#and Will would be on here defending mikes case

[chirpsythismorning]

Mike is a Will stan and Will is a Mike stan. If you stand up to defend either of them, by association you’re defending both of them. That’s just how it works

[pochipop]

＃FNAF MOVIE !! ♡ — IT'LL BE ALRIGHT (MIKE SCHMIDT X READER).

#. synopsis! — mike is used to walking on eggshells, just waiting for another tragedy, and you really don’t want to be just another person who's let him down.

#. characters! — mike schmidt .

#. warnings! — vague references to past traumatic events (canon compliant) , references to a verbal argument .

#. word count! — 1.8k .

#. alt accounts! — @ddollipop (nsfw) @hhoneypop (moodboards) .

#. others! — navigation & masterlist .

Mike is used to people leaving. They come and they go like stray cats who've found someone better to nab food off of, —leaving him with more ghosts in his life than he'd care to admit. At least these ones are metaphorical and melodramatic, though. His saving grace has been the fact that he chooses wisely who to introduce Abby to, just in case. She's been through enough, and she's so young that the absence of anyone would be duly noted. Not that it isn't when it comes to himself, it's just. . . He's learned how to live with loss. Maybe not effectively, but he does it, and for right now, that's probably as good as it's getting.

He's got more pressing matters to attend to. He always does. That's what he argued about with you, —what he fought tooth and nail to defend, even when you backed off. At the end of it, he knew he'd gone too far for no real reason. He wasn't arguing with you at that point, he was arguing with all the people that have left him starved for their affections and their care. The words he said to you were so far beyond your scope that it was almost pathetic to think about all the bullshit he unloaded on you like it was somehow your job to fix it, even when he knew it wasn't. So really, it's no wonder he's adding you to that list of people who've walked away.

For once, he truly deserved it. 

And now he's got to explain this to Abby. Because she likes you almost as much as he does, —almost being the operative word there. Mike sucks at a lot of things, and showing you he cares tends to be one of them, but he loves in his own ways. . . And now, he fears he'll have to do it from afar.

He sort of wishes Abby was the kind of kid he could bribe with ice cream for breakfast to break bad news to. It'd be easier to scoop her some off-brand Neopolitan and tell her she'd never see you again if that would help soften the blow. But it won't, and he knows that. He knows her too well to even try.

Still, he finds himself putting chocolate chips in her pancakes that morning in spite of himself.

When he places the plate in front of her, she narrows her eyes, as if to ask him what he's done so wrong. . . Asking what he's offering silent apologies for in the form of sweet pockets stolen away inside her favorite breakfast food. He opens the fridge in search of orange juice just to avoid her gaze.

Before she can even take a bite, he opens his mouth.

"Listen, Abby—"

She looks up at him with those big, doe eyes, and he probably would have cut himself off anyway if not for the knock on the front door. Mike mumbles for her to hold that thought, then goes to check who's outside.

And there you stand a little awkwardly on his doorstep, a brand new bottle of orange juice in your hand. Once again, it's like you've read his mind, and he's as sick of it as he is thankful for it, especially right now. Still, he can't turn you away.

"Morning," you say, almost hesitantly. "I brought juice. . ."

He tries to think of something to say, but hears the quick pitter-patter of Abby's feet fastly approaching. She calls your name so happily, and you smile at her.

"Good morning to you too," you laugh, returning the hug she gives you with no hesitation.

Mike just stares, as if he can't believe you're even here right now. If you're just here to grab the items of yours strewn about his house, he feels like the least you could have done was wait until Abby was asleep or something.

"Can I have some?" Abby asks, pointing to the orange juice in your hand.

"Yeah, that's what it's for," you smile, handing the bottle to her.

She scurries off to the kitchen to pour herself a glass.

"Mike," you say softly now that she's out of earshot, "can we—"

"I'll get your stuff together," he cuts you off.

Your jaw slacks.

"What?" Is the only thing you can manage to muster up in response.

"You could've done this at a different time," he snaps, trying to keep quiet so Abby doesn't hear. "It's gonna be ten times harder on her now for me to explain why you're not coming back."

You stare at him, trying not to cry. Out of all the things you expected to happen this morning, such a drastic change of heart on his part wasn't one of them.

"You. . . You're breaking up with me?" You question.

He pauses, a lot of the frustration dissipating from his features, replaced by genuine confusion.

"Didn't you already break up with me?" He asks.

Your brows knit together quizzically. 

"No? What are you even talking about, I never said I wanted to break up with you," you point out.

Sure, you didn’t say it. But most of the others had never said it either. It was like flipping a lightswitch. One minute they were there, and the next they weren’t. That's why he'd gotten so good at keeping his relationships at a distance, and he'd taken the biggest leap of faith in introducing you to his sister.

"Yesterday evening?" He says, but it sounds more like a question.

"We had an argument," you acknowledge. "It was stupid, and you hurt my feelings. I'm sure I hurt yours too. That doesn't mean I want us to be over."

Mike stares at you like he's not sure what to say, because he isn't. He's not used to someone caring enough to fight for him, and for what festers between himself and someone else. He's learned to let go before the thread pulls too tight, —before it wraps around his throat and slices through every defense he's built up for the sake of protecting himself, his heart, and the little girl that depends on him.

"Mike," you say softly, almost cautiously. "I care about you. One bad night doesn't change that. . . Not for me."

God, it was stupid. It was so stupid. You weren't even mad at him specifically, and you're fairly certain he wasn't really angry with you in particular either. Long days on both your parts collided like a warm front to a cold one, and the things both of you said in the wake of it were uttered through venom and gritted teeth. Sweeping generalizations, a lot of rolling eyes, some tears that were more about frustration than they were anything else. . . But you still loved him at the end of it, even as you found yourself walking home alone.

In fact, that walk was particularly sobering. The crisp chill of the autumn evening was enough to convince you that you'd rather be back at his place where he keeps an extra toothbrush for you in the bathroom and emptied out a drawer just so you could have a place to store some clothes. The sleep you got in the night that followed was shallow at best, restless enough to leave faint bags beneath your eyes by morning, and you were determined to make up any excuse in the book just to swing by.

So you went out and got some orange juice, knowing there wasn't any left in the fridge, and you stood outside his door for a while, working yourself up just to knock. You thought about all the things you'd need to apologize for, and you were ready to push aside your ego if it meant Mike could understand just how much you care, even when you're upset.

He swallows, just to give himself something to do while he prolongs his own response, because he's just not sure what to say. Somehow, a part of him is whispering that this would be easier if you just didn't give a fuck. . . If last evening was the end, and he could go back to finding comfort in silence again.

That's how it's always been. Someone leaves, and he copes, and then he files them away with the rest. But here you are, and Mike knows he can't bring himself to put you in with the others.

"Mike, I'm—"

"No, I am," he breathes, reaching forward to pull you into his arms. "I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, and I'm sorry that I suck at being a boyfriend, but I don't know what I'm doing and all I can tell you is that I'm trying."

He feels the tension meld away from you, and it's then, before you even open your mouth to reply, that he starts to think everything is how it should be.

"You don't suck at it," you answer lightly. "I know you're trying, and that's genuinely all I could ask for, and I'm sorry about yesterday evening. I was in a bad mood, and I took it out on you, and that wasn't right."

"We both took shit out on each other," he corrects, ready and willing to share the blame.

"True enough," you acknowledge with a weary smile, finally pulling away from his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he says again. "When things go wrong, I. . . I've just learned how to slam on the breaks. If I stop things before they feel like they'll suffocate me, I can avoid them. But I love you, and I know I don't want to avoid that."

"This isn't a one way street," you remind him. "Relationships are hard, and sometimes things happen in a way that they shouldn't, but I'm here for you, and I want to be here for you. . . It's not contractual. One bad night doesn't take away all the times you've made me feel like the happiest person on the face of the planet, Mike."

He sniffles a little, then lets out a relieved sigh.

"Are you hungry?" He asks. "I can make you some pancakes. Chocolate chip."

You raise an eyebrow.

"Chocolate chip? Are you apologizing to Abby for something?"

God, a part of him hates that he's so obvious, but another part loves that you know him so well. It makes him feel even stupider for just assuming that you'd be willing to throw in the towel after one rough night.

"No, not really," he shakes his head. (Not anymore, at least.)

Mike glances toward the kitchen, just to make sure Abby's still preoccupied with her breakfast, then steals a quick kiss from your lips.

"I'm sorry," he says again.

You smile.

"Me too."

"And I love you," he adds.

Your smile widens.

"I love you too. Promise."

With that, he pulls you to the kitchen, and you sit down beside Abby at the table. She tells you that when breakfast is done with, she'd like to show you some new drawings she's done, and you nod, telling her you're excited to see them. And you are.

Mike stands at the stovetop, his back to the both of you, not bothering to bite back his grin. 

He feels his foot ease off the break.

[violetmuses]

Phoenix - A. Aretas ❤️‍🩹

Title: Phoenix - A. Aretas ❤️‍🩹

Fandom: “Bad Boys” Film Universe

Character: Armando Aretas

Pairing: Armando Aretas + Female Reader

Main Storyline: An unexpected bond may never fade out.

Tag List: @nelo0wesker @yassbishimvintage @nobodygetsza @peaxhygirl @superstar-t20 @adoresmiles @klssngss @deja-r @hyper-trash-panda @amethyst-loves-bucky @planetblaque 🏷

=====

2024

“Stay out of my way.” Your joyful personality vanished at the Miami Police Department.

Wearing this Bud Light shirt, Armando chose one trucker hat that veiled his brown eyes. Jeans covered both legs and boots stepped along.

Shit! Upon realization, Detective Mike Lowrey scrambled into this precinct once you crossed paths with previous criminal Armando Aretas.

After facing many questions or encountering secrets over time, even Mike took responsibility and now stood as Armando's biological father.

“Don't panic. Armando has joined our team.” Mike buffered each stance in the hallway.

“Keep him away from me.” You then stood ground this time.

“He's your partner.” Mike offered reality, but still cringed.

“What the hell, Mike?” You immediately turned around.

“I've pulled strings for Armando and we'll explain everything.” Mike continued speaking.

To cut down time in prison, Aretas would help the AMMO squad.

Given no other option, you moved forward and headed to the briefing room.

Here we go.

______

Intelligent agencies whispered that late Captain Conrad Howard muddled with the cartel for years, but Mike and his partner Marcus Burnett would hustle and prove Cap’s innocence right away.

Soon enough, you discovered that Armando could identify whoever framed Captain Howard in the first place.

“Dorn has files we need, but our department is compromised.” Mike offered this truth and your heart dropped.

“Rats in the walls.” You repeat that warning from Cap's footage. This inside job could change everything.

“Yeah. Let's go.” Mike nodded, leading everyone out of this precinct.

*******

Radio silence grounded that commute when Mike Lowrey parked near this boathouse located on the waterfront.

“Stay outside.” Mike instructed Armando regardless of circumstances and exited the well-known Porsche beside Marcus.

“Still hate me?” Offering slightly accented English, Armando taunts while sitting next to you.

“Shut up.” You clipped right back. “I'm leaving when this case ends.”

“What?” Still wearing that trucker hat, Armando faced your direction.

