#LIKE?? looking at where they are now vs where they could've been if even One thing had been different is mind-blowing | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jaskierx · 6 months

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so there's been a lot of posting about things like ofmd not being a 'kind show' and no longer being 'the queer joy show' etc etc and. i just want to remind us of where everybody is in s1's finale vs s2's

let us begin

stede: stede ends s1 on a hopeful note (setting off to go get his man) but shortly prior to that he's kind of been through it (he nearly got executed and then two different people tried to murder him). stede ends s2 on an even more hopeful note, having got his man, ready to open an inn with him. verdict: slightly better off at the end of s2

ed: ed ends s1 in absolute despair. izzy has been a real dick to ed (depending on your interpretation, he's done something ranging from being a little tiny bit mean to ed to calling him a slur and threatening to kill him, but we're not having this discourse again) so now he's back in his blackbeard persona mere days after feeling some hope that he was finally free from piracy and ready to run away with someone who loves him for who he is. the last shot we see of s1 ed is him absolutely crying his eyes out in the bed nook. it inflicts d4 psychic damage on me whenever i look at it. anyway at the end of s2 he's been on an absolute journey, he's learned that he's loved, he's free from being blackbeard, he's stood beside the man that loves him and they're going to give everything a go. verdict: significantly better off at the end of s2

stede's crew: i mean. what is there to say. at the end of s1 they've just been marooned and social order on their little island is rapidly breaking down due to buttons and roach teaming up to try and eat the swede. at the end of s2 they're happily back at sea and the swede has spanish jackie to fight off anyone who would even consider having a nibble. verdict: significantly better off at the end of s2

honourable mention - buttons: ends s1 unsuccessfully trying to eat the swede. ends s2 having fulfilled his life's dream of becoming a bird. good job buttons. verdict: slightly better off at the end of s2

ed's crew: as above, the crew end s2 happily sailing away into the literal sunset. we finish s1 with jim presumably unconscious and izzy pointing a gun at frenchie. so not an ideal situation really. fang seems to be having a good time though and ivan gets killed off between seasons (rip king) so it averages out at a slightly better rather than a significantly better. verdict: slightly better off at the end of s2

honourable mention - frenchie: ends s1 hoisting his flag at gunpoint. ends s2 captaining the bloody ship. go frenchie. we love to see it. verdict: significantly better off at the end of s2

lucius: ends s1 soggy. ends s2 not only dry, but married. verdict: significantly better off at the end of s2

izzy: ah yes this old chestnut. so. two perspectives here. one is simply that he ends s1 alive and ends s2 dead. so. possible verdict: significantly worse off at the end of s2. alternatively, he ends s1 as his classic repressed self, smiling from ear to ear because ed cut his toe off and it sparked joy, disliked by the crew, resented by ed. he ends s2 having accepted himself and having experienced all the queer joy he would never have permitted himself in s1, having experienced more screentime and growth than any other secondary character in s2 (yes he's a secondary character no i won't argue with you about this), and dies exactly as he lived - being a pirate who can pull off a plan. he gets to have his deathbed deep and meaningful conversation with ed, which brings closure to them both. he gets buried beside ed and stede's new inn, on land where his grave will be tended, having been given a nice funeral by people who once despised him. so. possible verdict: slightly better off at the end of s2. he definitely seemed happier in s2, and died at peace rather than as a frothing little ball of anger, which is more than i could've foreseen in s1.

anyway. the eagle eyed mathematicians among you will notice that even if we take it as read that izzy is significantly worse off at the end of s2...

every single other character ends s2 in a better place than where they ended s1.

ofmd is a kind show that's full to the brim of queer joy. you guys are just sad that your fave died. and that's fine. the writers did a great job creating a story with characters that were so well written that people are genuinely grieving izzy's death.

but his death does not erase the inherent kindness and joy of the rest of the show.

anyway thanks for reading. i had fun playing with the tumblr post editor settings. by which i mean changing the text colour was unreasonably difficult and now i am stressed

#ofmd #izzy hands #the izcourse #lyse.jpg

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nikethestatue · 3 months

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Nike, I honestly can’t believe what I’ve seen today. Of course I’m so excited about the SJM interviews that just keep coming, with all the mentions of elain, fmcs, mates and fate vs choice, and all of that good stuff. I’m surprised she even went that far on the mates question. She could’ve easily just said yeah if a couple are going to be mates, I also make sure they go on a journey together… instead she expressed her interest in wrong pairs! At the same time, I’m honestly really… shocked at Gwynriels doubling down. It actually has unsettled me how stupid some people are acting. Not saying that to be mean or funny. I guess I just sort of got used to them being a presence in the fandom, as much as one can get used to it :) but seeing them take the “kiss” part of SJM’s quote so literally, seeing them come into anons to fight about it. Seeing them twist what SJM said to fit their narrative is just… astounding really. I didn’t expect them to give up after this interview, but seriously. To double down this hard is concerning. If SJM’s words aren’t getting through to them, you’d think they’d at least be a LITTLE conscious of the fact that every single publication that interviews SJM has mentioned Elain, mates, the bat boys being love interests to fc’s, or all of the above. I’m just surprised. Today has confirmed for me they won’t ever accept elriel. It’s like you said, even after they get their HEA, they will still theorize Elain will die. I just want this nightmare to be over

I think it was the first wave of disbelief. It was harsh. Like they had this whole fantasy side story concocted where there would be training, and secret library trysts, and House of Wind Gang, and sorting out Illyria and whatever else. Gwyn was shadow mommy, Az was shadow daddy, they were gonna gave shadow babies with her extra super pliable bones.

And then stuff began to leak, firstly the bonus chapters and it's like, oh shit. None of this is how we thought it was gonna be!

And then it was the magic bean, and there is no need for Gwyn anymore at all.

And then suddenly it's Nesta, 'taking Gwyn's role' of hanging out with Azriel.

And then it's 'The Cauldron is corrupted' and maybe it's not making perfect 'bonding' choices and there IS something weird about the Elucien bond. And then SJM starts yakking about bond vs choice and suddenly, Elucien is not looking too good at all (never did, but it's just d.e.d. since yesterday), and if Elucien is looking bad, then Gwynriel is looking even worse, since Gwynriel was wholly dependent on Elucien to happen.

And now there is no 'Azriel book'. And no Azriel book means no Gwyn joining him in Illyrian redemption or whatever else.

It was a tough day.

Now they are throwing everything in the pool to see what sinks and what floats. 'It's Helion and LOA's! bond' SJM was talking about. (what bond?) 'The interrupted kiss means she is not gonna write Elriel' (nevermind that every couple had an interrupted kiss). It's a lot of confusion and rebranding.

But it could've all been so much easier.

A moment of silence for Gwynriel might be in order.

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animentality · 3 months

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Maybe a hot take, but I think Durge is the real protagonist of BG3. Like... I'm sorry, everyone love their Tavs, but from a narrative point of view, it doesn't have fucking sense. It's just another guy (gender neutral) in a The Choosen One situation. I've read this story before, hundreds of times. But Durge's recepción (or disgrace)... now that has juice! That makes sense on a narrative level. You started it, you end it, one way or another.

Anyway, I'm never (with my +500 hours) going to play a Tav run. Ever. Origins only, mostly Durge. Durge and Durgetash are waaaaay better, sorry not sorry.

You are spitting nothing but facts, anon.

You wanna know what the HONEST to GOD fundamental problem is with the writing of Baldur's Gate 3?

It's that it spreads itself so thin, desperately attempting to write an open sandbox sort of world in which ANY kind of character can fit in...that it ends up being this hollow nothing.

IMAGINE if the Dark Urge WAS the default protagonist. It WOULD'VE BEEN an amazing story, if it had been given the focus it deserved, instead of just blankly repeating the SAME dialogue you'd get as a Tav and as an origin.

The idea of a former villain turned amnesiac, and going on an adventure, learning about themselves from the perspective of an outsider and seeing firsthand the horror they've wrought? It's like a fucking Zuko arc, except finding out you were the Big Bad all along could've been written even better than that...

We could've had that blank, nothing slate that Tavs start out as...and then find out, that it has thematic significance, because WE CHOOSE who we become, after a childhood/adulthood of being unable to make our own choices, and being forced into the role of the villain before the game even starts.

