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somuchbetterthanthat · 9 months

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Jonelias week, with the slightest bit of spice this time!! TW for: exhibitionism, teacher/student relationship, everything's consensual tho Day 4 - On camera / AU University With once again delicious art for @kalgalen !!!!

Jon did not agree to this because he was particularly eager to do it, if he’s honest with himself. He’s already playing with fire just by fooling around with a distinguished professor of Oxford University, and this is a step further towards burning himself. Thoughts of what might happen if the pictures were seen by anyone else, or, worse, perhaps, if someone stumbled on Jon and Elias while they’re doing this, have kept him up all night yesterday.

But Elias had suggested it — casual and mild, while stroking Jon’s thigh, the last time they’d been in his office, and Elias spent so much time seemingly indulging Jon’s whims that Jon had just — Jon hadn’t thought of saying no. Jon was too curious to see what it would feel like, to be the one to indulge Elias, for once.

He is not regretting it either, now that they’re here. The fear of being caught, of being exposed, is still lingering at the back of his mind, but his guts are now filled with another sort of thrill all together. He knows, of course, that he loves Elias’ gaze on him, but this is — this is deeper; more intense; ever since Elias brought the camera to his face, Jon has been completely unable to look away from him.

Something’s still missing though. Yet again Jon is flushed and starting to feel a little breathless, following Elias’ quiet instructions mutedly, but Elias is still — poised; unruffled. This is supposed to be his fantasy. His desire. Jon licks his lips.

The camera flashes.

“I kind of thought you were going to go harder on the cliché,” he tries out, at last.

Elias raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t particularly aware we were acting on one.”

Jon scowls at him, and Elias takes another picture. Jon’s heart makes a twisty little jump in his chest, at the thought that Elias seemingly cannot stop himself, that every little gesture, every little expression Jon makes has to be recorded. For him.

“You asked me to wear a skirt.”

“They suit you.” Elias says, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jon has the distinct impression of being indulged again. He tilts his chin, unimpressed and a little annoyed. He wants to see Elias undone. Tentatively, he leans backward, opening his legs more, and moves his left hand, unprompted. His shirt falls a little bit more open.

“Thank you, sir,” he says, voice low and sweet. “But I thought you said I was distracting in them. Is it better now?”

Elias’ lips part; the camera goes off; Jon does not grin.

“I can take off a few more clothes, professor,” he insists. “If you think that might help.”

“Yes,” Elias says — and it sounds impulsive and tight, just enough that Jon knows he’s got him. Oh he will break his composure tonight, even if he’s got to make a fool of himself in the process.

#joneliasweek2023 #jonelias #tma stories #the magnus archives #this one had no business being so hard to write when this AU has lived in my head for a good while now #damn you expectations

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s0fter-sin · 9 months

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everyone makes fun of soap when they find out how many hair and skin products he keeps on hand. the cabinet in his bathroom is filled to bursting and he always keeps travel sized bottles on him on missions

when soldiers outside the 141 find out, they call him precious and self-obsessed, a vain pretty boy too preoccupied with his reflection to focus on the enemy. no wonder how he got his callsign. price has given up telling him to leave them on base and just teaches him to individually wrap them so they don’t rattle against each other and give himself away

what they don’t know is that each product contains an ingredient that when mixed with any number of the others, creates potent chemical bombs. he was caught unarmed once, he won’t let it happen again

#ghost picks it up when he watches him meticulously read the ingredients lists on the bottles when he goes shopping with him once #he knows enough about products to know that when you find one that works you keep using it #so hes confused when he sees soap put back a moisturiser hes certain hes seen in his little bag #he waits for him to leave the aisle and checks the bottle #which is when he sees the new and improved formula sticker on the back #he memorises the ingredients and when he checks the bottle in soaps room sure enough theres an ingredient missing #thats when he puts it together #it seems his little intro into guerrilla warfare had sparked some ideas in his sergeant #and hes so damn proud it takes him off guard for a second #he hadnt expected him to keep up with it not when hed rarely need the knowledge #but he is and hes doing it all on his own using his own expertise and forethought #the pride has to make room for a difference kind of warmth at the sheer competency on display in front of him #the next day he drops a new product with the missing ingredient on soaps head #the soldiers around them are shocked that hed indulge in soaps prissiness #hes the only that that sees the feral glint in soaps eye as he thanks him and starts going on about the benefits of looking after your skin #coming out of my cage and ive been doing just fine.txt #ghost x soap #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghost mw2 #cod ghost #cod soap #soap mw2 #soap mactavish #cod mwii #call of duty #we’re a team. ghost team