“You heard me.” You wouldn't repeat that phrase this time. “I'm only here for the mission.”

“I barely know who you are.” Aretas revealed this truth over your presence.

“So what?” You then scoffed near Armando. “Mike is your father, but I'm not staying around the same person who hurt my friends.”

Armando turned silent, definitely puzzled with emotions.

“Siento haberte asustado.” Using his native language of Spanish, Aretas apologized to you.

“No eres un maldito fantasma.” Snipping in return, your partner is not a ghost.

“Lo sé, pero no luches conmigo para siempre.” Armando didn't want you to keep fighting against him.

Fed up, you leave this Porsche and sit by the dock instead, but Aretas follows your every move.

______

Sooner than later, nightfall crossed sunset as both of you still waited to enter Dorn's house.

“What's your name at least?” Giving English back, Armando faced you without jokes.

“Doesn't matter.” You defended yourself through privacy.

Before Aretas could respond, extra footsteps creaked on the dock as Mike walked close.

“Everything's set up. C'mon.” Lowrey didn't play around and you head inside, joining the team as planned.

****

“Kelly's with Dorn?” You whispered to Marcus despite everything, shocked for a moment.

“Found Kelly leaving the bathroom.” Burnett chuckled, shrugging.

“Ooh!” Humored, you laugh for the first time in quite a while.

Tech genius Dorn and weapons expert Kelly dated each other now.

“Did you kick his ass yet?” Marcus gestured near Armando while digital screens lined up the culprit search.

“I would've broken the dock into pieces to fight him.” You defended your skills.

“No.” Aretas clipped without turning away from his search.

“Uh-uh.” Mike intervened once more. “Don't start anything else, you two. Focus.”

Sitting down, you shook your head toward Kelly, but Armando trailed with materials anyway.

Damn.

*****

Bingo!

James McGrath: Former Army Ranger turned DEA agent. Tortured before joining the cartel himself.

Grounding this abandoned alligator park located in Florida, Mike pulled his trigger to kill McGarth and the mission exonerated Captain Howard.

Before Marshal Judy Howard, Captain's grieving daughter, gunned down Armando with revenge, you walked forward.

“Don't!” You lifted both hands and stood as protection.

“Get out of here before I change my mind.” Judy holstered the firearm despite grieving and you helped wounded Armando move until further notice.

=====

2025

This crowded terminal helped Armando Aretas return to Miami without drama. Even traveling the world pulled different strings for quite some time.

When you stand near “Baggage Claim,” Armando wouldn't even hold back this opportunity to smile.

“Hi. Sorry I'm late….” Your path stepped closer, but Aretas dropped luggage and hugged you, just thankful to be alive here.

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54

After everyone’s finished eating and the dishes are washed, Steve calls the rest of the Party.

They assemble at his house within the hour, and he has the dubious honor of standing in front of them with Robin as they go over the plan one last time.

It’s determined there will be three groups: the ones who stay above, the ones who cause a distraction in the Upside Down, and the ones who go in for the killing blow.

El, Will, Barb, and Jonathan stay above. Eddie, Dustin, Lucas, and Mike are named the Distraction Team, leaving Steve, Alli, Nancy, and Robin to walk into the belly of the beast.

Or it would, if Steve hadn’t forgotten about the adults. “You weren’t here last time!” He tries to defend himself.

Wayne volunteers himself to stay with the Distraction Team, and no one thinks to challenge him. “Hopper, you stay above,” Steve pleads. “And Joyce-”

“I’m a damn good shot,” she nods, fire in her eyes. “And he made this personal.”

Steve smiles hopefully. “That’s what I’d hoped you’d say.”

“Well,” Wayne says, checking his shotgun. “What’re we waitin’ for? Him t’be ready?”

“Maybe we could wait five minutes,” Eddie murmurs to his uncle, catching Steve’s eye.

Wayne looks Steve over, then nods and jerks his chin off to the side. “Hop to it, then.”

“Steve? A minute?” Eddie asks, but Steve’s already moving.

They make their way down a hallway and into an empty room, and once the door is shut, Steve stares at Eddie. “Well?”

“Well,” Eddie parrots, chuckling nervously. “I never thought anything like this would happen. And I don’t mean…” he waves his hand off to the side, encompassing everyone waiting in the living room. “I always knew I was gonna die in an unbelievable way.”

“Don’t-” Steve starts harshly, then shakes his head and turns away. “Please,” he says softer. “Don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Eddie murmurs. “Bad phrasing. I don’t think I’m going to die. I don’t plan on it. In fact I’d rather like to live and see where this goes, since this is what I never saw coming.” He takes a small step forward. Two. Holds his hands out. “You and me. What are the odds, really?”

Steve chuckles, lets himself take Eddie’s hands. “You’re better at the math than I am.”

“Well then, I’ll tell you the odds: next to impossible. Yet somehow you saw me, decided you wanted me, and really, who am I to defy that? Who am I to not let myself have the one thing I never thought I could?”

“You’re talking circles around me,” Steve admits. “I think I get the gist of what you’re saying, but I’m confused.”

Eddie giggles. “It’s alright, I confused myself. Let me lay it out, as plainly as I can: I never thought I’d get to have this. You. But I do. And I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure we all make it out of this intact.” He gently tugs Steve’s hands, leading him closer. “And I really wanted to kiss you again. Just in case.”

Steve grins, rolls his eyes, and cups Eddie’s face. “Why didn’t you just say so?” He asks, and kisses Eddie soundly.

When they pull apart, Eddie blinks a few times before breaking out into a grin. “Damn. I’d tell you to kiss Vecna like that, and he’d do whatever you want, but then I’d have to kill him anyways.”

Steve makes a face. “That’s an image I never wanted in my head, thanks so much.”

Eddie giggles. “Can I make it up to you?” He murmurs, pushing closer in another kiss, softer and slower, less a goodbye than a thousand beginnings at once.

When they pull apart the second time, Steve looks at him for a solid minute before tearing his gaze and hands away. “Okay,” he says, blushing high in his cheeks. Even his ears feel red. “We’d better go before I get started on that dessert I mentioned earlier.”

Eddie’s silenced for a moment. “I mean,” he starts, “I wouldn’t be opposed.”

Steve grins. “After,” he says. “Extra incentive.”

“Y-yeah, okay,” Eddie nods, and follows Steve out to the living room.

His uncle immediately fastens him with a look, and he responds by shrugging and nudging their shoulders together when he sits down next to him. “After,” he murmurs in explanation. He feels a little cowed by the amount of afters he’s amassing, but it’s comforting, all the same: it means there will be an after for him, when everything is said and done.

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[lunabug2004]

Why the Troy and Angela Situations Should Not Be Compared (+ Why Mike's Reaction Is Valid)

One of the things that gets my blood boiling as a Mike defender is when people try to compare the bullying/El's reaction to said bullying between the Troy and Angela scenes. They are not the same thing, not even close! Yes, they're both cases of bullying, but two very different levels of extreme.

Yes, I understand that words can hurt just as much, if not more, than a physical weapon, and Mike understands this too, that's why he tries to connect with El the morning after. But in the real world, one without monsters or powers, the one they believe they're living in at the time, violence is almost never the answer, it only makes things worse, as it did. Mike also understand this. Now, yes, it took him a minute to figure out that El didn't quite understand this yet, but he works to fix his mistakes as soon as he does.

Now, let's look at season 1's incident. Troy is threatening to cut Dustin with a knife if Mike doesn't jump off the quarry cliff. Two lives are in immediate and direct danger in this situation. El, literally at the last second, saves Mike as he's falling, so that's one problem fixed and one less life at stake. By this time, yes, Troy has moved away from Dustin, but he is still holding the knife! And then he aggressively steps towards El, threatening her with it, so she snaps his arm and makes him drop it. This is self defense, as well as defending her friends from a dangerous situation.

In season 4, Angela publicly humiliates El. Yes, it's awful, and yes, she deserves the smack that she gets for it, but it's nowhere near as bad as what Troy was doing. Angela isn't putting any lives in immediate danger, she's not brandishing a weapon! Legally, El smacking Angela is assault, because at the point of the roller-scate-smack, the ordeal is done with, and there was no physical harm done. I'd like to add that I'm aware of El falling, and that she may have been hurt, but technically no one touched her, so it still isn't technically self-defense (I may be wrong here, pls correct me if so). This is a very unfortunate situation, and I feel terrible for El, as should everyone, but I'm a firm believer that when it comes to bullies, you shouldn't fight fire with fire, and Mike seems to carry this belief as well, as he repeatedly tells the boys to just ignore their bullies in s1. @foodiewithdahoodie has an old post (can't find it irl, but it's stuck in my brain) in which they say El treats Angela, a normal girl who is not a serious threat, with the same extreme hostility she shows the UD monsters, and I completely agree with this. El is flawed, and Mike's not a bad person for reacting to those flaws, that just happen to include unnecessary violence, the way a normal person would.

Anyways, what I'm getting at here is that these two situations are completely different (again, Troy has a literal weapon, two peoples' lives were being actively threatened!) and Mike's reaction in both circumstances were completely valid! In season one, he was seconds away from death, and so when El saved him and made the threat go away, he was eternally grateful for her defense. In season 4, he tries so hard to get to her when he realizes what's going on despite having just found out she'd been lying to him for months, and he was even completely on El's side, trying to find and comfort her, until she hit Angela, then he believed she went too far (she did), so he made that known. He's never been one to sugarcoat when he disagrees with certain behaviors, and he doesn't start here, he tells it like it is: Angela doesn't look fine. It also is just a lot to process, so it doesn't surprise me that it takes an overnight thought-session for him to figure out where he went wrong, and again, he tries to make it up to her! To connect with her, bringing down some of his walls in the process! She just disregards his experiences, then brings up him not saying ILY, so he gets defensive and puts back up his walls, and they never get to continue this conversation! (This is an analysis for another day in and of itself tbh)

To reiterate, it just irks me when people compare these scenes to try and make Mike out to be a bad person, when they are nowhere near the same situation! His reactions being different makes total sense, esp when adding the shock-factor of it all! I'll stop talking now cuz this could go on forever and I lowkey feel like I'm just repeating myself now.

Pls tell me your thoughts on this!

[multifandomwriter56]

Doubts Put to Rest

A/N: Hello Everyone! This is my first ever Suits story. I hope you enjoy. I have an OC I'm working on and I'm excited to post it.

Fandom Prompt #15: "Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You're gonna love it."

Summary: Y/n Specter is Harvey's younger sister and has been an associate at Pearson Hardman for three months. After the last case she had helped Harvey with, a threat of her being fired is going around. Donna and Mike try to help, but ultimately, only her brother can put her mind at ease... even if he is part of the problem.

Character: Harvey Specter, Donna Paulsen, Mike Ross, mentions Jessica Pearson

Warnings: language

Word Count: 1,565

*gif is not mine*

"Yes, exactly. They'll never know what hit them."

Harvey swivels in his chair, facing the two sources to his headache. "Why are the two puppies so excited about today?" He asks the two associates.

Y/n Specter rolls her eyes at her brother. The annoying pet name became Harvey's favorite since she started working at Pearson Hardman.