It's a MUCH BETTER WAY to give people a blank slate to work with, for the fun of roleplaying, but ALSO asserting a particular theme. Which is, the gravity of your choices, big and small. To do good or to embrace evil.

YOU KNOW. How Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 did being a Bhaalspawn.

IT'S ALSO A REALLY GREAT WAY to DO an RPG because yes, you slightly infringe upon the freedom of the customizable characters a person can make, but in exchange, you actually tell a fucking story where choices are the main theme.

INSTEAD. Because they were so dedicated to Tavs and the variety of ways you could play as a Tav...they completely undersell and underutilize what could've been a really amazing character.

You can literally choose to DIE for your friends in the end...and then what?

Withers brings you back in five seconds, no one has any real reaction to you doing that, except saying good job buddy :)

And then you're basically a Tav.

And ALSO. I want to say this, because it's been bothering me.

The Dark Urge has Tav syndrome too.

They have TWO notes in the entire game that we have to read into to try and glean a greater depth to their character other than murder hobo.

And that's it. They're a blank slate too.

If the Dark Urge was the protagonist, we might've been able to look into who they were before, outside of just laughably evil flesh eating monster.

They might've had real fucking depth, instead of just tidbits.

I and my fellow Dark Urge/ Durgetash enjoyers have to do the fucking work for them and write in stuff that isn't actually there. The Dark Urge as a protagonist could've been really meaningful. We could've seen inklings that they had misgivings about being Bhaal's Chosen. We could've seen scars of resistance, where they tried to defy Bhaal, but were punished with death, disintegration by the loving hands of your own father and flesh. We could've had betrayal, redemption, loyalty to one's blood family vs one's found family.

But we don't get that, because it's taking too much time away from Tavs.

Sometimes I really wish the Dark Urge wasn't even an option. They gave me this thing, and I thought wow this is the only way to play the game...and then I look and see, ah. But the potential for greatness could drive me absolutely insane.

And it has.

Durgetash is the product of my frustration with the game's characterization of the Dark Urge.

And I know I'm pissing off the salty BG3 fans who love their Tavs and all, and think the Dark Urge is lame, and god FORBID a protagonist have a character, can't have that in an RPG, but I can't find it in myself to care.

I'm built different than the rest of y'all. I don't just feed on content, I analyze its nutrients. I calculate how good for me it actually is.

And BG3 has wonderful mechanics.

But the story has so many problems, from beginning to rotten end.

And it is what it is. I still enjoyed myself playing it.

But the story isn't good for anything except allowing you to create a far more compelling story on your own, in fanfic or in original work inspired by it.

And I guess if that's all they wanted, then fine.

But goddamnit, I'm gonna complain anyway! Divinity 2 did it fucking better.

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #dark urge

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journeyman-tier-fibercraft · 5 months

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Man finished! I rate him a solid very cute out of ten.

This guy was published as a doily insert plus edging for a linen table cloth (seen Here). The linen part was of zero interest to me so I knit him as a stand alone doily and I very much prefer him as such. Chart A (the "doily") and Chart B (the "edging") match up for knitting in the round as a single doily.

Below the read more is going to refer a lot to the charts, which I got from the amazing Ramona French. While this is the only version of the charts I've seen, looking at the Rav page it seems to also be cut into A and B charts in the same spot. It makes sense in context of the original pattern but I don't like it, both for the reason i'll get to below and also because I straight up just don't like how it looks in the original pattern.

Even without the alterations I'll propose, I think he's a good doily just as he is. The problems I have are barely noticeable/nitpicky now that he's blocked out.

Starting with the edging vs doily distinction. This problem starts with the original pattern since it has you knit chart A for the insertion and chart B for the edging around every insertion and the linen tablecloth edges. But divorcing the actual charts from the linen, the charts really should be rows 1-31 of A as the "doily" and Chart A rows 33-41 and all of chart B for the "edging". The reason I'm so specific about this is because it's focus for any changes I would make. The end of chart A and the beginning of chart B flow together perfectly. It's where the doily/center flower ends (Row 31) and the edging begins (Row 33) that is the problem spot.

(I should've picked a darker colour foam to block this out on, sorry if it's hard to see)

The large center petals (doily) end with a yo, twisted knit 1, yo at the very tip. Then the set up row for the edging is all knits with a yarn over... that is off center of the petal. In a more personal gripe, I don't like how the mesh in the flower portion looks next to the edging. It's not bad (and would probably bother me less if it weren't off center) but it's not my favourite.

The mesh not looking nice next to the edging is an easy fix that comes directly from a doily that has a very similar feel to this one. Sechsblatt is another doily I've knit and also has a 6 petaled flower with mesh between the petals and an edging, but it's edging is separated by several rows of plain stockinette. In my revised chart I added just one odd numbered row of stockinette. I'm not 100% on this change, it's something that you just can't know if it looks good until it's swatched out.

The change I am 100% on is centering the yarn over to be directly above the tip of the center flower petal. There's a number of ways to do so, I'm honestly surprised it wasn't done for the original pattern. My revised chart moves the k2tog on row 35 to directly over the center stitch of the petal, which required moving the start of the repeat one stitch left. This also needs swatched out but I'm fairly confident it'll line up, at least better that just being blatantly off center like it is in the original, and since the k2tog was just moved instead of being added, the stitch count should still work out.

All other changes to the chart were simply made for personal preference/printing convenience.

Eventually I'll knit this revised version but I don't have a timeline on that yet, knitting the same thing multiple times is bad for my attention span. Regardless I would wait because I want to see how the crochet bind off holds up. I usually pin out every chain of the crochet bind out individually but I thought pinning two together looked really good on this particular doily. It made the blocking process a lot tighter. That could've been because I accidentally stretched it too much in the first place (I forgot this doily was 6 parts instead of 8) but it was incredibly funny to behold.

#knitting #knitblr #lace rot #lace knitting #doily #project: doily 13 #he's so pretty ahhh!!#i'm minorly obsessed with his edging. i think it would look so pretty at like the edge of a skirt or cuffs or something #i'll have to come up with something to use it on that isn't so femme to make me dysphoric.#or i'll just add it to the edge of a shawl that i already don't intend to wear lmao

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lunarspiral1127 · 1 month

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X-Men 97 episode 3, here are my thoughts.

*SPOILERS*

Pros:

Goblin Queen got a magical girl transformation sequence. Dunno why this is a pro, but I like it and her outfit. See? A woman looking sexy. Now can the people talking about Rogue's looks can back off now? By the way, Madelyn was actually the Jean we saw this whole time....yeah, I'm gonna get to that later.

The mansion being haunted and the hell pit. The visuals were pretty good on that. I especially liked how each section was showing many of the characters' greatest fears and mess with their insecurities.

Bishop and Cyclops team up which Bishop got to do something cool.

Jean vs. Goblin Queen. It was good. Honestly, I felt bad for both of them Jean was held captive for who knows how long and missed out a lot. Madelyn didn't know she was a clone until Mr. Sinister revealed it to her since she believed to be the real Jean. Then she got brainwashed like a sleeper agent to do Mr. Sinister's bidding.

Forge! He's finally here!

A lot of comic references that worked pretty well.

There was more moments with Morph. He still got involved and despite what he went through because of Sinister, he was still willing to take the X-Men to where he is. However, I thought Morph would do a bit more due to his connection to Mr. Sinister. So, this is kinda a pro and a con to me. I just hope he doesn't get even more traumatized because of Goblin Queen brainwashing him when he was in his Magik form.

Cons:

I'll be honest. I liked the last two episodes more than this one. I think it's because the Madelyn/Goblin Queen storyline from the comics was resolved so quickly. The return of Mr. Sinister, the Jean we saw since episode one was a clone, Nathan going to the future to be cured, Goblin Queen, that all happened and concluded in one episode. Something like this should have some more buildup. Like, be a two-episode or three-episode arc. Many arcs from the 90s X-Men show has lasted for 2-3 episodes, so I thought this was gonna be that. But, I guess not.

Roberto AKA Sunspot was there in this episode, but he didn't really do anything aside from being saved. I thought he left the school, and I don't get why he had to be there when Beast was checking on Jean at the beginning since he's not a member of the team (not yet at least). Maybe he was there to hangout with Jubilee? Well, I just hope that this is building up to him using his powers and develop his character.