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shwarmii · 8 months

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i just heard one of my favorite youtubers say this meme out loud in a video and the pronounciation FLOORED ME so now i gotta know:

poll is just "which way do you say it"; tags is "which way is right", assuming your answer to "which way is right" is different to "which way do you say it". or i guess tags are also for uhhhhhh if your answer is complicated and if you wanna explain, if you have a diff way of pronouncing (pls tell meeeee), or whatever else you want, im not your parents, idk

#i just.. diDNT THINK THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY TO PRONOUNCE IT???#but i heard [redacted pronounciation] and i just went ''pÁŔƊÓŃ???'' so i tried to think of all possible ones?#forgive me if theres already been a poll on this; i didnt see it and thus didnt know #edit: fuck!!! i just realizied you could combine the last two like i couldve made ''be o bo'' and ''bo be o'' each an option #if oNE OF THOSE TWO ARE THE MAJORITY (not that i expect many votes at all. but still!!) IMMA BE (1) SHOOK AND (2) McFUCKING BAFFLED #edit: wow. i thought id be lucky to get 20 in a week with my follower count. okay. damn. youre sweet ♡ also ''Boo boo''s you are so valid #im sorry i did not think to add you as an option. you are so right

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tubbytarchia · 3 months

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gg buddy am I right (ethubs doodle that I don't know what to do with)

#ethubs #Ive wanted to draw ethubs angst for so many days but art block is still hitting hard and this thing has been sitting around for awhile #hey ethubers how did you. survive #last life ethubs upsets me so much make it end #The way after Bdubs dies Etho is trying to justify to himself not having given him a life to begin with rather than #telling him to prove himself #its like he expects the others who are with him to comment on it but they dont. Etho's all "I couldn't have just given it to him you know..#without them asking about it or anything. And Etho just keeps going. god damn it Etho I feel so bad for them #dont even get me started on what Bdubs said to G about Etho grrrr GRRRR I saw that for the first time not long ago GRRRRRR #I still wanna draw proper ethubs though. someday #also the damage to Bdubs' face is supposed to be from the rocket Lizzie shot #does it make sense? No probably not but its an excuse to make him look more dead #tubby art

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willowser · 2 months

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HMMMMMM interesting to think about arranged marriage with prince shouto...............

i think he wouldn't know. what to expect with you. i think he'd have an idea, as in, what his father, the king, has taught him; the duties of a wife, where your importance ranks in relation to his duties. what he's not meant to discuss with you, like politics and matters at court and foreign relations. how you will speak to him. what to buy in the event that you become...unhappy. a nuisance.

("and she will," enji had muttered, briefly glancing up from the parchment on his desk to fix shouto with a look he didn't understand. "they always do.")

you don't meet until the royal wedding, when you're coming down the long aisle of the grand cathedral, dressed up in a swathe of silk and lace. a thin, gossamer veil hides you from him, but he can feel the ardor in your eyes, the intensity burning through the material. it doesn't seem real until your bare face is only a breath from his own, until he has to see the earnestness in your stare, too.

your kiss is simple and chaste, nothing spectacular, something that leaves his mind as soon as it's over. ever a todoroki, a hundred other things enter his mind, all regarding his now iron-laid obligations: it's vital he meet with advisor keigo to reiterate the plan to establish his authority among the council; general aizawa is in attendance to the wedding, and shouto has not yet received word on his opinion of the new king's ideas to modernize their armed forces; midoriya is somewhere, no doubt wanting to go over state affairs again.

truthfully, shouto doesn't spend long "celebrating". there's already too much that's required of him, hardly enough time to even scarf down a few bites of the banquet laid out before he's being chartered off into discussions on foreign relations and infrastructure development. maybe once or twice does he look back to check on you, chatting pleasantly with his mother and sister at the front of the great hall, and that's satisfying enough.

it's not until much later that he sees you again; freshly bathed and wearing something sheer and long and white, atop his bed.

or his marriage bed, he must remind himself.

enji didn't spend long going over consummation, with him or either of his brothers—natsuo, red-faced and annoyed at the very subject, always storming off, and touya had seemed well-aware of the process, at the time (back before he'd been ex-communicated). it had sounded simple: strip off your dress, get his cock out and into you, and only retreat once he was sure his seed had been spilled.