"I don't think he's ready for the truth." Mike teases, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips as he looks at his partner in crime.

Y/n doesn't even try to hide her smirk. "I agree. Maybe we should just run it by Jessica. I'm sure she would agree with us."

Mike's eyes widen. He shakes his head in warning, trying to be inconspicuous. He should've told the young girl that Harvey is in one of his moods and they shouldn't push too hard… especially on the subject of one Jessica Pearson.

Y/n immediately regrets her words when Harvey stands to his feet, any amusement he had completely gone.

"How about instead of wasting my time, you tell me what the fuck you found." He's not shouting, but he's not far from it.

Mike immediately spills their idea, working with Harvey long enough to know when to push and when to back off.

"Put it in writing and bring it to me by the end of the day." He orders as he settles back into his chair, his focus turning to his laptop. A clear sign of dismissal.

The two associates quickly leave the older man's office.

"Why would you say that?" Donna scolds, not even pretending she wasn't listening to their conversation.

Y/n shrugs her shoulders. "He wasn't in that bad of a mood this morning." She tries to defend herself. She has to be in a certain mood to even think about attempting to piss off her brother. "What happened in between this morning and now? We're going to win the case."

Donna's scolding glare turns to the other headache. "You didn't tell her?"

Y/n immediately notices how Mike turns on the puppy eyes. She rolls her eyes, no wondering Harvey always calls him a puppy. "Tell me what?"

She watches as her brother's secretary and associate have a staring contest, waiting for one of them to cave.

She may be an associate at Pearson Hardman, but Jessica made it clear to Harvey that his sister is not at his beck and call. She is to be available for other partners, just like the other associates. 

And she prefers it that way. This case had more work and Mike asked for her help.

Just as she assumed, Mike is the first to cave.

"After the last case, Jessica started questioning whether or not it's a good idea to let you work here. She chewed Harvey out for punching that lawyer."

"It's not my fault Harvey feels the need to protect me... no matter how many times I tell him he doesn't need to."

"Oh honey, you know Harvey will always protect you. Even when he doesn't need to, he will."

Y/n can't deny Donna's words. Harvey has always been overprotective of those he cares about. That will never change. She just wishes he would butt out. "So Jessica wants me gone."

"She doesn't want to fire you, but she's starting to believe she's going to have to pick between the two of you and-"

"And there's no way she'll pick the kid sister over her own protégé." Y/n shakes her head. She knew working here was a bad idea. This is her brother's firm, not hers. She wanted it to be both, but it can't be. She's second. 

And second choice never gets picked by the best.

"He told Jessica if you go, he goes." Mike tells her, his voice barely above a whisper as a paralegal passes by.

She snaps her eyes closed. No matter how old, how successful she is... she'll always be a headache for her brother. A nuisance he's been stuck with since their father passed.

"I don't pay you to sit around and gossip like school girls with Donna. Get to work." Harvey snaps.

Mike huffs as he turns on his heel and heads for the bullpen, but Y/n stays where she is, her eyes bravely staring right back at the raging bull.

The siblings stare silently at each other, making Donna bit her lower lip in dread. This could end very badly if she doesn't interfere soon. "Come on, Y/n. You can help me make copies while you wait for Mike."

Y/n breaks eye contact, forcing them to meet the redhead's. "Sure, Donna."

"No."

The two women freeze. Donna tries to catch Harvey's gaze but it's solely on his sister.

Y/n's stomach drops when Harvey gesture with his raised hand for her to come into his office. Maybe he's decided it will be better if she leaves. Maybe he realized he's tired of having her around. Maybe he wants her completely out of his life.

No. That's ridiculous. Harvey loves her. He may not always say 'I love you' but he shows it. Y/n has never questioned his love for her. Not until now.

But Harvey has never been in this position; to have to pick between his beloved law firm or his sister. Y/n knows how much this firm means to Harvey. She refuses to be the reason it's taken from him.

So with her head held high and her mind made up, Y/n strides into his office; ignoring the questioning raised eyebrow he sends Donna's way.

Standing in front of his desk, she waits for Harvey to sit, before she begins speaking. "I'm officially giving my two weeks notice."

The slight amusement that was starting to rise, drops like a cannonball. Harvey had seen that determined look many times before, mostly when Y/n was in her teens. The look is classic stubborn Specter glare and it brought back memories. Memories of Y/n stating her case on why she should go camping with her friends with no adults. Or when she was determined that she wasn't too sick to go to the courthouse to watch Harvey win against an old rival before throwing up the three crackers she ate thirty minutes beforehand.

But he never thought the girl would use that look to quit... to give up.

"What did you just say to me?"

"I'm not going to let you give up your job for me."

"Who said I was giving up my job?" At her fallen expression, Harvey quickly tries to explain. "Y/n, dammit, I didn't mean that I was picking my job over you. Neither one of us are leaving. You hear me? I'm not letting you quit and I'm not letting Jessica fire anyone. We're staying."

Y/n lets go of her fake fearless act, letting her legs give out as she plops down into the chair directly behind her. "H-How?"

"Because I'm the best damn closer the world has ever seen."

Y/n groans, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "I fucking hate that answer."

"Welcome to the real world. It sucks." Harvey chuckles when that gets him another eye roll. "Don't worry. You're gonna love it."

"Already do."

Y/n lets the comfortable silence fall over them; glad the tension is gone.

She wants to drop it, but she needs to know. "Did Jessica really want me gone?"

Harvey shakes his head, the smile disappearing. "Dammit Mike." He mutters under his breath before turning his focus back to his sister. "Jessica was angry with me. We had to settle with the lawyer I punched. She was pissed and made threats she didn't mean. Jessica would never fire you. She loves you."

Y/n chews on his words, the hurt she was feeling towards the managing partner disappearing into the abyss. But she's not fully satisfied. "Jessica is still angry with you?"

Harvey swallows his pride. He refuses to admit it, but Y/n is one (if not the only) person Harvey is willing to put his pride aside for. "I apologized and I've been assigned two pro bono cases; one for each month."

Y/n can't hold back the smile. Jessica really knows how to hit Harvey where is hurts.

Harvey points an accusing finger at her, his eyebrows raised high. "And that look just cost you dearly. I'm assigning them to you."

Y/n's smile immediately falls. "Aww, come on, Harvey. You know Mike loves that shit. Why don't you give it to him?"

"Because then I can't punish him for blabbing his mouth to you and Donna about Jessica."

"I'll tell Jessica you pawned the case off to me." She ignores the fact that she sounds just like a five year old.

Harvey smirks. "No, you won't."

Y/n crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh yeah? And what's stopping me?"

She tries to ignore the anxiety building in the pit of her stomach. She never trusts Harvey when he has that look. A look so mischievous, the possibilities of what he is thinking are endless.

"I know you and Rachel stole Jessica tea set one night and had you own little tea party."

Y/n's jaw drops. There's only one person who knew about that besides the two woman there.

"Donna!"

Forevers: @desiredposion @theseakrakence @simonsbluee

[the-lean-buddha]

My thoughts on the news about The Long Walk's film adaption

I have very little faith that The Long Walk will be a good adaption but maybe I'll be wrong! I can dream, and I've been wrong before. Here are my thoughts on the casting announcements and set pictures.

Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are the leads, according to Deadline, which means they're presumably Garraty and McVries. Jonsson seems like a good actor but an awful fit for either character, and with Hoffman (presumably Garraty) it comes down to how good an actor he is, I guess, because I can see it working if I squint but I haven't seen anything from Hoffman to suggest he can do Garraty. And I reaaaaally doubt he could do McVries. McVries has a bite to him.

Joshua Odjick is Native American so he's presumably Joe or Mike (not to say that a different character couldn't theoretically be Native American in the adaption, but it's key to Joe and Mike that none of the other Walkers understand their culture at all, and only Baker defends their parents). It's odd that either of those two would have a prominent enough role to be cast already, so I wonder if either one of their roles is beefed up, or if Mike and Scramm will be a composite character and Joe won't feature at all. Alternatively, Odjick isn't playing a Native American character (or he is but Mike and Joe are adapted out), in which case I'd guess Parker.

Roman Griffin Davis is someone I've only ever seen in Jojo Rabbit so I don't know how much range he has. I think he'd fit best as Barkovitch but I wouldn't be surprised if he's been cast as Baker or Olson.

Charlie Plummer is Stebbins. I say this almost entirely because he's a long-haired blonde. If McVries is black then book descriptions (and characterizations, let's be honest, you can't make McVries a black kid in the 70s and keep his character the same) are thrown out the door already, but google Charlie Plummer and tell me he's not been cast as Stebbins. Also, take a look at this.

Ben Wang is Asian American and there are no explicitly Asian American characters, so we've gotta guess this one purely on Vibes (Olson and Barkovitch could both be canonically Asian American, but Barkovitch is openly racist, so). From Wang's YouTube channel and some clips of Chinese Born American I found, he's a nice and playful guy (hmu Ben let's get a lemonade, also tell me who you're playing), so I'd assume Baker or Olson or Abraham because they fit that the closest, I guess? But this is unfortunately a flawed way of guessing because actors playing lunatics are sometimes normal people in real life, walking among us, going almost undetected.

Tut Nyuot's a young, sweet-looking kid. I'd assume Percy? Again, weird to cast Percy already because he doesn't even have any lines in the book, but I can't imagine Nyuout playing a character who's supposed to be the same age as Charlie Plummer's character. Maybe he's unexpectedly good at playing deranged assholes like Barkovitch? We'll see.

For Garrett Wareing I'd say Olson, looking through clips and interviews.

Jordan Gonzalez gives me no strong impression. Sorry, Jordan. Feel free to give me a stronger one over lemonade (and tell me who you're playing). If I'm held at gunpoint then I'll say Abraham.

Mark Hamill is presumably playing the Major. He's absolutely not who I would have picked because he overflows with character and I always pictured the Major as a stoic, empty Big Brother type figure, whose moments of charisma and friendliness were obviously just an act. And I guess Hamill could play that, but I think the Major will more likely have a lot more personality and vim and vigor in the movie, if Hamill was cast - he's easily the biggest draw in the cast. Not necessarily a bad way to portray the Major, but easier to mess up. We'll wait and see.

Judy Greer as presumably Mrs. Garraty will presumably be fine.

Set photos look promising, aesthetically. No half-track, though. And there's a tank. Why is there a tank?

There's a Deadline article suggesting that there are only 50 kids and the pace limit is 3mph. But there's also an article suggesting it's still 100 kids so it might be a mistake? If it's 50 kids then that's presumably done for practicality but it's a bad change, the number will either get too low too fast or it'll drop too slowly (and also no 47 and 61 which would be weird but that's not significant). 3mph isn't necessarily bad, it's more feasible, but it does mean the "first into Massachusetts in seventeen years" can't happen. Maybe they'll make New Hampshire the record instead.

i want lemonade

Reblog with your thoughts! We've got news, people, and I'm sure someone somewhere is more excited about that than I am. Let's get some discussion going on in here.