The calling herself Madelyn Pryer....when the hell did she come up with her new name?! It felt like it came out of nowhere. She was saying goodbye to Jean, and she's like, "Just call me Madelyn Pryer."......HUH?! You can't just suddenly introduce her new name like that cause it so sudden.

Questions

Will Gambit confront Rogue on her relationship with Magneto and will it go badly?

Again, WHEN WERE THE TWO EVEN A THING?!?! Unless this is a red herring.

When did the switcheroo happen with Jean and her clone? We don't know when so it could've been during the timeskip offscreen.

Is that it from Bishop? Was the point of him being there was to take Nathan to the future to be cured?

What the hell was Morph gonna do with those claws?! I know he can joke around, but hard to reach places?! With those claws?!

How's Forge gonna help Storm get her powers back?

Now that Jean knows how much she means to Logan, Cyclops having a son with a clone who he thought was Jean and knowing that some of the time he spent with her was a lie cause it wasn't Jean, and the last scene where they stood there awkwardly, is there gonna be even more tension between the three? Cause that's gonna be stressful to watch. I blame Sinister if more drama is gonna happen.

Logan's never gonna move on, is he?

And, that's pretty much it.

#x men 97 #xmen 97 #x-men 97 #x men #xmen #x-men #marvel

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yall-hate-kids-tourney · 4 months

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Who has been screwed over by the fandom more?

Propaganda below the cut

Amy Rose:

All she did was be a girl with a one-sided crush on the hero and she immediately got branded as a creepy obsessive stalker. Never mind how she has an actual character and personality and interests beyond Sonic himself. All of that gets ignored and her entire being gets boiled down to "yandere for Sonic"

Tails Nine:

it might just be me, but i still keep seeing posts where nine is just summarized as "tails but emo" and it. kinda ticks me off because. nine is very obviously a version of tails that didn't have a sonic – or anyone – to save him, so he grew to rely on himself and *only* himself, and it shows.

there's just... it could've been so easy for the tails we know to have become just like nine if it weren't for sonic. nine never had a sonic to protect him, so he made himself seven metallic tails to utilize instead. nine never had a sonic who made him be proud of his tails, so he makes it look like he only has one. nine never had a sonic who made him feel loved, so he stuck to the ground, because reaching for the sky is something only idiots can hope for.

until he met sonic.

and god, just watching the episodes where these two interact can make your heart feel *so* warm, because nine is finally getting the love he deserves. you watch him reach for the instinctive snark before being shocked by sonic's genuine kindness. you watch him praise sonic even if they had only just met because finally, finally someone cares about him. you watch him *fly*, in front of sonic, and only in front of sonic.

of course, good things can't last forever.

[sonic prime major spoilers territory, don't read unless you've watched all of s2]

this fox has been beaten down by the world around him, it should come as no surprise that when he found out what the full extent of what he could do with the shards is, that his first idea was to create the ideal world out of a wasteland just for him and sonic. only them. because sonic was the only one who showed him kindness. hell, he even remembered the palm trees sonic mentioned. the ideal world just for him and the hedgehog that insists that he's his friend.

and that's where their views collide.

because while nine wants what he never had, sonic wants what he lost.

and doesn't that just hurt? it's rejection. something that he's grown used to. because as much as sonic tries, he never saw nine more than just another alternate version of tails. all those words of his were for someone nine wasn't.

it's rejection, and it just confirms to nine what the world forced him to believe.

he's all on his own.

it's really no wonder he took control of the shards to create his own paradise.

(side note: i don't *fully* blame sonic for this either. while yes, it's primarily his fault, i feel like he's been dealing with the consequences plenty by now. he's just doing his best to fix things back to the way it was before. sonic may be fast, but even a few days isn't enough to process all of that for the world's fastest hedgehog.)

#yall hate kids tourney #round 1a #sonic the hedgehog #sonic prime #amy rose #tails nine

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ships-bynoa · 2 months

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"is he still him?" Nat asked with his dying breath.

poor baby Mich is confused and angry in this episode, while Rick is desperate and afraid for her.

first, can we get into her poor imitation of a b as Dana Bethune? cause she didn't even try, looooool. she could not be arsed to pretend, especially after the desperate attempt Rick made to send her away on that boat. after that, of course, she's acting up but at the same time, i was like, babe, look at her where you areeeee. even when Pearl questions her, she's giving snark. now in hindsight, it's hilarious how boss she is that she can't hide it, but in the moment i was screaming at the tv "stooooop it!!" this was such a tense episode. knowing she wouldn't die did not change that. cause if Rick had to blow Pearl's head off for reaching for that knife, all hell woulda broken loose for them both. not being fully prepared for the worst proved a grave mistake when facing Negan.

i get it. she's confused and she was expecting a different energy from him, but at the same time, she's seeing the scale of the place. she could've tried even a little even though things escalated pretty quickly after Jadis. she has no idea all the shit he had to do just to protect her in that one episode. he had no time to get into the details.

it's not that she can't play a b either. she was able to play a b to Rick's a a few times when she got to the prison and went to his home town with Carl to gain his trust. she toed the line between a and b when she needed to.

but for a good minute she's scared with him telling her to go that the man she came for and loves is gone. he has no idea what she went through to find him, to get this far. she left their babies. she almost died and she lost her friends who helped her get as far as she did only for rick to tell her to go? her heart is breaking and she doesn't even know the half of it yet when it comes to rick's ordeal nor does he know her scars. but to her, if he's sending her away then why did she do all of this? if he isn't rick anymore, who did she do all of this for?

love the themes of, who are they now and how do they navigate this new dynamic? living vs surviving and the theme of knowing when to go and when to stay. which i'm sure will be half the battle of episode 4. do they stay or do they go?

i mean Rick would not have survived had he not surrendered to some extent. he had to adapt and she didn't. she still had her freedom. her anger is justified because what has the crm done to her man? but the more time she spent there, hopefully, she could see exactly what he must have had to endure to even entertain staying while she went. Rick is right when he says they have to be afraid - there should be a healthy amount of fear so they don't make the same mistakes they did when they handled Negan and the saviours.

i'll say character-wise, i would have loved seeing Danai play into Dana a bit more just for fun.

Pearl's attempt on her life made him frantic and he made the mistake of telling 'chonne they were done and has a lot of making up to do for that even though it was a desperate attempt to save her. her rage is justified but needs to be directed at the crm because what have they done to him? hopefully she comes to see in 4 exactly what he must have had to endure and vice versa.

gosh, they're both hurting so much and i need Rick to hold Michonne and reassure her it wasn't all for nothing. what she went through. and for her to tell him she understands he did what he had to to survive but that they don't surrender. they fight because they're fighters. and then sexy time and RJ reveal and next steps. together. go back with a plan or run.

outside of Richonne, the actual plot is asking for much. Okafor and Nat both impressed upon our heroes that the crm can't be left to do as it's been doing.

#michonne #michonne grimes #danai gurira #rick grimes #andy lincoln #twd: the ones who live #the ones who live spoilers #twd #nesha and noa #richonne #noa posts

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howtobecomeadragon · 2 years

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I think there's some really interesting stuff going on with the language used between Mike and El and Mike and Will. Namely: yes's, no's, and not giving or receiving an answer to questions.

I started thinking about this in relation to Mike and El post-reunion in s4, so I'll cover that first, and then go into Mike and El vs Mike and Will throughout the seasons for their big moments.

Immediately upon reuniting, El is giving Mike a firm no. She doesn't like that he's not hearing her and the importance of what she's saying.

Mike asks several questions here, even prefacing them with saying that it's an important question. Now obviously he's joking around, but it's so weird that El doesn't answer him once. She is giggling, she is smiling, but she's not giving him an answer and changes the subject instead of giving him a yes.

Mike gives El a no here: she wants him to do something, try the pizza, and he gives a firm no. He's not willing to try something new with/for her. She then pairs up with Argyle to force him to eat the pizza.

Mike continues to ask if she can hear him before saying he loves her, but once again she doesn't give him an answer. Obviously she's being choked and is likely not able to easily vocalize a response (if at all). But he knows that she can hear him. Earlier in the scene, she was speaking and answering questions.