—so he's not exactly sure what to do or think or how to feel, when you're laid bare and reaching up to hold his face.

it's so startling that he sits back on his knees, to frown where he's looming over you.

you stare at him quietly, like you're expecting him to say something, and he only has a moment to wonder if this is you becoming an unhappy nuisance—what had been the answer, to solve this, anyway?—before you let out a soft laugh.

"c'mere," you tell him, sitting up, too, when he keeps his distance. "i want you to kiss me."

"i already have."

"yes," you laugh again, amusement glowing in your eyes, like the warmth off the fireplace, as you reach for the ties on his trousers. "but you're meant to do it again."

and up until then, he'd felt confident in his achievements, his executions; he'd managed a lot today, in one evening, and he had a lifetime to manage more. it was a good a start as any, he'd thought, but now—

shouto almost can't get the words out when he feels your hands ghosting up the inside of his shirt, nails tickling over his ribs. "a-am i?"

you wrap your arms around his waist in what could be a hug, scooting forward to look up at him with your chin against his chest. "yes," you smile and—it's familiar in a way, how touya would whenever he was teasing. "you're my husband, you're meant to kiss me whenever i want."

that—was not something his father had ever said, he was sure, and it was a too-rare exchange between his own parents. now that he thinks about it—and he does, then, because he's faced with the reality that he doesn't know as much as he should—he's not sure the former king and queen even sleep in the same room, much less the same bed.

much less hug and touch and even smile, the way you do now.

there's no argument he can make against it, aside from finding keigo to find his father to verify the truth to such a statement, and he's only meant to retreat from this bed on one condition.

and if this is what it takes to meet that—then shouto supposes he'll have to do it, for now. he's a brand new king, after all, and it would seem he still has much to learn.

#i just really like the idea of shouto being raised to be like #alright. meet with advisors. council meeting. get married. consummate. find general aizawa.#like it's just another stepping stone #to be married #and you are very much like oh 😊🩷 my husband 😊🩷#and he's SOOOO thrown by that #that's not how he was taught it would go LOL #and you want to hug and kiss and hold hands 🥺#if he spends too long in meetings you take the dinner from the royal dining table and march right into that room #to have dinner with your husband god damn it #LOL #and maybe he even asks his mom like 'is this right ???' and she's like #yeah 🥺🥺 it is 🥺🥺#and then he finds this weird odd unexpected happiness with you that he was never taught to expect 🥺#✿ thoughts: shouto #✿ willow writes

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biggest-gaudiest-patronuses · 1 year

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growing up with a perpetually anxious primary caregiver is such a mindfuck. that shit will rewire your nervous system

#not a shitpost #i get that parenthood and modern life in general is extremely anxiety inducing #and that anxiety is a common mental health issue and anxiety disorders exist and do not disqualify you from being a loving parent #but i am begging you PLEASE do not project your anxiety onto your kids #especially younger kids #your job is to make your kids feel safe and secure. that is a primary requirement #that doesn't mean you can't be anxious!#but just like being angry doesn't mean you're allowed to yell at your kids or slam doors or break things #being anxious doesn't mean you are allowed to surround your kids with your own fear and stress or teach them to share your anxieties #your job is to be a comforting nurturing parental figure. that means projecting comfort and love #even when it is hard! even when you are tired or angry or scared!#which is a damn hard job! and you won't get it right all the time!#but dammit babes you gotta TRY #kids deserve to feel safe and comfortable in their daily lives #you CANNOT be teaching them to expect catastrophe lurking around every corner

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pencilscratchins · 2 years

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when there’s trouble you know who to call (twitter) [ID in ALT]

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theabigailthorn · 2 months

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finally watched all of Hazbin, definitely cried a bit at Episode 7 and sent Morgana a tearful message

youtube

#damn what if you were in a community of people who got shit on a lot by authorities for arbitrary but moralised reasons #and people in that community looked up to you and expected you to inspire and lead them #but you didn't feel ready or entitled to do that #cause a lot of the reason they look up to you is privilege and you just want to lend a hand not flex on people #and you're a queer woman and people look down on you for that #but you're all under threat and the need is dire #so you have to find your courage and stop being so self-critical and just try to do good for the people you love #that's crazy how they put me in the show #they shouldn't be allowed to put me in the show #charlie morningstar #Transgender Princess of Hell #Hazbin Hotel #Youtube

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thankstothe · 4 months

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NORMAL

#house md #gregory house #james wilson #hilson #screencap #s01e05 “Damned If You Do”#girl what is this #the last thing i expected from this show was this constant religious theme #hilson especially always implying the other one is holy of sorts #chase has his own entire niche there too #im vexed tho

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newtsnaturethings · 5 months

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Vashmeryl smut comic below the cut.