[wsdanon]

Felpac Week AU Day: Dungeon Meshi AU \o/!!

hi guys \o/ just posting this one on tumblr for now. This is part of mine and @routeriver 's dungeon meshi au!! and for day six of @felpacweek \o/!!

it's quite honestly heavily based off a scene from the manga--a flashback of falin and marcille--but i have of course made sure to change it so it's consistent with felpac + qsmp. i'm kind of just taking the bones and building off of it

hope you enjoy, reblogs are appreciated \o/!!

Felps had asked him if he wanted to see something cool and—maybe against his better judgement—Pac had said yes. 

They’ve been adventuring together for a little bit now, anyway. If Felps really wanted to kill him, Pac’s sure him and Cellbit would’ve found a much easier way to do so down in the dungeons. 

So, he follows after Felps as Felps leads him through a forest. And tries very hard not to think about the fact Felps had taken his hand to do so. 

Felps is relaxed as he walks. Nothing tense in his posture at all, and a small smile on his face. 

Pac, however, probably looks like the living embodiment of anxiety. He’s being taken—alone—to an unknown place in the middle of a thick forest on the outskirts of town by someone who kind-of-maybe watched while his leg was eaten. And to top it all off—that person is hot and is holding his hand. 

Mike would laugh at him for the latter. Or chastise him for holding it to the same level of stress as the former. But he doesn’t get it. 

“Here.” Felps diverts from the path he was on and tugs Pac over to a bush filled with red berries. “Are you hungry?” 

“Are they—Are they even safe to eat?” 

Unfortunately, Felps lets go of his hand to pick a few. 

“Yeah, I think so.” He shrugs, and pops one into his mouth before offering his handful to Pac. “I mean—I’ve been eating them.”

“Um… okay.” 

Hesitantly, Pac takes one. He just holds it, though. 

“I’m not dead yet, right?” Felps jokes, before eating another. “I’ve eaten worse, probably.”

And Pac has, too. Probably. Assuming this isn’t poisonous. 

But him and Mike had to get creative while they were kids. And then again when they’d just escaped prison and didn’t have any money. 

As a sign of good faith, Pac eats the berry. And it’s worth the whole fearing for his life thing when Felps beams at him.

Felps takes his hand again and leads him back onto whatever path he was following before. 

“A few years back,” Felps starts anecdotally, “I got lost. So I had to eat cigarettes.”

“What?��� 

Okay Pac doesn’t feel so good about eating the berry now. Not if that’s Felps’ measurement for whether something’s edible or not. 

“It was all I had on me!” Felps says—his voice rising in pitch a little as he tries to defend himself. “And it’s fine, see? I’m still alive. And I made it back to civilisation a few days later, so it wasn’t for long.”

“Felps, you—you don’t even smoke!”

A frown crawls onto Felps’ face, and he takes a moment to respond. 

“They’re good for bartering, you know?” 

Oh. Right. Pac had almost forgotten why he knows that Felps doesn’t smoke—cigarettes and the like were traded a lot throughout the prison. But even if Felps wasn’t bound to Cell, a pack of cigarettes wouldn’t have won him over. 

Although, Pac is sure he does other things. 

“Oh!” Felps speeds up a little, and Pac stumbles to adjust his pace to keep up. “We’re almost there!”

There turns out to be some hole at the bottom of a hill. Standing a metre or so away, Pac can’t quite see down into it. 

Felps lets go of his hand again to crouch by the opening, and Pac feels his heart rate spike.

“Felps!” He hisses. “What are you doing? It’s probably, like, a bear cave or something!”

Felps looks back at him, clearly amused. 

“It’s a dungeon. But only a small one—come take a look.” 

At Felps’ beckoning, Pac slowly inches closer. 

He’d say his self-preservation is usually better than this, but curiosity has always won out over it. That, or pretty faces. In this case there’s both, and Pac is helpless but to play the role of the cat—he can only hope the second half of the saying is relevant here, too. 

Pac crouches down next to Felps. The opening is certainly big enough for a bear—which means it’s easily big enough for both of them to crawl into. 

It’s not particularly dark in the dungeon. There must be some opening up the top allowing the sunlight to shine through a bit. There’s water throughout it, but definitely enough land to comfortably stand on—a small slope down from where they’re standing which turns into a patchy pathway leading to a large bit of ground in the middle. 

“Should we go in?” Pac asks. 

A small dungeon like this seems like it’d be perfect to study from. He’s only ever been in ones that are way more developed—which have a lot to offer in the way of learning, but these early steps are some of the most important ones, right?

“Sure.” Felps shrugs and sends him a smile. “I already have a few times.“

Still… despite his burning curiosity—despite how this could advance his theories—he hesitates. Felps is already ahead of him. He turns to look back at Pac. 

“It’s perfectly safe.” Felps assures him, holding his hand out for Pac to take. “There’s plenty of sunlight, you know? And we’ll be able to see if anything shows up. Just stick to the dry parts and you’ll be fine.”

Pac takes Felps’ hand, and lets himself be led down into the dungeon. 

It’s beautiful. Pac has always loved gardens. And while this is more mossy cave than garden, the air swarming with sparkling sprites certainly adds to the magic of the place—quite literally. 

Pac takes a moment to just stand there and soak it all in. It’s nothing compared to the absent hum of power from a grown dungeon, but it’s definitely something. 

“What do you do here?” Pac asks. 

“Oh, I just sit.” And when Pac turns to look at him, he already is. “And I nap sometimes. It’s a nice place for a nap.”

“I—Yeah, I guess that’s true.”

He should probably take samples. Of the water, and the dirt—anything he can get his hands on. They won’t be in town long enough for him to study it properly, so he’ll need to make sure he gets some of everything he could possibly need. 

Starting with the pond, he pulls a couple waterproof vials from his bag as he approaches. The water isn’t exactly crystal clear, but it’s not worryingly murky, either. 

The sunlight doesn’t quite reach it, but Pac thinks he can see enough to note a bit of a drop-off. Nothing too serious—just that even right by the edge he could probably submerge his hand up to his wrist. Which makes it a little more difficult to grab samples of whatever the waterbed is made up of. 

Mostly just because he’s a little worried about the consequences of sticking his whole hand into an unknown dungeon pond. 

But this is for science. And the science is for an important cause. 

He kneels down by the edge of the water and—

“Oh—My god!”

—throws himself back, fumbling for his staff. 

“What?”

“There’s a slime!” Pac throws an arm back blindly to protect Felps, and readies his staff to fire. “Stay back! I’ve been practising atta—“

“Woah, wait, Pac!” Felps tugs on his arm with the staff, effectively throwing off his aim. “Calm down! It won’t come into the sunlight, see?”

“What?” 

As Felps promises, the slime doesn’t advance. It curiously pokes at the edge of the sunlight before sinking back into the water. 

“Oh.” All of his tension drains out of him as the word does. 

And he feels a little silly for the overreaction. 

“Mhm, see?” Felps lets go of his arm, but urges him further away from the edge of the sunlight. “We’re safe here. It’s okay.”

“Right.” Pac laughs self consciously, face warm with embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Felps’ face blanks for a moment, before he smiles. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “It’s sweet, you know? That you wanted to protect me.”

It sounds like he isn’t saying something. But Pac doesn’t want to think about that right now. 

It’s not like they haven’t all protected each other while adventuring, anyway. Felps’ magic in particular has saved them more times than Pac can count. Surely that makes up for… 

He’s not thinking about it. 

“Anytime, you know?” 

Maybe the wrong answer. Felps quickly turns his face away, looking towards the ceiling of the dungeon. He points up. 

“There’s bats up there.” Felps says. And sure enough—Pac can just see glimpses of them huddled together among the stalactites. “I think the slimes eat the bat shit—what’s it called? Guano?—and then they convert it into magical energy. It’s what keeps the dungeon alive.”

“Really?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Felps shrugs, and throws an easy smile his way. This one seems a bit more normal. “I’m just guessing. Haven’t really been here long enough to know for sure, you know? But it makes sense, right?”

“It does.”

Felps sits down, and after a moment Pac does the same. Samples can wait. Maybe he just needs to sit for a bit—take it all in properly. 

There’s a whole ecosystem at play here. Pac had suspected that a little, of course, but this early dungeon—without all the bigger distractions—really highlights how much is interconnected. How intricate it all is.

The bats have to eat, too, after all. Maybe those berries Felps picked earlier. And for the bats to eat the berries, the berries have to be able to grow, which is probably its own whole mini-ecosystem.

Out of the corner of his eye, Felps shifts—lying down. 

“Wake me up when you’re ready to go, alright?”

“Okay.”

How did Felps even find this place?

Well… it is Felps. It’s not totally surprising. It probably doesn’t even have to do with his skill with magic—if anyone was going to stumble across a budding dungeon, it’d be him. That’s just the kind of person he is. Something about him invites this kind of stuff.

It’s been nice getting to know this side of him. It was there in prison, of course, just… suppressed. 

He smiles a lot more now. And not just when it’s only the two of them hiding away together. 

And Pac should probably tear his gaze away from Felps before Felps opens his eyes and catches him staring. 

He pulls his notebook from his bag and writes down what he’s already learned. Writes Felps’ theory, as well as his own. 

He has a long way to go before he can reach his goal, but this is a good next step.

--

hope you enjoyed \o/!! check out the ab.aeterno tag for more from both me and jaime \o/

[angelsanarchy]

Fever Dreams: Mike x Y/N One Shot Series PRT 12

Tagging: @icarus-star @chainsawgvtsfvck @romanroyapoligist @liquidsmoothdomme @madamemaximoff06 @drazenka @blacksoul-27 @444rockstargf @kappasbbgirl @luzclarita57 @tempt-ress @starry-eyed-wild-child

Mike walks into the bar and thought for a minute it might be closed. Y/n walked out of the back carrying a case of liquor and paused when she saw him.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" She asked surprised to see him.

"Leff kicked me out because the chick he was fucking was shrieking over the show I was watching." Mike shrugged.

"Uh oh, he must be with Candy tonight. She's obnoxiously loud when she's fucking." Y/n sat the box down and Mike looked at the door.

"Are you closed? I can get out of your way if-" She waved at him.

"It's usually dead on Tuesday's. Drink specials aren't until tomorrow so this is my one day to relax, restock, clean and run numbers." Y/n explained.

"Anything I can help with?" Mike offered making her smile.

"You don't have to help but you're more than welcome to hang out." Y/n wouldn't admit it but she actually really likes having Mike around. He made her laugh and she loved flirting with him. He actually made the days easier to get through.

"Seriously, let me help. I don't mind." He took the case from her and she showed him where to put it. She started writing down all the bottles she was restocking and Mike started placing them on the shelf.

"You looking for a part time job?" She teased.

"Hell I'd do this for free if I get to hang out with you." Mike watched how diligently she took notes and she smirked at him.

"Don't you ever get tired of flirting so shamelessly with me?" She asked honestly and he paused.

"No? Unless it bothers you...I mean I like you but I don't want to be one of those annoying guys that can't take a hint either." Mike's words were filled with concern and she laughed.

"You would know if your advances weren't welcome, trust me." She assured. Mike tried not to show the blush on his cheeks, turning away from her as he finished emptying the box.

"I'm actually a little bummed you didn't tough it out at home. Could have been a team player and made me another video." Y/n wiggled her eyebrow and Mike snorted a laugh.