He knows she can hear him, but he's asking anyway. Because he's scared for her safety and wants reassurance that she's okay, but the absolute excess of asking SEVEN times if she can hear him is strange, especially considering that the dialogue could've been written to have Mike ask something else repeatedly that would've made more sense within the context of Mike JUST caring for her safety: "Are you okay? Please answer if you're safe. What's going on? Can we help you?" All good options that would've made just as much sense as him asking if she can HEAR HIM repeatedly. Which of course calls back to the s3 "I love her" where El was out of the room, but did hear him and only let him know she'd heard him 3 months later, at which point Mike faked that he had forgotten and was uncomfortable at the idea of saying it again.

Later on in this scene, we see Mike and Will once more, and I don't see these scenes talked about often. This is after Max has died, after the gates open, before El saves Max.

El can wake up, she could answer him, but she's deciding not to as she's grieving Max, and decides that she's going to do what she can to try to save Max. Mike is again speaking and asking for a response but not getting one. Not blaming El here at all, but this is the third time we've seen this in one episode. It's a theme. El doesn't want to engage Mike in what he has to say or ask.

The next line of dialogue after Mike says "Wake up" is El saying "No." El is saying this to Max, but it is interesting, again, how we get another no from El almost responding to Mike here. He can't tell her what to do, he can't tell her to move on, he can't make her decisions for her. This is also paired with El saying "you're not going" to Max, which also pairs nicely with the flashback we see of Max saying that they make their own rules.

And El speaks here, in this space of spying, and I'm not sure the details of how El can project her voice to actually speaking from her physical body vs keeping her voice in the spying plane, but the assumption is that she's not speaking out loud, this is a private moment where El decides to speak.

I just think it's so interesting how often in these few short scenes of dialogue between the two, there's no yes's, there's no verbal agreement, they're not on the same page. El is actively ignoring Mike's questions and is shown to not answer him repeatedly even though she can hear him. And of course, they don't exchange any dialogue at all in the epilogue.

And so I went on to look at some of the bigger scenes and moments between El and Mike, and Will and Mike, to see how often we get yes's, no's, or if we don't get a response at all. And it's interesting. Coming soon!!!

El and Mike, post reunion in s4, El and Mike, s1-2, El and Mike, s3-s4, Will and Mike

#byler #el's indepence arc #el hopper #mike wheeler

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laurasbailey · 3 months

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hey, sorry to come out of nowhere with this, feel free to ignore! just wanted to get a bit of perspective on the c3 negativity i've been seeing for so long, which i've tried and failed to avoid and has been bumming me out more than i would like. this is my first campaign, it has brought me so much joy and company, but every time i end up reading a deeply negative take i can't really shake off the feeling that they're actually right, cause some of it makes sense to me and i can't unsee that. i know i'm being paranoid about it and truly setting myself up to be miserable and ruin the whole thing, which at this point i might've already done, but i just get sad wishing i could've had experienced the things everyone raves about (like different pacing and a lot of RP) for this campaign, which i'm so close to. do you think c3 is actually, objectively, worse or shallower than the previous ones? is there truth to the criticism (about it being too plot-driven, about the characters making each other worse and not being a good fit for this story, about the cast not being as into it and so on) or is the internet being the internet, and i should basically touch grass? it's not like i would drop it, honestly, i'm just sad thinking about how this story and these characters could've worked out if the "quality" was the one i keep seeing everyone talk about in regards to c1/c2. i know it's not that deep and it shouldn't matter in the long run, i'm just struggling a bit to not give in to the negativity and wanted to get your take on it, as someone's who's navigated this fandom longer! and again, truly sorry for the unprompted rant and thanks in general for being cool and taking the time to make gifs and recaps :)

you said it's brought you joy and company and it's seeing the negativity that's starting to ruin it, which is, honestly and sadly, a common thing that happens in online fandoms. negativity will bring the mood down regardless, because it just spirals into further misery. personally i stopped looking at fandom opinions and i've been a lot happier ever since! half the stuff you've said in here i've never heard before, that's how off the grid i am now lmao.

to answer your question, no, i don't think c3 is necessarily "worse" because, while people are entitled to their opinion, i think that's such a lazy, basic ass way of looking at it. also i just don't think a dnd game with people who are storytellers for a living can be shallow unless that's their goal, quite frankly. are there aspects of c3 i dislike? of course! but the same is true for all campaigns. there were parts of c2 i thought were very weak, despite the entire internet praising it like the second coming of jesus. there are things i think c3 does better than c2, even. and there are things c1 does better than both c2 and c3, and so on.

do i like that most of the campaign has been bells hells vs. a ticking clock? not really, it does mean certain sacrifices are made. do certain characters get on my last nerve? absolutely (but that's not exclusive to c3 lmao). at the same time though, i get the three women front and centre of the main plot, which has never happened before. i get a laura/marisha character romance after watching them have great chemistry for years. i get c1-level stakes and fantastic female npcs/villains, which c2 was mostly lacking. i get ashley full time (!!!) coming out of her shell and being her best and most chaotic self. and i get SO MUCH of the c1 characters? i'm fucking spoiled if you ask me.

maybe some of the criticism is very real and warranted (again, haven't seen it and don't plan to) but at the end of the day, this isn't my game of dnd or yours or any of the viewers'. we are literally watching other people play an improv game where they're crying one minute and making dick jokes the next, you just have to be along for the ride. going into the campaign with certain expectations is really silly and critiquing it the way you would a tv show just doesn't work. also unless these people are friends with the cast and speaking to them irl, how could they possibly know they aren't enjoying it as much like be serious 💀

i'm gonna be so honest here: idk if the people who are constantly spouting negativity are just miserable, but they sure look it! also stupid! why? because normal people who hate something simply ✨ stop watching and move on ✨. sure, hatewatching can be fun if you and your friends are in someone's living room or discord call shooting the shit, but doing it online day after day after day? honestly i just feel sorry for those people. happy people do not spend their time throwing essays worth of negativity up for the big wide world to see! how do i know this? because i was that person in my teens and i was severely unlikeable!

if you've enjoyed something without the bias of someone else's opinion, then you've enjoyed it! but your opinion can also change as the campaign goes, that can also be true! i would be interested to hear the reasons you loved it initially, because i think you'll find that most of that core stuff is present in all three campaigns.

the recent plot of c3 has been more stressful than any plot in previous campaigns, so understandably people have big feelings. my advice: the block button is your friend but so is the follow button! criticism is healthy, find people who deliver it in a way that's not some whiny entitled baby. letting someone else's opinion influence yours will never make you happy.

#anonymous #ask #sorry for the long response!#and some may say 'but you're unlikeable now!'#and to that i say... but now it's a choice 😉#honestly i'm jealous of you - you still have c1/c2 to experience!#each campaign is so different and that's the beauty of it imo

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lassieposting · 1 year

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Actually. Also. While I'm SABposting.

The whole "Dark & Dangerous Morally-Questionable Immortal vs Safe But Bland Childhood Friend love triangle? Is boring. It's been done to death in every single YA series ever written.

But. Y'all know what could've been super refreshing and highkey entertaining?

Kirigan and Mal getting along.

Like. Mal is supposed to be a promising young soldier anyway, and when they meet, he's just succeeded in hunting down a folkloric magical creature that nobody has caught in hundreds of years. And then he has the sheer brass balls to withhold said creature's location to try and negotiate with someone who outranks him to an almost inconceivable degree.

This is. Probably not a smart career move, because noblemen are petty and prone to pissing contests, and Kirigan could make Mal's life very unpleasant. But it is brave, and Kirigan has been a soldier long enough to both a) spot untapped potential and b) respect bravery when he sees it.

(It's interesting to me that Mal often forgets to salute/call his superior officers 'sir' in the First Army scenes, but he absolutely remembers his manners with Kirigan. He needs this guy to like him, so he can see his bestie.)

And getting on each other's good side would actually benefit both of them - which Kirigan especially would know - being however many centuries old and with strategy as his fucking job.

On Mal's side - he's kind of languishing in mediocrity because he's an orphan with no contacts to give him a foot in the door to promotion. When he applies to transfer to better units where he'd learn new skills or have more opportunities to distinguish himself in the eyes of his superiors, he's shunted aside and overlooked in favour of someone whose father knows the king, because fatcats all look out for each other. But if he applied for the same transfer with a recommendation from the Black General, his potential new CO would take him far more seriously as an option. He certainly wouldn't suffer for having an affluent, influential man at the top of the military totem pole keeping an interested eye on his career.