#trigun #vashmeryl #vash the stampede #meryl stryfe #newtsdoodles #trigun maximum #trigun stampede #tw suggestive #tw nudity #but like. barely #finals week activated the smut brain cell like a damn sleeper agent #I just needed to draw some tender cuddles and suddenly it was seven pages #also nothing crazy happens the dude just grows a ton of wings cause what do you expect from me at this point

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khruschevshoe · 4 months

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Sometimes I just glance at the Supernatural tag and see some quote or line from the show or gif that makes me go "oh, y’all got BAITED queerbaited, didn't you?" Like the level of psychic damage is somehow above and beyond the queerbaiting in Sherlock, which I didn't think was POSSIBLE

#destiel #supernatural #sherlock #bbc sherlock #johnlock #dean winchester #castiel novak #castiel #like these characters will literally say shit like “he's the one human you love” or “when he first laid eyes on you he was damned”#and you expect me to believe that they aren't as derangedly devoted to each other as hannigram and the like #there is no heterosexual explanation for this #absolutely none

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bugtoast · 4 months

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y'all remember this post?

yeah. i redrew it for fun! a whole lot has changed in two years!

#i expect you to die #ieytd #my art #digital art #ieytd 2 #agent phoenix #artists on tumblr #i expect you to die 2 #ieytd 3 #i expect you to die 3 #i'm really proud of the perspective work i did on this!!! like!! damn i made that?? wtf!!!! /positive #THIS GAME #GO PLAY NOW #I DEMAND IT!!!!#Bugtoast

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starf4wn · 3 months

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I don't know how tf will Jay end up in the wolf army thing but hey that's hella cool because he is finally getting that villain arc, guess I'll celebrate doing art

#lego ninjago #ninjago #jay walker #ninjago jay #starfawn art is arting #new art tag. again.#ninjago dragons rising #dragons rising #ninjago spoilers #ninjago leaks #ninjago dr #ninjago dr spoilers #dragons rising spoilers #ig that's enough spoilers/leaks warning tags #i expected this to be a little doodle that would take an hour but I ended up using 4-6 hours damn #i'm going insane over dogboy jay #bro can you choose an animal already????#snake. octopus. dragon AND A WOLF IF THAT PERSON WHO PREDICTED TURNS OUT TO PREDICT MORE.

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demodoggonetired · 11 months

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It's a quiet night in with just the two of them - Wayne having already left for work. A gentle drizzle has settled over the trailer park.

Eddie's hunched over at his desk with the old table lamp on, painting his latest miniature for the upcoming campaign. Steve's perched on the bed right near him, using that same lamp light to read one of Wayne's magazines. A tape randomly picked from their collection plays in the background.

There's a quiet 'clink' as Eddie rinses his brush in the paint-water cup (newly labeled after one to many mix-ups). The brush is dried then slotted into the cracked mug holding the rest of his painting tool hoard.

He pauses to stretch out his back from its scrunched position, scars giving a minor twinge at the action. Then reaches for his small, detailing brush.

Only, it's not where he put it last.

It's not on the pallet. Didn't slip under the paper towel. Sitting in the paintbrush mug? Nope. Roll onto the floor? No dice. (Well actually, many dice. Including the d8 he lost last week, he should remember to grab that later (he won't)).

It's as he's pulling his head back out from under the desk that he notices it.

The subtle, upturned pinch at the corner of Steve's mouth.

Like he's fighting not to smile. Trying to act like he hasn't noticed Eddie's obvious searching.

"Steve?"

"Mhm?" The thief doesn't even deign to look up from the magazine.

"Have you seen my small detail brush? Bright red handle?”

"Nope."

Right, of course. Because the hand Steve wasn't using to hold his magazine just happened to be tucked behind his back, out of sight.

Clearly this called for drastic measures.

Without giving the other a chance to react, Eddie lurches forward to push his boyfriend back onto the bed, simultaneously planting himself atop Steve's legs.

"You sure about that one, loverboy?"

Steve crinkles his nose with a slight blush at the pet name. Then reaches up with the hand that previously held the magazine (that has now ended up in the abyss of the floor, sorry Wayne).