"As if you would actually use them for anything." Y/n was surprised by his response.

"I did! I used it last night as a matter of fact." Y/n defended.

"How would I know that? You don't share the wealth with me." He pouted before taking his jacket off so he could break down the box the liquor bottles were in. Y/n watched the muscles in his arms flex.

"How about I make you a deal? You beat me in a game of pool and I'll make you a video all your own." Y/n walked over to the door and flipped the sign to closed, making sure to lock it.

"What happens if you beat me?" Mike walked over towards the pool sticks and grabbed one. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I get to watch you make one." She bit her lip, this time not missing the crimson on his cheeks.

"Sounds like a deal." Mike held his hand out and she shook it.

"Rack em' up." She gestured to him at the end of the table. Mike knew how to play pool. He had played with Leff when he was a kid but he could never beat him. He wasn't bad but he just could never win against Leff. He didn't really feel like he could lose either way when it came to their deal.

Y/n was clearly expecting him not to be any good because she kept giggling to herself every time he sunk a ball. She shook her head when he started taking the lead.

"Don't get so defeated. It won't be fun when I beat you." Mike teased.

"Are you getting cocky with me?" Y/n asked brushing past his shoulder.

"Maybe just a little. From what I saw the other day, you didn't seem to mind when I'm a bit cocky." Mike licked his lips as he bent over to take his shot. Y/n leaned forward exposing her clevage to his fill view. He shook his head at her.

"You're cheating." He hit the ball and it bounced off the wall.

"What? How am I cheating? I was just trying to get on your level...see what you were aiming for." She sipped a beer and he let his eyes linger from her chest to her face.

"I know what I'd like to aim at those things." He teased as she moved to set up her next shot. He moved to stand behind her and she could feel his bulge poking her as she rested bent in half over the table.

"See it's not so easy when you're distracted now is it." She fired off her shot and it went into the pocket. She turned around and smirked at him.

"I'm not sure what you mean but I suggest you focus up if you want to win." Mike rolled his eyes and knew his next shot could set him up to win, sinking two more balls by using one of hers to bank on.

"Bitch." Y/n gasped. Mike had to laugh out loud. She gave him a playful shove and he took a dramatic bow.

"Well I guess now you have to call your shot." She stepped into his space watching him look over the table at his best options. She danced her fingertips down his arm and he watched her move to stand between him and the table, resting her hands on his belt buckle.

"Now this is definitely cheating. I never took you for a dirty player." Mike watched her hands undo his belt and slowly unzip his pants.

"What can I say? I don't like to lose." She released his cock from his boxer briefs and he let out a quick breath. She brought her hand to her mouth and licked up her hand before gently jerking his cock, keeping her eyes on Mike's face as he closed his eyes and gripped the table with both hands.

"You know what I liked about your video most?" Mike opened his eyes as she spoke. It was hard for him to focus while she jerked him off though.

"I like listening to you breathe...and grunt. I love when a man makes noise when he's getting off. It makes me so fucking wet." Y/n gave him a squeeze and Mike moaned resting his forehead against hers.

"Y/n...if I tried to kiss you...would you punch me in the face?" Mike asked cautiously and she held his gaze.

"Yes." She replied but Mike didn't care for the repercussions. He gripped her face in his hands and slammed his mouth into hers. She kissed back instantly, letting her tongue dance with his own while she continued to jerk him off. Mike had wanted to kiss her since the morning they met but he never thought he would be in this kind of compromising position.

"Wait..wait!" Mike pulled back opening his eyes to see Y/n surprised.

"What? You want me to stop?" She asked almost worried. Mike shook his head letting her know he loved what she was doing but he had to taste her.

"I need to eat your pussy...please. I'll concede, you win. I just-" Mike realized how desperate he sounded but Y/n smiled at him as she sat back on the table and spread her legs.

Mike didn't even bother tucking his cock away before he got on his knees in front of her, yanking her shorts and panties off. He dove tongue first into her folds and she groaned. He tried to probe his tongue as deep as he could to taste her, shaking his head so that the tip of his nose would wiggle atop her clit.

"Fuck! You're good with your mouth when you aren't talking." She moaned, letting her head fall back and right hand rake through his hair to clutch and pull. Mike could feel her pushing her hips into his face, grinding against his face and tongue.

"You taste...so fucking good." Mike hummed as he pulled her clit into his mouth and sucked. Her legs jumped and he tossed them over his shoulders.

"Right there. Oh fuck. Don't stop. Right there Mike." She cried pulling on his hair as she whined. Mike wanted her to cum. He wanted to make her cum so badly that he double down on sucking her clit and shaking his head like a dog. He tasted her release and she squeezed her thighs around his head as she came, her juices running down his chin.

He lapped at her juices as he legs twitched on his shoulders. She laid her back against the pool table trying to catch her breath and Mike grinned, staring down at her, completely fucked and spent because of him.

He didn't have a ton of accomplishments but he considered this one of his proudest moments.

[notsohehehahanow]

I know the mike initiating a kiss or making the first move is a popular thing among bylers but i dont think that would be/should be the case AND HERES WHY 🤓☝ *mcyter with lists voice* (i get sidetracked so bear with me)

For starters; we've come to a conclusion that mike has internalized homophobia and there's plenty of evidence to back this up, he wants to be "normal" and in the 80s being gay was abnormal, this is a commonly known thing that's mentioned a lot amongst bylers and its precisely the reason i dont think mike would be the one to make the first move

Mike does everything in his power to be a normal person which is why i think he was willing to lie to el so easily in season 3

This is where i get sidetracked but really its just backup analyzing for this

Before gay marriage was legal, lavender marriages were everywhere or at least a fairly common thing, in case you dont know lavender marriages are marriages that were used to cover the sexuality of one or both of the people getting married, which i think ties in with mike and els dynamic (will get to that later)

Mike uses el as a cover or a way to be normal, its what he grew up around and its what he saw on tv gay relationships just werent considered normal

In season 3 mike lies to el so he can continue to see her, to continue to have a cover or something that convinces him hes "normal", and all they really did was make-out because "thats what couples do"

You have the season 3 rain fight which ive seen multiple people mention that mike was blatantly reflecting but ive never seen anyone explain it more - will says something about mike and el (seemingly) constantly kissing, referring to el as "a stupid girl" and while mike did defend el, he couldve just left it at "els not stupid", "its not my fault you dont like girls" did not need to be there. He felt like will was seeing through the amount of effort he had been putting into normal and panicked, saying something he didnt mean and we can visibly see he didnt mean it

In season 4 theres the rollerrink fight, another instance where mike says something he didnt mean or like to say - will complains about mike not sending him letters whereas el has "a whole book of them", mike tells him "thats because shes my girlfriend" to which will asks "and us?" Which mike once again saw as will seeing through mike and he panicked, feeling the need to clarify that theyre just friends and wont be more, wills follow up shows hes more upset mike doesnt treat him like theyre best friends than the idea of them dating, wills already accepted the idea that mike doesnt like him the way he likes mike

The letters isnt because mike didnt want to talk to will, he most definitely tried (sitting by the phone and whining about joyce being on the phone all the time making it busy) but its because EVERYONE in hawkins knows who will is and theyll hear about it him growing up, hes the boy who was dead for a week and came back literally all over the newspapers as "zombie boy"

Mike would not be able to get away with being seen as "normal" while writing and receiving letters from another boy, especially if someone found out because for all he knows they could be the wrong person and suddenly all the work he puts into being "normal" has been washed away

With all that said; mike and will both have internalized homophobia on different ends, will knows and accepts it knowing he cant change it but he also hates it, and mike knows but denies it - i dont think mike would be the one to make the first move, i think it would be will

Idk thats it thats all i got

Will byers making the first move 🙏🙏

[chirpsythismorning]

Why I Don’t Experience Byler Doubt

It’s simple. One of the most essential techniques in storytelling: Show, don’t tell.

Show, don't tell is a technique that allows the audience to experience the story through actions, words, subtext, thoughts, senses, and feelings rather than exclusively through the creators' exposition, summarization, and description.

Even more importantly (assuming we want to enjoy ourselves bc this is supposed to be high quality entertainment), it adds drama. Rather than telling viewers what's happening, a filmmaker will use this technique to show drama unfold. 'Telling' is factual and avoids detail; while 'showing,' is detailed and places the human subject at the centre of the drama.

This technique is literally playing out in the narrative when it comes to Mike’s inability to tell El he loves her (or even simply write love Mike in his letters), which he never would have had to tell her (spell out) in the first place, if he had just shown her that he loved her.

It’s no fun having to spoon feed your audience. Instead, it's much more enjoyable for the storyteller to present the truth in the details, even sometimes contradicting very basic assumptions that are being outright told. Hence why, for example, when the Duffers were asked about the Vecna reveal, Ross used the opportunity to go on a mini tangent: 'the best twists are ones that you go, “Oh, I should have seen that coming.” As opposed to the twists that go, “Oh, well that just came out of nowhere.” So, “Oh, I missed these clues along the way.” But you get nervous when you’re writing it because you go, “Well, to me it seems obvious--'.

In fact, Show, don't tell is what largely allows surprise revelations to hide in plain sight. Because obviously, if a writer just tells their audience everything that's happening while it's happening, we would always see what's coming next.

And so the problem I have with downplaying or even completely refusing to acknowledge the importance of Show, don't tell, in the case of Stranger Things especially, is that, in order to comfortably subscribe to what is being told, I have to ignore what is being shown.

We see this play out all the time on Reddit in particular, which if I'm being honest is the only platform at this point that treats mere speculation about Will and Mike's relationship as if it is the end of the world. On the rare occasion the mods don't remove a byler related post, the post is either already negative towards byler or the comments are filled with fury over the poster simply thinking critically by speculating about byler. Even if you manage to get a fan over there in the comments to consider certain evidence pointing towards byler as incriminating, they'll still manage to end it by downplaying the Duffers and their abilities, because 'They're not that smart!'...

They'll ask for evidence, be presented with it, only to insist that it's all reaching because details mean nothing and everything about the show is actually just surface level, ie. it's not that deep.

Without even realizing it, they're low-key admitting that going the byler route would be smart, and yet here they are tirelessly defending a show that, according to them, has shit writers and no deeper purpose. All this does is prove that they are hoping this is the case. Because even despite being presented with strong evidence that the show might very well be epic, they would rather reject it altogether.

They would rather have one of their favorite shows suck and defend it religiously, then consider the possibility that it's good and gay...

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely fans on reddit that don't hate byler. I imagine out of the million in that sub, there's a silent majority that would be open to it. Keep in mind, most fans still active at this point in hiatus are hardcore fans, and so they're obviously opinionated, that goes for everyone on most platforms rn. And yet, I know there are very likely casual fans who are popping in there every now and then, the same people in the majority when after s4 dropped, saw that monologue and said What the actual fuck was that?

There’s a reason no other couple on the show has needed to hear the words I love you to believe it. Well, besides Steve and Nancy…

Because SHOW, DON'T TELL. That's why!

So, what do I mean when I say that Show, don't tell is why I no longer have byler doubt?

It's actually pretty ironic, but basically the moment Mike told El he loved her, that's the moment they showed us that he didn't.