On Kirigan's side - having Mal around, even infrequently, will settle Alina and make her feel more at home, and she'll know he pulled strings for Mal to boot. He's been intercepting their letters, because Alina writing all about the daily goings-on in the Little Palace is a fucking security risk, and she's understandably angry with him for it, but if Mal has a reason to come by the Little Palace now and then, to report to him on something or other, she can see him in person and won't need to write letters that could so easily fall into the wrong hands. And - well, at some point, Mal will owe him so much that he'll have to be loyal. Because betraying him would cost Mal everything. He's patient. He can wait.

Except. Mal turns out to be likeable, in the salt-of-the-earth sort of way Kirigan sometimes misses from when he was a serving soldier himself, all those centuries ago, and he is full of fun facts about Alina and amusing (for Kirigan, Alina would say embarrassing) anecdotes about shit she got up to as a child. He's gotten used to the intrigue and the backstabbing and the plotting that goes on at court, but there's none of that with Mal, because the boy is a shit liar and has no guile whatsoever. It's refreshing. And Mal has grown up being schooled about battles that Kirigan fought in or masterminded, and he has Questions that at some point he gets to actually ask, and for a minute while they're conversing Kirigan sort of stops being this terrifying Grisha freak of nature in his mind and is just. Another old soldier, like most of the COs he's ever had, telling war stories, and there's common ground, between them.

And like Alina is aware that they've formed a tentative truce for her sake and she is very pleased that they have, and then one day Aleksander makes a comment about how "the boy isn't a complete imbecile, I suppose" and she starts to think he might even like Mal, in his own prickly way,

And then she walks into a room during a fete and sees them talking, and that's lovely because they both look actually interested in the conversation! And she's smiling at them, right up until Mal starts flapping his elbows around and pulling comically horrified faces and she just knows he's telling Kirigan about the first time she ever rode a horse, when the damn thing spooked and took off with her at top speed and dumped her in the - yes, there he goes, pretending to pick pondweed out of the hair he doesn't have - lake. And Kirigan creases up and almost chokes on a mouthful of wine and saints, he's such a horse girl he'll be bringing this up forever and. Yeah she is going to have to murder the pair of them because she will never hear the end of this otherwise

#sab headcanons #aleksander kirigan #malyen oretsev #alina starkov #anyway yeah it wouldve been nice to see them get on like a house on fire #i have not and will not read the books #but ben and archie's dynamic is great and i wouldve loved to see a little bit of that carry over to mal and kirigan #rather than the same old love triangle pissing match #sab

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bellysoupset · 4 months

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"Put me down! Santa María, madre de Dios, LEO- You're gonna let me faALL!" Bella squealed and Jonah chuckled, leaning against a sculpture as he watched Leo do a pirouette on the ice, with Bella thrown over his shoulder.

They were in the backyard of the Atwood-Howard property and the lake had frozen over a while back, making the ice thick enough to be skated on. Leo had been more than happy to show off the fact he could skate like a pro, much to Bella's chagrin, since she could barely stand on the ice.

"I'm not gonna let you fall, don't be silly," Leo laughed, taking a hand off her calf so he could open one of his arms and twirl them again. Bella let out yet another yell at that, wrapping her arms around his back, since she was upside down, slumped over his shoulder.

Jonah raised his eyebrows, if he ever did that with Leo, he'd have a case of vertigo so bad it'd knock him into the next week. His boyfriend chuckled again, grabbing Bell's waist and straightening her up.

She swayed on her feet, dizzy and off center due to all the spinning around and slipped on the ice, almost falling on her ass, wasn't it for Leo grabbing her wrists and keeping her put.

"You're so mean," Bella groaned, leaning forward and pressing her forehead to his chest, while the blonde pushed the hair off his sweaty, flushed face, flashing Jonah a bright smile from across the yard.

Jon was aware he was gawking and he had long given up pretending he wasn't. Leo was just so stupidly nice to look at, as he skated backwards effortlessly, that huge devil may care smile on his face, cheeks all red and eyes sparkling. He had removed his puffy jacket, thanks to all the moving around, and Jonah could see the baby blue sweater he was wearing glued to his body, straining around his bicep as Leo pushed his hair back.

"I'm gonna catch you, don't worry," he was saying, voice in his usual cadence, so smooth and soft, holding Bella by her hands, "really, Bell, it's not that hard. Move your feet in Vs."

"There are blades to my feet," Bella scoffed and Leo only smiled, pulling her around.

"You're staring," Lucas said, walking back outside. He was holding a large thermos, filled with hot chocolate for all of them, and Jonah immediately reached for it, his stomach grumbling at the sight.

"My boyfriend is hot," Jon shrugged, grabbing one of the electric cups Luke had brought, that was already slipping in his hold, and filling it up with hot chocolate, "took you forever."

"You could've come help," Lucas scoffed, but there was almost no heat in his voice. He sounded exhausted. He looked over Jon's shoulder, to where Bella and Leo were still skating, "Hey! I brought chocolate!"

"In a minute!"

"I'm not hungry!"

Were the two answers and Lucas rolled his eyes, planting the two remaining cups on the outside table and collapsing on the bench. He filled up a cup for himself, shivering, and Jonah finally forced his eyes away from Leo in order to assess his friend.

He looked a wreck. Which wasn't exactly news, because Jonah had already noticed Luke looked like he was ready to topple over for over a week now, but today it was even worse.

He was really pale, with under-eyes so dark and deep, they looked bruised. His lips were pale and slightly chapped and today there was a slight sheen of sweat all over his forehead, which gave Jon an inkling in what this could be.

Without waiting for permission, he removed one of his gloves and planted his hand on Luke's forehead, pushing his hair out of the way. It was a testament to how horrible he must be feeling, that Luke didn't pull back. In fact, he didn't even flinch, barely seemed like he had felt the hand at all.

"Aaand you're sick," Jonah sighed, pulling back his hand as he felt the heat, "goddammit, Luke."

"It's fine," Lucas sniffled, taking a gulp of the hot chocolate, "I took some ibuprofen already, it should pass soon."

"When? Is Bell aware you're sick?" Judging by her happy, gleeful squeals across the yard, Jonah concluded that she didn't know. Luke shook his head, confirming his suspicion.

"She's having fun and I'm an adult, let her be," he pulled on his coat, shivering violently, "really, you're letting the degree go to your head, I'm fine. Stop glaring at me."

"I'm not glaring," Jonah snapped back, although he definitely was. He didn't like one bit that Luke was playing the martyr, "at least go back inside where is warm. Under the covers, preferably. Since you're an adult."

"Uhmm," Luke smiled lightly, leaning back against the table and pressing his eyes closed, rubbing his temple with his free hand, the other one holding the cup, "inside is boring."

"No one wants you here, go to bed," Jonah scoffed and immediately regretted it, as Lucas opened his eyes in shock and he could see the flash of hurt in them. Jon cringed at his words, shifting uneasily on his feet, "really, Luke, go back inside, you'll make yourself sicker out here."

Luke nodded, all stiff and still looking like a wounded puppy. He planted his cup back on the table, "yeah, uh... Okay, you're right..." he got up and quickly and quietly made his exit.

Jonah felt terrible. It was one thing yanking at Luke's chain when the other man deserved it, exchanging insults and bickers was basically how they showed affection to each other, but it was a different thing to kick him when he was already so down.

He paced nervously, glancing at the path that led back to the mansion, than to Leo and Bella. She finally had managed to skate without falling, although she was still wobbling, and Leo had his arm hooked with hers, pulling her around as they chatted and laughed. It looked like he was reenacting a musical, although Jon wasn't sure.

"Guys, I'll be right back!" He yelled, not that either of them even heard him, and planted his cup alongside Luke's abandoned one, rushing back to the house.

Lucas was such a pain in the ass, he thought bitterly, looking around the empty living room. Why didn't he just stay in bed to begin with? It wasn't like he was ice skating anyway!

Jon sped through the mansion, cursing the sheer size of the place and the confusing floorplan. He hadn't been inside in a long time and wasn't sure which corners to turn, but where his brain was confused, his feet were not. Muscle memory kicked in and Jonah found himself in front of an ajar door in the third floor.

