so many times. Or, I don't know, I guess maybe we can? Maybe I'm just craving too much angst to the point where I'm letting it cloud my analysis of canon. Idk.

[edettethegreat]

sudden awful realization that alexander hamilton (from the musical, as opposed to the real guy) fits the same tropes as edmund my beloved blorbo from king lear, who are both infamously bastards who are romantically involved with two sisters at once, have some experience with infidelity, and also some experience fighting a war involving a british king

[lady-quen]

I need to write more on the Mael and Isgarren plot, but will likely play JW for any extra lore beforehand. Still rotating them in my head, a lot, because petty immortals funny. Want to draw some shitposts for sure.

Anyway, Maol told Mael about the hidden Snargle book.

Context: Mael is pissy Garren essentially tortured a version of him in a fractal into becoming a demon (for the good of Tyria, but also something something, don't accidentally create a self-fulfilling prophecy) He then tried to kill Garren in an elaborate murder/suicide scheme, failed, got put in jail, got some theraphy, and now we have two exceedingly powerful magical immortals locked in a petty shitstorm because both of them know the other won't/can't kill them at the time as to not further endanger the future of Tyria.

Trust me, this was the TLDR. XD Also some context abt how I feel about Garren as a character in the tags 👍

[rumpocky]

[thegreatyin]

would greylu like terry, louise and the scientist's ice clone daughter

probably yes to all three. i could see him squinting at louise for like a minute straight before nodding approvingly and giving her the most polite and most friendly and also most terrifying shovel talk of her entire life. terry and the yearner on the other hand would probably get a lot more scrutiny, but like. there's a non-zero chance "scrutiny" just equates to "dragging both of them off to therapy against their wills". and also buying the yearner a lollipop along the way

[asgardian--angels]

you know it's bad when tumblr's being the more mature social media site when it comes to rancid takes on izzy's death

[premaritalhug]

"You can't ship Dirk with a woman. That's problematic. You're forcing him to be straight when in the narrative he's gay." *Ships Dirk with Egbert.* To be honest with you, I don't really care about any of this all that much. The idea that Dirk would shit his pants over someone drawing him going on a spaghetti dinner date Nepeta or something is ludicrous, as far as I'm concerned. I think he might play into the whole thing and pretend to be pissed because it was funny, but that's really about it, in my opinion. I just think it's kind of strange to see people up in arms about the sanctity of Dirk's sexuality while disregarding the fact that Hussie declared JEgbert to be trans at one point.

[thawthebeez]

saw someone on hq tiktok finally (FINALLY) agree that hinata and kageyama should be on separate teams post time skip and that it isn't actually as devastating some 'shobio fans' think it is AND THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE IN THE COMMENTS GETTING IT WRONG. "i'm sad that they're on separate teams" if you wanted to tell me that you only see hinata and kageyama as ""Shobio"" as opposed to individuals who happen to have some queer undertones you could have just said that y'know..

[petorahs]

my dudes i just had another idea for a ScarVio comic art thing thats also just fanservicey to me in particular... but it involves me drawing two more ideas i had before so now i Have to draw it all to fruition helpp. just when i thought the brainrot receded..