I mean, for starters, how does one go about filming a romantic love confession? Because if we're being entirely serious right now, they made just about every artistic and creative choice possible to go against what a romantic love confession should look like to feel satisfying.

I mean, you'd probably want the atmosphere to be intimate, right? Make the audience feel like these two are the only two people in the room (world) for this moment?

Well, that's not the case for Mike and El, nor is it the case for literally any of their scenes in s4 (arguably a lot of their scenes in the series; Will the wise drawing in El's room, I'm looking at you). Almost all of the scenes with them together in s4 had Will in the background, often times in the literal frame between them. That is NOT how you film scenes for a romantic pairing that you want the audience to root for, from beginning to end.

You guys gotta understand, rewatch value is one of the most important aspects to this story for the Duffers. When talking about the prospects of s5, they mentioned that they rewatched all the Lord of the Rings, saying how important it was, despite what some fans might say about the ending being too long, or this or that, bc to them, it was necessary to watch it all, and to rewatch it and rewatch it, in order to appreciate the entire story as a whole, aka the way it was intended.

If you're a serious about Mike and El as a romantic pairing, but because of the way the show has set up their relationship over the seasons, you can't sit down and enjoy more than a quarter of each season bc they're either separated, broken up, or on the rare occasion they are together and happy, they're accompanied by a kicked puppy in every shot, maybe all of that's for a reason.

And that applies to the scene in Surfer Boy more than any other scene in the show, a scene that is supposed to be Mike's monologue to El... You mean a scene that directly parallels Mike's monologue to Will in s2?

When planning the end of s4, do we think the Duffers just decided they wanted this intimate moment between Mike and El to have Will in the frame behind Mike (visually piggybacking off of him, in an episode titled The Piggyback...) in almost every shot, including when he said I love you for the first time, for no reason at all? Or is it possible there was a reason for it? Just like there's been a greater reason for everything?

Like bro, I'm sorry, but even if what's being told in that scene is relevant, all of it still reads as either a lie, a partial lie, a lie of omission or a platonic truth hiding behind romantic phrasing: I don't know how to live without you = platonic (trauma bond), whereas I can't live without you/I don't want to live without you = romantic. The later is out of desire/want, the former is out of fear of the unknown.

The entire scene the lighting is blinking rapidly. And so the vibe they're going for here is uncertainty, which is quite odd for a love confession that's supposed to feel certain? Then we have El seeing all red the entire time. She's literally choking, hearing Mike struggle to muster up anything that could help her pull through, only to overhear Will calling Mike the heart, followed by Mike finally saying I love you????

And I guess according to the Duffers, nothing says true love like a love confession ending abruptly by a two day time jump...

Oh and how about, instead of them taking the time at the end of the season for El and Mike to have a private moment, where they could finally address their love for one another, let’s have them barely on speaking terms, and the one time they do talk, let’s have it be offscreen and mentioned in a private moment between Will and Mike, who in contrast to Mike and El, we're going to prioritize having a scene with them alone together at the end of this season...

In the last minutes, let’s have El look at Mike and Will, only to avoid them with visible annoyance. And THEN let’s show Mike visibly defeated by El's annoyance, instead prioritizing reassuring Will, aka his friend with whom he shares an I didn’t say it/ You didn’t have to bond...

I mean? Are we just not going to talk about it? The fact that I didn't say it/You didn't have to could pass off as a literal synonym for Show, don't tell...

It just kills me that even with all of that, the Duffers were like, You know what? Fuck it. Let's show them all the endgame couples lined up next to each other, with Will and Mike in the middle and El standing on her own in front of them. If by now they still refuse to consider it, after everything, this ending probably wont convince them anyways, but it makes for great rewatch value...

Seriously, if you're subscribing fully to the belief that what is being told is the whole truth and nothing but the truth (so help you god), then you're having to ignore all of that. And I can't ignore all of that, I just can't. Which makes it impossible for me to experience doubt anymore.

[rosewaterandivy]

https://youtube.com/shorts/QuNRoe29bPA?feature=share

Something like that? PLS

Love you <3

Wow, thanks so much for the request! I tweaked it a bit to fill one of the prompts from here, hope that's okay. Love you 💜

83. “Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

When you told him what you and Eddie would be up to Saturday night, Steve groaned so loud you could swear the couch vibrated.

You can’t be serious. And leaving me at the mercy of the gremlins?

“Yes,” you grin, “I’m sure the Harrington babysitting service can handle it.” And then you’re off to get ready for the party. “Knowing you, you’ll probably have some hot date booked for after you’ve dropped the gremlins off.”

It’s not that Steve worries, really he doesn’t, because you’ll be with Eddie and Robin will show up at some point, so at least you’ll be safe. But Saturdays were for movies with the party, taking full advantage of Steve and Robin’s (five-fingered) employee discount at Family Video and hanging out.

Recently, it’s been the only time when he can see you—busy with work and classes and helping Eddie with his GED. All your free time was accounted for, used up, leaving nothing left for him.

He tried (and failed) to be accommodating about it.

This resulted in frequent calls to your house, which your mother or father usually answered with thinly veiled annoyance (Sorry Steve, she just left. No, I don’t know when she’ll be back), interrupted study sessions at Forest Hills (Eddie’s exasperated, ‘Dude, what the fuck. You’re infringing on my right to an education here.’), and drop-ins while you were working at the diner.

In short, it was becoming a problem.

So when you mentioned, last minute mind you, that Eddie needed a hand dealing for a party this weekend and you’d agreed to help out, Steve took it about as well as could be expected.

Which is to say, not at all.

It’s bad enough that he’s making them watch Rocky IV, according to Dustin. But Steve pays him no mind and pops the tape into the VCR. The kids grumble and complain, but otherwise occupy themselves by half-watching the saga of Rocky and Drago.

His leg won’t stop bouncing as he reclines against the couch. It continues for the whole movie. When the film concludes with Apollo’s tragic demise, Max starts sorting through the rest of the tapes.

“What else is in here?” Throws out a few titles as she sees them, The Color Purple, 101 Dalmations, Out of Africa—

“Nope!”

Steve nearly hip checks Lucas in his haste to wrestle the tape from Max. They grapple for a bit, nearly coming to blows but Steve’s not about to hit a child and a girl at that. This sense of chivalry does not stop Max from smacking him upside the head, but he’s victorious in the end.

“And why can’t we watch that particular one?” Dustin ventures with a curious glance to Lucas before Steve settles back on the couch between them.

“I’ll, uh,” he stashes the tape behind the sofa, wedges its case against the wall. “Tell you when you’re older.”

Dustin and Lucas continue to eye each other warily.

Then El pipes up, “Friends don’t lie.” And before Steve can stop her from what will inevitably be an embarrassing calamity—

“It’s a … sad movie,” she continues, “The last time he watched it, he cried.”

Oh. Shit.

He wants nothing more than to bash his head against the wall, but can’t risk another concussion according to the doctors and literally everyone else. Maybe the earth could swallow him whole instead? Anything to end this humiliation.

“Didn’t you watch that with—” Mike begins, because he is an asshole.

“Oh yeah,” Dustin confirms, “They watched it like, a few weeks ago. I mean, her crying I get,” he turns to Steve, an incredulous look on his face, “But you—”

“Robert Redford is a good actor, okay?” He rushes to defend himself, “Very convincing.”

“Okaaayy,” Max drawls.

An uncomfortable silence ensues. The kids settle on watching Clue while Steve takes an opportunity to refill drinks and snacks. Tries to ignore the furtive whispers from the living room. Tries to focus on the popcorn in the microwave and not imagining what you may be up to at the house party with Eddie.

“Why don’t you just ask her out already?” Will says when Steve returns from the kitchen. 

The group falls silent, awaiting his response. Keep your cool, Harrington. He sets the bowl of popcorn on the table, doing his best to ignore Will’s probing question. Is almost successful until—

“Steve, you’re literally in love with her.”

He scoffs at Lucas’ blatant betrayal. Helped the kid practice everyday after school leading up to tryouts and this is how he’s repaid? 

“No,” he says with a tone to convey the end of this conversation. “We’re friends, just friends and that’s it.”

A beat of silence as everyone pretends to watch as Tim Curry greets the six strangers upon their arrival to the mansion.

Dustin coughs. “Friends don’t look at each other the way you look at her, Steve.”

“Oh my god.” Max looks like she wants to brain herself on the edge of the coffee table at the stupidity of it all. 

“Fuck off.” Steve huffs in annoyance, “Like I’m gonna take advice from a bunch of high schoolers.”

“Dude.”

“We’ve saved the world.”

“Like, multiple times.”

“And,” El annoyingly points out, “It’s good advice.”

Thankfully, Steve is saved by the bell. The phone trills its ring from somewhere beneath the couch cushions. Unable to find the cordless, he’s forced to answer it in the kitchen.

“Harrington residence.”

There’s music thumping and cross chatter down the line as he tries to make out who’s calling.

“Steve?”

“Rob, that you?”

A laugh, “Yeah, s’me. How you doin’ babe?”

Her voice has taken on that light, dreamy cadence it gets when she’s tipsy or high and, knowing her, it’s probably both.

“Uh, fine.” He turns to check on the kids in the living room, “Watching Clue. Did you need something?”

“Oh my god,” she rasps, “I love that movie!” A hiccup followed by a chuckle. “Nah, I’m good babe. I’m calling for someone else.”

He doesn’t know what to make of that.

“Rob, you know you called my house, right? The kids are here, if you wanna talk to them but—”

“Nonono Stevie,” she says in a rush, “M’callin’ about your girl.”

“My… girl.”

“Yep.”

The sounds of the phone being handed off to someone else. A few breaths and then, “Hi Steve.”

And oh.

Your voice is low and breathy through the phone, he can hear you giggling about something to Robin as you pull the speaker away from your mouth ‘I’m on the phone Buckley.’

He melts, just a bit. Because he knows that tone very well— when you fall asleep leaning against his shoulder during movie nights or take a brief nap sitting shotgun in his car, all raspy and sweet. 

“Hey honey,” he coos, voice incredibly fond. Steve turns, closing himself off from the din in the living room. “Y’doin’ okay?”

“Mmhm, tired though.”

“Is that right?’

A yawn. “Yeah,” he can hear the pout in your voice, “Rob doesn’t wanna leave yet and Eddie went upstairs with someone like, forever ago.”

Steve’s already grabbing his keys from the counter. “Stay with Robin, okay? I’m coming get you.”

“Thanks Stevie,” you sigh prettily, “You’re the best.”

_

Dustin (unhelpfully) advised him to get flowers before he left, so Steve put Max in charge, out of spite. Which unfortunately broke the levy for a barrage of romantic advice from literal children: hold the door, make eye contact, give her your jacket and be on the left side of the sidewalk.

It’d be endearing if it wasn’t so tragic.

He rolls up to the house to find not only Robin, but Eddie too, at your side seated on the sidewalk. He crosses the hood of the car as you stand with a soft smile, “Sorry Steve,” you say, less sloshed since the phone call, but still tired. “Didn’t mean to ruin your night.”

“C’mon honey,” he scoffs, “There’s no way you could ruin my night.” He ushers you to the passenger seat, arm around your waist. He can smell the beer from the keg and stale cigarettes on you, laced with the comforting scent your perfume. 