He was about to knock and ask if he could come in, when Jonah heard Luke hacking up his lungs with violent coughing. It was deep in his chest, the horrible coughing loud enough to be heard from the hallway, despite the fact he was locked inside the bathroom. Jon, who had already let himself in, paced the bedroom, overhearing as the coughing turned into heaving.

There was a small noise, like a whimper, and then liquid hitting liquid, followed by more coughing. Jonah bit down a whine of his own as he heard the pitiful sniffling coming from the bathroom, gluing himself to the door and lightly tapping on it.

"I'm fine, Bell..." Luke sighed, his voice barely above a whisper, all hoarse. Jonah knocked with a little more force.

"I'm not your wife," he said, almost pressing his ear to the door, "and you don't sound fine."

"Go away, Jonah," Lucas groaned, but his voice was stronger. Jon heard as the toilet was flushed, then the sink turned on. More silence. Then finally the door unlocked and Luke stepped out.

Now he looked downright dead. Jonah frowned as he noticed his friend's horrible pallor and the manner Luke was grabbing on the doorway to stand up.

"Are you gonna pass out?" Jonah said, studying him and Luke only shrugged, pressing his forehead to the wooden threshold and breathing slowly through his mouth.

"Just give me a fucking minute."

Jonah bit down the sassy response he had on the tip of his tongue and waited, tapping his foot on the ground. He counted 20 taps before Lucas straightened up and stumbled to his bed, all but falling on it.

"Get out of my room."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say you puked the ibuprofen," Jonah said, instead of obeying Luke's order. He walked closer to the bed, pushing the other man's thigh and removing his shoes with two good yanks, "and that you took the pills in an empty stomach and now you're queasy."

"Get out of my roooom, Jonah," Luke scoffed, burying his head in the pillow and muffling a string of coughs. He tried to kick Jon out of his bed, but his movements were sluggish, easily avoided and weak, so Luke gave up quickly.

Instead, he continued to cough and then curled up, face pressed to the pillow.

Jonah rolled his eyes at the reaction, poking Lucas' back, "where's your thermometer?"

"G'away."

"Where. Is. The. Thermometer?" Jonah repeated, poking Luke at each word, causing him to roll around and glare at the other man. Luke's green eyes were blood shot and his face all splotchy where it had been pressed to the pillow.

"I don't fucking know, Jon," he said, then winced and curled up an arm around his middle, confirming Jonah's suspicion about the queasiness due to the ibuprofen on an empty stomach.

"Well, you're really warm," Jonah sighed, pressing the back of his hand to Luke's forehead, "I'm gonna get you some tylenol, don't move."

"You just carry tylenol around?" Luke frowned, confused, trying to follow Jonah's movements with his eyes, but giving up once that made him dizzy.

"I have some back home, it's not even gonna be 15 mins to go get it and be right back. Stay put," Jonah said, fixing his jacket and zipping it up to brave the cold outside. He got no answer aside from more coughs.

Jon opted for using the living room entrance, avoiding the backyard so Leo and Bell wouldn't be able to tell he had left. He jogged between the two houses as quickly as possible, but wasn't surprised once he got into Luke's room and found him missing.

"Bloody arsehole," Jon whispered darkly, before saying louder, "Luke? Where are you? I told you to stay in bed..."

A small cough answered him and Jonah pinched his nose bridge, counting to 10 and then backwards as he gathered his patience and realized he'd have to follow the noise in order to find the other man, "an adult, my arse..."

Luke was actually in the room opposite to his in the third floor, the big black door slightly ajar and Jonah hung uncomfortably at the threshold, not wanting to go in. It was the house's main suite.

"Luke... Dude, c'mon, let's get you settled back in bed, Leo and Bell should be coming inside any minute now. They're definitely wondering where we vanished to..." Jonah said, while Luke had his back turned to him, sprawled on the bed, "this is really childish, you know?"

"Then fucking go, no one asked you to be here," Lucas' acidic answer startled him and Jonah straightened up, noticing the roughness of his friend's voice. Not just due to the coughing, it sounded like he was choked up.

"I can't just leave you like that," Jonah rolled his eyes, putting aside his qualms about entering the room and circling the big king sized bed. Luke's face was half red, due to the angry fever blushing his cheeks and the strain of coughing. He was curled up and Jon followed his gaze, noticing it went straight to the big window, the view showcasing the orchard covered in snow.

"Luke," he sighed, crouching down and grabbing the other man's arm, "let's go back to your own room, okay?"

"She was lying right here when she died," Luke mumbled, making Jonah freeze. He was aware Lucas had been there when his mom passed, but not the nitty gritty details. He didn't want to know this, "I fell asleep on that chair," he raised a shaky hand, pointing an armchair near the window, "and woke up to her seizing."

The fact that he was spilling up like that had Jonah pressing his hands to Luke's warm cheeks, hissing as he realized his fever had already climbed.

"You need to take some meds," Jonah grabbed his bicep tighter, pulling him into a sitting position and quickly wrapping an arm around Luke's chest, "c'mon, help me, you're super heavy."

Downstairs, he could hear giggling, Leo and Bella entering the house. Jonah cringed, forcing Luke up, "they're gonna find you in here, is that what you want?"

Lucas shrugged, but quietly allowed Jon to drag him up and out of the room. Sadly they were still in the hallway when Leo's head appeared on the stairs.

"Hey! We've been looking everywh- What is this?" There was a cold edge to Leo's words, as he took in the scene, Lucas draped over Jonah, an arm around his neck. Jonah rolled his eyes at the slightly jealous tone.

"Help me? He's really heavy..."

Immediately Leo's frown cleared up, being replaced by worry and he rushed up the steps, "what the fuck, Jon? Luke... Hey, Luke?" he wrapped an arm around Lucas' opposite side and Jonah breathed out in relief as the weight was half removed from him.

"Leo, there's a fucking bowling all- Lucas!?" Bella's voice caused Jonah to cringe and he barely braced as Bell climbed the stairs two steps at a time and rushed to cup her husband's face, "babe, baby, why- What's wrong? He's burning, what-"

"The idiot's been running a fever since morning," Jonah rolled his eyes, "let's get him back to his room."

"Why didn't you fucking tell me!?" Bella hissed and Jonah wasn't sure if she meant this for him or Luke. Both, probably. Lucas was entirely unresponsive, safe for a couple sniffles and looking more and more pale by the minute.

Jonah wanted to pretend he wasn't concerned, but it would be stupid, given how low his stomach was sinking as he felt the heat roll off his friend. All four of them stumbled into the bedroom and dropped Luke on the bed, where he promptly curled up, his face scrunching up as if he was about to cry.

"I'm sorry..." he said, probably to Bella, since her face was the one closest to his.

"Whatever for, baby?" She pushed his sweaty bangs back, looking up with a panicked look to Jonah, "did he take any meds? Oh god, how didn't I notice-"

"I didn't want you to..." Luke sniffled, moving so his head was resting on her thigh, "you were having fun... And- And I'm a mess."

"Sweetheart," Bella groaned, still combing his hair, her other hand rubbing his back, "you're not a mess, you're just sick-"

"No," Luke groaned, shaking his head and Leo exchanged a look with Jonah, looking both concerned and intrigued, "no, I'm a mess. I'm- I've been a mess, I don't... I don't know how to fix this."

"There's nothing to fix, Luke," Bella whispered, looking up again, even more worried, "can he take anything? His temperature is really high..."

"Yeah, here-" her tone sprung Jon into action and he remembered the bag he had brought over from his place, with medicine and a thermometer, "get him to drink this..."

Leo seemed bothered as he moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and planting a hand to Luke's knee. He didn't say anything, but Jonah could almost sense the tension rolling off of him.

"Baby, it's just a tiny pill, okay?" Bella huffed, pushing Luke sitting up slightly, "here, your water bottle..."

"I'm okay," Luke said in a hoarse rasp, "it's alright, you don't have to do this, you don't have to baby me..." he took the pill, swallowing it down with a gulp of water and then curled back up, Bella grabbing his bicep to force him back on her lap, instead of on the pillow. Clearly she was not just worried, but guilty as hell.