Eddie stills, curious to see how Steve will defend himself, as the hand continues up... and plucks the missing paintbrush from behind Eddie's ear. Where Eddie had earlier, unthinkingly stashed it.

Steve's face breaks out into a grin at Eddie's affronted noise.

"What do you have to say for yourself now, Eds? Accusing your boyfriend of such a heinous crime?"

Eddie hums, rolling the now reclaimed brush in his fingers, staring down at the boy beneath him. His sure-fire grin. Eyes crinkled in mirth. How the soft lamp light and dappled moonlight played across his features.

He leans down, hovering over the other.

"I say that I'd forgive you anyway. How could I not, with such a pretty face like that."

They meet in a gentle kiss. No rush as they simply enjoy the other's company. Warm in the knowledge there's nowhere else they need to be tonight. The tape clicks as it finishes and the rain becomes their only background noise. They seperate.

"Mmgood. Cause I did steal your paint tube."

#Showing affection by temporarily stealing your loved ones things until they give you attention #Damn y’all this is the first fic of any kind I’ve written since like 2013 or so??#Both of which were very somft #Steddie #steddie fic #steddie drabble #Stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #My posts #My writing #wow didn’t expect to ever have a writing tag lol

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thebookworm0001 · 1 year

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Highlights of Glass Onion

1-Daniel Craig’s terrible southern accent

2-Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc playing Among Us in his bathtub again Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim

3-“it’s so dumb”“It’s so dumb it’s brilliant”“No! It’s just dumb”

4-literally the whole movie is about how dumb Elon Musk is. Also Zuckerberg. And whoever the fuck the other billionaire is. But also definitely Elon Musk.

4-Benoit Blanc is so clearly gay in such a casual way I love it

5-Janelle Monáe

6-The very clear messaging of ‘you will never take down a person like this through the legal ways so just beat the shit out of them until something gives’

7- everyone is clearly having the time of their lives making this movie

#glass onion #truly a delight #as good as knives out?#no but still a delight #it is so damn good at understanding the tropes of the genre #and leaning into them enough to make it work before twisting them enough to keep things fresh #and it does it in a different way from knives out #knives out says ‘you know whodunnit - and you want them to get away with it’ then throws that last twist in #glass onion says ‘this is the most fucking transparent plot but you won’t believe that because you want it to be complex and layered’#and you nod right along because despite the fact that the title tells you precisely how simple this plot is #you still expect layers of onion to be peeled back to reveal something new #it’s freaking amazing #and then a billionaire gets his house blown up because he’s an idiot #also that’s a very nice and controlled fire I’m very glad they’re not all dead

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chirpsythismorning · 28 days

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Fun fact: In the original pitch for Stranger Things, El had a little brother.

After being rejected by almost 20 studios for the Montauk pilot, the Duffers were finally green-lit by Netflix. It was at this time that they began casting and then writing the first season officially, which included reworking a lot of that first episode.

This led to the removal of the brother reference, and with it, removing any sort of arc El could have had about her apparent brother.

But the thing about this moment, is that it might not have been scrapped entirely...

Going into the final season, no one can explain why or how El recognized Will back in 1x02. And while there are plenty of things on the show that are left unexplained, with a small portion likely left that way with the intention to uncover it later, what sets this moment apart from the rest is that there are very few possibilities here.

Because for starters, the story presents El's ability to see people in the void in s1 as requiring either a picture of that person for reference, or having met that person before.

But when El see's this picture of Will, she's never met him before. Or maybe she has, but we wouldn't know because they never showed us. They could have just not done this scene at all, given that it's clearly a copy/paste/edit of something scrapped from the pitch. Or they could have even still included it, but explained it.

One explanation could be that the lab had shown El a picture of Will before, similar to what they did with the Russian agent they wanted to spy on. But then that begs to question, why would the lab show El a picture of Will? Why would they want to see what he was doing? That alone is incriminating in and of itself, implying that Will is more connected to the lab than we realize.

The only other, and frankly most likely explanation, would be that El stumbled across Will at some point on her journey between escaping the lab and Will going missing. This is actually something that happens in The Other Side comic, which explores all the things Will may have experienced during his time in the Upside Down.

Though it’s worth noting the comics aren’t technically canon, and I highly doubt they would outright spoil everything in relation to Will’s time there, years before it was intended to be revealed. But still, let's humor this for a moment given that I do think Will's time in the UD is going to be very relevant in s5, which means it's highly likely they will finally address how exactly El saw him.