He shuts the door after reminding you to put on your seatbelt and turns back to Eddie and Robin. They look like they’re up to no good— Eddie’s smirking and got that glint in his eye that says he’ll be a problem, all the while Rob has a dopey grin on her face.

“She’s had water and we took the drinks from her a while ago,” Eddie says, waving back at you from the sidewalk. “Try to have her eat something.”

Steve rolls his eyes. Like he needs advice from a dungeon master on how to deal with a drunk.

Robin blinks owlishly, “Ooh, Hardee’s, get her that.”

Steve laughs as Eddie shepherds Robin away. Says something about not fucking it up and using protection. He can’t bring himself to care as he slides back into the car. The radio kicked on as he starts the car, David Byrne rhapsodizing about a girl as she was. 

He watched as you bop to the song in your seat, bringing an affectionate smile to his face— eyes closed, hair whipping back in the cool night breeze as you sing along. The axels squeak when Steve pulls into the drive-thru lane.

Try as he might to keep his gaze on you, to watch you a little longer, the intercom sputters to life—a young boy’s voice greeting mechanically but trying nonetheless to adhere to Hardee’s hospitality best he can.

The burger you’d gotten—medium, double meat, bacon, all toppings between—has completely fallen apart in a splat back onto the wax paper in your lap.

“Here, honey.”

He fumbles for napkins. But you wave his worries away, licking your fingers before diving in to deconstruct your food.

“Sorry—I promise I have my shit together.” Another giggle, “Not doing well here. Makin’ a mess your car and everything.”

“I, uh, I think you’re doin’ great.”

The words slip out before he can catch them and around a mouthful of fries, you thank him, and then you take a breath, and he can literally see you winding up for another enormous bite.

“Sorry,” you pause sheepishly, “M’ starving—skipped lunch on accident.” You take the enormous bite he saw coming, and then, “Also doesn’t help—mm—nervous.”

Steve chews on a fry and slurps his soda, driving with ease. “Nervous ‘bout what?”

You swallow and steal his drink, “Weren’t you on a date?”

He blinks.

You blink.

He blinks again.

“No, I was watching movies with the kids.”

His face is so hot that he thinks someone must have thrown a fire into him. Should he have just gone along with it instead? It’s old news by now that King Steve had turned in his crown for a walkie-talkie and chauffeuring a bunch of teens around.

A beat passes and he tries again, now at the end of the meal and the stain on your shirt starting to sink in and spread, heavy enough to dip toward the skin beneath. “Do you want to take your shirt off?”

You choke on soda and add another splatter down your chest, “What?”

“You can wear my jacket,” he clarifies. “Give it back later. I mean, if you…” He frowns. “Uh. Um.”

The beemer comes to a stop in front of he Harrington house. Lights still on in the living room signalling that the party is still there. 

You changed out of your shirt, ducking down in the front seat bashfully (“Look away, damn it.”), your old t-shirt in a crumple inside his pocket. His jacket hung a bit loose, but zipped up all the way and it was a good enough cover for a while.

There’s a smear of grease on your cheek from the burger and Steve knows it’s just a personality trait at this point. He laughs when you stick your tongue out, trying to find exactly where it is before giving up and asking him to wipe it off.

He shoves his hands in his pocket afterwards, thumb jammed inside his fist like a souvenir, keeping it there the rest of the walk up the drive, all the way up to the front door of his house before he wonders if he should have been trying to hold your hand.

Maybe not.

“I missed this,” he says, brushing his shoulder against yours.

You hum, knocking your hip against his. “Thanks for dinner,” you say, looking up at him.

“Yeah, of course.”

“And picking me up.” A beat passes. “And the jacket, too. It’s really nice… comfortable and, uh, smells… good. Like, cinnamon and… nice body wash and… trees.” You make a queasy face and close your eyes for a second, pinching the bridge of your nose uncomfortably as Steve looks on.

Oh, he realizes. You must be woozy.

Oh, he realizes. You’re gonna hurl.

“Steve,” Your voice is small and tight, and you look like you’re struggling to take steadying breaths. “I gotta sit down.”

“Right,” he replies. You laugh, rubbing the back of your neck before he turns and unlocks the door.

The kids are passed out on the sofa and reclining chairs in the living room. He locks the door and sneaks you upstairs, hands politely on your waist to steady you on your feet. Guides you to the left toward the guest bath and flips on the lights. 

“You alright?”

The fluorescents cast you in a hazy yellow glow, squinting at the bright light. You paw at the countertop for something, water? You turn to open a drawer and find a spare toothbrush— the blue one, yours, a freebie from a check-up and gloop some toothpaste on the bristles. With a nod in response, you begin to brush your teeth, faucet running as you fill a cup of water. 

Steve leaves you with a clean washcloth and towel, should you need them, and goes to check that his room isn’t a complete disaster. Bed sheets are clean-ish and he doesn’t have time to run them through the wash, though there’s always one of the guest rooms…

“Hey.”

He startles slightly, not hearing you walk in. You’ve toed off your shoes by the door and are looking sheepish, lip pulled between your teeth. “Can I borrow some clothes?”

“Yeah, sure.” 

Steve pulls open some drawers, rifling through for something for you to sleep in. Throws your top into his hamper while he’s at it. He turns back to you with a ‘Hawkins Athletics’ shirt that’s seen better days and a pair of flannel pajamas. Shoves them toward you awkwardly and then promptly turns around to let you have some privacy while you change.

“Thanks.”

He makes a strangled noise of confirmation and clears his throat. “No problem.”

Hearing the rustling of sheets, he turns back around and catches sight of your bare leg as you hunker down in his bed. Heat rushes to his cheeks when he spies the pajama pants neatly folded and placed on his nightstand. You turn on your side, burrowing and fluffing the pillows to your liking.

Steve makes quick work of brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed. Shoes by the door next to yours, jeans shucked into a pile by his desk, keeps his shirt on for the sake of decency, and slips in next to you. 

“I appreciate you coming to get me, y’didn’t have to do that.”

His arm drapes against your shoulder while you snuggle into him, casual affection being the norm between you two. He swallows thickly, tries to regulate his breathing when your hand rests against his chest.

“What’re friends for?”

“Hmm,” you consider for a moment. “Friends may not be the most accurate term.”

Steve bristles at that. 

“What do you mean?” He turns toward you, heart racing— did you not want to be friends anymore? Did he do something wrong?

Your face is impassive, blank. Steve couldn’t even begin to guess at what you’re thinking, is afraid to even try.

Then, you smile.

Fuck. That smile.

“S-so, not friends then?”

Steve is not a religious man, but he prays that your smile means what he thinks it does. Slowly reaching toward you, he brushes a lock of hair from your face, fingers grazing your cheek. 

Mischievously, you lean in, touch him soft on the lips and every beat of his pulse seems to be seeking out the sweet plush of your mouth. “If we were just friends, I shouldn’t wanna kiss you so bad, but we both seem to be … not good… at following decorum, so…” Your eyes light up teasingly, “What d’ya say?”

Steve makes a noise like a whimper. Wow. Babysitter extraordinaire with a bat of nails under his bed and it’s your smile that does him in.

You kiss him again, longer than the last, giggling softly and tugging on his bottom lip like you could pull his entire body toward you with just that. “I’m sure we could find a few more rules to break.”

[xycuro-illuminati]

Why didn’t you like the current Daredevil run?

I'll do a speed round here we go:

- Horrible character assassination on everyone especially Matt and Elektra.

- Zdarsky was v clearly inspired by the mcu Netflix show so the run had a severe case of mcu-ification

- The way he wrote women was atrocious (examples: Elektra, Kirsten, Mindy, literally everyone else)

- The shitty retcon to Elektra's backstory going from the sheltered sweet girl that loved her father sm that when he died it broke her to the point of grief and revenge that she became an assassin and it shattered her worldview to the stupid fucking backstory the mcu tried pulling of her being a spy sent by the Hand to recruit Matt.

- Whitewashed Kirsten AND gave her blue eyes

- the obnoxious way of how Matt was written in terms of religion to the point where he went from caricature to straight up crusader colonizer preaching

- Matt is so horrible in this run this is the most OOC he's ever been it legit feels like reading an mcu dd fanfic from someone who barely watched the show and only took word of fanon and saw gifsets

- Zdarsky tried grabbing story plots from previous runs and executed them horribly to the point where he only grabbed the worst shit from it (the ableism, infantalization, and sexual assault)

- Daredevil Elektra as a concept; it doesn't work. I'm sorry, cool outfit and all, but the Daredevil mantle isn't like the Spider-Man one where anyone can wear the mask. Daredevil was specifically for Matt to process his trauma of losing his father and used it to gain justice where the system would fail for his city. His upbringing fits the mantle and the only person who would fit that mantle is Sam Chung. With Elektra it doesn't work and it's on par with the whole "wife takes the husband's last name" but worse. My friend @thosemintcookies has made better points about this.

- Whitewashed Sam Chung and made him just sit at a cave waiting for the Beast or some shit

- Speaking of the Beast, the Hand being the big bad guys of the whole run sucks. Can we leave the Hand behind please the ninja clan isn't the ultimate dd villain.

- Foggy is just there. He doesn't do much and he's just THERE. It sucks. And he throws around the term catholic guilt for no fucking reason. The guilt Matt feels is regular guilt please shut the fuck up Zdarsky.

- Brought back Mike Murdock and did some decent writing on him only to kill him off. Cool, what was the whole point of that.

- Pulled a gotcha on making us think that zdarsky killed off Kirsten in a train explosion but it turned out she was fine which was so foul. Daredevil comics are NOTORIOUS for fridging female characters so that shit was just unacceptable idc argue with a wall.

- Checcetto's art style sucks I'm gonna be honest. The novelty of it being pretty ended v quickly as soon as he drew poc and holy shit he cannot draw them nor can he draw any other expression.

- Did I mention the ableism? And the infantalization? And the fetishization of Matt's disability? No? Okay well this post covers it all here.

- It gets into racist territory too with how they write Sam and the Hand

- This romantic mattelektra agenda makes my skin itch they're not romantic they're tragic their whole deal is that they could never go back to how they were as lovebirds in college. Soule broke up Kirsten and Matt and they kept it like that for this shlop I'm gonna kill you zdarsky and I'm making Elektra a lesbian now.

- Back to Elektra's character; zdarsky takes the cake in "Let's make Elektra's whole life and character revolve around Matt and Matt only". Making her quit her ways and making Matt treat her like shit by calling her a murderer despite the fact that in previous runs he would NEVER do that and has ACCEPTED that this is who Elektra is.

- Speaking of the murderer shit; Matt is a huge hypocrite in this run and not in a good or fun way. Homeboy got rescued by the other Defenders but then got mad and called them murderers bc they've admitted to killing people and it's the most fanficy thing I've ever read. Zdarsky, did you know. That Matt has known Jessica, Luke, and Danny for years now? Did you know that he already knows that they've killed people before? Did you know that he's teamed up with killers plenty of times (see: Elektra, Natasha, Frank Castle) and doesn't make a big shit about it? Did you know that Matt has killed people before in previous runs?? Did you know that zdarsky?? Bc it's clear he doesn't know.