"I'm not babying you," Bella rolled her eyes, taking the thermometer that Jonah handed to her without a word, "open up, Luke..."

He obeyed without a word and Leo let out a small noise as he realized there were tears streaming down Lucas' face.

"He's not normally this emotional with a fever..." The blonde mumbled and Jonah nodded in agreement, arms crossed to his chest, feeling every bit as helpless and confused as his boyfriend was. Bella looked away from them, biting her lip.

"I think you two should go..."

"No," Jonah scoffed, before Leo could. Leo, who looked downright offended, "we're not leaving... Something's wrong, Bell. Luke is not normally this emotional and he's been acting like a kicked puppy all week, so... Please, don't keep us in the dark."

Bella shook her head, glaring at her own lap, but before she could speak, Luke did.

"Vince's leaving," he whispered, eyes closed, head pressed against his wife's stomach and dropping the thermometer on the mattress, "and my degree is a waste of time... And I... Everything takes so much energy and effort and-" he started coughing, while Leo got up from the bed as if it was burning him, starting to pace the room, fingers curling in the roots of his hair.

Bella frowned at the blonde, rubbing Luke's back still, "baby, sit up, you're just making it harder on yourself..."

He shook his head, not finding it in him to sit up and the quieted down again, letting out a small whimper. Leo paused pacing, just to glare at Lucas.

"For how long has this been going on?" He asked, his voice so impossibly soft it made Jonah flinch and want to reach out for him. Comfort him.

Luke shrugged again, "a while," he mumbled, "I don't know, almost two months...?"

Bella frowned, pausing the back rub and bending down so she could get a better look of his face, "two months? Since November...? I thought you only found out about Vin in December..."

"I did," Luke sniffled, closing his eyes and adding, "but the rest has been here already."

Leo cursed under his breath and then bolted out of the room and Bella frowned even more, looking at Jonah and then gesturing to the door with her head, "go. I got him," she mouthed, without making any noise and Jon nodded, gratefully, before speeding after Leo.

Bella sighed, sinking back against the pillows, "Lu..." she fiddled with his hair, curling it around her fingers, "babe, I think you need to see someone when we're back home. This doesn't sound right..."

"See someone?" Lucas pulled back, his eyes overly sparkly with the fever, grabbing his throat as it ached, "no. No, I'm fine, I'm-" he turned his head, muffling another coughing fit against his elbow crook, then shaking his head again, "no. I just don't feel well, I don't need to see anyone..."

"Lucas," Bella cupped his face, taking a deep breath through her nose and urging him to do the same, only for him to cough all over again. She waited until it stopped, a hand on his back and the other on his chest, feeling the way his heart was hammering, "Luke."

"I'm okay..." He rasped out and she rolled her eyes, pressing a kiss to his brow.

"No, baby, you're really not," she pushed his hair back, "but we'll handle this together, alright? For now, just lie back down, I'm gonna get a washcloth for your head."

#mywriting #sickfic #lucas atwood #cold #coughing #fever #tw: depression #emotional whump #luke spills the beans about vince leaving

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mlchaelwheeler · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler + devotion (parallels)

It's no secret that Mike is the most head-strong and stubborn member of the original party. He refuses to apologize (unless it's to Will, but I digress), he hates adding new people to his friend group, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Who and what he's truly devoted to sheds a lot of light on his true feelings-- which we haven't seen explicitly since the now-edited 3x08 script ("what the hell just happened here?"). Let's look at a parallel of Mike's portrayal of devotion to his loved ones in S1 and S2, looking at Will vs. El.

In S1, Will is missing. His body turns up, but Mike is the only character on the show (besides Joyce, Will's mother) to refuse to accept that Will could be dead. The narrative focuses heavily on how Will's disappearance and "death" impacts Mike-- much more so than the other members of the party. Mike and Will clearly have a special relationship that transcends a platonic friendship.

In 1x01, Mike (and the rest of the party) are told by Hopper that they're not allowed to go searching for Will. Obviously, Mike is not happy about this. He decides to go look for Will anyways though, because Mike is rebellious, couldn't care less what the government thinks (good for him!), and is unable to sit around while Will could be in danger. Mike physically puts himself in what could be harm's way-- while defying the police-- to find Will.

In 1x03, Mike sees what seems to be Will's body get pulled out of the quarry and completely snaps. He yells at and hits El, he bikes home without waiting for his friends, and he sobs into his mother's arms. Yet the next morning, he hears a muffled voice on the walkie for 0.002 seconds and immediately knows it's Will. He literally saw Will's body, but refuses to believe he's actually dead-- even though the rest of the party has accepted this fact. When Lucas asks Mike how he knows Will is still alive, Mike doesn't even have a reason. He just knows. He believes it because without Will, he's lost. He'll do reckless things like jump into the quarry without a second thought.

In S2, we have an eerily similar situation, but this time, El is missing and presumed dead. It's also important to note that the scene below actually takes place the same night El "dies" and Will comes back from the Upside Down.

After seeing Will at the hospital (I'm presuming it was after, but it could've been before I guess), agents show up at the Wheeler's to question Mike. He looks through the window and sees El. Now, he had just seen her die, sacrificing herself to get rid of the demogorgan. Mike has every reason to believe she's dead-- just like when he saw Will's body in S1. When he sees her in the window, he doesn't even try to go after her. You think maybe they'd include a scene (after the agents leave) of Mike calling for El outside his house or trying to look for her the next day.

But they didn't. Mike sees El and decides he's not going to do anything about it. Where's that same devotion he had towards getting Will back only a few days prior? Because that Mike Wheeler would've been scoping out the lab, investigating the gate, and defying the agents to find El again-- if he was truly in love with her, like he stated in the infamous monologue.

Mike clearly did not have the same devotion towards getting El back that he did for Will. In fact, if Mike really was in love with El from the first moment he met her, he should be trying even harder to find El than he did for Will. But instead, he just moves on.

In 2x02 it's revealed that Mike has tried reaching El through the walkie for nearly a whole year. Milkvans use this as proof that Mike has been in love with El this whole time. However, I think it's just an attribute of his personality. Mike is loyal, stubborn, and devoted. El is a new friend of his, helped save Will, and sacrificed her own life for him and the rest of the party. Of course Mike's trying to reach her! This is the same Mike who was so devoted to saving Dustin's life he nearly committed suicide. Mike would be calling any member of the party every day if they sacrificed themself and went missing in the process. It's just who he is.

When Mike attempts to reach El on the radio, he mentions that they all wish she was there. This is clearly a platonic moment, showcasing the closeness of the party and their shared guilt over El's sacrifice.

El even contacts Mike! He has clear proof that she is in fact alive and out there. Yet does he do anything about it? No, he does not.

Upon hearing (or seeing her? I'm still confused by this moment honestly) El, Mike shakes his head, shuts off the walkie and leaves the basement. He doesn't try to contact her further, ask any of the other party members if they've had similar happenings, or investigate her whereabouts. Instead, Mike spends the rest of the season at Will's side, which stops his nightly calls to El-- even though this is the first time he's gotten a hint she's alive since seeing her outside his window nearly a year ago.

To recap, Mike saw concrete evidence both Will and El were dead. He saw Will's body with his own eyes and went to his funeral. He saw El disappear in front of him, taking the demogorgan with her. After that? He hears Will (faintly for 0.002 seconds) but doesn't see him again until after he's been rescued. He physically sees El the same night she "died." That should be more than enough for him to launch a town-wide search for her. If that wasn't enough, he also heard her speak his name! But he ignored that too.