Basically, in the comic, Will see’s El walking through the woods, almost apparition like, glowing as she passes by, while also sporting the Benny’s burgers shirt. This means they would have crossed passed within a short span of time, between when El escaped Benny’s when the agents arrived, but before she was found by the boys.

Though it’s worth noting that we’re seeing this all from Will’s perspective. This means from the UD, Will was capable of seeing El on the other side, despite them being on different sides. And not only that, but she also looks back at him.

What confuses me about this, is that it doesn’t make sense for El to be in the woods, only to randomly decide to pop in to the void for a moment. She was trying to escape the lab and everything that came with it. I doubt she had any desire to lurk back there for some reason, not until someone encouraged her to. Not to mention, it would make no sense for her to go there and see Will if she wasn't even looking for him in the first place. And so this would mean Will and El could see each other, with Will being in the UD, and El being on the other side.

While it does seem pretty far off, given that you would think Will and El wouldn't be able to see each other from different sides, it is true in the story that El not only recognizes Will, but knows that he is in danger. She mentions that he is hiding specifically.

Which means she has likely seen him within the last 24 hours regardless.

This, in combination with Will being able to respond to El in the void at the end of the season in Castle Byers, when no one else outside of Terry and flayed-Billy have been able to, seems to imply that there is indeed something special about Will that makes him capable of communicating with El from the UD. Not only that, but El also seems to have an ability to be in this constant knowing state of how Will is doing, without even checking again to confirm. She's just certain of it. And she seems terrified about it.

Going forward, El never uses a picture of Will to find him. She never did. And more often than not, they don’t show us what she see’s either, not until the very end. And that’s the moment they reveal that he was able to communicate with her.

Again, there was really no reason to have El recognize Will. If anything it complicates things. But the fact that they chose to introduce this concept, with a scene from the original pitch that was related to El’s younger brother, with her pointing at his name cryptically, startling Benny, only to revamp it and have El not say anything at all while pointing at the picture of Will, startling Mike… It just really makes you stop and think.

Which brings me to the other aspect of this that might have people doubting, which is that El’s brother was originally younger than her.

We know Will is not younger than El, so how could this apply to him?

Well, it might be helpful to consider that in the original script, El was actually 10 years old, while the boys were always 12. Meaning that for some reason, they decided to age her up to the age of the boys, aka the same age as Will…

Ever since @erikiara80 shared this brother discovery with me, I have been sort of reeling. It then led to other little discoveries of changes they made between Montauk and Stranger Things.

It’s important to understand that the Montauk bible and the original script precedes what we ended up with in the final product, with it finally changing and evolving months, maybe even a year since that original vision. Even casting occurred before writing started for the first season. We know this because casting announcements were made in June and August of 2015, with writing not starting until August going into early 2016, simultaneously while they were filming.

And believe it or not, what I've discovered is that a lot of the changes they made between their original plans and what we see in the final product, have to do with not only Willel, but also Byler.

If you've read the original script for Montauk, you'll know that Mike's crush on Jennifer Hayes was focused on right from the jump, along with the birthmark on his face being focused on, which was the main cause of the bullying he experienced.

This has actually been talked about recently, and some of the claims people make do fit with what I am genuinely starting to consider here, which is that the initial plan for what makes Mike an outcast shifted.

I think when they completed casting, and started actually deep diving into what they wanted this world to look like, both from a short-term and long-term standpoint, they were presented with some pretty interesting discoveries, arguably already hiding in their initial plans without realizing it.

And this is where it sort of becomes a 'chicken or the egg' situation. Because which one came first? Byler or Willel?

I can't say for certain, because obviously this is all just speculation. But in the case that Willel came first, I think Byler would come very naturally after that.

The Duffers themselves are twins. Then they hire Noah, who is a twin. Then they're thinking and planning for El's past and how her family all fits into this, and they're thinking... wait a damn minute... We could totally Star Wars this bitch!

And then when they think it couldn't get any better, they uncover another layer that they hadn't planned or really considered in their initial plans.

While Will was always going to have sexual identity issues according to the Montauk bible, meaning that the writing process for him likely involved sitting down imagining scenarios that encapsulated this arc for Will from the beginning, they were simultaneously now finding very interesting aspects of Mike's character that made it hard not to at least consider the possiblity that Mike is not exactly straight.