- Whenever Spider-Man shows up Zdarsky writes him better than anyone in the run and this is a Daredevil run mind you

- Shitty ass writing. Shitty plot bc we've seen it all and there's nothing done. OOC on everyone. Misogynistic writing at its finest. Whitewashed characters. Stupid religious pandering bs that only the mcu girlies would like. Terrible run overall.

@thosemintcookies @froggynelson @faacethefacts @xuanelle @daresplaining @briefcasejuice @evileyeamulet

Feel free to add more or elaborate more on my post I'm giving yall the stage if you want it.

[1americanconservative]

@LivePDDave1

President Trump isn't allowed to speak about crooked Judge Juan Merchan's daughter due to the unconstitutional GAG ORDER he slapped him with. What is Judge Merchan so afraid of? While Trump isn't allowed to say anything about Judge Merchan's radical leftist daughter, we are. In case you missed it, here's the skinny... As news started to leak about Judge Merchan's dirty family dealings just before the trial started, this heavily conflicted judge hit Trump with an even broader gag order to protect his deranged TDS activist daughter, Loren Merchan. According to legal analyst Mike Davis (

@mrddmia

), "Gag orders generally protect the Sixth Amendment right of DEFENDANTS to fair trials. Defendants still have First Amendment rights. Ordering any defendant not to speak about his charges would almost certainly violate the First Amendment." Merchan overseeing Trump's case to begin with is a grotesque mockery of the scales of justice when you factor in his putrid cocktail of blatantly partisan ties. Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings reveal a troubling financial allegiance—a slew of donations to ActBlue, specifically earmarked for Biden's campaign, and substantial funding for the vehement anti-Trump group "Stop Republicans." The rot runs deeper with his daughter Loren's consulting firm funneling a staggering $250 million to progressive causes, indelibly intertwining the family's fortunes with those who seek to fervently oppose Trump. After Trump raised this concern on Truth Social, triggered Judge Merchan hit Trump with a more sweeping gag order to shield his radical liberal daughter. It's more than questionable or suspicious—it's an outrageous distortion of judicial neutrality that has no place in our system. This disgusting panorama of the Merchan family’s financial and political entanglements paints a damning portrait of judicial bias, one that loudly called for his immediate recusal from the case before it even started. Judge Merchan not only tarnishes the bench but shits all over the very concept of impartiality and the cherished, long-standing principle that justice should be blind.

[pinkeoni]

Why The Dragon Could Represent Will's Self Harm

TW: Discussion of self harm

This is an idea I've had swimming around in my head for awhile but I didn't start seeing the evidence for it until recently.

Why the dragon is connected to Will

This point is pretty easy to explain— the dragon in Will's painting was painted by Will.

I mean, it's a pretty simple reasoning but it's solid. Even without getting into the nitty gritty of the creation theory, you can point to the fact that since Will painted the dragon, he essentially created it. Will conjured the dragon in his painting, so he will likely conjure the dragon in some form during the climax.

It's always possible that Vecna could conjure the dragon, but dragons aren't really his MO. Vecna's into spiders, not dragons. It makes much more sense fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons to be the one to conjure the dragon. Thank you to @bylrndgm for pointing out that Will has some winged creatures (possible dragons) on his bedroom wall in Hawkinsand while looking for screenshots I found this dragon toy behind Will (in a scene where he’s being self deprecating no less)

This could also be another Vecna/Will parallel. In season 4 we see little Henry draw his spider monster before turning it into a reality in the Upside Down. Will painted the dragon, so he'll create a real dragon. Similarly, if the spider monster (Mind Flayer) that Henry created is meant to also himself, then could the dragon that Will creates also be himself as well?

How the dragon could represent his self harm

This part is going to take a little more explaining than the last part. I'll start with explaining Will's self harm.

Will doesn't really self harm in a traditional sense, rather we see him emotionally harm himself. While there are a few moments where we see Will stick up for himself, (the rain fight, Rink-O-Mania) there seems to be a line where Will no longer asserts his feelings outward but rather directs them inward and ends up hurting himself in the process. The rain fight results in the destruction of Castle Byers, and when Lucas tries to apologize to Will later, Will claims that it doesn't matter anymore. Something similar happened at Rink-O-Mania, where initially Will is able to defend himself but then later claims that he actually "deserved it."

And then, of course, we see Will harm himself emotionally when he gives Mike the painting under the guise of it being from El. Here we see a recurring aspect of Will's self harm, his self sacrificial nature.

In episode 1x01, Will sacrifices Will the Wise in the D&D game for the sake of the rest of the party. In episode 2x08, Will tries to sacrifice himself again when he instructs everyone to "CLOSEGATE" despite the fact that this would kill him. These two instances combined with the painting show how little regard Will has for his own self preservation, so long as others are saved.

What's interesting about all three of these instances of sacrifice is that they involve fire, burning, or even the dragon itself. The most obvious one being Will's dragon painting, which he uses to try and fix Mike and El's relationship and therefore hurts his own feelings.

When Will sacrifices himself in 1x01, he does so while casting fireball.

In order to get the mind flayer properly out of Will in order to properly close the gate, they do so by burning it out of him (and Will even receives a physical burn from Nancy in this scene).

Why this would manifest as the dragon

ST tends to use its supernatural and horror elements to explore themes of mental illness. The most recent and obvious example being the Vecna's Curse plot from last season, which was used to explore trauma and suicidal ideation. The NINA plot was a look at trauma and repressed memories through a sci-fi lens. In the case of Will, his true sight episodes were a supernatural spin on PTSD flashbacks. The show rarely ever has monsters just for the sake of monsters. Even the giant flesh monster from s3 was likely used as a metaphor for forced conformity and patriotism.

So then, when a big dragon gets manifested in the show, likely by Will, I don't think it would be just a big dragon for the sake of having a big dragon; I think that the dragon would likely be used to represent some kind of aspect regarding mental health. And based on what I've mentioned above, the aspect in question would likely be Will's self destruction.

How would a dragon be used to show self harm?

Something important about Will's dragon is that it has multiple heads.

It's been theorized as to exactly how many heads the dragon would have. Would it have seven heads like the dragon in revelations? Five heads like the Tiamat from D&D? Or just three heads like Will's painting? (Likely the last option) No matter how many heads, the dragon in each example has multiple heads, enough heads to be able to cause harm to another one.

Considering that the Duffers often pay homage to other sources, I was wondering if there was any examples in other media or mythology to a self destructive dragon— and then I remembered the Ouroboros

The Ouroboros is an ancient multicultural symbol that has taken on a few different interpretations depending on the culture it comes from, but is always represented as "a serpent or dragon eating its own tail."

The ouroboros usually represents the cycle of death and rebirth, but is also commonly seen as a symbol of self destruction.

Will doesn't realize that his self harm hurts others

Something that I don't think Will is quite aware of is that whenever he self harms or self sacrifices, he believes he is only harming himself but doesn't realize that he's harming others. When he sacrifices himself in D&D and subsequently goes missing, he doesn't see the pain and distraught that it brings to everyone. When Will gives his dragon painting to Mike under the guise of it being from El, he doesn't realize that he's actually hurting both of them through his attempt to save their relationship.

What this could mean for the dragon is that it could be harming itself, like in the case of the ouroboros, but it could also be causing damage to everything around it in the process. Imagine, for example, the dragon breathing fire on one of its other heads, but it ends up setting fire to part of the town. A dragon literally at war with itself whose self destruction spills outward, just like Will.

In the terms of how this works thematically, this is how the dragon could be used to show Will's journey toward selfishness. Contrasting his many instances of self sacrifices, Will learns that the real answer to saving others involve saving himself, and that's how they defeat the dragon.

Prediction for how this could happen in the show

Here's a rough timeline for how this could play out in the show:

We see Will's self destructing nature build up throughout the season

The dragon ends up manifesting at the climax, likely in episode 7

The dragon manifests at a point where Will is at his lowest, possibly considering sacrificing himself for the benefit of others. He doesn't realize that this would do more harm than good

The dragon tries to destroy itself but does damage to everything around it in the process

Will realizes that he was the one who created the dragon and has to contend with why it was created

Part of defeating it means Will has to have a personal realization

This point is a little less fleshed out but the party defeats the dragon together as part of the final battle before the final confrontation with Vecna

tagging: @howtobecomeadragon @smalltown-babygirl

[catherinnn]

a little blurb to keep you entertained: Eddie and you help Mike out of a relationship crisis with El.

masterlist

"She knows I'm lying. She knows I'm lying" Mike starts repeating making his nervousness more obvious.

"But I don't understand. Why lying?" you ask trying to figure out how to help him.

Mike got himself into a big problem with El. She wanted to hang out with him today but he just said the first excuse that came to mind -a poor excuse, might I add-- and now he's in a bigger mess. That's why he came to you and Eddie for help. He had asked Lucas before but he thought his advices were only going to make the situation worse, giving how him and Max are constantly fighting. So he thought of the next couple he knew, and you two were a pretty good example. You rarely fight, at least not in front of the kids. And you are now in a three year long relationship, so you had to know a thing or two that could be useful in his case.

"Hopper. He threatened me" Mike answers you.

"He didn't threaten to kill him, he's overreacting" Lucas adds.

"You shut up" Mike quickly tells him.

"How did he threaten you?" Eddie asks. He didn't really want to help him at first. Said it was just kids stuff and they would just figure it out eventually or just forget about it. But you convinced him to at least listen to him, and now he seems interested.

"He said that if I don't do what he says, then he'll stop me from seeing El, like perminantly. He's absolutely crazy!"

"He's in deep shit now cause he handled it horribly" Lucas adds again.

"He's not wrong, you handled it awfully" Eddie agrees with him, to Mike's delight.

"What should I have said?! It was the first excuse I could think of!" Mike defends himself.

"Well, I mean, you could've just said the truth" Eddie responds.

"No, I think that would only worry El and she'd get into a big fight with Hopper" you say.

"Well, at least she wouldn't be fighting with him" Lucas murmurs but you hear him.

"No! He should care about her feelings too, and do what's best for her!" you correct him quickly.

"It's more convenient, trust me" Eddie jokes.

"Hey" you snap at him but he's quick to calm you.

"Kidding, sweetheart" he gives you a big smile and kisses your cheek, that immediately softens you.

"Could you stop flirting? I'm desperate here" Mike complains.

"Yeah, listen. I think the only way out of this mess is to explain yourself, without blaming it all on Hopper, that would only make her mad and she'd end up fighting with him" Eddie explains.

"Yeah, you're right. You should just tell her she should talk to her dad about having you over and how he feels with her being in a relationship. Parents can be hard on you when you get a boyfriend, especially at that age. So show her, you're on her side, trying to help her, and not here to make things worse" you tell him.

By the look on his face you can tell he's confused. It all seemed like too much of a problem for him, and it might be easier to just buy her a present like Lucas said. So he thanks you two for helping but he ends up making it worse.

On the other hand, they do end up back together, just like Eddie said, they figured it out eventually. But maybe this will help them to get to know each other better and in the end, knowing what the other might need in a tough situation like this, or at least on how to fix it when you fucked it up.