These parallels make it clear Mike was not in love with El from the first moment he met her. He's always held Will as his first priority, and you can tell by looking at how devoted he is to Will vs. El. It's always been Will for Mike-- Hawkins isn't the same without him (Hawkins is the same without El though). He will go to the ends of the earth to make sure Will is safe and by his side. <3

#ok here's the analysis i was talking about earlier. MILKVAN IS BONES #like. this just does not scream milkvan love at first sight endgame to me sorry <3 #byler #mike wheeler #stranger things analysis #sarah.txt

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unproduciblesmackdown · 1 year

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oh one more unplanned Noticing Things i just did

specifically "you don't grow up around a bunch of scoundrel bootleggers without learning how to shoot, do you," and the plausibility she didn't just learn ambiently / through observation

having before noted like "oh ivy and mordecai have probably like, interacted and shit" between a) if ivy's been proximate to viktor, that's likely mordecai adjacency at Least, b) if viktor has a literal daughter to frame how he relates to ivy, mordecai has younger sisters and c) ivy interacting with her concept of mordecai in her dream easily enough

just figuring that sure anyone who was bootlegging for lackadaisy could've taught her to shoot, but we know the two with names, and if viktor was feeling paternal and was the one to teach ivy to shoot, it would probably be in a "instill safe gun handling in this child who's running around, so she doesn't shoot herself" way, vs that if it was mordecai to teach her, he might be more likely to also focus on her being able to shoot other people successfully, especially what with him being someone who had to have some impromptu gunslinging success as his life depended on it / was presumably in that situation in the first place as a reaction to the vulnerability of his own family, even if it wasn't the kind of vulnerability where he would've expected them to have to shoot anyone, necessarily....and just factor in that maybe he's more likely to not be like ha ha well of course you don't teach the kid ten years younger than you to shoot people. Oh, Don't You, is it so Of Course. and like, well look at her now, even if it's not her Ideal Life Path

anyways that is to say, in summation: i think it's most likely mordecai in particular taught ivy to shoot. great scenario too

#lackadaisy #or maybe she just did learn how to shoot from observation (?? at the speakeasy? dubious) or from some randos #but since even without this detail it's an ''okay yeah ivy and mordecai probably did ever speak. maybe even often enough'' sitch anyways...#Theories Considered Plausible time. aren't they all

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charles-simmons · 8 months

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My "small" essays on why Sootcest has actual interesting ships, except I'm only writing this to piss off a friend who hates selfcest. I'll send it to her later

Episode 1: Ghostbur x Revivebur

This is probably the most famous Sootcest ship, which makes sense. They have almost opposite personalities and even opposite colors schemes (blue vs red). These are common characteristics in ships, because people love seeing character that could never get along together being together.

But besides from that, what makes the ship specially interesting is the fact they're technically the same person. Now, some people might disagree with that. They have different memories, opinions, and act differently from each other. There are multiple theories on why the ghosts don't act like their alive version, which is something I can talk about on a different analysis. The point is, they're kind of the same person, but not quite the same person.

There's one thing that needs to be clear for this analysis and that is: Wilbur wasn't murdered, his death was assisted suicide. He begged for his father to kill him and it was his decision to die.

With that in mind, it's hard to believe someone who wanted his own life to end would fall in love with himself, or, in this case, a version of himself.

Ghostbur is a version of Wilbur who (supposedly) has no bad memories. Our experiences and everything we went through is what shapes who we are. Since Ghostbur doesn't have many of Wilbur's bad memories, It's like he didn't even live these things, therefore, didn't became the person Wilbur did. So, to a level, Ghostbur is the person Wilbur could've been if it wasn't for all the trauma he went through - trauma that led to him losing his mind.

Let's talk about Revivebur specifically now, the man who wanted to end his existence, but had to endure 13 years in limbo. Canonically, for him to be revived, Dream had to kill Ghostbur. In the few moments where Ghostbur was mentioned to him, he expressed dislike towards him or avoided the subject, which is understandable. For some it must feel violating to have someone who looks like you walking around and interacting with the people you knew. Someone as proud as Wilbur would probably hate the idea of being impersonated (not that that was what Ghostbur did, but it seemed to have felt like it). There's also the fact that people seemed to like Ghostbur better than him.

With all of that I think I can say that neither of them seem to have a positive opinion about each other. Revivebur has shown discomfort when it comes to Ghostbur, and Ghostbur is simply too different from Wilbur to even aprove or understand some of his actions.

Even if it was possible for them to coexist and for Wilbur to be revived without Ghostbur dying, there's a high chance they would simply avoid each other and actually live their lifes as different people. The idea of them actually actually falling in love is unlikely, which is what makes it interesting. They would have to face a lot of discomfort to even be around each other, let alone start liking each other. There's too much guilt and self hatred coming from both of them, which makes me wonder how toxic a relationship like that would be. Ghostbur would probably have a "I can fix him" mindset, while Wilbur would probably be dry and cold most of times, then "compensate" by giving him attention every now and then. Maybe with time they would actually do some good to each other, or maybe not and it would end up being a bad thing.

Regardless of all of this, Ghostbur and Revivebur are both very complex characters, so we don't know for sure what or how it would happen. The fact this ship is even a thing is funny, but it does have potential to be an actual chance to understand more about these two characters and how they perceive themselves and their own worth, which is why I genuinely think this ship is interesting. And with that, I conclude this essay.

Thank you if you read all of this by the way. My next one will probably be about Argbur and Incelbur. This is way too fun to write, so even if no one reads it I'll probably write it anyway.

#i wrote this a while ago and my view on Ghostbur has changed a little but I'm gonna keep it like this #i had decided not to post this but honestly why not?#sootcest #ghostbur #revivebur #bursonas #dream smp #dsmp #charles simmons speaks

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kyskaisen · 1 year

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A request! How about Maki Zenin x f reader! They go grocery shopping and Maki saves reader from a collapsing display of stacked up soup cans?

hope I've explained it well, idk if the scenario makes sense, sorry! ♡♡♡

ABSOLUTELYYYY OMG I LOVE GETTING MAKI REQUESTS I LOVE HERRR I LOVE MAKI I LOVE HER I LOVE WRITING FOR HER SHES SO BEAUTIFUL AND LOVELY AND i ship maki x author she's literally my wife YEAH

pairing: maki zenin x f! reader :33

genre: fluffy fluff fluff <333333

soup aisle.

a pile of soup cans of all things. it could've been a curse or something, but soup cans? it felt so embarrassing to even just look at maki. you always thought you were never really clumsy, so you never imagined a day where you'd be saved from a pile of soup cans.

yeah right.

but before that, you and her had set out to go grocery shopping for yourselves since all the other first and second years can't seem to keep their hands off other people's food. yuji toge and panda had eaten all 5 boxes you'd bought in less than a week. megumi ate all the rice, gojo took all the bread to make the 'ultimate sandwich' for his lunch. he ended up vomiting. nobara got mad at gojo and instead ate all the ice cream. when you and maki found out, you both were livid. you two had spent over 12,000 yen combined on food, and they all ate it in less than two weeks!

so now here you are, walking around the store with your girlfriend. sometimes other girls would peek around the corner to catch a glimpse for a little too long for your liking, and almost started several fights in the span of 10 minutes. you understood why. maki's the hottest woman you've ever seen. and even though maki gets embarrassed, you still have to show the world that she's yours.

"we've got to have a hiding place to put all this food," you comment as you shove the box of cinnamon toast crunch into the cart. maki chuckles and keeps pushing. "i don't think there's a place on campus where the others won't get into it." she replies turning around the corner to the next aisle. your eyes glimmer as you look over and see this huge pile of ravioli cans.

"i'm craving ravioli!" you chirp as you skip from the cart. maki hums and keeps walking down the aisle.

the pile looks like a volcano, the ones you see in cartoons where they stand a little too tall. you pouted as you eyed the pile up and down. you thought if you took even one from the pile, the rest would tumble down like a jenga tower and flatten you.

deciding that you'd go for it, you reached for the one that was dead in the middle. you had to get on your tippie toes to reach the middle.

right as maki looked your way to see if you had gotten the ravioli yet, she saw you about to topple into the soup can aisle. she huffed as she left the cart and sped over to break your fall, wrapping a strong arm around your torso and pulling you away from the pile.

"you really should be more careful." she commented as you sat in her arm, watching a can tip over on the corner. her voice full of saccharine flowed right into your ear and your cheeks blushed, the flush spreading from one end of your face to the other. she chuckled at your expression then released her hold around you and walked off with that soup can in her hand.

your cheeks puffed as you pouted and you stomped over next to her. "you didn't have to do that." you mumbled. maki let out a hearty laugh and kept walking down the aisle. "oh, but i did." she replied, looking at you with a smirk on her face.

you rolled your eyes and kept walking next to her with your arms crossed and a pout on your face.

---

the difference between how i write for maki vs how i write for others is unreal.

#maki zenin x reader #maki x reader #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru #itadori yuuji #fushiguro megumi #nobara kugisaki #inumaki toge

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