Just think about it. The Byers and Wheelers are basically polar opposites on the spectrum of what a family looks like. While Will's discovery and acceptance of his queerness is interesting to explore because he comes from a low-income, single-mom household, all while having been bullied for years based on his perceived queerness, he also has a mother and brother constantly reinforcing that they will accept him no matter what. They've been sort of hitting us over the head with it for years, and so it wouldn't be very satisfying for his entire arc to merely lead up to something we've known all along. It's pretty much a given at this point.

On the other side of the spectrum, Mike comes from a more upper-middle class family at the end of a cul-de-sac, more aligned with what a nuclear family looks like. Mike's family is also presented as being more conservative, and while Karen does give that very queer-coded speech to Mike in s1 (I'm convinced they only wrote this after deciding to explore queer-coding more heavily with Mike), it also comes with comments from Ted and even still Karen that hint that they are probably not as open-minded and accepting as Will's family is to him. Which means Mike's arc would be a lot more about acceptance around him from his loved ones who we have been led to believe might not be as accepting of his queerness in contrast to Will.

And so as they're putting this story together, and they're being presented with something very interesting. Two similar experiences that play out in different ways because of the characters circumstances.

Will goes missing, and his twin sister with a buzzcut pops up and has the ability to help them find Will.

This leads to several moments where El is being compared to as not only a boy, but Will as well.

Now suddenly, their initial plans to have Mike's arc be about having a girl be interested in him and to hopefully have his first kiss and feel like less of a loser, starts to look a lot like what the experience a queer kid in his position might encounter growing up in the environment that he did.

And if you don't want to take my word for it, just hear the Duffer's themselves hinting at what they initially planned for Mike and the fact that it changed.

The changes don't stop there.

Believe it or not, 'It was a seven', did not exist in the initial pitch. When the boys went outside bickering over Nancy, they leave right after that.

Another thing that changed from the first script, was Scott Clarke's introduction:

And so you might be thinking, who cares? What does that have to do with anything?

Well, it's interesting because the line we end up with on the show is arguably one of the most on the nose Twelvegate proofs to date. Mind you, this is from the first episode:

Why chuck the original version, which was arguably more interesting and fascinating in terms of it hinting at the mysteriousness surrounding this story, only to replace it with him listing off tips about their upcoming test?

Well, I think it's the irony of it all. Here Mr. Clarke is practically telling us where to look to figure stuff out for ourselves what is going on, with all the kids filing out and ignoring him...

I relate to Scott a litttle too much in this shot here, any time I try to drop Willel evidence.

And the changes go on, as they obviously would.

Things like Terry Ives not even being El's mom, but actually a man who more so aligns with the characterization of Murray.

And one very interesting one I almost overlooked was in Hopper's introduction, where instead of a kids drawing done by who we assume to be Sarah, we actually see a picture on the wall of him and his wife and daughter... Interesting that they decided to switch it something that is a lot less definitive in presenting what Hopper's past looked like...

If you've made it this far, congratulations.

If you still think I'm out of my mind, just remember that El was going to have a brother in the original script, but they scrapped the scene and gave a near identical one to introduce her connection to Will instead 😘

#byler #stranger things #willel twins #twelvegate #montauk #as you can see #i am out of my mind #and i'm okay with that #i've spent the last couple months trying to make a video going over all the willel twin evidence #and i can't decide if it's even possible to do without going over an hour #like there is just so much shit that fits too perfectly into this family being ripped apart by mind control and time shenanigans #i hope to have it done soon #trying to make it less than 20 minutes #but it's probably going to end up being closer to an hour #especially with this stuff from the montauk pitch being added to the mix now #anyways #willel and byler are the curtain behind the curtain #if you are open to one of them #you are bound to stumble across the other #and they don't want that to happen #stay tuned for the inevitable twin imagery to continue in s5 related to willel leading up to the big reveal #bc it's arguably the most consistent thing about this damn show #and tbh this all just makes the queer-coding for mike in s1 a lot more concrete to me #them exploring will's queerness through his dad's expectations for him to do more 'manly' things like play baseball #and jonathan saying he shouldn't like things just bc people telll him he's supposed to #how they connect that narratively with the boys being at a baseball field when mike's being pressured about his supposed feelings for el #with the bullies showing up and literally being homophobic seconds later #the fact that jennifer hayes did in fact exist in the original pilot and was the girl mike had a crush on #only for them to scrap that and just make it about her having a crush on will...#never once introducing this idea of mike liking her...

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